5 Chapter 5

ELRIC

The sun hung high in the sky as its rays of heat cascaded down upon the workers in the fields. The sweat that poured down Elric's forehead was causing his eyes to sting, forcing him to wipe his brow. The incredibly hot temperatures made the cow manure smell even worse than what it normally would. To make it all worse, there wasn't a cloud in sight, just deep blue sky with the big yellow ball burning ever so brightly.

Elric slid his shovel under a pile of steaming dung, lifted it off the ground and flopped it into his wheelbarrow. The feces made a wet slap against the metal of the barrow, how can these cows shit so much in one day? He often found himself thinking. He would also have to constantly remind himself that this was in fact important, for the crops in the farm needed fertilizer. Judging by the amount of shit, those corn stalks better grow twenty feet tall.

He was a strong boy, eighteen years of age and pushing six feet tall. His blonde hair had been pulled back and tied in a small pony tail at the top of his neck to stop it from sticking to his face. He has discarded his shirt due to the perfuse amount of sweating that he had been doing. He stretched himself up then arched his back in an attempt to unstiffen it, the sweat rolled down his chest glistening in the bright son. Elric was a well muscled person for only being eighteen years of age, he would often do muscle strengthening exercises late at night before his hot bath.

Elric was a little over halfway done his field when he heard a voice call over to him by the fence, "Hey guy! I've got some water for ya!" He didn't think twice about that one, he hurried over to his friend. "You've gotta be better about drinking fluids on days like this."

"I know Bart, my father scolds me about that every day." Elric said as he chugged the water, some of the precious liquid dripping down his chin.

"And yet you never seem to listen." Bartholomew was the same age as Elric but the similarities stopped there. Bart was only about five and a half feet tall and had a pot belly. He had rough, short brown hair to match his dark brown eyes. His arms were much bigger than Elric's and also carried the course brown hair, his jaw square like chiseled stone, dark brown stubble covered the bottom half of his face. "You're gonna pass out one of these days. I'm gonna come walking out here and see you face down into one of those cow pies!" They both let out a laugh, "it's not all that funny though!"

"I know Bart. I'll be better about it. I promise." Elric stuck his shovel into the ground by his feet and rested into it for a moment. He peeked up into the sky, taking a measure at the sun and where it hung in the sky, Elric's handsome features of his clean shaven face amplified by the glow of the sweat. "How much more do you have to go?"

"I'm about the halfway point myself too." Bart looked up into the sky, "looks to be about noon, 'spose we ought to get some lunch. Me stomach is touching me back bone!" They shared another laugh and started to head back to the farm house. Bartholomew was his best friend, besides Bessie the cow obviously, he always felt he could rely on Bart for anything. The man may have been short, but his personality made up for it.

They walked into the stables, for it was the quickest path to the dining hall, Elric was much hungrier that he originally realized. Farm work was hard, at times it was tedious, and almost always frustrating, but it was rewarding. Every night he laid his head down on his pillow to sleep only moments later being swept away into the mysterious land of dreams. Waking up in the morning fresh and ready to start the day, or at least that's what he'd tell himself every morning.

They both took their meals outside to sit at the table beneath the giant tree, the shade feeling fantastic upon their tired bodies. Elric found himself often imagining the capital city castle looming on the far horizon, its walls tall and massive. The city was about a two weeks ride west, his father would often tell him. "I catch myself daydreaming of walking through the city roads, hearing the bustling crowds of the market square and smelling the fresh baked bread in the air. The city guard marching through, keeping the peace wherever they go."

"How can you day dream of a place you've never been to?" Bart asked.

"Well that's what I'm imagining. Just going by what my father has told me."

"I doubt we'll ever go there to be honest. We're eighteen years of age and yet have had the need to go." Bart was a simple man, never required much. He spent his days in the now, never thinking too far ahead and never dragging his thoughts through the past.

"It's gotta be magnificent! All the buildings, the people, the big towers! More exciting than here at least. Even the soldiers in this town have gotten lax."

