At this point, Hardin has already burned three districts. As Eleanor and Anthelme watched from the horizon, they grew more desperate. While everyone ran for their lives and the guards did their best to
Incapitate him without guarantee, the mage and the young elf had finally arrived at a block. Perhaps they are luckier as they arrived first and the rest of the place hadn't been assaulted yet. The locals were confused, with no clue of what's going on. The yoke made use of this opportunity to devise a plan to stop this hellbound.
They raked the entire area in hopes of finding something they could use to their advantage. Anthelme convinced the locals to evacuate while Eleanor desperately barged into any house to look for some tools only to find none. Though, that did not stop her from continuing her search. She wouldn't inform Anthelme until she could find at least something that could aid them.
Thankfully, she found one - a gallon of holy water. It was discovered at a nearby church established by the priests of La Seguidore. This could be useful as demons are said to be weakened by this. Anthelme was pleased upon informing him. He also discovered a pair of ropes that they could use. Afterwards, the man spat out every single nook and crannies on his sleeve.
Hours passed and the devil himself had finally arrived. Seeing that the place is left with nothing but silence and a gust of wind, he proceeded with caution.
Suddenly, everything vibrates around him, astonishing Hardin to the point he forgot that his legs got covered in dirt. And when he found out, it was too late. His burrowed feet froze and the soil unleashed a rope that tied both of his arms and pulled him downward. It was imbued with a spell that made it unbreakable.
On the top of a lonely tower, lies a fiercely young elf with her glaring eyes fixated upon the foe. Eleanor aimed the bow towards him and pulled the strings tightly. In addition, she imbued some form of magic - particles of green light emerged from the bolt's edge. Fully charged, she kept her stance at a steady pace.
It turns out, that was part of the plan. After seeing a small glimpse of green light, Anthelme got his signal. That's when the mage unleashed gallons of holy water absorbed from the ground. The liquid surfaced over the devil's stance, spitting on him. Hardin wailed in agony and soon he was weakened.
With the plan set in motion, Eleanor was about to unleash one of her powerful abilities. While it seems like everything went pretty, there's one major flaw. Hardin wasn't that foolish. He knew that the mage was nearby and thus he unleashed a flamethrower that scattered all over the area. Like a domino, his ability burned the buildings one by one until it reached the mage's.
This prompted Anthelme to leave. As he got out, a whip suddenly emerged from the back of the demon, impaling him through his stomach from a distance. As if that wasn't bad enough, the whip pulled him close to his enemy. At a glance, Hardin smirked out of his own brilliance. He knew that someone was assisting him behind his back, so he used him as a meat shield by attaching his body to him. From there, he waited.
Meanwhile, Eleanor was angered and impressed. Now, she has to find a way to break the mage free from his grasp. She thought of canceling her ability... But then, a familiar voice echoed out of nowhere.
"Wait!" Yelled the same voice heard from behind. "I can read your mind from here! Hold that thing for now!"
The voice revealed to be Valeria standing in a dimly lit window from a distance. At a glance, she had a fierce glare on her look while sharpening her blade to prepare for the worse.
"You're the one who won the first place back in the bout!" Murmured the lassie.
Unfortunately, Valeria's yell echoed throughout the city that it brought Hardin's attention. That said, he used his whip to track her down. Upon discovering the noise's location, the rope smashed itself into the building and charged at her. This bleached out a smokescreen that obscured the view. Unable to see through the smoke, it concerns the anxious Eleanor. She wanted to yell her name out loud but couldn't as that would compromise her.
Hardin was unaware that Valeria had already outmaneuvered him. She deftly sliced his whip in half with her newly honed sword, fending off his attack. Thus, the smoke faded out, revealing the lady still on her feet. Overjoyed to see Valeria in good shape, the fledgling elf casted a unique ability to communicate from afar.
"I'm glad that you're alive!" Said a joyful Eleanor.
"I seek to bring down the devil himself. Do you know where he is?" Asked Valeria with her eyes on the tower.
"Excellent! Now I'm not so sure about the name of the district, but I'm certain he's somewhere around the area where there's a church-"
"Thanks for the tip," she suddenly interrupted by expressing her gratitude.
In a swift pace, Valeria fled the scene, jumping out of the building and landing on two feet. She scrambled her way towards her destination. Meanwhile, Eleanor was upset that she didn't let the girl finish her sentence.
Upon her arrival, the woman confronted the demon himself. At first, they had a few exchanges before the inevitable.
"By God's holy name, I will bring you back to where you belong..." Sworn by the gracious knight, uttering a clichéd one-liner before raising her sword. "...In the depths of hell!"
In response, the devil taunted as he felt confident with his position even when he's inert. Once again, he grabbed Anthelme like a doll and showed him to her. At first glance, the mage suffocates in agony as he gets strangled by the whips surrounding his neck. Furthermore, his entire body was filled with cuts and bruises all over.
