Master of the Loop

Chapter 68: Battle of the Monsters

Chapter 68

Battle of the Monsters

The quaking grew only larger and more thunderous the closer the behemoth approached. Inevitably, Sylas began seeing the first signs of itthe toppling trees in the distance. One by one they fell, rolling to the sides, opening up a path. Even the Ghouls became sluggish, whatever few instincts they had remaining likely screaming at them incessantly.

Derrek and Sylas, however, remained standing on the wall. It was much easier for him, Sylas mused, yet he still came off less heroic than Derrek. Its the face, isnt it? Clicking his tongue, he couldnt help but admit if they were in a movie, hed have been put into the background of the shot, just random noise to the heroic figure upfront.

Chiseled features, piercing eyes, body made of granite, height, broadness, handsomeness, the golden hair to be the contrast to the ashen snow the man simply had all the makings of a hero in the story. Well, visually at least. His personality was still a suspect as Sylas grandly recalled him shouting when he got trapped in the Shard as though he was beyond a human.

It was around a minute later that the last of the trees fell, revealing the behemoths form. It was exactly the same as Sylas remembered itbut Derrek seemed stumped for some reason.

Whats wrong? Sylas asked.

This this isnt a Thrall, Derrek stuttered strangely. Its its the Thrall.

alright, you lost me. Whats the difference?

The the difference? Its the main Thrall, Sylas!! Derrek almost shrieked. As in, it would be like asking whats the difference between an ordinary soldier and an armys commander!

Oh. So, hes stronger?

Beyond stronger! Theres theres no way we can defeat it! Were doomed! Ah, yes, our hero, ladies and gentlemen. Sylas, however, hardly faulted the man; Derrek himself never claimed to be a selfless hero, it was just something Sylas fronted due to the jealousy.

The plan remains the same, Sylas voice turned encouraging. Think of those behind us, Derrek. If we cant stop this thing the entire castle will fall. And not just the castleall those people that are rushing to our rescue they will die too. Unless we figure out a way to stop this thing we truly would all be doomed. But, well figure it out. I mean, how hard can it be? Its just a tall, slow giant, right?

its, its not that, Derrek said, taking a deep breath and recovering somewhat. Ive never faced the Thrall, but Ive read stories. Beyond their physical prowess, what made them essentially undefeatable monsters was the fact that they held absolute control over their element. As in, forming magic with the element came as naturally as breathing to them. Unless we have someone on our end who can match that, we dont stand a chance.

We have you.

Me? Derrek glanced at him, smiling bitterly. You think magic comes as naturally as breathing to me? I dont know what kind of a person you consider me to be, but I am far from the most talented Knight of my Order. Were it not for my Masters graces, Id long since have been demoted and relegated to be some Nobles Guardian.

Well, heres your chance, though Sylas was grateful he was learning more about the man, now truly was not the time. To prove your Master wasnt wrong. Well do it together. You are not alone.

Besides, Sylas added, looking forward. It doesnt look like the thing will give us much of a choice.

yes, Derrek nodded, taking another deep breath. He would dieof that he was beyond certain. But, he wouldnt die a worthless death, one in which he resigned to his fate. Hed defy it until the very end, no matter how stacked the odds were against him. Lets go, then.

Derrek withdrew the sword from his scabbard and suddenly heaved forward, jumping from the wall and leaving Sylas aghast. Midflight, the sword lit up in the colors of blazing fire, illuminating the world down belowthe rotting corpses, the bones, the dried blood everything became far clearer than before.

He landed squarely, kicking up some snow and dust and dirt, affirmed on the ground. Rolling his eyes, Sylas skirted to the side and jumped down himselfdirectly onto the pile of corpses. Luckily, they were all fresh, and though it was beyond disgusting and vomit-inducing and nowhere near as cool as Derrek's leap, at least he didn't rush down the stairs and go around.

Fighting out of the gore and rotting flesh, he landed onto the ground as well and walked toward the two figures before suddenly stoppinghe felt it. The surge of energy. It was terrifying. In fact, it was so terrifying it froze the blood in his veins. Though he always suspected that Derrek was at least as strong as Dyn, likely even stronger, hed never seen the man go all out. But now he was seeing exactly that.

