Chapter 8

Annabelle Quentin paced nervously in front of the Caravan wagons. She had rented an open space for their stay in Ur, under the pretext of securing goods from the Wilds to bring back to Illyria. It was a thin excuse, one that the City Lord hadn’t bought.

She cast a glance at the guards posted around them. They had been left alone until yesterday, when word that the adventurers sent with Garman and Mara had been forcefully returned to Ur by Wil. The Guild was in an uproar.

Quentin didn’t know a lot about magic, but from the reactions she was seeing, it must have been something spectacular. The guards had shown up shortly after, silently ringing their encampment. When she had complained, the Guard Captain had simply said it was for their ‘Protection’.

It had been four days since Garman had left the city, and if they had made contact with Wil, then she suspected they would be back soon, either with him, or with word that he wasn’t coming home.

“If I have to go into the Wilds and drag you back myself, Wil, by the gods I’ll do it.” She growled, reaching the end of the path she had worn into the grass. Spinning, she was about to walk back, when a massive explosion lit the sky in the distance, followed by a thunderous boom.

Instinctively, she knew the cause.

“Gather everyone together! It’s time.” She shouted to one of her drivers, who took off running, banging on carriage doors, and spreading the word.

Looking towards the explosion, she witnessed a massive figure slowly emerge. An Earth Elemental, its body formed from the soil beneath Ur, as well as large pieces of broken buildings and paving stones from the road. She could see magic attacks striking the creature, doing little damage as it pounded the ground with its large fists.

She could feel the earth shaking under its attacks, the tremors reaching her even from where she was standing.

“Everyone is gathered, Miss.” The older driver said, out of breath. Turning, she ran towards the wagons, seeing the dozens of people she had led across Lund waiting nervously, staring in awe at the battle in the distance.

Just as she was about to address the crowd, she saw a pair of figures running towards them. Mara led the way, her sword out as she dashed towards the waiting guards. In a flash, she was on them, striking quickly, knocking them back. With a single slash, she disarmed one, before kicking him in the head, knocking him unconscious.

Garman, with considerably less finesse, simply barreled into a group of guardsmen, his bulk slamming them into the ground.

“Miss, we need to go, now! Wil’s holding the array, but I don’t know how much time we have. Leave the wagons!” Mara said, grabbing Quentin and dragging her forward. Not resisting, Annabelle gave orders for everyone to leave, abandoning the empty wagons and carts.

Running, they followed Mara and Garman down the packed streets, fighting against the flow of fleeing people trying to escape the attack. They were halfway there when a silver streak raced across the sky, slamming into the Earth Elemental, piercing its head. It staggered, still upright, for a moment, before its body crumbled, sending up a spray of dust into the air.

“Looks like the City Lord and his wife are making their move! We need to hurry!” Mara said, feeling the strength of that attack. It was easily Rank 13, much stronger than she would have been able to survive. Wil’s elemental, while large, was only a distraction, with orders to not kill anyone, just draw attention. The true defense was Wil, standing next to the active array, waiting for them.

Rushing to the Guild, they witnessed a scene of devastation. The Guild building was gone, nothing but shattered debris and rubble strewn across the ground. A large pile of rocks and earth were all that remained of the Earth Elemental, the emerald jewel that powered it safely in Serena’s hands.

A few guards and adventurers lay on the ground, moaning or showing signs of injury, but it seemed that no one had perished in the assault. Wil was quite clear that they would prevent unnecessary deaths, that their goal was to grab Quentin and the others and defend the Array until they could leave.

Wil was situated just in front of the Teleportation Array, the structure housing it was gone, but the magical spell matrix was untouched.

A thick layer of golden mana swirled around Wil, protecting himself and Serena. The shield formed a massive Dragon Turtle around them, reaching dozens of feet into the air. The translucent creature glared balefully at the guards that still surrounded them at a distance.

