Shing. Two blades went back into their scabbard.
A thunderstorm flung a veritable wall of water down on the Defiers guild's roof. Lightning sprang across dark clouds every other second. Harsh winds blew, the city walls unable to impede their rush.
Three corpses lay nearby an aged swordsman with graying hair. Water drenched his skin and formed droplets on his brown-blue equipment set. Blood drained down the metal and crystal slant, dripping down to the guild’s entrance, feeding the grass and plants rooted there.
Sin has come to my guild. What an unexpected turn. The aged man crouched, staring at the swelling thunderclouds.
A muscular man with a red robe, gray beard, and red eyes dropped onto the roof. Two masked individuals in crimson garbs flanked him. Moments later, a gigantic tora with sun-colored fur and eyes jumped up and over, keeping a suitable distance away from the Red Overlord. An elf in tight blue and yellow cloth followed behind him.
The swordsman opened his mouth, “You’ve come, red bug and yellow cat. Now for the velvet parasite.”
Bristling at the name, the tora man roared, “You know who I am, Defier Musai. You cannot keep the spell sword safe forever.”
High Defier Musai extended his thumb slightly, unsheathing the short blade on his left hip, “That’s High Defier Musai to you, corrupt cat.”
A flash ripped through the air, and a deep gash appeared on the Tora’s upper thigh; blood gushed, clotting its fur. The tora grimaced, and fury built in his eyes. The elf to his side tensed, revealing a short staff.
The Tora put its arm before the elf, “Fool, put the weapon away; that man can behead you on a whim. Stay alert. Now that you’ve failed to capture the spell sword, you’re here as a witness and possible messenger, no more than that.”
Gulping, the elf stowed his weapon; his eyes began to scan the rooftop, and the elf said, “Yes, Pridelord Legar.”
“You gang lords and your insufferable titles, the rats on the street are more appealing to converse with. They show this old sword the proper respect and,” Musai exhaled with disappointment, staring hard at a spot away from the Red Overlord. “They’re not foolish enough to believe they can hide in plain sight.”
The two gang lords remained silent, exchanging glances with each other. Pridelord Legar tensed from the confusion. While the Red Overlord grew suspicious.
Fully unleashing the short sword on his left, Musai pointed it in the air to the Red Overlord’s left, “Velvet parasite, if you don’t reveal yourself, this sword will pierce through your heart in the next breath.”
Silently, a man clad in purple-black velvet appeared precisely where Musai pointed his blade. Tense muscles screamed through his coverings. He bowed slightly to Musai in greeting but remained mute.
“The Velvet Hand’s First Finger?” The Red Overlord scoffed, “What, your leader believes he’s too important to come along? I don’t remember cooperating with your kind. Legar, did you let them in on things despite our agreement?” Waves of blood began to swirl around the Red Overlord; it soaked his hand before solidifying into clawed gantlets.
“As much as you red thorns in my side intrude on the Golden Lions, I didn’t invite the velvet maniacs here. We both know they’re competition we’d rather not have, Demir.”
Nodding to Legar’s words, Demir, the Red Overlord, relaxed. He boisterously stated, “Good to see you’re not muscle-brained.”
Among the three formidable figures, Demir appeared to be the least intimidated by Musai’s thinning patience. With unfounded confidence, the man guffawed, “You know why we’re here, old sword. Why not hand him over?” He wore a smile of glee and utter disregard.
“That name is not for you to call me, ant.”
The masked red-robbed henchmen to the Red Overlord’s right lost his head. After Demir suppressed the quaking of his eyes, the city crime lord repeatedly gripped his hands. Scarlet blood invoked, and steamed against the pelting rain. It rose around the Red Overlord.
“Do you know why the black clouds of night have come to Sylen on this day, Red Bug?” Musai saw fit to keep things to his pace. No matter his words, the ant before him could not sway the outcome. He was to listen and hope not to die.
There would be no other options.
Snick. By the time the three powerhouses in front of the High Defier heard that sound, Musai’s longsword on his right had already returned to its sheath. Musai kept his shorter companion blade out and pointed toward the Red Overlord.
“The winds of change are brewing,” Musai answered his own question.
