CHAPTER 25: FINN

The rain did little to wash away the stench of blood. It clung to the air like thick smoke.

The five prisoners had left the mansion. The man in the eye patch lead the group onwards. The other prisoners trailed behind, some were eager and others were hesitant.

To them, this mission was a death sentence. They could flee and try to run, but they knew Alaric and Lady Genevieve’s reputation. That fate would be worse than being eaten alive.

The man in the eyepatch looked happy. It had been awhile since he saw the outside world and got to smell fresh air.

After a few steps in the outside world, they were met with a defining roar. It was a reminder of the chaos that awaited them.

The main line was a writhing mass of soldiers, wyrms, and fire drakes locked in vicious combat.

He didn’t run blindly into the battle like one of the prisoners. One prisoner ran straight ahead and jumped over the line to fight the dragons.

Another prisoner ran to the east. He was making a run for it while he had the opportunity. "Fool, that will be his biggest mistake he’ll ever make." The eye patch man said.

Using his one good eye, he scanned the battlefield noting where the dragons were clustered and where the infantry line started to waver.

Then he saw it, one section of the line was being overrun by drakes. Alalric was busy dealing with his own drakes and wyrms that rushed him.

"There, that’s where we’re headed." He said aloud. He rushed forward without looking back.

Two prisoners followed him, one was armed with a chipped great axe and another had a short spear.

The prisoner who fled was as good as dead.

--

A drake broke through the enemy line, charging toward a soldier whose sword arm hung limp. The drake was mere feet away as it was about to swallow the man whole.

The man with the eye patch sped up exponentially compared to the other two. He gripped his spear hard and scorched the ground where he jumped.

His spear began glowing red, fire magic swirled around his spear before it blurred. It punctured through the drake’s skull and shattered its jaw.

The beast dropped without so much as a cry of death. He yanked his spear free in a single motion, the blackened shaft was covered in blood.

Another drake lunged at him from his blind spot. He lifted his free hand and a large burst of fire magic bloomed from his hand. A narrow cone of searing orange light consumed the drake whole.

The smell of burning meat cut through the damp air.

The soldier he saved gave him a startled look. He pointed his sword up, unsure if he should fight or thank him.

"Fi... Fi.. Finn... what are you doing here!!!"

The man just smiled and charged forward towards the drakes.

Where other men stumbled in the rain and mud, he ran swiftly. He moved like flowing water and his spear danced between one dragon to the next.

Each strike was perfectly placed and kill wyrms and drakes with one strike. He showed how strong he was considering dragons had an increased resistance to physical damage.

When a wyrm tried to sneak up behind him, he slammed the butt of the spear into the mud. He channeled fire magic into the tip of his spear.

He kicked the bottom of his spear forward and lunged the spear backwards into the wyrm’s belly. It screamed loudly and tried to scurry away.

He cooked the beast from the inside before it could do anything. While some soldiers struggled and the prisoners fought with brute force swingly wildly only thinking about getting free sooner.

Finn was like a predator, hunting prey that looked like little ducklings to him.

As another drake rushed forward to try and end Finn’s life, his one good eye changed from red to gold. His eye glowed faintly, and he could see the world as it moved slowly.

He could see everything. He saw where the drake was going to strike. He saw every step, every breath taken and even when it would leap.

He didn’t need to guess what would happen. He side stepped out of the way, and the drake missed him.

Before the drake landed, a spear jammed through the back of its neck. He pulled the spear out and blood sprayed upward, covering him in blood.

Finn chuckled to himself, "I still got it."

While he was thinking and talking to himself more drakes rushed forward.

He didn’t bother to acknowledge them. He put his hands together and pushed them towards the drakes.

"Flame Wave!"

Flames shoot up from in front of him in a wave. They rushed forward and crashed down on the dragons. When the flames died, only charred ashes were left where the beasts once stood.

Some of the soldiers stared in shock as they watched Finn. They whispered to each other trying to determine whose side he was on.

--

In the distance, lightning crackled, painting the battlefield in different hues of purple.

Finn’s eye narrowed. He knew this wasn’t normal lightning, someone or something was playing around.

Through the haze, Finn saw a boy standing over the corpse of a drake. He had a spear in hand and looked like he had just finished a training exercise.

The air around him crackled with electricity. "Well, well." Finn murmured. "This must be the boy."

He speared another drake without even looking. His gaze was locked onto Jack. Each step he took brought him closer to Jack.

Anything foolish enough to stand in his way was mowed down or turned to ash as he got closer to Jack.

His eye flickered gold again. He saw a drake shortly about to lunge its claws into Jack’s head.

Finn bolted forward, the drake’s claws glowed orange as it reached from Jack’s neck.

Right before the moment of impact, Finn impaled the drake through one eye and put through the next.

Jack spun, spear in hand, raised at Finn’s face. ’Your not one of my father’s soldiers.’ He said, his voice filled with suspicion.

"You could say that." Finn tilted his head. "The name’s Finn."

’Is that name supposed to mean something to me?’

"Not yet, but it will." Finn’s eye gleamed as a bolt of thunder struck behind Jack.

System, who is this guy?

[Finn ??]

[Level: 72]

[Affinity: Fire, ??, ??]

Strength: 250

Stamina: 84

Agility: 122

Vitality: 100

Endurance: 100

Magic: 242

Mana: 890

HP: 6,727

Magic Talent Rank: ??

Martial Talent Rank: ??

What in the.... Who is this guy? His stats are ridiculous.

Jack’s eyes darted to his wrists. They were scarred and black.

’Who was holding you captive.’ Jack asked with a puzzled look.

"You can thank your mother for that."

’My mother?? She’s a kind soul, she wouldn’t do such a thing.’

"You clearly do not know your mother’s reputation. People fear your mother more than your father. You should ask her how she got the nickname Lady Mania.

Any sane man who scores her wrath knows better than to do anything to upset her. She is beautiful, but also bat shit crazy."