Chapter 35: Bryan the Silverhand

Clashing of weapons echoed as the group begins to fight their way out and reached the fork. The panic screaming of officers ordering soldier to run and reinforce outside, drowned by explosions of cannons and spells, giving them relief.

Guards then pour into the corridor when a cannonball suddenly blast through, letting out shrieks before it ripped them apart, shaking Ardent and causing the rest to back away or fall.

They then heard the mob and looked out, seeing them reached the fourth level, the thunder of guns and cannon filling the air, as they began breaking down the castle gate.

They quickly ran to the secret entrance when another cannonball struck and collapsed the corridor, separating Ardent and Kurgren from the rest.

"Keep going we'll find another way!" Ardent ordered before he and Kurgren began fighting their way to the stairwell.

They then ran downstairs and reached the third floor.

There they exited from the southwest to the balcony ring above the banquet hall, covered in silk rugs and polished wooden rail, and above a large chandelier held by chains. The stairs at the north. And they dashed.

When a juggernaut suddenly breaks through the door of the northwest exit.

Ardent saw as the daemon grabbed Kurgren as he charged before he could react. Then slammed through the railing and off the floor.

Ardent quickly dashed towards Kurgren and only managed to touch his shoulder with a finger.

But it was enough. And with the word in his mind yelled.

"Tutelere!"

Kurgren briefly shimmered, showing the thin layer of the barrier, before he fell and crashed onto the table.

Intense pain then surges through Ardent, as the magical feedback send the pain fom the impact, causing him to stagger.

Giving the juggernaut time to swing and Ardent raised his shield.

A loud clang, like that of bells, echoes as Ardent staggers back in pain. The Urak strike cutting through his shield and into flesh, stopping mere inches away from muscles, before swinging for a second strike.

Arden braced again, fighting against the pain by burning away his emotions, and barely deflects the second strike. Causing the axe to gouge out a chunk of the shield. And staggered again, barely able to concentrate, then charges as the juggernaut swings.

And with a crunch he swings his shield to stop the strike, shattering it in half. Leaving the Urak vulnerable as he sinks his blade through his eye.

Ardent then cast heal before stopping halfway. Feeling only a quarter of mana left.

He then dashed down and helped Kurgren up when a sudden flash fills the room.

And they could only gape in horror as he saw Bryan, the dagger of the broken, in front of the exit, a silver sword in his right hand pointing at Kurgren.

"So, you're the bastard that caused it all. A fucking half-breed."

Ardent quickly moves in front of Kurgren and raised the remains of his shield. And Bryan chuckles.

"Do you think that piece of scrap will stop me. A demigod. "

He then twirls his sword to a reverse grip.

"Normally I would have given you a choice to abandon this quest for riches.

He then slammed the blade into the ground.

"But we're already past that point. I am Bryan Nyo. Lord of the black daggers. And your fate is sealed. But take some pride for dying to me."

Louise, Erhardt, and Solaina quickly ran down the castle, meeting up Zarad, Piper, and the prisoners, then Delphine with the sleeping Soloman. And notice something.

"Wait a tick. Where's Sofia?"

Delphine briefly explained what happened before they reach the exit to the sewers. Delphine, Zarad, and Piper went out first with the prisoners and the trio follows.

When another cannon strike caused caused the exit to collapse and separated them.

Solaina quickly tells them to continue before she, Erhardt, and Louise reached the first level hall with six pillars. And saw Curtis.

"By Ragnaroks your end shall be here!" He bellowed before flourishing his estoc.

Louise stare back at him.

"Give it up Curtis. Your outnumbered and the battle is lost."

Curtis chuckled then smiles, showing his razor-sharp teeth.

"It may be so. But, until the gates break, I can take satisfaction in killing the three of you. And besides."

He then swung his arms in a circular motion, which Louise recognized as the movement of a fire spell as she saw red threads of chi coming out from his familiar and forming symbols. Solaina takes aim and Erhardt charge without knowing.

"I faced much bigger."

He then punched with one foot forward as Louise quickly drew the specific dispel sign.

"AGNI PESUL. GRENTA!"

"ESPALIA!"

A bolt of fire erupts from Curtis fist as Louise cast. The dispel beam struck the bolt as it neared them.

A thunderous boom echoes as the bolt prematurely detonates. The force knocking back Louise and Solaina while the explosion struck Erhardt, burning half his body, and Curtis attacks the downed Dwarf.

Louise gets up and drew the initial circle with her wand. Causing small portals to the fae realms to opens as she draws out the five elemental threads and combine them to one spiraling strand at the wand tip and, like writing on parchment, drew the symbols needed for magic missile, energy bolt, essence seeking, and five multiplies. Then activates it with the word.

"Magia igneel."

Five bolts then formed and fired striking Curtis before he could attack, staggering him and leaving long but shallow cuts and bruises on where it struck. Before he recovered and Louise concentrates on him and activates her time power.

"Revalio!"

Time then began slowing from her perspective before multiple phantasms of Curtis sprang out. Each representing what possible actions he would in ten seconds ahead.

She saw three. One killing Erhardt, the other has him charging at them, and the last have him pulling his right leg back to shoot a flaming blade, and now had to choose.

Slowly she saw him move to the motion of the phantasms. Waiting till one of movements matched with only one. And then saw his right foot slowing going back followed by chi pooling around it.

She then stopped the spell, returning her perception of time, and yells to Solaina.

"Jump!"

And nary a second as he finished the movement, a roundhouse, and cast.

"AGNI CRESHIR!"

A crescent-shaped blade of fire than shot out from the kick arc towards them.

Louise ducks, thanking her shortness, and Solaina jumps as the crescent flew.