"What's a guy like you even gonna do in the city? There aren't any farms there." Bart said before finishing the rest of his soup, mopping up the last few drops with his bread.

"I could…" Elric paused to think, "try my hand as a salesman! I'll open my own shop."

"A shop? Selling what?"

"Well I don't know!"

"Are you gonna sell the shit you shovel?" Bart let out a laugh, "yer a shit shoveler!"

"Hey! I can shovel shit like nobody else!" Elric added. They lost themselves in laughter, Elric nearly dropping the rest of his soup upon the green grass. Their laughter didn't last very long.

"The city ain't so glorious, boy." A deep gravelly voice came from behind, starting them both. A huge man came into view, how a man like that could sneak around unnoticed was beyond Elric. "Behind those city walls is a whole other world, yet somehow it's no different than the world out here." Gideon. He was a seven foot tall behemoth of a man, shoulders almost twice as wide as any man Elric had ever seen. Elric had never really spoken much with Gideon, though he saw him often in the background.

"Did you come from the city?" Bart asked the giant man.

"I was born in the city. Spent most of my life there." He ran his fingers through his thick salt and pepper beard. His arms looked bigger than his head. Gideon's hair on his head began to balden, his salt and pepper hair pulled back into a small ponytail as well. "Trust me when I say this, boys. The city looks a hell of a lot better than what it actually is."

Elric didn't let the mans words sway his opinion, he was determined to go to the city, to bask in its glory. "Why did you leave?" Elric asked the man.

Gideon crossed his massive arms, the man had deep blue eyes and three deep scars ran across the left side of his face. The middle scar started at the bridge of his nose, they looked like a claw marks from some giant beast. "I was forced out. Actually." Elric and Bart gave each other a look of discontent. They didn't really know this man, even though he's been there all their lives. "I'm a Goliath. I was Charged with patrolling the slave compound. To make a long story short, there was a huge riot. I always felt bad for the slaves there. There were a lot of deaths, both guards and slaves. I was trying my best to keep as many people safe as I could. Then a group of guards completely covered in full plate riot gear, led by the big dick, entered my area and just started massacring slaves. To make another long story short, I stopped them."

Elric listened carefully, trying to absorb all the information, "the big dick?"

"That's what you got out of all that? His name doesn't matter." Annoyance was plan on Gideon's face.

"Slaves?" Bart asked. "Wait are those the nasty beasts I've heard about? People say they are grotesque creatures with big claws and fangs! That they'd rip out your throat and eat your heart!"

The big man let out a loud burst of laughter, "Is that what they say? You've got it backwards." With that the man turned and started to walk away.

"Hey, sir!" Elric said. "I don't think I've ever known your name."

"Gideon. Name's Gideon." He said glancing over his shoulder.

"What's your family name?" Elric hollered.

"Don't have one. Not anymore." Gideon disappeared around the corner.

###

Later that day when Elric had finished cleaning out his area and loaded all the feces into the barn, he returned to his house to wash up. There was never a day that went by, that he wouldn't reek of manure. The hot bath he drew felt incredible on his tired muscles, his aches melting away into the bath water as he soaked in the suds. They didn't have anything fancy for soap, his father never saw the need to spend extra money on it. What they did have though, worked just fine. He stepped out of the tub, dried off, then slipped on something comfortable to wear.

By this time the sun had begun to set beyond the mountains in the distance, casting out a beautiful blanket of orange sky that rippled through the green trees. The cool breeze was always welcome after a long hard day of work, almost as good as the cold tankard of ale he would be headed to guzzle down. The masons have always worked tirelessly to keep the stone paved roads well-kept in this town. The builders always either fixing or building something new.

The Town of Flagus, they called it, after a man who successfully defended these parts from the unruly Vykar back in the day. The town was fairly small and on the outskirts of the western kingdom. Flagus was about a hundred miles from the city walls, and normally a couple weeks away in a covered wagon. His father made that trip every few months. This is the only place Elric has ever been, never venturing outside the gates of the town.

