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Chapter 44

No respite came, no moment to react to the horror they just witnessed as the armored foe's weapon bellowed its command. A barrage of azure light surged forth, its ominous presence crackling through the air like a ravenous beast hunting its quarry. With unerring precision, it struck Arcturus squarely in the chest, hurtling him backwards, his body colliding with the unforgiving ground as stars exploded across his vision.

"Arcturus!" Krotos' cry echoed through the chaos, met swiftly by Garroth's trained reflexes. In a fluffy of blasts, the gryphon crumpled to the ground with a heavy thud, his feathers ruffled in defeat.

Amid the onslaught, only Shandalar's quick wit prevailed. With a swift gesture, she conjured a shimmering blue barrier of light, deflecting incoming blasts with uncanny precision. As fully armored warriors surged into the fray, their tabards marking them as paladins of Lumara, the air crackled with the fury of their attacks. Shandalar, forced into a defensive stance, retreated to fortify her position, weaving walls of stone to shield herself from the relentless assault.

Meanwhile, Arcturus struggled to maintain consciousness, his body wracked with pain and exhaustion. Each labored breath was a battle, his vision blurred and ears ringing from the onslaught. Yet, through sheer force of will, he refused to succumb.

"I expected more from you, Arcturus!" Garroth's laughter cut through the chaos, his proud grin a stark contrast to the turmoil around them. His soldiers relentlessly assaulted Shandalar's position, their attacks raining down like a storm. "I thought the dragon's prized lackey would prove a greater challenge!"

Shandalar, undeterred, stepped forward with determination. Her hand twisted into the shape of a tuning fork, each finger pulsating with raw power as orbs of brilliant light formed between them. With a single command, she unleashed the fury of nature upon the unsuspecting paladins, transforming the darkness into blinding daylight. Electricity crackled through the air, ensnaring the soldiers in a deadly embrace, their armor offering no protection against the elemental onslaught.

“You've got some fight in you, mage, I’ll give you that!" Garroth's voice echoed from behind cover, his confidence unshaken. "But you’ll need more than that to stop us."

“If you think you and your pathetic display can stop me mercenary, you’re deluded.” Shandalar replied before seeking refuge behind her crumbling stone, before forcing Garroth to duck from a fireball’s kiss.

Garroth emerged from the flames of Shandalar's retaliation, his armor untouched by the inferno. With a nonchalant grin, he brushed off the remnants of smoke, his gaze fixed on his target. "We came prepared for the dragon, my dear. And now, it's time to remove the mage from the equation." He gestured to her position, “Take her down.”

"Roger, roger." echoed four voices in eerie unison, their metallic timbre resonating through the darkness like the grinding of gears. Emerging from the shadows were constructs of steel, towering twice the height of a man, their polished surfaces gleaming in the dim light. Every joint articulated with precision, a testament to the ingenuity of their design. One arm terminated in a sharpened spear, its tip adorned with runes ablaze with otherworldly fire, while the other wielded an energy cannon akin to those mounted on fortress walls and warships, albeit compacted for swift deployment. Runes etched across their bodies pulsed with arcane power, forming a protective barrier against any non-magical assault, rendering them formidable adversaries on any battlefield.

"Apprehending target." declared one of the constructs, its knight-like helmet swiveling to fixate on Shandalar with a solitary crimson eye glowing ominously from behind its visor.

“A logical choice Garroth, I applaud you.” Shandalar replied, bringing forth another wall of stone to stall their progress. To her dismay, the new arrivals blasted it apart with a flurry of crimson bolts, their strikes like that of thunder across the countryside.

Arcturus' hand trembled as he reached for his shield, the chaos around him a symphony of blinding lights and thunderous blasts. The fact that the din persisted meant Shandalar was still holding her ground. Through his haze, he could discern her shaping the very stones of the hall into animated forms, a desperate attempt to repel their metallic assailants.

“Arcturus, are you alright?” Gus was at Arcturus’ side, pressing the shield into his hands.

“Krotos…” Arcturus fumbled through the words, positioning the bulwark to protect their weakened forms. “Is he…”

“Alive…just stunned…Speaking of…how are you- “

Arcturus managed to make form a faint smile, blood staining his lips. "Stubborn as ever, it seems."

"Surround her! Close in!" Garroth bellowed orders to his paladins, their ranks thrown into disarray by Shandalar's relentless assault.

