Lone wolf chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dainslief and the old wolf clash

Garland had attributed his uncharacteristic burst of stamina to the adrenaline induced by the terror of his situation, but when dainslief's sword came crashing down before him, sending out a shockwave that lifted benches all around him, he wasn't so sure that was the case.

Garland saw the attack and found avoiding it easy, though he saw the shockwave coming in with incredible speed, he saw too, a similar vision, but slower.

It was strange, it was almost as if he was perceiving two different events, and he found moving out of the way of the attack to be very easy.

When the shockwave slammed into the altar at the back of the chapel, the blast shattered the stained glass windows, sending a rain of diamond dust raining down as dainslief blinked in confusion, seeing the demon prince had narrowly avoided the attack.

“a wiseass eh?” dainslief muttered. “fine, let's see you dodge THIS-” another blow, this one sending three shockwaves at him, one behind the first one, and another snaking to the left and right of the other two.

And once again garland saw it coming at two distinct speeds, very fast, and very slowly, and he focused on avoiding the slower speed, it was the same image, but it seemed to be playing twice in his mind, as though at the same time, yet somehow not.

He could guess that something was altering his senses for him, perhaps a toxin in the air, or perhaps this world's influence on him was causing an anomaly, if this world had magic, how would it affect a non-magic user? These thoughts came to him as the foremost image of the three shockwaves resembling a climhazzard attack, came toward him, now entirely slowed down.

No magic was this, however, merely garland's perception of the event being altered.

Stepping to the side of the foremost shockwave, he calmly stepped back as the one winding between the other two passed a mere two inches before him, its form like a serpent made of dust clouds blown about by a cutting wind pressure.

The third one exploded, but he saw it coming long before it could affect him, and he wisely moved away, only grazed by the force as it gently pressed into him.

The blow immediately sped up his perception, and suddenly his mind and senses were running at normal speeds, and his arms stung from lifting them to block the blast of air as he was knocked into a pillar.

Dainslief let out a chuckle, thinking victory his, only to find his dark clad adversary hardly fazed, glancing left and right garland blinked.

“I must confess, you're quite tricky sir knight.”

growling, dainslief lifted his blade and charged, deciding that perhaps he wasn't taking the threat seriously enough, just as he neared garland, roaring angrily, he tripped and tumbled head over heels, grabbing his heel a bit too quickly, garland noted, and immediately crying out in pain “OH!! oh my ankle!!! i've sprained it!!”

a moment of silence ensued between the two as garland watched him warily before asking “really?” which was immediately punctuated by “Oh yeah, totally hurt my foot, I'll be limping for a month at least!”

more silence ensued.

“Yep.” dainslief said after another minute of confused glaring “totally busted, it's going to take a loooot of time in the chambers of passion with my favorite priestesses to heal this...hehe….gonna need LOTS of succor….totally...”

“you're pulling my leg.” garland growled.

“that's not funny, can't you see i'm wounded?” dainslief growled.

Another minute of silence, and dainslief gave a cough “y-you know….if you were clever….you could probably escape...with me in the condition i'm in….i can't possibly chase you down.”

“I killed your men.” garland stated flatly, and he shrugged. “we have resurrection magic, they'll be back on their feet in no time.”

that gave garland pause, resurrection magic….meaning one could be revived from death? Such a thing would have been invaluable in his world.

“sounds convenient for you then….does it have limits?” he asked.

“yeah, burn a body to ash and the spells are useless...but uh...you sure you should be sticking around here? Shouldn't you be...I dunno...leaving?”

“should I be? What of your duty?”

dainslief gestured to his leg incredulously. “I'm wounded you idiot!! I can't fight at all! NOPE!! NOT AT ALL!! I'M TRULY DEFEATED!!” he raised his voice and garland sighed and moved past him without a word.

“you're welcome.” dainslief shouted after him, and garland gave a shrug in his general direction before exiting through the doors.

He didn't get far, for just as he ran outside, the silver dragon appeared, landing before him with the high priestess astride it.

“So, dainslief has fallen.”

“Yes.” garland replied. “he has a sprained ankle if you can believe it.”

she scowled and leveled the spear, visibly brimming with crackling arcs of lightning.

“Demon, you're to be sacrificed to our lord effective immediately. Come Tiamat, let us disable him, that he might be sent to mateus without further convenience!!”

The dragon called tiamat gave a chuckle at that and the high priestess dismounted as the silver dragon took to the skies while the priestess slowly circled him, keeping the spear leveled at him.

“You people summon me here to kill me, yet you don't seem to get that I'm not interested in serving your god.” garland growled. “Well, since sir dainslief was so generous as to give me his name, I would like very much to know the name of the maiden who so presumptuously woke me from my slumber and tried to slay me for her god.”

“I am called high priestess Anne, and you will come with me, the question is, how many limbs will you be missing? One? Two? All? So long as your core self Is intact I hardly feel that the great lord mateus will care a whit for the state of your body.”

“Spoken like a true fanatic.” garland returned, adjusting his ascot as he looked up at the dragon, who was no doubt waiting for the priestess to engage, to compliment her attacks and make it more difficult for him to evade her.