###

When Elric arrived at the old tavern, he pushed open the door to find Bart sitting on an old wooden stool at the bar, two tankards of ale before him. The bar was a beautiful dark oak, the floors a lighter oak that created a nice contrast. There were round tables placed sporadically throughout the place, people sitting, laughing, drinking, having a merry time. In the back was the door leading to the giant barrels of ale and whatever goodies the barkeep had stored back there. Simple it may have been, but everyone seemed to love it.

"Elric!" Bart hollered as he noticed him walk into the building. "I got you a nice cold beer!"

"You're too kind, friend!" Elric patted Bart's back. Elric plopped down on the stool next to Bart and without hesitation he took a chug of the sweet, yet crisp beer. "Ahhh, nothin' like a big ole' mug after a long day of work." By this time the old barkeep made his way down in front of Elric. "Sir! Delicious as ever!" Elric held the tankard up in a salute.

"Aye, the stock is fresh ma boy, just got another shipment this mornin' from the capital." The old man answered. Old he may be, but nimble and strong was not foreign to the man. Hough had a long hard life, serving in the royal army, fought in the great war and fathered four kids. Elric had a great respect for the man. Hough had an old weathered look to his face, he was clean shaven with grey hair that receded back into a horseshoe, with a strong jaw to boot. The man was tall and skinny, his arms weren't as big as Bart's but Elric still never wanted to mess with the man.

"Saw your father today, Elric." Bart said, "he was headed to the keep earlier."

"That's explains why I didn't see him at the house. Is it that time again? Has it been three months?" Elric asked.

"Time flies when you're having fun." Bart took another gulp of his beer. "I'd reckon it's about this coming trip to the capital."

His father raised and sold cattle for slaughter at the capital city. He wished he could make the journey with him, just once, to see the city. "I want to go with him this time. I wonder if he'd permit that?" Elric said aloud.

Bart just gave a shrug, and with a crooked grin he said, "you just wanna get yourself one of them city girls don't ya?" he let out a laugh.

"Hey, who knows, maybe I'll bring some back with me?" Elric said. "If you're real nice to me, maybe, just maybe, I'll share one with ya." Elric shrugged back and laughed.

Hough made his way back over to the boys. "Bah, you wouldn't know where ta stick it anyway!" This made Bart laugh even harder. Hough always had picked on the two of them. "What you wanna go to that place fer anyways?"

"Well…" Elric paused for a moment to think of a response. "I've heard so many stories about what goes on at the capital. And I've never seen anything outside of the town really."

"It's not as beautiful as you might think, that's a whole other world behind them walls boy, yet somehow it ain't so different." Hough said.

"That's what Gideon said earlier too…" Elric let his voice trail off.

Hough could see the disappointment in Elric's eyes. "Remember my son? The one in the royal army? Well he got out, he uh… transferred to the capitol. He seems to like it, so who knows?" Hough gave Sam a warm smile.

"Really? What's he doing now?" Bart added. "Does he have a trade?"

"He's a guard now. At the compound. The boy went through an uh… stage and decided to get out of the Royal Army." Hough pulled a rag out of his pocket and began wiping down the bar, he was obviously upset about something.

"The compound? That's where they keep those things right?" Elric asked.

"They aren't things boy. Don't pay any mind to what them others say. They're slaves and treated horribly there. Life here in Flagus ain't so bad boys, don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"I'm not sayin'…"

"Ya are. You don't understand how good we all got it out here. I been around a while boys, I've seen some nasty things, done some nasty things. The world is filled with terrible people. I hated that Sam had to become a guard in that damned compound! Buncha' power hungry backstabbers in there!" Hough was speaking very loudly at this point, almost shouting.

"I'm sorry! Hough, I didn't mean to make you upset!" Elric said.