While Quentin and the others watched, a streak of fire raced across the ground towards Wil and Serena, shattering against the Dragon Turtle’s golden figure. Wil responded with a sweep of his longsword, the white blade screaming as it swept through the air. A wave of golden mana rushed across the space between him and the guards, knocking them back.

Quentin was about to dash forward, leading the others to the Array, when Garman stopped her.

“Wait.” He said, his voice serious. Looking to the side, she noticed the City Lord himself approaching. Riding a horse, he was wearing armor, and, in his hand, he held a long, silver spear. A beautiful woman with an icy cold expression rode a horse beside him. She was festooned with magical items and artifacts, the worth of it nearly leaving Quentin breathless.

Stopping in front of Wil, the City Lord spoke.

“Cease this madness. Turn over the girl and you’ll be treated with mercy. You can’t stand against all of us, Brookmoor.” He ordered, and his power erupted around him. His wife, likewise, allowed her mana to wrap around herself, stirring the wind and causing her fine robes to billow around her.

“Rank 13.” Garman whispered, looking at the Lord, before focusing on his wife. “Rank 16. I don’t know if we can escape this.”

Quentin focused on Wil. She hadn’t seen him in seven years, and time had changed him. He was more mature, still as handsome as ever, but older and more serious. He was expressionless, but Annabelle knew him well enough to recognize the anger that seethed within him. The white-knuckle grip on his sword, the slight tension between his eyebrows. He was pissed.

“I’ll give you one chance, Erik. Let me gather my people and leave. No one has died, no injuries have been dealt that cannot be healed. Let us go peacefully.” Wil asked, his eyes focused on the City Lord. Beside him, Serene peeked her head out from behind him, staring at the people with curiosity and fear.

“You know I can’t do that Wil. It is the law, and I am sworn to uphold it.” Erik replied grimly. Already, he was hefting his spear, power gathering into the tip as he prepared his attack. Beside him, Tessa raised her staff, the large ruby on the top glowing with mana.

Wil could recognize the Tier 5 Spell ‘Immolation’ imbued into the item. Lines of fire began to writhe around her, eager to strike.

Sighing deeply, he held the blade to the side of him. His mana gathered quickly, and the Dragon Turtle faded as he pulled the energy from the shield to power his attack. In the center of the sword, a spell matrix took shape. Simple and elegant, it drew his mana into the spell, slowly widening as it grew stronger.

“Blade of Disaster.” Wil spoke quietly, finishing the spell.

The Spell Matrix exploded in golden flames, coating the blade, before slowly sinking into the white sword, making it a deep gold that gradually darkened to black. The overwhelming pressure exuded by the weapon caused those observing to grow weak, falling to their knees as they couldn’t withstand it.

Erik and Tessa, as the strongest remaining in Ur, were unaffected, but the City Lord could see the effect such an attack would have.

“Using a Tier 9 spell, here!? You fool! You’ll destroy half the city!” He yelled, his own attack ready to intercept it. Even combined with his wife’s, they couldn’t come close to matching Wil’s own.

“Then let us leave peacefully.” Wil stated, slowly moving the blade so that it was directly overhead, ready to strike. The sword made a keening wail as it moved, as if the world itself screamed in agony. It left behind a black void as it traveled, so powerful was the attack that it cut reality itself.

The noise of the blade grew louder, growing higher in pitch. It seemed almost eager to attack, and it took all of Wil’s Rank 19 strength to hold it back. He waited, giving Erik time to make a decision.

For Serena, he would watch Ur burn. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

“Everyone…stand down. You can leave, Brookmoor. Take your demonspawn and never return.” Erik ordered. He lowered his spear, his own mana fading. With a nod to Tessa, she also lowered her weapon, the flames surrounding her quickly smothered.

In short order, Quentin had everyone gathered on the Array, Wil’s attack still ready in the event of betrayal. It wasn’t needed, and in a flash, the Teleportation Array powered on. Just as they were about to be taken away, a hooded figure leapt into the spell, joining the group as they were carried away.