The wind howls like a maddened beast, unleashed and unrestrained. A tempest of magic erupts as the sorcerers clash, crimson lightning from Freya's hand clashing with Pain's bolts of obsidian magic. They push against each other, locked in a precarious stalemate, vying for dominance.
Their clash ignites the heavens, bathing the landscape in an eerie glow as the woman erupts in a cacophony of maniacal laughter, her sanity questionable.
Guards, startled by the sudden illumination beneath the crescent moon, spring to attention. "Use this as a distraction and steal it", Clarion suggests.
His so-called guards begin to converge onMani with stealthy purpose, exploiting the chaos as cover. Meanwhile, Rolandian sorcerers ascend, their forms blurring as they accelerate towards the epicentre of the conflict. The intensity of Pain and Freya's magic escalates, neither side willing to yield.
Their spell eventually implodes, sending out a force like the storm, wiping both of them away. Rolandian sorcerers are also forced backwards by the force of the blast.
Pain lands on his feet, the shockwave still pushing him backwards, he uses his hand to grab hold of the ground. Fingers tearing through it like nothing.
His head snaps up, his pulse a frantic drumbeat against his ribs. Before he can react, Freya materialises before him, letting out a golden bolt of energy arcing towards him with deadly precision.
Pain is slammed into the earth, the impact jarring. She seizes him by the leg, hurling him into the air before smacking him further into the ground, "You have no idea who I am, do you?", she snarls.
"Summon lord Zarek, this woman may be too strong for your man. I'm not even sure Anarchy can take her", Clarion says as a gust of wind blows harshly against their faces.
"This is a disaster", Malice exclaims.
Pain finds himself being tossed around from side to side as Freya smacks him around like a rag doll. The Rolandian sorcerers try to intercede, casting spells to contain the two with an enclosed case constructed with their magic.
The spell, alas, buckles beneath the force of Freya's magic, crumbling before her like a house of cards.
"Is that all you got?", the winds scatter before her, her laughter echoing like the cackle of a ravenous beast. "Is she a maniac?", Clarion asks himself.
Pain grunts, feeling effects much like his name, he groans as his body emits some smoke. A piece of his sleeve is torn and he goes to tear it off completely, exposing a white skin of bulging bicep.
Pain looks sharp, eyes unwavering from the glowing woman. He suddenly appears before her, his speed tremendous like he was the winds itself.
He throws jabs at her but she dodges them all before grabbing him by the neck, "It's about to get hot", Freya says and sparks of flame fly from her body, extending self towards Pain.
Pain embraces the flames as it burns his body, he struggles and manages to grab Freya's hand, sending waves of black lightning coursing through her body. She screams and lets go of him, relieving him of her spell.
A hard fist from him sends her flying away towards the ground. Rolandian sorcerers try to calm them both, ordering Pain to stand down, a fruitless attempt.
"I am a member of Duke Clarion's guard, seize her", Pain orders, the Rolandians are hesitant as Freya comes to wit.
With a glance, she sends the sorcerers flying into the air, her fiery colours brighten as she takes to the air again. The energies around her begin to gather, taking physical shape in her hands.
An arrow made of flames is forged, pointed at Pain. Pain, floating above, generates a torrent of black lightning from his body. The currents gather around him and begin to take the shape of a bird.
"Black bird" "Crimson Arrow", they cast their spells, tides of wind scatters through Rolandia as both forces meet. The skies bleed of lightning and burn brightly with fiery clouds. The roar of the thunder is heard throughout the kingdom on impact.
Silence and dust take precedence.
A strange chill takes the land, it is ignored by Freya whose blood boils for more battle. She survives unscathed while blood trickles down Pain's arm, "Fuck, she is too strong", he realises.
Freya erupts in laughter as she charges, unleashing a torrent of fiery projectiles. He responds with a graceful, avian agility, weaving and dodging through the air like a seasoned dancer, evading each fiery kiss with practiced ease.
Freya stops her movement as she feels a surge of energy around the place, one not generated by her or Pain, "Who are you?", she asks, eyes glued to the cloak of invisibility casted by Clarion and the one behind it.
Malice tries to cast spells over the crescent moon. "Are you trying to steal it?", Freya raises her hand to cast a spell of her own but her concentration is suddenly broken by another surge of power that fills the atmosphere.
Tanix steps forward, looming beneath the intruder. With a dramatic flourish of his arms, he begins to intone an arcane litany. A clap of his hands unleashes a devastating shockwave, engulfing Freya and all within Mani's radius.
A white forcefield in the shape of a giant pillar encases the crescent moon, rising high up till it reaches the clouds.
Freya looks down, locking eyes with the wizard, "You have no business here child", he says while she clenches her fists, "I will be back", she says and flies away, retreating to the clouds and night.
Pain lands on his feet, falling on one knee and a crowd begin to gather amongst Rolandian guards. Tanix and a guard rushes to his side, "Are you alright? Where is Clarion?", the Grand sorcerer asks, using eyes to search around for the duke and the rest of his company.
From the crowd, Clarion and the rest of his guards appear, "It would seem my man was vigilant enough to bring the intruder to attention", the first words that come out of the duke's mouth, words that convince most of the people present about the fairness of Merdona's interest.
