The Bladeweaver [Book 1 Complete]

The man took another step toward Kale, his immense presence bearing down on him. He extended a hand, his palm open. "Give me the dagger, and I'll grant you the mercy of a quick death."

Rika charged, warhammer swinging toward his chest. He crossed his forearms in front of him, absorbing the strike with a resounding thoom. Cracks spread across the stone floor beneath him, but the man didn't flinch.

Unfazed, he seized the hammer, yanked Rika forward, and slammed his forehead into hers. He gripped her head in his massive hand and slammed her through another pillar. Stone and dust exploded as she collided with it, crumbling the structure into rubble.

Liliana unleashed a volley of razor-sharp blood shards into the man. He calmly turned his head toward her, his expression unchanged—cold, utterly unimpressed. The shards struck his robes and dissipated harmlessly, leaving no trace of their impact.

"Is that all you've got?" he asked.

Liliana hovered closer to Kale, her eyes locked on to him as the man remained still. "I don't think we can win this."

"You never had a chance," the man said, stepping closer with slow, deliberate strides. "To you, this is a fight. To you, this is a battle for your life. To me, it's like playing with children. You swing, you miss, and I stand here, watching your desperation unfold. You struggle, knowing full well the outcome was never in question. I am far beyond you."

He took another step forward. "You are fragile, bound to your mortality. Your lives end in decades, moments in the blink of an eye. You wither, fade, and die. I, however, endure. Your existence is a passing whim. I am the reckoning."

"Tell me, how did someone like you even come to possess that blade. Was it by skill? No. Was it earned? Certainly not. You were never meant to wield it."

His gaze hardened. "You're nothing more than a distraction to me. And like all distractions, your time is limited. You exist because I allow it. You will end because I will it. This world... this struggle, it's all beneath me. It was never meant to be your victory."

Kale's heart thundered in his chest, his breath shallow as the man's words echoed in his mind, crushing any hope he had left. He looked at the dagger, but it felt like holding a twig against a mountain. He couldn't give it to him, and he couldn't run, not with Rika still down.

He glanced at the massive figure before him. There was no chance. No hope. Even with everything he'd learned, every skill he'd gained, it was nothing compared to the towering figure standing before him. He was a juggernaut, a predator. No strategy, no trick, no spell could change that.

Every step forward, every swing, every move he made felt futile. This man... this monster was on another level. Not just in strength, but in presence. It wasn't just his size, or his power, it was his sheer inevitability. Kale had faced danger before, even death, but nothing like this. This was something else entirely.

He felt the dagger in his hand, its weight insignificant. He could throw it, fight, try, but it would never be enough. There was no way he could win. No way he could survive this... not alone.

His eyes flicked to Rika, still down, and then to Liliana, whose blood magic pulsed weakly, uncertain against such overwhelming might. They were in this together, but even that didn't seem like enough.

The reality of the situation set in. He couldn't beat him. No one could. Not without a miracle. He swallowed hard.

Survival wasn't about winning. It was about holding on, enduring whatever came next. Because if he let himself break now, if he let the fear swallow him whole, they were all dead.

"Kale... we can't win. He's too strong," Liliana said.

Rika, slowly pushed herself up, still groaning from being smashed through the pillar. Blood trickled from her forehead, and she winced as she grabbed her warhammer. "He's... annoyingly tough," she grunted, spitting blood onto the ground. Despite the pain, her eyes still gleamed with defiance.

She stood, unsteady but determined, gripping the Hammer of the Hiwani tightly. "I don't think he's just going to let us walk out of here."

Kale glanced at her, then at Liliana. "So what do we do?"

"There's only one thing we can—"

Before she could finish, the man charged at them again, his footsteps like thunder. Kale barely had time to react, instinctively activating Swiftform to dodge out of the way. He narrowly avoided the man's fist as it smashed into the ground, sending cracks through the stone floor.

"Enough talking." the man said, swinging at Rika with terrifying speed. She blocked with her warhammer, but the force sent her skidding back across the floor. He advanced towards her, undeterred.

Kale's mind raced. They couldn't keep dodging forever, sooner or later, the man would land a hit that they couldn't recover from. But then something caught his eye—the cracks in the floor, spreading outward from where the man had struck. The temple was already damaged from their earlier fight, the structure weakened. If they could get him to that same spot again...

"Liliana!" Kale whispered, pointing at the cracked floor.

Liliana's eyes narrowed in understanding. She nodded. "You think you can keep him distracted long enough for me to make a move?"

Kale gave a quick nod.

"Rika!" Kale shouted, pointing toward the weakened spot in the floor.

Rika grinned through the pain, hefting her warhammer. She swung down hard into the floor, the impact sending debris flying towards the man, momentarily blinding him with dust and stone. Seizing the opportunity, Rika launched herself over him towards the weakened floor.

The man turned around and charged, fists swinging. Rika sidestepped his first punch, then dodged the second. The third punch grazed her, sending her staggering back toward the weakened floor.

