A Hero's Ballad: The Knightmare

~X~

“That’s—”

“They’re dream versions of your friends.”

“But they’re still them,” he breathed, breaking into a sprint. He drew his glowing blade as the spirit of his father pointed towards the beast and shouted a ghostly wail. “We need to get there, and fast. Terask won’t let up.”

“Wait for me, you meathead!” Jeran followed shortly behind, shaking his head in disbelief at Rohane’s brazen recklessness to protect his dream friends. But such emotions were quickly overshadowed by the pure, terrifying bulk of the creature that stood before them. Terask was an enormous Draik-like creature with four grotesque arms, scales like plate armour, teeth the size of fountains and hateful, intelligent eyes that thirst for chaos and destruction. Each slash of his mighty claws sent pillars collapsing to rubble. One pulse of magic levelled the marble statues that once graced the Faerieland courtyard. And there—standing in brave defiance—were three heroes in golds, silvers, and reds, facing this creature ten times their size with poise and rock-solid battle instinct.

Before the dragon could fire off his first swing, Velm covered the team in a blanket of protective magic. Talinia loaded her bow and fired at breakneck speed that Jeran could scarcely even follow; four of her arrows sailed directly at the dragon’s face while Mipsy tossed a slow potion with all her might. Terask swatted away the arrows with a single claw while holding his opposite claw to block the potion. When it burst upon him, covering him with a magical equivalent to hot tar, he let out an earth-shattering roar of unbridled hatred. Whilst he pulled his glued arm from its trap, he used the remaining appendages to slash and claw with remarkable force.

Mipsy raised the wand of reality, a sacred artefact capable of harnessing incredible magic, to the sky. The diamond atop it sparkled magnificently as she cried, “rampant acceleration!” A golden light shot from the wand’s surface and covered the three of them like armour. Sparks lapped at the team’s feet as they narrowly avoided the dragon’s blows with inhuman dodges.

Thoroughly distracted with their death-defying battle, they scarcely noticed when Rohane approached the scene. In fact, it was only when the dragon let out a toothy sneer and shouted, “Reynold’s brat!” that they spared a glance.

“Rohane!” they cried, before calling out to him in unison.

“I knew you’d come, Boss!”

“We missed you so much!”

“Glad to see you, Captain.”

Rohane nodded decisively, a rare smile on his face. “Good to see you all, too. Let’s win this.”

“Here to help,” Jeran had made a salute to the crew, quickly catching his breath. “Hello, Heroic Three.”

“Hey! It’s Jer—"

“You dare mock the King!?” The dragon sent a claw barreling towards Jeran at alarming speed, to which Rohane tackled the Lupe down to the ground before he could react. The force of the claw nearly threw Rohane’s helmet from his head as the two of them rolled into a dodge. Rohane rose hastily to his feet and pulled the Lupe up with a forceful yank.

“Not paying attention?!” shouted Terask, before sending a magical blast at the crew. “I’ll teach you to minimalize me!”

“Mortogs,” Jeran gasped, his heart pounding. “What was that!?”

“Terask—heads up!”

A pulse of deadly energy ripped across the battlefield, cutting through the less protected knights. They both let out a grunt of pain as the magic seared their fur like hot water. Meanwhile, a wave of healing energy washed over the two as Jeran scarcely had the time to breathe. Mipsy lobbed an “Obliterate” spell at Terask’s armoured hide, which had all but absorbed the blast.

Before he could avoid it, the dragon scored a glancing blow on Rohane’s armour, to which he responded with a well-placed slash of his glowing sword. Watching the creature reel in pain, Jeran responded with a strike of his own.

Within moments, the knights felt the soothing blanket of Velm’s protective magic wash over them.

“Sorry it took so long! Didn’t know you—both of you—were here!”

“I’d never abandon you guys,” Rohane called back, “you know that.” In the background, Mipsy lobbed a typhoon potion directly at the dragon’s head and blew it up with a wall placed magical zap.

Roaring with rage, he charged forward like a lightning bolt and landed a swift kick to the Acara mage. She flew back 30 feet, and soared straight for a decorative pillar. Talinia caught her in the nick of time, sandwiching herself between the mage and her solid stone target. Mipsy’s body, light as it was, still made the Eyrie grunt upon impact.