"No…I…" the old barkeep let out a deep sigh then threw the rag onto the bar top, "I know boy, I just get so worked up about that son of mine." He placed his hands on his hips and closed his eyes. "Lost two of me boys in the war. The other to sickness. Sam's all I have left."

"I'm sorry to hear that sir." Bart said, swallowing a lump in his throat. Elric downed the rest of his ale and sat there quietly. Not really knowing what to say to all of that. The bar was starting to get pretty busy by this point.

"Bah! Past is the past boys! And stop callin' me sir you two! Hell, you're both like sons to me anyhow. Known ya both since little pups. I'll get you boys another round." Hough stepped away.

Elric just stared into his empty tankard before him, watching the suds slowly drift to the bottom. He wanted so bad, to explore the world, to see all the different sights, to meet all the different people. Yet he was terrified that everything he daydreamed about, everything he longed for, would indeed prove to be as bad as Hough said. His father, Aiden, would tell Elric all kinds of stories from back in his day as a young man. Elric just wanted to someday have stories to tell his son too.

"You okay, bud?" Bart asked, placing a hand onto Elric's shoulder.

Snapping out of the trance he fell into, Elric responded, "Yeah. Yeah, just thinking about all that." Hough returned with the two beers, declined the two more coppers Bart pulled from his pocket and left to tend to his other patrons. The two boys finished their ales, bid the old man a good night and walked outside.

It was a gorgeous night, quiet, the breeze had calmed to an almost standstill, the stars twinkling brightly high in the sky. Maybe Hough was right, maybe this really was all Elric ever really needed. He did find the town beautiful, the people overall decent, with the occasional mishap, of course, to keep things interesting. The Lord was just, and left you alone providing you did your duty here. Elric had a nice warm house to return to at night, a comfortable bed to lay down in and food in his belly every night as well. What more could he really ask for? Was he being selfish?

"Elric!" He heard his name being called from behind him. Spinning around, he could see his father walking in his direction. "Perfect timing! Bart, good to see you!" Elric's father was a polite, small man. A couple heads shorter than Elric with light brown hair and a short beard. Not at all what you'd expect looking at the way Elric was built.

"Sir! Good to see you as well." Bart replied.

"You're coming home late, everything alright father?" Elric asked.

"Oh yes, just fine." Over his father's shoulder Elric could have sworn he saw a giant of a man lurking in the distance, but when he looked again, he saw nothing. Elric's father looked behind him to see what caught his son's interest, then back at him. "Is everything alright with you?"

"Yeah, sorry, just thought I saw someone, thought it might have been Gideon."

"Ah, well, you either see him or you don't. He's hard to miss." His father chuckled.

"We filled a couple bays in the barn today, sir!" Bart added. Obviously feeling quite proud of that.

"That's great boys! And how many times do I have to tell you to call me by my name?" A smile cracked Aiden's face, he always had such a warm happy look to him.

"Sorry, sir! I mean Aiden. It's a habit. Hough yells at me all the time."

Aiden chuckled again, "I'm headed home son, it's getting late, you should retire for the night soon too. Oh your mother is over at Eileen's, so if you're looking for her, that's where she'll be." He patted Elric on the back and headed towards the house. Elric glanced back over to where he thought he saw Gideon, studying the area, seeing no movement. He knew Gideon his entire life, yet the man was still a mystery to Elric. Now that he thought about it, he never really had any kind of pleasant conversation with Gideon, he was always just so short.

The boys made their way to the end of the paved stone road at the edge of town, like they did every night. "Man, it's quiet tonight huh?" Elric asked Bart.

"Yeah, It's almost kinda eerie." Bart looked around, "Don't even hear any dogs barking."

"Well, I guess like Hough said, don't look a gift horse in the mouth!"

"What the hell does that even mean?" Bart asked. Then they both erupted with laughter.

"Alright, 'spose we should hit the hay." Elric said, and with that they both headed back into town to retire to their respective houses. He was happy with his life here in Flagus, right? At least he always thought he was, so then why did he feel so empty? Almost like he just didn't belong here.

