Part 1, cChapter 4

Chapter 4

            Calvin rushed the first Dragoon. It leapt over his head just before they met. As he turned to track the first one, another landed nearby and slashed at him with a sword. Calvin only barely dodged. A third Dragoon plummeted towards him with a spear. Calvin twisted out of the way. The others in the squad started aiming for the disoriented man. By the time Calvin knew what was happening, he was bleeding from many cuts. “Kill.” The voice echoed. Calvin’s gut churned as another blade scratched his sword arm. He put one foot behind him and pointed his sword forward. He then spun, creating a small space between him and the Dragoons.

            His mind went blank. The black knight appeared in his vision. He snapped his fingers. Each dragoon appeared to Calvin as the shadows he had been cutting down night after night. The knight then put his own image on the Commander. “Come and kill me, boy.” Calvin grit his teeth and growled in rage. The images in his mind scattered, but his view on his adversaries had changed. These Dragoons were the same as shadows to Calvin. And shadows were as good as dead. The first one to move shot towards Calvin like an arrow. The mercenary raised his blade to block, but it was knocked aside by another Dragoon. A spear was thrust into Calvin’s right arm.

            He let out a howl of pain and quickly picked up his sword with his left hand. He chopped at the Dragoon currently in front of him. He dodged Calvin’s attack. Calvin roared again. He pulled the spear out of his arm and tossed it. The Dragoons dodged it. But then Calvin saw. The Dragoons could move fast. But unlike Tyrell, who could also move at alarming speeds, these Dragoons could not react well at that speed. Calvin let out a dark laugh. “And now…now I see.” The Dragoons rushed him again. Just before reaching him, they launched upwards in an attempt to distract them. Calvin looked over to where he had thrown the spear. It hadn’t gone far. He rushed towards it, leaving his sword lying in the dirt.

            The Dragoons had reached their peak, and they looked down on Calvin to kill him. The mercenary had almost reached the spear when he felt their presence rushing at him. He reached the discarded weapon and turned. As he did, Calvin thrust upward at an oncoming Dragoon. The spear punched clean through the man’s chest before splintering. The defeated soldier slammed into the ground with a thud. Calvin bent over to catch his breath. The Dragoons were stunned. One of their members had never been killed on an assault dive. Calvin stood up straight and looked into the sky.

            “Never take your eyes off the enemy, Mercenary!” The commander rushed at Calvin. The commander used his magic to increase his speed. Calvin lifted his hand towards the sun and paused. In a single movement, Calvin reached forward and grabbed the Dragoons face. The man dropped his weapon in shock. Then, the momentum carried the soldier’s body forward. The forces created by the event killed the Dragoon instantly. Calvin dropped the limp body and turned towards the Dragoons. “Here I come!” He ran forward. The troops were disciplined, but without a commander their morale dropped. Several took to the skies and ran away. However, most of the runners were targeted by Norton’s soldiers on the wall.

            Those who stayed split up into two groups and charged Calvin. Calvin picked up a stray sword and began to fight them off. Even when two or more came at him at once, Calvin was able to avoid their attacks and keep up. A spear head was deflected by his blade, while dodging another’s sword. Calvin thought he felt an arrow pass his head. He looked up. A Dragoon was jumping up sporadically. The solider would fire an arrow down at Calvin every time he reached his peak. Calvin paused. A Dragoon ran at him instead of using magic. At least they were learning. Calvin parried the attack and lifted the soldier. “Enjoy the flight!” He tossed the man with inhuman strength. The Dragoon hit his squad mate. Both hit the ground and stopped moving.

            Now, only four Dragoons remained to fight Calvin. They were wary, they were battered, and Calvin was winning. Calvin launched the next string of attacks. A flurry of steel encapsulated the Dragoons. He staggered one and then turned to harass another. He let their fear and pain continue. If they tried to escape, Calvin put all his attention onto the runner. When they could no longer dodge, block, or run, Calvin ended their lives. The voice in his head would congratulate him on every successful kill.

            When everything was quiet, Calvin looked at the carnage he had just caused. An entire unit of Dragoons, slaughtered. Cheers rang out from atop the wall. Even Norton had a small expression that slightly resembled a smile. Calvin faced the wall and raised his fist.

            However, the crowd slowly calmed down. Calvin turned and saw three figures standing on the horizon. Each was wrapped in a black robe. The hood was drawn over their faces. Calvin smiled on the inside. “Go to them.” He took off running. The hooded figures exchanged glances and separated. One took a knee and handed Calvin a mask. It was flat and smooth, with eye slots barely large enough to see through. The black metal made it look like a mirror. “Wear this. It is his orders.” Calvin did so. The cold steel seemed to burn his face. A mysterious power began to well up inside of him. It felt unlike anything Calvin had felt before: an uncomfortable feeling, but one that he found oddly enjoyable. As soon as he opened his eyes, the man tossed off his robe and drew two scimitars. Under the robe was a set of leather armor, dyed black. A mask similar to Calvin’s covered this man’s face. This one had a glowing red pattern, a crescent moon covering the left side of his face.

            Calvin was fighting his first Siren. He had anticipated this day from the moment the civil war broke out. However, to be fighting one now was a shock. Calvin was weary from his earlier bout. The adrenalin rush he had was slowing coming down. It was only a matter of time before the sickness overcame him. He still couldn’t finish a bout without feeling nauseous afterwards. Calvin twisted his stance to be more offensive. After all, a good offensive is the best defense. Their blades clashed. More than a few time, the opponent’s scimitars cut a bit too close. Calvin’s armor was now little more than scrap metal and leather strips.