“Got you,” assured Talinia, still holding her friend in a protective lock despite the nagging ache in her gut. “You’re safe now.”

Mipsy wheezed in pain, but gave a strained thumbs-up. “Thanks, Talinia.”

While Talinia lowered Mipsy to the ground, the dragon greedily eyed his injured target and licked his lips malevolently. At almost the same time, both knights could sense the dragon’s foul intent. To create a needed distraction, they took turns throwing strong damage potions from Jeran’s pack.

Just after throwing his first, Rohane called across the field in vicious mockery. “Hey, false king!” He stuck out of his tongue and pulled down his eyelid. “Eat this!”

Terask whipped around to face them; rows of sharply pointed teeth bared at the duo as his eyes glowed blood red with anger. “Fool!” he growled, exhaling a puff of grey smoke from his nostrils. “You shall be the first to perish!”

One of the two potions hit its mark, sending miniature tornados sailing across his hide. Terask responded by thrusting his top two fists directly at the knights, both of whom scarcely avoided the blows by mere inches—ducking away at the last second. With his bottom two arms, the beast cast a protective barrier. Energy hummed malevolently from its surface, popping and crackling in waves like a living ocean wave.

“Watch out! That’s a damage shield!” Mipsy managed, holding her non-dominant arm across her chest. After taking a sharp breath, she bellowed, “obliterate!” lobbing a ball of destructive energy towards the dragon’s face. Shortly after, she recoiled. “Ow.”

“Mipsy!” Velm rushed to her side, his face wrought with worry, as he placed a hand on her back. “Renew!”

At very least, the Acara no longer looked to be in excruciating pain, but her face still wore a look of discomfort. “Thanks, Velm…” she forced a smile. In response, he squeezed her shoulder.

“Stay safe, Mipsy.”

“You too, Velm.”

Talinia fired another volley of shots from a safe distance, hitting every mark that he did not physically repel.

Aggravated by this show of strength, Terask leapt into the air and flapped his giant wings like a hurricane. Gale-force winds bombarded the Eyrie head-on. At first, she fought against them, pulling off to the side. The wind continued to follow her like the eye of a hurricane, merciless and fierce. Before long, her wings gave out as she slid into a wall. Pieces of cement broke off in her landing and tumbled to the ground.

In response, and with one eye closed while she rested an arm across her chest, Mipsy exclaimed, “Wall of Chaos!” which formed a self-same magical barrier as the false king’s wall over them like a dome. As Talinia peeled herself from the filigree-covered wall and the knights kept in melee range, only the magic users were well fortified. A lesser wall formed above the others; a weaker, but still effective deterrent to the enraged behemoth.

Meanwhile, both knights had roll-dodged between piles of rubble to gain close access to Terask’s flank. While Rohane, with his honed haste, circled further around, Jeran prepared a pincher attack. Neither expected the Draik to take to the sky, but upon landing, he left a momentary opening.

They swung in synchrony, letting loose battle cries that echoed over the dilapidated ruins of the courtyard. Despite fighting through a veil of painful chaos magic, both blows hit palpably, causing Terask to spin around and bash Jeran in the side with his solid, plated tail.

“Jeran!” shouted Rohane, before jabbing the glowing weapon into a fragment of weakened scale armour. Terask responded with a swift kick, one that glanced the Blumaroo's face and sent him sailing back. Rohane managed to land upright thanks to a quick tap of his hand against the ground. Velm sprinted to his side, healing him as quickly as he could while keeping a wary eye on the dragon. Before Terask could target Velm, both Mipsy and Talinia hit him with a volley of magical attacks and arrows.

Jeran had skidded roughly on the courtyard surface. As the area was held up by strong clouds, he sunk a solid 5 feet below on impact. After spitting out grit from the battlefield, he picked himself up. The dragon and his quarry locked eyes.

“Insect,” spat Terask, as he gazed down with sinister intent, “be drawn into my aura, weak one; fear me.”

Instantly, the Lupe’s arms fell limp as his legs caved from beneath him.

