The Lindworm Attack

Esvor perched on top of a rugged outcrop, looking at the busy streets of Redhaven. The city was only half a mile away, they were close.

To his right, he saw Gale and her younger daughter Yuki, fifteen, eating a meal made out of foraged mushrooms and wild greens. The bowl they were holding was carved from a smooth piece of driftwood, its surface polished tears of use. It was Esvor's gift to them; in his younger days, he had a curiosity for crafting things from nature's bounty. But in time, he lost interest in such pursuits, because he was forced to grow up. One day, he picked up a sword and dropped all of his hobbies.

He knew that Gum'n needed to be free of high elves and its current King, his older brother. He knew that he needed to be better than him.

"How much 'till Redhaven?" Yuki asked her mother.

"About – half an hour? I'm not sure." Gale took a big bite from one of the mushrooms. "Egh, disgusting."

"I miss Snow Fallen already." She kicked a loose stone off the path. "But I miss my father, too, at least I'll get to see him."

"Yeah," Gale nodded with a smile. "I miss him, too."

Yuki's hair, a delicate shade of amethyst, spilled over her shoulder in the breeze. Her nice curves and cute face harmonized beautifully. She looked just like her mother, confident and calm.

To his left, Esvor saw the eldest daughter Tamiko, seventeen, meditating with her eyes closed, seated atop a weathered tree stump. Beside her, a small fire crackled, casting a warm glow over their impromptu campsite. Over the flames, a freshly-killed raccoon was cooking, its savory aroma mixing with the scent of pine and earth.

Unlike her mother and sister, she had brown hair and crimson red eyes. Her strong facial features were complemented by high cheekbones and sharp looking eyes. Since she had really short hair and a flat chest, people often mistook her for a boy.

"You good there, Tamiko?" Esvor asked, "The raccoon is burning."

"I like it crispy, King," she said with a calm voice, eyes still closed, "When are we moving again? I'm nearly done here."

"In five minutes."

"Can't we make it ten?" She opened one of her eyes, looking directly at the Rebel-King. "Maybe fifteen?"

"Ten. Then we're off."

"Thank you, King."

"Let me know when your reconnaissance is…"

"I'm done." She got up from the stump and yawned. "No sign of any high elves. The Academy is safe, too. The students were practicing magic in the forest."

Tamiko's crow landed on her shoulder. With a level three 'Control Over Animals' spell, she could influence and perceive the world through the eyes of creatures under her command. While undeniably useful, this spell came with a significant drawback: its consumption of mana. Even a Minra-blessed girl like Tamiko had difficulties controlling animals for more than two minutes.

She touched its little beak and smiled.

"Any other information?" the Rebel-King asked.

"Oh, I spotted a silver-haired boy," Tamiko replied nonchalantly, still playing with the crow. "I didn't like his eyes, so I..." She paused, searching for the right words. "So I pooped on him."

"You… You 'pooped' on him?" Esvor interjected, a mixture of disbelief coloring his voice.

"Yes. I pooped on him. It was fun."

Esvor buried his face in his hands.

"Gods," he muttered to himself, "what am I going to do with them?"

A mighty roar shook the ground. Its force was so powerful that it extinguished the campfire and sent Tamiko's crow fleeing in terror. As soon as they heard the odd sound, Esvor and the others instinctively lifted their heads, looking at the sky cloaked in ominous clouds.

Gale and Esvor's gaze met, while Yuki and Tamiko kept staring at the dark clouds.

"A drake?" Esvor's voice quivered with concern.

"No, a Lindworm." Gale replied gravely. "Its sound came from a forest nearby, I can pinpoint the location. There are no drakes or dragons in this part of Gum'n. Just Lindworms."

"You can tell 'exactly' where the sound came from, mother?" Yuki marveled. "Wow."

"What should we do?" Tamiko's brow furrowed with worry. "We can't leave the beast to wreak havoc in Redhaven."

"You saw Professor Yuu and other students in the Academy, right Tamiko?" asked the Rebel-King.

"Yes, saw it with my own eyes. They were safe and sound."

"Then we'll slay the beast first. Come on, Gale. Pack your stuff up. You, girls, go to Redhaven. Find your father."

"We can fight." they both said in unison.

"Yes," Yuki insisted. "Let us help."

"I agree with Yuki," added Tamiko. "We ca…"

"You just used a spell, Tamiko. Your mana is low. Do as I order, don't make me repeat myself. Go, both of you," his voice cut in, icy and commanding.

