Year 2: The Battle of Rhodes - Chapter 14

Talon swiped Carnwennan at Mania’s waist, a strike the succubus easily avoided.

Then, she followed up with a flurry of quick stabs and thrusts, all of which Mania parried with ease, playfully throwing the occasional near miss attack at Talon in response.

She’s not taking me seriously!

Talon roared and switched her dagger around in her hand so the point was facing backwards and changed stances.

“Oh?” Mania licked some of the blood off her own dagger.

…I wonder.

Talon used her Divine Artifact’s ability to become invisible and began to move around the room rapidly, running to the left, then back on herself and stopping and starting, all to try and confuse Mania, but the demon followed her every movement with clarity.

“Without the element of surprise, this is nothing.”

To prove her point, Mania, without looking, flicked her dagger around her fingers and stabbed behind her, where Talon’s head had been. The French girl panicked and dropped to her knees, then sliced at Mania’s shins, but Mania jumped into the air, spun around and kicked Talon square in the face.

The hero went flying and collapsed against the far wall and Carnwennan slipped through her fingers.

Mania sheathed her dagger, took out her whip and sliced it through the air.

The leather wrapped tightly around Talon’s neck and began to choke her out.

“Don’t worry; when you wake up, you’ll be in a much better place.”

***

A bloodied mess filled with arrows fell from the rooftops with a horrific, wet thud.

“…Interesting,” Charybdis mused as she watched the twitching body of Dao Chen, struggling for life.

“What is, Lady Charybdis?”

“The heroes - some are incredibly strong given their inexperience, others have their past lives to give them an advantage, but there are those that are quite disappointing.” Her eyes narrowed at Dao Chen who tried to crawl away from the buildings, the Swan Cloak nearly peeling off her shoulders.

With a heavy sigh, Charybdis knocked an arrow against her bow. “You disappointed me, Dao Chen.”

***

“The time limit draws near.”

Suddenly, despite the two being in a fierce duel to the death, Hermes cancelled his next series of spells and gently floated to the floor.

“…What do you mean?” Stephanie asked, keeping up her guard, observing the general and his hands specifically for any additional spells he might use.

“The Demon Emperor gave us our orders and deadlines to complete them by. I have, sadly, failed in one of mine.” Hermes stuck out one of his long, bony fingers at her. “Your life - I shall take it, either by Awakening you or by killing you. I sincerely hope for the former.”

“…Did you think I’d just let you go?”

Hermes turned away from her and generated his portal. “You will, because you know who needs you at this very moment. If you delay.” He shot her a quick, parting glance. “He’ll die.”

***

Hailey skidded beneath David’s sword swung, then pounced up and thrust Excalibur at his stomach. He grabbed the blade with his free hand and threw her and it to the side, just as Kella came in to stab his eye with her spear. He moved his head to the side, then kicked Kella away, just as Hailey came charging back in.

David swung at her again with his claymore, but she blocked it with Pridwen, though she was sent sliding back a few metres as a result.

She smiled thinly and spat. “You’re not trying to kill me, are you?”

“…So?”

“So!” Hailey swung Excalibur out and golden energy began to envelope it. “That means I can go all out and you’ll still hold your punches. You really always did hold back if it meant upsetting me!”

She ran forward and swung her sword at him and a vibrant yellow arc made of magical energy extended from the blade. David used his own dark magic to destroy the energy attack, then he blocked and parried Hailey’s next two attacks. He tried to grab her chest plate, but Hailey avoided it as Kella’s spear flew at his neck.

She’d thrown it with great force at him, and he’d reflexively batted it away. Hailey didn’t waste that small opening and stabbed at his stomach, but Excalibur didn’t break through the metal and bounced off without leaving a scratch.

“That’s the second ever hit I’ve taken in Aangapea,” David mused as he swept his claymore at her feet. Hailey leaped backwards to avoid it, but David gave chase and punched her in the stomach, sending Hailey rolling backwards about ten metres.

Kella had reclaimed her spear and stood between David and Hailey, allowing the hero breathing room to get back up.

“…How well did you follow my lessons?”

Hailey swallowed. “To the letter.”

“Good.” Kella spun her spear around her body a few times, then took a stance where she had the weapon thrust forward. “Then, you’re the vanguard.”

“Roger that!”