Red Overlord heaved, and liquid blood gushed, erupting behind him. “Give us the unfortunate man. A bounty beyond reason is on his head. There’s nowhere safe in the city for him.”
“My Defiers do not bow to the cruelty of this world. Your spineless clients can come here themselves if they want an audience with Defier Luke.”
Musai streaked his short blade against the metal ceiling. Rain crashed, wind whirled, blood dripped, and thunder seared the dark night. The smells of water, blood, and metal dominated the area.
“Defiers push forward. They rage; they will never abandon those who refuse to bow to gluttonous gods.” He stepped forward with his right foot harshly, water droplets suspended in the air, “Humanity's lowest rung will not besmirch our legacy. You shall never touch the youngest branch of our endless tree.”
“We…” Musai flashed forward, and a sword slash streaked through the air, “Defy.”
By pure instinct, Pridelord Legar, the Red Overlord, and the First Finger defended themselves, their arms bleeding heavily and weapons deeply gashed. The other masked red robe in the Red Overlord’s faction fell over in two halves.
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“The bounties placed by man are of no concern to us. Only the god-creatures and their agents are worth our attention.”
High Defier Musai reappeared behind the Crimson Overlord; he peered out to Sylen’s nightscape. His feet peaked over the edge as he slid the left sword back into its sheath, every being in the vicinity below the third tier…
Died in an instant.
Legar's subordinate, the elf, was worse off than the others, split apart by each limb, including their head. The black metal became awash in a tide of blood and gore. Musai tapped his foot rapidly. His calve muscles exerted far beyond normal; blurring, he moved back to his original position in the center of three corpses.
“Place a bounty on my Defiers? Threaten my Defiers? I’ll uproot this city of you all before I give up our newest leaf.” He stabbed his blade into the roof, “I know the underworld’s caliber of your dogged persistence to wag your tail for the painted gold and decayed moon. You won’t stop from this act of mine. But.”
Musai casually approached Pridelord Legar, this time, weaponless, “Whichever of you is first to send your upper echelons to target Defier Luke.” He stared into the Tora’s eyes, “Will be the first I exterminate. Do you understand, yellow kitten?”
Legar’s pride stirred, and the other two major representatives of the Sylen’s underbelly seethed. In this city, incredibly few people could dare to treat them this way.
Unfortunately, one of those rare few stood in front of them, unyielding to their demands. Helpless in the face of this man, he nodded as his eyes dilated and fur grew wet on his palms.
“I’ll never understand the titled nobles; their corruption is why you still breathe while I stand in this city. I’ll break the unsaid agreement if you dare target my Defiers. The overly dressed woman in the Capital will not change my mind.”
“Engaging in merriment in my absence, old blade Musai? I would implore you to abstain from addressing my niece, the esteemed Duchess, in any manner that could be constructed as lacking all due respect.”
Musai turned his body after making sure his shoulder smashed into the High Lion, causing him to fly off the roof. Trusting his senses, Musai heard the prideful tora scamper off while muttering obscenities. The Red Overlord and First Finger stayed rooted to their spot, shifting their attention from Musai to the new arrival.
A human woman in high-quality grey and sky-blue cloth floated down to the ceiling, inches away from where Musai stood. She sported green eyes and black hair with pale skin. In her right hand was a twisted wand with a sharp point, a grey-black tome floated behind her, musical notes and runes moved on its pages.
She slightly shut her eyes and tilted her head as she looked at the two underworld linchpins. "Pray tell, demonstrate your irreplaceable utility in the defense of my city amidst the coming dire tide. Should I harbor any regrets in permitting your survival this night," strings materialized from her tome to the air before her. She deftly manipulated her wand against them, producing a cacophony of ear-piercing sound waves that made the metal around them undulate and caused their ears to bleed, "be assured, I’ll fight with the two titled sycophants backing you to the death if necessary, to ensure such filth as you never again tarnish the sanctity of my domain. You are dismissed."
“Red ant, Velvet parasite, should any of your third tiers step foot near Defier Luke, I’ll cut off their head. Any ‘utility’ your underworld may serve for the coming tide will not save you from me. I disagree with City Lord Cyrn.”
Counter to his frequent brash outbursts, Demir knew when a target was no longer worth the hassle. He bowed out. If his clients couldn’t understand coveting a Defier’s life was a death sentence, then they weren’t worth catering to any longer, especially after the City Lord’s interference.
