Part 1

Erik leapt backward, dodging a swipe of the claws as Thrak rushed him. Two men from each side pushed forward, shields raised and slammed into them, stunning the aliens momentarily, giving Erik time to regain his footing. One Thrak jumped over the men and slashed at him with its sharp claws then tried biting his sword arm.

Sidestepping, Erik brought his sword upward, cutting through its neck and out its shoulder nearly cutting the head off. It screeched in a bloody mess as it fell to the ground. Immediately, Erik rushed forward and aided the shield men. They were stabbing at the Thrak over their shields, mostly keeping them at bay rather than wounding them significantly.

Grabbing a spear from the ground, Erik chucked it straight into the mouth of a Thrak lunging for the men in front of him. A moment later, a strong feeling of urgency wafted over him, blurring his mind and vision.

Erik immediately recognized it to be Felkuru, but hadn’t the slightest clue why. Something was happening to Fel from a distance, though it felt as if he were close somehow. Stumbling backward, Kyburn rushed over to him, noticing his drunken state. His strong arms caught him before he fell to the ground. Falling to one knew, Kyburn supported him, followed by dragging him away from the front line and to relative safety.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Is it the Vog again? What do you see?”

“I-I don’t,” Erik mumbled over the roar of fighting. “He’s close though. I can feel him.”

“Here? In Xer?” Kyburn frowned, looking over at the fight as two men were flung from the wall by spikes protruding out of their chests.

“No.” Erik groaned as his headache intensified. “There.” he pointed over the wall toward the Thrak.”

“You’re not making any sense, friend,” Kyburn shouted over the noise. “That’s the Thrak, not the Vog. Felkuru is in Vulkira. Don’t worry about it, okay? Just rest here, for now, keep your head down where it’s safe.”

“Okay.” Erik winched in pain. “Be careful.”

Kyburn nodded then headed back to the front line. The wall was being overrun and the city below was virtually undefended as Thrak slipped through. A moment later, Erik watched in horror to see the female Emarine get shot off the wall along with four other soldiers. She smashed through the roof of a house but immersed an instant later just in time to catch one man from plunging to his death, the others weren’t so lucky.

She looked totally unfazed as she sprinted up the stairs but by that point, the Thrak were pouring over the wall now that she wasn’t there to defend it. The soldiers fought bravely, trying to stem the flow but in vain as dozens of good men died at the hands of the aliens.

An explosion erupted near the point in which the Thrak were climbing up the wall, causing hundreds to fall to the ground, giving them respite from the onslaught. Pushing himself to his feet, he reached the edge of the wall, down a ways from the fight, and gazed down to see an Emarine cut his way through scores of Thrak like it were nothing, mostly focusing on the large females.

That’s when he saw Fel, running gracefully with a small army at his back. “He is here,” he whispered. At least two hundred Vog plunged into the fray, ripping through the Thrak breaking their attention off the humans and onto themselves.

Arrows shot down at them, hitting both sides. “Stop!” Erik yelled at the towers above. “The Vog are on our side! Stop shooting!”

Kyburn noticed his yelling then signaled them to focus fire on the Thrak. Relief washed over him that they weren’t being targeted.

Another shockwave shot out from the second pyramid, causing them all to fall. Erik saw then as the Emarine below was shot by the females and flung into the wall as the Thrak pile fell atop him, burying him.

“Help him!” Erik pointed.

Archers focused their fire, trying to support the mystery Emarine but Erik guessed he was the one Yvlana was so desperate to find. An instant later he saw her leap over the side, going to his rescue, a moment later, Lamir followed.

It seemed the fall had no impact on them as their suits slammed into the ground below. Yvlana and Lamir yanked the Thrak off him and protected him. The Vog were finishing off the females but another two or three hundred Thrak still approached. A small hope crept inside him, as he realized the females were all but dead, only a few remained which only left the much smaller and easier enemies to kill.

Lamir lobbed another powder bag, signaling the archers to shoot another volley of pistols and rifles. A blast of blue energy shot over the heads of the Vog and cut through three dozen Thrak, collapsing the approaching charge and causing them to stumble over themselves, and the line halted in its tracks.

Pouncing on the opportunity of mayhem, the Vog rushed forward, easily decimating the remaining Thrak, though many Vog died, it seemed the battle was over. Cheers and howls of victory pierced the air from all races. Vog and human alike.

Erik lifted his bruised arms into the air and shouted in joy and relief.

The few Thrak remaining, fled in terror, later being hunted down by the Vog.

To his left, Erik noticed a shimmer on the wall next to him, his eyes betraying him, he brushed it off as part of his headache and the excitement of winning. An instant later, however, proved him wrong.