            The Siren attacked Calvin viciously. Calvin fought back as best he could. The voice in his head echoed again. “Kill.” Calvin used his size to his advantage. He put his full weight into every block in an attempt to knock his attacker off balance. Calvin saw his moment and pushed the Siren away. The Siren seemed a bit surprised. He took a moment to gather his composure. The Siren stood at an angle, pointing both scimitars at Calvin. Calvin, on the other hand, sunk to a knee and began to feel nauseous, making him gag. He reached down and picked up a second sword to distract himself. Now he and the Siren were evenly matched. Or at least evenly armed. Both glared at each other. Calvin couldn’t see his attacker’s eyes. He felt them though. They were watching his every move. Judging him.

            “Let’s end this!” Calvin called whilst running at the Siren. The man held his stance and waited. Something was off to Calvin. The Siren seemed to be waiting for Calvin to do something. The mercenary was not fond of changing his tactics. In situations like this, he trusted his gut and changed things up. He quickly darted to the Siren’s left and used his longer arms to thrust forward. His foe took a step back. Too slowly. Calvin swung both of his swords outward. Sure, it exposed his chest, but his attacker was in no position to counter. The Siren back peddled a safe distance. He dropped to a knee and felt his side. Surely enough, a deep crimson stain began to spread around his ribs. “Well played…I hadn’t thought you would be this good.”

            The Siren rose and began to flourish his weapons. The steel glistened in the sunlight. “Come, powers of Darkness!” A burst of dark light shot out from the ground between the two combatants. The color washed out of the surrounding areas. The ground began to wilt and flood. Footing became treacherous. The field of combat now resembled the wasteland that Calvin had become familiar with in his dreams.

            “This place? How do you - ? Have you been here before?”

            “Yes. Did you think you were the only one?” The Siren adjusted his stance for the terrain. “I am Siren Jealousy, Harbinger of Calamity.” He bowed as best he could with his hands full.

            “I am Aeon Calvin, Sub Commander.” Calvin returned the favor. The two men took a ready stance and watched each other. “Well, Calvin. I shall come at you with my full strength. I hope you are adequately prepared to deal with a Siren Shadow Mage!” Calvin kept a calm look on his face as fear surge within his body. He was not adequately prepared. He had trouble dealing with Tyrell. How was he supposed to deal with a dark mage? Calvin took a step forward into the marsh. He smiled again. “Come at me then!”

            Jealousy ran forward with his focus radiating a black smoky substance. Calvin took a long breath. The feeling he had felt earlier was coming back to him. The voice in his head sounded so much louder with the mask on. “How do you plan on combating a mage?”

            “I don’t know.” Calvin raised his sword to block. The impact of Jealousy’s scimitars felt stronger. It was almost as if he had gotten twice as strong. Calvin’s mind immediately went to what Tyrell had said about magical inoculation. Calvin had to outlast the Siren if he had any hope of winning. Calvin swung both his swords inward in an attempt to get Jealousy to jump back. Instead, he dropped both his scimitars into the mud. The man grabbed both of Calvin’s blades mid swing and kicked him in the chest. It felt as though he had been tackled by a bear. The man was sent skidding several feet after the impact.

            “That was one…no, two ribs. For certain. Maybe a few other minor bones to be sure.” Jealousy tossed aside the second set of blades in favor of his. He waltzed up to Calvin. The mercenary rose to his feet and put up his fists. “Just give up, Calvin. You are no match for my champion.” Calvin felt the pain in his ribs. He had been a stubborn fool to challenge Jealousy. His thick headed schemes had always come back to bite him. At least Tyrell had been there to come up with an idiotic idea that somehow worked. “Master is correct, Calvin. You are no match for me. It is a shame that you have to die.” Calvin nodded. He was not surprised that Jealousy could hear the voice after he recreated the arena from the dream. “A shame indeed.” Calvin said. Jealousy responded coldly. “You put up a good fight.”

            “I’m not done yet, Siren.” Jealousy came in for the final blow. And Calvin dropped to his knees. Jealousy only paused a second, but it was all Calvin needed to head-butt the man in the gut. Not even Tyrell could have come up with a better idea. Calvin then rose to his feet and punched the man in the mask. The Siren staggered backwards and put up his fists as well. Once it came down to a brawl, Calvin had an advantage. He used his size to dominate the smaller Siren. Even though the man had been enhance with magic, Calvin’s onslaught proved to be too much.

            Jealousy held his right arm back as a dark magic coated it. “I do not think so!” Calvin grabbed his arm. The pain from the magic shot through his entire body, but to no avail. Calvin got his second wind and he blocked out the pain. He grappled with the Siren and pinned his arm behind him. With his other arm, Calvin put Jealousy in a choke hold. “I’m sorry…but no amount of magic will help you now.” The Siren tried all he could, but his magic ran dry. Soon, all he could do was gasp for air. Even as the Siren lay dying in Calvin’s grip, the voice echoed throughout his entire body. “Good work…my new champion. Welcome, Siren Harbinger.”     Calvin nodded in acknowledgement of his new name. It seemed fitting for him. He had conqurered not only the Dragoons, but also Calamity’s Champion. Pride filled his being at his ability to overcome these challenges. He should be revered upon entering Atlantis after this. He should be respected in the Aeons. Maybe even get a promotion. The dreams he had been having all this time finally meant something to him. They had given him a feeling of power that he never experienced. Calvin - no, Harbinger - was given new purpose in life.