The Red Overlord scowled; the two mutilated bodies next to him were a steep price for failure. Training two additional second-tier subordinates would take ample time. He jumped back off the roof, his red eyes fixated on Musai as he left.
Making a motion to leave, the First Finger turned before hurriedly using a dagger to parry an air slash. The First Finger slammed against the metal beneath them.
“The other two have paid a price. You have not, First Finger.” Musai took out the blade he lodged into the roof earlier, “Call all your subordinates who acted tonight to your side. For their summary execution.”
The First Finger vanished, and gray smoke exploded out from their location. Musai called out to the thundering sky.
“Blade Domain.”
Dozens of blades materialized in the sky. A sword hum emanated off each blade. The swords began to vibrate rapidly, and Musai gestured his hand in the direction behind himself.
The blades flooded the assigned direction, skewering the First Finger from the sky, knocking him out of stealth. Three blades pinned each limb to the metal roof, immobilizing them. They viscerally yelled from the pain but never spoke.
High Defier Musai spoke slowly, with deadened eyes, “Condemn.”
A gigantic blade made of water congealed from the pouring rain appeared high in the sky, nearly halfway through the clouds. Lightning struck the freshly formed ability. The water blade sparked and tamed the lightning, descending with an increasing velocity.
Realizing their situation had rapidly deteriorated, the First Finger violently struggled against the blades, keeping them in place. Their velvet attire continued to tear, and their muscles heaved against Musai’s ability.
But possessing enough strength to jump tiers wasn’t a common sight. The First Finger helplessly stared at the impending death sentence floating down toward them. Finally, they spoke, “The Sacrament shall wipe you Defiers from this plane, heretics. Bless the god-creatures.”
The blade formed from Condemn lowered into the First Finger’s heart, sliding through their flesh like wet paper. Lightning traveled through and electrocuted the First Finger. They were fried charcoal black, smoking to the point they caught fire.
Once the sword ability fully entered the First Finger’s body, it imploded. After rapid inflation, the First Finger burst apart, leaving behind gore and carnage. Bits of brain matter decorated the area, blood gushed, and bone fragments sailed through the air.
“Another Sacrament cultist. Must be getting on in years. This old blade thought he wiped them from Sylen’s streets during the last Tide.” Musai turned to City Lord Cyrn, “Get off my roof, inept lord.”
"Is this the manner in which you extend hospitality towards the women within your guild, High Defier Musai? I find myself quite taken aback. I journeyed a great distance with the intention of lending my aid. And, if you would be so kind, address me simply as Ophelia, as I've told you many times."
“Inept lord, you came this way to ensure my bloodthirsty nature didn’t spark the next noble revolt before the Tide. You were no aid at all.”
Ophelia struck a chord with her wand, vibrating the strings in front of her; the rain around her stopped, instead sliding around an invisible sound barrier she created. After setting back her hair, she said, “Musai, it is not lost upon me that you abhor anyone who threatens your Defiers, but the situation in the Duchy is…. recently delicate. While ridding the city of those three organizations would be delightful, the aftermath the two title noble clans in Sylen would cause afterward is unacceptable.” With a deft motion, she executed another chord, and the resulting sound waves immaculately cleansed the ceiling of all sanguine remnants and debris, “With that disagreeable spectacle now behind us, can I count on your cooperation?”
“To allow those leeches to live? They’ve paid their price. Should they never target Defier Luke again, then for the sake of your petty politics, the matter can end here. Now, inept lord, I’ve got a new leaf to guide.”
“I shall relay your terms to the proper channels. The Duchy thanks you for your…clemency, High Defier Musai.”
“Adding a new member to my Defiers today has put my blades in an agreeable mood. Prepare the city well for the Tide. Leave the Diplomats to me. My Defiers will stand against the Envoys. Do not be a sniveling coward as the last city lord was.”
Musai wore a faint smile as he stepped off the roof, leaving City Lord Ophelia Cyrn to her own devices.
“Truly hard to manage that force of nature in my city.” Ophelia put a hand to her face and looked at the dark clouds, “May the Duchy protect the people from the gods’ cravings.”