The Alchemist's Lair: Part 12

We were, anyway you look at it, at a disadvantage. Our enemy was blocking all the possible escape routes, and they had their guns trained at our position. While they were unable to hit us, since we were in cover, they were ready to eliminate us the moment we popped out. And with every second we were hesitating, we gave the enemy sorcerer more time to conjure some spell that would flush us out at best, and straight up kill us at worst. Decisive action needed to be taken.

Annabel was, luckily, up to the task. Her hands were slightly trembling, but she made the required gestures and whispered an incantation nonetheless. As she finished, a gust of wind formed in the center of the room, briefly knocking everyone present off-balance. It didn’t do any damage, but it wasn’t supposed to – it had the intended effects of buying us enough time to leap out of cover and seize the initiative.

We were still outnumbered. Facing us were five regular bandits (the surviving net thrower plus four others), the mage, and Goyko. This advantage was not to last long, however. Rhombus instantly targeted an enemy swordsman, who managed to parry but was electrocuted for his effort and went down. My opponent attempted to block with his rifle, but the power of my blow knocked him off-balance, and I delivered another strike to his face, smashing his jaw and knocking him out of the fight. Gandor lacked unnatural strength or magical weapons, so he engaged in a fierce duel with a mace-wielding bandit.

Goyko identified Rhombus and his magic sword as the biggest threat, so he and a cudgel-wielding bandit attacked him, forcing him on the defensive. The last unengaged enemy recovered from the wind spell enough to take aim and attempt to shoot me, but I managed to evade before he could pull the trigger and charged at him. He threw his rifle at me, forcing me to block it and buying him time to draw a shortsword. Learning from my previous opponent’s mistake, he didn’t even bother trying to parry, opting instead to dodge my swing altogether, countering with a swift swipe, managing to make a shallow cut on my chest. The enemy mage, meanwhile, attempted some spell to support his allies, but Annabel pestered him by launching small objects in his general direction, and he gave up on the large attack to fend her off and respond in kind.

Wizard duels are often imagined by those who never witnessed them as these grand clashes of epic spells, but that is usually not the case. There are, to be sure, cases of particularly skilled mages who are capable of annihilating armies with but a single word, but for those who lack such immense talent and skill, powerful spells take time to prepare and cast. Wizards, thus, shine when fighting in a group, where they can stay in relatively safe spots, picking the most useful spell for the occasion and supporting their allies from behind. One-on-one magic battles, when they happen, involve a lot of weak spells and cantrips, attempting to create an opening long enough for a proper incantation, which can end the fight. This was the kind of battle Annabel and the bandit mage got into.

Meanwhile, our regular fights proceeded. Gandor was slowly gaining the advantage, pushing his opponent back. Rhombus was briefly on the verge of being overwhelmed, but then managed to leap back over the counter. The cudgel-wielding bandit attempted to follow him, thinking he would have enough time before Rhombus recovered from the haphazard leap. This turned out to be a lethal mistake, as the young noble lunged at him from below and ran him through.

Freeing his sword from his opponent’s torso, Rhombus sprinted around the counter and, his confidence boosted, went on the offensive. He was trying to aim for gaps in Goyko’s armor, but that was easier said than done. The ceramic armor provided protection from the electric enchantment, and the bandit leader was experienced enough to avoid getting hit in any critical areas. Then, blocking one of the noble’s swings with the armor on his axe arm, Goyko unexpectedly countered with his left. This caught Rhombus by surprise, and the armored fist punched him straight in the face. Before his foe could fully recover, the bandit swung his axe. Rhombus attempted to block, but was only able to somewhat mitigate the blow, which cut deeply into his shoulder. Goyko immediately followed this attack with a kick, breaking a few ribs and getting his axe unstuck from the wound in the process. The young noble fell to the ground, unconscious.