Immediately, Sylas realized he had no place on that battlefieldthough hed gotten remarkably stronger compared to anything he experienced in his life, he was human strongnot magic strong. The sheer quantity of energy rolled up winds that discreetly began shoveling snow between the two away. It was a few moments of silence that Sylas recognizedit was the seconds that signaled the key, turning point in life. Like the few seconds of silence he experienced during the paternity results. Or the few seconds he experienced before being told the diagnosis. Or the few seconds after hearing it.

But when the silence passed, the life came roaringabruptly, wildly, unbridled, surging forward like the raging oceans waves, pelting against anything and everything and anyone and everyone in their wake.

Derrek roared, the fire of his blade seemingly resonating with his soul, surging alongside the roar that shook the trees and the stone. He stepped forward, bending the blade at an angle and swinging, alighting the darkness as an array of fire went flying toward the giant. The Thrall responded in kind, roaring and bending forward, slamming its fist toward the fire and easily destroying it. The surging explosion blew the surrounding trees back and caused winds that forced Sylas to take a few steps back.

It was happening again, he realizedjust like when two shadows who disappeared fought, he was witnessing something that his mind was yet to adjust to. Though aware of magic, it was the low type of magicnot the kind that could cause permanent changes to terrain with a flick of a finger.

Derrek continued running forward, stepping aside when the giant blew its fist forward, digging it into the ground and rupturing it, causing a massive quake to shake the world. The man heaved and jumped, the alighted blade cruising like a dragon through the air, slamming against the Thrall's body. And yet, even such a majestic attack seemed to cause no damage, bounced back effortlessly. Sylas could swear he heard the click of the tongue and the gnashing of the teeth as Derrek found himself flying backward, using invisible hands of the energy to stabilize himself midair before landing.

He didn't wait for the reprive, however, rushing forward once more, as though possessed. He had to leave everything on the line, every last drop of his strength. In his soul, in his heart, and in his mind, he knew that the battle was unwinnable. No one human had ever won a battle against the Thralland those who supposedly did also just happened to give birth to planets with their fingers, as in, they were just legends.

And then there was himbarely a Knight, nowhere near close to a legend. But he couldnt falter. He couldnt fall. He couldnt roll over and accept his defeat. Too many people counted on him. Even if he initially came here to look for the cult and had no intention of staying through the winter, he had. The place won him over. The people. The grit. Even the permanently cold air that irritated his nostrils. For better or worse, this place began feeling more like home than the Order did. In here, he was respected, listened to, recognized. He mattered.

Grinding his teeth together, he dodged yet another fist by undercutting it, gleaming forth a surge of energy and turning it into a raging tempest at the tip of his sword, stabbing forward. He managed to put a dent, a tiny nick in the flesh, but it was a woundhe saw it, the red of blood dripping down. Hed wounded the beast, but he wasnt just satisfied with it.

He paused suddenly, noticing a phantom from the corner of his eyesfrom behind the giant, Sylas appeared, sword in hand. Though hed accepted that the man was somewhat of a prophet or at least someone who was really good at putting the pieces together and forming a plausible story, he hardly considered the man stronger than him, or someone capable of harming even a Thrall, let alone the representative of them all. And yet, for a moment, that faith in the inevitable wavered.

The speed of that stab it was inhuman. No, calling it inhuman was likely misleadingnot even he, using the full brunt of his magic, could come anywhere close to that speed. It was a blur. But speed was irrelevant when facing the Thralland so the stab didnt penetrate the skin. And yet, rather than bouncing back, as though possessed, Sylas latched himself onto the giants back and stabbed yet again, this time even faster, more ferocious. The giant, for the first time, turned his attention away from Derrek. The latter, realizing that he had to buy time and, more importantly, cause the giants heart to tremble, roared at the top of his lungs and began using his energy without reservations. He knew that this battle would determine everythingand holding back even slightly would kill them both, as well as everyone else.

He decided to put faith in the fake messiah, in the man whom he considered a cheater and a liar until a week ago. It was funny, he mused, how life worked. In many ways, it was far more magical than even the magic itself.