Gorro Atome's Arc

Chapter 2 of 6

The three guards fanned out around Gorro, boots crunching on the forest floor. They took position against a triangle of tall, flat-topped boulders, using the stones as cover. Past the rocks, a thick bundle of dead twigs marked the edge of the clearing. Beyond that line waited the Dragon King. Gorro drew his sword. So much for a silent approach. The lead guard swung first. Steel met steel. Gorro held the block, then twisted free as the other two lunged. He ducked one spear and slid under the other. His boots found solid ground between the boulders. He breathed in, gathered his weight, and raised his blade high. "Tide Smasher," he said. The sword came down in one wide arc. The strike cut through all three guards before they could lift their weapons again. They dropped against the stones and did not rise. Gorro stood in the sudden quiet. Then the air behind the twigs went heavy. A shadow rose past the boulders, taller than the trees. Hot breath rolled over his back. The Dragon King had not fled. It had come to him.