“Look out!” a soldier shouted, leaping in front of him as a grey Thrak pounced.

Three camouflaged aliens appeared from nowhere, trying to quietly kill him while no one was looking. The man in front immediately was killed, too slow to raise his shield in time.

Erik whipped Frostmoon from his scabbard and yelled a warning to the surrounding men. The creature lunged for him without hesitation, determined to spill his blood. Their determination was shocking as if they were targeting him personally.

Erik leapt forward and cut one in two, lopping its head in half. It thrashed around but would die soon. The other two, lunged at once, giving Erik no room to retreat, or dodge.

Doing the only thing possible, Erik jumped straight up, bringing Frostmoon down on the back of one and pushing his arm out to block the second. Its razor-sharp jaw latched onto his arm, shredding his flesh like a saw.

Groaning in pain, Erik stomped his foot into the head of the first, giving him leverage to pull his sword free, and stabbed the one attached to his arm. Plunging the sword through its ribs and out the other side, didn’t loosen the grip on his arm, only making it tighter.

Still alive, the Thrak clawed at Erik’s body, slashing him across the chest several times. Unable to break free, Erik heaved himself up in another stab, cutting through its neck. It still writhed and refused to die.

Before it could do more damage, several soldiers hacked at the alien like madmen, desperately trying to save Erik. The weight of the Thrak slumped and fell to the ground, relieving him from yanking to stay standing.

Still in shock, Erik felt his arm tear and he looked down to see it gone, only a stump remained. His left arm, still in the jaws of the dead Thrak.

His eyes went wide in horror and he started screaming in agony and shock. The soldiers could only stand around him, helpless to do anything.

Blood gushed from his stump and he grasped his shoulder, staring at his missing arm and falling to the ground to one knee. It felt as if his arm was still there but the sight of it missing sent shivers down his spine and he screamed again.

A loud growl of pain reverberated over the walls. He could hear Fel screaming too, feeling his pain and worry for him.

Kyburn’s hands held him down, as his vision blurred and he felt weak from shock and blood loss. Pools of blood soaked the ground around him. Kyburn nearly slipped in it but he began wrapping his arm in bandages.

“We need a doctor!” he yelled, though the words didn’t reach Erik, his mind was still fuzzy.

Lamir stood over him suddenly, then his large arms picked him up, gently moving him.

“This way.” a voice shouted.

All Erik could see were blurs now, and the voices faded quickly. Going in and out of consciousness. A moment he saw Felkuru looming over him, then an elderly man with a needle and thread. A doctor most likely, he guessed.

“Where am I?” he asked no one, mumbling incoherently. “Amira,” he whispered as a beautiful woman looked down at him.

He was in bed now. The woman’s hair brushed across his face before she pulled it back behind her ear.

“Shush.” a soft voice said. “You’re going to be alright.”

“Amira,” Erik whispered again, then darkness took him.

Part 2

Groaning in pain, Erik felt a dull but intense ache coming from his arm. Leaning over he reached with his right arm to feel where the pain was but his eyes widened to feel nothing where his arm should have been.

Jerking up, Erik stared down at his missing arm, still unsure if this was real or not. Lightly, he touched the stump, to come away with bloody fingers and another twinge of pain. Sitting upright, Erik pushed himself to his feet, glancing around the room. His sword leaned against his bed and his old bloody clothes were nowhere to be found. He was shirtless and only wore loose shorts, the air was musty and it was dark outside.

The door to his room opened to reveal Amira, her long brown hair was pulled up and her orange eyes went wide with shock at seeing him up.

“My lord!” she yelped. “Sit down. Please. You must rest!”

A sense of shame fell over him, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint why he felt that way. Her hands were full with a tray of water and fruit but she quickly set it down before approaching him.

Pulling away from her as she reached for him, Amira cocked her head back in confusion. “What’s wrong? Let me help you. Please.”

Erik relented and let her come closer, she brought one arm up around his waist as she ducked under his one arm and shifted his weight onto her. He felt useless now, like he had lost everything. “He would never fight again. Amira would look down on him. People would mock him for losing an arm.” all these thoughts flooded through his brain.

“When did you get here?” Erik asked in confusion.

“A boy named Henry rode to meet us and we hurried here as quickly as we could. I feared we would be too late but, to my surprise, we arrived to Vog and Emarine to greet us at the gates.” she chuckled, still looking surprised. “We arrived in Unari two days ago. You’ve been asleep since…” she looked at his arm.

She tried veering him to the bed but he resisted, feeling out of control and helpless. “Where is everyone?” he asked. “Is Henry alright?”

