For a moment everything was still, his vision all but gone, Jaeger could only catch the faintest hints of what was happening. Taking deep, painful breaths, he could feel his life slowly returning to him. For now, all he could do was breathe, choking down each breath, watching and waiting for his senses to return.
Steel flashed against steel, and the sound of battle came to him as if from a great distance.
He watched as two blurs coalesced into Troy and Brad, striding through the air, swooping low to the ground to meet the blur of the mad swordsman, Kadrin, who flew to meet them. The collision was blinding, but he forced himself to watch as Brad took blow after blow on his now scarred great shield, and Troy harassed the swordsman with only his dagger.
It was only as he watched them fly, a powerful display of magic he couldn't comprehend, that Jaeger realized he had not only fallen to the ground, but onto his side.
He took a deep, steadying breath and slowly pulled himself to a sitting upright position; only as he moved did he register the familiar grip of his pistol in his hand. He attempted to stand, but broke into a coughing fit that sent him sliding back down, and to remedy that he summoned his powder horn and took a drink.
Watching the men across from him, Jaeger drew his powder horn and took a sip.
As he did so, Brad pushed forward and crashed through an overhand from Kadrin, knocking the man's sword aside and leaving him open. Taking advantage of the opening, Troy lunged forward and plunged his dagger deep into the man's stomach. Kadrin howled in pain and landed a kick to Troy's chin, knocking the star elf into the air and away.
He then lunged forward to finish him off, only to be met by the immovable object that was Brad. Once again, the big man blocked his opponent, much to the latter's growing annoyance, which he expressed with more and more attacks, each one drawing a grimace from Brad.
Jaeger, having sipped from his horn, waited for the overflow and rush of powder he was accustomed to. Instead, he swallowed a mouthful at best. And instead of the liquid fire and lightning he was used to, he experienced a lesser healing burn that ran down his throat and extremities, just enough to pull him back from the worst of his injuries, but not enough to fully heal himself. Attributing this to his recent sharing with Sivly, he accepted that this would be all he'd get for now.
Coughing, he spat a glob of dried blood into the mud around him and summoned his axe. Pocketing the powder horn, he pushed himself to his feet with his axe and watched the battle, looking for his opening.
“You are but a distraction. Persistent mosquitoes unaware of your impotence.”
“And you’re just a bandit lord pretending at greatness.” Troy replied as he came up behind Brad to strike at Kadrin.
The swordsman met him with a sneer as he returned the blow, cutting deep into Troy's sword arm.
“I am a Swordlord, Master of the Greenswords, and disciple of the Taphonomorphs. I stood against the Flayed at the Onyx Gates and watched the King of Stolen Flesh fall.”
“Meaningless achievements for one who has turned against his people. What you were is no more, now you are just a bandit lord.” Brad replied as he shielded Troy.
In response, Kadrin simply lunged; his sword like a snake as it seemed to twist, curve, and come to life. His blade slipped over Brad's shield, snapped out like a striking cobra, and caught him across the neck, sending the big man staggering back, a hand at his throat.
Even mortally wounded, the man protected Troy, holding up his great shield even as his life slipped through his fingers.
Jaeger knew he had to act or risk the others falling. He raised his pistol and aimed it at the gloating Kadrin.
“As I said, persistent mosquitoes that buzz the face of greatness. Know that while I will not sully my hands ushering you into the transition between life and death, I shall nonetheless enjoy watching you bleed…”
A lance of pure magic pierced his chest, reducing his words to a mouthful of blood.
Jaeger hadn't been able to fully charge his pistol, having lost his first partial charge when he fell. But he'd had enough to penetrate and leave something behind.
For a moment, all was still, the bandit Swordlord frozen in a rictus of surprise and fear, his would-be victims wearing expressions of surprise and gleeful malice. Then a hellish scream rang out, thawing the world.
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Moving and clawing desperately at his chest, Kadrin screamed. The howling was his, a constant and harrowing companion to the bandit leader's panicked movements. He spun around as he tore at his chest to face Jaeger; Brad and Troy forgotten, pushed aside by the overwhelming pain.
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHY DOES IT BURN?”
The hunter made no reply. Instead, he lowered his pistol and drew his axe. Watching the man across from him, Jaeger simply smirked and attacked.
Even nigh on overwhelmed by pain, Kadrin was no amateur or fresh-blooded warrior, he was experienced and reacted accordingly. Dropping his sword, he raised his hand and summoned his staff, catching it and casting.
An unfortunate move on his part. As he tried to cast, he doubled over in pain.
“LEAD? YOU USED THE RAREST OF METALS ON ME? AS A RANGED STRIKE?”
Raging with pain, the magical swordsman pushed through and cast again. This time he didn't collapse from the pain and managed to finish his spell.
Of the thirty strides he needed to take to reach Kadrin, Jaeger had made fifteen before the spell was cast; close enough to see the blood oozing from the man's chest. Then his view was blocked by a rapidly rising forest.
Jumping aside, Jaeger narrowly avoided running face first into a rotting tree. All around him, the terrain had changed to a decaying forest. At least the man was consistent.
