65: Battle

Battle

The master said his piece and began to study his nails, as if completely uninterested in what was going to happen next. His calmness was in stark contrast to his surroundings… which had suddenly grown frenetic with the advent of the newcomers.1

Daneel noticed that none of the five were very surprised when they saw the shadowy figures march towards them. It looked like they had already detected their presence, but ignored them in the hope that they would be able to finish the job… but alas, no such thing had happened, and now, they had no choice but to get past the master's protectors if they wanted to get to him. 

Each of them fixed their gazes on their opponents, their eyes as red as pieces of coal fresh out of the fire. Their fists clenched and unclenched around their weapons, betraying the rage and frustration they felt, and even as they waited for their opponents to come close, they kept glancing past them to Harrold, wishing that they could jump ahead and target him again.

"Forget it. Give us a good fight, and we will grant you quick, clean deaths… or otherwise, you're in for a never-ending nightmare."

The one clothed in red spoke, his words strangely flat and emotionless despite their meaning. The three had portioned out their opponents: the red figure was going toward the dwarf king, while the other two who still looked like they were more shadow than man were going towards the rest.

Of them, the shadowy figure closest to Daneel and the steward took off at a run and reached his opponents first. He was up against Lord Burrow and Jezara, master and servant, standing side-by-side with a practised grace that would almost make one believe that they often fought together.

Daneel still remembered Jezara's story, and how Burrow had apparently taken a turn with the man's sister before lying to him about what had happened. Clearly, as he had been told it by one of those below, it was wrong… but which part had been changed?

He decided to find out later when the shadowy figure drew out two short blades, each just as long as one's palm. In the air, he raised them high, each pointed to the two in front of him, and in that moment, it seemed that an even fight would break out, which might end with the side of the Lord succeeding, eventually, using their superiority in numbers.

Only, a heartbeat before the figure was about to reach them… a raspy chuckle emanated from his throat, and the shadows around him pulsed… and made him disappear.

Bewildered, Daneel looked all around the battlefield, looking for signs of where he might have gone. He didn't have to look long, though, because a second later… he saw both Lord Burrow and Jezara raise their eyebrows alarmingly and bring their weapons to their throats, where they were pushed back with a 'CLANG!' by something invisible that quickly coalesced into the figure, who had blinked into existence once again to deal a fatal blow.

He smoothly flew past, and with shock, both his opponents took a step back. Around their necks, small cuts could be seen where their own weapons had dug into their skin, and as the whirled around to face their foe again… the shadows pulsed once more, and he was gone.

The Lord and his servant floundered around, searching for the spot where he would reappear, and at the same time, on the other end of the battlefield, the same scene was being repeated in the case of the man from the Courtyard and the succubus. They were nowhere near as coordinated as the other two, but they still seemed to be experienced enough to be able to not get in each other's way. In their case, the opponent was not as enthusiastic, and they had already gotten a clue regarding his powers… but still, their vigilance amounted to nothing when he disappeared and made deep gashes appear at their waists.

Meanwhile, the crimson-clothed man had reached the dwarf king, who was panting from his exertion. Still, he cut an imposing figure, standing so tall that he could have passed as a mountain, himself, with the blade hanging from his right hand easily as big as his opponent.

"Hey, big fellow. Why not kneel so that I can reach your neck easily?"

The mocking tone made the giant's eyes half-close with rage. He let out another roar, this one louder than anything that had appeared from his mouth so far.

Raising his butcher's cleaver high, he brought it down on the man who didn't move until the last second… but then, just as the sharp edge was about to cleave through him, he jumped, and transformed.

If Daneel wasn't seeing it with his own eyes, he would never have believed anyone recounting the events happening here, at this faraway place where he had thought things would go very, very differently. Normally, the man should have had no chance of escaping the blow… but the moment his legs left the ground, he changed into the same crimson cloak worn by the master before.

He seemed to retain his momentum, though, so of course, because a cloak could easily fly into the air as it did not have the weight of all that flesh and bones pulling into the ground, he flapped his way up, up, up to the giant's beck where the cloak turned, and its hem flashed in the moonlight, revealing the sharp edge that had been added to it.

There was no doubt about it. If the attack succeeded, the giant would fall to the ground, blood gushing from his throat, but thankfully, before that could happen, the dwarf king's other arm moved at a speed that one would normally have thought it had no right to use.

The cloak was swatted away. Daneel looked down, hoping that the blow might have damaged the man… but in that form, he seemed to have properties of the thing he transformed into, as he re-emerged unscathed and calmly reached the ground.

In all three battles, the first exchange had ended with the opponents obtaining the upper hand. However, when it seemed that they were going to continue… they all fell back to the master, making the five furrow their eyebrows and stare, cautious.

Daneel observed what was happening as if his life depended on it. With squinted eyes, he watched the three all close in on the master and pause, and in that moment, he noticed something he hadn't seen before.

The shadows around the two had weakened. The crimson clothes of the third weren't as bright as they had been before. But then… an emerald glow flashed from within the master's pocket, and in an instant, the three were once again in the same state as they had been before the beginning of the fight.

"They're just normal Experts… but they're all drawing power from those magical items! This way… our people will keep tiring, and they'll be able to retain their power no matter how many confrontations take place! This is foolish! We can't let it continue!"

The steward seemed to have picked up on it, too. Muttering half to himself, he got to his feet and shouted, "My king, enough! We have failed! We must get out of here!"

With a vengeful snarl fixed on his gaunt face, the dwarf king turned to the steward and seemed as if he was angry enough to chuck the cleaver in his direction and cut the little man in half. But a moment later, all of a sudden, a single glance at the master and his protectors made all the fight go out of him, and right away, Daneel knew that he had reached the same conclusion.

Just then, the three leaped out again, with renewed vigor and bloodthirsty growls that meant that they had no intention of letting the five leave so easily. But before they could get any closer, the dwarf king took out an object from somewhere in his shirt, and the moment it appeared in the air, the man in crimson stopped in place… and flew back, transforming into a cloak again.

At the exact moment that the giant crushed the object, the cloak affixed itself around the master. He was perfectly on time; from the dwarf king's hand, a silvery shockwave spread out at an incredible speed, knocking out everyone it met.

They all crumpled to the ground, and Daneel wondered whether he would meet the same fate. However, the wave fizzled out before it reached them, and with haste, the big man picked up the four…and brought his foot down with another ear-wrenching roar on all four of his enemies.

He grunted savagely and moved his leg as if he was putting out a fire, and as he raised it, Daneel hoped to find only masses of mushy blood… but sadly, the cloak had protected the master again.

The good thing was that the other two had died. Before he could feel happy about this, though, the steward growled in his ear, making his mind go blank, then fill up with the realization that all of the five…had failed.

"Let's go! Its effects won't last… And we've dallied for too long! The main protective force of the master must surely be on its way! We've lost…but we don't need to die! RUN!"

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