Tamiko's shoulders slumped, defeated. "But…" She glanced at Yuki, then back at the Rebel-King. "Okay…"

"Yeah…" He stood up from the outcrop. "Are you ready, Gale?"

"I'm always ready. That's why I'm your advisor, Rebel-King." She answered sarcastically.

"Hah… you're right."

"Oh, King. I'm always right."

They were running for about five minutes. Esvor held his sword ready in his hand while Gale's mace floated behind her, its spherical head glowing with a purple hue and leaving a trail of ethereal purple wisps with each movement

Pushing aside the long frozen bushes, they reached a winding path. There, lay a toppled carriage and a man in his forties crushed beneath the horse. The horse was still alive but suffering; it had an open wound, its intestines spilling onto the ground. The man, on the other hand, had likely passed away just a few minutes before. His head was charred, much like Tamiko's raccoon. He was burnt to death.

"Gods…" Gale said, looking at the grizzly scene. "We were late."

The 'S'-shaped path descended sharply, offering a long slope. From there, Esvor and Gale could hear the Lindworm's roars echoing through the air, as men and women fled in terror, screaming for help. It appeared that the Lindworm had set its sights on Redhaven. Along the way, it left a path of destruction, laying waste to small villages and huntsmen's houses.

Gale knelt beside the charred man, listening intently for any sign of life. After a moment, she glanced at Esvor and shook her head solemnly.

"He's gone," she confirmed, "poor man."

"Okay… let's move. We gotta stop the beast before it reaches Redhaven."

"Right behind ya, Esvor."

They kept running toward the danger, the smell of burning trees and blood intensifying with each step. Smoke filled the air, shrouding the dark clouds.

Gale was out of breath at one point, so she had to sacrifice some of her mana and use 'Regeneration' buff on herself. As long as the buff remained active, she would have no problem with running out of breath.

They descended the slope and reached an abandoned small quarry that'd been lost to its fight against nature. This settlement near Redhaven was a lush piece of land created by the rapid retreat of the waters. This extraordinary event, which took place about twenty-five years ago, resulted in hundreds of ships -most of them pirate ships- running aground. The homeless of Redhaven had turned these once-seafaring, now beached ships into their homes.

"What is this place?" Esvor asked. "I've never seen this part of Redhaven."

"It's the Quarry. I've been here before." Dead bodies littered the ground, while ship-houses blazed in flames. "These people have no idea how to defend themselves, Esvor. They are just homeless – weak. We need to do something."

"Help!" a child fell on the ground. "Please!"

The Lindworm landed on a ship-house, and when the structure couldn't bear its weight, it collapsed.

In the dim light of the house, the lindworm slithered with sinuous grace, its serpentine form undulating effortlessly through the shadows. Scales, glistening like polished obsidian, covered its powerful body, reflecting what little light managed to penetrate the darkness. Its eyes, twin orbs of burning amber, glowed with an otherworldly intensity.

The beast opened its mouth, unleashing flames that engulfed the ship-house in seconds, reducing it to ashes. In that time, Gale had successfully picked up the child and moved him to safety.

While everyone fled from the monster, Gale and Esvor stood their ground. Both locked eyes with the creature, unflinching.

"Go, King!"

Gale enchanted Esvor's sword with a poison spell. Lindworms weren't weak to specific enchantments nor did they possess resistance to any type of magic. The only thing they had was their strong scales that even a god's champion would have a hard time scratching it, and a 'warm' breath.

The Rebel-King slid under a cart and dashed toward the Lindworm. Hindered by the mass of homeless people attempting to escape the creature, it was difficult for him to run. He had shoulder-bumped at least five people and nearly fell down twice before reaching the ship-house, getting face to face with the beast.

The Lindworm used its scaly tail and tried to hit the Rebel-King. But the creature was slow, he easily managed to jump over its tail and lunged forward.

He threw his sword to its left eye and ran out of the burning ship-house.

"Now, Gale!"

The sword exploded, releasing a cloud of poison that began to disorient the Lindworm. Its eyes were forced shut by the noxious fumes.

Gale's mace flew right into Esvor's hand and stopped glowing. As he was preparing for the next attack, The Lindworm moved forward, its massive jaws gaping wide. The Rebel-King was caught off guard, his head was in its giant mouth, its fangs slowly closing on him. Thankfully, though, before shutting its mouth, Gale used a level one air spell and pulled her friend backwards, causing him to fall down.

