The Batlord

The Return of the Kings of Metal: Part VI continued...

` ` `I quickly surveyed the area around us; we had reached the boulder just in time to escape the flames, but the bone-dry grass around us was swiftly becoming an inferno that was surrounding us and blocking my sight.

` ` `I quickly surveyed the area around us; we had reached the boulder just in time to escape the flames, but the bone-dry grass around us was swiftly becoming an inferno that was surrounding us and blocking my sight.

` ` `"There!" I proclaimed, pointing toward the trees, "The trees don't look nearly as dry as the grass."

` ` `"And hopefully we can find Joseph and put his bow to good use against the wyvern," interjected Oscar.

` ` `"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

` ` `"Man," mused Kerry, looking at me, "We get attacked by some monster, and then you point to some place we gotta run to? Joey was right. This is some rehashed crap."

` ` `"Shut up, Kerry."

` ` `"What?"

` ` `"Uh...nothing. Let's get outta here."

` ` `Wasting no time, we hurtled through the brittle grass, desperately trying to keep ahead of the flames licking at our heels. The conflagration was spreading like...well, wildfire, but the Light of True Metal imbued our legs with a fleetness of foot that kept us just ahead of them. It wasn't long before the line of trees began looming over us. But just as we thought that we were home free, from above came an ear-splitting shriek.
` ` `I snapped my head up to the sky only to see the wyvern dropping from the sky directly above my head, unfurling its wings and with razor-sharp talons extended, stretching out towards me. I had just enough time to raise Gram in defense, before the beast was upon me.
` ` `A claw like iron seized my torso in a vice-like grip, and in an instant, I had been snatched from the ground and carried off into the air. My arms were crushed against my sides and unable to move an inch, but I still managed to keep hold of my sword. I frantically kicked my legs, but the wyvern's other talon clamped down on them, and I was completely unable to move.
` ` `The creature seemed content to hold me motionless, and made no other attempt to harm me, but I had no idea where we were headed; I could just crane my head around to see in front of us, but all there was to see was sky and stone and trees, otherwise I was reduced to gazing at the jagged terrain under my face flying past me. I tried to shout several cutting remarks about the wyvern's mother, but my voice was lost in the frigid, biting wind, and soon my teeth were too busy chattering for me to say much of anything.
` ` `All of a sudden, the wyvern was rocked by an impact and let out an angry screech, but no matter how I turned my head, I couldn't make out what had happened. The beast soon recovered though, and continued flying on, but now it was gliding downwards, and started making slow spirals just as it had before it had attacked. Eventually, I saw that it was drifting down to a high, isolated spire of rock jutting up from between two mountains that towered over it. The very top of the spire was relatively flat and quite broad, over a hundred feet in diameter. Our lazy spin kept me slightly disoriented, so I wasn't able to discern any other details.
` ` `Without warning, the claws holding me retracted, and suddenly I was falling headlong toward the ground at an alarming speed. I gave a startled cry and was barely able to bring my arms up to cover my face before I hit the stone floor of the spire with a bone-jarring thud. Groaning, I rolled onto my back just in time to see and object drop right on top of me.
` ` `Wasting no time, we hurtled through the brittle grass, desperately trying to keep ahead of the flames licking at our heels. The conflagration was spreading like...well, wildfire, but the Light of True Metal imbued our legs with a fleetness of foot that kept us just ahead of them. It wasn't long before the line of trees began looming over us. But just as we thought that we were home free, from above came an ear-splitting shriek.
` ` `I snapped my head up to the sky only to see the wyvern dropping from the sky directly above my head, unfurling its wings and with razor-sharp talons extended, stretching out towards me. I had just enough time to raise Gram in defense, before the beast was upon me.
` ` `A claw like iron seized my torso in a vice-like grip, and in an instant, I had been snatched from the ground and carried off into the air. My arms were crushed against my sides and unable to move an inch, but I still managed to keep hold of my sword. I frantically kicked my legs, but the wyvern's other talon clamped down on them, and I was completely unable to move.
` ` `The creature seemed content to hold me motionless, and made no other attempt to harm me, but I had no idea where we were headed. I could just crane my head around to see in front of us, but all there was to see was sky and stone and trees, otherwise I was reduced to gazing at the jagged terrain under my face flying past me. I tried to shout several cutting remarks about the wyvern's mother, but my voice was lost in the frigid, biting wind, and soon my teeth were too busy chattering for me to say much of anything.
` ` `All of a sudden, the wyvern was rocked by an impact and let out an angry screech, but no matter how I turned my head, I couldn't make out what had happened. The beast soon recovered though, and continued flying on, but now it was gliding downwards, and started making slow spirals just as it had before it had attacked. Eventually I saw that the wyvern was drifting down to a high, isolated spire of rock jutting up from between two mountains that towered over it. The very top of the spire was relatively flat and quite broad, over a hundred feet in diameter. Our lazy spin kept me slightly disoriented, so I wasn't able to discern any other details.
` ` `Without warning, the claws holding me retracted, and suddenly I was falling headlong toward the ground at an alarming speed. I gave a startled cry and was barely able to bring my arms up to cover my face before I hit the stone floor of the spire with a bone-jarring thud. Groaning, I rolled onto my back just in time to see an object drop right on top of me.
` ` `The force of the fall, the impact of the unknown something, and its full weight now crushing my chest left me agonizingly gasping for air as I desperately struggled to disentangle myself from whatever had just crashed on top of me and was now frantically thrashing about. Finally, with one great heave, I managed to shove it off, and then roll to my feet, Gram held at the ready, and was met by the point of an arrow.

