Earthbreaker's Promise
Chapter 4 - Zanna

Zanna’s blood was boiling. While she waited for the army to reach her, there had been no way to avoid seeing the destruction from the day before. A lot of it had burned, but not all. Bodies of men, women and children still littered the streets here and there, most with wounds that had been made while they fled. Zanna had been forced to cover her mouth and turn away after coming upon the charred corpse of a woman huddled around a small bundle, trying to protect her child with her body even at the end.

Since then, she had waited just at the edge of the kingdom, her hands clenched hard enough that her claw tipped gauntlets creaked with strain. In her mind’s eye, ripples spread across the small pond. Her power roiling as it fed from her anger. Then a single scout had appeared at the top of the hill and she had waved, baring her teeth even though the man wouldn’t be able to see it.

Her wait hadn’t been long after that. Soon enough the human army stood atop the hill, at least a thousand strong just as Ambrose said. Three men towards the front seemed to be deciding on how to approach.

Come to your deaths, murderers. I have other matters to attend to.

Almost in answer to her silent prompting, a roaring battle cry sounded and they urged their horses forward. Behind them, their archers released their first volley and she watched the dark shapes arc up into the air. Zanna exhaled and stretched her powers out towards the approaching forces. At only a hundred feet her influence started to fall away and she cursed.

My reach is a joke compared to what it once was.

Then a slight smile started to form on Zanna’s face. Only one way to account for that, she thought and started walking forwards. Soon she was running, focusing a small amount of power below each footfall, using it to push herself forwards at a breakneck pace.

By the time their arrows came down on her starting location, Zanna had closed the distance to two hundred feet between her and the first of the coming riders. Shouted orders and cries of alarm rang out as they realized their quarry was already among them. Slowing, Zanna used her power to springboard herself into the air before ripping a chunk of earth from the ground and landing atop it. They would learn whose wrath they had courted before she destroyed them.

“My name is Zanna!” She shouted, crouched above them with her fangs fully bared. Eyes widened at what she had already done. Yet they had seen nothing compared to what she was about to do.

“You have invaded my lands. Burned my kingdom. Killed my people.” A hurled javelin was caught in mid air. She slowly turned it back towards its sender and held it there. To the humans, the javelin disappeared but they all turned as a cry of pain rang out among them that ended in a wet gurgle. The man who had thrown it was laying against the ground, a hole in his armor. The javelin itself was nowhere to be seen, it was buried in the earth below.

“Surely you heard the tales of the goddess who resides here?” She continued. “The one they call, Earthbreaker?”

The very air itself seemed to hold its breath as an awful pressure built. Zanna made eye contact with one of the riders on horseback who had long blonde hair and a small smile on his face. Then she raised her arm and splayed her fingers.

“I am Earthbreaker!” She roared and brought her hand down. An awful crash sounded, followed by screams as more than a hundred men were crushed several feet into the ground and left with their bodies broken inside a hand shaped crater. Then Zanna threw herself from her perch and into motion.

She had knocked the heads from three soldiers before a peel of laughter rang out. “Form up men!” A voice called. “One abomination will not stop us!”

Their trance broken, they chose to rush her all at once. Zanna seemed to dance across the battlefield, dodging spears, swords and axes alike while killing everyone that came close. A man of about her size with a hammer came closer than any others and for his efforts she made a ripping motion from side to side with her hands and watched him fall, screaming, into a hole in the earth that she closed around him.

“Erik!” Someone screamed as if their heart was breaking. Zanna didn’t care. Maintaining the Vault had kept her from the field of battle for too long. The pained screams of the dead and dying were like music to her ears. The warm blood racing throughout her limbs felt heady and exhilarating. She was death incarnate. And Death cared not for the lives it took.

Whirling, she enhanced her strikes with her power and punched through a shield, feeling warm blood coat her hand as it plunged inside the soldier’s chest and pulled free his still beating heart. Before his body had time to crumple and fall she had opened another fissure, this one swallowed hundreds. From the corner of her eye she noticed a figure retreating on horseback. In one smooth movement she grabbed a fallen javelin, jumped in the air and sent it streaking across the sky. Falling, she watched as the projectile pierced the horse’s side, sending the horse and his rider to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Landing, she made a fist and punched towards the ground creating a shockwave that killed everyone near the impact point as their organs ruptured. A massive cloud of dirt and grass were kicked up into the air, effectively concealing Zanna while she worked through those who were left. All the while she could hear the sound of a man’s laughter; it was rich, warm and tinged with madness.