Having dealt with the treants, and not knowing what other foliage-based magic might be afoot, he moved cautiously forward, in the direction of where Kadrin was. He began to question his sense of direction, the smells and sights of the forest disorienting him, then Kadrin scream chanted.
“I WILL NOT BE UNDONE BY THIS! BY THE TRINITY OF ROT, DECAY AND ENTROPY, I DO BESEECH THEE!”
To Jaeger, the voice seemed farther away than it had been just moments before. He almost started to just sprint towards it, but remembered something; a vital resource he promised himself he'd start using more. His magic.
Using Bluthund, a familiar golden trail appeared, but instead of leading him forward, it veered sharply to the right, away from his planned course. Glad he'd used it, Jaeger set off, trusting his skill to lead him to Kadrin. He heard another screaming chant, one that carried an almost physical weight; it pushed his cautious pace aside and made him run.
“I CALL UPON THEE BY THE ROT OF THE BRANCH! PRUNE FROM ME THE WEAKNESS OF LIFE AND GIVE ME THE DECAYING POWER OF THE TAPHONOMORPH!”
The hunter moved through the forest, sprinting past trees and over roots to reach a clearing where his bounty stood. Much as Jaeger remembered him the man was still clawing at his chest, even as he howled profane words to the world.
Kadrin went from frantically clawing at his chest to freezing. He became like a portrait taken out of time, his entire body and involuntary movements frozen. Then, breaking the moment, his free hand slowly rose up and away from his body. Once at its maximum distance, it straightened and became rigid until it resembled a claw. As swiftly as one of his sword strokes, Kadrin plunged his hand deep into his own chest. In the silence of his action, the only sound was the disturbing gurgling, sucking, and cracking of his movement through the bones, meat, and blood of his chest. His hand did not stay still, but seemed to move and search inside the man.
Then it came out holding a reddish-green fleshy lump that had some limp hanging parts; tendrils or something like that. It also had a coin-sized hole burned into it, from which black and silver veins spilled out. The chanting continued, but Jaeger did not see the man's mouth move.
“THIS HEART AND LIFE I SHED, SACRIFICED BY A MAN SOON TO BE DEAD, OFFERED TO THE SPAWN OF ROT AND DECAY, TAKE ME INTO THY EMBRACE THIS LIFE I RENAY!”
Sprinting forward again, his axe drew back. As he approached Kadrin, he swung, twisting his body for more momentum, and was stopped. It was more jarring than if he'd hit a wall, he hadn't gotten stuck or hit something strong. No, Kadrin had simply caught his axe blade in his hand. Or maybe whatever foul being he'd called, Jaeger saw the gaping hole in his chest, saw the empty, bloodied hand and was met with eyes of sickening, almost bubbling green; he had two thoughts. This might no longer be Kadrin, and his bounty might no longer be valid.
Then it spoke.
“WE HAVE HEARD YOU, SUPPLICANT. THE HEART OF A FALLEN HERO AND THE POTENTIAL TO EXPAND INTO GREENWOOD IS WORTH A MEASURE OF INVESTMENT.” The voice that spoke was unlike Kadrin's, or any voice the hunter had ever heard. It was a whisper and a cry. It was the knowledge that death is not always swift and decay is not always slow. It was the voice of those he knew who had succumbed to blood rot. It was as sweet as sugar and as revolting as a moldy carcass. “YOU ARE KINE NO MORE, BUT NOT YET KINDRED. INSTEAD, YOU RISE AS AN EMISSARY. SPREAD ROT, UNLEASH DECAY, CONQUER THE HEART OF GREENWOOD, AND ONLY THEN WILL YOU BE MADE KINDRED.”
Whatever was controlling Kadrin snapped its head sharply and stared at Jaeger as if seeing him for the first time.
“ONE MARKED BY THE BLACK LAGOON COMPANY? CURIOUS. EMISSARY, YOU SHALL TAKE THIS ONE AS WELL. INFUSE IT WITH OUR GIFT AND LEARN FROM ITS DECOMPOSITION.”
Then it whipped the arm holding Jaeger’s axe and threw him away, sending him crashing into a sturdy and spongy tree.
“I do as my elders command.” Kadrin spoke, his voice now cold and wet. “I had hoped to avoid doing this until I had the heart, to come before them as a supplicant of worth. Instead you have made me made me lesser.”
Jaeger pushed off the tree he’d hit and stood, watching Kadrin.
The man's eyes were no longer bubbling, but they were clearly a sickly green, and where there had once been a hole, there was now a scab over his chest. The man himself stood and waved his sword and staff as if trying to understand something.
“My humanity is gone, and in its place is something greater. With this strength I will not be just a Swordlord but The Sword King. First things first.” He looked at Jaeger for the first time, since the ritual. “The Elders have requested your interrogation, and though it is my duty, I want you to know that it is also personal. It is through you that I will be redeemed in their eyes.”
Then he headed for Jaeger, a run that quickly became a full tilt sprint.
Pushing off the tree, Jaeger lifted his axe, barely blocking the upswing coming toward him, rising with the force behind the blow.