"Be careful what you wish for," Said the devil with a sinister grin. He squeezed the poor mage like a doll as he growled in agony. "If you ever dare to make a move, you know what will happen next."
Filled with a mix of fear and rage, Valeria further lowered her frowning eyebrows. And apart from that, she refused to express any signs of anxiety thanks to her strong devotion to Christ. It's always been the golden rule of Christianity to show no fear to the demons.
"Val...eria," A struggling Anthelme called out her name, but not for help. "I... need...you to... leave... now,"
said the mage, his words suffocated by his neck being squeezed like a balloon.
The poor renaissance turned out to be more concerned for her safety than his. He proceeds to keep on beseeching her to be left alone. All in a while, Eleanor, still halting her ability, couldn't decide what to do next and so too are the others.
"I have an ability will guarantee his death. Just what are your orders, Valeria? I will await," patiently asked the youthful elf on top of a building.
It was this moment where everything went silent. What felt like thirty minutes to everyone feels like an eternity on the four. That delay about to break however, when Valeria doesn't like wasting her time on such important matters, especially when someone's life is on the line. Thus, she struck a combat pose as she prepares to attack. At that moment, the devil had already recovered his energy from being weakened by the holy water. Knowing that he can't keep the renaissance boy alive. He began constantly stabbing Anthelme's rear. Blood comes gushing out and provoked the Scarlet knight.
And so, the battle begins! The woman charged at the devil to go for a downward swing when Hardin blocked her attack with only one hand. She jumped back and went in again to swing back and forth at him. This resulted in clashing with his claws, giving each hit a clang that gets louder as the fight goes on. Hardin was strong and agile while Valeria was cautious and reactive.
What felt like forever came to an end after the demon exposed her weakness that he charged in to land scratches on her face. However, there wasn't without an exchange as Valeria sliced off the whip that's holding the renaissance boy hostage and even its lateral sides of his stomach. Thanks to her, Anthelme finally broke free from his grasp and was finally able to catch his breath.
Despite the setbacks, the two continued to clash with one another. It wasn't until they went on a bind between their weapons. As Hardin leaned closer to her face, Valeria brushed him off with all her might. This allowed the mage to stand next to her and wrapped themselves around with a forcefield.
With the pair now safe, the woman handed over the rest to the child.
"It's all up to you now, young elf,"
And so, she did. With a doubt, Eleanor finally unleashed the mightiest of her abilities - The Blow Of Artemis. As she released her grip, one could see the arrow shining like a beacon as it moved at a high speed.
Upon impact, the shaft pierced through the man's chest until it reached the back of his ribcage. In a split second, a blinding white flash preceded an explosion that generated a mushroom cloud. The ground trembled while a shockwave engulfed the entire city with its encroaching smoke, knocking over the buildings in its thirteen-kilometer radius. That's half the size of the city itself.
Following the explosion, the burgh was enfolded in a hazy fog until a gale swept them away revealing the land in its state; the demon was obliterated but Eleanor's ability made a huge crater of every district in ruin from a bird's eye. Valeria and Anthelme, still sheltered in their mystical dome, stood frozen in disbelief as the young lassie's ploy unfolded before them. They scanned their surroundings in awe, only to realize that their strategy has caused more harm than good.
Filled with rage, surprise, and curiosity, the Scarlett Knight asked the Mage.
"You're the one who planned everything right? What in God's name was cooking in your mind?!"
"N-no, no, no. I...I didn't expect that she would do something like this!" He shook his head, nervously stuttering in response. "Eleanor told me that she's going to make sure that there'll be nothing left for him. I did not anticipate her to destroy the city..."
"Well look at what you two have done!" She angrily yelled in her reply, while pointing at the wreck premises. "Now the locals are going to be mad at us!"
"You're going to blame me for what she did?! So much for your religion's code of forgiveness, am I right?!" Shrieked the furious Anthelme.
The mage and the swordswoman proceed to argue amongst each other in oblivion. Meanwhile, Eleanor had fallen into one of the buildings with huge chunks of debris wrapping her body around. With her hands paralyzed, she casted a spell to get rid of the small pieces until she could move.
Standing up from her berth, she leaned through a nearby window to look through. Instead of being greeted with applause, the people understandably sobbed in tears, seeing their house, belongings, and everything destroyed around them. This filled the young elf with guilt. She tried to hold back her tears.
Upon the young elf's exit from the building, the duo ceased their quarrel only to cast disapproving glances towards her. Before they could utter a single word of reprimand, she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks as she begged for forgiveness. This left Valeria and Anthelme speechless.
Lovisa had been worried about her friend, so she went out to search for her. Upon finding her, she saw the young elf kneeling on the floor. She initially felt bewildered, but the memories of the recent events flooded back to her.