“tell me priestess….why? Why are you tormenting me like this?” he asked and she paused, a confused look on her face. “Because you are a demon, we are well within our rights to sacrifice you dark prince.”

garland nodded, confirming his suspicions that coaxing rational conversation out of this woman, his chief antagonist, was as distant as possibilities could become.

“very well then.” he said, I'll go with you willingly.”

“t-truly?” she asked, incredulous.

“Yes! I'm bored, perhaps this mateus will be a worthy vision for me to behold before the end. Come, lead the way for me.”

she blinked, confused, after all he'd slain, she wasn't convinced that he was actually going to submit, and he gestured up to tiamat. “i cannot possibly fight or outrun a dragon.” he explained. “If I am to be sacrificed, I shall do so of my own accord.”

nodding, she moved closer, a look of calm over her features. “I'm sure that the lord mateus will be grateful for your...cooperation on this matter.” she replied. “oh how I envy you devil, to be summoned to his side and-”

“hold on!! what is that?!” garland cried pointing behind her.

She gave a sigh and brought the spear up. “that won't work a third time!” she growled.

“I disagree! It worked perfectly!” garland replied, staring up at….something.

It was then she noted the looming shadow of something behind her, she turned and saw a hideous sight, a tall, muscular archdemon with curving ramlike horns, whose every breath brought with it curls of smoke, he was in the middle of lifting a clenched fist to backhand her when she glanced around, and to his credit, garland did well to hide his surprise at the sudden appearance of the creature.

“So YOU are the devil they summoned?” the demon asked in growling tones as it knelt to meet him at eye level (it was fully twenty feet tall and had to do this just to stare him in the eyes)

“nothing special, welp, better get this over with-” he lifted his powerful muscular arms, each as thick as a tree trunk in size, and brought them down on garland's head, or tried to.

But to garland, the devil's attack seemed to be moving quite slowly, and testing this bizarre new reflex out, he moved to touch the demon's hand as it came crashing down ever so slowly, to his surprise, the force of the blow seemed to be ever slightly mitigated by his mere touch, leading garland to the hypothesis that his body was somehow improving in this strange world.

Balling his fist, he punched the demon's arms with full force as they came down, and to his amazement, he sent the devil's arms flying wide.

Blinking in stupefied surprise, the devil looked to both of his arms, then growling, brought them down again, now they were aflame.

Walking to the demon's side, for he was still in slow motion, as was most of the world, garland decided that the world wasn't moving slowly, he was simply moving faster and perceiving everything with more clarity, hence the reason he had perceived two instances of the shockwaves earlier, his body was adjusting to the heightened sensory input and trying to adapt.

Moving behind the devil, he aimed a fist for its spine and punched with full force, which to him felt like a normal blow, but to the demon it would mean death.

Garland's hand tore through the demon's back and easily broke his spine, the demon spun about mid-swing, not intentionally, its body simply spasmed and he was thrown to the side by the force of his attempted assault combined with the sudden irrational jerking of his form.

Nodding, garland turned to the priestess, who even now was staggering to her feet, leaning on her weapon.

Walking toward her, he grabbed the spear, tearing it from her grasp.

The dragon, having recovered from the shock of watching the demon assault her mistress, was even now racing toward them, snarling angrily as the devil it was ordered to capture neared the high priestess.

Grabbing the priestess by the throat, he lifted her up.

She muttered a prayer then, and garland rolled his eyes and held her up as the dragon landed mere inches from them.

“release her scum!!!” tiamat snarled.

“No, I think I'll keep her, she may make for a wonderful hostage in such an unreasonable situation.”

the dragon growled hatefully, and garland found he didn't quite like the taste of his own words.

Hostage taking wasn't something he was familiar with, but he certainly didn't respect the process, it was pretentious, aside from anything else, and one could easily break the illusion of a hostage by giving up the hostage, it was the hostage taker in a dire situation, not the other way around, and only a coward took one.

With a sigh he tossed her to the dragon's feet.

“get her out of here, devils seem to be attacking your people, you should worry about them, and less about me.”

“that...” the high priestess coughed “was zasalamel, an archdemon of incredible renown….you...you'd slay one of your own kind?”

he glanced to the demon, its body loosing a pool of blood blacker than night.

Shrugging, he held onto the spear. “I don't know anyone like that. And besides...he struck me first.” he ran, doing his best to escape in time for the two to recover and realize they should still be chasing him.

A small army formed in the lower reaches of the city, he passed countless buildings and plazas filled with elves celebrating the coming demise of a demon prince, all the while questioning just what demons were in the context of this world, and how it was he was supposedly one of them.

He recalled that the clergy had called him the old wolf, perhaps that was related to it, perhaps not.

He suspected, however, that this was all an elaborate ruse by the actual devil they fully intended to summon, and that he, garland, was a victim of a long-standing sham of sorts, one that mateus had apparently no interest in correcting.

Or perhaps not? Perhaps he was this demon prince after all? It wouldn't be the first secret his fool of a father had kept from him, and certainly wouldn't be the last. Even so, for secrets, this was extreme.

