Koniko stood atop the city wall, her eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of trouble. So far their plan was working. She almost felt sorry for the goblins who were being blown away by their attacks. Soon they would be done with this then she could enjoy a cool bath. She sighed as the thought of relaxation crossed her mind.
A sudden explosion rocked the city, sending a plume of smoke and flames into the air.
Koniko's eyes widened in alarm. She ran to the other side of the wall which overlooked the city. There were more exolosions as unknown people engaged in combat. She wondered what was happening. She decided to go and investigate. Altair and the others seemed to have the situation under control. She turned and opened her mouth to give her orders when she stopped. She saw a strange man leaning against the wall with his arms folded. He was looking at the state of the attack going on.
The man, a tall, lean figure with piercing eyes, smiled lazily.
"Those are some noisy associates I've been paired up with," he said, his voice dripping with amusement.
Koniko instinctively jumped back and aimed an arrow at his head. Two other archers positioned themselves on either side of her a few steps behind her while and two harpies landed behind him with spears pointed at him.
"Hmm. And my opponent are no better. Still I think it would be better working with you than with them."
The man chuckled. "An elf boy and a blonde man, wreaking havoc on the city. They're quite the duo."
Koniko's eyes narrowed.
"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice firm.
The man's smile faltered for a moment, and he looked away, his eyes clouding over. "I'm just a man who is indebted to Faust," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Koniko's eyes narrowed. "Faust? Who's that?"
The man smacked himself in the head.
" Where are my manners.I haven't introduced myself properly," he said . "My real name is irrelevant. Call me Phantom. Faust is my master, the man who gave me this new name." He said with a bow.
Koniko's eyes searched the man's face, looking for any sign of animosity or deceit. But all she saw was a deep sadness, a sense of resignation that seemed to weigh heavily on him.
Phantom's eyes met hers, and he smiled wryly.
"I must apologize. This is nothing personal. I wouldn't have participated in any of this if left to my own devices," he said. "But my new nature demands that I take you out."
Without warning, Phantom pulled out the circlular shield strapped to his back and threw it at Koniko. She fired her arrow at him dodging the spinning projectile. Phantom caught the arrow and threw it at the wings of one of the harpies while attacking the other one,kicking the spear out of his hand and delivering a blow to the neck. The shield he threw bounced of the two archers and came back at Phantom which he caught. Koniko noticed that the shield was a smooth bronze saucer and had runes on its edges with a diamond bodered by a square at its center.
Altair landed beside Koniko.
" He's strong." Koniko said.
" I sent someone to run recon in the city. Its as he said. An elf and a human are engaging Jack and the raiders in combat. Sol is with them." Altair said.
There was a large flare of heat emanating from the battlefield.
" Would you look at that." Phantom said scratching his head.
The Goblins had all taken valid of glamor and were . The drug was an amplifier which increased their power by 50%. They rushed towards the wall. Gabbi and Eduar were doing their best to hold them back but some of them skipped through the cracks in their defense and rushed towards the wall.
Koniko aimed at them,then pointed her arrow to the sky then fired. The arrow exploded forming a giant magic circle above the incoming army. They slowed down as streaks of light descended from the golden sigil in the sky.
Shatterstar.
Fire arrows rained down on them burning them in an inferno. Koniko noticed that those who weren't caught up in the attack were running around the fiery rain. Altair flapped her wings and the flames formed a flaming line which flared outwards towards the army.that stopped thier advance.
Thermal Reversal.
Altair froze the flames which turned to ice impaling and trapping some of the goblins in its icy grip. The goblins began to hack away at the ice while burning it with their fire.
" That was quite the coordinated attack" Phantom said,impressed.
" " And you,your not a normal fire user. Goblins have a high affinity to heat and as such they are able to resist high temperatures yet you instantly cooked them." He added with a shy smile.
Altair and Koniko eyee him.
" Your ice wall won't hold the goblins back for long." Koniko said. The goblins were now overdosing themselves with Glamour increawing their attacks kpower.
"I'll engage this one. Continue your defense if the city." Koniko said.
" Be careful." Altair placed a hand in her shoulder before flying off.
The four people Phantom took out were removed from the battlefield.
Koniko raised the bow to fire an arrow but Phantom immediately threw his shield which hit the ground and destroyed that part of the wall. Koniko fell into the battlefied and jumped out of the way to avoid the shield that came flying out of the smoke. She fired some arrows which Phantom blocked with his shield and rushed at her in an attempt to ram into her. She jumped over him and fired at him from above covering his body in flames. Her feet had barely touched the ground when the shield burst through the flames and hit her in the torso knocking her back. She touched her stomach and looked aa the shield returned to Phantom. He pointed the shield at her and the runes began to glow. A beam of energy fired at her and she rolled out if the way twisting herself and pushing herself into a standing position with a backward roll, firing am arrow which broke apart into many flame arrows and converge on him. Phantom ran toward and threw the shield which bounced off the arrows destroying them. Phantom caught it and engaged in close quarters combat. Koniko put away the bow and made a giant arrow which she thrust at Phantom. He blocked with his shield creating a shockwave that broke apart a part of the ice wall,letting the goblins in.
