Chapter 11: The Flames of Defiance
The wind stirred the trees outside the safehouse, whispering through the branches like a warning. The air carried the scent of distant fire — the ruins of Duskmoor still smoldering somewhere beyond the woods. Alexis stood in the doorway, his body a storm of tension and exhaustion, but his resolve was iron. The system hummed at the edge of his mind, steady and cold.
'Hostile forces detected. Proximity: 1,000 meters. Estimated arrival: six minutes'.
Elara and the older man were gone. The sound of their hurried footsteps had already faded into the woods. That was good — they had a chance now. But it left him alone.
And the Church was coming.
The wind shifted again. This time, it carried a sound: the rhythmic clank of armored boots on stone and dirt. Faint, but growing louder. Alexis's heartbeat quickened, but his breathing stayed even. He stepped away from the door and moved into the clearing outside, his boots brushing against the dry grass. The forest loomed around him, dark and expectant.
He waited.
They emerged from the trees like specters. Five Inquisitors. Five instruments of the Church's will.
The lead figure was tall and gaunt, his face hidden behind a steel mask etched with the Church's sigil. A longsword rested at his side, its edge already gleaming in the dim light. To his right, a woman twirled twin daggers — the blades singing a faint, dangerous shing as they spun. Behind her loomed a heavyset man with a war hammer resting on his shoulder, each step he took making the ground tremble with a low thud.
The last two moved like wolves — a pair of lithe figures armed with curved sabers, their eyes locked onto Alexis like they were already planning how to carve him apart.
> Hostile assessment complete, the system whispered. Primary threat: Swordbearer. Secondary threat: Dual-saber wielders. Prioritize evasion.
The Swordbearer tilted his head, voice smooth and cold. "You survived Duskmoor. That makes you… interesting."
The dagger-wielding woman grinned, her weapons spinning faster. Shing. Shing. "The bounty on your head is enough to buy a kingdom. Why don't you come quietly?"
The war hammer wielder cracked his neck, the motion followed by a low rumble. "Or don't. I'd prefer that."
Alexis's fingers curled into fists. His body ached from days of training, and the embers of his newly awakened power still smoldered inside him — unstable and incomplete. But it would have to be enough.
He took a slow breath. "Come and take me."
The Swordbearer moved first.
Shing!
The sound of his sword leaving its sheath was like lightning striking steel. He crossed the clearing in a heartbeat, faster than any normal man should be. Alexis twisted aside just as the blade hissed past his face, the wind of its passage slicing cold against his skin.
> Alert: Agility check passed.
Alexis struck back. His fist lashed out, aimed for the Inquisitor's side — but the man was already moving. Steel flashed again. Alexis barely threw himself backward in time, the sword's edge grazing his shirt and leaving a burning line across his chest.
Shing! Clang!
Their next exchange was a flurry of motion — the Swordbearer's blade a silver blur, Alexis's body moving on instinct. The system whispered corrections into his mind, guiding his dodges by fractions of an inch. The air filled with the sharp, metallic shing of each swing, the clash of blows that barely met.
But the others weren't waiting.
Thoom!
The war hammer came down like a thunderclap. Alexis rolled aside just before the ground cracked beneath the impact, shards of stone flying. The twin-saber wielders struck next — one from the left, one from the right.
Shing! Shing!
Alexis twisted, the first saber's edge missing him by inches. He caught the second on his forearm — pain flared as the blade bit deep — but he kept moving, slamming an elbow into one attacker's ribs. The man grunted but didn't fall.
The dagger woman appeared at his back.
Shing!
He felt the air shift just in time. Alexis spun, catching her wrist mid-strike — but she was fast, twisting free with a hiss of frustration. "Slippery little thing, aren't you?"
"Not slippery enough," the war hammer wielder rumbled.
The weapon came again.
Whoomph!
Alexis ducked, but the wind of its passage nearly took his balance. Before he could recover, the twin sabers struck again — slicing through the air in synchronized arcs.
Shing! Shing!
One blade scored his side, the pain sharp and immediate. Blood soaked his shirt, but he didn't slow. He couldn't.
> Mana stabilization: 40% complete.
He needed more time. More power.
The Swordbearer was already on him again. Their swordsong filled the clearing — a relentless rhythm of steel and death. Alexis dodged and wove, each near-miss slicing the air with that razor-edged shing.
But five opponents were too many.
Thud!
The war hammer caught him in the ribs. The impact sent him skidding backward, his breath coming in short, ragged bursts. His vision swam. The dagger woman closed in, her grin wicked.
"Bleeding already?" she teased.
"Not enough," Alexis spat.
He moved.
The first saber strike came — he slipped past it. The second — he caught the attacker's wrist and twisted, breaking bone with a sickening crack. The man's scream was short-lived. Alexis kicked his legs out from under him and drove his heel into his face as he fell.
One down.
The war hammer descended again.
Thoom!
Alexis rolled, the ground shattering where he'd stood a second before. He came up fast — his fist smashing into the hammer wielder's jaw with brutal force. The man staggered, but stayed standing.
The Swordbearer's blade flashed.
Shing!
Alexis caught it with his bare hand. Blood ran down his arm, but he held on — and drove his other fist into the Inquisitor's masked face. Once. Twice. The third blow sent him sprawling.
The last saber-wielder lunged.
Shing!
Alexis sidestepped, seized the man's arm, and used his momentum to hurl him into the war hammer wielder. They crashed to the ground in a tangled heap.
Only the Swordbearer and the dagger woman remained.
The clearing was silent save for their ragged breathing. The forest held its breath.
The Swordbearer rose slowly. "What are you?" he whispered.
Alexis didn't answer.
The two attacked as one — sword and dagger, speed and precision. Alexis met them head-on. The system's guidance sharpened his every move, pushing his battered body beyond its limits.
'Mana stabilization: 100% complete'.
The power inside him surged.
The Swordbearer's final strike came — a blinding arc of steel.
Shing!
Alexis caught the blade.
And the world exploded in fire and shadow.
The fight was over.