Confetti flew in the air, music played, and at the edge of the celebrations groups of holy knights milled about anxiously, seeking their prey. The streets were thick with hundreds of elves praising their gods and praying for the success of the coming sacrifice...his own.

Warily, he moved into what he assumed to be a shop, the elf at the desk's ears perked up and he shouted “welcome to the inn of ill omen!! will you be staying long father?”

“Oh..no...um...how to say...I am being chased by the demon!! it has escaped the temple, murdered several members of the clergy and targets me with its curse!! is there a back door?”

“well yes!! what of the knights?” the innkeep asked, terrified.

“all unaware, the demon took on a disguise the moment it left the temple, even now it stalks me, seeking to do me in!! it's determined to finish the job for some...confounded reason of sadism!!”

“this way father!! this way!!” the innkeep cried, and he ushered garland through a door leading into an alley.

Content that he'd found a safe avenue, he immediately climbed a ladder leading to the rooftops, only to find tiamat making a pass.

With an angry roar she turned, whipping about.

Garland still had the high priestess's spear, though he knew not if throwing it was a particularly good idea.

He'd seen it, or at least assumed, that it could fire bolts of electricity, and was thus determined to see if perhaps that could do the job he needed, holding the spear aloft, he made as though he was about the throw it and pushed it forward

nothing.

“damned magic...” he cursed, thinking to just throw the spear and be done with it.

Just then dainslief appeared on the tiled roof, slowly advancing toward him.

“Oh, dainslief. Foot all better?” garland asked.

“Yep, one could say it was a miracle.” dainslief replied dryly, and the two shared a nervous chuckle as they squared off uneasily.

“I must say….I like you.” garland admitted.

“don't make my job harder for me kid. I don't really feel like doing it, but the boss has spoken.” he gestured toward the high priestess atop the dragon.

“come quietly and I suppose they'll make it quick..I don't bloody know. Just...do whatever.”
“alright, well...erm...” he considered his choices then, he had a few, his newfound strength and perception would surely aid him, but he sensed that it would do little good against this particular opponent.

Dainslief didn't seem a pushover.

Or even an elite.

He seemed far above that level of talent for a swordsman.

Meaning that, even with enhanced strength and speed, garland stood little chance against him.

“OH heavens!! look there!! what is that abomination!!” garland cried, and dainslief, confused, glanced behind him.

Garland couldn't stop laughing as he fled, all the while the high priestess's frustrated scream all but rent the air asunder as the dragon, sensing the danger atop her back, immediately gave chase, all the while dainslief kept looking around asking “what is it?”

almost at the gates, he immediately saw a small army gathering before them and gritting his teeth, he leaped into the air, higher than he'd wished, and aimed the spear at the group.

It occurred to garland that, given his unnatural strength and speed, he should perhaps make up an attack name for the sake of looking cool, entirely for vanity reasons of course, and even then he envisioned the spear striking the group with force enough to create a small explosion of force that would scatter them.

And so when he shouted “Raging Wolf Drive!” none of the knights stationed at the gates seemed to know what to make of the shout, until that is, he and the spear came flying at them, him barely holding on, for he'd flung the spear forward as though to throw it, only to grip the handle more tightly when he realized he'd still need it for general melee.

Instead the force of the thrust was significant enough to send him flying with the spear and both came crashing into the group with a shockwave of electricity that sent them all flying in every direction.

Not one to double check his blessings, he took up the spear and crashed through the heavy wooden gates, which gave like paper before his newfound might, all the while the guards panicked and cried out, thinking to perhaps stop him before he fled.

The angry cries of the high priestess were a guilty pleasure for garland then, he wasn't the sort of person who enjoyed making enemies, and so he continued to feel bad that he'd been forced to make one in an entire faith this unfortunate day.

But he wasn't in the humor to give the matter much thought, perhaps when celebrations ended and perhaps when he'd found a place to collect his thoughts, he might make amends to this church or find the means to reconcile with them, for surely this was all a misunderstanding, and if what dainslief had said about resurrection spells was true, then surely he'd done no lasting damage.

Of course, the demon immediately rose to his thoughts, why was a demon attacking someone known to be a demon? Was it sent by someone? That seemed the most likely choice, but then...by whom?

He raced down the green pastures beyond the city at frightening speeds, though to him the whole landscape was passing by normally. And he wondered just where he'd found himself, and why it was he'd been summoned like this?

Eventually he found a peaceful place to rest beneath a great oak surrounded by diminutive winged humanoids no bigger than his finger, he immediately recognized them as fairies, though he knew not how they were real, or if any of this was real.

His thoughts swam about as he watched them flutter, their wings glowing in the evening gloom as an ocean of stars slowly swam into view overhead, revealed by the receding dress of the sun as she gently sank to her satin bed to be with her lover, the moon.

He watched this new world, the faint crackle of the high priestess's spear glowing in the dark and illuminating his stern features as he came to terms with all that had happened.

But he hadn't the faintest idea of where he was, or how to get back home.

Moreover, he wasn't entirely convinced he wanted to return home, for compared to this...newness! Home was quite dull indeed.