Discordant Note | TBATE

Chapter 40: To Avenge

Toren Daen

A sound like the detonation of a bomb stacked upon itself a dozen times over echoed outward. It was like an explosion crossed with the sound sheet metal makes when rattled, except ramped up to absurd decibels and with a bit of reverb.

Needless to say, most of the mages around Kaelan and I fell to their knees. But I was unaffected: the spell inside the beast core had been made of my own mana, meaning that it could not harm me if I didn't want it to.

I fished inside my dimension rune, using the distraction provided to withdraw another beast core. Inside the bluish sphere, a white rune floated serenely, far more stable in appearance than the earlier sound bomb.

I caught a quick glimpse of Naereni and Hofal dropping to the ground, intent on ambushing the mages concussed by the sound bomb. But I didn't have much time to look.

I crushed the beast core in my hands. It cracked like stone, splintering and releasing the captive spell inside. Mist burst from the orb, billowing outward like the wall of a storm. It engulfed everything in a five-yard radius instantly, dampening the senses of all who were unaware and unkeyed to the spell.

Karsien's spells were versatile as hell. If he envisioned a person's mana signature as he cast his cloaking spells, the mist would not obstruct their senses. And considering my own senses remained as keen as ever, I knew it was a success.

Kaelan Joan, however? She was trapped in a swirl of deathly fog, unsure as to what had just happened.

Thank you, Karsien, I thought. The man had promised me a shot at Kaelan Joan. This was as close as anything.

I rushed at the woman, using all the speed I could muster. My blade carved through her side, streaking blood and breaking through her electric defenses. She screamed in agony.

I relished that scream. When I heard it, I could almost imagine that it washed away the pain in my shoulder.

I threw a hook at the woman, but she darted backward, trying to escape the mist. I followed in dogged pursuit, harrying her attempts to outmaneuver justice. Wherever she moved, I followed, striking low and not allowing her a second to breathe. Our blades sparked as they bounced off each other, and though each clash left my dagger a little more worn, it also came back with droplets of blood.

Kaelan Joan burst out of the mist, her eyes gleaming with hatred.

And maybe a little fear. Like a predator sensing weakness, I continued after, not letting up on the woman.

She deflected a strike of mine to the side, but I used the momentum to punch her in the ribs, right where I had drawn a line of blood earlier in the mists. She gasped, but the knuckle guard of my dagger connecting with her temple sent her sprawling backward. Electricity sparked off the blow, running down my arm and causing my hand to twitch slightly.

I looked down at my arms. The sleeves of my shirt had burned off a while ago, exposing the red tattoo that snaked from my palm upward. Lightning burns sprawled over my fingers, but the pain was dulled by my adrenaline. My left arm spasmed every now and then from the stab I had taken, the residue of lightning mana sending jolts along my nerves.

My shirt was slowly burning away, too. I couldn't bring myself to care, even if it was one of my last good ones. The signet ring of Named Blood Daen felt warm against my chest, the chain that kept it around my neck cold in contrast.

My brother's murderer stumbled backward, but the brief inspection of myself allowed her to recover. She lashed out with her dagger, electricity coating it as she blurred toward me. We exchanged a flurry of blows, but I had focused myself; centered my anger in a way that drove me on.