"What the – ?" Hellebore roared, whirling toward the smoke rising from the north.
Darian smirked. "Sorry, but it looks like you won't be draining Samakah's Levia any longer."
The confounded look on his face almost made Darian laugh out loud. Too bad she couldn't enjoy it for long before the troops surrounded her, one of them grabbing her cuffed hands and forcing her to her knees.
"I should've known you wouldn't surrender so easily," Hellebore snarled. "Just remember you're the one who's doomed your precious townsfolk."
"Is that so?" Darian said, meeting his gaze. "I highly doubt you'll have enough time to execute civilians while defending your position. We've already destroyed your machine. My crew will make short work of the guards as well."
Hellebore threw a wild glance at the billowing smoke. Then his heavy dark Levia surged, making Darian wince, before he yanked a hand mirror out of his pocket.
A voice shouted from within it, tinny and distorted. "General! The extraction machine, it's fallen! We require immediate reinforcements!"
"You think I can't see that?" Hellebore yelled back. "All troops, mobilize! There's only a few of them, we'll crush 'em no time. As for you, Prince – "
But just as he turned her way, scarlet light flared behind her. Metal clattered as Lodo transformed into a cat, easily wriggled out of his cuffs, and slashed at Kress' cuffs with augmented claws.
She jumped to her feet, swinging her fists at the guards around him. Lodo darted back and forth, aglow with Meg's augmenting spell. Even as the soldiers grabbed Meg and slammed her into the ground, the diagram didn't so much as flicker.
Pride swelled inside Darian. The next thing she knew, Lodo landed in front of her and sliced her cuffs open. She seized the chance to kick at the soldier behind her, knocking him down, before leaping to her feet and wrestling her rapier away from the soldier who'd taken it.
Even above the chaos of the fight, she could hear the voice still shouting from Hellebore's mirror. "Please, General! The homunculus knight – "
"The homunculus knight, hm? So that's where he is," Hellebore growled. "I'm on my way!"
With that, he leaped into the air and landed on the other side of the town wall. Darian instinctively lunged after him, only for several soldiers to cut in her way.
Well. She'd have to trust Zenith and Theo would be able to handle Hellebore. Gripping her rapier tight, she assumed a ready stance. Time to focus on her own fight.
~*~
General Hellebore leaped from roof to roof, wind roaring past his ears. With the wind came shouts and screams and clanging metal, but his mind couldn't be further away.
Damn it, getting played by that brat of a prince again! He hated to admit it, but she did have a point. While occupied with defending the island, he'd hardly find the opportunity to execute the hostages.
But that only applied while the battle was in full swing. Afterwards, he'd have all the time in the world. Unless Prince Darian seriously thought that she stood a chance of winning.
Maybe she'd caught him by surprise. So what? In the end, he had the advantage. Hundreds of troops at his beck and call, while she only had her sorry little crew.
And, well...he had to admit, this wasn't all bad. Hadn't he been hoping for a rematch with the homunculus knight?
Yes, perhaps the fates were indeed smiling at him.
This time, nothing would get in his way. A smirk spread across his face, slow and feral, and only stretched wider as the sounds of battle grew louder. Light flashed from up ahead, and with it came a Levia throbbing in his bones. An obnoxiously bright and clear Levia, like light glowing inside crystals.
Oh, how he couldn't wait to snuff it out for good....
But as his heart slammed in excitement, a new Levia reached his senses. Heavy and dark, annoyingly familiar. Hellebore stopped atop a roof and reached into his pocket, yanking out his mirror.
Sure enough, an image resolved in the glass. It was all he could do not to groan when he saw the bespectacled face greeting him.
"In case you haven't noticed, Vera, I'm kind of busy here."
"Hold on, General," Veratrum said, as if he had any right to give Hellebore orders. "What are you doing? The extraction machine is broken. There's no point in fighting to defend it anymore."
"Telling me how to do my job, are you?" Hellebore growled, giving the mirror a shake.
"I'm merely stating facts, General. Your troops need you to coordinate the defense."
"They don't need me micromanaging everything. Unlike you, they can actually think on their own." Hellebore couldn't resist throwing in that last jab, though to his annoyance Veratrum didn't react one way or another. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a homunculus knight to defeat."
"Is that what this is about, General?" Veratrum cried indignantly. "You only want your rematch – "
"That's not all, you moron." Not wanting to hear him whine any longer, Hellebore cut him off. "In case you've forgotten, the Infernal Lord ordered me to capture the homunculus knight's wizard."
"Ah." Veratrum's eyes widened a fraction. Hellebore counted it as a triumph.
"I'm not as stupid as you think, Vera," Hellebore said, sneering. "I've got a plan. And as a matter of fact, you're instrumental to it."
"I am?" Those eyes widened even more, and Hellebore couldn't help it – he laughed out loud.
"You got it. So quit complaining, will you? You should be honored I'm putting this much faith in you. Now do you want to hear it or not?"
Veratrum took a deep breath, then nodded solemnly. "Yes, General. And...apologies for my insubordination."
Hellebore smirked wider than ever, smug satisfaction tightening his chest. No matter how annoying Veratrum might be, he always came around in the end.
~*~
As a soldier rounded on Zenith from the left, Theo cast a basic strengthening spell. Pink light flared around Zenith and he easily intercepted the soldier's attack, knocking the sword out of his hand.
Theo drew in a deep breath. The Levia was sizzling in his veins, bright and hot, even if it felt much weaker than before. And his power still glowed inside the Star of Miriel, a tiny point of light like a pink star. The dream-spell had taken a lot out of him, but he felt like he might have enough to cast it again.
Not that he was going to do it here and now. Regular spells worked just fine for dealing with the soldiers rushing at them. Though they'd defeated the guards around the machine, reinforcements kept pouring out of the town gates.
Fire erupted in the night as Ryllis dove into a crowd of soldiers, scattering them like bowling pins. Atop her elemental diagram, Sam hopped up and down and jabbed her fists as if fighting off enemies herself.
Meanwhile, Ryan and Fia were crouching next to Theo behind a large boulder. As Ryan cast an elemental spell, Fia nocked an arrow into their bow and leaned forward. When they released the arrow, water streaked after it like the tail of a comet. It struck a nearby soldier, knocking her off her feet and slamming her into the soldiers behind her as well.
"Good one, Fia!" Ryan yelled, pumping his fist.
"Uh, um, thanks?" Blushing, Fia rubbed the back of their head.
Theo smiled, but couldn't focus on them for long. Not when Zenith was still busy holding off a whole mob of soldiers. Once again Theo cast a strengthening spell, and Zenith spun in a deadly circle with his sword extended, knocking aside the soldiers.
At that moment, Levia drifted through the air. A horribly familiar Levia, heavy and deep and scented of rich forest earth.
A shiver raked down Theo's spine. Next to him, Ryan's entire body went stiff.
As the Levia pushed down on Theo's shoulders, General Hellebore himself appeared atop the wall. Ignoring the scattered soldiers, the shattered machine, his black eyes landed directly on Zenith. Theo could feel the tension thrumming inside his knight, sharpening his Levia.
"Well, well," Hellebore drawled, slow and satisfied. "Time for our rematch, homunculus knight."