The Crimson Claymore

The Crimson Claymore: Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Searon stared into the distance toward the gates of Legain. An army of daerions crowded its front gates, laying siege to the walls, and yet relief spread across the captain's face. They hadn't broken through the gate yet, and Legain's defenses were strong. His brother had made sure of that. He watched in pride at the crossbow men along the wall's crenellation as they fired down upon the creatures. He knew they wouldn't be able to hold long as fires had begun on the stone. In the midst of all the blue creatures, he noticed something amiss. There was a lone person on a black stallion with a long staff who appeared to command them.

The number of daerions was more than Searon could have imagined. At least three thousand fought at the gate of Legain, and many of them tried climbing the thick walls. Whoever sat on the horse appeared to be a magician and used his power to create black fires on the walls of the great city. The gate seemed to be weakened, and a few hundred of the creatures carried crossbows that killed several of the humans atop the walls and towers. He watched as the hundreds of creatures trying to break down the gate suddenly moved away. The magician stood alone against the gate and shot magic from his staff that shattered the gate into a thousand pieces of metal and stone.

"A dark wizard?" Searon whispered.

"A warlock," Karceoles said at his side.

The thousands of creatures began flooding into the gates of his home city. Rage pulsed through Searon's veins. He was already uneasy as he watched the young girl die just the other day in the small destroyed village. There was little he could offer her except comfort and a small taste of the wizard's last jar of peanut paste.

He turned around and raised his claymore to cavalry and infantry alike. "Men, these creatures are slaughtering your families. Show them no fear, show them no mercy! Destroy them all! Charge!"

Searon quickly sheathed his weapon and kicked the side of his striped stallion. He was hoping to delay for a time while the rest of the men on foot could catch up, but there was no longer time. The gates of his former city had been demolished, and to make matters worse, some sort of warlock appeared to be leading them.

Starlyn ran at his side and thrust her golden hammer into one foe after another. She pulled her shield up high to deflect scimitars as the strikes came at her. Rain began to fall from the cloudy sky and covered her in large droplets of water. Searon wondered why she cared so much. He knew that she was desperate to find her sister, but she had bonded with him and the rest of the humans. She would protect them with her life and he wasn't quite sure why. Lightning illuminated her golden shield with scattered designs of blue leaves across the front. Searon fought by her side, making sure that she was well defended.

Searon slid on his crimson-and-gold helm before making his first slash with his glowing claymore. In the heat of battle, he looked like every other warrior, with no significance toward his leadership. He was careful not to be on the front lines to bring attention to himself, although his cunning swordplay as well as the striped stallion he rode gained him enough unwanted attention. Starlyn stayed by his side on the ground and kept him well defended as well as a few of his guard. Karceoles the wizard wasn't too far away, either fighting alongside the mage Sh'on with complimentary magic spells, though each focused on different directions.

The daerions were strong creatures in spite of how short they were. Most carried short swords, yet their brute strength was all they needed. Searon watched as one of the daerions reached and grabbed one warrior off of his horse by the neck and crushed the man with bare hands. Arrows soon took the creature, but it took nearly a dozen before it dropped to the ground with dark-sapphire blood pouring from its twisted mouth.