Vanguards Of Aetheria II: The Solace Rune

Chapter 18: The Battle of Cailon

Cal then dashed towards another soldier, and sliced them diagonally in half. Their internal organs, guts, and blood plastered themselves all over the ground.
The last soldier cowered in pure fear, as Cal was covered in blood and guts. Cal walking towards the soldier as they continuously stepped back.

Cal then threw his sword at the soldier, it landed in their chest and pinned them to a tree. Cal slowly approached them, dragging the end of Victoria's blade across the cobblestone path. Then, he thrusted his fist into their gut. His fist grasped the soldier's intestines, and he then ripped it right out. The soldier squealed like a pig as Cal then removed his sword from their chest, and their body then collapsed onto the pathway. Cal then continued to wander the streets, continuing to drag the ends of his and Victoria's blades against the path, a scraping noise ringing in his ears.

Cal spotted an archer on a rooftop, they took aim and flung an arrow towards him. The arrow impaled him though his right shoulder, but Cal demonstrated zero reaction. He didn't feel any pain at all, he just continued to walk with the arrow jabbed through his right shoulder. Two more soldiers pursued him, and they didn't waste any time either. Both of the soldiers went on the offensive and attacked immediately, the first one raised their sword, and the other raised their axe. Right as they were about to swing down on him, Cal raised both of the swords in his hand and slashed through the soldiers with ease. Their arms falling to the floor and their bodies slumping down in an ever growing pool of their own blood.

Both his and Victoria's blades were stained with blood, and leaving a trailing streak of blood as Cal yet again continued to drag their swords across the path. Up ahead were two soldiers unaware of his presence, so he slowly approached them. Once he was close enough he threw Victoria's sword at the soldier on the left, and then used his left hand to dig into the other soldier's back. He gripped their spine and then forcefully ripped it right out, along with their head that was still attached to the tip of their spine. He then bashed the left soldier in the face with the head of the other soldier. He kept doing this until both the soldier's head on the spine and the left soldier's head were just pure bloody mush on the stone floor. He then threw the spine aside, and retrieved Victoria's sword from the soldier's chest.

As Cal resumed his wandering, another archer shot an arrow towards him. But before it came in contact with his body, Cal raised his sword and deflected it with insane agility and precision. He then slowly turned his head towards the archer on the rooftop, instilling fear into them. Cal then did something he never did before, and leaped up onto the rooftop of the four story tall building the archer was positioned on. The archer quickly drew their dagger in fear, but it would be futile. The archer was already dead, they just didn't know it yet. Cal raised both swords and swung down on the archer, slicing both of their arms off. Blood poured and their arms fell as they cried in pain and fear. He then sliced the head of the archer right off, and their body slumped onto it's knees.
Cal's eyes skimmed around the area, looking for Stellaria. He hasn't spoken since he exited the cathedral, but one thought rang though his head.

"Find Stellaria."

Cal then spotted a large explosion in the distance, there was a possibility that this was Stellaria. He needed to kill her, so he began leaping from rooftop to rooftop, making his way to the explosion. Craters formed on each rooftop he landed on, some even collapsing under him. He grew closer and closer, his hands gripped tighter on both swords more and more every second. Upon reaching the site of the explosion, Cal saw Jill and Tessa fighting Stellaria's soldiers. But most importantly, Elijah fighting Stellaria head on. He knew he needed to intervene, so he leaped off the last rooftop and landed right in between Elijah and Stellaria. The impact was so strong that a crater was formed where he landed, and dust and debris clouded the area.

Elijah and Stellaria began coughing, and Jill, Tessa, and the rest of Stellaria's soldiers stopped fighting and looked at the cloud of dust.

"What the hell is that?!" Tessa exclaimed.

As the smog dissipated, familiar blue flames stood out among the smog. Elijah noticed that Stellaria had her attention focused on Cal, so he swiftly drop kicked her into a wall.

"You all are so fucked now!" Elijah chuckled.

Once the smog completely cleared, Cal was completely visible. Covered in blood, arrow in his right shoulder, and wielding both his and Victoria's swords. Cal looked over at Stellaria, who was still in awe as she slowly stood up from the ground after she had been drop kicked.

"I won't let you take anything else from not just me, but all of us." Said Cal.

"You just never seem to give up, do you?" Replied Stellaria.

"..." Cal didn't respond, he just stared.

"You want to know why I'm doing all of this?" Asked Stellaria.

"I don't care." Cal replied.

"I figured as much, but I'll tell you anyways." Said Stellaria.

"You see, if I obtain this rune, I'll be able to revive my mother from the sands of Solace. And when she returns, you will all cower to your knees!" Exclaimed Stellaria.

"That's probably the most stereotypical reasoning I've ever heard." Said Cal.

"You won't be cracking jokes when you're on your knees." Replied Stellaria.

"Where's Victoria?" Asked Cal.

"Nearby, and she's still alive." Stellaria replied. "For now, at least."

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her." Said Cal.

"I'll be generous. If you kill me, my guards will let her live." Replied Stellaria.

"Challenge accepted." Cal said.

"Soldiers! Leave the confident one to me, you all shall continue to deal with his friends." Stellaria ordered.

Her soldiers began attacking Elijah and the others, while Stellaria braced herself for her rematch against Cal.

"This time, I'll kill you." Said Cal.