Curtis charged to Louise and Erhardt slowly gets up, regenerating new skin, and limped.

Louise pulls her cudgel and cast revelations on Curtis again as he readies to stab.

She moves back and deflects the strike. The force knocking her back.

She then raised her wand to Curtis, pulling strands of aether to the tip, and cast the few spells without symbols and close her eyes.

"FLEUR!"

Curtis screamed as intense light burst from the wand. Stumbling back and clutching his eyes and Louise quickly ran away and Solaina fires an explosive round.

Curtis heard the bang and activates the powder cantrip, allowing him to see where the bullet is coming from the trail of fire and powder, and cast a shield, shaped like a bowl to redirect the blast. A thunderous boom echoes as Curtis gets blown onto his back before his vision recovered.

Louises then pulled chi of fire and draw the symbols, fire bolt, spread out, and cone shape, then press her palm on the symbol.

"Agni eman."

A torrent of fire, thirty-foot-long, than spews from her palm before spreading into a cone shape toward Curtis.

But Curtis countered. Swiftly drawing symbols and saying a word Louise didn't know.

"Bersier."

A circle of magic, looking like a portal, than formed in front of him that absorbed the attack, causing his sword to glow red, before he swung it back at them.

Louise and Solaina quickly dove to the side as a blade of fire flew from his sword. Before getting up and charging towards Louise.

Louise cast revelations again and saw four phantasms of Curtis next strike.

One at her right, two left but ones a feint to the right, pulling back then stabs, or a kick followed by a stab.

Curtis then stabs left and Louise readies for the movement to follow either three. Then Curtis and Louise charge, knowing that she has a window to strike.

But Curtis smirked.

"You sorcerers are so predictable."

Then deflected her swing and she remembered the rule of revelation.

That while it predicts your opponent's possible moves. It's doesn't predict it with someone intervening during the window.

Curtis then kicked her side, knocking her down, then activates the cutting enchantment on his sword.

Louise eyes widen in horror as she saw the purple coated blade moved towards her. Sending her flying into a pillar when it struck, cutting diagonally from waist to shoulder, her shriek echoed through the hall as pain wracked her, blood leaking out of her gambeson.

Solaina fires her elven dragoon pistol at full power, firing a gout of chi, only for Curtis to conjure a buckler sized shield of wind that blocks it before she jumped back.

Curtis jets forward, casting windstep to dash as fast as the wind, and throws another fire kick. Only for Solaina to dodge, dashing forward, and fires her second dragoon.

Curtis barely dodged, the blast singed his shoulder and neck, before Solaina backflipped away.

Curtis drew two symbols, using fire and aether, on his blade, one explosion connected to switch, and threw his sword.

Solaina sidestep the blade, as Curtis expected, then snapped his fingers.

The aether symbol glowed and activated the fire rune, like pulling a trigger, causing the air to explode and expand outward staggering Solaina. The sword clanging against the floor.

Curtis than charged, fist raised and glowing with fire chi, but Solaina dodged, ducking from the foot-long gout of fire, and retaliates with a dragoon shot.

Curtis left shoulder burst in pain as the shot struck, sloughing off his skin till a red splotch of muscle remained. Yet Curtis bites back a yell, burning away his emotions and feeling of pain, and knees Solainas chest.

Solaina exhaled in pain, hearing the sickening snaps of breaking ribs. When Curtis grabs the collar of her gambeson and tossed her like a stone. Causing a dull thud as she hit the wall and fell unconscious.

Curtis than recalled his sword back to his hand, healed his shoulder, than raised his left hand to fire the coup de grace. When a gunshot echoed from behind and he turned, casting a shield that deflects the bullet aimed at his head before Erhardt barreled in, fully healed, with an uppercut.

The blow pushed Curtis back, blood dripping from his mouth, before he readies a punch, putting fire chi into it till none-mages see the red glow. But Erhardt quickly punched below his chest, at the diaphragm.

Curtis gagged as his breathing spasmed for a few seconds, causing the spell to fizzle out.

With gritted teeth Curtis retaliated and, flipping his sword to an icepick grip, slammed the pommel to Erhardt's head, letting out a clang as his helmet dents followed by a trickle of blood, then grabbed the pommel with his other hand and skewers Erhardt.

Erhardt gasped as it pierced through his chest. Slipping between the ribs and through his lung, before bouncing of the second bone cage guarding his heart, and out the back. Causing him to fall on his knees, his regeneration powers stabilizing him.

Curtis raised his free hand to cast the coup de grace when he heard the halfling.

"MAGIA PESUL!"

Curtis then saw a chi bolt flying towards him and missed. And saw Louise, barely standing with ragged breath.

"Was that all you could have conjured Halfling?"

He then saw Louise chuckling.

"It," she gasped in pain. "Wasn't for you." She smirked before fainting.

Curtis looked to confusion before he heard the doors cracked, having ignored the constant banging, and saw that the door lock was damaged. And swiftly pulls out his sword when the door breaks open in a shower of splinters.

Curtis quickly cast an aether shield, deflecting the few shrapnels that came at him, when a Vardskul barreled in and swung his club, a seven foot tree.

Arcane sparks flew as the club hits Curtis, sending him flying onto the wall that it cracked, before he fell on a knee and saw the mob streams in.

"FLUR LINDUS. GLODEN!" He yelled in panic.

A loud bang then echoed with a burst of light. Giving Curtis the window to grab his phylactery, a canister that has a one-use teleport to designated position, and smash it. Teleporting him to his second safehouse, but not before cursing at Louise.

The mob than recovered. The clerics running to the trio to heal them before a boom echoed and the room shook.