The Legendary Warrior (Book 5) (19 page)

He had killed five Yama, and it felt like each one was holding back their true potential. They had clashed blades, performed a
dangerous dance as they searched for the opportune moment to strike, and finally, attempted the killing blow. Bastion had come out on top each time, but just barely.

He had four tears in his Sage robe, each one representing the strike he had narrowly avoided. The only reason he didn’t have a fifth was because that
first Yama had been distracted by Daisy. It scared him that he had only been lucky so far. They didn’t even seem like the powerful Yama that had to be waiting nearby. Surely there had to be some. Every Kingdom had their Sages, Enforcers, and elite guards. Those that transcended the others of their race. He had only met the grunts so far, and he loathed the moment he would encounter one of the best.

As if someone had heard his silent request, a large Yama stepped out onto the street
, just as he was about to take its corner. Bastion skidded to a stop and hopped backwards, jumping out of reach of the monstrosity. The Yama cracked its neck by tilting it to the side, and then it reached behind him and pulled out a large curved sword, a blade nearly as large as his body. Bastion swallowed and poured more of his energy into his Gladius. This was the moment. The moment that would determine if he would truly become a warrior of Legend or not. The hulking brute before him was a beacon of destiny—a light that would guide him into the man he would become.

Bastion crouched low and prepared for the Yama to make the first move. The Yama smiled wide with its sharp teeth glinting in the afternoon sunlight, and then it barreled forward, its stomps kicking up so much dust behind him that Bastion knew that going behind him would cause more harm than good
as far as visibility went. He decided to meet the brute head on.

At the last second, right before they clashed, a pillar shot ou
t from the ground off his call and he leapt upon it. The brute slashed through it, breaking it into pieces, but Bastion was already in the air. With his sword pointed downward, Bastion forced the surface to expand, making it as huge as the brute under him in width. The Yama looked up at him, but it was too late. The sword sliced through, and the Yama was torn in two.

Bastion landed on his feet and jumped back, feeling a rush of accomplishment swelling through his chest. But then he saw the Yama beginning to heal. Though he had nearly
been ripped it in half, it was attempting to heal itself!

Bastion watched in horror as its muscles and skin began to reattach
, but then he snapped out of his trance. He ran forward and began slicing, his blade now back to normal size. And he continued until there was next to nothing left of his enemy.

An alarm went off in his head.

A Yama tried to slice through him from the back. He bent low to the ground, planting one hand onto the stone floor as he dodged the attempt, and then he swept the Yama’s feet from out under it. The Yama must not have expected the counterattack for it fell onto its side hard, knocking the wind out of it. Bastion righted himself and then brought his blade down upon the Yama’s neck. It twitched for a moment, and then it stopped moving. He scanned the area surrounding him and he felt no one nearby so he kept moving.

A smile slowly came across his face.

They were nothing! Nothing at all! Even their strongest warriors couldn’t touch him when he was focused. The other Yama had almost gotten hits in, but it was because he wasn’t confident in his abilities. The fear of the unknown had stunted him, but now…now he was sure that he could stop every one of them. Maybe Lakrymos had been right. Was it possible that he was designed for a greater purpose? That he was to lead the Kingdoms into a new era of peace and prosperity, even greater than the one before? This time, all of Allay’s enemies would be vanquished. As long as he was there to fight on their behalf, not one could stop their progress. He would become legend. People would sing songs about him and tell of his legacy long after he was gone. Many would want to befriend him. None could hurt him. He had truly had the power to change the world.

And he was going to start right now.

One Yama at a time.

Bastion’s thoughts were broken as he heard a roar behind him.
He turned his head and saw a Yama chasing after him. At first he wasn’t even worried. He just pivoted and then sprinted in the Yama’s direction, ready to engage in battle, but at the last second, he realized that this Yama was different. He was a lot stronger than what he was broadcasting.