In the heart of the fray, stone clashed against steel in a symphony of violence. Shandalar's animated creations, born of earth and magic, unleashed a fury upon their foes that left no room for mercy. With each blow, bodies were sent hurtling into the darkness, swallowed by its hungry maw amid desperate cries.

Garroth, undeterred by the chaos around him, pressed forward with calculated ferocity. His sword met Shandalar's defenses with calculated precision, each strike a testament to his skill and determination.

Then the dance of death began, the trained magician only able to stop the mercenaries attacks by the closest of margins. Spells that had been used to destroy where now trying to buy time, deflect, attempt to restrain and disarm the grizzled man before her.

He grimaced when she made his blade wobble like a fresh cooked noodle, “Hah, think that’s my only weapon?” Sneered Garroth tossing aside the great sword and pulling out a dagger. She deflected the dagger poised to stab into her chest with a slash of blue light, but was unable to stop him from grabbing her and dragging her to the ground.

As the struggle for supremacy unfolded upon the unforgiving ground, Arcturus staggered to his feet, his heart pounding with dread. Time slipped through his fingers like grains of sand, each passing moment a silent testament to the danger that threatened to consume them all. Shandalar, her strength waning with each blow, fought desperately against the relentless onslaught of the mercenary's blade. But Arcturus knew that if he didn't intervene, she would fall, her sacrifice in vain. With trembling limbs, he pushed himself forward, only to be met with the merciless assault of the paladins, their stunning bolts sending waves of agony coursing through his body.

“It’s coming to an end; can’t you feel it mage?” Garroth was atop her, struggling to press his dagger into her throat as she resisted. “What’s the matter, no witty reply, no condescending words?” He grinned; eyes gleaming in delight. But in that moment of triumph, fate intervened. Garroth's triumph turned to agony as a sudden force tore through him, cutting short his victory cry.

In a flash of desperate heroism, Gus seized Arcturus' sword, his resolve unwavering. With a swift, decisive thrust, he plunged the blade into Garroth's back, piercing through armor and flesh alike. The mercenary's startled gasp was drowned out by the rush of crimson blood that spilled forth, staining the ground beneath them.

"Bastard." Garroth choked out, blood dribbling down his chin.

But victory was a fleeting illusion, for the constructs swiveled onto Gus’, answering him with deadly precision. In a blaze of crimson light, Gus was torn asunder, his body rented apart in a violent explosion of gore and viscera. His passing was punctuated by his lower half collapsing to the ground with a sickening, wet thud.

Like that his world began to crumble. Arcturus sat, transfixed, unable to move, helpless as the day he’d lost his family. What chasm had been there from the loss of his friends only magnified, his grip on control snapped. Ears rang as his blood turned to ice, was this how it was all to end? He hardly noticed that Shandalar had slipped free to their side, whispering something under her breath before laying a hand on herself and then he and Krotos before being wrapped in electric whips.

The wizard collapsed, twitching, unconscious but alive.

“Fucking…bastard.” Garroth pulled Arcturus’ sword from his side with a grimace, palming a potion of vicious, golden liquid. In a single motion he chugged it, twitching with every gulp as his wounds pissed blood all over his armor and gambeson.

In a few moments the potion worked it’s magic, rewriting certain death to life. What shredded mess his insides were was reversed, the color returning to him in his next, satisfied breath. One gaze upon Gus’ remains and a fire lit in his gaze as he snapped to the construct responsible, “I said to fucking stun them you blasted pile of gears, not kill them!”

“He was not on the list.” The construct replied flatly as Garroth kicked it. “That one was on the designated list for termination, Arcturus Lund and the Rothdell mage Shandalar” The head stared at the mercenary, a sense of malice in its next words, “Strike this unit again at your own peril mercenary.”

With a laugh he looked upon the defeated adventurers, the dead guard and grabbed his noodlefied weapon. “You put up quite the show, Arcturus." Garroth taunted, circling the paladin with smug satisfaction. "Suntail was practically dancing at your command, yet here we are—victorious without breaking a sweat. It begs the question, why we were even concerned about you?" With deliberate movements, Garroth produced a set of manacles, "As for your dragon companion." he continued, his voice dripping with disdain, "Rest assured, we have plans for him. If he's not here, Nigel has likely taken care of him by now. Shame, really. I was rather looking forward to a personal encounter." With a dismissive shrug, Garroth knelt beside Arcturus, delivering a mocking slap to his cheek. "But I suppose you'll have to suffice for now."

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