A warhorn echoed through the valley, breaking my focus. My opponents didn't miss a beat as they threw their cards down on the table and jumped from their seats. Not wanting to look as reluctant as I felt about my first battle, I followed suit and tossed my winning hand on the table. Just my luck.

  I pulled my sword from the ground nearby and picked up my shield. Recruits didn't get the luxury of a sheath.

  My eyes darted around the area, frantically searching for my helmet. Like my sword, it was made of metal and actually offered some protection, unlike the ragged, used leather vest the benevolent Kurskins handed out to recruits.

  Sadly, my helmet was nowhere to be seen. It was most likely adorning someone else's head now. It had been foolish of me to let it out of my sight. I rolled my eyes, madder at myself than the thief, and looked around for my fellow recruits. Ellis and William were already a hundred paces away, sprinting toward the battlefield, the game of cards long forgotten.

  I sighed and ran after them, helmetless. I'd just have to keep my head down.

  If I failed to reach my spot in the formation in time, I'd be whipped or worse. During my brief time in combat training, I had witnessed a Kurskin kill a man for marching out of step. If I missed this charge, Commander Kreech would gut me in front of the rest of the men. I'd rather not be made an example of today. Or any day, for that matter.

  I charged after the only two men whose names I knew, pitching myself forward and down the hill as fast as my muddy boots would allow.

  I was one of the last to arrive, but thankfully not the last. Commander Kreech eyed me as I approached, a snarl forming on his ugly green face.

  "Fall in line, you useless mutt," he hissed at me. "To the front."

  Kreech was a Kurskin, a race more reptilian than human. They stood upright like humans but tended to be shorter than us. Their height meant little, as the average Kurskin was both stronger and faster than most humans. Not to mention, each and everyone was capable of extraordinary feats and could wield powers that humans could only dream of.

  Growing up, I'd heard countless tales of magic and other wonderous abilities. Witches who could call forth storms. Shamans who could heal the sick. I've even heard stories of necromancers who could raise the dead. But I'd never seen any magic myself. Not until I met a Kurskin.

  Most people from this part of Vedra believed that the Kurskins were sent by God to protect them from the Dalari. My uncle told me that the lizards had come to Erda by descending from the heavens, which I assumed was where one would expect an angel to come from.

  I had believed him until I met one for myself. The Kurskins were violent and mean and had little regard for the humans fighting in their armies. But they also bled, just like me, and as far as I was concerned, angels weren't supposed to bleed. Also, they weren't supposed to be assholes.

  I didn't say anything to Kreech and fell in line as quickly as possible. My commander had more important things to worry about than one stupid human. His attention had been redirected to organizing the others of his kind who were joining us for this battle. The other Kurskins were strong, but Kreech was in charge of this contingent for a reason.

  A couple days ago, I had overheard Kreech bragging to some of his scaly underlings. He was gloating about reaching Level Fifteen while shaming the others for falling behind. I didn't know much about the Kurskins' military structure or what the rankings meant, but the other Kurskins had seemed impressed.

  Not understanding the structure of their military was one of the many things I didn't know about my Kurskin leaders, but what little I did know paled in comparison to my ignorance of our true enemy.

  The Dalari were taller than most humans, and unlike the scaly Kurskins, their skin was more human-like, smooth with a blue tinge. I'd never seen one up close, but the odds were good that I was about to. It was said the Dalari moved like dancers, lithe and graceful. They were as beautiful as they were deadly.

  Kreech galloped before the formation on his huge, armored stallion and lifted his axe. "The wait is over," he shouted, his voice raspy and heavy; the words seemed to vibrate out of his throat. "Let's send these blue demons back to the depths where they belong."

  The men cheered. So did I, but I didn't feel nearly as excited as I sounded.

  "This is our chance to turn the tide and halt the enemy's advance into Vedra. We must not let it slip away. The time has come to fight for your king and his Kurskin allies. Be brave. Be mighty. Be brutal." Kreech's stallion reared upward, and he held his heavy axe high above his head. "To glory!"

  The horse brought its feet down, and Kreech pointed his gigantic axe to the field before us. We charged.

  Across the distant field, the enemy began its advance. Like the Kurskins, the vast majority of the Dalari fighting force was human, but these particular humans had chosen to side with the enemy. I didn't know if they did so willingly or if the Dalari had compelled them. I was raised on a farm, and the nearest town couldn't have had more than fifty people living in it. My worldly knowledge was severely lacking, and the politics of this war were beyond me. All I knew was that when the swords came out, it was either them or me.