Bastion came to a stop and held his
Gladius out in front of him to block the blow, but somehow he was too late. He felt the Yama’s sword cut through his abdomen. It wasn’t too deep, but it was enough to knock him onto his butt. Bastion rolled to the left and narrowly dodged the next blow. He swung at the Yama’s legs while he lay on the ground and missed. He rolled backwards and onto his feet just as he received another cut to his right arm. He cried out and thrashed at the Yama wildly, keeping it at bay while he gathered his thoughts. But the Yama was relentless in its attack and even more disconcerting—its precision.

No matter how many times Bastion read that the sword was coming one way, it always went another, and soon his hand was matted in
his own blood, making the handle on his eidolon turn red. Bastion grit his teeth and felt himself getting angrier. At first, he fought back the emotion, but then he realized…why not? Why not let go? Against his enemy, there was no reason to hold back and he needed that pool of raw energy, lying in wait.

Bastion decided to make one last attempt on his own, transforming his
Gladius into a whip and making it snap at the Yama’s head. It did catch the Yama off guard, and it nearly lobbed off its head, but it dodged the whip all the same with a duck, and then it retaliated with even more fury than ever, kicking away Bastion’s arm and then slicing at the Young Sage’s midsection like it was hacking at weeds. Bastion cried out in both pain and rage, letting it mix and concoct into something terrible and greater than himself.

He screamed once more.

And then he lost himself again.

Bastion’s eyes went black and his muscles swelled with energy. The Yama tried to cut him in the leg, but he saw everything now. It was as if the Yama were moving in slow motion again, and not because of its own will. Bastion swatted away the blade as if it was a fly, and then he thrust his newly formed
Gladius into the creature’s chest, twisting it on impact. The creature howled and kicked him away. Bastion didn’t see the kick coming, but the blow didn’t cause him any pain. It merely pushed him back. Once he regained his footing, he walked slowly toward the creature, watching as it began healing the hole in its chest. Bastion aimed for the head this time.

The creature blocked it with its blade and it shattered on impact. The creature growled as Bastion grabbed it by the neck with his left hand and thrust his sword back into the creature with his right. He removed the blade and was about to put
it into the Yama’s head when a beam of energy hit him from the left, engulfing his body in flames the color of violet. Once again it didn’t hurt, but it did catch him off guard. A moment of clarity flashed through his mind.
What was that? Fire that was violet in color? Where did I hear of that before?

Bastion’s mind clouded again, and his eyes blackened once more as he marched slowly tow
ard the two Yama. The Yama he had stabbed was scurrying on its back toward its new ally, looking for assistance. Their mouths were moving but he heard nothing coming from them. He only saw their eyes. Their wide and terrified eyes.

He knew that his prey would soon fall.

*
              *              *

“WHAT IS HE DOING?!” Catherine screamed as she held up her hand to their attacker. “James, what is happening?”

“Just kill it,” James gasped, clutching his chest. The gaping hole in his lung was making it hard to breathe, but he had endured worst. His eidolon shattering had actually been a lot worse. In one fell swoop, the Yama had taken his breath away, along with a great deal of energy.

“What are you talking about? I’m not going to just kill him. Why is he doing this?”

“Catherine, just kill it! We can’t let the Yama cause any more damage.”

“That’s not a Yama, James. It’s Bastion.”

“That’s not Bastion,” James said, squinting his eyes. The Yama before him lunged forward, using
its impressive speed to dodge the energy beams shooting out from Catherine’s hand. At the last moment she cast a wider net of violet energy, ensuring that the creature was knocked back. It crashed into one of the houses on the other side of the street, and she knew it was a mistake the moment it happened. He might try to go around them this time. Out of sight, there was little she could do.

“That was Bastion,” Catherine said matter-of-factly. “Come here.” She bent down and placed the palms of her hands onto James’ forehead. “I don’t know why you’re not seeing this. Perhaps it’s the stone giving me clarity. But I can cast away whatever’s plaguing your mind. With the power of the stone
, I once helped a man in Quietus who had been afflicted by Thorn with madness.”

