Chapter 464: Chapter 461: Hollow Shade Docks Part 2

Chapter 461: Hollow Shade Docks Part 2

 

  …1 hour before dusk…

 

  The horns of the eastern wall echoed loudly. The nearby watch towers mimicked the call with their own horns, causing a rippling effect throughout the city until all of Hollow Shade heard the warning cry.

  Loh ran across the parapet, pushing past guards and battlements every few steps. Orange mana filled her veins and quickened her muscles. The horns resounded in her ears, a sense of panic rising in her chest every time. As she neared the eastern battlements, she glanced out at the docks in the distance. Pillars of smoke rose from several buildings and even a few ships had been set alight. She couldn’t grasp the full damage from so far away, but it was no doubt the work of the enemy.

  They shouldn’t be here yet, she thought as she ran. A small strike force, perhaps? A raiding party?

  “General Noir!?” a guard called out in recognition.

  Loh glanced back in front of her and came to a halt. A crowd of soldiers stood in front of her, watching her with a mix of anxiety and fear. She realized she had finally arrived at the eastern primary defense forces. 

  “Where is Bulwark Commander Octavia?” Loh asked breathlessly.

  “I’m right here.” A tall brawny orc stepped out from the crowd. “Make it quick, Noir, I’m busy,” she said.

  Loh glanced at the commander and the trebuchet battlements lined across the wall. Dozens of soldiers were rushing back and forth, tinkering with the ropes, and placing the enchanted boulders into trebuchets’ sling.

  “You’re going to hurl those things at the docks?” Loh said in horror. “There are innocents still down there!”

  “I am aware, but the enemy is down there as well,” Octavia said grimly. “The docks are already lost.”

  “So you’re just going to give up on all those people!?”

  Octavia shook her head in disgust. “You nobles and your ideals. This is war, I thought you’d understand what that meant, but it seems you are the same as that Ashe boy.”

  “Ashe?” Loh blinked. “What are you talking about?”

  “Captain Kassian Ashe took a battalion of soldiers to aid in the defense of the docks. A fool’s folly,” Octavia spat.

  “I warned him not to go!” a familiar voice interjected. A dwarf pushed through the soldiers and staggered in front of the two women.

  Loh frowned. “Cornelius? What are you doing here?”

  The dwarf quickly brushed his pants as if there were dirt on them and then ran his hand through his beard. “Ah, yes, well, I requested to be stationed here.”

  Loh raised her eyebrow. “You requested to be stationed at the Eastern Wall, where the enemy was least likely to attack?”

  “Did I say requested?” he laughed tensely. “I meant to say your grandfather requested to station me here. I guess he didn’t want to lose a genius mage like me, hehe…” his laughter slowly died on his lips. “Ahem,” he coughed. “Anyways, I warned Kassian not to go, but—”

  “But he is a scion of a Ruling Family, we cannot command him. Not even I,” Octavia said begrudgingly. “I promised to give him 40 minutes. After that, I’m firing the trebuchets.” She pulled a small magestone dial from her pocket, “It’s already been 8 minutes.”

  “Then I still have 32,” Loh said. “Give me 15 brave men and women, Commander. I am going to rescue our captain.”

  Octavia growled, “If you think I’m going to spare any more men for a fool’s mission—”

  “That wasn’t a request, Bulwark Commander Octavia,” Loh said icily. “That was an order, or have you forgotten I am also a scion of a Ruling Family?”

  Octavia clenched her square jaw. “...Lady Noir, if you go down there you’ll die, as will my men.”

  Loh stepped up to her and stared the orc in the eyes. “Perhaps you’re right. But I have let people die for the greater good of the mission before and I will not make that same mistake again. Give me the soldiers now.”

  Octavia narrowed her eyes, “I will not stop you. But I will not send my men to die willingly. Those of you who wish to go with her may. Those who do not may stay.”

  Two dozen soldiers immediately raised their hands and volunteered.

  Loh smirked, “These are House Ashe’s soldiers bolstering your defenses. They will not abandon their young master so easily.”

  “And so loyalty runs strong among fools,” Octavia sighed and shook her head. “You may go, you have 30 minutes.” She turned her back to Loh and resumed her work. “…Good luck,” she muttered quietly.

  “Thank you,” Loh nodded and quickly began heading down their nearby scaffolding.

  “I’m coming with you!” Cornelius shouted.

