Chương 39: Giving it all

JOSHUA"Bastards, you dare point your sword at us!?" I shouted, pushing past my uncle.

"I said", Gregory brandished his sword, "move aside, boy. WE just want his head." Alan slapped the sword away.

"He is our lord; give him respect! Sorry, milord, but this needs doing. Move along and let us do our job."

"Whose orders!? Mother's?!" Tim laughed, "Lands above, no. We have a partner you're very familiar with. Flashy man, shaved head like his barbarian people." Fjord…?

"We have come to an understanding, you see? We can as well. With this bastard out of the way, the fall of your brother is soon enough. Imagine how proud your mother would be." Alan wagged his sword.

"Please, milord. Don't do something you'll regret." I looked at my uncle, hunched on the table.

"I should be saying that to you, men." He took a swig of a drink. His sadness is unambiguous. on his aged face. I pulled out my rapier, the one gifted to me by my brother. I waved its point at two-fifths of a circle and a sixth. My three circles whirred in my chest.

"Regret? I would rather die with a blade in my hand than work with you scoundrels." What the devil am I saying? I can't beat a knight! Mana burst from Alan. Before I could notice, a hand held my neck. I dangled off the ground and attempted to slash at the sixth circle. Two fingers grabbed the rapier's edge and threw away the weapon.

"You always did piss me off," Alan choked harder.

"Always got the best whores. Lazying around as you get our coin." The knight slammed me on the table beside my uncle.

"What about this, men? He slipped on some spilt ale and bashed his head. Don't worry, Milord. You'll only be out for a few hours." A hand grabbed Alan's forearm. Good excuse," a hoarse voice said. The knight's sleeve crinkled and cracked. Uncle squeezed, and an arm shattered into shards of blood, muscle, and bone. Alan ran backwards, screaming and holding his shattered arm.

"Get him!!" Two-fifth circles slash at the sickly man with swords flowing with mana. A wave of the old greystone hand and two icicles shot out from the air to stab Gregory's knees. From his sheath, Uncle Laron decapitated the kneeling knight.

"I liked your stories." Uncle's long sword blocked a strike from his left. His freehand aimed and ice-tunnelled through Tim.

"You were kind of funny." A corpse fell, and a tornado hit a barrier of ice. A subtle push fired the block of ice at the one-armed knight, forcing him into the wall with a thud. Off the wall, the knight kneeled with shards hovering above him. The old knight exhaled as he accepted his death.

"Why…" Uncle asked. Alan smiled.

"After so many battles, I wished for a good life."

"Idiot…" Uncle mumbled. Shards rained on Uncle's friend. I cringed away from the sight and the nightmare-inducing cries. The noise ended, and my uncle stumbled again. I slipped under his arm to hold him up.

"We are surrounded..." Uncle coughed, blood spattered on the ground.

"I will have to thank Tarion. That mobile, what's it called, is pretty useful. Sobered me up fast." There was something in the drink Uncle took. The door slammed open, and an exhausted woman clothed in bloody dark robes ran to us, carrying a sabre. Blue eyes peered at us from the dark. Tarion's favourite guard. Before I could react, he came in.

"My lords, His Grace needs your help." His breathing was heavy; bloody cuts covered him from head to boot. I am here to bring you to Master. But difficulties follow you as well. Uncle stumbled on his chair, and we rushed to hold him up.

"DAMN! He really needs help! Guard, what shall we do?!" The guards went tense; in the silence, I could hear the bastards outside looking for their chance at coin.

"Protect me until we reach my nephew," Uncle coughed again. lurching forward in pain.

"Duke requested my help. I will be there." Brother? Is that bad? I said it with my eyes. The guard replied with a sombre nod. Is that even possible? We need to go. But uncle... Uncle rose from my shoulder.

"Where the fuck—" Uncle keeled over, his body heavy on my weak frame. My mind went dumb as I panicked while our enemy lurked outside. TARION Heated stone and gravel fell from the sky. The street was pocked with holes a metre deep. A cloud of earth and dust flowed and bobbed in the gentle wind, and a little gust revealed a figure standing in the ruins of the road. I walked forward, stepping out of the crater. My dark clothes are a bit burnt, and my power blew away my burning hood.