“It’s mesmerization!” cried Velm, who had since fired off a group healing spell. “Quick! Someone snap him out of it!”

Mipsy fired off a zap of her wand, but Terask flung it away.

“Tsk, tsk,” he mocked, “can’t have you ruining my fun.”

“Jerk!” Mipsy responded, trying and failing to aid her new comrade.

Rohane scored another blow along the Draik’s unguarded back, causing him to rain an astral maelstrom of dark energy at the crew, save for the stunned Lupe. The four dodged most of the malevolent, magical orbs, but the few that hit stung like acid. Velm spent every ounce of his being into healing his comrades, but even then, they turned to chugging potions when the situation grew dire. And likewise, as the false king grew leery of the hero’s tricks, he too healed himself with wicked magical energy.

For almost 30 seconds, Jeran stood in wide-eyed, unbridled shock, with barely a twitch of his sword arm. Five times Mipsy had tried to snap him out of his stupor—Talinia even shot to graze him with an arrow, but Terask countered all of these attempts.

“I tire of this game,” he snorted, becoming increasing enraged by the resilient playthings. And while he was attacked on all sides by the Heroic Four, he slashed Jeran with an uppercut, sending him soaring 20 feet into the sky.

The second the claw made contact, Jeran snapped back into reality. His blade made contact at the moment of impact, sending both reeling back, but only in time for the Draik’s higher claw to fling him down like a ragdoll.

Jeran hurtled towards the edge of a cloud at remarkable speeds. He landed with a sharp crunch and rolled half-way over the edge. With every bit of strength, he pulled his body up, but his legs dangled below a body of water that was miles down. It hadn’t been his intention to look—in fact he resolved not to—but in glancing at his legs that saw it. Just like the Citadel. A distant drop into the unknown.

“No!” Shouted Rohane, as he made a clean slice in the tyrant’s hide. “I’m com—"

“I got him, Captain!” shouted Talinia, tightening her wings into a stoop before diving towards the Lupe. As she approached, Jeran’s eyes widened. The sun against her body, backlit as it was, gave her the visage of a darkened Eyrie towering over a Lupe barely holding on for dear life.

“Lord Kass…” whispered Jeran in fear as his grip loosened. His heart and mind raced as thoughts of the distant water body surfaced. “No, not again…”

“I’m here to help—give me your hand.” Despite the urgency of the situation, Talinia always had a way of sounding remarkably calm and in control. It was something her ten siblings would often comment about her—that even in the midst of crisis, she never let it affect her. But when she moved closer, he only recoiled.

“Jeran! Grab her hand!” pleaded Rohane. “What’s wrong with you?!”

Biting back the pain and pulling against fatigue, he refused her, slipping closer to the edge.

“Please, Jeran!”

“Oh, what fun this is,” Terask cackled gleefully before flinging another astral maelstrom. Talinia shielded Jeran from the blasts that came in his direction, making her wings smoulder. She cried out in pain, but refused to move from her spot. “I think I’ll finish them both off for good.”

“Not a chance! I’m coming!” Rohane continued to slash away at the tyrant; each attack left a glowing mark, its size growing with each successful hit. When he tried to make his way to Jeran’s side, the Draik blocked his path.

When one of Mipsy’s explosive “Obliterate” spells hit this mark, the tyrant doubled-over in pain.

“You… what have you done?” words dribbled from Terask’s mouth like venom. His eyes narrowed into slits upon regarding the glowing sword. “Reynold… so, this is your revenge for my minion destroying you.” He laughed bitterly. “I’ll take great pleasure in sending your son to face you in eternity.”

Rohane grimaced, spinning the sword tightly in his hand before locking it into place. Despite the fear in his eyes, he held firm. The sword felt warm in his hands, almost familiar. With his super-Neopian hearing, he could have sworn it whispered, “believe…” which made him feel reinvigorated.

After recasting “Protection of Infinity,” Velm had shimmied closer to Jeran, deftly avoiding pieces of rubble and absorbing most of the magical blasts with his magical resistance. Swiftly, he bent down to Jeran’s side and grasped his arm. With Talinia’s aid, although he loudly objected, they managed to pull him onto the cloud.

