Bastial Frenzy (The Rhythm of Rivalry: Book 4) (54 page)

Terren was rolling around the Dajrik’s leg, barely dodging a hand and then a stomping foot, his sword still stuck in the beast’s leg. Krepps were trying to find a way to him without being crushed.

“Someone get these Krepps!” Rek had ten of them writhing on the ground as he slowly backed away.

“Fuel them, chemist!” a mage yelled. “I’ll burn them.”

Steffen grabbed a potion from his belt and threw it hard toward the Krepps. The glass broke against one Krepp’s back. All of them were screaming something. Steffen was sure he heard the word “Elf.”

The King’s red-robed mage yelled, “Move, Rek!”

Rek let down his hand and ran away from the Krepps. They all jumped to their feet, but the fireball already had been cast. The explosion was immense, the fire so powerful it flung the Krepps’ bodies in every direction.

“Incoming!”

Everyone stopped—everyone who could—to look up. This fireball was nowhere near Steffen. He let it out of his mind. He could hear it striking somewhere behind him as he ran with Rek at the Dajrik. Unfortunately, many screams followed the sound of the fireball striking.

“The Slugari is coming closer!” Steffen heard someone else shout. He didn’t focus on it, too worried as he watched Terren chase after his sword, inches the only thing keeping him alive as he maneuvered around the Dajrik’s feet.

Two Krepps rushed at Terren, but they were kicked away by the Dajrik accidentally as the giant turned. Rek lifted his palm and the Dajrik fell, again to one knee. The Elf didn’t appear to have enough power to take him off his feet completely.

The Krepps around the Dajrik started shouting something about an Elf. They ignored Terren and sprinted toward Rek. When Steffen saw some of them pull bows from their backs and draw arrows, his heart slammed inside his chest.

The partially fallen Dajrik was between them. Rek was grunting as he kept his hands pointed forward. If he could just bring the giant down, they could kill him easily and his body would be in the way of any arrows. Yet Rek couldn’t seem to do it. The Dajrik was regaining his strength, starting to stand again. Through his legs, Steffen saw enemy archers pulling back their strings. Terren was directly between them, frozen as he stared at the archers.

Rek hadn’t moved either. He still had his hand out, too focused on bringing down the Dajrik to even notice the arrows aimed at him.

Steffen tackled the Elf as the arrows came. He felt a sting to his leg, but it wasn’t painful. Perhaps he’d fallen on a rock, or an arrow had grazed him.

“What are you doing!” Rek yelled at him.

“Saving you from archers. We need to move!” Steffen was sure another flurry of arrows was coming. He pulled Rek up and they started to run…only Steffen’s leg didn’t hold him. He stumbled and fell, hearing more arrows pass overhead.

Looking up, he saw Rek hadn’t been hit. Their own archers and mages had begun firing at the Krepps and the Dajrik. But what about Terren? Steffen looked over to find Vithos had come. He was paining the archer Krepps while screaming at Terren, “Leave sword, stupid!”

Terren did, sprinting toward Vithos so that he was no longer beneath the Dajrik. The giant was too busy trying to pick up his shield and block the barrage of arrows and fireballs to care about Terren anymore, let alone the sword in his leg.

Steffen and Rek made their way toward Terren and Vithos. But they had a sea of Krepps and Tenred enemies to navigate through.

All around him, Steffen could hear fireballs striking victims, the glass of potions being broken, and swords—so many swords clashing. Rek used psyche on all of the Krepps they passed, pointing his palm at each enemy individually long enough for the warriors engaged with them to run a sword through their flesh.

Many Krepps rushed at Rek the moment they saw him. Steffen killed them with his sword when Rek pained them.

One Krepp was coming too fast behind Rek for Steffen to call out. The creature was leaping, ignoring Steffen completely. So Steffen swung his sword overhead, striking the Krepp down with a hard blow to his side. Steffen finished him by cutting open his head before he could get up. Rek didn’t even turn. There were two Krepps in front of him, and he was driving his dagger into one chest at a time.