Elric turned down his road and was greeted by the old woman Mary, who was always out walking this time of night, she couldn't sleep much after her husband died years ago. She's a sweet old lady that always had a smile on her face, how she managed that Elric never knew. She wore the pink silk gown that she wore so often, a gift from her late husband. "Good evening ma boy." Mary said.

"Good evening ma'am, nice night for a walk!" Elric replied.

"Oh, yes, it is. Indeed, it is." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "When I was your age…" She loved her stories. Elric always just listened, with a smile on his face. He enjoyed listening to them, whether they were true or not, he didn't care. They were entertaining nonetheless, he figured she was one of the reasons he wanted to see the world, so that someday he too, could tell his stories to some young whippersnapper. "…remarkable. Just remarkable."

Elric chuckled and touched her hand, "try to get some sleep tonight Mary, okay?"

"Oh you, don't you worry about lil' ole' me! I'll be just fine." A splatter of blood slapped Elric in the forehead as an arrow pierced through Mary's head. She fell sideways but Elric was quick enough to catch her from hitting the ground.

"Mary! Are you okay?!" He yelled, not finished processing what had just happened right in front of his eyes. Elric must have been tipsier than he thought he was, he could have sworn he, "holy…my god!" It hit him just then. Mary was dead, in his arms he held her inches from the ground. "No! What…" He spun his head to the side and saw some man he had never seen before, standing there, bow in hand as he knocked another arrow.

Just then a loud bell struck in the center of town. Again, it struck. And again. Scream's started to pour out into the roads of Flagus like a raging river. A group of people ran into view, then the man pulled an axe that was strapped over his back and caught one of the civilians in the gut. With a hard jerk, the warrior sliced the axe to the side opening the man, spilling his entrails onto the ground. As the warrior spun, his axe caught another in the back of the head, cleaving it in two, raining crimson down the side of the warrior.

"Oh fuck!" Elric cried out as the barbarian looked back at him holding the dead woman in his arms. He hated to leave her there, but he had no other choice, he started to run as fast as he could towards his house. Maybe his father was still alive at home, defending it the best that he could? What of his mother? He prayed she made it home in time for father to protect her.

The warrior screamed curses and laughed maniacally while chasing Elric, heavy footfalls thudding against the stone behind him. He could see his house at the end of the road, a light shown through his windows. No matter where Elric looked, he could see people running, screaming for their lives as they were chased down. The clang of steel now echoed through the town, buildings began to erupt in flames, people shouting war cries and death rattles. Elric's house looked to be untouched so far.

A troop of guards rounded the corner at Elric's house and charged at the barbarian that was chasing him. He may not be a trained fighter, but he was fast, too fast for a warrior clad in armor. He took this opportunity to enter his home, shouting for father, his mother, and found nothing. Chairs were tipped over and the closets had been flung open, fathers swords were gone. He must have grabbed them, he prayed again his mother was with him.

Running back outside he saw the warrior had been killed, laying with his arm severed in a pool of blood. Two town guardsmen laid dead by the warrior, the others had charged off to join the battle elsewhere. He knelt by the body of one of the guards, prayed to be forgiven, and took his sword. He needed it more than the dead guard did.

Elric wasn't a trained swordsman, he was no stranger to the feel of cold steel in his hands, but he never learned to fight well. He took a few practice swings, he could feel the sword was well made, well balanced with a nice sharp edge. He held the hilt of the sword with both hands trying to get comfortable with the grip, he had never held a bastard sword in his hands before. He took off back in the direction he came, sword in hand, feeling braver than he once did.

At the end of the road he ran left, houses on the road to his right were now crumbling under the flames. He was headed to Bart's house and was met by a large group of guards. "Who's attacking us?" Elric screamed, "what the hell is going on?"

"It's the Vykar! They must have surrounded the town in the night, they're attacking from all sides!" One of the guards answered.