“There,” said Velm, before casting “Renew” on Jeran. “Like I told you before, it’s dangerous to go anywhere without a heal—”

“Watch out!”

Terask had fired an especially large blast of dark energy, which Mipsy had intercepted to a degree. It exploded on contact, sending a burst of energy rippling through the sky. In an effort to shield Jeran, Velm was hit by the spell and sent hurtling into the cloudless unknown. Wordlessly, Talinia dove after him. Mipsy screamed, to the obvious delight of the false king.

Jeran shook his head as if breaking from a trance. “Velm! Talinia!” he shouted, before biting his lip so hard it hurt. It didn’t matter that this wasn’t the real Velm; the Neopians he interacted with here felt real sorrow, real pain. Feeling strengthened from Velm’s spell, he swiftly avoided the dragon’s volley magical attacks, facing only glancing blows.

For a few tense seconds, neither Talinia nor Velm surfaced, until the wounded Eyrie returned carrying her shaken up, but still thankfully alive, cleric friend in her arms. The relief of the three heroes above was palpable.

“I’m okay…” said Velm weakly, visibly upset from the ordeal.

“I got him… Captain,” called Talinia, before nearly collapsing on the cloudy terrace.

Mipsy tore her gaze between her companions and Terask before chucking two slowing potions. When both hit their mark, she raced over to their aid.

After being hit by dozens of magical and physical blows, Terask had significantly weakened. But now, as a cornered beast, his attacks were becoming more haphazard and destructive.

Upon Jeran’s approach, Rohane practically exploded, expending his anger into a critical hit upon the dragon’s hide. “What was that?!”

Jeran was covered in a cold sweat. Still, he had calmed down enough to place a solid hit on Terask’s back. Luckily, the Draik’s defensive responses were becoming more predictable. “Kass. I saw Kass.”

He crinkled his long snout. “That was Talinia!”

“I—I know! But I saw what—” the Lupe’s face hardened as he found his composure. “Look. I saw my worst nightmare playing back in a world that has become tailored to both our darkest fears.” He dodged a claw by somersaulting backwards and landed with a skid. “Yours is stage freight and failure. Mine… is heights and Lord Kass almost ending me.”

Seeing that Talinia had risen to stand after being healed left Rohane calmer, especially once the Eyrie raised a hand in a thumbs-up. Mipsy had since increased the crew’s haste with a spell, allowing them to reenter the fray in no time.

“I…” Rohane gave Jeran a pained expression, before turning back to the battle, “I need you to focus. Your life—our lives—depend on it. We can talk later.”

“I am focused—now, anyway.”

“Good. Stay alert; our lives depend on it.”

Terask took a stumbling step, but caught himself against a half-collapsed tower. “Pathetic… worms…” he started, before trying to mesmerize Velm. Luckily, the Techo’s magic shield rose just in time to block him from its effect. The five of them retreated behind Velm’s shield to regroup.

“We need a coordinated attack,” said Jeran, smoothing down the fur on his face that had blown this way and that as he dangled for his life. “He’s getting weaker.”

Rohane nodded. “I agree. Talinia, how are your wings?”

“Damaged, Sir, but I can still fly for now.”

Between the magical and physical damage, her flight feathers had suffered grievously, with a few of them missing sections or even being damaged to the point of snapping.

“Stay low. Don’t risk a fall.” He pointed to the mage, “Mipsy, cover her,” then the cleric. “Velm, stagger yourself between us, heal Jeran and I if we get hit at all—same with the girls. Avoid his eyes and mesmerization spells. We need your magic to survive.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Okay, boss!”

“Okie doke!”

And Jeran…”

Unused to getting orders from Rohane, he snorted loudly, but then gave a deferring nod. “Just this once, Sir Rohane, you can be the Captain.” When the Blumaroo gave an amused smirk Jeran hastily added, “but don’t get used to it.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Rohane bounced his brows, “I’ll relish every second.” His face grew serious as all of them narrowly avoided a dangerous magical burst from the false King. “You and I need to target his weak spots, hit him where it hurts.”

“Where Sir Reynold’s sword—”

“Yeah. Where my father’s blade left its mark. That’s where we’ll do the most damage before he can heal or retaliate.”

