Book 4 Chapter 8

Doron held onto the sigh in his heart as they followed some of Dun’s hunters towards the Hunting canyon at a quick pace. A test like this was just like Tirr unfortunately… As he looked over at the others, all eager to show what they could do, he had to hold back another sigh. The young god was good at getting people riled up… He couldn’t help but think to himself.

As they drew closer to the canyon, they could already hear the rumbles and shouting of the ongoing fight. The twang of arrows followed along with a loud rhythmic impact. Reaching the cliff that led down into the canyon they could see the sound’s cause. The maddened Boar Beast, having reached the end of the canyon, was throwing itself against its rocky wall. Perhaps furious at the runners who had hidden in the caves within.

Doron could only imagine that it wouldn’t be long till whoever was hiding there was crushed as the was collapsed from the Beast's repeated assaults. Around them, the Clan’s men and women yelled as they did their best to kill the creature. Already arrows and spears marked its back, yet a matted hair covered in a thick layer of dirt protected the creature from most attacks, letting it ignore their desperate attempts as nothing more than the bites of a mosquito.

As he observed the situation, he saw movement beside him. Iesa and her companions had moved up, eager to beat the blessed from Lutel to the punch. Iesa’s hands were already wreathed in flames as she prepared to bathe the Beast in attacks from above.

Doran rolled his eyes, “Stop,” He said calmly. Iesa was shocked for a moment but stopped obediently looking at him questioningly. He nodded down towards the beast, “Look at that fur, there's probably a layer of dirt and rock more than an inch thick on that thing. If you start throwing fireballs it's gonna barely do anything and in the meantime, the thing may run back up the canyon and into someone else…”

Iesa nodded, understanding, and held out a hand for the others to stop as well. The rest of the honor guard looked to him eagerly, “Then what do you suggest?” Lin asked him with a smile. All of them knew that Doron was well favored by Tirr and didn’t hesitate to follow his directions.

Their expectant eyes made Doron shiver. He couldn’t help but think of how he and his friends had disdained the officer's back when he was in the military. Laughing at them for taking a job where they’d take all of the blame with all the same danger. Now here he was over 40 men and women looking to him to take the lead…

This time he did visibly sigh, letting out the complaints in his heart before turning towards the canyon, his eyes sharpening as he examined its area. Seeing the small paths down the canyon walls and the Beast still hammering against the dead-end, he nodded to himself before turning back.

“Alright, Iesa go take the other red knights across to the other side of the canyon down to where those hunters are. Lin, you head down just below us. Both of you take some of the crossbowmen with you and wait till my signal. I’ll take the rest and head down into the canyon to cut off the monster's exit. Once we're ready you two can rain hell down on it.

Iesa nodded, eyes sparkling as she took off. Lin simply bowed before heading off as well. The other waited for him patiently. A mixed group, made up of people from Rasor, Lutel, and the confederation, none of them had any respect or care for each other, but they all respected Tirr… And that extended to Doron as one of the closest people to the god outside of his circle of apostles.

It was part of what made Doron so reluctant, he wasn’t even one of the best when it came to using the life blessing. Lina was much quicker to learn overall and was only kept from the fighting due to her young age. And Nora was better at pretty much all of the healing miracles but was needed for her religious fervor in helping spread the branch.

As Doron led the others down into the canyon, he thought back towards the day Tirr had fixed his leg and the crazy months that had followed. He had never even thought this far ahead… They were on the verge of creating a new country, moving to expand into even more areas. And here he was in the thick of it, with more responsibility than he could have ever guessed back when he used to simply patrol around Road’s end, pretending he was even needed.

Reaching the bottom, he ordered the others to spread out, slowly circling around as they cut off any route of escape. Finally, he signaled up towards the canyon walls, watching as Iesa and Lin eagerly set to work.

Shards of ice rained down, slamming into the creature's side. Some simply shattered against the creature's thick skin, unable to pierce through the rocky fur. One though stabbed viciously into the Boar’s back, making it reel in pain and sudden fear. Lin showed why she had been made Nerida’s second, having the same tendency towards ice as her apostle.

Iesa, not having Claire’s sheer power had gone a different route. While Claire could overwhelm almost anyone with the sheer heat of her flame, which was part of what earned her the Wildfire nickname, Iesa had listened and studied, even copying part of Reynold’s technique with some help from Tirr.

Now, as her companions launched fireball after fireball down at the Boar. She launched her own attack. It shot down at tremendous speed, a ball of fire no bigger than an apple. Dwarfed by the other attacks that followed by its side. Yet when it struck there was a moment of stillness.

Unlike the other flames that exploded sharply yet barely left a mark. This one seemed to almost burrow into the boar's body. Suddenly, petals of flame forced their way out, blooming like a rose from within the Boar’s side. When the smoke and blood cleared, a chunk of the Beast’s flesh had been carved away, leaving an ashen hole where the attack had hit.

Doron’s mouth twitched. Using control to make up for lack of power might seem like common sense, but outer manipulation was difficult and unintuitive. It was what gave him so much trouble with barriers. He shook off his jealously yelling for those around him to be ready.

The Mountain Boar, maddened to the point of insanity by fear and pain, now turned, meaning to run and forget the small humans that had bothered it. Instead, it found its way blocked by even more of the creatures. As more ice and fire rained down, it realized it wouldn’t survive much longer. Lowering its head, it charged, meaning to break through the encirclement.

Watching the Beast charge towards him, Doron let out a sigh of relief. If the creature had gone towards the sides trying to slip out near the canyon walls, he wouldn’t have been able to guarantee its capture. But with it heading straight for him, he was reassured. As it closed in on them Doron channeled his blessing feeling its heat and energy rage through his body.

He lifted his sword, crouching down as he prepared… Around him, the others raised their spears. The Beast reached them only a moment later, wind and rocks kicked up in the storm of its wake as it tried to trample through. Spears struck and broke like twigs against its skin. Just as it was about to strike Doron, he suddenly flipped the blade in his hand, stabbing it downward.

He took the impact head-on. Feeling the wind leave him as his bones creaked and the Beast drove him back, his feet digging into the earth below him as he did his best to stay standing. In his hand though, the blade had disappeared, shoved deeply through the Boar’s skull and into its brain.

It quickly collapsed, almost burying Doron under its large body. Seeing Doron rise, winded but unharmed, cheers rose along the canyon. Doron just frowned, looking towards the bent and warped blade that was still buried deep in the Beast’s skull, and let out a sigh. Now he’d have to get a new sword…