The air was dense with tension, the faint hum of mana from their spells mingling with the oppressive silence of the rooftop. Larin and Rinku moved like shadows, their senses heightened as they landed on the cracked tiles. The faint rustle of movement below was their only warning before the attack began.
Arrows and bolts screamed through the night, cutting through the air with deadly precision. Larin ducked, rolling forward as the projectiles embedded themselves in the tiles with dull thuds. Rinku twisted midair, activating [Veilstep] to blink out of harm's way and reappear farther along the rooftop.
"Stay sharp," Larin muttered, his voice steady despite the chaos.
"Move!" Rinku hissed, already reaching into her voidpouch.
Five figures emerged on the surrounding rooftops, their hands raised as overlapping magic circles flared to life. The coordination of their movements was unnerving, the circles rotating in sync as they launched a barrage of firebolts and crackling arcs of lightning.
"Scatter!" Larin shouted, leaping as a fireball erupted where he had been standing. The blast sent a shockwave through the tiles, the searing heat licking at his cloak.
Rinku dove to the side, her hand darting into her pouch. She hurled a small metal sphere into the air. It detonated, releasing a dense cloud of mana-infused smoke that obscured the rooftop in a shroud of gray.
"They can't hit what they can't see," Rinku said, her voice calm yet urgent. "But don't count on them staying disoriented."
Larin nodded, already adapting to the chaos. From his pouch, he drew a shard of enchanted glass and hurled it toward one of the figures. The shard split midair into a dozen smaller fragments, each homing in on its target. A muffled cry confirmed a hit, but the remaining spellcasters recovered quickly, their mana circles glowing brighter as they cast [Gale Sweep], dispersing the smoke with a gust of wind.
As the fog cleared, Rinku activated her runic gauntlets. The glyphs etched along her forearms flared to life, casting a bright blue glow. She launched herself into the fray with [Pulse Slam], landing amidst the spellcasters and driving her fists into the rooftop. A shockwave rippled outward, sending two of the ambushers sprawling.
Larin seized the opening, his blade gleaming with the faint glow of [Mana Bolt] as he advanced. Sliding low, he swept the legs of one of the ambushers, his blade slicing cleanly through the man's enchanted boots. A scream tore through the air as the caster fell, his mana circle dispersing in a crackle of light. Larin didn't hesitate, plunging his blade into the man's chest before pivoting to avoid a lightning bolt that streaked past him.
"Rinku!" he called, narrowly avoiding a spear of ice that shattered against a nearby wall.
"I'm on it!" she replied, dodging another spell. From her pouch, she retrieved two cylindrical devices. She lobbed them toward the remaining attackers, and they detonated with a burst of blinding light and deafening sound. The disoriented casters faltered, their coordinated casting disrupted.
Larin closed the gap to one of the stunned attackers. With a quick thrust, his blade pierced the man's chest, ending the fight for one more. The last ambusher lunged at him with a dagger, its blade glowing with enchantments. Their weapons clashed in a flurry of sparks, the ringing of steel echoing across the rooftop.
Rinku dispatched her final opponent with ruthless efficiency. She drove her gauntlet into his stomach, the mana-infused strike lifting him off his feet. Before he could recover, she struck his throat with a precise, brutal blow. The man crumpled, lifeless.
The rooftop was eerily silent. Bodies lay sprawled around them, blood pooling beneath the fallen. The metallic tang hung heavy in the air. Larin and Rinku stood amidst the carnage, their breathing labored, their clothes torn and bloodied.
"Not killing is hard when they're this skilled," Rinku muttered, wiping a streak of blood from her cheek.
Larin flexed his fingers, wincing as pain shot through his bruised wrist. "Agreed. But they didn't give us much choice."
Before they could catch their breath, the sound of footsteps echoed from the alley below. Two figures emerged onto the rooftop, their presence radiating authority.
The first was a tall woman with a mohawk, the shaved side of her head adorned with glowing red tattoos. She carried twin knives, their blades shimmering with an ominous crimson light. Her gaze was predatory, her movements deliberate.
The second was a man dressed in military gear, his trench coat swirling around him as he adjusted his gloves. A massive revolver rested on his hip, its barrel gleaming. His expression was calm, calculating.
"Told you they wouldn't be able to handle it," the woman sneered, her voice dripping with disdain.
"That's why we're here," the man replied evenly. "To finish the job."
They moved as one, their synergy unsettling. The woman's knives whirled in deadly arcs as she charged Rinku, while the man leveled his revolver at Larin and fired. The bullet screamed through the air, forcing Larin to dive for cover.
Rinku activated [Echo Wave], sending out successive pulses of mana that disrupted the woman's approach. But the tattoos on her skin flared brighter, enhancing her speed and strength. She closed the gap, her blades clashing against Rinku's gauntlets in a flurry of sparks.
Larin darted toward the man, his blade meeting the revolver in a clash of steel. The force of the impact sent vibrations up his arm, but he pressed forward, forcing the man to retreat. The man fired at point-blank range, but Larin sidestepped, the bullet grazing his shoulder.
"Stay on the move!" Rinku shouted, her voice strained as she deflected another strike from the woman.
Larin feinted left, drawing the man's attention, before delivering a sharp kick to his knee. The man crumpled slightly, and Larin followed up with a precise slash that severed the revolver's barrel. The man snarled, drawing a combat knife, but Larin's momentum didn't waver.
Rinku, meanwhile, turned the tide against her opponent. She activated [Pulse Barrier], deflecting the woman's relentless strikes and creating an opening. With a swift uppercut, she knocked the woman off balance. Rinku followed with a crushing strike to the woman's shoulder, severing her arm at the joint. The woman screamed, blood splattering across the rooftop.
Larin ended the fight with the man, severing his hand at the wrist. He collapsed, clutching the stump as blood poured onto the tiles.
The two attackers, now maimed and bleeding, staggered back. The woman's remaining eye burned with fury, while the man's face was pale, his expression tight with pain.
"This isn't over," the woman snarled before retreating into the shadows.
Rinku and Larin didn't follow. Their breaths came heavy, their bodies battered but standing. The silence that followed felt deafening, the echoes of the fight fading into the night.
"We're letting them go?" Larin asked, his voice hoarse.
"For now," Rinku replied. "We've done enough."
They stood for a moment longer before turning toward the heart of Tlangthar. The weight of the artifact in Larin's pouch was a constant reminder of the battles they had fought—and the challenges yet to come.