I pat away the fire on my burning mask. My eyecovering became ash. The horn, surprised a fourth circle still stood, took a step back, gathering flames around him. I stepped forward with my body burnt, skin peeling, and red. The pimp laughed as a fireball grew to the size of a football, and the sphere swirled brightly in the pimp's palm as he pitched it. I was hit squarely, but a hand wave cleared the fire and smoke. Uncle… Dead? I inhaled. A black hole for mana I became, bringing dust and stone around me.

The chest of a burnt man raged. My circles spun out of control; my chest glowed azure within my black, roughed-up clothes. Still injured, I lifted my finger to press the air. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Overcharge! Gotta give it to you; you've got balls." A man-covered hand made a knife aimed at Fjord's neck. Instinct saved the horn by instantly forming armour of blue, and blue shattered blue.

"Have to do better—" My fingers glowed and jabbed at his eyes.

"ARHHGGH!!" Holding his eyes with his right hand, the horn's left fist reflexively backfisted me with flaming knuckles into a nearby building. Uncle... A pulse of blue energy blew away wreckage, and I accelerated forward like a madman with murder on my mind. The horn shook his head as he regained his sight.

"Come on! You started this war! Hundreds are dying, but an old man passes, and you can't handle it?" The air became still, and the horn went low with dread. His brow was wet with sweat as he watched scarlet eyes glow in the shadow of the ruins. Three arrows of flame spun into form and shot out immediately. Heat and explosions destroyed the two-storey building, and leaving nothing to chance, Fjord shot out two more. I stepped forward with my clothes in tatters.

Out of the wreckage and into the street, a blue light towered from me to the heavens. Long black hair rippled, submerged in blue mana. My eyes felt hot. Flames aiding his speed, the brothel owner charged with a fire-imbued fist and pulled back. A right straight careened towards my head. I vanished, leaving a hole in the atmosphere. Propelled by jets of mana repulsion from my back, I struck the horn's face with my left, raging with mana. The armour of blue blocked and shattered, dividing the two.

Eyebrow bleeding, the shaved-headed man slammed down on my head. I lifted his head back up, blood leaked down my hair, and I stared coldly, feeling an absence of all emotion, pure wrath. A fist charged with mana bent the large man. An elbow cut the face of the slaver. A scream echoed as the red light district watched. My left hand formed a blade with rushing mana and slashed at the neck of the hurting Fjord. The horn's backhand met the mana saw, and the wind rushed out of the way.

Fjord's southpaw left my bleeding face with a jab. A nose crushed, my face bounced off gold rings. Like a branch in the breeze, I leaned back, weaving from the second jab and landing right straight. A right uppercut of flame cracked my jaw. Charred boots left the ground for a second before a left hook brought me down. A thin layer of mana armour saved my life from every strike. A right hook to the body was caught. Left hand burning, my right fist flicked to the horn's face, messing Fjord's new scar further.

I shot out mana from a kick to the large man's knee, and the unbalanced pimp was showered in a barrage of punches. I twisted the bastard's arm and heard him groan.

"ENOUGH." A hand-raised fire burst outward, blowing me away. My vision and world spun, and I crashed through several buildings. Weakened, the gangster fired more balls for fire. From a burning home, I crawled out covered in soot, my eyes mad with grief. A kick to the face sprayed my blood on the floor.

"This is your fault." A kick to the stomach, and I vomited blood.

"Should've given in!" Fjord went low and pummelled me. His fist painted more red the more he struck it. His smile crept to his ears with every punch.

"Thought you could mess with my Mouve and leave alive!?! Destroy what I've worked years to build!?" The pimp's punches hit heavy. His bald head, sweating. Glee filled his eyes.

"Does the fledgling assassin think this is a game?! You wade in waters too treacherous for you, boy!" He paused his assault.

"I've got to say." Fjord hit me again.

"You fella have the worst luck. Duke...!" Fjord patted away my reaching arm and struck again.

