Within the confines of the palace, a battle of supernatural proportions ensued. Walls crumbled, and arcane energies rent the air, their fury shaking the very foundations of the kingdom.
With a strong spell Ezra sent Claudina smashing through the door. Blood was ripped out of her mouth as she clutched her stomach, wheezing and head reeling in pain.
"duCHesS!"
"Duchess?" Ezra stopped attacking, surprised. Then a cruel look crossed his face. "How useful you shall be!"
Baron growled. Opening his maw he spat out black liquid at him. Ezra dodged them. He mocked Baron. "Did I strike a nerve?" Baron roared and a took a long, long breath where his stomach inflated in grotesquely manner. Then he blew out the air which caused the liquid to be spread everywhere.
"Ugh! What is this?!" Ezra sniffed the black goop on his clothes. His eyes widened a single fraction. Kerosene.
Grinning Baron breathed out a stream of fire. Ezra saw it coming and summoned ice and water with the ice covering the kerosene and the water glugging Baron's flames.
Baron coughed at the intrusion, his fur matted to his heaving sides. He growled. "uSinG cHeAp tRickS!"
Ezra smirked. "I should be the one saying that, demon summoned by a witch."
"ducHesS IS DucHEsS!! nOt A wItCh!!!" Baron ran on all four and tried to swipe at his face but he was kicked away, slipping on ice and water. He whimpered in pain.
Claudina raised her head shakily. "Keep fighting!" she screamed. "Don't let him have the upper hand!"
"You have already lost." Lighting speared through the walls as Ezra levitated on the electric force field. The electricity shocked Baron.
Claudina glared under her hair. "I decided when I have won or lost!"
He smirked. "You will be a wonderful specimen." He snapped his fingers and a torrent of arrows and spears barreled towards her.
Not being able to cast a barrier in time she dodged and deflected the weapons. Baron jumped with all his claws out like a lion hunting at Ezra who was toppled off from his balance.
Enraged, he summoned blue fire that burned the brilliant room to a crisp. Crisscrossing the flames and falling embers Claudina escaped through a burning gaping hole. Her long clothes nearly caught on fire but she shook them off leaving the hem singed. Ezra followed her closely but she ran as fast as she could. Behind her she could hear Baron breaking through the flames and coming after Ezra.
The palace was empty. Not a single soul. It was like the palace was abandoned solely for their fight. The only sound that could be heard were their shoes thudding and Baron's giant feet smashing things as he ran.
An ice sphere was hurled past her at break neck speed. More followed. Claudina ducked or deflected them with her sword.
When another one whipped past her cheek taking away strands of her hair she finally had enough. Skidding to a halt, she whirled around and thrust out her hands. A tornado of flames burst forth, engulfing everything in brilliant flames. "Baron jump over the flames!"
A resounding thud and nearly falling confirmed that Baron was safe. "We are running."
Baron bent down and Claudina climbed on top. Two more arms sprouted under his upper two. "duChesS hOld oN." She nodded, clutching on to his fur. Crouching like a predator, Baron practically flew on the smoldering ground.
The tornado of flames continued for a long time. Everything was burned to ash. No living being could withstand these flames made of Holy mana. Yet a shadowy figure cut through the flames like it was water.
Ezra calmly walked out of the fire and burning smoke. His eyes scanned over to the places the fire that had touched the palace. His face grew more and more angry with each passing second. The spacious corridor was falling down in ashes that looked like snowflakes in the midnight moon. He had a feeling the damage had also spread to the exterior of the palace as well.
Frowning at the damage when he suddenly smirked a mad glint in his eyes. "Once I get her blood I needn't worry about anything. Even those bastards in the Arbitrary Abstractions will be working for me once I have her."
With a final sneer he went after them.
"Are you done with that?" Claudina stood up from where she was kneeling down. "Baron?"
The demon in question raised his ears attentively. "wiLl thIs wOrk DuchEsS?"
"Of course it will. It has to." she chewed on her lip. "Baron, are you sure you can't eat him?"
He shook his head. "StrAnge enErgY. sTranGe MagIc. Can'T eaT stRaNge huMan."
"...Was it something similar to mine? Or Esme's? Or maybe one of the Saints?"
Baron squinted his eyes. "iT WAs UnlIkE anY oTher. vEry sTranGE. CloSe tO celEstial HeAveNS," he said the last two words in great disgust.
She looked down with a complicated expression. 'Just what is happening? Everything has been out of my control these past couple of days.' She clicked her tongue. '...How distasteful.'
Baron's ears twitched. "hE's coMinG…" He knelt down and helped Claudina on her back.
Footsteps clacked on the marble floor. Silent and soft and in no way hurried.
The demon slowly backed into a dark corner whereas Claudina laid flat on her stomach to appear as invisible as possible.
The footsteps stopped right outside the door.
Then it was kicked open with a large bang. The large heavy doors crashed and tumbled on the smooth floor leaving deep scratches as they splintered into wood chips.
Ezra walked in face cloaked in darkness. "Where oh where could you be hiding?" he sang out mockingly. His eyes glazed over the dark corners of the foyer room. Taking his sword out from its scabbard he jabbed the air with his sword pointing at one of the corners.
Light erupted in the corner momentarily blinding both Baron and Claudina.
"So you were hiding here?!"
Before she could react, pain flooded on her back.
"Agh!!" Claudina's eyes watered. The gash on her back made her arms paralyzed.
Ezra's laughter reverberated in the room. Baron quickly turned around and kicked him only to find air.
His thousand eyes widened. He saw the room was in fact empty with the door still in place. Yet Claudina was bleeding out from her back groaning and clawing at his fur in pain.
Grinding his teeth he opened his mouth and spat out a fireball. Instantly the room caught on fire due to the gunpowder. Punching a hole in the wall he jumped out with Claudina in his arms. Before the exploding could touch them Baron had already escaped with Claudina
Racing away from the flames Baron's extra arms ripped out from his sides. He glanced at Claudina cradled on his hold. Her face was in pain as she wriggled in his hold. Her Holy magic wasn't working. Even her Forbidden magic which would always spring up when her Holy magic was low was also missing. Whatever Ezra must have done had blocked off Claudina's mana veins.
The flames in the room exploded out and soon the whole palace was up in flames.
Running in inhuman speed Baron's mind only had one ringing voice telling him to get Claudina out to safety.
Breaking down the walls with either brute strength or his flames Baron got out of the palace. He huffed his great maw leaking out black liquid. He looked down at Claudina who had fainted from the pain.
Whimpering he brought her to the gardens and placed her down under a tree. Remembering what the other Saints would do he raced to a nearby fountain and scooped up water. He ran back again where he dumped the gallons of water on Claudina.
He looked closely at what he had done. Lowering his ears he mumbled, "...tHat'S nOt whAt tHeY diD."
'Why do you cater to a human's needs Baron?'
Baron's ears shot up. He immediately turned and knelt down.
"yOur MajeSty!"