The Alrevia Order [Elisop]

#8 Blunt blade

TW: Slight Gore?

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Annie could have sworn that Duke Paganini was in his office when she was listening to him.

Yet a cold sweat broke out on her back and her blue eyes looked up in disbelief at the tall, menacing figure of Antonio as she heard his singing voice, his wide smile not boding well. Patricia wasn't really the type to accept help under normal circumstances and her convictions certainly weren't going to change if the proposal came from such a dubious individual above all else.

"How did you get here so quickly?" the black mage asked.

"Ah ah..." laughed the duke grimly. "Wherever darkness prevails, it is also my home and at my place, I am where I want to be, when I want to be~"

Annie gritted her teeth. The two women were not in a good position to fight at the moment and it was quite likely that the Duke's power was far greater than theirs. In all honesty, it was a hopeless fight. However, as long as she bore the name Anne Lester, Emerald Mage of the Order of Mages, she would fight until her last breath.

The blonde glanced furtively at her colleague to give her a signal to create a diversion and Patricia frowned slightly in response. It was a dangerous plan. If they had more time and means, a better solution than this one could have been elaborated but there was no other choice than to do with the available resources.

Die or perish.

Anne had a sarcastic thought in her mind, knowing that her time would come so soon, she would have tried to confront the Archmage one last time before leaving the Tower. She would probably only have lasted a few minutes longer than the last time, but it was a way to see her progress. Too bad, that would be in another life if she were to follow the path of esotericism again.

For now, the creature before her would prove to be her new challenge.

"You probably have to be crazy to worship a monster like Yidhra." said Patricia.

"I don't allow you to speak that sacred name lightly like that, but despite my complaints, I unfortunately doubt you'll change anything." replied Antonio with a sigh.

"Indeed, it would serve no purpose."

"The generation of our days is quite disappointing... That is also why our goddess must return to purge those souls that have turned away from the right path."

"You say that as if you were not one of the first to be corrupted..."

The corner of the Duke's lips turned down and Annie felt that the discussion had gone on long enough. She suddenly shifted off of Patricia, who was helping her stand so far, and lifted both her hands to throw a gust of wind at Antonio and send him flying through the air. The earth mage didn't need another signal as she created in turn three stakes as sharp as blades, these ones coming to impale the duke brutally one after the other.

However, it would have been too wonderful if getting rid of the duke was so easy.

The man's body crashed to the ground with a thud as a result of the two mages' attack, his limbs twisted in strange ways by the collision. He didn't move for several seconds, long seconds during which the chest of the two women were pounding in hope of having succeeded. All this to freeze upon seeing movement from the supposed corpse.

Actually, there had been no screams of pain and agony when he had been pierced and the absence of bodily fluids such as his blood was now frightening. Patricia and Annie watched in horror as the Duke's body articulated itself back to normal, the sound of his bones snapping back into place echoing with every move he made. Finally, that sinister laugh again.