Chapter 7: The Four Horsemen
Here is the seventh chapter. The action is getting better.
Chapter 7: The Four Horsemen
Raz looked horrified as the shaking continued and prayed that they would have more time. Nevertheless, it would seem that their borrowed time was up as his fear channeled into determination.
"King Drakken!" A voice called to him as Raz turned around to see General Rockwall coming over, riding on a floating boulder.
Rockwall put a hand over his heart and said, "My lord, the troops are ready and await your command."
"Excellent, General. You shall take point with me. Maz! Maz!" Raz yelled as Maz came out of the crowd, stumbling as he went.
"Yes, sire?" Maz asked.
"I want you, Kyle, and Buckner to accompany me. Hector! Make sure these Dragons get to safety." Raz said as Hector put his hand over his heart and left.
"Alright, time to go," Raz said as all five of them went outside the grounds to the thousands upon thousands of troops waiting for them. A servant brought Raz's armor to him, similar to Rome's, and put it on.
"Ranks form up! March!" General Rockwall said as they began marching towards the shore and the pillar of smoke.
It looked as though the sky had become sick and was vomiting out upon the landscape to Raz. Suddenly, there was a loud BANG as the mountain split open like the jaws of a massive predator, spewing forth a legion of Demons that came flying towards the Supreme Region's Army at incredible speeds.
Raz was beside himself because he had dreamed this. However, he pushed the thought aside.
"Archers! Get ready! Aim! FIRE!" General Rockwall shouted as thousands of fire arrows shot up into the sky and took out several Demons. Notwithstanding, the force was so massive that the fallen Demons were replaced by others.
"Fireballs at the ready! Fire!" General Rockwall shouted as everyone, including Raz and Maz, threw fireballs at the Demons, instantly igniting into flames as they went down. But the Demons kept coming as Raz looked up and saw four figures on winged horses fly off in separate directions toward each region.
"General Rockwall! Take over this battle. Buckner, Kyle, and Maz come with me." Raz said as all three went over to him and Rockwall nodded.
"Yes, Sir?" Buckner asked.
"There were four figures that shot out from that cloud, going to each of the Regions. It would be best if we went to our own Regions where our strength will be the greatest." Raz said as they all agreed.
Raz and Maz picked up Buckner and flew him over the Great Ocean. Buckner gave them a thump up as they released him while he dived into the water. Then, they flew off towards the Fire Region.
Raz hated leaving the battle that raged behind him. Still, he knew General Rockwall was a highly trained tactician and wouldn't let the Supreme Regions forces fall. He and Maz needed to focus on this figure that was in front of them.
From what Raz could make out, the figure was dressed in black with a hood on his head. An ominous aura radiated off of him that made Raz's scales crawl. It felt, for a moment, that the fear of death gripped his heart. That feeling grew so much that Raz broke out into a cold sweat and couldn't help but wonder if he should flee or fight this figure.
Raz knew he had no choice in the matter and pressed on as he looked over at Maz. Apparently, Maz was feeling the same way, and Raz thought he had to be strong for both of them. Then, there it was. The same thing that happened yesterday morning. Raz caught a glimpse of what Maz was genuinely thinking.
Raz didn't understand what was happening. At least at first, but slowly, he realized that this might be what the prophecy was referring to. To obtain the power to stand against evil's might. He wasn't sure how this was going to work and, at the moment, needed to concentrate on stopping this venomous creature in front of him.
Then, the figure stopped suddenly and turned slowly towards them, his face remaining concealed within the hood. The large black horse snorted as its eyes glowed a purplish-red and thrashed its head at the prospect of a potential meal of Dragon meat.
It seemed to Raz that this figure looked even more intimidating up close, and every fiber of his being was telling him to run. A very primal instinct from long ago when his ancestors were nothing more than animals themselves. He fought with all of his courage to remain where he was. Raz could feel Maz's emotions coinciding with his own and tried to feed some of his courage to him.
"You have trespassed into the Kingdom of Dragos. Leave now, and no harm will come to you," Raz said with all the bravery he could muster.
"You have no idea to who you have just spoken to. I take no orders from mortals, for they all fall before me, and you shall see too. You can't kill me because I am already dead. I am the Leader of the Four Horsemen. I am Death," Death said in a low, raspy voice.