Simultaneously, I was getting my own fight wrapped up. My enemy was a competent fighter, but he didn’t manage to get a single serious hit in, and each time I successfully blocked, his blade was getting worse for wear and was chipped and dull in no time. Eventually, the bandit’s concentration briefly slipped, and he launched a particularly sloppy attack, which I used to put a bit more force in my block. This managed to break my opponent’s sword, opening him up for a counterattack. He was a slippery fellow, managing to dodge several more blows, but he had no means to fight back anymore. I wasn’t going to give him an opportunity to rearm himself. Soon enough, I managed to strike him across the back, allowing me to land another, stronger attack, and the fight was won.

My victory just so happened to come at the exact last moment to save Rhombus’s life. I charged at Goyko as he was raising his axe, and, hearing me getting closer, he turned around to engage me. I turned out to be a better match for the bandit leader than my, at that point, significantly more skilled, ally. He wasn’t able to shrug off my attacks the way he could the noble’s sword swings, and thus couldn’t fully seize the initiative.

Around this time, Gandor’s fight was nearing its climax. He managed to disarm his opponent, who, retreating, stumbled and fell. As the bodyguard was approaching to finish the job, he failed to notice he was stepping on the net, left on the ground after the colossal automaton’s demise. The brigand turned out to be more perceptive and, tugging on the net, knocked Gandor to the ground, turning the tables. As the treasure hunter was getting back on his feet, the bandit fumbled around his belt and managed to draw a handgun, shooting several times with shaking hands. He managed to hit his opponent twice, in the hip and shoulder, but by that time, Gandor was already charging, and stabbed the bandit through the neck before he even registered the injuries. His enemy was already dead by the time he realized how badly he was wounded, stumbled a few steps, and sat down, leaning on the wall. He was in no condition to continue the fight.

The dance of death between Goyko and me continued. He was a large man and unused to fighting opponents surpassing him in brute strength, so I managed to put him on the back foot. Several exchanges of blows later, his armor was cracked in several places, and he had been unable to get a single hit in so far. After parrying yet another attack, I spotted an opening and swung at his head. There was a satisfying clang, he was knocked off-balance, and dreaded cracks appeared on his helmet. Getting greedy and thinking I could finish the fight, I attempted another swing at the same target. Goyko, however, recovered faster than I had expected and launched an attack of his own. I desperately tried to block, but only managed to redirect the blow, and was hit in the thigh instead of the torso. Instinctively, I pushed him away with all my might, and he lost his grip on the weapon, which fell from my leg to the ground.

We were in a stalemate of sorts. My injured leg was hampering my movement, and attempting to move in for an attack would give my opponent an advantage. Relying on my gun also wasn’t an option – his armor could tank at least a few more shots, and he could use the opportunity to go on the offensive. Goyko, on the other hand, was unarmed, and by now the head blow he had suffered probably had a non-trivial effect on his manual dexterity. He was pondering whether to stand his ground or attempt to retreat. We were both sneaking glances at the finale of the still ongoing mage duel, knowing that its outcome was to decide the victor of the whole engagement.

Things came to a conclusion quickly and, it seemed initially, disasterously for my side. One of the pieces of debris the bandit wizard was throwing around managed to hit Annabel straight in the forehead. While she was unable to counter, he unleashed another one of his lightning spells. This one, luckily for her, was not that strong, though I doubt she was feeling very fortunate as she was convulsing on the floor. I spent a moment pondering how to disrupt the mage without giving Goyko any free hits, finally settling on throwing my rod at the wizard and attempting to get the axe from the floor before the bandit leader could reach me. Before I could put this plan into action, however, gunshots echoed throughout the room. There was a look of disbelief on the wizard’s face, shocked to be killed in such a prosaic way, and as crimson stains popped up on his shirt, he dropped to the ground. As it turned out, Rhombus managed to regain consciousness and reached for his gun just in time to save us from defeat.

Seeing the fight was lost, Goyko attempted to run away. This was not good. If he were able to reach any of his allies and lead them back to us, we would have had barely any chance of another victory. Luckily, Annabel had enough presence of mind left after enduring the electrocution to telekinetically grab the bandit leader’s axe and fling it at his legs, making him stumble and fall. She then began a more complex incantation, managing to finish it before the enemy could get back on his feet, and he was enveloped in a stream of fire.

It was several minutes later that the gut-wrenching screams finally stopped.