When the cloud cleared, Zanna was breathing hard but otherwise unharmed. Hundreds of bodies lay torn apart and broken around her. While holes in the earth had swallowed most that were left. Still, the laughter rang out.

Zanna turned, only a few feet away the soldier with long blonde hair stood along with a half dozen men. His helmet was gone, either lost or removed at some point during the scuffle and a deep gash on the side of his handsome face sent blood running down his chin to where it dripped onto the ground. Even injured, the man’s chest heaved with great peels of laughter that left his sword trembling in his grip and his eyes twinkling merrily.

This fool is having the time of his life.

Out loud she said, “who are you, soldier?”

His laughter dissolved into choked giggles before he could finally speak. The entire time Zanna kept one eye peeled on the archers still in the distance and the other on the remaining soldiers. Would they worry about friendly fire with so few remaining?

“My name is Arlington.” He said, face stretched in a wide grin. The name tugged at Zanna’s memory but it refused to reveal itself. “And my title is infamous among you creatures.”

“The Laughing Death.” Zanna said, as it came to her. She had heard about a human who had made a name for himself by hunting rogue Others. No one knew how many had died by his hands so far, only that he always returned alive.

“The Queen knows of me. I feel honored.”

“You should be afraid, you’ve seen what I did to your fellow countrymen. And they were not recognized killers of my people.”

“And you should be thankful, Queen Zanna. I did your work for you. When was the last time you had to round up your own Rogues?”

“This banter will not prolong your life.”

“Then kill me, Earthbreaker.” Arlington said and charged.

Zanna frowned as she found herself forced into deflecting the quick swing. Pushing off with her power she created more distance between them. Yet as she landed Arlington was on her again, his sword whistling through the air.

Grunting, Zanna rolled to avoid it. Such speed, no wonder he can fight rogues by himself. She pushed outward with a burst of power meant to knock him back and Arlington rammed his sword into the ground as an anchor. Still, Zanna had time to recover and get back to her feet just in time to dodge several thrown javelins.

“If you're so eager to die I will oblige you!” She called and stretched her arm out towards them. To their credit they immediately rolled in opposite directions, separating. It wasn't enough.

Zanna clenched her fist and brought them all slamming back into each other, several cried out as bones broke on impact. She could feel the soldiers struggling against the force that held them like tiny quakes going up and down her arm. Lip curled, she into the air and reveled in their screams as they fell. Then turning, she saw that the Laughing Death was once again closing the distance.

This time Zanna braced herself as Arlington came tearing towards her. He seemed oddly able to predict her powers, which was something she wished she had time to study. As it was, she would let him get close, then end it. And that was when she felt it. Zanna’s breath left her in a rush as an awful boom sounded that only she could hear. Her sight was stolen as a vision of an obsidian pillar that looked to be filled with thousands of stars came to her.

No, no, no. A crack in the Vault. Not now. I have to-

Her senses returned to her as Arlington’s sword pierced her armor and bit deeply into her shoulder. Zanna felt her left arm go limp and released a cry of pain, letting her power explode outwards. The sword was pulled free as Arlington was launched into the air, landing in a crumpled heap several feet away.

Zanna raised her hand to send another wave of power crushing down against him when she heard another boom from the Vault. This one was loud enough to send her to her knees and the archers saw their opportunity. With a groan she struggled to her feet, startled at her own weakness and doing her best to ignore the warm blood soaking her body underneath the armor.

She didn’t waste any time swatting the arrows from the air. An assisted leap carried her to the archers. Only a few were able to compose themselves before she was upon them. They died screaming as a rage fueled wave of power crushed them where they stood.

Turning, Zanna faced the castle and the mountain behind it. The earlier arrows meant for the Earthbreaker thudded harmlessly into the ground as she launched herself into the air, streaking across the sky like a comet.

So long as I live. The Void will not escape their prison.