The King's Game - Blackbarrow Arc (Part 1)

Chapter 17: Stain's Rage

"Is it just me or does the air seem unnaturally dense?"

"Shut up and help me move the cannons will ya. Baron wants all the walls to be impregnable and that means having the cannons ready as well."

The guard looked towards the plain that separated them from Royland, the baron had a sound idea in fortifying the keep; but the ominous feeling refused to leave him. He got back to work and helped setup all the cannons before he set out on his patrol. The vrot continued without anything unusual happening, however the air gradually became denser. The guard could not understand how his comrades, or anybody else for that matter, couldn't notice the change in the air.

Thunder clouds hung in the skies and droplets of rain begun to fall. The dense air accompanied by the looming storm sent a shiver down the guard's spine. Something had come for Blackbarrow, something ferocious enough that it had changed the weather. The guard ran for the lookout tower, he grabbed a telescope from one of the desks and surveyed the plains. The guard stepped back, almost tumbling to the ground, his mouth was agape and as much as he tried, his voice refused to surface. Every fibre in his body screamed for him to run away, there was no way he could face what had come for them. The telescope fell from his hands as he turned around and bolted for the stairs. The guard ran to his home and gathered as much of his belongings he could carry on his back and made his way to the opposite gate. He had to do whatever he could to create a larger distance between him and what had come for Blackbarrow. In his rush he had not changed out of his uniform, naturally he was stopped at the gates.

"Where do you think you going? Baron has forbidden anyone from entering or leaving Blackbarrow without his permission. Go back to your post and be ready for any attack from Royland."

"Get the fuck out my way! Why does nobody else feel it? If we stay and fight, we will all die! There is no beating what is coming! If you want to throw away your lives then by all means do it, but I'm telling you, running is the only option!" The young man shouted as he trashed loose from the guard's hold on him.

The guard saw the backpack on the man's back as he bolted past them, "Stop him! He is a deserter! Do not bother the baron with this, shoot to kill!", the guard ordered as the men around him drew their crossbows.

The gate ahead of the young man was sealed shut, behind him a firing squad of his former allies. He had to open the gate somehow and get out of Blackbarrow and as far away from The Desolate Plains as humanly possible.

"Come." A voice whispered in his ear.

A portal opened before the young man's eyes. He did not know where it led, but he had no time to ask questions. He wasted no time and gave his mind no chance to second guess anything as he ran into the portal. A barrage of bolts shot towards the young man, however the second the young man had entered the portal, it sealed shut behind him.

The guards looked dumbstruck, to them the young man had just vanished into thin air and their bolts pierced the wall.

"Do not tell the baron about this, do you understand me?", the guard who gave the order said, "We do not need the baron knowing about this failure. Grab a citizen that looks somewhat like the deserter, we will use his body to show the baron we have caught the deserter if he discovers a guard is missing."

The other guards all nodded as they lowered their crossbows and two of them left to find a young male to sacrifice.

It was only later that vrot that Stain came into view of the guards on the wall. The guards could not understand how the men in the watch tower had not seen this hulking beast of a man approaching Blackbarrow.

"Raise the alarm! An unidentified man approaches from The Desolate Plains, he must be one of Royland's men!" The guard shouted from the wall.

The men on the wall all readied their bows as a guard on the ground ran for the watch tower where he rung the alarm bell. The Blackbarrow guards all made their way to their posts, on and around the wall. They were all on high alert for anymore enemies to appear, they believed that there was no way Royland would send only one man to Blackbarrow in response to the hundred Garnet had sent to kill him.

Stain looked towards the giant gate that was sealed, then he looked at the guards on the wall. The mere sight of them reignited his rage. Once he had stepped in range of the archers on the wall, the archers let loose and arrows accompanied the rain that pelted down on Stain. The guards were shocked when they saw that all the arrows had simply bounced right off Stain's body. Stain let out a primal roar that, to the guards, seem as he had called down the thunder and lightning. Before the guards had a chance to ready the next wave of arrows, Stain drew the two short swords from his waist and disappeared before the eyes of the guards. Stain slashed at the steel gate, cutting it like butter, as the gate fell to the ground.

"There's no way he is human. Not a single arrow was able to pierce him and he moves so fast he vanishes before our eyes. How do we fight this?" The guard on the wall said as he watched Stain walk into Blackbarrow.

"Come at me!" Stain bellowed as he let out another primal roar.

The first wave of guards charged at Stain with spears in hand. Stain stabbed his two swords into the ground and opened his arms in a 'come get me' stance. Angered by his cockiness the guards' blood began to boil. They thrust their spears with everything they had and aimed for his torso. Stain's face had an angered look as the spears all snapped and broke as it came into contact with his body. The first wave of guards all stepped back with frightened looks on their faces.

"Why; why are maggots as weak as you pretending to be strong and picking on the innocent?" Stain said through clenched teeth.

One of the guards let out a frightened shout and he drew a dagger and ran at Stain. Stain grabbed the guard by the head, his hand covering the guard's entire face. The guard screamed in pain and terror as Stain lifted him off the ground and applied pressure to his skull, which caused the guard to drop his dagger. The other guards were frozen to the spot by what they saw, Stain wrapped his other hand around the guard's neck and ripped the guard's head from his body with practised ease. He dropped the body, turned and threw the head right at the guard who had ordered the archers to fire their arrows at him. The head was aimed right for the guard's own head and the force at which Stain threw the skull was strong enough to cause the guard's head to explode. The guard's body slumped to the floor, blood spurting all over. A couple of the guards wet themselves, but none of them were able to move, the pressure around Stain was too powerful for them to even be able to move a muscle.

"If you won't come to me, then I will come to you!" Stain roared as he proceeded to use his bare hands to rip apart and crush the frightened guards, whether they tried to run or not, Stain showed no mercy in slaughtering them.

When one of the lieutenants finally arrive, the ground was drenched in blood and dismembered bodies parts. The blood was so thick that even the rain had a hard time washing it away.

"What are you beast?" The lieutenant asked a blood covered Stain as he dismounted his horse.

"I'm the man sent to end your lives and take that piece of shit Garnet to Royland." Stain said as he wiped some of the blood from his face.

"It would seem you are quite strong, to be able to take out so many Blackbarrow guards all by yourself, however that ends now as I will be the one to take your head."

"You are certainly stronger than the rest, seeing that you not frozen in fear or being crushed by the pressure of my aura. I should have brought my great sword for you." Stain said as he ripped his two short swords from the ground.

"Judging from how clean your swords look, and how filthy you are, I take it you used your fists to cause all this carnage. Impressive." The lieutenant said as he drew his rapier.

"If I was in a better mood, I would have given you a fair fight, but I need to get to Garnet before he can escape."

Before the lieutenant could even open his mouth, Stain bolted forward and drove both his swords through the lieutenant's chest.

"Just you wait Garnet, after I slaughter all your men; I'm coming for you."