Chapter 8: Bismarck!

Running through an alley the sound of thundering boots and death on every corner filled the air like the anthem of The Book of Revelation. The two boys cowered behind a dumpster, tears running down their faces.

"This isn't right, people can't die like this its...its" Sven whimpered unable to finish his thought before beginning to cry again. He looked to Osbourne who was shaking sobbing uncontrollably his clothing covered in blood. his left eye a bloody gaping hole. the boy couldn't vocalize what he felt. He held out his hands and gripped Sven's. He trembled terribly feeling a deep pit of pain and sadness. a loud commanding voice cut through the sounds of utter chaos.

"Don't let any of those Loyalists escape find them and erase them!!" the voice commanded.

"Yes Sir Commander Sir" a soldier ran off through debris and a mass of smoke. The commander Octavious Daibak. He was a tall man like a monster come to life. standing nearly three meters tall his intimidating presence left a terrifying impression everywhere he stood. he turned his head. a large scar on the right side of his face glistened in the light of the sun, where his eye should have been was instead a massive scar from his cheek all the way to the top of his forehead. his eye was not even there nothing more than a pit of darkness. Small beads of sweat shined like tiny drops of melted glass. with one gloved hand, he stroked his mustache. less of an out of the newspaper run of the mill sort of mustache and more of a large black crescent moon glued onto his lip. His one working eye scanned the area, his glare barely noticing the small boys. He shook his head and walked away. Daibak snickered his lips parting in a cruel smile.

"You can c'mon out boys" The commander called tugging on the tie that ever so slightly encroached on his throat like a noose. He clenched his gloved fist and the armor clanked with a loud uncanny metal refrain. He stalked towards the boys with a predatory aura. His body hunching forward inhumanely like a Tiger on the prowl. He suddenly raced forward like a bullet. raising his armored hand high above his head before bringing it down like a gavel against the ground. A tremor followed his demonic punch. it traveled through the ground as effortlessly as a wave travels through the ocean. it ripped apart the ground. The boys screamed running away as the fissure followed after them.

"What's a matter boys afraid of Hell?" Daibak taunted with a sinister cackle. "You run like small mice in a field looking to get picked off by an Eagle!" He landed another devastating punch. The ground shook and another tremor followed suit. Suddenly a massive dragon's talon enclosed around Daibak's fist.

"That's enough their only children leave them be" A kingly voice-only comparable to the voice of God commanded gripping Daibak's arm with a vice-like grip. The dragon a massive black and teal scaled monstrosity of inhumane comprehensible beauty with deep emerald eyes and opulent ruby claws. while one would immediately look upon this form and say it was a dragon or some other form of drake. But most intreiquinly this draconic figure wore human clothing with minor cuts around the arms and legs where sharp scales protrude. stood upright on two legs like a human, and most striking of all it has human hair. a head of beautiful red hair that cascaded like water onto its broad masculine dracon shoulders.

"have some restraint, they haven't committed any crimes"

"Wolfgang always so high and mighty" Daibak shook his fist free. "Out of my way I'm doing my god given duty"

"As King of France I cannot allow that!"

"Look around old man, we're in my turf Germany" He playfully slapped Wolfygang's face taunting him. "To make an enemy of me is to make an enemy of Magi themselves think on your next action your Highness"

without a second thought Wolfgang slammed Daibak with a powerful punch to his jaw. Daibak's nose shattered instantly from the punch. Blood spraying like a fountain into the air. it splattered against the ground like a scarlet wine. Daibak held his nose and grumbled like a angered animal.

"Foolish Foolish King!" Daibak laughed. he staggered and slowly croaked out haunting raspy laughter. Wolfgang stood with his fists raised. he looked over his shoulders at the cowering children behind him.

"Run you fools and never look back, Never!" he commanded.