"Now!" Liliana yelled.

The man lunged forward, but before he could strike, Liliana's blood tendrils shot out from the fallen cultists, wrapping around his limbs. His muscles bulged as he tried to tear through the restraints, but they held him in place. "You can't stop me," he said with dismissive certainty.

Liliana groaned as she pulled all her magic into her hold. "Kale... Rika... do it now!"

Rika jumped and swung her warhammer upward, smashing it into the ceiling above them. The impact echoed through the temple as cracks raced across the stone. With a loud rumble, the ceiling gave way, chunks of debris crashing onto the man. The force of the collapse shattered the floor beneath him, sending him plummeting into the depths below.

Dust filled the air as the temple groaned under the weight of the collapse. Kale coughed, his heart pounding as he peered over the edge of the gaping hole in the floor. Through the swirling dust, he saw the man below, already pushing himself up from the rubble, unscathed.

"He's getting up!" Kale shouted. "We didn't even slow him down!"

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Run! Get out! Now!" Liliana screamed.

They turned and bolted for the exit, sprinting as fast as they could. The temple shuddered violently behind them, pieces of the ceiling crashing down as they fled into the daylight, their footsteps pounding against the stone steps. Dust and debris billowed out behind them, but they didn't dare look back. The ominous feeling of the man's relentless pursuit gnawed at their heels.

They reached the wagon, scrambling into place. Rika took the reins, her face pale but determined. "Get on, now!" she yelled, already snapping the reins as Kale clambered aboard.

The horses reared, sensing the urgency, and then they were off, galloping down the road as fast as their hooves could carry them. The wagon bounced and rattled wildly, but none of them cared. All that mattered was putting as much distance between them and the ruined temple as possible.

Clutching the side of the wagon to keep himself steady, Kale glanced over his shoulder, half-expecting the massive figure to come barreling out of the temple after them. But for now, the temple was still.

"We can't slow down," Liliana said. "If he's still alive, he'll come for us. And I don't want to be here when he does."

Rika nodded, urging the horses faster. "I don't plan on stopping until we're far away from here."

The wagon thundered down the rough road, the forest closing in around them as they made their escape. For now, they were alive, and they weren't going to stop running until they were sure that the danger was behind them.

***

Kale leaned back against the side of the wagon, his thoughts swirling around the battle they had barely escaped.

"Hey, Rika," Kale said. "Back in the temple… why didn't you call on your gods for help again? You were able to overpower Jarosormur easily when they answered you."

"You don't just ask them for power every day, Kaley. I'm lucky they listened the first time. Asking them again so soon, especially two days in a row... that's pushing it. You don't want to test their patience unless you want to get smited."

"Smited?"

Rika chuckled, but there was a seriousness in her eyes. "Yeah. The gods aren't exactly forgiving if you start demanding too much from them. If you ask too often, they might decide you're more trouble than you're worth."

"Speaking of mistakes, Kale, I noticed something earlier. You're missing the dagger you took from that cultist's corpse back in Harrow's Reach." Liliana said.

Kale patted his side where the dagger should have been. He cursed under his breath. "Damn. I must've forgot it during the fight. In the chaos, I... I was just trying to survive. I didn't even think about retrieving it."

"You should be more careful. You've got two legendary weapons now. I'd hate to see what happens if you 'forget' about them too." Liliana said.

Kale scratched his head. "Yeah, you're right. I made some mistakes in that fight. I need to be more vigilant... especially with Mistress and Aeloria's blade. I can't afford to be that careless again."

Rika snorted. "No kidding. I thought that big bastard was going to smash me into the ground permanently back there. I've never seen anyone like that before."

"Who the hell was he? And what level does someone have to be to just... shrug off everything like that? Even your hammer barely fazed him." Kale said.

"He was no ordinary cultist, that's for sure. We were lucky we managed to drop him through the floor. Otherwise, he would've killed us all." Liliana said.

Rika stretched her arms. "Yeah, well, next time we won't be running. I'm not planning on letting him walk away if we cross paths again."

"We'll be ready next time," Kale said. "But we need to figure out who, or what, he was. If Xeroth has more like him... we're in serious trouble."

"Will we be ready, though?" Liliana asked.

The group fell silent again, each lost in their own thoughts, the encounter settling over them like a dark cloud. The wagon rolled on, but one thing was clear: this battle was far from over.

***

The night had fallen by the time they decided to stop, the road ahead dark and foreboding. They made camp just off the path, the flicker of a small fire their only light. The silence of the forest around them was unnerving, as if the world itself had gone still in the wake of the temple's desecration. Kale sat by the fire, absentmindedly floating Aeloria's dagger in circles above his head, while Rika cleaned her warhammer, and Liliana hovered nearby scanning the trees.

"We need to figure out what's next," Kale said. "Xeroth's followers... they're not done. That was just one temple."