Using her ability Predictive Modeling,she was able to calculate and match his attacks but he was able to change his attacks on the fly, giving him an unpredictable nature. She noticed the goblins rushing in and saw them as uneeded variables.
Koniko reached into a pouch strapped to her leg and flipped backwards to avoid a swing from Phantom. She pulled out the bow and Phantom slammed his shield into the ground,firing beams of energy in an attempt to stop her. She blocked with the flaming arrow and did a backflip to dodge the last beam,firing three orbs in quick succession with her feet.
Phantom them the shield and she deflected the shield with the arrow, redirecting it at him. It caught fire and hit him in the torso,the same place it had hit Koniko and he slid back due to the force. He grabbed it to stop the spinning and dropped to one knee. Blood dripped from his wound.He looked around.
Koniko had summoned beats to fight for her to keep the goblins at bat while she dealt with him. She giggled.
" You're a beast tamer. If I wasn't married I probably would have fallen for you." He said rising to his feet.
" My heart already belongs to someone else." She told him.
" Fair enough." He replied and spun the shield. He held the spinning saucer with both hands,cutting him and soaking it in blood. The runes lit up and the shield expanded around Koniko. She tried to escape but chains shot out of the smaller shield that manifested around her trapping her.
Iron Coffin.
The shield formed an iron Coffin that covered Koniko. Spikes extended from the inside impaling her.
" I admit you were strong." He said touching the cut that ran from his right shoulder to his left side where she had hurt him. He saw blood seeping out of the openings in the coffin.
" I'm sorry it had to end this way. If I come across the one who stole your heart I'll let him know how valiany you are." He said raising his hand and clenched his fist.
The coffin began to compress but stopped partway through. It then began to turn red with flares of heat shooting out of the gaps.
It then exploded knocking Phantom into the ice wall. Koniko appeared by she looked different.
Her hair appeared to glow and she had 4 extra tails. She looked at Phantom and instantly a shiver ran down his spine. He was at a disadvantage. That attack took a huge amount of Arcana but to mention the wounds he had incured. He was at a disadvantage but decided to risk it. He ran forward and grabbed the shield fired an blast at Koniko. She tilted her head to dodge.
Phantom charged forward, his shield at the ready. Koniko, her eyes blazing with a fierce inner light, met him head-on.
Phantom landed a solid hit to the face but Koniko barely flinched, she rotated with the momentum of the blow and knocked him back with her tail.He jumped over it and was about to attack but she countered with a swift kick, sending Phantom stumbling backward. He threw the shield at her. She dodged,avoiding his shield by mere inches. The shield returned to Phantom who attempted to ram it into her. She jumped over him and Koniko struck out with her claws. He barely blocked, her raking across Phantom's shield with a loud screech.
With a final, swift strike, Koniko knocked Phantom's shield aside and raked her claws across his chest, the tips digging deep into his flesh.
He fired a blast from the shield, hitting her in the face and knocking her back. He stumbled panting.
Koniko summoned her most powerful arrow,which sparked with lightning.
Ember Blaze.
Phantom matched her a smile on his face as he ,fired a powerful beam of pure arcana.
"Iron Will" he yelled.
With a swift and deadly motion, she fired an arrow that cancelled his attack and shot straight through Phantom's chest, the force of the impact shattering the wall behind him,sending shards of ice flying everywhere.
The goblins, who had been pressing their attack, were caught off guard and were quickly slaughtered by the sudden collapse of the wall.
Phantom lay there,a huge hole in his torso.As he lay dying, he giggled and gazed up at the sky with a mixture of sadness and regret. Memories of his previous life filled his mind.
"Is this what they meant when they say life flashing before your eyes?" He smirked.
" Weaver... I wish things were different," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "Maybe in another life..."
His words trailed off, his body going limp. Koniko stood over him, her chest heaving with exertion. She only down beside him and closed his eyes. She tried to get up but dropped to the ground, her transformation wearing off as she returned to her normal state.
As she lay there, a group of ogres emerged from the wreckage of the ice wall, their eyes fixed greedily on Koniko's prone form. The leader raised his club, ready to deliver the killing blow.
But before he could strike, Altair swooped down, her wings beating fiercely as she blasted the ogres backward with a burst of magical energy. She landed beside Koniko, casting a healing spell to restore her strength.
As the ogres regrouped, Altair stood guard over Koniko, her eyes flashing with a fierce determination. "You're not going to hurt her," she growled, her voice low and menacing. "Not while I'm still standing."