Impure: Godslayers

Warlord Shen was bound to a horse that galloped at a steady pace, through the backwoods. He was accompanied by Full and Half, who were bound on a horse, behind him. Around them were Osy, Lee, George and Mang, who were also on horseback. They were closely followed by the Warlord’s army; a thousand men who despite the long march, had their swords drawn in readiness for an opportunity to free their Warlord or die in the act. Suddenly a dust cloud rose in the distance from the south. The dust filled the midday sky and it was soon accompanied by hundreds of miniscule horsemen racing across the wasteland like a swarm of locusts.

“They were not joking about the spies, news travels fast around here,” George said.

Mang nodded in agreement.

“If you give Shen to them, they can take his life and split his city between them,” Mang replied.

“No we are here to face Tzio,” Lee said.

“However we will do what we can to lessen mortal suffering. Well, we cannot speak the languages of Lu or Dong city. So Mang, if you would please,” Osy said.

“It would be an honour to speak on behalf of the god-slayers,” Mang said gratefully before he galloped towards the advancing army.

Meanwhile Osy raised his hands bringing the procession to a halt. After what turned out to be a short discussion, Mang rode back towards them, closely followed by the army of Dong. Unlike those of the Yu city, the Dong army comprised of all cavalry men, and although they wore thick leather armour, they all had bald heads and wore no helmets. The Warlord of Dong city turned out to be an ancient man. The boys noticed that he did not even wear any armour or hold any weapon. Instead he wore a flowing embroidered garment and waved himself with a large folding fan.

“This is Ren, Warlord of Dong city. He wants to follow us as well. Long has he awaited the coming of the god-slayers,”

As Mang spoke Ren bowed his head. Subsequently they all began marching towards the valley.

“Great now we have an audience,” George sighed.

“Do you think they will fight with us against Tzio in the darkness?” Osy asked.

“Unlikely, each of the Warlords do not care if they rule the three cities in eternal darkness, just as long as they rule. If you win you have the power to end this war, make one Warlord supreme but then no sun will shine on these lands.”

“Mang, I was being sarcastic about the darkness. This Tzio may feed from the sun but it does not rise at his behest. He has fooled you all,”

“Forgive me. I have been naïve and obsequious for so long. Fear has a way of doing that to you,” Mang laughed nervously.

“Do not worry. We will get Ying back, I promise,” George said.

The priest fell on his face in the garden behind the temple, where Tzio stood with his hands out wide looking up directly at the evening sun. His skin glimmered ostentatiously as he basked in the sunlight. Avida lay on the ground next to him, bound and gagged.

“My god Tzio, the Light of the East, they have arrived,”

Without a word Tzio looked to his side where Avida was wriggling stubbornly on the soil like a livid worm. He picked her up, placed her on his shoulders and soared up towards the high temple. Finally Tzio landed on the roof. As he dropped Avida beside him, Tzio watched with intrigue as the straggling pilgrims dispersed at the sight of the two armies, whom had begun to set up camp in the valley. Several riders were heading towards the temple, to meet some of his priests who were waiting at the top of the stairs.

“Stop your squirming,” Tzio warned sternly.

He picked up Avida and began descending slowly to the ground.

“Is that Ying he is carrying?” George inquired as he watched the muscular descending figure.

“Shh,” Osy hissed, as they all dismounted their horses, half-way up the temple stairs.

Tzio landed gently in front of a priest. He turned round and put a hand on his second son’s shoulder. However Tzio’s effort to console his son came too late, because Half was already fuming. He had both his blades drawn, as he gazed ruthlessly at the boys. One of his blades was a straight sword, and the other was a thick curved sabre. Conveniently when he held both weapons together, they vaguely resembled the shape of a half moon.

“Only children haha…. Well before we do whatever this is, how about an exchange. You have my sons and I have Avida, or should I say Hydro,” Tzio said.

He dangled Avida by her foot in front of him with an enticing smile. However the triumphant smile slowly faded from Tzio’s face, when he saw the confused expressions of the boys.

“Who the hell is that?” Lee quizzed.

It was less of a question and more of a brusque statement.

“Well if you do not know her then she is of no use to you,” Tzio said.

He raised his other hand and opened his palm. Out of thin air, a tiny bead of sun orange light appeared. Despite its size, which was as miniscule as some distant star in the night sky, the heat from the levitating bead could be felt from several feet away.

“Consequentially she is of no use to me,” Tzio said as he brought his palm close to Avida.

The muffled cries for help from the bound girl, was more than any reasonable person could ignore.

“Wait… Alright,” Osy said.

