Mistborn Trilogy - Brandon Sanderson [860]
He leaped, dropping a coin, flaring his metals. He passed through curling mist, looming over the village and its frightened occupants, his mistcloak flaring. Several of the homes were burning. And, by that light, he could see the hulking dark forms of koloss moving through the streets. Elend picked a beast who was raising its weapon to strike, then Pulled. Below, he heard the koloss grunt, but it managed to hang onto its weapon. However, the koloss itself wasn’t that much heavier than Elend—and so it was Pulled up into the air by one arm as Elend was yanked downward. Elend Pulled himself against a door hinge as he fell, edging himself just to the side of the confused flying koloss. He sprayed the beast with coins as he passed.
Beast and weapon spun in the air. Elend landed in the street before a huddled group of skaa. The flying koloss’s weapon hit the ashen earth point-first beside him. The koloss itself dropped dead on the other side of the street.
A large group of koloss turned, bloodred eyes shining in the firelight, frenzy making them excited about the prospect of a challenge. He would have to frighten them first, before he’d be able to take control of them. He was looking forward to that this time.
How could they possibly have once been people? Elend wondered, dashing forward and yanking the fallen koloss sword from the ground as he passed it, throwing out a spray of black soil. The Lord Ruler had created the creatures. Was this what had happened to those who had opposed him? Had they become koloss to make his army? The creatures had great strength and fortitude, and could subsist on the barest of sustenance. Yet, to make men—even your enemies—into monsters such as this?
Elend ducked forward, dropping one beast by shearing its legs at the knees. Then he jumped, lopping off the arm of another. He spun, slamming his crude sword through the chest of a third. He felt no remorse at killing what had once been innocents. Those people were dead. The creatures that remained would propagate themselves by using other humans unless they were stopped.
Or unless they were controlled.
Elend cried out, spinning through the group of koloss, wielding a sword that should have been too heavy for him. More and more creatures took notice, turning to tromp down streets lit by the light of burning buildings. This was a very large group, by scout reports—some thirty thousand in number. That many would quickly overrun such a small village, annihilating it like a small pile of ash before storm winds.
Elend would not let that happen. He fought, killing beast after beast. He’d come to gain himself a new army, but as the time passed, he found himself fighting for another reason. How many villages such as this one had been destroyed without anyone in Luthadel pausing to give so much as a passing thought? How many subjects—claimed by Elend, even if they didn’t know it—had he lost to the koloss? How many had he failed to protect already?
Elend sheared a koloss head free, then spun, Pushing two smaller beasts away by their swords. A massive twelve-footer was stomping forward, weapon raised. Elend gritted his teeth, then raised his own sword, flaring pewter.
Weapon met weapon in the blazing village, metal ringing like a forge under the hammer. And Elend stood his ground, matching strength with a monster twice his height.
The koloss stood, dumbfounded.
Stronger than I should be, Elend thought, twisting and cutting the surprised creature’s arm free. Why can’t that strength protect the people I rule?
He cried out, slicing the koloss clean through at the waist—if only to show that he could. The beast fell into two gory pieces.
Why? Elend thought with rage. What strength must I possess, what must I do, to protect them?
Vin’s words, spoken months ago back in the city of Vetitan, returned to him. She’d called everything he did short-term. But, what more could he do? He was no slayer of gods, no divine hero of prophecy. He was just a man.
And, it seemed that these days, ordinary men—even Allomancers