Asag ignored them, and even ignored the badly wounded but still-alive vampires, who were tossed over the side onto him. He swatted them away with barely a loss in stride before he reared back and struck the gates.
The entire wall shook with the force of the blow.
“Anyone ever fought this thing before?” I asked.
“I will stop him,” Gilgamesh said, launching himself over the battlements, down onto Asag.
“Idiot,” Irkalla snapped, just as a dozen small rock monsters clambered over the walls and began pulling men to their death over the battlements, or cutting them open with their sharp claws.
Using my wind magic to knock them back seemed to do the trick, and my whips of fire were able to cut through one monster. The others decided that avoiding me to take on easier prey was a better use of their time.
“They’re an extension of Asag’s power,” Irkalla told me. “I’d advise you to destroy as many of them as possible.”
The blows against the city gate had ceased while the sounds of battle between Asag and Gilgamesh rang out below.
“What if enough people attacked Asag?” I asked. “Would he be forced to take these little things away?”
“I have no idea. Only one way to find out: I assume you mean you.”
“You’re more capable at dispatching the vampires quicker, and the little rock bastards seem to ignore anyone with actual power. They’re only here for the humans. We can use that to keep them occupied.”
“Go. I’ll make sure these little things don’t cause too much trouble. Maybe some hammers would help even the odds; I doubt they like them. How will you get out of the city without the gate being open?”
I climbed up onto the edge of the battlements in response. “Best of luck.”
Irkalla nodded slightly at me before rushing toward the fighting as it spilled off the battlements and down onto the area just in front of the city gates.
My air magic slowed me down enough that I hit the ground outside of the city with an impressive noise and a lot of dust, but no actual injuries. Starting a fight with a broken leg is hardly the best idea.
Gilgamesh was on his knees in front of Asag, who had one massive fist wrapped around his opponent’s maul and was trying to wrench it free of his grasp. Gilgamesh was bleeding from a dozen cuts to his face and body, and Asag’s face appeared to be chipped and dented. War had been waged between the two.
Asag saw me, released his grasp on Gilgamesh’s maul, and kicked the still-kneeling man in the chest, sending him tumbling down the steep bank behind him. It wasn’t a long way down, nor overly deep at the bottom, but even so, I couldn’t count on Gilgamesh’s help for the next few minutes.
At almost seven feet tall and wider than two men, Asag was still every bit as imposing as when I’d fought him before I’d arrived at the city. Rock jutted out of every part of his body, forming plates that overlapped one another, leaving only the inside of his mouth and eyes free from it. His hands more closely resembled claws. He had the appearance of a smaller, but no less deadly, mountain.
“I tracked you for days,” Asag said. “Your pathetic coward of a guide wouldn’t let you face me.”
“He told me you’d kill me.”
“I will.”
“Come on, then. We don’t have all night.”
Asag charged toward me, bringing his considerable rocky bulk to attack. I moved aside of his blow and raked my sword along his ribs to test the strength of his rock skin.
I put enough distance between us and sheathed my sword: it was all but useless. I remembered Asag’s scream of pain when I’d used my fire magic the last time we’d met, and an instant later, a whip of fire ignited from one of my hands. I flicked it toward Asag, who moved back slightly, but not quickly enough to tell me he was concerned about it.
I walked steadily toward him, the whip trailing along the ground, scorching the earth, until I was close enough, then I flicked it up toward him
The entire wall shook with the force of the blow.
“Anyone ever fought this thing before?” I asked.
“I will stop him,” Gilgamesh said, launching himself over the battlements, down onto Asag.
“Idiot,” Irkalla snapped, just as a dozen small rock monsters clambered over the walls and began pulling men to their death over the battlements, or cutting them open with their sharp claws.
Using my wind magic to knock them back seemed to do the trick, and my whips of fire were able to cut through one monster. The others decided that avoiding me to take on easier prey was a better use of their time.
“They’re an extension of Asag’s power,” Irkalla told me. “I’d advise you to destroy as many of them as possible.”
The blows against the city gate had ceased while the sounds of battle between Asag and Gilgamesh rang out below.
“What if enough people attacked Asag?” I asked. “Would he be forced to take these little things away?”
“I have no idea. Only one way to find out: I assume you mean you.”
“You’re more capable at dispatching the vampires quicker, and the little rock bastards seem to ignore anyone with actual power. They’re only here for the humans. We can use that to keep them occupied.”
“Go. I’ll make sure these little things don’t cause too much trouble. Maybe some hammers would help even the odds; I doubt they like them. How will you get out of the city without the gate being open?”
I climbed up onto the edge of the battlements in response. “Best of luck.”
Irkalla nodded slightly at me before rushing toward the fighting as it spilled off the battlements and down onto the area just in front of the city gates.
My air magic slowed me down enough that I hit the ground outside of the city with an impressive noise and a lot of dust, but no actual injuries. Starting a fight with a broken leg is hardly the best idea.
Gilgamesh was on his knees in front of Asag, who had one massive fist wrapped around his opponent’s maul and was trying to wrench it free of his grasp. Gilgamesh was bleeding from a dozen cuts to his face and body, and Asag’s face appeared to be chipped and dented. War had been waged between the two.
Asag saw me, released his grasp on Gilgamesh’s maul, and kicked the still-kneeling man in the chest, sending him tumbling down the steep bank behind him. It wasn’t a long way down, nor overly deep at the bottom, but even so, I couldn’t count on Gilgamesh’s help for the next few minutes.
At almost seven feet tall and wider than two men, Asag was still every bit as imposing as when I’d fought him before I’d arrived at the city. Rock jutted out of every part of his body, forming plates that overlapped one another, leaving only the inside of his mouth and eyes free from it. His hands more closely resembled claws. He had the appearance of a smaller, but no less deadly, mountain.
“I tracked you for days,” Asag said. “Your pathetic coward of a guide wouldn’t let you face me.”
“He told me you’d kill me.”
“I will.”
“Come on, then. We don’t have all night.”
Asag charged toward me, bringing his considerable rocky bulk to attack. I moved aside of his blow and raked my sword along his ribs to test the strength of his rock skin.
I put enough distance between us and sheathed my sword: it was all but useless. I remembered Asag’s scream of pain when I’d used my fire magic the last time we’d met, and an instant later, a whip of fire ignited from one of my hands. I flicked it toward Asag, who moved back slightly, but not quickly enough to tell me he was concerned about it.
I walked steadily toward him, the whip trailing along the ground, scorching the earth, until I was close enough, then I flicked it up toward him
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