Chapter 35

The battle raging on the deck of the Drake ceased, as Wil stood tall on the hovering Clockwork Owl. The fire had removed the Sahuagin that were attempting to climb aboard the ship, but those still on the dock were in a frenzy to get on board, hurling themselves against the defenders in droves.

Not waiting to acknowledge his friends, Wil urged the Owl onwards. A flap of its wings sent the pair towards Garman and Bell, the giant, metallic bird screeching into the night as it moved.

Wil focused his mana into a spell matrix, stretching the lines of magic on the dock below them as the Owl soared above. The 3rd tier spell glowed an eerie green in the dim starlight, the mana cutting through the black blood coating the wooden dock.

“Summon Shadow Spawn!” Wil chanted, throwing more of his mana into the summoning spell, along with his feelings of rage and hatred for the enemy below him.

The matrix erupted in green light, startling the combatants below. Garman, still in the heat of the fight, didn’t notice the glowing lines below his feet until the Sahuagin in front of him began to retreat, cautious of the unknown spell that Wil was casting.

Alarmed by the lull, Garman took in his surroundings, the red haze of rage that dyed his vision retreated, and he saw what had caused the others to flee. Hearing the screech of the Owl, the warrior looked into the sky, eyes wide as he spotted Wil riding the metallic owl, his mana gathered thickly around him.

From below Wil’s feet, his shadow, a faint, black outline barely visible in the dim starlight, began to move independently from Wil. It stretched and twisted, moving forward like water, spreading across the Owl, before falling to the docks below.

In moments, his shadow had pooled in the center of the spell matrix, its faint outline growing darker, less translucent in the green light. Gradually, the shadow left the ground, slowly standing upright under its own strength.

With a final push of mana, the spell took hold, and the matrix erupted in a blazing display of power, before fading away. In the center was the shadow spawn, standing tall on the docks. Like a black silhouette, it mimicked Wil’s appearance, without the features or details, a black, ghostly void of light in a human shape.

Unlike Wil, however, his shadow was bulkier, its arms longer, nearly dragging the ground from where it stood. At the end of its long appendages, vicious claws had replaced hands. The shadow spawn gave a sense of fury and anger, of lust for blood and a desire to rip and shred. Its very essence was created for battle, and everything about its appearance and stance screamed a single purpose, to kill the enemy.

Wil sent a silent command to the summoned being, and in a blink, the creature was gone, gliding forward as silently as a shade, its feet barely touching the ground as it moved towards the enemy. In moments, it was gone from sight, a black shadow amongst the darkness. The only hint of its presence was the renewed screams of pain and terror that erupted from amongst the Sahuagin.

Wil could catch glimpses of the Shadow Spawn, as its claws raked through Sahuagin flesh, black blood spilling onto the ground as it moved from one enemy to the next, a silent stalker, barely noticed until it was too late.

Not one to be left behind, Wil ignored the connection to the summon, pushing the bond between them to the back of his mind, like a casual awareness in the back of his head. Freed from having to control the Shadow Spawn directly, Wil urged the Clockwork Owl onwards, already gathering more mana for his next spell.

As he soared across the dock, and the ships moored there, Wil rained fire down from above. Flaming Spheres lit the night, raging fires barely contained as they swept through Sahuagin ranks, leaving nothing but ash and charred wood behind.

When the fires died, Wil replaced them with a stream of Magic Missiles, bolts of pure magical energy that would form in the air above him, before racing to strike their targets at his command. Again and again, he lashed out with the spell, harrying the fighting Sahuagin below.

The bolts, upon striking the enemy, knocked them backwards, hurling them from the dock and into the sea. Those that survived, lay stunned on the wooden dock, easy prey for the prowling Shadow, who eagerly pounced on their prone figures, sinking black claws into soft, unprotected flesh.

Several of the creatures were hit with multiple bolts, the powerful magic slamming into them with enough force that they simply exploded in an eruption of black blood and flesh. One unfortunate creature, seeking to flee from the devastation, dove over the side of the dock towards the water, only to be picked up by the Clockwork Owl’s sharp, metal talons.