He quickly rolled and got back up on his feet. The Lindworm wasn't going easy on him, as this time, its tail hit him like a whip.

Despite parrying most of the damage with the mace, the attack still sent him sliding back over five feet, leaving a trail of mud in his path.

"Help!" A man coughed due to the smokes in the air. He was near Esvor, under a rubble. "Please!"

As the Lindworm reared back, its massive mouth opened, a fiery glow emanated from deep within its throat. With a menacing hiss, it prepared to unleash a torrent of flames upon the village, its eyes gleaming with malice as it sought to consume everything in its path.

Esvor, with fully trusting Gale, ran toward the flames.

With a swift move, Gale summoned tendrils of water from nearby puddles, forming a protective barrier around Esvor and the man beneath the rubbles to shield against the Lindworm's fiery breath.

"The high elves are enough, thank you!" She yelled.

As the Lindworm also closed in, Esvor saw his opening. With a lightning-fast reflex, he leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the creature's snapping jaws. With a swift motion, he plunged his mace deep into the Lindworm's eye, eliciting a guttural roar of pain from the beast.

The beast desperately swung its tail. Esvor easily sidestepped its attack and ran toward the trapped man.

He lifted the big wooden plank that the homeless man was under and offered him a hand to help him up. After the homeless man remembered who he was, he took Esvor's hand and got up.

"Thank you, True-King." His voice trembled. "T – thank you. A normal king would never –"

"Yeah, I know." He put his hand on his shoulder. "No time to talk, brother. Get out of here!"

"Yes, King."

"Oi, Gale! Conjure me a weapon! Make it a water one!" He yelled since he was far away.

"I'm – I'm low on mana. I can't…" She was panting, face red. "Using that Regeneration spell took so much of me."

"Fuck… okay. I'll think of something! Get to safety 'till you're ready to go again!"

The Lindworm, still roaring in pain, landed near Esvor and opened its mouth once again. This time, its long, twitching tongue darted out, dripping with saliva.

"How about you only eat high elves, huh?" asked Esvor jokingly. "We got a deal?"

The creature roared in response.

"Thought so."

A ship-house behind him collapsed. In response, the mace escaped his fingers and hovered above Esvor's head. With a powerful surge of magic, the mace intercepted a massive rock flying toward him, shattering it into harmless fragments before making contact with him.

With no weapon at his disposal, Esvor braced himself for the Lindworm's next attack, knowing that parrying it was impossible. Tensing his muscles, he raised his arms in front of him, preparing to absorb the impact.

Its razor-sharp claws came down and hit the Rebel-King with tremendous force. He soared through the air until he crashed into the ground nearly twenty feet away.

Pain flared through his body as he struggled to regain his bearings, the wind knocked out of him by the force of the impact.

"Ugh… crap."

Summoning every ounce of strength and determination, Esvor rose to his feet, breath ragged and body battered. His coat, once pristine, was now muddied and stained with his own blood. His left arm was out of its socket, dangling like a limp rag.

"Come on, Rebel-King. Get up…" he muttered to himself, his voice a raspy whisper against the backdrop of chaos.

With a grimace of agony, Esvor gritted his teeth as he forced his left arm back into its socket. Every movement sent waves of searing pain shooting through his body, his muscles protesting against the unnatural contortion.

"Fuck! Fuck! Agh…"

Despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins, the intensity of the pain was overwhelming.

"One – one more time…"

Finally, with a sharp gasp, he felt the joint slide back into place.

"Oh… Oh, fuck. Okay… okay." He took a deep breath. "Okay, Esvor. Now – what's… what's the plan?"

A high elf in his thirties left the big rubble he was using as a cover and lunged toward Esvor with a dull knife. Even though the Rebel-King was out of breath and dizzy as a result of the Lindworm's attack, he managed to hold the high elves hand, preventing the knife going into his neck.

He had to backstep five times since the high elf was pushing. When his back hit a burning wall of a ship-house, the knife's tip touched his neck.

"Did…" Esvor was struggling to stop the knife. "Did my joke… offended you, elf?"

"I know what you did! I know who you are! I'll kill you and rid your name of this world!" The high elves pushed the knife angrily.

Esvor kicked him in the groin, but he didn't flinch.

The old homeless man who just got rescued by Esvor, threw a rock at the high elf. It hit the mark, but it wasn't enough to fully distract him and let the Rebel-King make its move.