  “What?” Loh turned around, confused. “But I thought you—”

  “I can’t watch and let Lady Tauri’s best friend wade into danger alone! She’d call me a coward! Besides,” Cornelius puffed up his chest, “You’ll need the help of a genius mage!”

  Loh smiled wryly, “If only there was one nearby.”

  Cornelius staggered back as if he had been struck. “My lady! How could you?”

  Loh chuckled and hurried down the scaffolding.

  “Wait, my lady!” Cornelius called out.

 

~~~

 

  As Loh, Cornelius, and the Ashen guards rushed through the docks, they cut down the skulled warriors they came across. As Loh had guessed, there weren’t very many. Only small squadrons dispersed through the docks. Most likely sent to cause as much chaos and damage as possible in a short amount of time. The savages weren’t trying to take the docks, they were simply trying to destroy it.

  And if we don’t get back soon, Octavia will do Marek’s job for him, she thought grimly.

  Loh ran past a building and found herself in the dock central square. In a single breath, she took in the scene. Soldiers, soaked and shivering, gathered behind Captain Kassian Ashe. In front of them stood skull-masked warriors and a pair of mages.

  An arsenal of frost spears hovered over the area and at the Axlean’s command, fell down upon the soldiers. Black mana surged through Loh’s veins and her shadow darkened and shot out in dozens of tendrils, catching each spear in mid-air. Without hesitation, she channeled Orange and summoned a powerful pillar of flame over the skull warriors, incinerating them.

  It had happened in a single moment, and the enemy had been too slow to respond. The two remaining enemies seemed oddly familiar. One was pale-skinned with blonde hair and pointy ears. The other was a tall, sleek figure. The second man stared at her as if he had just seen a ghost.

  “It cannot be…” he muttered.

  Cornelius strutted forward and shouted proudly. “Fear not, dear citizens, Cornelius of the Great House of Rotrusk has arrived! Men, with me!” 

  Loh ignored Cornelius’ constant posturing and quickly ordered the soldiers to get Lady Calantha’s younger brother out of here, but Kassian refused and shook his own men off him.

  “I can still fight!” Kassian said stubbornly. Though his brown skin seemed pale, even for a vampire.

  “If it isn’t the Noir bitch herself. This just got interesting,” Kyriil smiled and casually killed a random bystander on the ground. 

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  “It’s really you…” Grim muttered. “Elohnoir…”

  Their words caught Loh’s attention and she looked at them, really looked at their appearances; memories of that night two years ago came rushing back. Her eyes widened in recognition, “You… You both were at Mora Castle.”

  “You managed to best us the last time we met.” Grim’s lips curled, a crazed look of anger and happiness in his eyes. “I thank the Navigator for leading me to you. I finally have a chance to right the stain on my honor.”

  Loh fell into a warrior stance, flames curling around her fingers. “Is that right? This time you won’t have an arch-mage friend to save you.”

  Grim laughed darkly. “I assure you, this time you will find things— different.”

  This was bad.

  Loh didn’t have time to waste fighting these two. She barely managed to defeat them both last time thanks to using Black Amber, an arch-mage spell that would leave her body out of commission. She couldn’t afford to leave her body in tatters, she wouldn’t be able to make it back to the wall.

  Loh bit her lip. She needed a plan to get out of here before it was too late—

  “Have at thee!” Cornelius shouted.

  Spiked rocks sprung from the ground underneath the enemy. Grim jumped out of the way nimbly, while Kyriil threw himself to the side.

  “As if I’m done!” Cornelius yelled and channeled enormous amounts of Green through his body. Large chunks of rock ripped off the cobblestone road and floated into the air. The boulders began to spin rapidly and turned towards Grim and Kyriil.

  “Holy shit…!” the elf mumbled in fear.

  “Die, vermiiiin!” Cornelius yelled. 

  A whip of water abruptly appeared behind Cornelius and smacked him across the back. The dwarf went flying and crashed into a wall. The boulders lost their spin and fell on the ground unceremoniously.

  “Imbecile,” Grim said in disgust.

  “Cornelius!” Loh shouted worriedly.

  The dwarf groaned in pain, but with shaky movements he staggered to his feet. He wiped the blood off his split lip and grinned defiantly. “Is that all you’ve got?”

  Grim narrowed his milky-white eyes.

  Kassian hurried in front of Cornelius and raised his shield and sword. “You are not alone, brother!”

  “For House Ashe!” one of the soldiers yelled and the rest echoed.

