Chapter 264: The Glory Chasers
I let out a short, shallow breath, my head dropping in defeat. I had failed, and Vithrass was gone, taking with him any chance of finding Sari. And now, I was alone with Rasce, whose words still ravaged my heart, tearing apart the wounds I had been suppressing with the hope of finding Ror and Sari.
Slowly, the light of the Dispel Magic and Teleportation retracted, revealing a figure slumped on the ground, bleeding profusely. "What the hell are you doing? Heal me already, or I’m–"
He broke off, meeting my unsteady gaze, eyes mirroring my own shock. The room was silent for a second as we just stared, demonkin to demonkin. And then Rasce laughed, more of a cackle really, and his bow thrummed.
Vithrass’ eyes widened, and he twisted his body just in time to avoid an arrow in the heart. Instead, it took him in the shoulder, sending him spinning back into a table. The arrow exploded with thorny vines, quickly ensnaring the demonkin. The thorns bit into his flesh, soaking his black robes in blood.
He found his sword by the time the next arrow arrived, managing to deflect it despite the vines restricting his movements, and struggled to his feet. "What did you do?" he screamed, eyes locked onto my trembling frame. "How could you possibly interfere with a sixth-circle teleportation?"
His sudden change in countenance shocked me into silence–not that I planned on replying anyway. The shadows responded to his anger, gathering around him, reinforcing his body and tearing away the vines. As he stumbled to his feet, he raised his sword, stalking toward me. Rasce loosed several arrows in quick succession, but Vithrass swiped them from the air with barely a glance. Even heavily injured, he was fifth level, and still possessed over half of his mana.
"Damn it," Rasce cursed, his voice showing signs of exhaustion. Using such powerful magical techniques back to back must have tired him more than he was willing to admit.
As the demonkin approached, Fable growled weakly, but was so worn he failed to even stand. He had offered me everything to stop Vithrass from escaping, but now that we had succeeded, I wasn’t convinced that had been the best choice.
"I’m going to kill your mutt, and then that blasted human," Vithrass growled, mere steps away, "Then I’m going to rape you until you break and beg me for a chance to demonstrate the Heart Curse. But first: bleed for me, Starlight. Bleed."
I closed my eyes, a scream caught in my throat, as his sword descended. I could hear Fable’s whimper and Rasce’s cry, but they were swept away in a loud ring of steel. I flinched, expecting to feel the sting of his blade, my eyes flying open as a voice snarled in my ear.
"That’s enough, Vithrass. You’re the only one bleeding today."