“What?” Lee inquired in shock.

“Two for one that is no fair exchange, bring Ying as well,” George demanded.

“I have a better idea do what you will with this… Avida and when you fall at my hands I will simply claim Ying…for myself,” Lee snapped.

For a tense moment the boys scowled at each other. Osy and George especially centred their indignant stares at Lee.

“What… why? The unbelievers speak of four god-slayers, now they are five. But Ying sounds like a mortal nam-” Tzio rambled in confusion.

“It matters not, here are your sons,” Osy interrupted.

He slapped the horse next to him, which was carrying the two abducted priests, spurring it to gallop up the stairs. Meanwhile Tzio dropped Avida and she rolled uncontrollably down the hard stone steps. Osy hurriedly ran up the stairs and grabbed Avida, before she was fatally wounded by her hazardous decent.

“Lee free her,” Osy ordered through gritted teeth as he glared up at Tzio.

“What? Let us attack now,” Lee argued as he ran up next to George.

“No she should get clear from here she is an innocent mort-”

Osy balked at completing his statement, when he looked down and caught a glimpse of Avida’s eyes. Even Lee was silenced by the sight of the faded gold colour of Avida’s sclera, as he melted her chains with the blue flames around his hand.

“Woow divine eyes,” George expressed loudly as he joined them in their new discovery.

“My sons told me that you sabotaged them at night,”

Tzio’s words broke the boys’ trance. They looked up to find Tzio’s sons all armed and enraged, whilst the other priests retreated from fear of the impending battle. It was rather bizarre that Tzio would refer to the three priests as his sons. This was because they looked like middle-aged men, whereas Tzio looked like he was still in his mid-twenties. They stood in a line behind their father as he slowly levitated up the in the air, above them.

“Let us see how you fair in the day,” Tzio laughed.

“Good this works to our advantage, take as much time in fighting them as you can. The sun will soon be setting; if we act with delayed purpose we will face Tzio at night. But protect yourselves and be ca-” Osy hissed under his breath.

“You just regained two of them, are you sure you are willing to lose all three of your sons this time!” Lee challenged loudly.

As Tzio looked at him inquisitively, Lee spat. To Tzio’s glee, the lump of saliva burst into flames on impact with the ground.

“Sons, take care of the spit-fire and his cronies,”

Meanwhile Avida had been backing away from the boys as she untied the rope that gagged her mouth. She mounted one of the horses and turned to ride away from the temple.

“You, fight with us….Sister!” George shouted as he looked back.

“George move,” Osy yelled urgently.

George was shoved violently to the ground, just as something whizzed through his hair. The Flying Guillotine clamped on the head of one of the statues that were mounted at the edge of the stairs. The sickening sound of cracking stone filled the air as Full yanked the chain, bringing the Flying Guillotine soaring back to his hand. George gawked at the headless statue to his side. He then turned to Full, who had just opened his guillotine, releasing the statue’s head. With a teeth chattering thud, the stone head dropped to the ground and began rolling down the stairs.

“Damn it I missed. You are mine Blondie,”

George scowled as he clenched the small piece of iron ore that was now hanging from his neck. As soon as the skin on his arms assumed the texture of iron, he ran up the stairs. George smashed aside the flying guillotine that Full had thrown yet again, and steamed up the stairs.

“George slow down,” Osy yelled.

Meanwhile Half leapt over George and brought his duals blades down on Osy. However Osy became a wraith and the strikes passed harmlessly through him. Osy reverted back to his normal state and threw a punch, but Half proved to be faster. Dodging Osy’s attack, Half swung his blades simultaneously back at him. Nevertheless Osy became a wraith again. And so they were caught in a never-ending bout, Full’s blades and speed versus Osy’s godly feat.

Meanwhile Crescent was on the hill beside the stairs. He was spinning his scythe rapidly, fanning away Lee’s fiery blast.

“No one here to protect you now boy,” Crescent warned loudly.

Crescent steadily walked down the hill towards Lee. In the meantime Lee intensified the large burst of flames; projected from his palms yet this barely slowed Crescent’s approach. When satisfied with his range, Crescent leapt in air and slashed down on Lee. Blinded by the glare of his own fiery blasts, Lee saw the glint of Crescent’s scythe a little too late. He fell on his back and clapped his palms on the flat of the scythe, just as the point was inches from his face. A sinister smile tarnished Crescent’s face as he placed a foot on the on the shaft of the scythe, pushing down hard on it. His eyes grew wide with rapacious anticipation as inch by inch the point of his scythe got closer to Lee’s face. Lee turned away, saving his nose in spite of his face. He winced as the point of the scythe dug into his left cheek. Furthermore his hands began to shake, for his grip was waning under the weight of Crescent’s body. Meanwhile Crescent cackled like an overjoyed banshee, at the first sign of his victim’s blood. However, mocking Lee proved to be unwise, for the boy’s body burst into blue flames.