  I felt strangely calm as I marched forward like this was what I was meant to be doing. In my heart, I was fighting for King Constance, for the people of Vedra, not for the Kurskins. This war gave me a purpose, something I never knew I lacked when I was working my uncle's farm day after day, year after year. The thought gave me comfort, and I hoped the others marching beside me felt the same.

  Arrows began to rain down upon us when we were two hundred meters out. My shield was wooden but strong and tested in practice. No arrow would bring me down. Still, a helmet would have been nice.

  I spared a glance behind me. A sea of five hundred men flowed down the valley, with over a dozen mounted Kurskin riding along our flanks. There were more scattered among the footmen. The Kurskins treated humans as inferior, but at least they fought alongside us, even if it wasn't always on the front line.

  The arrow volleys had done little to weaken our advance, just as our archers' attempts had failed to halt the opposing side.

  The enemy was closing in fast now, and my previous sense of calm receded, replaced by the fear that had been hiding underneath all along. It wasn't a bad thing. Fear shouldn't be ignored - it should be embraced. I wanted to survive, and the only way to do that was to be better and to fight harder than my opponents. My fear would give me the motivation I needed.

  The enemy line was twenty yards away, and I could feel the thunder of their boots. My teeth chattered as my adrenaline skyrocketed.

  Metal clashed, and screams rang out as the two sides collided. I brought my shield up and slammed into the enemy before me. Someone behind me reached over with a spear, jabbing forward into the mass of enemies. When they pulled it back, the tip was red with blood. As I was taught, I pushed forward again with the vanguard, and the spearmen followed behind with more precise thrusts.

  We did this thrice more. On the next shield push, those on the shield wall would bear our swords and go on the offensive.

  I put my shoulder into my shield and pushed forward with all my strength, then took a step back and raised my sword. Without hesitating, I brought it down in an overhanded swing. My cheap sword failed to cut through my opponent's chainmail, but he still let out a cry of pain.

  I yanked my sword back and followed through with a thrust. The tip of my sword broke through his chainmail and pierced the soft flesh underneath. I wrenched it out of his gut as he crumpled to the ground.

  More enemy soldiers replaced him. I brought my shield back up and blocked their initial attacks. The enemy onslaught continued. I tried to step back, but there was no room to maneuver. I became trapped between the enemies at my front and the allies at my back. My shield took a beating as I hid behind it.

  A boom rocked the battlefield, and enemy soldiers tumbled through the air. The explosion distracted my opponents, giving me the opening I needed. I rammed my shield into the closest enemy, knocking him to the ground. I tried to do the same with another, but he was already swinging his sword. I lifted my shield just in time to deflect. I countered with a stab but couldn't get past his defenses.

  There was another explosion, closer this time. Some of the enemy soldiers tried to flee from the danger, causing further chaos in their ranks and creating a gap for my army to maneuver. I saw something huge wreaking havoc in my peripherals and smiled. Kreech was coming on his stallion.

  "I'd run if I were you," I said to the enemy soldier before me. We were both on the defense, making cautious attacks to test for an opening.

  He snarled at me. "I'm no coward. Not like you Kurskin lap dogs."

  I shrugged and pointed over his shoulder. The idiot turned to look. I would have stabbed him in the neck for it, but there was no need. Kreech was already there on his mount, axe in motion. The poor soldier's head sailed through the air.

  Kreech pulled back on the reins and looked down at me with a monstrous smile on his face. "You're welcome."

  "I had that handled," I said, unable to help myself as I grinned back at the horrible lizard.

  He did the lizard-person equivalent of a 'harumph' and galloped back into the battle. I probably should have gotten on my knees and thanked him, but I really did have the situation handled.

  As he charged deeper into the enemy's midst on his armored stallion, he tossed something bright and round. When it landed, it erupted in a wave of concussive force. A few unfortunate souls were thrown from the blast, flying helplessly in the air while their fellow soldiers scattered in fear.

  I wanted one of those.

  We continued to advance as the enemy was slowly pushed back.

  The momentum was with us until a soldier near me turned away from our enemy and planted his blade into a comrade. And then another. One of our own had turned on us.

  He didn't see me as I approached from the side and cut him down before he could do more damage. The threat had been eliminated, but the chaos around me continued to grow. I looked around frantically and realized it wasn't just him. More of our own soldiers had turned against us.

  I had been told some of the Dalari could trick a man's mind, but I never believed it until now. It was the only explanation. A Dalari was invading the minds of my peers.