Esvor was an unblessed one – that meant he couldn't use any spells or even the simplest enchantment magic.

"I'll kill you, human! I'll… you destroyed my life!"

"Feeling's… mutual!"

The mace that Gale was controlling flew toward Esvor and struck the high elf in the back of the head, causing him to drop the knife and become momentarily stunned.

The Lindworm slithered forward like a serpent and opened its mouth, flames spewed forth in the direction of Esvor and the high elf. The Rebel-King managed to roll out of harm's way, but the high elf was not as fortunate. He was engulfed in the searing flames, his agonized screams filling the air before eventually succumbing to his fiery fate.

The Lindworm launched another attack, swinging its tail with immense force and sending a section of a ship-house toward Esvor with a flick.

"Shit!"

He dodged the projectile by swiftly moving to the side. As another one came flying toward him, he instinctively crouched down and covered his head. However, the onslaught was far from over – the creature hurled two more sections of the ship-house. Esvor narrowly avoided the first by rolling to the side, but the last one struck him directly, he wasn't able to evade it.

Upon impact, the force sent Esvor over a cliff's edge. He barely held onto the precipice and pulled himself despite his newly broken arm. The pain was unbearable.

A watery weapon materialized in his hands, its substance unusually dense, as if all the water in Gum'n had come together to form a singular sword. From afar, Gale waved her hand wearily. She was sweating since she had to get there on foot.

"I'm back, King! What'd I miss?" She yelled.

"Fucking monster broke my arm!"

"Oh –" She laughed while taking a deep breath. "What I wouldn't… What I wouldn't give to see that moment…"

"Yeah, I bet!"

The Lindworm, a few feet in front of Gale, went under the ground, its scales digging into the earth. For a moment, they both stood puzzled, as they hadn't anticipated that such a large creature would resort to such a tactic.

Emerging from the ground head-first, the beast's tail struck Gale in the head. Had she not conjured a barrier of air, it would have been a fatal blow. The barrier absorbed the impact, dispersing the kinetic energy and preventing it from reaching her head.

Esvor took a step, but he struggled to maintain his balance as the edge he stood upon began to crumble beneath his feet.

"Die, False-King," another high elf exclaimed, revealing himself behind a wooden box. He manipulated the earth with a level three spell, causing the rocks beneath Esvor to shift and destabilize, further disrupting his balance.

The edge he was standing on cracked and he began the fall down. Even from a distance, Gale acted swiftly, her air magic extending like an invisible tether to grasp Esvor's arm just as he began to plummet. With a surge of power, she halted his descent and pulled him back to the action.

Eivor readied his conjured sword and dashed toward the high elf who caused him to fall down.

"I'll kill every single one of your kind, dog!" Esvor drove his sword to his heart, killing him instantly.

The Lindworm emerged from the very puddle of mud where Esvor stood, its pointy scales striking him with a vicious blow. His leg was caught in one of its scales.

The creature coiled its serpentine body tightly around Esvor, constricting him with its immense strength and leaving him no room to breathe or move.

"That… is –" He struggled to move. "Very tight. Gale, a little help?"

"I'm working on it!"

She chanted a spell in an ancient language and unleashed a powerful burst of energy, aiming to force the Lindworm to loosen its grip on Esvor.

The spell seemed to work as the beast screamed in pain, letting Esvor go.

He knew that this was his one and only chance. With the last of his power, he jumped over ten feet, reaching the creature's head and plunging his sword into its left eye.

He hung by his sword, took a deep breath and with quick, agile movements, he maneuvered onto the hilt of his sword, positioning himself atop the weapon as he prepared to deliver the final blow.

"Please work."

He jumped off. As he was falling down he kicked the sword, making it go deeper into the Lindworm's eye.

When he hit the ground, he rolled to lessen the impact on his legs and turned his attention to Gale.

"Blast the thing!"

So she did.

In a matter of seconds, the sword erupted with explosive force, obliterating the Lindworm's head in a violent burst.

"Fuck…" Esvor exclaimed, his entire body drenched in the beast's blood. There wasn't a single inch of him left untouched by the crimson fluid. "It worked."

He fell to his knees and lowered his head, looking himself in the puddle of blood. He had no energy left, he was done. Every breath he made hurt his lungs.

After hearing the comforting thud of the Lindworm hitting the ground, Esvor smiled.

"Ugh…" he couldn't stay awake any longer. Before passing out, he saw his friend, Gale, running toward him with a worried look. "Fuck me..."