Raz and Maz now understood why they felt terrified because when one meets Death, it is usually permanent. But Raz and Maz were determined not to give up as they prepared to do battle with Death itself.
Buckner was swimming so fast that he looked like a blue blur going through the water. He was glad to be back in the water again, even with all this trouble around him. Like Raz, swimming made Buckner feel more accessible than any other time. However, right now, he didn't want to be distracted from the task at hand.
He looked up and could see a figure flying on a vomit-green winged horse. It seemed odd to Buckner that this flying horse didn't look too healthy as he rode onward. Then the figure stopped and sent an energy blast at Buckner, who barely swam out of the way. However, not before getting caught in the shockwave and flipped end over end.
Buckner, finally, was able to regain control of himself and rose up on a large platform of ice, right in front of the being. He almost vomited upon seeing the figure's face that had rotting flesh with maggots digging into the holes of his eyes. Flies were buzzing around his sickly dreadnoughts that rose a massive odor, making Buckner's nostrils burn.
It was, at this point, that Buckner wondered out of all the evil creatures he could've faced, it would be the foulest and filthiest one. If this creature didn't finish him off, then the stench would.
"I cannot let you go any further," Buckner said in between breaths.
"You are brave to stand this close to me. Most others would have died by now just from my odor alone," said the creature in a high-pitched, creepy voice.
"Foul creature. I'd advise you to leave now while you still have the chance," Buckner said as he started to feel a little light-headed.
The figure laughed and said, "Do you think I can be intimidated by you? I think not. I can see through your façade, and in a matter of minutes, you shall be dead. For I am Pestilence!"
Kyle flew fast through the sky, heading for the Wind Region. He saw the exact four figures leave the ominous cloud and wondered who or what these creatures were. The feeling of violation mixed with hatred for what the Dark Realm did to his father swelled up inside of him. Kyle smiled, despite what he was feeling, because he knew that, at last, he would strike back at the ones responsible. Every fiber of his being wanted to crush every single last one of them and show no mercy.
Then a thought occurred to him or perhaps an old memory. Yes, it was a memory from long ago, before he met Raz and the others. He remembered sitting outside of the walls of Cumulus City, practicing with his father. It was one of the best times Kyle had ever experienced with his father.
Kyle took Wind Element Working lessons from his father and doing quite well. He had already mastered most of the basic techniques and had moved on to the intermediate level.
'Try again, Kyle. Remember, let the music of the wind guide you," Viento said as Kyle nodded.
Kyle stood there for the most extended moment before opening his eyes and yelled, "RAGING CYCLONE!"
The winds immediately responded to Kyle's command and began swirling in front of him like a miniature tornado. His control, in Viento's opinion, was brilliant.
"Perfect, son. Very good," Viento said as Kyle let the twister die.
Kyle beamed at his father and said, "Don't worry, father. Someday, I will be able to crush our enemies without mercy."
Viento considered his son for a moment and sat down with him as he said, "Kyle. You should know that there's more to a fight than just having no mercy. It takes a certain frame of mind to control one's emotions while in combat and not let things like anger, hate or any other emotion cloud the mind."
"What do you mean, father? We use emotion to call upon the wind, don't we?" Kyle asked as Viento looked at his son.
"Emotion indeed goes into Element Working, but the difference is the emotions are controlled. They are the energy that feeds us the abilities we have. However, if one or more of those emotions are not in control, it could either lead to the ability not working or...exploding in your face," Viento said as Kyle looked wide-eyed.
Kyle knew he had to keep his emotions in check. Yes, he would avenge his father's death, but it would be with his whole mind intact. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, but his father had prepared him for an event like this one.
Up ahead, Kyle spotted a small figure in the distance and picked up his speed. The gap between them lessened considerably, and he could get a good look at this being. The figure had long-red messy hair with a Roman-style helmet and armor. On his back was a long-jagged sword with teeth curved towards the tip of the blade. A shield laid just under this as a dagger hung from his black sash.
Suddenly, the figure and horse disappeared from sight as Kyle stopped immediately. He drew his father's Wind Sword just in time to see the figure swing.
Kyle brought the Wind Sword up as the blades collided, sending a burst of energy in every direction. They struggled for a few minutes before Kyle broke the stalemate by tail-whipping this being across the face.