A spot on the dragon’s flank pulsed with radiant energy.

“There?” Jeran pointed to it.

“There. We strike in unison. A coordinated assault on his critical weakness.”

“As ‘Captain of the Order’ and the ‘Hero of Five Lands,’” Jeran couldn’t help but imagine his mentor standing by their sides. “Sir Reynold would be proud.”

The Blumaroo genuinely smiled. “It’s like you said before: he already is.”

As Jeran said this, Rohane’s blade glowed so brightly that he illuminated the sky. Both he and the Blumaroo looked like heroes from some fairytale of yesteryear, the radiant swordsmen of Meridell fair; that was what Lisha would always quote when they were kids. When such legends were little more than amusing tales of a distant past. Before they became their reality and every day.

Rohane waved his blade forward like a rallying banner. Their shimmering forms darted across the cloudy landscape. Meanwhile, Talinia’s hotshot aim and Mipsy’s explosive magical prowess kept Terask’s claws and mouth busy. When once a claw reached out to slice the low-flying Talinia, Velm responded with a magical conjuration of his own: a giant, opaque hammer with celestial bodies scattered within. He swung it with every ounce of his strength.

“Stop, Terask!” he bellowed in his low, echoing bass, “hammer time!”

The moment the celestial hammer made contact, it burst into a mist of magic, temporarily blinding him.

Using this as a distraction, the two knights leapt towards the glowing target on Terask’s side. The moment their swords dug into the spot, Terask roared in anguish before dropping to his knees. “No…this… not supposed…” the light from his eyes vanished as he collapsed to the ground with a dramatic thud. A plume of dust and debris billowed into the air, accompanied by a momentary earthquake.

For a moment, nobody breathed. No one dared make a sound.

A vast valley of destruction lay before them along what was once part of the castle’s most beautiful wonders. Where fountains and festivals once occurred, now there was only rubble, sharply pointed chunks of statues, and broken fountains that flowed haphazardly through the clouds below.

It was then that Rohane’s legs gave out. He dropped prone and let his head loll down. A fretting Velm scrambled over and set to stabilizing his injuries.

“Thanks, Velm,” he said weakly.

“Of course, Boss.” Velm hovered around him, inspecting every surface of his arms, head, and legs for injuries. When he tried to touch the Blumaroo’s tail, Rohane nearly sprung up from the ground. “You okay?”

“The adrenaline is going away,” he muttered plainly, pulling in his tail towards his body. “It’s hitting me that I faced Terask not once, but twice and lived to tell the tale. At least this time I didn’t go into a coma for three days.”

“Twice? Coma?!” the Techo placed a hand on Rohane’s forehead. “Okay, no obvious fever. Concussion? Maybe. Did you hit your head on any hard surfaces?”

“I meant to say once,” the Blumaroo’s hands shook as he scratched his chin awkwardly, “and I’m not sure where that coma thing came from. Must’ve been my imagination.”

Velm let out a concerned whine while he continued to poke and fret. “You’re not standing until I know you’re okay. And Talinia, you’re next. Then Mipsy and Jeran. Sit down while Mipsy helps to bandage your wings.”

Talinia had eagerly consumed multiple healing potions between bouts of panting, catching her breath from the ordeal. Even from a glance, it was obvious that time was needed before her wings were stable enough for long-distant flight. Many of the primaries and secondaries were charred, frayed, or had fallen from stress. Feathers moulted, albeit slowly, so they would grow back, but not before a season or two had passed. And some of her body feathers were so damaged that she would undoubtedly be wearing billowing tunics above her bandages for weeks to come.

It had been the same way the first time Rohane and his crew fought Terask, but in that case, Talinia’s wings were so damaged that it took well over a year for them to moult back into any real use. In the meantime, she stayed in Meridell rent-free, lauded as a hero, and followed around tirelessly by invasive paparazzi. During her idle time, she busied herself with shooting mounted targets in the training grounds. A few of the squires took to her quite fondly and made it a part of their weekly routine to learn archery from her. And of course, all of Talinia’s family had made the trip out to visit her, including her father, who had stubbornly insisted on coming despite his eyepatch and pegleg.

