The Ballad of Romance

The Eighteenth Song

More than half of the Societa de Uccisore rode behind them. A small portion stayed behind to defend the citizens from the smaller Mostri that would be drawn to the Grande. Tess could feel the tightness in her stomach. Everything was riding on them succeeding. The whole world was teetering on them succeeding.

They could see the Grande before them. It towered over the tallest building in all of Roma. they could barely see the tiny figure in its head from their horses. They surged forward. Crispino and Guinevere rode alongside Tess and Tyler. They smiled at them. They knew that it was possible that they all may not make it out alive.

They surrounded the Grande. Those who were specialised in defence stayed on horseback, providing shields and platforms for the others. Those on offence jumped clear of their horses, bouncing off shields and platforms, hitting the Grande and smaller Mostri with everything they had.

Tess, Tyler, Crispino and Guinevere were the only ones whose attention was not centred on the Grande or the Mostri. They climbed straight up the Grande's side to face the Captino.

Rain blew around them like a hurricane. Only the circle in which they and the captino stood was free from the windswept rain. Tess and Tyler held their Strumenti at the ready, waiting for the Captino to make the first move. Crispino and Guinevere could feel the hatred and anger falling of the captino in waves. He wanted them dead. Very dead.

"So. The children of tomorrow stand before me. Ah how fate has brought you here. Alas, you will die all the same, just like your precious parents before. It was this very sword that took their final breath from their bodies. Left to die alone." The Captino taunted. He thumbed his sword carefully, smiling at its perfectly sharp edge.

Crispino ran forward, Violoncello already sounding. The Captino merely smiled, stepping in towards the attack. He swung his sword with the precision of a master, aiming for Crispino's ribs. A shield shimmered right before he hit. As the shield came up, Crispino threw his Violoncello bow into the air, drawing his dagger and taking a quick swipe at the Captino's other eye.

The Captino blew his Tromba, a black shield forming at the attack. Crispino sheathed the dagger and caught his bow, ducking to the side as Guinevere launched her own attack. Her Bangio came around in a wide sweeping arc, easily deflected by a black shield.

Tess and Tyler edged around the back of the Captino. Tess ran under guinevere's deflected swipe, aiming her own at the Captino's legs. She turned into her attack, her wet skirt flaring as she did so. Right before it connected, he jumped over the strike, missing him by a fraction of a hair. Tess cursed to herself, planting her foot and reversing her grip and swinging again in a quick succession. Her foot slipped out from underneath her, landing flat on her stomach. Her Mandolino skidded towards the tip of the Mostro's head, teetering precariously by the edge.

The Captino glanced at Tess, deflecting a blow from Crispino. He smiled, swinging his sword around to deflect Guinevere's attack and place it right above Tess. The thrusted down, his whole body turned with the intent to kill her, inhumanly fast. Tyler jumped forward, barely a blur to Tess, bringing his fits around and clocking the Captino square in the temple. He didn't black out but it gave Tyler time to help Tess up.

"How did you do that?" asked Tess and she lunged for her Mandolino that was starting to slide off the edge.

"I don't know." Tyler replied, forming a shield at a strike that would have taken Crispino's head off. "Power sort of just wells up and explodes. The first time I did it it felt like I was dying. Now it just hurts a lot. Maybe it will get easier with time."

Tess nodded along, still unsure about the 'power explosion' but she didn't have time to comprehend mysteries of their powers. Far below, Musicisti were having to fight their own battles.