"Elric!" Another guard called out to him, Elric spun to see who was calling him, one of his father's friends.

"Luthos? Have you seen my father?" It was good to see a face he knew.

"No, It's chaos everywhere! We just ran by the tavern. It's on fire!" Luthos pulled off a gauntlet and wiped his brow, he was drenched with sweat and blood dripped down the side of his head and into his thick black beard.

"Shit! Where's Hough?" Elric asked. But just then a mob of Vykar came bursting around the corner right at them, waving their weapons wildly, screaming. They didn't wear full plate mail like the guards. They wore helmets with horns on them, leather straps connecting pieces of plate mail covering their shoulders. Fur stuck out from under the pauldrons and out from their grieves, they didn't seem to have a uniform look either. Each carrying their own unique terrifying look.

The guards charged at the incoming stampede of Vykar, weapons drawn and pointed forward retaliating with their own battle cry. The two forces smashed against each other with a violent crash. Blood sprayed, helmets flew from heads, axes sunk into skull, swords pierced hearts, men screamed and died. Elric could do nothing but stand there and watch in horror, mouth open wide, he had never seen battle before, let alone death. He was no use here, he turned around and ran towards the tavern.

The old building was indeed up in flames, and there was no sign of Hough, or Bart, or his mother and father. Corpses littered the ground all around him, the heavy stench of blood and charred flesh hung in the air like some nasty disease. Everywhere he looked he could see death and fighting. From every direction he could hear chaos, screaming, steel smashing steel. A woman came bursting from a nearby hut completely engulfed with flames. Her screams sounded anything but Human, his stomach turned and he did everything he could from retching. He kept running.

He made it to the barn he worked out of every day, still no sign of his parents. Elric flopped against the side of the building and slid down, trying to catch his breath. His heart was pounding, sweat poured down his forehead. Lifting his hands in front of him he saw that he was trembling. After a few minutes he was about to leave the barn when he heard someone cough around the side. Investigating he saw an old man leaning against the barn, bloodied, surrounded by four Vykar bodies. "Hough!" Elric called out to him and he rushed to his side.

The old man coughed out blood, "thank the gods you're alright boy." He coughed up more blood. "Bastards got me. Got me good."

"You're gonna be okay!" Elric lied. Hough looked like he had been trampled by a horse. His left arm had been cut badly, a dagger was protruding out of his right thigh. There was blood seeping out of a deep wound in his side. He had no idea if Hough was going to be okay, hell he didn't know if he himself was going to be okay. "Come on, we can't stay here!"

Hough laughed out loud, then coughed more blood. "You've always been a good kid. I'm as good a dead. Those pricks thought I'd go out easy." He flopped a bloody hand on Elric's shoulder. "Listen to me boy. Your father took your mother to the stables. Bart too. I stayed here in case you'd show up. That's when these fucks decided they wanted ta die."

"I can help you up! Let's go to the stables!" Elric said.

"I'll only slow you down…" His breaths were ragged.

"Hough, please." Elric could feel the tears begin to well up in his eyes. "We'll get you help!"

"Bah. I lived… a good life. Run… boy. I've lost… three sons already. I can't lose… you too…" He was losing a lot of blood, Elric knew it was only a matter of time. "If you find… your way to… the capital." Coughing, the old man grabbed at his side and moaned in pain. "Find Sam… tell him her name… was Lilly." Hough's hand fell from Elric's shoulder, but he caught it before it hit the ground and gently placed it upon the grass.

Elric blinked back the tears as he closed Hough's eyes, stood up and ran for the stables as fast as his legs would carry him. He couldn't hold it in any longer and tears burst from his eyes, he lost his balance and fell forward, crashing down into the ditch by the road and began to sob uncontrollably. He just watched one of his father figures die right before his eyes, he couldn't believe what was going on right now. Was this all a dream? This couldn't be real, could it? All this death and destruction, all in what seemed like minutes.