Climbing higher, the bird waited until it was over the open deck of the Drake before dropping the screaming Sahuagin headfirst onto the hard deck, dozens of feet below.

Frustrated by the attacks, the Sahuagin responded by throwing spears and tossing objects at Wil. The swiftly moving Owl easily evaded the attacks, while Wil answered their efforts with a barrage of spell fire.

A conjured ‘Web’ covered the attackers, binding limbs to their torsos and preventing them from escaping as Wil tossed a fire bolt in their midst. The flame, white hot and glowing brightly in the night, fell slowly from where he stood, as the constricted Sahuagin watched in horror as the fire touched the green web, instantly igniting it into a bonfire of intense heat.

In moments, the agonized screams of the Sahuagin filled the air as they burned. Not waiting to see the results, Wil flew onwards, seeking to help where he could.

With his assistance, the crew of the Drake relaxed, while Bell and the others pushed forwards, clearing the docks of the attackers, even going so far as to assist the other merchant’s ships. Unfortunately, the other crews were not as lucky as the Drake, and they found few survivors. Those they did find were happy for the assistance, and soon joined forces to lead a renewed assault on the sea devils.

More Spell fire lit the night, and the fighting raged on as the humans and the Sahuagin reached a stalemate. Driven from the docks, the sea devils regrouped on the beach, and in the streets of the village. The islanders, those defenders still standing, harried the enemies from rooftops and barricaded buildings, keeping the enemy off guard and under siege.

Despite Wil’s advantage, the Sahuagin were not magically defenseless, and soon he was under assault by their mages. Rather than the traditional spells he was used to, the Sahuagin mages summoned the waters of the Azure Sea into icy spears, sharp as iron, to rise out of the sea and strike at him. It was only thanks to the swiftly moving Clockwork Owl that he managed to avoid their spells.

Vast tidal waves of sea water crashed against the defenders, summoned by Sahuagin spell casters, sweeping the humans off their feet, and crushing them against buildings.

As losses mounted on both sides, The fighting was interrupted by a deafening roar from out of the island bay. The great, grey skin shark that had been prowling the waters to ensure that no one escaped, reared out of the water, its body covered in new wounds, black blood running freely down its side as it splashed heavily into the water, rolling swiftly as it dived back below the surface.

From the depths, a figure rose, displacing the water with its massive bulk. Its greenish blue, spiky shell pierced the surface, followed by a large head, eyes glowing an azure blue that lit the night.

The Azure Lord had finally come to protect the island.

Elated, Wil stared at the battle that took place on the water’s surface as great gouts of water shot into the air, creating large waves that rushed towards the shore from the titanic figures fighting under the sea.

All too briefly, both the shark and the Dragon Turtle were out of sight, sinking below the waves again. But from the large amount of black blood filling the water, it was clear who had come out on top of the exchange.

Seeing their protector lose, the Sahuagin fled the island on masse, desperate to escape the fury of the Azure Lord. Flinging themselves into the sea, the creatures disappeared from sight, leaving behind their dead and most of the recently pillaged loot.

Staring at the waves, Wil thought for a moment that the Sahuagin would get away, but a surge of mana from the open ocean, combined with a familiar presence from the Azure Lord, assured him the islands protector would not allow the Sea Devils to escape.

The battle over, Wil had the Owl land on the open deck of the Drake, where Quentin and Mara stood, waiting for him.

Drained of mana, the large Owl shrank in size as soon as Wil’s feet landed on solid ground. Its mana stores almost exhausted, the Owl settle comfortably on his shoulder, softly hooting as it closed its eyes to ‘rest’.

Exhausted, Wil swayed slightly as the adrenaline from the battle wore off and the toll his magic casting had caused took effect. Before he could fall, he felt a pair of arms wrap around him as Quentin rushed forward to keep him standing.

“I’m back.” Wil whispered tiredly, smiling down at his friend. He caught a brief glimpse of her relieved smile before the exhaustion hit him like a hammer and he knew no more.