Providence by Dwa-vi Deslouches (best e books to read txt) 📕

and grim anticipation of their first true battle. Viper platoon marched for two hours before coming to the edge of the ruined city. Lord Saarzin called a halt and summoned his eagle familiar to scout ahead. The creature came back in ten minutes and Lord Saarzin nodded gravely.

“We have about an hour to be in position” He announced “ Unit one I want you as the vanguard wait until the enemy passes and attack them from the rear. Units two and four I want you to take up position in the tower toward the south. Units three and five I want you to wait in the old bath house on the north side. Now Soldiers fight with valor, honor and strength. Move out!” The platoon saluted in silence and split into groups to fulfill their missions. Skydran’s platoon moved forward and hunkered down in an abandoned coliseum. While they waited the group marveled at the ruined city. Most of the buildings were made of thick grey stones and many of the windows and doors were small or lower to the ground. Many of the buildings were partially destroyed or in great disrepair. Xzander also noted the commander. He wore a red and gold uniform with a red eagle emblem on his jet black cape. Speaking to the commander Xzander asked “what happened to the city?” The commander nodded gravely and walked to a window peering out.

 

         “Ten years ago this land was under the command of the dwarves. The Red mountains to the north are their home but small groups of them were not content living in mountains all of their lives. Over the years those discontented dwarves came to live here and founded the city. But four years ago trolls from the Soulwood bog invaded and the dwarves either perished or returned to their home in the mountains.” Xzander nodded but the commander signaled for silence. The group immediately tensed and prepared for the worst. The commander put an ear to the ground and listened intently before leaping to his feet and grabbing his gear.

 

“which of you is fastest?” He asked. Xzander raised his hand and saluted. The commander nodded and called him over. When he was alone with Xzander he began to speak urgently. “Listen to me carefully. Take two yellow flairs and signal danger on the spiral tower behind us. Once you’re finished return here and prepare for battle. Xzander took the items and raced away his heart beating slightly faster with adrenaline. He reached the tower and climbed his way to the top. When he finally came to the top floor he fired off two yellow flares. When he looked back down on the Coliseum he was in dismay. A troll had busted through the wall and a swarm of men came streaming through the gap. He turned to head back down the stairs and was faced with something strange. A man clad all in gold with spiky black hair stood with a gold two handed great sword encrusted with rubies and black diamonds held point down. He smirked and with one fluid movement hefted his blade and ran Xzander through. Xzander grunted in surprise, looked at him and felt his vision blur. Before he lost consciousness he felt the man kick him off of his sword and felt the wind rushing past his ears as he fell from the tower.

Chapter 9

 

Karin watched Xzander run off and grabbed her gear. She stood with Enoch, Connor, Dianna and Krystal as they prepared for battle. Quite suddenly the wall opposite of the tower Xzander went to exploded into a hailstorm of shrapnel and dust. Before the group could get themselves together a wave of men emerged from the dust and attacked. The battle quickly deteriorated into a hell of vicious battle and howls of pain. Captain Skydran was fighting viciously and calling out to rally the students. The battle was still not yet at it’s height and just as Karin began to believe they could win the battle. Suddenly out of the dust came a Troll holding a tree in one hand and a boy that Karin dimly remembered to be named Simon in the other. The beast threw Simon into the fight and with the tree in his other hand proceeded to bore a hole through the students defensive line. Karin and her friends fought on the left wing and after about twenty seconds of fighting they were already drenched with blood, both their and their enemies.

 

Suddenly a loud crashing sound was heard and a red cloud began to cover the sky tinting the ruined city with a blood shine. A blue and gold bolt of lightning struck the tower blasting it into boulder sized shards of shrapnel. Dust and shrapnel caused a thick fog to kick up and a strong wind set in blowing the debris into a whirlwind of grit. Out of the cloud a creature seemed to be blasted into the battle. It slammed into the troll forcing it to stumble back to avoid falling. The troll grabbed the creature in both hands and held it before bursting into flames. The flames burned so bright that Karin had to shield her face from being scorched. All in all it appeared to be humanoid with blue and red runes crawling back and forth across it’s skin. A second being burst from the smoke flying on angelic wings clad all in gold

Bringing a brilliant sword of gold inlaid with gems down on the first creature. A blinding golden blast pushed the combatants apart and all in one sudden burst the fighting redoubled in a battle twice as fierce as before.