Elric could only hope that his father, mother and Bart made it out of town alive. A chill ran through his body when he realized that his father was just a merchant, his mother had never used a sword either. Bart could probably last a minute or two, though he had never used a weapon his whole life either.

Just then he heard voices behind him, flipping around, he felt horror sink into his heart. Vykar! He tried jumping to his feet but stumbled backwards and crashed into the side of a building. The Vykar quickly surrounded him as they laughed, the three men slowly closing in around him.

"Oh, this one's pretty!" One of the brutes said.

"He looks sad! Did we kill yer mum or suttin?" Another asked.

"Come 'ere!" The third Vykar said as he grabbed Elric and yanked him to his feet. Elric struggled trying to get free but quickly realized they were too strong.

"What we gon' do wif you eh?" The first one said.

"Jus' stab 'em in the face! He's useless!" The second one said.

"No! He's pretty!"

"This one's young me thinks." The third Vykar moved in close and sniffed, "he smells pretty too! When's the last time ye had a proper fuckin'?" He asked, his breath foul. The Vykar threw Elric backwards and he stumbled back to the ground.

"You two 'oldem still!" The other two jumped at Elric, grabbed him and held him down on the ground. Elric fought as hard as he possibly could, kicking and flailing about, screaming for help hoping someone might hear. Elric broke free, managing to burst up onto his knees, only to be tackled face first into the ground. The two Vykar press down into him, pinning him to the earth.

Elric could hear the small clang of metal, then the rustle of clothing. A pair of rough hands grabbed at Elrics waist and began ripping back Elrics pants. He was overwhelmed with fear and dread and began violently thrashing and screaming and he began to sob, pleading to the three men to stop. The man dropped down and threw himself onto Elric's back, grabbing a hand full of his hair pulling hard. "You ever been fucked in the ass boy?" The Vykar laughed then threw Elric's head back forward, and dropped his pants the rest of the way.

"No! Please no!" Elric screamed as he still tried his hardest to escape. "God please! HELP! Somebody Help!"

There was a sudden gust of wind above Elric's head and the Vykar holding him to his left loosened his grip. A man collapsed to the ground in front of him, missing half his head startling Elric. A scream of pain from his right and then he was free. He scrambled to the side pulling his pants back up before falling again. A blur came hurtling towards him and a flash of silver flew through the air and blood sprayed across the grass and all over Elric's legs. He was too scared to look up, he rolled away.

Elric scrambled forward trying desperately to get away but fell flat on his face, rolling onto his back he saw a huge man standing above him, clutching a massive two-handed sword with one hand, and the other outstretched towards Elric. "It's okay, you're safe now." A familiar voice said. "Take my hand."

Gideon? The boy looked at the ground all around him, the three Vykar lay butchered along the ground. Elric reached out and took the behemoths hand and was yanked to his feet. "Gideon, you saved my life!"

"We cannot linger here; the town is sacked." Gideon said.

"The stables! My parents were headed there!"

"Let's go!"

When they reached the stables, his parents, or Bart, was nowhere to be found. There were four horses still tied up, they were saddled, Elric figured they belonged to some guards. He spent a moment looking around for any signs of where Bart or his family might have gone to. Nothing. He stared out the big stables door to the burning town beyond, the fires that raged through the buildings was mesmerizing to Elric. Those men were going to rape him, then kill him most likely, what kind of man would do that? He began to shake when the fear took back hold, he had absolutely no idea what to do.

A big hand yanked the boy from his trance. "Elric, we need to leave. They probably took horses and fled the town, look, your father's horses are gone." Gideon said. It was true, his father owned two horses, they were both gone. Elric didn't argue, he knew they had to leave or soon they'd be overrun, even with Gideon's strength he couldn't take them all on. Gideon cut two of the horses loose and they bolted away.

Gideon cut free what looked to be the last remaining horse and began to soothe the frightened horse with a temperament Elric didn't think Gideon had. Within moments the horse was much calmer and Gideon gave Elric the reins, then helped him up. "What are you gonna do? You cut the other horses free." Gideon just smirked and stuck his thumb out, pointing behind him. There was another horse in the way back, Elric hadn't even noticed.