Hailey charged forward and Kella followed half a second later, keeping close to the hero’s back.

“It doesn’t matter what you do,” David said confidently as he swung his claymore at Hailey.

She pushed the blow away with her shield, then thrust at David’s waist. David parried it away with his own sword and went to attack her, but Kella’s spear suddenly came at him from the opposite side, forcing David to block her attack instead.

“Instinct is what will keep you alive on the battlefield,” Instructor Kella had told Hailey’s team more often than once. “Instinct and trust in those around you. When…I used to be in a party, we all knew where one another were, our strengths, weaknesses and what we would most likely do next in battle. If my brother was fighting at the front with his shield, I’d be close by with my spear to skewer whatever he was fighting.

“If our ranger needed support, we knew about it long before he asked. If we needed our mage to cover us or to help, she’d have done it before we’d even thought about it.

“Work together. Train together. Trust each other and you’ll live.

“Instinct will take care of the rest.”

Kella had proven true to her own words.

Hailey, with Excalibur and Pridwen, was fighting David in close quarters while Kella was either at her back or side, attacking with her long reaching spear whenever she could.

They weren’t able to land powerful blows, but they were able to keep the Demon Emperor from counterattack.

The biggest issue, however, was their stamina versus his.

David hadn’t moved from his initial spot all that much and moved in heavy armour with a massive blade with ease.

They, with their lighter but still strong armour and weapons, were moving all the time, trying to break through the Demon Emperor’s seemingly invulnerable defences to no avail.

Sometimes, their weapons would strike his armour, but they couldn’t pierce it.

We need to hit the gaps, but he knows that and that’s when he moves the quickest to block us! Kella cursed beneath her breath and went for David’s eyes again, but he grabbed her spear and yanked her forwards.

Kella’s body slammed against Hailey, bringing them both closer towards the Demon Emperor, who forcefully disarmed the adventurer and then slammed her to the ground. Before Kella could splutter and wince from the pain, David stomped his boot onto her stomach, knocking the wind from her and leaving her unable to even gasp for air.

Hailey tried to strike, but David grabbed the fist that clutched Excalibur and slowly put great pressure onto her fingers, slowly cracking them and forcing her to let go off her sword.

“Da…vid…!”

He ignored her and yanked her arm out of its socket, before releasing her.

Hailey screamed wildly in pain as she fell onto her knees, but David paid her no mind.

“…I’ll ask you both now once and only one,” he said in a deep, booming voice. “Join me willingly or be Awoken.”

“…Dav…id…”

“Which will-?”

Kella’s dagger broke against his heel.

She’d drawn it from her waist and thrust it with all her remaining strength into his boot, and it did nothing.

Nothing but give David the answer he needed.

“Then-”

“David Athelward!”

Goosebumps rose on the back of David’s neck and, in a panicked frenzy, he darted forward, claymore in hand, and met Duncan’s Angurvadal.

Steel clashed.

The ground shook.

Shockwaves sent blasts of air out in all directions as Angurvadal and the Demon Emperor’s mighty sword emitted powerful magic, making their weapons glow a deep orange and black respectively.

Duncan let out a hearty war cry and activated five of his runes at once: Uruz for strength, Thuriaz for defense, Hagalaz to restore his stamina, Ehwaz to make his strikes faster, and finally Sowilo, one he’d just learnt how to use that allowed him to use fire magic.

A roaring inferno burnt brightly from off of Angurvadal, setting the ground around them on fire but it was quickly extinguished by the wind pressure from their clash.

Duncan pulled back first using Raidho to move faster, then he used it again to cut at David’s throat.

David parried the blade to the side and thrust his sword at Duncan’s chest. Duncan used Raidho again to block in time but he was sent tumbling backwards, though he quickly recovered and got back up onto his feet.

“Hailey! Instructor Kella! Are you okay?!”

“We’ll…live,” Hailey said through gritted teeth, before flashing him a small, bright smile. “I knew…you’d come back.”

“I promised I would…and.” He stared daggers at David, aiming Angurvadal at his head. “I won’t break this one.”

“…She’s dead then.”

David saw Duncan’s red eyes as the boy, frustrated and in agonising pain, bit his lip and wanted to scream, but he composed himself and took some deep breaths.

“…Chelsea…died long before I…” His glare intensified. “Do you know what her last words were?”

David shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“It does to me!”