The Axe Falls 2 - ch 26-

“Sire! We must retreat back to our lines!” Duke Denahn warned Nick as the bigger man made it to him.

“Lead the way, Duke!” Nick yelled back.

Lucian and the sounds of so many spells going off had made it nearly impossible to hear anything at all unless someone was shouting.

The party of the Dukes had already been turning around apparently. Nick just hadn’t noticed or realized it.

Nathaniel had stayed with Nick and had even given his own father a cross-wise glance when he stepped up to Nick. Sara had also moved, making sure to cover him from the other side.

The two had a single moment where there eyes met, seemed to recognize one another as guards, and went back to guarding.

Slowly, keeping within the dome of magic, the group continued to trundle back to the lines.

Even as spells, projectiles, and a Gryphon or two, slammed into the protective domes.

It happened with such frequency that one of the magical constructs folded in on itself and was no more.

Taking the abuse that it could tolerate and ceasing to exist.

Another shield was formed immediately as if someone else was waiting for that very moment. Or the original caster had more than enough mana to recast the spell.

“Holy shit, Nicky! I love you, and I love what you do to me and how you make me feel, but this is a bit much for a ‘death do us part’ ain’t it?!” shouted Jessie directly behind him. “Ah shit, who’m I kidding! This is fine! I’ll make it work!

“Also, hey, when we’re done here, can we hit the royal mattress? I want to get the Dragon King’s seed in me! I’m thinking on day like this I could start baking that bun! Get the seeds fertilized! Folding that baby batter into dough!”

Nervous little thing.

In front of the party, before Nick could even think any further on what Jessie had just said, a massive cloud of dirt and grass was blown out in every direction. Washing the shield in it quite liberally.

Not waiting for the air to clear, someone began casting air or wind spells outside of the dome and blew the screen away. Much of it blowing out to the side or upwards.

Once the area was free of debris and detritus Nick could see a squad of Gryphons and riders had landed. At least fourteen of them and all of them wearing armor that glowed in a golden way.

Based on their armor alone, Nick felt like they were high levels. People he couldn’t really get involved with.

Gramps, I know you’re busy, any chance you can wipe this group out!?

“No, my boy, I’ll be there when I can!” Lucian answered.

Okay, ah… can we trust Nathaniel?

His father?

“Yes! He wouldn’t be able to wear that armor otherwise!” stated Lucian. “It’s likely each and every Duke, or who will become the Duke, trains in a martial class to best utilize the armor! Most likely, a Great-Knight or Guardian!”

“As the Dragon King, I name you the Royal Guard Captain, Duke Danahn! I charge you to promote people to the Royal Guard!” Nick shouted and leveled his poleaxe at the enemies that’d appeared. He didn’t think he could actually fight them directly, but he wasn’t going to just lay down and let something happen either. “Nathaniel Danahn, I name you a Royal Guard and bodyguard!”

Nathaniel’s shoulders straightened and the man seemed to visibly become more imposing somehow.

Looking over his shoulder Nick looked to try and find Distis.

He couldn’t see him in the crowd and there was the possibility he might’ve ended up with the Fash group.

Instead, Nick saw Ternahl standing not far away. He looked to have strength in his wasted frame and held a slim bladed sword in his hand.

Ternahl met his eyes, then gave him a grim smile.

“Ternahl, who do I name Knight Captain?” Nick demanded. “I need a recommendation of someone I can promote right here, right now.”

The older man looked shocked and unsure at the sudden demand.

“Delaney, Sire. Delaney, house of Bannick,” Ternahl spat out looking frustrated and angry for some reason.

“Delaney Bannick I name you the Knight Captain, I charge you to promote people to the Knights!” Nick said as all the enemies in front of them began dismounting. They’d have to fight the Gryphons as well as the soldiers.

A number of messages popped up in front of Nick.

Name after name of people being promoted into the Knight unit or the Royal Guard. To the point that it was clear that the names being added weren’t in the group they were part of at this moment.