  A nearby Kurskin, this one part of the infantry, moved to assist in our battle against our own men. He moved shockingly fast, unnaturally so. Holding a short sword in each hand, he utilized them to great effect, making quick work of the turned soldiers.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  The Kurskin's eyes locked forward, and I followed his gaze until I saw the Dalari. The monster's eyes were closed in concentration.

  I looked back to the Kurskin and blinked in confusion. He had vanished right before my eyes. There was a blur of movement, and I realized the Kurskin hadn't vanished but had blended into its surroundings like camouflage. It was difficult to track, but it was moving in the direction of the Dalari.

  The Dalari must have detected the Kurskin somehow because its eyes snapped open in fear, and it turned and fled, pushing a few soldiers to the ground in the process. Maybe the Dalari weren't so tough.

  By the time we regained our ground, I was breathing hard, and my brown hair was caked with blood and muck, but the tide of the battle continued to shift in our favor. We fought on, letting our momentum carry us forward.

  ***

  Eventually, our reserves stepped in, and I was allowed to fall back and rest. The battle would soon be ours, and there were enough fresh men on our side to keep the press strong. The Kurskins may have been mean and brutal bastards, but they understood how to preserve their forces.

  Most of those who had fought among the vanguard were now lying about the camp, trying to rest and tune out the dwindling sounds of the battle.

  I stumbled to a nearby tent, hoping to find some clean water and close my eyes for a moment. When I opened the flap of the tent, I froze in shock. Inside were two Kurskins I didn't recognize, one of whom was female. Her scaly skin had an orange tint to it. The male was green and taller than his female counterpart but still shorter than I was.

  They looked at me with surprise. Then they looked at each other and smiled, sharp teeth visible in their wide grins.

  "Do not be afraid, soldier. Come forward." The female's voice was throaty and intimidating and weirdly alluring.

  I stepped into the tent and gently lowered the flap back down.

  "Sorry to interrupt," I said as formally as possible.

  "Do not be sorry," she said, sticking out a hand for me to shake. "I'm Hesta."

  I had never shaken hands with a Kurskin before, and I did my best to act like it was no big deal.

  "We need a man like you, Mr. Musgrave," she said. "Would you be willing to assist?"

  I was surprised that she knew my name, but even more so that she had requested my help instead of simply ordering me to do so. This could either be really good or really bad. Either way, I wasn't going to say no to these people. "What do you need me to do?"

  She smiled, her thin lips curling upwards. "One of the Dalari was spotted fleeing from the battle. We are needed here, so we want you to track this coward down and eliminate him. Can you kill this Dalari for us, Mr. Musgrave?"

  Holy shit. No. There was no way in hell I could do that.

  I nodded. "Yes."

  "Good." She reached into her satchel and pulled out a small, stoppered vial. "Take this."

  I took it from her. The fluid inside the vial was thick and dark green. "What is it?"

  "The Dalari is injured," Hesta said. "He will be weak but should not be underestimated. If you wish to even the odds, you should drink that before engaging him."

  "Uh, okay." This was a bad idea. I couldn't defeat a Dalari, even if he were on his deathbed. "Do you know which way he went?"

  "Northwest. You will need to skirt far around enemy lines before turning north. We will provide you with a horse. When you find him, drink the potion and kill him. Do you understand your mission?"

  I gave a stupid, earnest nod.

  "Good," she said. "Be on your way then. When you are successful, return and notify your commander. Tell him you acted on my behalf. He will see to it that you are properly rewarded."

  ***

  Hours later, night had fallen, but I was still on the hunt. The Dalari were known to be graceful on their feet and difficult to track. However, this one was injured and had been neglectful in its flight through the forest.

  Just as the sun had been setting, I happened upon a stained rag next to a small brook. It was sticky with a black substance that could only be Dalari blood. I hadn't known their blood was black, but it made sense. All the evil creatures in stories had black blood.

  Hours had passed since finding that rag, but the occasional broken branch and disturbed earth told me I was still on the trail.

  While uncommon, it wasn't unheard of for humans to gain rank among the Kurksin army. If I succeeded in this mission, I would surely be promoted. Lieutenant Milton Musgrave had a nice ring to it. That's what I told myself, at least. However, I knew that even the highest-ranking humans would never rise above the lowest of the Kurskins. Still, hope for a better station drove me onward.

  I walked next to my horse in the dark as I hunted. I had learned my lesson the hard way around midnight when a low-hanging branch knocked me from my seat on the horse. My ass was still sore from the fall.

  Eventually, I came upon a clearing in the trees. Beyond it, a rocky cliff rose from the ground, blocking any path forward.

