Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

In the palace (II)

Perhaps, the strangest thing was that fewer projectiles had been fired than there were assassins, which had made the Eldi Mill's job easier. It was a bit strange, since these were elite assassins.

"Shit. Two more blasts, and we leave. If there's no option to kill him, target the traitors in the last row," the leader ordered. He was referring to those who had followed the high human there.

They had momentarily retreated from the holes in the ceiling, or the floor from their point of view. They were reloading some kind of crossbows, not only physically, but also with mana.

What they didn't expect was that one of their companions would faint, with one of those small arrows stuck in her neck. Because of this, she couldn't even scream, although that wouldn't have saved her either. The poison had entered her body.

"How...?" the leader was stunned for a moment.

"I... I'm sorry... It was shot by itself... I don't understand..." another apologized, stuttering.

"It shot by itself!? What do you mean by 'it shot'!? You've killed her!" he went furiously towards the culprit. "Aaaargh!"

Out of his mind, he wanted to hit her, maybe kill her. The leader believed that she was scared and embarrassed, but too late he realized she was faking it. The sword she brandished pierced his heart.

"Trait..."

He fell to the ground limply. Not only had the blade pierced him, but an electrical spell imbued into the weapon had paralyzed and damaged him from within.

"I'm not the traitor," the infiltrated rebel murmured.

They had long ago identified some members of that group. A few days ago, they had managed to ambush and kill them. Given the urgency of the current mission, they had managed to replace them despite failing one of the entry checks.

"It often fails," one of overlookers had assured then. There was too much hurry and work to investigate more deeply.

One of the assassins turned and pointed his weapon at her, but he didn't have time to fire. A dagger sliced his neck.

His crossbow was picked up by the rebel infiltrator who had attacked him, to use it against another of the assassins. Caught by surprise, as he was still looking at the "traitor", he was unable to react in time.

Another did, and quickly rose a protection spell against which another projectile crashed. He wanted to fight back, but all the rebels were equipped with some Canned Spells that Eldi had provided, and which included Projectiles against me?.

He had created them before entering the palace. The goshawk had picked them up and left them on a balcony, from where one of the rebels had recovered and distributed them. They had partially dissipated, since Canned Spells have a limited lifespan. Therefore, they could no longer block three projectiles, if they were level 100, although two could be blocked without problems.

The rebels had the element of surprise, but they were fewer. So, they knew they would have to overcome a small skirmish. Their lives would be hanging by a thread, as poisoned projectiles would come into play. Therefore, Projectiles against me? was of extraordinary help to them.

The rebels had their crossbows loaded, as they hadn't fired them. Their enemies would take at least an instant to react, and to recharge them. If the rebels could survive those lethal projectiles, the fight that would follow would be in their favor.

They had had to wait for everyone to come out of their holes in the ground, so they could be within reach. As soon as the assassins had appeared, six had been mortally wounded. Four others had succumbed in the attacks immediately following.

There were seven left, one more than them. The assassins rushed to load and fire their projectiles, and didn't expect them to be blocked or dodged. One of the rebels had hidden into a hole after receiving a second hit in the barrier, thus barely preventing the third from piercing her.

Everyone now had their crossbows unloaded, but the rebels were already raising their weapons to attack. The difference with the assassins was that they were prepared for this. They hadn't been caught by surprise.

They formed three groups of two. One threw daggers, and the other rushed towards the same occupied target. It was a simultaneous attack, as they had planned beforehand. One of their enemies couldn't survive the attack. Another was seriously injured, and needed immediate attention. The third was injured in the arm.

The rebels were now at a numerical advantage, but they had given their enemies time to reorganize. The assassins may have been caught by surprise, but they weren't rookies either. They weren't going to fall as easily as their companions. Besides, it was quite likely that they could take down more than one of their rivals.

The rebels looked at each other, nodded, and one of them threw a potion that Eldi had created several days ago. It had come to them through Ted and other intermediaries.

The elite forces reacted quickly. One of them cast a defensive spell, a Mana Barrier, while the others prepared to counterattack.

What they didn't expect was that that potion didn't explode. Instead, it raised a smoke screen. Quickly, the rebels retreated, as those who still had Projectiles against me? active were at the back.

They turned at a crossroads, and began to load their crossbows, while one kept watch. If they went out, they would be exposed, but the rebels were content to wait. Their job wasn't to eliminate all the assassins, but to annul them.

"What do we do now?" one of the original members of the squad asked.

"Hunting them is useless and dangerous. Even if we take them out, the target will already be gone. We can't attack again either. We are few, and they could catch us off guard again. Let's take the wounded and get out of here. The mission has failed," the deputy leader decided.

Everyone nodded. It was a decision as logical as it was humiliating. They weren't used to failure. The rush had made them careless, which had turned out to be a fatal mistake.

"They're leaving," one of the rebels announced, as he was looking through a mirror.

"Great. We wait a little longer and leave. The escape route is clear. Let's move on to phase two" another decided, before smiling and clapping the open hand that his partner offered. "Good job!"

"Heh, heh. It's been amazing, and we're alive. Almost a miracle."

"Are these spells really from Eldi Hnefa? How great!"

They were certainly excited, but the work wasn't done yet. Now, they had to reach the next point to support other rebels. They had won a skirmish, but the battle continued.