The golden enemies were rapidly building out spells around themselves and each other as they prepared weapons. Here to directly attack the Dukes faction.

Guess I was wrong about them just wanting to cause fatalities.

Sara moved away from Nick, got to the edge of the bubble, then whistled at the enemy group.

Immediately, two Gryphons peeled away from their riders and rushed toward her.

Realizing what she was doing, and trying to be helpful where she could be, Sara was attempting to battle the Gryphons. They would likely be lower level than the riders given that they were mounts.

Nick left Nathaniel and went to join Sara.

Unsurprisingly, Jessie, Julie, Claudia, and Harlowe came with him

What was surprising, was several others joined his group.

Nathaniel, his father, and others, were forming up in front of the dismounted individuals. The battle was going to split into two at the moment.

Any other abilities that might be useful right now?

Any attacks?’

“Breathe fire? I’m not sure! You’re as close to a Dragon as could be as my grandson was!” Lucian replied, pairing his words with a grunt.

Looking backwards, Nick saw Lucian flying through the air with a literal swarm of Gryphons and riders all over him. He was knocking them out of the air or just killing them outright with his jaws and putting up a terrific fight.

Sara let out another sharp whistle at the Gryphons and the rest of them all peeled away from their riders. Coming over to them and forming up to the point that there was fourteen of them.

“Sire, what’re your orders?” asked a man next to him in plate mail armor.

“Break into groups, we’re just here to drop these while the stronger levels handle the others,” Nick ordered. “Take up as many as you can hold, manage yourselves as best as you can. I won’t be there to oversee anything.

“If you’re wounded, drop back. Use potions, medical aids, or wait for the healer.

“Claudia, drink any and every potion you need. Less deaths the better.

“Julie, Jessie, I need some fires. Just like last time. Alright?”

“Yes, Lord King,” Claudia said, with something else in her tone he couldn’t place.

Then the magical spells failed and collapsed.

The Gryphons rushed toward Nick’s group.

Calling up Wind-Blade, Nick threw several of them out. Targeting the wings of the Gryphons in front of himself. Considering last time he’d been able to cause some distress to those limbs, now that he’d leveled up quite a bit, he figured he could actually cause some damage to them.

Two of the four blades Nick threw slammed into wings and broke them outright. A third struck at an odd angle and it started to bleed profusely and the fourth went wide.

Shooting into the sky.

Holy shit!

Is this a perk of taking on the King title, rather than Prince?

“Yes!” Lucian said simply.

Wanting to test out the breathe fire ability, and the fact that the Gryphon’s were all mostly in front of him without allies in the way, Nick lifted his shoulders, sucked in a breath, then activated ‘Breathe Fire’. He had no idea if he had the ability, how to use it, or what it entailed, but he got the impression it’d be just like how Lucian had done it.

He briefly thought about waiting for them to fling oil, grease, and anything else that’d burn at the Gryphon’s, but Julie could set them on fire after that if need be.

Nick exhaled and did his best to focus on the fact that he should have activated ‘Breathe Fire’.

Extremely bright blue flames shot out of Nick’s mouth an in incredibly wide cone. Washing over all the Gryphon’s in front of him endlessly as he continued to exhale.

Wondering if this attack was linked to his own stamina, Nick attempted to activate Dragon’s Might as well.

In the second that it activated, Nick found where he had felt like he was running out of breath, he now felt as if he had a lungful of air that he could barely hang onto. His exhale growing in power and duration instantly.

The flame had gone from blue to a startling violet color and the heat that was coming back at Nick felt intense. Extremely so and he briefly wondered if this was a bad idea.

If he perhaps had innate resistance to heat that would compensate for his ability to Breathe Fire.

Because if he didn’t he was going to lose all his hair and his armor was going to be really hot in just a moment.

An extreme and sudden blast of wind rushed past him and beyond. Pushing a great deal of the heat away from Nick and toward the Gryphon’s.

