Chapter 7

The air was filled with the acrid smoke of burning trees as Kane exited the palace. In the distance, he could see tendrils of smoke, and his ears could hear the faint roars of ogres.

“Guards, with me!” Elm roared as he drew his axe, rushing towards the smoke and cries. Kane followed, easily keeping pace with his old friend. “We can seal the breach, but only after the ogres are defeated.” Elm mentioned, and Kane took note of mages joining their group.

“I hate fighting ogres, remember.” If there was anything Kane hated more than shadow-kin, it was ogres. Not because ogres were stronger, but because to fully kill one, you needed to decapitate it, and burn both ends. Otherwise, they would simply grow new bodies and heads.

“Well, at least you’re going to be hunting a dragon, not an army of ogres.” Elm grinned at him. “Besides, you still have that sheath of yours.”

Kane grinned, and motioned at Elm’s axe. “That thing still work?” In response, Elm whispered a word, and flames spread along the weapon.

“Looks like it.” His laughter cut short as they drew closer to the breach, black smoke swirling around them. The trees burned with a black fire.

“Nether fire…” Kane silently cursed. Nether fire was harmless to creatures sworn to the Void, which the ogres were.

“Well, they aren’t dumb enough to use flames that could harm them.” Elm produced a cloth to cover his face as he spoke. “That would make it too easy on us.”

“One could always hope.” Kane lifted his scarf over his face, blocking the poisoned air from filling his lungs. His eyes watered though. “Can I get a light?” Kane flicked his wrist a he pulled his sword from his scabbard, a clear liquid coating his blade. Elm touched his flaming axe to Kane’s sword, and it become engulfed in golden flames.

“Try not to let these guys kill you. Remember, you’ve got an ice dragon to slay.” With those words, Elm rushed towards the battle. Nearly three dozen ogres, each easily eight feet in height, was engaged in battle against the elven guards. More were pouring into the area from a darkness that seemed to hang in the air, the breach in the barrier.

“Shadow-kin, ogres, an ice dragon…” Kane muttered under his breath as he charged into battle himself. “Damned fox.”

Arrows whistled towards the ogres, but the nether flames burned the missiles before they could find their marks. Those that did, couldn’t penetrate the ogre’s thick hides. Each magical race had an antithesis, and ogres were the elves.

Cries to his left alerted Kane to his first target, a massive ogre engaged with a group of elves. “Go help the king!” Kane called to the warriors, and for a moment they stared at him. How was a human going to take down the creature by himself?” A second later, Kane’s body became covered in a glowing light. The light knocked the elves out of their daze, and they rushed off to help Elm, leaving Kane to face the ogre alone.

The beast let out a roar as it eyed Kane’s flaming sword, and without warning swung a massive club at Kane. The blow targeted his head, but Kane blocked it easily with his scabbard. With a flick of his wrist, he released the hidden blades from his scabbard, imbedding the blades deep in the club. As the ogre rose his club for another strike, Kane was lifted from the ground, bringing him within striking distance of the creature’s ugly head.

“I’m glad to see ogres are still as dumb as ever.” Kane whispered, easily severing the creature’s head from it’s body, his blade instantly sealing the wounds, killing the creature. A flick of his wrist freed his scabbard from the club, allowing him to land lightly on the ground as the ogre collapsed before him.

His instincts warned him of another attack even as his feet touched the ground, and he pushed himself forward, diving towards the ground. He absorbed his momentum with a roll, bringing himself back to his feet as he spun to face his next opponent. Kane was greeted by another ogre, which starred blankly at the ground where Kane had been, his club deep in the ground. Had Kane not moved, he would have been squashed by that attack.

Laughing, Kane drank in more of his power, and with inhuman speed ran up the weapon. The dumb creature couldn’t track his speed, and as Kane leapt off the club, severing the creatures head as he summersaulted through the air, he smirked at the beast. The head toppled to the ground, frozen in a look of confusion.

Having felled two foes in mere minutes, Kane took a moment to take in the battle. It seemed the elves had halted the ogre’s advance, though it would be a while before they could extinguish the nether flames. The rumbling in the air, followed by bright flashes of lightning, signaled the arrival of the elvish mages, and Kane knew the fight wouldn’t last much longer.

“Guess I should kill a few more, for old time’s sake.” Kane grinned as he rushed back into the fight, knowing if Elm killed more than he did, he would never hear the end of it. He wasn’t sure, but as he engaged more of the forces of the void, Kane could swear he could hear laughter in his head, the amused laughter of that damned demigod.