"You are courageous for a lizard. Perhaps I shall remember you the most after I have eaten you," said the being as he smiled widely, revealing blood-stained fangs.
Kyle looked at this creature in disgust and said, "I will give you one warning: Leave now while you still have a chance."
The creature shook his head and said, "No, I'm not going anywhere. If you were wise, you would have not followed me. But, it's too late for that. I am War of the Four Horsemen, and I shall feast on your flesh."
Rocky Earthbond was in the Terrain Region at the Gaea Ministration Building, helping his community prepare for the coming war. He was very pleased so far with the progress as the whole community turned out to help with this project.
Suddenly, a familiar Terrain Dragon came bursting out of the ground right next to Rocky. He looked out of breath and terrified as he panted.
"Rocky! The...most...terrible...thing...happened!" he said as Rocky looked at him.
"Hang on, slow down a bit and take a deep breath, Ian," Rocky said as Ian nodded and breathed in deeply.
"I just came from the Supreme Region. The Barrier has broken down. The Supreme Region Armies are engaged in battle as we speak." Ian said.
Rocky looked horror-struck as he thought about Raz and the others and said, "Thank you, Ian. I am glad you brought this to my attention. We shall depart immediately."
"There's one more thing I need to tell you...." Ian began but was cut off by an explosion right next to a house that instantly caught fire.
Rocky looked up to see a figure way up in the sky, holding out what looked to be a staff. Rocky Element Worked the ground, and several stones lifted him up to level with this combatant.
"Rocky, be careful! He is one of the four figures that came out of the Barrier along with the army of Demons." Ian said as Rocky nodded.
"You would be wise to listen to your friend, reptile. But, I suppose it doesn't matter. I will find you in the end." Said the creature in a deep unnatural voice.
As Rocky looked at this being, he noticed the straw-like hair on top of his head. His skin looked as rough as sandpaper with blood-eyes and pointed ears. He grinned and revealed a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. The armor was the color of desert sand as he carried a long staff with an ornament buzzard on top, glowing red.
The horse that this being sat on looked under-fed and malnourished, but for some reason, still carried an air of strength and intelligence that would not exist in a normal animal. Its eyes were glowing red, as well. The primary coloration of this creature was that of flesh with the tail and mane resembling that of flowing blood.
"I am Rocky Earthbond; you have crossed into the Kingdom of Dragos. Leave at once!" Rocky said as the figure let out another blast. Rocky narrowly dodged it.
"I am not going anywhere. I have come to destroy you all. I am Famine of the Four Horsemen." Said Famine as Rocky stared at him.
The battle over in the Supreme Region wasn't going well. Over half of their defenses had been killed, and the other half struggled to fight off the overwhelming number of Demons.
Blaze was back to back with Amber as he wielded a pure Fire Great Sword. Amber was dancing around enemies with her Fire Rapier. They were covered with dirt, grime, and black demon blood that sprayed out.
Blaze couldn't believe this was happening; despite being warned, he thought that, somehow, the Barrier wouldn't collapse and everything would be fine. However, this was not the case, and thanked heaven that Raz had warned them. Also, he was thankful that he took most of the classes Raz had. He knew that his skills were a little less than Raz's but hard on every excellent mark he made.
"ON YOUR LEFT!" Amber said as Blaze ducked out of the way of a demon flying in.
Amber was deadly quick with her Rapier, slicing a demon several times before realizing it was dead.
"Thanks!" Blaze said as he swung his sword and decapitated a demon that came flying down from above them.
"Stay alert!" Amber said as Blaze nodded.
Hector was up above them, fighting with his Wind Staff, singing through the air, and smacking a few Demons. He felt the fatigue of battle take its toll and realized that killing Demons was a lot tougher than he expected. He didn't know how long he could maintain this combat level but didn't dare stop, praying that they would survive this ordeal.
Then, to Hector's surprise, a massive Demon came charging in as he side-stepped it and smacked it across the back of the head. The Demon only laughed as it slowly turned its head towards Hector.
Hector saw that this Demon had pure black skin with red tribal tattoos all over his body. He wore a sandy-colored loincloth with a demon tail coming from his exposed hind-end. The bat-like wings were enormous and flapped noiselessly, supporting this twelve-foot creature in front of Hector. The one thing that Hector thought when he saw him was, "Tank!"