Startlingly, the violet flames began to flicker in and out of having actual color. As if they were moving into a color Nick couldn’t even perceive.

Then he was out of breath and partially hunched over.

Gasping in a sudden breath Nick then stood up, readying his weapon.

He noted at the same time that there did seem to be some heat radiating off of his armor as well as the head of End of the Line.

Wind was continuing to push and whip past him toward the Gryphons and he could feel the heat dissipating quickly from his equipment.

“Lord King?” asked a quiet voice to his left, causing him to glance that way.

It was the same armored individual from earlier. There had been a distinct note of concern in their voice when they spoke.

Nick also saw that there was a pair of wide-eyes visible through the slits in the helmet.

Not bothering to reply, Nick looked ahead again. The flame had bled itself away now.

Several of the Gryphons were actually still on fire. Rolling themselves back and forth on the ground and attempting to smother the flames.

The others were all singed but hadn’t gone up in flames.

Nick dismissed the several Critical Strike windows before they could distract him. They were good to know but in a fight like this they’d only be bothersome.

An arrow blossomed in the eye of the nearest Gryphon, the arrow smashing deep into it’s skull.

Struck in such a way Nick wasn’t at all shocked that the big beast collapsed to the side and began twitching upon the ground.

Hitpoints did wondrous things and could make people incredibly tough, but an arrow through the eye, was an arrow through the eye. There was a reason many melee classes wore closed or visored helmets at the upper end.

“G-group one with me!” called a young sounding voice off to Nick’s right and a step or two behind. “Two, with Henrietta! Three, with Maxwell. Four is the king’s unit and he will manage himself. All other individuals provide support when and where you can!”

“I’m here, Dragon King,” came the raspy voice of Ternhal on Nick’s right with Harlowe. “I’m too old for those young ones over there but I can assist here.”

“Try not to die, Duke. I’ll still need a Chamberlain until Count Distis is done,” ordered Nick a second before the living Gryphons rushed their group.

Sara moved right up to the spot in front of Nick and lifted her slim blade up in front of herself.

“Come then!” she yelled at the two nearest Gryphons, pulling them onto herself.

Nick pointed with the fingers on his right hand and cast Earth-shield on her then set himself up to engage the nearest Gryphon once they were truly on her.

Jessie appeared on the other side of Sara and Julie was just behind the tank. Several spells were clearly being prepared even as all combatants closed.

Within a split second of reaching Sara, both Gryphon’s attacked her. One smashed out with it’s large and cruel looking beat. The other with a claw swipe that came out rapidly from below.

Sara nimbly picked up her left leg and stepped over the swipe, while twisting her torso and neatly dodging the beak-peck. Letting the first pass harmlessly and the latter slam into the ground.

Her sword shot up and struck the Gryphon in the chest. Only penetrating a scant few inches and coming to a full stop.

Sara jerked her blade back out and held it up in front of herself once more. Acting her role out near perfectly.

Nick moved in and dropped the head of his poleaxe level with the spike, then Lunged, Advanced, and went to Pierce. Aiming for any part of the monster’s torso at all that was in the “upper chest” area.

His anatomy awareness of Gryphon’s was entirely based on the idea of “organs are here” rather than an exact location. Which, in the moment, he now regretted not pulling apart a Gryphon if only to understand their anatomy.

With speed and strength he wasn’t accustomed to, Nick’s poleaxe slammed hard into the Gryphon’s side. The spike piercing it easily and the sudden give of the ribs made Nick think he’d broken a few.

A window popped up and he dashed it away, busy with not dying or losing comrades.

Letting out a horrible screech the Gryphon looked to Nick and went to pull itself back from him. Shifting away with a speed that caused the poleaxe to slide free easily.

A glass vial broke against the side of the Gryphon. Followed by a small ball of fire that caused the feathered monstrosity to go up into a roaring bonfire.

Not even trying to do anything more, it turned and started running away. It’s wings coming out and attempting to fly off.