The duke watches them with squinted eyes, "Thank you for your service. Rolandia will not forget", a frown dawning upon his the sorcerer's face, "That was Freya of High Town. I knew High Town will be interested in the moon but to use this approach…", Tanix grunts, "…this was most likely action taken by her own accord.
I want guards around that thing, create a perimeter around the barrier. Nothing gets in or out without my say so", he orders disappears into the crowd.
Duke Clarion and his company make it to their tent, veins bulging and jaw tightened, the night is not one of success.
He slams a table as soon as they enter the veil of the tent, "What the hell was that?", his voice thunderous and his gaze deadly, resting his eyes upon the tall man with spiked hair.
"It was the best course of action to take. She was already going to make an attempt on Mani regardless of the situation. I took it upon myself to act as distraction while you guys extract the moon", he says with a stale face and turns eyes to Malice. "He is right. The commotion was the best time to pull it but our spells did not affect it.
Anarchy had faced a similar hurdle", she says.
"Which is why I said summon Zarek", "Summoning master Zarek would have exposed him, we cannot expose our master like that", Rivena says.
Her quiet nature dispelled my conversation. Her body clad in obsidian attire that provides a hood over her head and a mask over her mouth.
Clarion's eyes dart from one other the other, watching them as they defend each other. He grunts, "We will have to try again, at least now we look to be on Rolandia's side. It is only matter of time, we will get that fucking moon".
PYRRHUS
Excruciating heat fills the air and a shriek of madness clouds the atmosphere. People run around, some with blood stained clothes and others with burns all over their body. Kane walks around, almost tripping over corpses covered in smeared flesh.
Screams everywhere as fire rains down from the skies, like the gods had finally come to plunge the world into apocalypse. Ash and smoke patrol the air, making Kane cough as he watches some struggle to breathe.
The clouds quickly turn black, dropping their tears onto the earth. But these tears do not quench fire, Kane rubs his fingers together as the liquid drops on him, it is wet and sticky. Black in nature, "This cannot be rain", he says to himself.
A loud roar pries the clouds open as a giant winged lizard flies above and from its mouth it preaches with the purity of fire.
"Kane! Kane!!".
Kane kicks himself up and out of slumber's clutching talons. Sweat dripping sown his face while his heart dances like a child under the rain. "A dragon", he mutters.
"I was starting to think you were dead", Emmet says, he holds two bowls of rice, handing one over to Kane. "The slave who sleeps like a lord", Emmet mocks him with a small laugh.
"I had a dream, about a dragon", Kane says with tired breathes, "Hopefully, it remains in your dream. They say a great dragon sleeps in the volcano.
It likes pretty boys with white hair", Emmet jests, "I thought elves were more of a delicacy for dragons" "Good thing I'm half-born then" "Still, half a delicacy" Kane says and they both laugh.
"So, let's say Lord Dorian comes good and gives us chance to escape. You do know he will want to keep us as slaves and by now, he should also think we would not want to remain slaves being that we are bold enough to stage an escape", the half-elf says as he spoons up some rice.
"You speak true. My plan is to ditch them before we reach shore. There is no guarantee that we will leave for Volantis. If I want to go somewhere, it would be Ignis. I think I have to be in some kingdom in Ignis", he says as the memory of the map in his dreams flashes in his mind.
"Why Ignis?" "I don't know, I just feel a calling toward it. Like I am meant to be there", Kane says.
"One problem at a time my friend", Emmets pats him on the back. Much to Kane's surprise he feels no pain, his injuries from the whip seem gone and the pains of Lord Barabas' magic has been shed away.
"I was thinking, the man who brings the wine, with the money we got from Maeve we can secure transportation and I'd like him to spike the drinks, make the lords sleepy while we slip away", Kane suggests. "That's a good idea" "And I want Braga to come with us", his words almost choke Emmet.
He coughs until his throat clears up, "I know you are crazy but that is not a good idea", Emmet says.
"He knows about my magic, something I am yet to master and then there is his strength, it will be helpful when we turn against Dorian", "You starting to look like one with a devious mind, are you sure you are the real Kane?", Emmet says and Kane laughs.
MEANWHILE
Dorian meticulously prepares, adorning himself in opulent attire, a riot of exotic colours and intricate patterns. . A vision of decadent excess, from the cavernous warddrobe.
"Maeve", he calls, his gaze lingering on his reflection in the ornate mirror, "Take word to Lord Barabas, extend an invitation so I may offer him wine and the most alluring women. A gesture to mend the soured taste left in our last encounter. Take a guard with you", he says.
The snake-kin bows her head, "Yes lord", and leaves to do his bidding. Several guards stand sentinel outside his chamber as she exits to carry out his command.
Lord Dorian goes downstairs with his guards, as usual, men of questionable repute have their fun at the ground floor of the tavern. He walks to the bar where a beast-kin serves, a man with pointy ears and a pair of whiskers.
Dorian slides a silver coin to the bartender, "Tell, if I were looking for a notorious man who has little fear and an eye for gold in this tavern, who would that be?", he asks with a devious smile across his face, the bartender glances over his head at a table at the back.
The table is at one of the corners of the floor, shrouded with laughter and a few men hurdled between women and ale. Lord Dorian glances over and is pleased with the appearance of these scum, "Perfect, they will do just fine".