"Yes, I know their eyes from anywhere! Mama died. The new mother hates ya. You become useless." The horn hit again, and blood squirted in my mask.

"Father dies too. You fi nally get better, and—" Fjord punched me three more times, and blood dripped on my face from the long cut on the horn's face.

"AHAHA." Every strike seemed more satisfying than any whore the pimp had ever bedded. Lying in rubble and blood, all I felt was humiliation as Fjord struck again"Let's hope your brother isn't as foolish as you, or the glorious bloodline might end in a single day. Fjord huffed over me. Arm wound back, flame swallowed his fist for one last punch"Maybe I'll get with that bitch you hold so dear. Bring her back to my home." Four circles spun until they fissured and cracked.

I awaited the end as Fjord brought back his fist. Plonk. Is it over? NO. I inhaled. The Duke. My palm stopped a punch that shook buildings, and Fjord's limb was shoved away. The surprised pimp's chest concaved as mysterious murking energy burst from my knuckle. Pushing him through two ceilings, fire from the pimp's back paused him in the air. Bloody and pained, both palms touch the floor, exploding in greyish mana under me.

Jetting through the holes Fjord made, I flew out into the night to meet him above the rooftops. He waited with spinning arrows flying at speed to burn me. My right hand straightened into a knife shape, and I slashed. Crescents of light destroyed the flames, and I thrust through the sky. Fjord growled in annoyance, with fire moving him through the air to me for a clash of fists. I weaved to the left, evading a right straight. A spinning right kick armoured with black mana snapped into the side of the horn's temple.

The air shuddered from my power. Murky energy became brighter and easier to use. I weaved from a left burning with fervour, and I grabbed the horn's face. Mana repelled off my back to bring him down like a meteor. Otherworldly energy charged my muscles, and I threw the horn into the gravel road. Gravel and stone parted as a crater formed. I land among the dust searching for him. I can kill him. Finish him now.

"YOUR GRACE!" A recognisable voice called for me, full of dread, and I realised we were back in the middle of a battle between the madam's peasant men and the horn's swine. I turned to the left, and my injured headmaid fought with my ravens and several fighters by his side. Strangely, they ran to me with frightened faces. Didn't they see I had won?

"HEHEHAHAHAH!" The pimp's dirty laugh rang in my mind as a mind-breaking headache neared ripping my consciousness apart. I felt warm tears on my cheek. I caught the drops and saw red. It is not over. I inhaled. Blood was spat out instead. A breeze blew the dust away. The horn stood unfazed by the battle. Still full of energy, he laughed in the face of my men. I heard things break. He is a good actor. Bieye appeared by Beatrice's side, shaking her head. I closed my eyes.

and prayed for forgiveness that I would have to choose the coward's way. I marched away from him, using umbra steps to obscure as much of my face as possible. I was walking on jelly legs, trying to keep as much of my pride as possible. I whistle loudly for all ravens and umbras to hear. Our first retreat. Fighting winds down as the horn gave his own call to the crowd.

"Wait, is that all?" I continue walking out of the crater, keeping my emotions in check.

"Start a fight and run away?" I turn back to him.

"We can continue. I have accepted my fate already. Have you? If my fate is to be cut short today, I will pull you and sever you too." Finally the horned still his tongue. I walked to my men, who all rushed to give me a hand. You prevailed today. But will tomorrow be the same?"

"I have triumphed more than you know! YOU WILL REGRET SPITTING ON THE HAND THAT OFFERS YOU A GIFT." With my arms on my men's shoulders, they leapt across the roofs, leaving the red light district in the distance. Deep shame rested heavy on us all. I made it a few blocks; ravens surround me on top of random roofs, some with disgusting injuries. Many could fight longer. Best of the best. but couldn't sacrifice some bronzes and silvers for something like this. One was too many...

"Thank you for being alive – BLAEUGH!" I vomited a fountain of blood before the dark swallowed me slowly. In my amazement, this was the calmest I have felt since coming to this world. What I anticipated has come. My death. 10 Days till the Ball.