` ` `"Joey?!" I cried in astonishment, "What the fuck are you doing here?"

` ` `"Well, I was just strolling along, minding my own business," he quipped, lowering his bow, "When I just happened to see below me a wyvern carrying what appeared to be some bitchfit-throwing twat I knew, so I figured I'd jump off a cliff and hitch a ride."

` ` `I didn't know whether to punch him or hug him, so I settled for punching him.

` ` `"Ow! What the fuck's wrong with you?!" he cried, "You know, one of these days, I'm gonna shove a chill pill so far up your ass, happiness and joy are gonna kick your teeth out!"

` ` `Before I could reply, an ear-piercing shriek and a powerful gust of wind announced the return of the wyvern. We both snapped our heads around to see it beating its massive, leathery wings to brake for a landing on the edge of the platform of rock. Once it had settled to the ground, the dragon-like creature simply squatted on its haunches and stared at us expectantly.

` ` `"Uh..." murmured Joey, while keeping his eyes on the motionless reptile, "So, is that thing gonna eat us or what?"

` ` `"Do I look like I know anything about dragons?"

` ` `"Dude, wyverns aren't dragons."

` ` `"Who gives a shit?"

` ` `"The wyvern, I assume."

` ` `And then, from behind us came a sound halfway between a chirp and a croak, followed closely by several more just like it. Spinning around, weapons at the ready, we were confronted by what appeared to be three juvenile wyverns. Far smaller than the parent, they still towered head and shoulders above us. Their wings weren't fully developed and were kept folded at their sides, but their hind legs were perfectly formed and powerful. They gazed at us inquisitively, and bobbed their heads as if nervous.

` ` `"Oh," muttered Joey, "So those things are gonna eat us. It's always nice to take an active role in the molding of today's youth."

` ` `"I don't know what you're talking about," I retorted, "I've always thought kids were better at the bottom of a mass grave."

` ` `Our attention was brought back to the juvenile wyverns as they seemed to gather up their courage and begin stalking toward us, heads down, tails held straight out, with empty, reptilian eyes that stared intently at us with quiet menace. One leisurely prowled straight toward us, all traces of fear gone in the instinct of the hunt, while the other two circled around to our right and left.

` ` `"Joey," I whispered insistently, "I'll deal with these dudes, you keep mom at bay. I imagine she's gonna be pretty ticked off when I start disemboweling her kids."

` ` `Joey nodded and turned around, and I returned my full attention to the three creatures in front of me. Now within ten feet, the lead juvenile released a low growl and tensed, readying to pounce.
` ` `Taking a deep breath, I lunged forward with the speed of a panther. The wyvern, inexperienced hunter that it was, jerked back in surprise with a startled grunt. I gave it no time to recover however, lashing out with a lightning-quick strike that sheered off the top of its skull between its jaws, sending the top half spinning through the air in a shower of blood and brain matter as the wyvern's corpse collapsed to the ground in a heap.
` ` `The feral snarl to my left was my only warning of the dead creature's sibling as it attacked. Spinning around, I barely managed to bring up my sword and plunge it straight through the raging beast's throat, severing its spine, before it slammed into me like a freight train. It was killed instantly, but the force of its rush sent me crashing to the ground, where I was pinned by its hulking weight.
` ` `Sensing the imminent kill, the remaining juvenile charged with a savage shriek and dove at my helpless form with its slavering jaws agape. But so frenzied was the beast's bloodlust that it missed me entirely and sank its fangs into its sibling's neck instead. It was either unaware or uncaring, for it viciously shook its head back and forth, snarling all the while, and tore a hunk of flesh free with a wet rip.
` ` `As it gnawed at its prize I managed to roll the carcass off of me and retrieve my sword. But no sooner had I grasped the hilt, than I was struck from the side by the creature's whip-like tail, sending me sprawling to the ground. I labored to draw in breath through the stabbing pain in my battered lungs as I barely managed to stumble to my feet, Gram held weakly out in front of me.
` ` `The wyvern choked down the last of its sibling's flesh and casually leered at me, completely fearless and at ease. It sensed my weakness and, foolish youngster that it was, believed me to be easy prey. But it wasn't wholly wrong: the beast's vicious blow had shattered several of my ribs, making breathing a torment, so I was as weak as any True Metalhead of the Highest Caliber such as myself was likely to be. With a triumphant snarl, the beast reared back on its hind legs and launched itself through the air toward me with its legs extended forward, claws ready to tear flesh from bone.
` ` `Summoning my last reserves of strength, I pivoted on the ball of my left foot, turning aside just before the creature ripped through the space I had stood only a moment ago. I struck like a viper, and sank Gram into its armored flank, stabbing through the thin membrane of its unformed wing, and piercing its thick scales with a sickening crunch. Metal sliced through skin and scraped against bone, before passing through internal organs like a hot knife through butter. The wyvern shrieked in shock and pain, and then sailed past me, tearing Gram from my hands as it went, to strike the ground in a heap.
` ` `Now laying on its side, with Gram protruding from its chest straight into the air, the wounded juvenile screamed in anguish and frenziedly thrashed about and snapped at the air in its panic. As swiftly as my injured body would allow, I rushed forward and seized Gram's hilt. I then planted my left foot on the wyvern's flank and pulled the sword out with a wet, sucking sound.