"You think a puny twig is going to stop me? Think again! I am General Discord and remember it well, for it shall be the bane of your existence." General Discord said as Hector smiled at him.
"Oh, really? If you are so tough, then how come I'm not shaking in my boots?" Hector mocked as fire flashed across Discord's eyes.
"Why you, insolent little reptile. I shall show you why I should be feared!" General Discord said as he sliced open what seemed like a tear in the air and brought forth a massive war hammer. The slice closed as he brought the hammer with him, which was glowing red; Hector could feel the energy coming off of this thing.
Discord swung the hammer with surprising speed at Hector's head, causing him to duck. "Well, there goes that theory of being slow!" Hector thought as he swerved again. "Holy, Dragos! He's trying to take my head off! I better do something quick, or I am a goner!"
The hammer swung downwards as Hector blasted the weapon with wind, causing it to fly backward in Discord's hands. Hector capitalized on this and struck, full force, Discord's stomach only to hear his staff break on contact, the other end flying off into the battle.
"Damn!" Hector said as he glanced at his broken staff and looked at Discord.
"I told you, didn't I? I cannot be hurt." Discord said as he smiled evilly.
Hector felt his heart drop as he was unsure what to do next. He was losing energy, and now this General Discord had broken his Wind Staff. There was only one thing left to him, and he wasn't sure if he had enough energy to pull it off.
Discord went on the offensive, swinging his hammer at incredible speeds. Hector did his best to dodge these and saw an opening, sending up dust on a wind blast. Discord grunted out as he tried to rub it out of his eyes.
Hector backed away from him and concentrated, causing the winds to pick up. Blaze, Amber, and Rockwall all noticed this as Hector held his hands out in front of him and shouted, "PEGASUS BLAST!"
The winds quickly swirled and gathered up behind Hector, taking the form of a giant spectral Pegasus. Hector's eyes were glowing sky-blue and unleashed a blast of wind and sky-blue light. Discord looked up in time to be consumed by the torrent of energy and screamed out.
Hector panted hard as everyone had stopped fighting for a moment and watched the spot where Discord hovered. Hector hoped that he had finished him because that blast left him running on empty.
Suddenly, as the smoke cleared, fear gripped Hector's heart as Discord stood there completely nude. His skin was sizzling with steam and looked to have only a few minor cuts on him. He turned his dead stare to Hector.
"That would've killed me if not for my skin. How many times must I tell you? You cannot kill me." Discord said as he slowly flew towards Hector, who was backing away.
The fighting resumed as Blaze, Amber, and Rockwall tried to fight their way through to Hector. However, the mass of Demons kept coming, and each one had their hands full.
Discord laughed as he quickly brought up his hammer and was about to strike. Hector looked into the face of Death and began to hum a few notes as he waited for the end to come. But...it didn't and looked up to see Discord in, what looked to be, pain. It seemed to be that those few hummed notes caused him agony as Hector continued to hum louder.
General Discord let out a cry as his skin began to smoke, and the red tattoos disappeared off of his body. However, he swung the hammer that hit Hector in the chest and sent him flying, crying out in pain.
"Hector!" Rockwall, Amber, and Blaze cried out as General Discord seethed with anger.
Amber, however, broke through the line of defense and engaged Discord in combat. Even though Discord no longer had his tattoos, he still wielded the hammer with ease as Amber had to duck in and out of his swings.
Amber, nevertheless, was lightning fast as she stepped just inside Discord's defense and sliced off both hands. Discord screamed out in pain and sprayed black blood everywhere.
Amber smiled at him and said, "That was for invading our Kingdom!"
Then, she stepped forward and decapitated Discord as he fell like a rock to the ground, crashing with a loud THUD!
"And that was for Hector!" She said as the rest of the remaining Demons looked at their fallen General in horror and started to retreat back towards the mountain. The Supreme Region Army rejoiced and would follow, but Amber flew to the front, holding up her hand.
"Allow me." She said as she raised her hand, the air around her starting to radiate heat as she glowed a bright crimson red.
"BURNING HEART BREAKER!" She said calmly yet, powerfully as everything grew dim while she breathed out fire. She quickly shaped it into a burning heart and blasted it out in a broad sweep, burning up every Demon within a fifty-foot range.
