The Sword and The Shadow

The rain slowly rinsed the blood from Leguna's lips. He stared at Marolyt blankly.

"So… You're her… dad… no wonder…"

"I asked you a question!" roared the man, slapping the kid.

Leguna smashed into the mud, spat out a tooth, stood up, and half-stumbled back over to Marolyt silently.

"What's wrong? One slap not enough?" asked the old man.

"I deserve it," the kid murmured, "I'm useless. It's all my fault."

Marolyt clenched his fists, his nails dug into his flesh. He was on the brink of losing control, but hadn't yet.

"Who did it?"

"Hladik," Leguna replied, "I killed him."

"Them?" Marolyt asked, pointing at the floating mages.

"The Eye's reinforcements."

"So it's the Eye again, huh?" asked the old man, staring at the three.

The Galestorm Swordsaint looked around.

"They're also from the Eye?"

"No," Leguna said, "Most came from Starfall. A few are from the Eye though."

"I understand—" Marolyt nodded, "—Leave now. Go to Ogrimma. I'll meet you there."

"But they killed Annie!"

Leguna's words bled. While letting Vera and the others escape was fine, he wouldn't leave before he'd killed everyone from the Eye present.

"I have to take revenge."

"Revenge?" Marolyt glared at the brat and slapped his cheek lightly. "And how are you going to do that? Host of Darkness? You're barely at the 17th-stratum. You can't kill a single high-order magus in a fair fight!"

"I have Shadow Blink! I can fight a high-order magus!"

"Oh, really?"

Marolyt wanted to fume and laugh at the same time.

"I don't know what the hell your shadowy blinking is. Let me ask you this: Can you even those bastards up there?"

"Who may you be, Sir? Why have you come to disturb us?" asked Marie.

The old man had been chatting with the brat since he arrived, he'd only glanced at them once and then ignored them. She wouldn't stand by such an affront to the Eye.

"I can't…" Leguna murmured, crestfallen.

He could do nothing against magi in such a fight. They could float out of his reach easily. Only his throwing knives had a chance of reaching them, but they wouldn't do much damage against a high-order magus on their guard.

"Then I need not say more."

Marolyt waved his hand. A wave of impetus deflected Marie's attack.

"Scram. You can't handle what's about to happen."

Leguna stared at Marolyt, his feet rooted.

"If you don't leave now, I'll kill your friends!" the old man barked.

Leguna finally budget. His pupils shrunk he ran for his friends and made to leave.

He's always been messed up. Now he's lost Annie… I don't know what he'll do…

"Oh, right!" Marolyt added as Leguna ran away, "Take care of Annie! If you trouble her again, I'll skin you alive!"

"But she's—"

"You fool! At what point did I say she was dead?!"

The kid's body shuddered. The old man had been muttering since he arrived, but his last sentence couldn't be clearer. They were the greatest words the kid had ever heard in his entire life. He immediately understood what the old man meant. His eyes shone like stars. He sprinted to the girl's side like a drowning man chasing air.

She still lay lifeless; still a corpse.

A dark cloud descended on Leguna again. He didn't linger, though, Marolyt's warning was still fresh in his mind. He held onto the last ember of light in his life with everything he was worth. He sheathed his sword and prepared to leave.

"Sis, let's go," whispered he.

"Can we?" she asked, a bitter smile on her face.

"Trust me. I couldn't protect Annie, but I can at least cut us out of here."

Vera nodded. She stroked the dispirited werewolf next to her.

"Follow me. We're leaving," she whispered.

The werewolf blinked slowly. She picked the Annie up gently. Though she was exhausted, she had to carry the girl so Leguna could move freely. Clambering upright, she started waddling in a direction. Her feet nearly collapsed with every step; it was difficult to carry her own weight, much less Annie's too. A hairy black hand reached fr her. The werewolf stared at Vera as it tugged on Annie. Vera's weakness was so obvious even it could tell she was on the edge of collapsing with every step. It wasn't as exhausted since it had done little. Vera gaze at it. The brute had never been as obedient as today, had it?

"Be gentle. Don't hurt her," she said as she handed him the petite body.

The werewolf nodded slightly. The Eye's squads on the ground saw their movements and moved to stop them but Leguna immediately blocked them. He didn't rush in like last time; instead, he only kept himself between the Eye's people and his friends.

"Attack together!" the high-order warrior ordered.

His words had yet to leave his mouth properly when unmatched sword intent struck him. Three bodies collapsed, bisected, amidst the group.

"Listen carefully," Marolyt's voice rang out, "I don't want to kill too many people. So if you let them go, I will let you go too."

"What if we don't?" bellowed Marie.

She'd risen a few meters higher since Marolyt's attack. Her body was also covered by a few more barriers.

"Dammit. I forgot to mention this doesn't count for everyone. Everyone not part of the eye can leave. Everyone else… You can kneel and kiss my feet or die!"

"Impudent fool!" cried Marie. The two high-order magi beside her cursed too, but no one dared to attack.

The crowd burst into murmurs when they heard Marolyt's words; only a few chose to leave. It wasn't a bad deal to gain the Eye's favor. But they wanted to make sure the old man wouldn't snuff them like candles before they acted. While it would be nice to gain the Eye's favor, they weren't about to risk their live for it.

"Motherfucker… You won't be scared unless I kill a few, huh? You're all insane!" Marolyt shouted when he saw no one was leaving.

The enforcement squad cried out in agony a moment later. Everyone, including the high-order warrior joined the chorus. He used all his impetus to block the strike, but was still bisected.

"Scram!" bellowed the old man.

The crowd broke into a panic. They trampled each other as they scattered every which way. Some Eye members tried to leave with them but Marolyt didn't stop them. Such small fries weren't worth his consideration, it was fine to kill just the three high-order magi.

Leguna glanced at Marolyt before he took Annelotte from Kurdak and left.

Marolyt waited for the area to calm down before he turned his attention to the magi up in the sky.

"Not coming down?"

"Who in the world are you, old man?! How dare you obstruct the Eye?!" shouted the necromancer.

He had tried to stop their targets from leaving, but Marolyt thwarted all his attempts. He didn't dare to tussle with the old man alone so he could only watch wide-eyed as their prey escaped. He was furious at losing his doll.

"If you won't come down, I'll come up!"

A gust of wind blew, and he appeared opposite them in the sky.

"Wind Manipulation?!" Marie screamed, "Are you Galestorm Swordsaint, Marolyt?!"

"Oh, so you you're not a complete idiot," Marolyt said as his lewd eyes swam across Marie's body. "Since you didn't harm my daughter and can be considered a beauty, I'll spare you!"

"You bastard!" the other magus cried, "So what if you're a saint? I'll show you magic's might!"

"No wonder Wayerliss wants me to destroy Eye of Arcana so badly. You're all idiots.

He rushed in unhesitantly, waving Azureflash a few times.

……

A shocking piece of news spread across the continent when the sun rose the next day.

A mysterious expert attacked the Eye when they revealed Kurdak's bloodline. Hladik, Zarbu, and Kundin were killed. Only Vice-chairwoman Marie survived.

The Eye's might had been shattered and their future as the number-one force on Lance was in doubt.