` ` `And then I plunged it back into the creature's chest. And again. And again. And again. And again, and again, and again, and again, and again.

` ` `The flurry of frantic stabbing tore into the beast's belly, and ripped a wide gash from which spilled a squirming mass of shredded viscera, flooding the air with the stench of bile and shit. With a hysterical scream of pure agony, the creature violently convulsed and sent me reeling, causing me to slip on its entrails. I crashed to the ground on my back, sending pain lancing through my body, and my sword clattered to the rocks beside me.
` ` `With a wince, I managed to sit up and watch as the baby wyvern died. Its throes were beginning to weaken, and its shrieks had become pained, keening cries of terror. At the last, it struggled to raise its head, searching around with eyes already glazing over, and gave a long, pitiful, mewling cry for its mother. Then, as if falling asleep, it became quiet and slowly lay down its head. With one last twitch and a rattling breath, it was dead.

` ` `My victory was short-lived however, for as its last child died, from the mother wyvern burst forth an ear-shattering roar of pure grief and hate. As I fought its young, I'd forgotten about the monster, and now I brought my head around in shock to find it glaring death down on me from the edge of the spire, only being kept at bay by a steady barrage of joey's arrows. But the beast was now maddened with rage and thundered forward, screaming it's revenge and taking no notice of Joey whatsoever. In my condition I would have been able to put up no resistance, and would surely have been devoured, but for a lucky arrow that pierced the wyvern's right eye. Violently shaking its head, it howled in pain and fury before turning around and hurling itself off of the edge of the spire. It dropped only a short distance and then unfurled its great wings and rose high into the sky.

` ` `Using Gram as a cane, I somehow managed to climb to my feet and stagger over to Joey, who was watching the wyvern as it rose into the air above us in swooping arcs. "Nice shot, fuck twat," I quipped, wincing at the pain in my chest as I spoke, "This is the most useful you've been since the first chapter."

` ` `"Hey, fuck you," he shot back, "I found that doorway in chapter five didn't I?"

` ` `"I'd mock you some more, but I'd rather waste the last of my breath on a cigarette. Oh wait, I don't have any cigarettes!"

` ` `"Sweet, merciful Dio! That shit again? I think we have more pressing concerns at the moment. Such as being consumed alive."

` ` `"Dude, you don't have to worry about that."

` ` `"Why not?"

` ` `"She breathes fire."

` ` `"Oh. That's actually kind of comforting."

` ` `"Don't be such a woman. Just shoot the fucking thing down already."

` ` `"Are you on jenkem? How the fuck am I gonna shoot a fucking wyvern out of the sky in the two and a half seconds we're gonna have when that thing decides to dive down and roast us like Jews?"

` ` `"How do you think, ass face? The Light of True Metal.

` ` `"Oh. I don't have to do the whole 'chanty-trancy" thing do I?"

` ` `"Yes."

` ` `"God damn it. That shit's totally dorky."

` ` `"I will stab you in the face."

` ` `But we were interrupted from our tête-à-tête by a great roar, as the wyvern neared the top of its climb and prepared for its descent.

` ` `"Alright, alright. Chanty-trancy coming up."

` ` `And then Joey nocked an arrow onto his bow and raised it high into the sky, before closing his eyes. His lips began to form inaudible words that somehow made the air reverberate with silent, thunderous power. He began to shimmer, and even in the bright sunlight, a faint luminescence could be seen radiating from his motionless form.
` ` `I was musing about what bitchin' song he could have been reciting, when my attention was torn back to the sky by another shriek as the wyvern furled its wings yet again, and plummeted through the air toward us like a bolt of lightning. Farther and farther it fell, gaining speed and drawing nearer and nearer in its reckless dive, until I was sure that it would reach us before Joey could be ready to fire.
` ` `Suddenly, no more than fifty feet above us, the wyvern unfurled its wings like some loathsome flower, and brought itself out of its mad dive. With a malignant expression of triumph on its scaly face, it spread wide its gaping maw and sent forth a roaring column of flame whose intense heat made the very air above our heads seem to melt.

` ` `"JOEY!!!" I screamed, "NOW WOULD BE GOOD!!!"

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