As they caught sight of Terren and Vithos again, Rek’s heavy breathing was making Steffen nervous. The Elf sounded exhausted. He needed some reprieve. Krepps were everywhere.

Steffen’s heart stopped when he saw Brady. The bastard had his arm cocked with a potion in hand. He was coming for Rek and Vithos, others from Tenred trudging forward with him.

When Steffen noticed that the potion in Brady’s hand was red, he assumed it to be a blinker potion. He cursed aloud. He should’ve made Rek and Vithos drink some of his own blinker potion like he’d done when battle was announced. Then again, Rek had been in Kyrro City. At least Vithos, then.

It was the one thing that easily could lead to their deaths. Once they no longer were able to detect movement, any enemy easily could slay them. Steffen already had the blinker potion in his blood. His mind had gotten used to its effects.

Steffen pointed Brady and the others out to Rek. “Don’t let that potion touch your skin.”

Rek stopped a heavy breath to spew out a quick question. “What is it?”

“A blinker potion, do you know it?”

“Yes.” He pulled his hood up.

There was only so much of the substance, and it was to be used on their enemies, not themselves. Of course, Steffen had ignored that order—his fear of Brady sneaking up behind and dousing him was too strong in his thoughts.

He drank the fire potion he pulled from his belt and waited for the effects to build. Nearby, he saw Vithos and Terren battling the Krepps and their Dajrik, though he couldn’t keep his eyes on them through the chaos.

Come on, hurry, hurry, hurry.
Then he felt it, the itch to use the newfound energy. He pushed out his palm and let the fireball fly. It exploded among the cluster of Brady and others fighting their way through to Rek. To Steffen’s dismay, the blast knocked a few of his allies off their feet as well as his enemies. It had hit one warrior from Tenred dead on, but even he was getting up quickly like the others.

Steffen went farther in front of Rek, hoping Brady might use the potion on him instead. Then, in an instant, all of them were gone behind a wall of Krepps and allies pushed between Brady and Steffen.

“Leave them,” Rek said. He pulled down his hood and ran toward the Dajrik.

“They’re targeting you specifically,” Steffen argued.

“Then you’ll watch my back.” Rek’s eyes went wide as they fell to Steffen’s thigh. “Your leg.” He pointed.

Shocked, Steffen saw an arrow sticking out of him where he’d felt the sting earlier.

“It doesn’t hurt,” he said, too worried about the Dajrik to care in that moment. The giant was swiping his sword downward, stomping, and then swiping more. Somewhere behind the Krepps blocking Steffen’s view, he knew Terren, Vithos, and others were fighting for their lives.

“The Slugari leader is right there!” someone yelled. “Kill him!”

“Too many Krepps guard him! Need range to kill,” another answered.

Steffen heard—he was sure Rek did as well—but neither said anything or even turned. They continued to kill the Krepps in front of them as they closed the distance between themselves and the Dajrik.

Steffen saw Terren had a different sword now, he and Vithos fighting together, keeping away from the Dajrik as they killed any Krepps that came close. But the Dajrik wouldn’t stop going after them, trampling Krepps in his haste.

“Vithos!” Rek yelled to him.

“Brother, need help pain Dajrik.”

“Steffen, have anything on that belt that’ll give me and Vithos time to focus?”

There was only one left, another fire-fueling potion. He thought quickly how he could use it. But what could he do to distract hundreds of Krepps long enough for the Elves to take down the Dajrik? Then another idea came.

“I can’t distract the Krepps, but I can take down the Dajrik if you and Vithos keep him and the Krepps distracted for me.”

“Let’s do it.”

They were close enough to the giant for Steffen to feel the shaking ground from his movements. Rek ran ahead, joining Terren and Vithos in the chaos. Steffen looked for a mage, any mage from Kyrro.

He was surprised to see Effie not ten steps away. She and her Slugari were backing away from two drooling Krepps. She aimed her wand and cast a fireball big enough to strike both advancing enemies. They didn’t get up.

Effie’s gown was ripped along her stomach, and blood had stained a circle around the rip. Ash clung to her face. Her hair was snarled, with globs of wet dirt stuck to it.

He hustled over. “I need your help with the Dajrik.”