Prior to the incident, she was running alongside the fleeing audience when she took shelter in one of the buildings. That's when the explosion occurred. With the lassie crying in front of Valeria and Anthelme, and the bombardment leading up to this. She came up with a conclusion - Eleanor was responsible for why the city was in ruins and that she didn't mean to do so.
As teardrops came rolling down, the girl stepped closer and cuddled her friend for comfort.
Days following the incident, the king of Svearania, Mikael Ehrling, called in for a meeting with the leaders of the kingdoms dwelling in the same land. That includes the leader of Skönhet Trä, Amir Joralf. He was quickly informed of the disturbance by his fellow scouts. By that, he was anxious to hear that the king and others weren't so happy that the incident was incited by one of his kind.
As all leaders took their seats, the king remained standing. He circled back and forth, stroking his beard. It was meant to keep his professional stance and to control his rage at the same time.
"You know... Not only was I furious about the incident, it also surprised me about the one who committed such a crime. I find it ironic that the kind so friendly and down-to-earth would be the ones in trouble at the end..." Said Ehrling while maintaining his aristocratic gesture.
"As if you don't do the same thing..." Murmured an irritated Joraf in his thoughts.
"Now, let's see what others may think of this..." said the king.
"We should cut off our alliances with them," suggested one of the angry leaders while the others agreed. "The young elf literally killed an innocent young boy with her power. That boy belonged to my kingdom!"
added the same individual.
As they dawdled about how much they agreed with one another, Joralf snapped his fingers to let him express his point of view. This led to a huge silence with their eyes on the elven man.
"May I have your attention, please?" Asked the man politely. "It could have possibly been a huge error on our behalf. Let me remind you that Eleanor only has the best of intentions."
"Then why would she cast the Blow of Artemis, out of all seventy-four abilities your kind has, to kill one man?!" Asked another frustratingly irritated leader wherein she raised a pointy finger. "Remember, it was just one man, and yet she chose the one that puts the lives of many in peril,"
they added.
Despite the intensity, Joralf remained calm and answered, "In all fairness, the lady was not certain about the man's vulnerability. If she were to send forth Eros' wrath, there's no telling if she could eliminate him that way. You also have to remember that she wasn't the only one who tried to take him down. There are also some contenders from the bout she was in, so is Ehrling's men which all of them failed in doing so. Moreover, she is young, so of course she will continue to make mistakes."
Sadly, although the king softened up a bit, others weren't buying his excuse. The leaders berated Joralf to a greater length. The argument ranges from the loss to the trauma the occasion has inflicted. Unfortunately, their overlapping words pollute one another and it makes them harder to understand. This went on for a while until Ehrling couldn't stand their infuriating and irrational takes.
"ENOUGH! I understand your frustration over this matter, but I didn't bring you all here to express your utterly pointless sentiments!"
When King Ehrling leaned closely to Amir's shoulder, he gazed at him with an ominous glare that frightened the young man.
"Please be reminded that I am not a person to be trifled with, considering my position as the sovereign ruler of the land which your feeble elf has wrought destruction upon. It is imperative that you recognize my magnanimity in this regard. The implications of the damage she has wrought upon our resources and infrastructure cannot be understated!"
"I understand, King Ehrling," replied Joralf.
"Well then... Do you wish to maintain your alliance with us?" said the understanding King.
This left the others confused, articulating their disapproval. Frankly, Joralf never wanted to defend Eleanor's actions for he never anticipated this to happen. Hence, the man still wishes to keep their alliances with one another despite the horrific incident.
"Yes," the elven prince agreed.
"Good." The king then gazed at the others. "Now, take heed, my fellow rulers. It's not a laughing matter in my opinion. Skönhet Trä is a crucial ally. We wouldn't have had significant exposure to sorcery if it weren't for them, as they own half of our expertise. They were, in fact, the ones who taught us about them. So, by breaking our alliances with them, we risk losing what we already have. Understood?
Reluctantly, the rest nodded in agreement.
"Now then... If you wish to keep your allegiance, then a punishment of Eleanor and her family must be imposed. Their actions can never be forgiven no matter what. If you were to ask me, then they should be burned at stake," stated the king.
"I suggest we behead them," said a leader who rules the northern territory.
"Hang them," requested the ruling female overseer of the southwest region.
"We should make them fight rabid animals in the wilderness," behest the figurehead of the southeast dominion.
"Let us refrain from any hasty action. It is important to acknowledge that Amir Joralf holds the position of leader among the elves. Thus, it would be appropriate for him to oversee the imposition of any necessary punishment," Ehrling uttered a reminder.
With a smirking gaze on the elven leader, the king asked, "Do you have any proposals that you would care to put forth?"
Out of all the barbaric proposals Svearania's leaders could think of, he was the only person to insulate a much more ethical solution.
"Exile- I will exile them from this land."
In the end, they all agreed with his plan and the king has dismissed the whole meeting.