"Do you know who you pissed off King Wolfgang Saladin?!!" Daibak's gauntlet slowly encrouched up his arm like a snake slithering up its owner's arm. "Do you know the mistake you just made"

"I am well aware" Wolfgang said placing one of his clawed arms on his heart. "But a king must protect those weaker than him"

"A king you say?" Daibak continued to laugh like a deranged hyena. "A king in the wrong country dares to punch a commanding officer of The Schattenjäger, You punched a messenger of the god of earth"

"And what is a god to a king?!!" Wolfgang retorted with a savage beastial blow to Daibak's torso. gasping for air as the punch deepened into his gut, Daibak could only smile. staggering coughing blood and laughing.

"So tell me, if you think a King trumps a God then what exactly then is a God to a non-believer?"

"A false Idol!, worth nothing!" Wolfgang shouted back. He caught Daibak by surprise with a quick jab to the jaw followed by a painful sweep kick to his ankles. the once threatening Daibak slammed into the destroyed ground of the ruined city and could only continue to laugh.

"A false idol? worth nothing?" he stood up and dusted himself off. His large gauntlet had now moved up to his shoulder forming a small portion of a suit of armor. "My my that's very interesting, would you say in the minds of the dissident of France that you yourself are a False Idol your highness?" Daibak asked delivering a savage right hook to Wolfgang's chest. The sharp chainmail like scales shattered upon impact. Wolfgang staggered dropping to his knees coughing and hacking up blood. "You know why the Schattenjäger hunts down Loyalists right?" Daibak's comedic and joking nature was nowhere to be seen.

"We want to ascend past the limits of the human form, using the power of the Philopsher's stone that mythic stone only a few have to die in order for war to never be a possibility again"

"You wish to rule this world as a god"

"No no you misunderstand, I won't rule this world Wolfgang that's what you do, I'll command" His armor lingered up his body like a metallic slime. "Lead this pile of shit world and lead it down a brighter path"

"That's tyranny!" Wolfgang got to his feet and swung his fist but Daibak was ready catching the fist with his own opened palm.

"No its just good leadership" he Headbutted Wolfgang shatteing more of the French King's scales. blood and broken scales colored the ground like leaves during the autumn. "I will unite this world with force, brutal, bloody, lethal force if I have to"

Wolfgang shook his head. "You can't force unity it's something that happens when we reach out in love and understanding, you're selfish goals blind you to the suffering of others Octo" Wolfgang retorted throwing his hand forward in a feint. when Daibak went to catch it. Wolfgang quickly threw his own blood into his eyes blinding the man.

"you think this lowly tactic will stop me?" Daibak chuckled. "Upon blood of the old moon and blood of the new, I cast my tribute to you!" Daibak began to chant. "Come to my aid" As he repeated this incarnation his body became covered in a shiny metallic liquid substance. "Bismark: Father of Iron!!!" When the metal subsided Daibak was suited in a shiny, fully militarized suit of armor with chains, axes, swords and loads of rifles.

"I know the limits of that pesky Mythos of your's it can only take so much abuse before it breaks" Daibak slowly sauntered forward with a haunting smirk. "Fafnir is a defensive hybrid mythos, it can protect you while also boosting your speed and strength, I know all about it"

"So tell me how will knowing my magic save you"

"My mythos was speficially designed to shit all over that kingly bullshit you call Magic" In an instant Daibak disappeared only to reappear behind Wolfgang. He planted his feet and slammed his fists as hard as he could into Wolfgang's spine. pain shot through Wolfgang's body. Wolfgang soared through the air before crashing into a burning building.

"What's a matter your highness? caught a case of death?"

"A king bows to no one, not god, not the devil and certainly not a villain like you" Wolfgang climbed from the rubble covered in blood. his body half covered in scales and half human flesh.

"So it is like a shell that would explain why your spine didn't snap"

Clasping his hands together the light in the area began to be drawn towards Wolfgang.

"Pope Urban: God's Redeeming Light!" Wolfgang shouted as a large saber of light formed in his hands. Daibak was caught off-guard.

"T-Two our records said nothing of a second mythos"

"Aye as I resented my father and the way he ruled"

"Coward, Coward, Coward!!!" Daibak roared. A massive plume of steam wafted off of the mech suit. "Shit Cooldown already"

"For the pride of my people and the lives of the whole world I'll end your life here and now" Wolfgang aimed his saber between Daibak's eyes.

To be Continued...