“He is. He came to see you several times actually,” she said gently, still trying to pull him toward the bed. “Rayman didn’t leave your side until an hour ago. He was a stubborn one. Never wanting to leave you alone.”

“Then Rayman is here.” Erik struggled to think straight. “How are the rest of the men?”

“Please, Erik.” Amira strained. “Come lie down.”

Relenting, Erik let her lead him to the bed, where he sat, which jolted his arm, causing a surge of pain. “Ah!” he groaned.

“I’m sorry. I am so sorry.” tears formed in her eyes.

“Don’t pity me.” Erik frowned, his pain and annoyance rising. The loss of his arm made him overly angry and aggressive. Overwhelming negative emotions flooded through him again, making him want to lash out.

“I don’t.” Amira smiled, trying not to cry. “I am sorry you are in pain. If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know.

A wave of guilt at losing his temper with her, even for a moment made him regret his actions. “No. I am sorry for getting angry with you. You must be exhausted. How long have you been looking after me?”

Amira’s cheeks turned bright red, “The moment I arrived.” she said shyly.

“Not that I’m complaining but… why are you here?” Erik asked. “Shouldn’t you be in Qutreth with Jebbin and Rayman?”

“Rayman is here.” Amira reminded him. “Though… Jebbin is elsewhere.” she hesitated.

“Right.” Erik frowned. “I must have forgotten.”

“It’s alright.” she smiled. “How are you feeling? I changed your bandages and gave you drops of my… potion.”

“Potion?” Erik asked. “When you say it that way it sounds like you poisoned me.” he chuckled but immediately regretted it as it shook his arm.

“Well. That’s because it is.” Amira smiled, her eyes staring at him blankly.

Gazing back into her orange eyes, his mind screamed in panic before it dawned on him.

“What?” he asked, confused.

“It was poison.” Amira’s teeth showed as she smirked at him.

“P-poi…” his voice caught in his throat, tightening. Unable to breathe, the realization hit him.

“That’s right, King Erik.” Amira sneered. “I just poisoned you.”

“Wha-Wh.” he croaked, unable to speak. His body went into shock and his lungs screamed as air refused to reach them.

“Oh, you actually believed my story? Ha.” she grinned. “Oh, you poor thing. You actually thought I loved you?”

Grasping at his throat, Erik struggled to move.

“Shh shh shh.” she patted his chest. “Don’t struggle. It will only make it worse for you. You really shouldn’t believe everything a young pretty girl tells you.”

“Oh, I’m Amira. None of the boys like me.” she mocked, acting her part with her high-pitched voice. “Won’t you save me oh handsome king? Sweep me off my feet?”

She laughed again, taking in the look of betrayal and pain. “My lord will be pleased. I did what that fool couldn’t. He will reward me now.”

Erik gazed at her in horror, his strength fading quickly. She turned to his sword, “I think I’ll take this as proof.” she snatched Frostmoon from the head of the bed. “By the time they find you, I’ll be long gone. I did just convince Rayman to get some rest. No one will be coming to help you.”

Dread and agony washed over him as if being crushed by a boulder, his chest heaving but no air came in or out of his lungs.

“I think it will make an excellent gift to lord Mulguran.” she pursed her lips. “Oops. I guess I gave it away. No matter.” she started to stand.

With all his strength, Erik forced his arm up and grabbed her wrist, jerking her back down. Her eyes went wide in shock and she yelped. Getting a good clasp, Erik wrapped his fingers around her throat and squeezed with every bit of strength he had left.

Her eyes bulged and she tried to remove his hand from her throat but failed miserably as his grip dug into her flesh. His fingernails buried into her as blood trickled down her neck. Yanking backward, she pulled him off the bed and they toppled to the ground. Using his legs, Erik straddled her, keeping his focus on choking the life out of her before he died.

It didn’t last long, however, as Amira pulled out a dagger in her right hand and sunk the blade deep between his ribs. Grunting in pain, his grip loosened but he shifted his weight to his right arm, using his body to choke her. Another stab, made him let out the last bit of air in his lungs, and his vision blurred.

She screamed and kicked, trying to dislodge his failing grip. He tried to block the dagger but his left arm wasn’t there to stop her. A third stab to the rib made him collapse, then he felt the warm steel slide into his neck.

Before his world went dark, Erik saw a cloaked figure slip into the room and heard arguing. He looked familiar but his face was mostly hidden by shadows. In an instant, it dawned on him. He recognized that face. Flabbergasted by the other assassin, Erik felt anguish and sorrow as his vision went dark.

His world went black and his body went limp.