Similar to the battle of the past, Mipsy was left with a few cracked ribs. Despite this, she struggled with reigning in her enthusiasm, even when it hurt to shout. And Velm? He had suffered a black eye from being hit by a piece of broken statue. This time, he seemed to be the least injured.

Rohane chuckled to himself. Even dream versions of his friends consumed his thoughts. It didn’t matter if they were real; they were still going to make him worry nonetheless. And of course, he was relieved that Jeran was unharmed. Had anything befallen him here, he would have never forgiven himself.

From behind the now still behemoth there was a loud whooshing sound, catching the eyes of the five. Mipsy, who had since been immobilizing Talinia’s wings, pointed her wand towards the direction; sparks jumped at the surface of her wand ready to leap out any malevolent being. But to their great relief, there was no malevolent force. Instead, it was a curious line in the sky—as if a sword cut the air and opened it horizontally like a sliding door. When the movement stopped, a clear, almost lake-like surface shimmered from within it like a placid pond.

“Is that?” Despite the healer’s protests, Rohane came up to his knees.

“I think it’s our ticket out of here.” It was now that Jeran realized how exhausted he felt. More than anything else, he looked forward to a good nap in a quiet room far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city. Perhaps a vacation was in order—Lisha had been asking for one for well over a year now. “You ready to go? I sure am.”

The Blumaroo took a long, pensive breath; his heart rate had finally slowed down enough for him to take in the surroundings. “I’ll join you in a few minutes. I still have a few things to talk about with…” his eyes flicked down towards his sword.

“Okay,” The Lupe said it softly as he started walking towards the portal, “but I’ll wait for you near the exit. We’re leaving together.”

“Alright. And hey,” The Blumaroo paused, suddenly feeling sheepish, as Jeran looked over his shoulder, “thanks. For everything.”

“Sure.” The Lupe smiled brightly. “You’d do the same if it was me.”

“Defin—”

“Go where?” Mipsy barged in between them, cocking her head to the side.

“Home,” said Rohane calmly, which made the mage’s lower lip drop, “but I look forward to when I can see you all again.” His gaze travelled between the trio, who had all stopped what they were doing to listen. “Fighting like this made me realize how much I miss travelling.”

“We’ll travel again soon,” said Talinia, who rested her remarkably undamaged bow of destiny on her knee. “It’s only a matter of time, Captain.”

“Yeah.”

Mipsy began to tear up. “Can I give you a hug before you go?”

“Of course. But first,” he struggled to his feet, holding out his arms for balance. Velm made a motion to help, but he was gently waved away. “There. Now I’m good.”

For someone with such a small frame, she had a vice grip that surprised unsuspecting recipients of her crushing grasp. Unlike her usual, too-tight-to-breathe hugs, she gently wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head against his neck. “I’m glad you’re okay, Rohane.”

He leaned back against her. “I’m glad you are, too. And I’m glad we all made it out alive.”

“Room for one more, Boss?”

“Two more, Captain. If… if you’re feeling up to it.”

“Always.”

The archer and cleric gave him the biggest of hugs, all while carefully avoiding Mipsy’s hurting sides. Jeran watched cross-legged on a cloud that was hovering next to the portal. The Heroic Four clung to each other for a bit before finally letting go; from a glance, it was obvious to see how much they cared about each other. Even when they visited Meridell from time to time it was more than evident. Rohane could have been having the worst day ever—sulking around the training grounds in a dour mood—but the second they called out his name, you’d have thought they handed him a million Neopoints. He’d be laughing and revelling with them just like old times.

A twinge of jealousy stabbed Jeran, one that he immediately felt guilty about. This was a family that Rohane had earned with years of collective experiences and trust. It was something that Jeran could never really share—not when he was the Captain of well over 100 knights. They saw him as a force to be respected and feared—as a symbol and a leader—not as a friend. Sometimes Jeran wished that he had the freedom to set out on a journey and save those in need rather than be tied-down to his duties and responsibilities… but he shook his head. Such were not healthy thoughts. Sir Reynold would surely have scolded him for harbouring these negative emotions.

At very least, thought a battle-weary Jeran, we’ll be home soon.

To be continued…