Gideon made his way to the very back stall, Elric and his horse walking behind him. The horse in the back came into view and Elric's eyes grew wide, that horse was huge, standing over six feet tall. The horse was oddly calm then wickered when he saw Gideon, pawing at the ground. It was a massive blood red destrier with a black leather saddle, it's mane and tail as black as night. It's eyes were also a blood red color, Elric had never seen a horse like this before, how is this the first time he had ever seen this one? Gideon mounted his red behemoth of a horse with a grace that was surprising, "Let's get the hell out of here." Again, Elric didn't argue, he wheeled his horse and they rode out of the stables.

There were bodies everywhere, women, children, the Vykar were relentless in their attack. Anything that stood in their way was cut down. Half the town was up in flames by this point, the screaming had become less frequent, the clang of steel even more so. Gideon was right, there was no saving this town, fitting for this town to be established by driving out the Vykar, only to have it sacked by the Vykar.

There were a few of the barbarians standing guard at the western entrance but proved to be no match for Gideon on his red destrier. Gideon's horse had knocked one of them down and crushed his skull under its metal horseshoe, and another cut in two by his greatsword. With nobody to stop them, they rode hard from the town and into the night.

###

hours later, they made their way out onto the main road and continued their journey. They slowed down to a steady walk, the stars still shone brightly in the black sky above. The dirt road they were walking was flanked by two empty fields, speckled with rocks and bushes with an occasional pond. For such horror that had just occurred, Elric thought it was a beautiful night. Yet he could not stop thinking about the old woman dying in his arms. Hough dying right in front of him. Those Vykar about to rape him. He was a coward, and because of that, he would have died were it not for Gideon.

"Where are we going to go now, Gideon?" Elric asked.

"First order of business is to find some sort of shelter, or a place we could rest our heads safely tonight. We need to find food and supplies, there is an inn, miles down this road we could try." Gideon seemed to know these roads well, and was very calm and collected, knew just what to do. Elric felt useless, his brain was barely functioning and he isn't even the one who killed people.

"I don't know whether to be angry, to be sad, confused, whether to burst out laughing or crying. What the hell just happened Gideon? The Vykar haven't raided towns like that for as long as anyone can remember." Elric asked.

Gideon looked over at Elric with those deep blue eyes for a moment then remained silent for a few moments longer before responding, "the Vykar are cruel, barbaric and unpredictable. Best not to think too heavily on it. We need to stay low, not draw too much attention."

"Why?" Elric asked.

"Just trust me." Gideon said. Elric did trust him. Not just because he saved his life, but he just did, oddly. Gideon had always been there, in the background in Flagus. Nobody ever talked bad about the man, he may be old and grumpy but Elric had heard nothing but good things about him.

"What about my family?" Elric asked. "My father isn't a fighter, neither is my mother. I don't think Bart has ever held a weapon before!" Elric was beginning to pannic atop his mount and it was starting to sense it, growing restless itself.

"Hey! One thing at a time!" Gideon said as he rode his massive red steed. "Elric, calm down, focus and breathe. That's it. We will find them. No, your father isn't a fighter, but he's a merchant that's been traveling the gold road forever, he has different ways of survival."

This calmed Elric down enough for him to regain his focus. He was still in shock, his entire life, his entire meaning just changed in a matter of moments. He is placing his life in the hands of a stranger, that he trusted. He looked back over his shoulder and saw shadows and darkness, what did he think he'd see?

"Thank you. Gideon. For back there."

"That's what I'm here for." Gideon said.

Elric looked over at the man, "but why?"

Gideon only gave Elric a long look remaining silent, then went eyes forward. "Look!" He pointed out ahead. In the distance Elric could see a building at the edge of the road. "That's the inn." Gideon went into a trot, with Elric quickly doing the same, they headed straight for the inn.