“Catherine, I have no idea what you’re…you’re…” He put a hand to his mouth. He did not see Bastion of course, but he did see the two corpses
that had been lying in the street.

Two corpses that he had thought to be Yama earlier. Now he could see them clearly.

A huge, hulking man, and a young girl.

Krave
and Shanelle.

Krave
had been torn into two by what appeared to be a gigantic sword.

Shanelle
had been decapitated.

“What is
happening,” he whispered to himself. Catherine held him tight as he placed a hand to his chest. His wound had healed, but he could still feel the ache from where the Yama…or Bastion…had stabbed him.

“I don’t know.
Me and Sway were looking for you and Arimus and that’s when I saw Krave and Shanelle dead…and you and Bastion fighting each other in the street.”

“This is all a trick?”

“I don’t think all of it. There are definitely Yama running around from what I can tell. But it seems like someone’s cast an illusion over you and Bastion. Maybe because you two are the strongest. I don’t know.”

“Bastion killed
Krave and Shanelle.”

“He didn’t know.”

The building exploded behind them as Bastion burst through the wall. Catherine reached out to grab the sides of his head but he was too quick, and he ended up slashing upwards at her, causing a deep cut in her torso that ran from her left shoulder down to her hip. James pushed her out of the way and grabbed Bastion’s forearms, keeping the Gladius at bay. Bastion’s black eyes glared at him as James fought back the grief welling up within him.

“Bastion!” he yelled in his face. “We’re not Yama! It’s us. Stop!”

Bastion ripped his arms from James’ grip and swiped at him. James jumped back and began transforming his body, activating the Quietus side of him. As the scythes began to appear on his forearms and his body began to turn black and oily, he summoned the black eidolon into his right hand. Bastion wasn’t going to hold back, and neither could he. No matter what the outcome would mean.

*              *              *

The Yama was transforming, and the thought of it getting stronger scared Bastion back to reality. His black eyes disappeared and he was conscious again. That wasn’t good. He could still feel the powerful energy he had summoned when he lost himself, but how long would it last? Would it be enough to get the job done?

The Yama before him was getting bigger, and the new sword he was carrying was stronger than his. Of that he knew. Not to mention that it came out of nowhere. Were Yama able to summon their own versions of eidolons too? Bastion turned his head over to the other Yama, the one he had just wounded. There was something strange about that one too. It wasn’t that strong, but there was a well of power emanating from somewhere in her body. It had to have been what pushed him away earlier. If the two Yama before him joined forces…he wasn’t sure if he would survive. He had to do something fast, and taking out the wounded Yama before the other finished its transformation was a good a plan as any.

Bastion made no move yet. He simply counted the steps and focused. He stared at the wounded Yama, and suddenly, he saw a pulse of blue light coming from its chest. His eyes widened in recognition. The blue light had been spherical in shape, and it was located in a spot on the Yama’s body that he could only assume was its heart. It had to be a stone. A stone of power!

I can’t al
low a Yama to have kind of weapon,
he thought as he gripped his eidolon tight. The transforming Yama must have sensed his intentions because it ran toward the wounded one, ready to shield its ally with its body. Bastion pointed his eidolon toward them, and he concentrated on the energy in his feet, allowing it to seep out of his pores and into the stone ground beneath him. The stone floor beneath the two Yama broke up like they were in the midst of an earthquake, and then twisted vines of rock and dirt shot up from the hole, wrapping around the two Yama quickly and slowly separating them from each other. The transformed Yama tried to cut the vines but Bastion had ensured that he lost the use of his limbs first, using extra vines to wrap around each of its limbs. He kept the Yama suspended in the air and allowed it to thrash. It was no use now. He wasn’t getting free until it had gathered enough strength, and by then, it would be too late for its ally.