  I had a choice to make. This Dalari either went left or right, east or west. West made more sense, as the Dalari's stronghold was that way, but this one was a deserter, and I doubted the Dalari leadership were the forgiving sort.

  The sparse clouds above parted enough for more moonlight to slip through, and I noticed part of the rock face ahead was darker than the rest.

  I focused my attention on it, wishing for more of that scant moonlight. The more I stared, the more detail I could make out. I realized I was looking at the entrance to a cave or crevice, the perfect place to hide if one was injured and needed somewhere to rest.

  I desperately needed to be right about this. If I didn't catch the wounded Dalari here, I'd have to guess a direction or wait until sunrise to pick up the trail. I didn't want to wait.

  Not wanting to ruin my chance at surprise, I hobbled my horse to a nearby tree. Then, I pulled out the small potion Hesta had given me. I threw the viscous concoction back and fought the urge to gag as the thick mixture slowly drained down my throat.

  The effect was almost immediate. My exhaustion vanished, and the world around me became crisper and more detailed, even in the dark. I felt like I could lift a horse or scale the cliff before me in seconds. My body thrummed with newfound strength.

  I needed to find a way to get my hands on some more of this stuff.

  Breathing deeply, I focused on the task at hand, far more confident than any human should be in my situation. Maybe I could actually do this.

  As I crept forward, the entrance to the cave became more visible, and I could see it was more than just a mere recess in the rock face. I didn't know if it was an effect of the potion, but my intuition was singing to me now. I was sure I was on the right course.

  I reached the entrance and grasped my sword with both hands. Even under the incredible influence of Hesta's potion, I still knew there was only one way to pull this off. I had to take the Dalari by surprise. I prayed the monster was asleep.

  Like a wraith, I glided into the cave, sword at the ready. It was dark inside, but it had little impact on my currently enhanced night vision.

  The cave tunnel hooked to the left and opened into a larger chamber. I peeked around the corner and saw the Dalari was there, bald, shirtless, and lying on the cave floor. A dark wound blotted its belly. It was motionless, but I could make out the faint rise and fall of its chest. The bastard was sleeping. Maybe my bad luck was finally turning.

  There was no reason to wait around for my luck to change, so I planted my feet and darted into the chamber. Just as I was about to lunge forward and plant my sword into its bare chest, the Dalari opened its eyes and lifted a hand. A burst of light emanated from its palm, and my vision went white. I lifted my arm, attempting to shield my eyes.

  It shouted something at me, and I couldn't make sense of it. My ears were ringing for some reason.

  The blinding light vanished, but my night vision had been wrecked.

  "Wait," the Dalari said, not moving from its position on the cave floor. His voice was soft and weak. "I beg you."

  Not a chance. He may have been injured, but he was still incredibly dangerous. I couldn't let this moment slip away. My attempt at surprise was ruined, but I could still salvage the situation. I lunged forward again, ready to strike him down for good, but before I could bring my blade down, my muscles locked up, and I froze in place.

  My body was no longer in my control. Against my will, I took a step backward.

  This was a violation beyond imagining. The stories were true; I had no doubt now. The Dalari were demons born from hell itself.

  Unwilling, I placed the blade of my sword to my throat. I tried to fight against the compulsion, but I was beyond helpless. I'd thought myself strong of will, but I was just a pin poking against a brick wall. There was nothing I could do. I was going to die by my own hand.

  I looked down into the Dalari's deep, purple eyes. His gaze was unrelenting and determined. Hardening my will, I tried one last time to overcome his power. I could not.

  Slowly, I pushed the side of the blade into my neck. The cold steel parted my skin, and pain lanced through my body.

  I couldn't even scream as I killed myself. The most I could muster was a single tear. I had lost.

  The Dalari smiled at me, white teeth visible under his pale lips. Then the smile vanished, replaced by a deep frown. His eyes grew wide with confusion, and my tense muscles slackened as control returned to my body. Somehow, the monster's spell had been broken. Ignoring the trickle of blood running down my neck, I raised my sword, and his confusion turned to fear. I stabbed downward with both hands and drove the blade into his chest.

  It was harder than I had expected, so I put my weight into it, leaning onto the hilt as I pushed the blade deeper into the Dalari's chest. By the end, I was practically lying atop him. Only inches away, I looked into his purple eyes one last time and watched the life disappear from them.

  I had done it.

  I killed a Dalari.

