Chapter 61 THE STOLEN KHUKURI
Every head turned as a single dragon began running over a nearby hill. His eyes were wide and panicked. He looked out of breath, as if he had just run an entire mile. However, their interest wasn't exactly in him. Following behind this dragon was an entire herd of demons, and not just any demons. They were all ogres. There weren't just a few either. An entire town's worth of blue-bodied beasts was pouring over the hill and into the village.
Many of the dragons ran, fearing for their lives. Apparently not all the dragon race was good at fighting. Most of the women and children were fleeing, trying to find a place to shelter themselves as the ogres began tearing down everything in their paths. They broke off to attack the dragons, who retaliated using their fire, but the ogres showed no sign of feeling anything. Magic had absolutely no effect.
"They're resistant to magic!" Magnus shouted to those who were trying. "You have to use a weapon!"
"What's happening?" asked Xerxes as he came up to the tournament ground. He watched in awe as the ogres came ever closer, destroying everything they touched. "Demons…but why…?"
"We don't have time to think about that, sir," said Darren as he drew his sword. "They have to be taken out." He turned to Magnus. "Can't you do anything? You know steel spells, don't you? Make some swords or something."
"Do you see any metal around here that I can convert?" the sorcerer asked. There really wasn't any. Everything was made of wood and stone in this village. Steel was only seen in towns.
"We have swords," stated Levi. The dragon hadn't left them yet. "We know how to fight. We just have to get them." All the fighters standing around were in agreement. They were going to fight.
"We'll buy you some time," Darren stated as he glanced over at Xyra. "Do you have your khukuri?"
"Of course," she stated, pointing to the sword sheath that still hung at her side. "I never leave it."
"Good. Let's go."
Xyra drew her blade and charged with Darren into the oncoming group of demons. The instant they engaged them, they began their battle. Magnus was left to watch helplessly from the sidelines. He needed to get himself a sword, but no one had any extras. Each dragon warrior had one, and they were all planning on using them to defend themselves. There has to be something I can do…
He stood there as all the dragon warriors returned, their swords in their hands. They charged straight forward into their enemies, joining Xyra and Darren in the fray. They were graceful creatures, able to swing their swords and make it look like a form of art. Magnus was left standing there to do nothing but observe the battle, and it was killing him. The dragons were completely on their own in this one.
One of the dragons was shoved to the ground by a group of ogres, his sword sliding out of his hand. As he rolled onto his stomach to grab it, the demons brought their claws down. However, Magnus had reacted just in time. He quickly set up a barrier, and their claws stopped just inches from the man. He glanced over at Magnus and saw that the sorcerer's arm was extended.
"Thanks!" he called as he grabbed his sword. Magnus let the barrier fall, and the dragon stabbed through the attacking ogre. He was safe for now, and Magnus was happy with just that. He wasn't able to attack, but he could keep the attackers safe. He continued to watch the battlefield, protecting whoever needed it. Slowly but surely, the ogres were being killed.
A small yelp caught his attention, and he turned to face a different section of the battle. Xyra was there, but she had just been knocked down, her khukuri sliding from her hand. The ogre attacking her was bringing down its long claws, but Darren quickly intervened. With his sword, he sliced the demon's arm off and then cut the thing in half. He then looked at Xyra, worry etched on his face.
"Are you okay?" he asked her.
"Yeah, I think so," she responded as she got to her feet. She quickly remembered her sword and turned to go and get it, but something else had seen the blade as well.
"Xyra!" called Magnus as he watched the scene play out. "Get the khukuri, quick, before…!" However, his warning came too late. Before Xyra could reach her weapon, an ogre had confiscated it.
Xyra, Magnus, and Darren watched with wide eyes as the ogre smirked, knowing exactly what it was holding. Ogres weren't stupid like the stereotypes stated. Despite the fact that they couldn't speak human words, they understood things. The sword it held was special. It knew that much.
"Run!" Darren shouted as the creature swiped towards Xyra. She managed to dodge and then turned and ran, fleeing from the demon that had stolen her blade. However, it gave chase, swinging at everything in sight.
"Hey!" Darren called to the dragons. "One of the ogres has the khukuri! Be careful!" A blade like that could very easily slice through another sword. Nothing could stop it, not even magic. Unless they could get it away from the ogre, they were doomed.
Xyra kept running from her pursuer, trying to get away, but the ogre was slowly gaining. For being so big, it was abnormally fast. Within a few minutes, it was right on her tail. It grinned devilishly and raised the sword, about to bring it down on her. However, when it swung, its target was pushed away, and it hit nothing but air. At the very last second, Magnus had intervened.
Once Xyra and Magnus had stopped rolling after the sorcerer's rather harsh tackle, they just lied there for a moment to catch their breath. Xyra was on the ground with Magnus over her. Slowly he lifted himself up, his legs on either side of her and his hands by her head.
"Are you okay?" he asked a bit breathlessly.
"Yeah…" She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, happy to still be alive. When she looked up at Magnus, her eyes widened. Behind him was an ogre. It wasn't the one with the khukuri, thank God, but it was indeed about to swipe down at them. "Magnus, behind you!" she barely got out as the demon brought down its claws.
Magnus bent down protectively, a barrier going up. He kept himself over Xyra just in case the ogre managed to break through his shield. He wasn't going to let her get hurt. He had to protect his companion, no matter what. He didn't want to lose anyone, especially not her.
The ogre banged away at the barrier, causing it to shake with each whack. Despite the fact that it was getting nowhere by doing so, it kept at it, determined to reach the two of them. When the entire thing shook visibly, Xyra flinched and closed her eyes, fearing that it would break. A small whimper escaped her lips.
"Don't worry," Magnus told her gently, brushing his hand against her cheek. "I'll protect you."
Xyra looked up at him, realizing that he was being completely serious. His eyes weren't lying. He wasn't going to let that thing break through. However, her fear quickly returned when she saw a different ogre come. This one was the one she had been worried about. In its hand was the khukuri.
"Magnus, it's…" she began, her words shaking. He glanced back and saw the ogre, the blade raised. He cursed and then quickly increased the magic-produced barrier. When the ogre stabbed forward, the blade was stopped. Magnus's barrier was still working even against the magic-resistant sword. However, the strain it was placing on him was great. Sweat was beginning to form at his temples. Damn… I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.
The ogre continued to press the tip of the sword onto the barrier, determined to break through to the two humans inside. Still, Magnus managed to hold it back. It was really taking everything he had though. The ogre eventually removed the sword from the shield, and deciding that it had given up, Magnus stopped putting so much into it. He had to conserve his magic in case he needed it later.
He glanced down at Xyra, making sure that she was still alright. Her eyes were closed again, and her body was trembling. She was really scared right now. It's not like he could blame her. She was without her sword, and to add to that problem, it was in the hands of a demon.
"It's alright," he told her gently, soothingly. "The ogre gave up. There's no need to—"
The sound of a barrier shattering cut his words short, and the second the sound hit his ears, so did a horrible pain. He gasped, his eyes widening and his body locking up. The pain was spreading throughout his chest, and he could feel his heart racing. His mind was swirling with the thought of what had just happened.