“Steffen, your leg.”

“Forget it. Come with me.”

Effie hurried beside Steffen, her slow Slugari struggling to keep up. Effie dragged him behind her.

“Hurry, Leo,” she said, yanking him so that he lifted from the ground and landed in front of her.

“I hurry,” the Slugari said. The poor little creature had a chunk missing from his back with Kreppen teeth marks around its edges. Closer to his tail another piece was missing, this one smaller, as if a Krepp had only gotten half of his mouth around the Slugari’s flesh.

Steffen quickly explained what he planned to do with Effie’s help. It was a simple plan.

“Just be careful,” Effie said, casting a fireball at a Krepp coming from the side. “I have to watch out for Krepps, so just yell when you’re ready for the fireball.”

“I will.” Steffen ran with all his remaining strength, picking up speed until he could move no faster. There was a clear path to the Dajrik, for everyone cautiously kept their distance. Steffen leapt over bodies and didn’t stop until he was directly beneath the giant.

He had the potion ready, but the Dajrik must’ve noticed him then, for he tried to slam the pointed end of his shield down on top of Steffen. He didn’t see it coming, only heard it pierce the dirt just behind him as he ran after one of the Dajrik’s legs.

Steffen looked up to find the sword coming down next. He jumped sideways to avoid it. The Dajrik turned, continuing to move his leg away from Steffen as he positioned himself to strike with his sword. Steffen tried getting closer to the giant’s leg while dodging his attacks. But then the foot he’d targeted lifted high and came over his head.

He jumped out of the way as it came down. Then he spun and poured the sticky liquid on the Dajrik’s ankle. One quick heartbeat was all he had before he needed to flee, barely dodging another jab of the giant’s sword. The Dajrik let him leave, returning its focus to the Elves.

“Now, Effie!” he shouted. “Left ankle!”

“
Hallio
Bahsh
,” she told Leo.

“It doesn’t need to be a big fireball, just hurry!” Steffen yelled.

But it was too late for that. Effie cast an enormous red fireball, just as big as Steffen had seen Doe casting before…
Doe? Where is he?

But Steffen couldn’t look away from the Dajrik yet. Effie’s fireball struck the giant exactly where it needed to. Fire exploded and then wrapped around the Dajrik’s leg. It clung to him, continuing to burn higher and higher. The creature shrieked and flailed his arms as he lost his balance. His sword fell, his shield next. The pillar of fire hid his entire leg from view as his black slammed against the ground.

Effie cast again, striking the fallen giant with another enormous fireball while a shower of arrows came down on him as well. Hundreds must’ve been watching between moments of chaos, waiting for their opportunity, and it finally had come.

The giant took one more wave of fireballs and arrows before he stopped moving, his carcass still burning with an acrid stench.

But coming through the smoke clouding the air was the monstrous Slugari with an entourage of thick-muscled Krepps, all wearing leather armor, easily fighting off every warrior who tried getting close.

The Slugari lifted one of its black claws, which began to glow. There was an explosion of light as Steffen stared right at the creation of a red fireball. It struck near Terren, Vithos, and Rek.

Again, Doe was ready to cast! His claw already glowed once more. Another fireball struck the same place. There was too much smoke and dirt in the air for Steffen to see who’d been hit. But through the haze, it looked like all three of them were on the ground.

Chapter 40:

ZOKE

The moment Zoke saw Doe going toward the thickest part of the battle, he knew the Slugari must’ve had a good reason. As he watched countless Krepps ignoring men in their path to reach Terren and Vithos, even with the Dajrik stomping around, it was obvious. Doe had offered a reward to anyone who killed Vithos, probably Rek as well.

But it seemed as if Doe had taken it upon himself now. The second enemy Dajrik had caught fire and fallen. The Krepps were quickly perishing. Doe had unleashed two fireballs, and it looked like at least one had struck Terren, Vithos, and Rek, as the three of them were flung in separate directions.

Zeti had been the one to point out Doe to Zoke. She was desperately fighting her way over there. Zoke had given up trying to stop her, for doing so was more likely to get her killed than help.