studiobondurri Chapter 22: Battle with General Varian
Chapter 22: Battle with General Varian
Chapter 22: Battle with General Varian
Boy stood amidst the wreckage, his breathing heavy and his body aching from battle and the attacks that he had taken.
The familiar feline summon stood at his side, tail flicking as its golden eyes locked onto the approaching figure.
The enemy general strode forward, his armour gleaming despite the grime of war and his blade was lowered, yet his presence carried weight.
He paused a few metres away, studying Boy with an expression that was neither hostile nor mocking- just... curious.
It could see the pure anger and rage oozing out of the hyena and yet it did not seem to be directed at him but at the healers who were healing the soldier on the enemy's side. Seeing the injured beasts surrounding the hyena, he caught on and realised that the hyena was angry at the healers as despite the countless summons around it, they did not extend any help towards the summons.
This brought up a deep sense of curiosity inside him as he had never seen summons be this conscious and caring for their own kind. What exactly caused this hyena to be this different?
"Despair," he finally said, his voice smooth yet heavy, "it defines the weak. The strong rise above it, while the rest drown."
At this he took a step towards a nearby summons which had died and placed his foot on the summon while gesturing towards the battlefield where countless fallen lay forgotten, "Power is the only currency of worth in this world. The valued ones are those who seize it."
"The discarded?" he continued as he brought his blade onto the dead beast and stabbed right into its head, "They are the ones who hesitate."
Boy tensed, watching the general carefully. He could feel the weight of the man's gaze, assessing him and measuring him.
He could feel that the general knew what was troubling him and that the general's dialogue earlier was addressed especially to him.
The words echoed in his mind, sinking deeper than he wanted to admit. He had seen the way the world treated those without power, the way summons like him were discarded at the moment they were deemed no longer useful. The general's words weren't just arrogance; they were a reflection of reality, one Boy had felt before and now once again.
Was power truly the only currency of worth? Did strength alone dictate value?
His pondering was suddenly stopped when he saw the general speak once again, "Look."
As he said this, he raised a hand and pointed, Boy's eyes followed the gesture and it led to the Wyvern, the general's summon.
It was being treated... A group of specialised healers could be seen attending to its wounds, carefully applying healing magic to its torn flesh and broken scales. From simply their body language and pace of work, it was clear that they were working diligently, doing their best to ensure the beast recovered while whispering reassurances as if it were a valued ally.
Boy's breath hitched as he saw the treatment taking place...
'So that was it...' he thought, 'the strong are not just respected- they are treated as beings, not tools.'@@@@
The wyvern was powerful and deadly, and thus, was worth saving, worth healing. But the summons who had fought and bled beside Boy and against him?
They were weak... And weak things are discarded.
His jaw clenched at the frustration that the world was once again, reminding him of this. If you are strong, you matter. Boy wanted to lunge at them, to snarl and bite and demand that they acknowledge the lives that they were letting slip away.
After dealing with the feline, the general then turned to his left as his sword began to take a silvery electric glow.
'I need to time it right,' Boy shouted in his head as he leaped towards the general, right next to his clones.
The clone barely had a second to react before the general's blade flashed, slashing across its side.
'Now!' Boy internally shouted and in that instant, he turned his body and placed his feet on the remaining clone as his marking and his teeth glowed purple.
Spirit Dash!
"What?" the general was suddenly caught off-guard as he heard a voice come from the hyena, 'It can speak?'
The voice caused a moment of hesitation on the general and that chance was all that Boy needed as he took off using the remaining clone before biting down straight at the general's chest.
Although the moment of hesitation had caused the general to not be able to dodge the incoming attack, through instinct that had sharpened through countless battles, he brought his arm forward, blocking his chest while still managing to bring his sabre to slash.
Shadow Bite!
Chomp!
In that instant, Boy felt the sensation of his teeth digging themselves into a layer of hard armour before it broke through that layer and then proceeded further into the sensation of flesh, then bone, then flesh again before his mouth completely closed.
He had bitten the general's hand clean off as blood began to pool out of him, meanwhile, the sabre of the general had continued in its path, killing the clone but also slashing across Boy's side at the same time that his hand was bitten off.
A searing pain shot across this body, making him curl as he fell to the floor stumbling weakly.
Blood dripped onto the ground, its source being both Boy and General Varian as it began to form a small puddle. Boy's vision blurred and just as he stumbled up, he felt a huge force strike his head as he was sent flying across the battlefield once again.
"Arghhh!" the general screamed in agony as he felt the loss of sensation in his hand and a sharp pain followed. He struck Boy's head with a roundhouse kick in rage.
"I will not fall to the likes of you!" he roared as he made his way towards Boy, rage filling his eyes, "You can speak huh?"
'I don't have the strength to move right now...' Boy thought as he desperately tried to move his body but it would not budge as he felt his world still rattled and slightly spinning from the kick.
"Talk to me now!" Varian roared as his sword began to glow with a terrifying blue lightning, "You are not a normal summon, are you? Tell me how you feel right now!"
Boy was not willing to answer as his whole body began to scramble to find a solution to get him back on his feet.
The general has reached him, looming over him as his blade was poised for the final strike. Boy's body screamed in protest as he tried to rise, but he knew- it was over.
And then, a shadow fell over them.