 

         Xzander felt that he was losing control. He could feel the change into his second form begin to come and the burning agony that came with it. All he could do was watch as his body did whatever it had to do to survive. He felt himself being blasted back by a powerful magical attack and the impact of his body on something that seemed to be living. Slowly he felt his consciousness fading as his body launched itself into combat.

 

         The two creatures fought on the walls and in the sky above the coliseum. The ring of steel on steel could be heard all around as Karin and her classmates fought on. From both the right and the left the group spotted red flares from their ally’s defensive positions. The red flares signified emergency and it was quite obvious that the platoon as a whole had been caught un-prepared for the attack. The ruined city was being lost and Captain Skydran was signaling retreat while covering the students in a torrent of deadly blades. As the students fell back the enemy soldiers advanced in an organized line cutting down any stragglers and finishing off the wounded. As they reached the gate of the coliseum Karin and her group of friends held there covering the retreat with Captain Skydran.

 

         “You of all the students fought with the most vigor” He commended, “if we are to fall today then may the elders bless our souls.”

 

         In the skies up above Xzander and the strange man fought in a storm of blades and claws and fangs. The man easily kept pace with Xzander’s fastest moves and pressed on pushing Xzander even further into his berserk form. Dropping into the stands of the arena he hefted his sword onto his shoulder and smirked.

 

         “I suppose you really are an animal” he mocked, “Many have guessed that you would know who I am by now.” Xzander stood hunched over with the red runes slowly overcoming his blue and his breath coming faster. “I am King Midas boy” he sneered cruelly, “The likes of you have never bested me you abominable half demon!” Suddenly before Midas could react Xzander dashed toward him with the speed of the wind at his back. Reaching his opponent he grabbed him by the throat and threw him into the stands. The impact forced the breath from Midas who blasted through the seats and steps gouging huge chunks of stone from their ancient resting places. He rose slowly, enraged but mostly unhurt, spitting blood onto the crushed stones beside him.

 

         “Well I see you have more fire in you than I thought.” He grunted. Red and blue flames began to spark to life on and around Xzander and Midas looked on in stubborn determination. Charging at Xzander he was met by a jet of fire and dove to the side at the last moment. Bewildered he wondered why he could suddenly sense an immense magical presence rolling off of Xzander. He stood in grudging admiration and slowly he drew a second blade from a blue-ish rift in the air. This blade was silver adorned with skulls and demon blood crystals. Xzander being unarmed appeared to be an easy opponent and when Midas charged he sealed his fate. Before he was in blades range of Xzander Midas felt his feet begin to sink. Looking down he realized that he was being pulled down into the earth by skeletal hands and began to struggle to free himself. Slowly Xzander stalked forward accelerating the creeping of his red runes. Coming to a stop in front of Midas he lifted one of his clawed hands and stopped. Seeming to come back to himself he lowered his arm and spoke a few words of the old tongue of the post creation. The hands clawed at Midas dragging him into the earth cursing and spitting before the ground swallowed him and all was silent save for the sound of battle below.

 

         The gate was quickly lost and the platoon began to stream from their hiding places back onto the main road fighting hard to escape. A bridge lay a mile away from where they had defended and now the entirety of the group, or what was left of it, was rushing there to make a stand. About two blocks away the group heard them. The sound of barks and howls from hellhounds set the group running at their maximum speed and even then some of the slower students were tackled to the ground and devoured. Only half of the platoon at best made it to the other side of the bridge before forming into a defensive line. There the opposing force stopped on the other side of the bridge and formed up their ranks.

 

         “We cannot remain idle” informed Captain Skydran “There are other bridges and we have not the man power to hold even this one.” “With half of our numbers gone this platoon is no more than one-hundred-twenty-five strong and we may still have wounded” He continued. The captain drew breath for an order when he was interrupted by a running feet. A messenger came running to him out of breath and exhausted. By the looks of him he bore bad news.

 

         Looking the captain in the eye he spoke saying, “The general has been gravely wounded. His vanguard was decimated and he alone escaped with heavy wounds and heavy heart.” The captain gave his orders to his second lieutenant, the first had died, and ventured off to go tend to the general. On Karin’s