Except the faster it moved, and even more so as it took flight, the fire seemed to grow brighter and more intense. Brighter and brighter with every flap of it’s wings as it rose up.

Then suddenly going still and falling out of the sky and hitting the ground with an incredible thump.

“Come on, you turkey!” Sara shouted, pointing her free hand at another Gryphon that was nearby, pulling it away from another tank.

The Gryphon in front of her took the chance to attack her, it’s beak coming out in a quick lunge, to which Sara sidestepped again.

Unfortunately the extension of the beast’s head included it’s shoulder, which slammed into Sara and caused her to take several steps away. The thin Earth-shield that’d been around her failed as well.

To which Sara only stepped in close and put in a slash at the Gryphon, her blade whipping through the air it’s head had just been and narrowly missing it.

Then Harlowe was there, her long-sword blurring out as she lunged toward it’s side. The big weapon caught it at the top of it’s left shoulder. Jerking it away, Harlowe stepped back out as Jessie stepped in.

Both of the Dark-Elf’s daggers bit into the rear left leg of the monster. One at the top of the joint and the other at the hamstring.

She also danced away before the monster could react.

“Oy! Bird-brain!” Sara called and flicked her weapon against it’s head. The sword tip bouncing off it’s lower beak and striking it’s feathers but finding no purchase.

Now the second Gryphon had joined in and just about trampled right over Sara.

Who stepped toward it, pivoted, and then moved right up against the first Gryphon as the second ran past.

Nick took the opportunity to stick out the axe-head of his weapon and let it run along the side of the beast. The edge biting nice and deep as it moved past and bouncing along as if it were a stick being run across rail slats as a child ran along.

Instead, it was the Gryphon’s ribs.

Squawking beligerantly, the Gryphon came to a stop and began to hobble to the side. Trying to turn around and face Nick and his group.

Duke Ternahl stepped in close, his thin blade shooting out in a near perfect lunge and penetrating into the beast’s neck. The attack had looked fluid and graceful, but when the Duke went to move off, he was shuffling and tottering again.

A great warrior reduced to much less due to age.

Time is always the great equalizer.

Nick needn’t have worried about the situation at all.

The Gryphon caught a bottle of something to it’s face and then was hit by a lit torch. Going up in a sudden flame just as the other had.

Realizing that the screeching burning Gryphon wasn’t going to be an issue, Nick looked back to where Sara was fighting.

That Gryphon was on fire as well.

In fact, every Gryphon that Nick could see was on the ground, burning, or trying to escape.

Not wanting to lose their momentum, Nick spun to the left and looked to where the individuals with glowing armor had engaged the Duke’s faction.

The battle was on going.

“Spell users, ranged, and anyone with a projectile, pour it on them!” Nick called out and pointed at the fight. “Healers or those with healing abilities, move to the back line and assist!”

How’re you doing grandfather?

“I’m delightful, my boy!” Lucian said cheerfully. “I’ll come over as soon as I finish this flock of Gryphon’s that’re keeping me moving.

“Good work by the way, you’re utilizing your Dragon’s Might quite well!”

Ah, that’s how I’m cutting into them so easily isn’t it? My stats are powering me past the gap in levels.

How often can I use Breathe Fire?

“Indeed, they’re covering the gap. As to the ability cooldown, five more minutes I’d assume based on what I’ve seen in the past,” remarked Lucian and then suddenly shot by overhead. His snout snapped down as he went and neatly plucked up a healer in white and gold robes. Leaving behind only a single boot where the individual had been.

Nick started moving toward the other fight while at the same time wondering if he should go bother Claudia for some throwables.

Only to realize he was better suited to being a bulwark to make sure no one rushed his group.

Leveling his poleaxe, he wasn’t surprised to find Sara on his right, and the plate mailed individual on his left. There were also other armored individuals at the forefront.

The rest of the group had lined up as well with the casters and ranged personnel behind the tank line.