Amber let her hand drop and panted from the extreme amount of energy she used. It'd been a while since she used it and was, usually, a one-shot deal. Most of her energy was now running dangerously low, and she hoped that she wouldn't have to fight for a while.
"Amber! Down here!" Blaze called up as Amber flew down to see him kneeling beside Hector. At first glance, he looked utterly unharmed, but as she drew closer, the dent in his armor was the first sign. Hector laid there, quite still, as Blaze looked up at her with tears in his eyes.
"No! It can't be!" Amber said as the hot tears stung her eyes.
"I'm sorry...." Blaze began but then heard a sharp intake of breath as they looked down at Hector, who was alive.
Amber quickly knelt down beside him as she helped Blaze move him into a sitting position. She was so grateful that she didn't even notice that Rockwall had come over. Hector looked completely awestruck that he was still alive and looked around to see all three of them standing over him.
"What happened? I thought I was dead." Hector said as Rockwall crouched.
"We thought you were, too. However, thanks to you, we were able to defeat General Discord." Rockwall said.
"Well, I thought he was going to kill me, and so I hummed a few notes to prepare my soul for the next life. I didn't know it would make him vulnerable." Hector said as he winced in pain and looked down at the massive dent in his armor. He couldn't believe he survived that ordeal and would've never forgiven himself for leaving Cary.
Blaze was glad to see that Hector was going to make a full recovery. However, his heart was thinking of Raz and Maz, hoping that they were alright. Blaze had to fight the urge to go to them because he knew that this was where the help was needed the most.
The evening had given way to night as torches were lit to aid in bringing the bodies of the dead into a single burial ground. Dragons mourned their fallen loved ones that paid the ultimate sacrifice to bring about the victory they had now.
Nurse Gailheart was among them as she almost passed out from what she heard about her husband and nearly choked him out as she hugged him. However, he reminded her that they would have to be strong to face the next battle.
Gailheart knew he was right, but she dreaded the prospect of one day hearing that Hector had been killed. She wanted him to stay with her into old age and die together. That was her dream, but she knew all too often that plans have a way of turning to dust. So, she silently prayed that protection would be put over all that we're fighting in this war.
Strife was glowing a bright purplish-red with anger in the Dark Realm as his servant, General Discord, was killed. He was sure that none of the Dragons knew his weakness and would be more than a match for them. However, this proved to be inaccurate as Strife rose from his throne.
These Dragons were proving to be more trouble than Strife had initially thought; he needed to think of something before losing control of this situation. He had his Four Horsemen out there and knew they were more than up for the job. Nevertheless, Strife had a couple more backups just to be safe and wandered over to his balcony. He surveyed this last General with a jovial expression on his face, for he knew that this one was by far the most dangerous of all. So tricky, in fact, that Strife had to chain him down to control him. This General knew only one thing, and that was blood lust, stopping at nothing to eat everything in sight.
"General Savage Bloodlust! Your service is needed!" Strife said aloud as General Bloodlust looked up from the darkest pit he was chained in and smiled blood-red fangs. His features were obscured by the darkness, but Strife could tell Bloodlust had been waiting for his chance and took no chances. He knew Bloodlust carried a seal across his chest to prevent him from attacking Strife.
"Nice of you to see me, boss, that it is. Who shall be my victim for today, I wonder?" Bloodlust said in a silky and creepy voice that made Strife's skin crawl.
"Your victims shall be the Dragons. I want you to feast on their flesh." Strife said evenly.
"But of course, master. I live only to serve you and your intentions, that I do." Said Bloodlust.
"Good! However, you will have to wait until the Four Horsemen are done. I want Dragos completely weaken by the time you go." Strife said as he walked back into the utter darkness of his throne room.
Strife always hated talking to Bloodlust; it always seemed as if the General was waiting for his opportunity to eat Strife for dinner. However, he was confident that the Dragons wouldn't stand a chance once General Bloodlust was unleashed.
Strife laughed at the thought because he now was going to bring an end to this war in one final swoop. He would be the victor and be honored among his Fallen Brethren as the one who released them from their bondage. Yes, Strife could taste it on the tip of his tongue, and it tasted sweet. His eyes glowed red, and he laughed as he walked into the darkness.