254 Heroism (1/2)

Sir Fate glanced at Sir Jared. ”What do you think?”

Sir Jared grunted. ”It's a bit early, and it's a bit far, but it looks like we have no choice.”

Hearing that, George relaxed a bit, but Darian, on the other hand, tensed up. ”What are you planning?”

”Isn't it obvious?” Sir Jared shrugged. Turning to his knights, he said, ”Attack!”

With a roar, sixty knights in various states of injury immediately charged at the surrounding Wilds.

”What the-?!” George blinked.

”They're trying to break out!” Darian leapt aside to avoid a brandished broadsword, kicking it clear out of the attacking knight's hand and seizing it for himself. Before he could counter, a nearby tiger chomped down on the knight, biting off one whole arm entirely, and then a python lunged atop the fellow and had him for dinner, armor and all.

Darian got clear and took one glance at the berserker knights. ”It's a diversion!”

While the knights charged mindlessly in every direction, the leaders of their expedition were focused on a single course; directly south. Sir Jared, Sir Fate, Sira Fel, and Sira Damnaith fought their way through the southern perimeter of the encirclement and broke free of the siege in moments.

”Don't tell me… they're still going for the Source?!” George gasped.

”Duh.” Darian drew up his dragon Silhouette and roared. [All dragons, those four are making a run for it!]

[Stop them!] twenty dragons charged for the leaders running for the south.

But Sir Jared and his disciples were incredibly fast. They were so fast, even Darian couldn't catch up to them. Of the twenty dragons, only a half-dozen had the speed to match, and even they would take some time to close the gap.

[Not good!] Watching from afar, Doom himself joined the chase, but he wasn't that much faster either. [Flame Emperor! They're headed right for you!]

There was an earth-shaking cry, and then from a great mountain far, far ahead, beyond the Nine Kings Range, there was an eruption that lit up the evening. Huge columns of smoke immediately followed along with a fiery outpouring of lava.

And then, from the top of the mountain, a colossal bird's head was raised and glared at the four Grand Knights with narrowed eyes.

The Flame Emperor was finally making a move with her real form, and the world was covered in fire.

”Scatter!” Sir Jared ordered, as he charged straight for the Flame Emperor.

But nobody left his side.

”What are you guys doing? I said, SCATTER! I'll hold off the big bird, you guys get to the Source of Magic!” Sir Jared barked.

”But…” Sir Fate protested.

”He's right, you're not going to survive it.” Fel gave it to him straight.

”Then don't let my sacrifice be in vain! Scatter! That is an order!!” Sir Jared charged. ”For mankind!”

Sir Fate grimaced and cut across toward the left. Sira Fel sighed, and headed to the right.

”Uh…” Damnaith looked left to Fate, right to Fel, straight ahead to Jared and scratched her head. ”Then which way am I supposed to go?!”

Predictably, nobody answered her.