Rika nodded. "Yeah, and we barely got out of there alive. If that big guy's any indication of what Xeroth's got in his corner, we're in for a rough time."

"We can't afford to go in blind again. Xeroth's influence is spreading, and we need to find out where his followers are moving next." Liliana said.

Kale frowned. "But how? We don't even know where they're based or what they're really after."

"We need information." Liliana said.

Rika raised an eyebrow. "What we need is to get stronger. What if we run into that big guy again? Who's gonna stop him? Certainly not the three of us."

"You're not wrong," Liliana sighed. "Is your man in Bjarnholl going to be able to train us?"

Rika snorted, tossing a twig into the fire. "Definitely not. He might know someone who will though. For now, we should sleep. We've got a long road ahead of us, and we're going to need all the strength we can get."

***

He was small. No—she was.

Small feet stumbling through stone and ash. A mother's hand gripping hers tightly, pulling her through the ruins. Behind them, the sound of pursuit. Metal scraping, voices shouting, something howling in the dark.

The girl looked back.

A man followed close behind, sword in hand. His face was worn but calm, his eyes alert. He moved like he had always known this would happen.

The sword he carried shimmered faintly in the dark. Silver-blue, elegant. A red gem set in the crossguard. It looked similar to Kale's dagger.

He reached them as they hit a dead end.

He dropped to one knee in front of the girl, pulled something from around his neck—a pendant, shaped like a sword with six wings—and pressed it into her hands.

The pendant reminded Kale of the one his mother used to wear.

"Keep this safe," the man said, and kissed her forehead.

He touched her cheek, then reached for the woman, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. There were no words.

A shadow surged around the corner—shapeless at first, then many shapes. Creatures, armored figures, twisted forms crawling across the walls, the ceiling. The girl could see too many eyes. Weapons raised. No escape.

The man stepped forward, placing himself between them and the horde. His eyes began to glow, faint blue at first, then brighter.

He raised his sword and slashed through the air.

The space ahead split open, rippling, luminous. A tear in the world.

"Go," he said. "Now. And remember: even the longest night ends in dawn."

The woman pulled the girl into the portal.

They turned just in time to see him overwhelmed.

The light in his eyes flared blinding blue, edged with gold. His aura exploded outward, searing against the dark like a sunrise through storm clouds.

A burst of radiant steel followed. Hundreds of glowing swords tore into existence around him, summoned with crackling force.

The girl reached for him—

But the portal closed.

***

The camp was quiet, the only sound the faint crackle of the dying fire and Rika's soft snoring. The darkness of the forest had wrapped itself around them, and even Liliana's ever-watchful eyes were closed, resting on the ground as her head lay still.

Unseen by any of them, shadows slipped into the camp. Bandits, moving in silence, crept toward the wagon. Two climbed inside, while one stood over Kale, his dagger ready to slash his throat. Another moved toward Rika, who was still snoring, blissfully unaware of the danger.

Kale stirred, somehow sensing something was wrong. His eyes snapped open just as the bandit above him started to bring his knife down. Time seemed to slow as adrenaline surged through him.

Swiftform.

The world around him crawled as his body moved with lightning speed. Kale twisted his body, grabbing the bandit's wrist and spinning the knife around. In one fluid motion, he drove the blade up through the man's chin, the tip of the dagger bursting through the top of his skull with a sickening crunch. Blood sprayed in slow motion, the body going limp.

The sound made the bandit creeping toward Rika turn his head, eyes widening in shock at what had just happened. But before he could react, Mistress of the Enria was already in flight, sailing through the air with deadly precision. The blade pierced the man's forehead, the point of the sword exiting through the back of his skull, blood spraying over Rika as she jolted awake.

"What the fuck!" she screamed, disoriented and wiping the blood from her face. Her loud scream roused Liliana as well, her red eyes flickering back to life. The two remaining bandits, alerted by the noise, turned to see the commotion.

Kale summoned Mistress back to his hand and launched himself at the two bandits. With two swift, deadly strikes, their heads rolled from their bodies, falling to the ground with a thud.

Kale stood there, panting slightly, blood dripping from Mistress as the camp went eerily silent again.

Rika wiped more blood from her face, wide-eyed and still catching up to the chaos. "What the hells just happened?"

Liliana rose from the ground, her eyes narrowed in confusion. "When did you become competent?"

Kale, wiping the blood from Mistress, shrugged. "We had visitors."

"You don't say," Rika said.

"Don't mind me," Liliana said as she floated over to the fallen bandits, her voice calm as she began her customary blood offering to Valtharion. Blood snaked through the air, drawn from the corpses as she whispered her dark incantation.

Rika suddenly gasped, looking toward the wagon. "Oh no, the barrels!"

Kale's eyes widened in a mix of curiosity and panic. The barrels! He sprinted over to the wagon, skidding to a stop beside it. Finally, a chance to see what was inside.

One of the lids had been taken off, lying on the ground. Heart pounding, Kale looked inside.

"What the hell...?"