  A sigh of relief escaped me, but that relief vanished as the Dalari's head began to shudder and shake. There was something wrong with its left eye. It moved slightly and seemed to bulge outward. My face wrinkled in disgust. It looked like his eye was about to burst out of…

  The eye exploded in a sticky mess, and I caught a glimpse of something metallic blasting toward my face. It happened so fast that even my drug-enhanced brain could barely process the small mass of silver tendrils before they were on me.

  I slammed my hands to my face, but it was too late. The shiny hairball had slipped into my nostril. I felt it digging deeper into my nasal cavity. It was going for my brain. I was going to die.

  I clawed at my face, trying to rip it out. It was inside my head, crawling behind my eyes. Death would have been a mercy at this point.

  In a final act of desperation, I lowered my head, preparing to charge the stone wall of the cave. I'd scramble my own brains before this demon had a chance.

  But then I felt nothing. The pain had vanished completely, not even an itch between the ears.

  'Hello.'

  I spun around, looking for the speaker.

  'Be at ease.' The voice was feminine. Where was it coming from?

  "Show yourself," I screamed. The pain was gone, but panic consumed me. Something was terribly wrong.

  'Ethan, your heart rate is dangerously elevated,' the voice said. 'Calm yourself.'

  I put my hands to my ears, like a child who didn't want to listen. "Who are you? Who is Ethan?"

  'My apologies. Milton, calm yourself.' The voice was refined and proper. It reminded me of a baroness I had met once when I was younger, but this voice wasn't quite human. It sounded more like a human speaking into a tin can.

  "Don't call me Milton." I had always hated my first name, but I wasn't quite sure why I even cared at the moment.

  'Fine,' the voice said. 'What do you wish to be called?'

  "Musgrave," I said, using my last name.

  'Okay, Musgrave. Please take a moment to calm yourself. You are not in any danger.'

  As requested, I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. I tried to think about those peaceful days of nothingness back on my uncle's farm and not about the fact that something had just wriggled its way into my brain.

  It took some time, but my composure gradually returned, and my heart no longer felt like it was about to burst out of my chest. I opened my eyes. "I'm okay."

  'Splendid,' she said. 'I apologize for any distress I have caused.'

  My heart jumped again at her voice, but I kept a handle on my panic.

  'You may refer to me as Val,' she said. 'It is not my true name, but it will suffice for our interactions.'

  "What's your real name?" I asked, the sense of impending danger receding.

  'It does not matter, and you would not comprehend it if I told you.'

  "If it's not your name, why do you call yourself Val?"

  'Because I like it.' She sounded offended that I asked.

  I took another calming breath. "So, you're in my head now, right? You were in that Dalari's head, and now you're in mine."

  'That is correct.'

  "Why?"

  'To help save your world, of course.'

  "I…I don't understand," I said.

  'It will be easier, I think, to show you rather than tell you,' Val said. 'What I am about to do may be traumatic, but it is necessary. I hope you will forgive me for any further distress this may cause.'

  "Wha…" My words were cut off as my mind shattered into pieces. I was no longer in the cave. I was nowhere and everywhere. My body had no substance. I was a thought, spiraling into oblivion. My memories scattered like dust into a cold void. My existence ceased.

  Slowly, all my scattered, broken pieces began to recoalesce. I felt warm. Then hot. My mind burned like an inferno, a blazing star until all the heat and the light seemed like it would snuff me out for good.

  The next moment, I was on my porch, sitting in my favorite rocking chair. There was a Budweiser in my hand.

  Turning my head to the left, I saw my wife, Elena. She was so beautiful. Her dark hair absorbed the night, but her face shined in the moonlight. We had only been married for six months, but it had been the best six months of my life.

  We had just finished a cheesy romance movie she tricked me into watching before coming to sit on the porch together to admire the stars. We liked doing this, simply existing together in the quiet night. Life was perfect with her by my side.

  I took a swig from my beer and looked up to the stars. I let out a contented sigh.

  As I looked, the starry night sky above turned a bright, electric blue, forcing me to shield my eyes from the sudden blast of light. The sky hummed, and I could feel a pleasant energy radiating downward, like the warmth of the sun in autumn.

  In disbelief, my wife and I both stood from our chairs. My Budweiser fell from my hand.

  A blue field of pulsating energy covered the sky from horizon to horizon and beyond. It was mesmerizing and terrifying.

  I began to feel weak and collapsed back into my chair. My wife fell but missed her seat, landing on the porch, unconscious.

  Tiny particles, like dust, floated away from her. It was as if she were made of sand, blowing away into the wind.

  I closed my eyes to blink, but they remained shut. I wanted to open them and see my wife again, but I couldn't. I was already gone.