A Secret Man of Blood

The Battle of the Line Part 2

Amid the riot of battle on the raised road, Mazer sees Indigo wounded and Squad kneeling by the mage on the crest of the road, protected by a dwindling number of soldiers; his riding eyes follow the magical attack back to its source and spot Salazar charging at them on his dragon. Moving with the quicksilver of violence, Mazer cuts down two Night Elves and charges at a point in the road just ahead.

Possessing a calm mind in battle, he's calculated that Salazar's charge towards the others will take him through this area low enough for him to reach. Time seems to slow down and each step feels like a detonation as Mazer runs, keeping an eye on the swift progress of Salazar's dragon until their paths almost intersect and then—crash! Leaping through the air, he slams into Salazar with a mighty thud that resounds like a stone skimmed over a surface of silence, knocking the great Elf from his dragon and sending them both tumbling to the road as the dragon pulls up, sensing its owner's absence.

He's just saved Indigo and Squad's lives, but now Mazer has a problem of his own. His grim, concentrated eyes focus on Salazar, whose glance is like death's stare in slow survey. Mazer attacks first, swinging his gigantic sword down one-handed and putting Salazar on the backfoot, striking down three times as the Elf blocks with his spear then reverses momentum by slamming his shoulder into the Scrovengi's chest, sending Mazer reeling back.

This is a type of opponent Mazer has never faced before, the great Elf moving with a savage majesty that is often too fast to be seen; Mazer's instincts are working on full alert just to predict the attacks in time to block them, though he's thrown off-guard and from side to side like a tennis player in a one-sided match. To Mazer it seems like he's never fought better, every movement crisp and decisive, yet he's still on the backfoot. Quickly throwing his sword, Mazer charges after the projectile and, when the Elf blocks it, smashes his fist into Salazar's face.

Grasping the back of Salazar's head, Mazer leaps a full twelve feet in the air and knees the Elf heavily in the face. There's a sickening crunch as Salazar steps back; Mazer kicks the spear from his hands, firing punches into the Elf's side and jolting his body violently each way. A third punch flies at Salazar's head but the Elf catches Mazer's fist in mid-flight, twists it and launches a palm-thrust into the Scrovengi's neck, choking him, then another into his face, smashing his head back.

Salazar charges magic into his fist and lifts it high above his head, ready to plunge into Mazer's face; screams of energy revolve in the palm of his hand as he slams it down, but finds it frozen by a barrier. Realising his magic-dampening amulet has temporarily blocked Salazar's attack, Mazer takes the initiative and headbutts Salazar's leg with his horns, ripping through muscle and freeing his wrist from Salazar's grip.

A grimace of pain flashes across Salazar's features and Mazer attacks, but the Elf is too fast, shifting to the side, tripping the Scrovengi and, as he falls, grasping the back of his head and using his momentum to slam his face into the ground at great speed. Stunned, something in Mazer's pain-drenched mind tells him to rise, though he barely knows where he is, but it's too late. Salazar's powerful foot slams down on his back and the sound of the Elf picking up his spear resounds in Mazer's ears.

Trapped by Salazar's strong foot pressing down on his back, Mazer senses the spear being lifted to plunge through his heart and, unable to do much, looks out on the battle for the raised road, at the two lines caught in a monotone of motion while, underneath, the languid disarray of crawling bodies recalls images of the underworld. The silver voice of blade on blade cobwebs the air, joining with other sounds to form a cold symphony of chaos.

He lived surrounded by battle and he will die amidst it. How fitting...but no. Mazer doesn't want to die and a crawling, hollow ache fills his chest as he thinks of Lu left alone, guiding the Jiangese amidst this pandemonium. Possible futures flood out from his brain and burst over the horizon of his heart like the first flame of day, filling his spine with a strength he never knew he had.