  That’s right… Loh thought with a small smile. I’m not alone.

  The soldiers rushed at Grim as Cornelius raised the boulders once more. The axlean surrounded himself in a protective dome of water. Kyriil fired beams of light from his Lux Orb, but Kassian blocked each one with inky shadows. 

  Loh channeled large amounts of Orange into her hands. Flames burned around her and she summoned an enormous cyclone of flames. The heat evaporated the water and shards of ice on the ground. She’d burn through the axlean dome and scorch him from within.

  “This again?” Grim glared at her. Silver shards of ice rose from the Dire River nearby. Dozens of pillars of water shot out and weaved into the ice, forming into the shape of a snake 40 paces tall.

  Loh recognized the elemental water spell from their last encounter. Even her Infernal Cyclone could not defeat it. 

  “Bring it, you fiends!” Cornelius shouted fearlessly and hurled the giant boulders into the elemental snake, ripping chunks out of its aquatic body more quickly than it could regenerate.

  Loh grinned. This time she wasn’t alone. She raised her hands and snapped them together, sending the Infernal Cyclone straight into the water serpent. The creature hissed in anger as its body began to sizzle and evaporate.

  “Enough!” Grim said tersely. Elemental mana exploded from his body, sending ripples into the air. 

  Loh felt a chill run down her spine. This was different. The sheer amount of elemental mana in the air was so vast she could feel it on her skin.

  Hundreds of silver shards of ice rose from the water. Giant waves splashed onto the docks and the road, swirling around the snake and flowing into it. The snake swelled and split into three identical elemental beasts. The snakes attacked the Infernal Cyclone and the pillar of fires sputtered out of existence.

  Loh’s eyes widened in disbelief. How…?

  The serpents turned to the soldiers and pounced on them. The men and women cried out in terror as the elemental monsters unhinged their jaws and swallowed them whole, sending them into a swirling vortex of ice shards. Blood dyed the innards of the snakes as they ate victim after victim.

  Green vines sprouted from the ground and lashed across the snakes, holding them in place. Scales of swirling ice tore at the vines, but the plants regenerated quicker than they were being destroyed.

  “I can’t hold this for long! Loh! Do something!” Cornelius shouted strainedly.

  Loh stood still, dumbfounded at the snakes’ destruction. How was this possible? The axlean’s power had grown by several fold in the past two years.

  “Loh!” Cornelius screamed at the top of his lungs.

  Loh’s eyes snapped back into focus. It didn’t matter how the axlean had grown so powerful. She needed to stop him, no matter the cost.

  Loh took a deep breath. Orange mana filled her veins and dyed them black. She felt her muscles stretch and tear as the spell overwhelmed her body.

  Only for a moment, she thought.

  She just needed a single moment. A single opening.

  Kassian witnessed the Black Amber spell overcome her and nodded in silent understanding. He whispered to his sword and gold sigils flared across the blade. Shadowy tendrils wrapped around the hilt as he pulled his arm back. With a crack of a whip, the tendrils flung the whip at Grim. The sword flew true and pierced the protective water dome around the axlean, sending it splashing apart.

  Grim cursed under his breath and raised his hands. The water underneath him trembled and curled around him, reforming the dome. Loh burst through the half-formed dome in the blink of an eye. 

  The world seemed to slow down for a moment. Droplets of water falling. The cries of dying soldiers echoing in her ears. Loh swung her arm in a right hook, straight at the axlean’s ribs.

  Grim’s milky eyes snapped towards her. He shifted his weight and turned his torso, and her fist caught only his shirt. Before she could step back, Grim’s leg shot out and smashed into her left shin, snapping it in two. Loh cried out in pain and crashed into the ground.

  “I told you, things were different,” Grim sneered at her.

  Orange mana seeped out of Loh and her Black Amber spell crumbled apart. She gasped in painful short breaths and looked up in a blur at the axlean looming over her. His shirt had been torn away from her punch and his grey sleek chest was bare. A green gem sat embedded in his sternum, glowing faintly.

  “What… What is that…?” Loh mumbled aghast.

  “I promised I would never suffer such a humiliating loss again.” Grim smiled maliciously, a glint of insanity in his eyes. “So I made a deal with a very— unique individual.”

 

 

 

 

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