“Cooked or raw, a skewered rat is still a skewered rat,” Crescent laughed.

Crescent was still laughing when he felt the heat of the metal shaft. Screaming loudly, Crescent could not bear to hold the red hot metal shaft any longer. He cursed loudly as he released the scythe. As Crescent moaned tearfully at his scorched hands, Lee projected another fiery blast. The priest fell to the ground rolling around madly, trying to extinguish the flames that was spreading around his body. However by the time he had accomplished this, Crescent’s body was burnt beyond recognition.

Meanwhile George was still locked in combat with Full. He dived underground, dodging the flying guillotine, which whizzed harmlessly over his head. Erupting out of the ground next to Full, George punched him hard on his shoulder. As Full staggered back uncontrollably with a dislocated shoulder, he yanked on the chain and caught his flying guillotine with his able hand. He threw the flying guillotine as he landed on his back.

“No!” George gasped in horror as the flying guillotine clamped over his head.

Whilst palpitating in fear, George crouched. He began fidgeting with the netted fedora that enveloped his entire head, but every time he touched it, the blades around the rim dug deeper into his neck. Meanwhile Full stood up and swung his right shoulder forward. In spite of the pain caused by relocating his shoulder, Full smiled with satisfaction. George’s eyes widened tearfully for he regretted meeting his end at such a young age.

However a long burst of red flames scolded Full’s hands just as he was about to yank the chain. Full dropped the chain and ran back beating his long shaggy beard, which had been set ablaze.

“Are you alright?” Lee asked.

George shook his head and moaned inaudibly from fear of the blades digging deeper into his throat. Lee winced in displeasure as he examined the nasty cuts around George’s neck that the blades were burrowing into. Suddenly Lee received a kick to the side of his face, which knocked him to the ground. George watched helplessly as Full executed a barrage of kicks on Lee. The boy let loose bursts of flames from his palms, but the priest proved to be too fast and made him pay for each failed attack.

Meanwhile George scraped frantically at the netted fabric section in the middle of the flying guillotine, but this movement only made the blades dig deeper into his neck. As he wiped some of the blood trickling down his throat, George realised that even his iron ore necklace was drenched in blood.

Finally Full landed a powerful kick into Lee’s gut, sending the boy flying back on the field, spreading his flames uncontrollably across the valley. Then Full sprinted and grabbed the length of chain. He yanked the chain with both hands. Yet the triumphant smile on Full’s face was instantly supplanted with a shocked expression. This was because instead of beheading George, the flying guillotine shattered around his head like glass. George stood up revealing the metallic glint of iron that covered his entire skin. Even his hair had the texture of iron and each strand was stiff and fixed in place. With a slack jawed gaze, Full watched George trample over the broken pieces of the flying guillotine. Subsequently there was a gentle rumble as the ground opened up and George jumped into it. He erupted right in front of his opponent and delivered an uppercut to Full’s jaw. This devastating attack lifted the priest straight off his feet. The force of the blow caused his jaw to cave in, shattering his teeth and his nose to explode with blood. With an anatomically slack jaw, Full landed roughly on the ground and laid still.

Tzio grimaced at the sight of his sons being systematically eliminated. However it was not empathy or some sense of sorrow for his children that he felt, rather it was embarrassment. A stinging shame that injured him more than it would have any mortal. He looked perturbed at Osy and Half, who were still caught in a never-ending struggle. Suddenly, Half stopped moving. He looked down at his feet to find a thick formation of soil covering them all the way up to his shin. Similar to a leech attaching itself to a host, Osy sank his palms into Half’s face. The priest gave a long hoarse gasp as Osy ripped the life out of him. A sinister smile formed on Osy’s face, as he maintained his grip. Meanwhile Half’s eyes sank, and his skin shrivelled as if from acute dehydration. Half’s blood shot eyes were rolling back into his head when George pulled Osy off him.

“Osy, what are you doing? We said we would slay Tzio, his sons were only supposed to be immobilised,” George snapped as Full’s frail body fell to the ground.

Osy flexed his muscles complacently, as he looked up at Tzio.

“Finally you see things my way. In what world are lives of mortals worth more than ours,” Lee said.

“No I- Move now!” Osy yelled as he pushed them away.

Subsequently, there was a massive explosion.