Sorcerer from Another World

“They're here!” Come shouts from outside.

We walk out to investigate. Once again, we saw a new kind of Unseelie.

“Straw Axes.”

They rode skeleton horses with thick harnesses. Covering their entire bodies were thick black robes. Their name I guess came from the large masks made of straw covering their faces and all the top half of their bodies, also, twigs stuck out from the top of their heads and out to the side.

Each had wicked axes at their side, each enchanted with vile curses.

The leader, taller and broader than the rest. They carried Beth's broken body. She looked like a snap twig, and the shock didn’t hit me. Maybe I was numb to it at this point.

I thought only that I didn’t know a human body could be twisted like that - she was a wrung towel now.

At least she wasn’t hurting anymore. She was dead and I wouldn’t let them raise her against her wishes.

“Why?” I asked.

“Ha…ha …”

Morgana interrupted them, “Why is a stupid question, my Champion. You should have asked what.”

Morgana stared at them with eyes as pitiless as mine. Oh, teasing them are you, my raven-haired beauty?

I rolled my eyes, and said with mock anger, “At least try to take them seriously. Give them space to give their speech before we kill them all.”

“My bad. I’m not sure they are worth the thought you give them, my champion.”

I grinned, “Indeed.”

I called my staff to hand and fired lightning down onto the leader.

They cast a spell in reflex that absorbed the bolt.

“A sorcerer.” They growled. “You will make a fine servant, once you're dead.”

They unleashed a blast of necrotic energy that batted out of the way with my staff.

It was then that I saw Làidir gliding down behind the Straw Axes. I didn’t see how she got there though. But, my look of surprise must have shown on my face because a few turned around to face her.

“Welcome to your graves.” She shouted.

Làidir flung herself into battle. Gutting out their lungs from their ribs and cutting heads from their necks.

“Leave some for me!” Morgana shouted in fury. She charged covering the distance in less than a second and hewed a Straw Axe in twain.

“Fight, blood your staves and sacrifice their souls to Clavile!” Their leader roared.

I blew a Straw Axe to dust. They took the blow for their leader, unwittingly.

I stepped forward, but I felt a bump from behind me.

I was struck in the back of the neck, by a terrified villager. I almost killed him in response. All it would have taken was a flick of my finger. But I am not a monster. They were innocent and in theri panic reacted… I was too powerful for them to harm me.

I turned and said, “Leave, while I feel merciful.” I told them.

They broke down sobbing.

“I don’t have time to take care of you. Try to survive foolish person. I have a battle to win.”

My mercy was wasted as Umbra breathed in the poor villagers ear. Whatever spell she cast made them unalive themselves. It was brutal in its efficiency and terribleness.

“No one touches the Master.”

“Fuck.”

I tried to forget about that problem and focus on the danger at hand.

Large scale magic was out of the question. I would slaughter the very people I was trying to protect. In an unorganised bloody brawl like this, precision was a no go. Not without preparation.

It wasn’t like we were losing. Iris protected people. Morgana and Làidir killed ruthlessly, but I wasn’t going to be left out. The tyranny over this village ended tonight.

“I’ll free this village and I will crush every last one of you scum to do it.” I said before I fired down blue bolts of death.

The Straw Axes fell quickly to our overwhelming power. It really wasn’t a fair fight. By the end I said to the Straw Axe leader’s corpse, “You’ll murder no more…”

The village was freed and we left at dawn as Morgana had said.

We rounded up and chained the Straw Axes who had surrendered.

Beneath the robes was a festering decay that wilted under the light of day. Sunlight was as perilous to them as salt to a snail. The villagers had no kindness to give them.

How they wailed!

Some of the villagers came with us as we left, but many stayed behind. It is not easy to leave one’s home. However, foolish it was to remain.