Bao’s relationship with the assassins is still uncertain, but as Keyon moves to engage the four enemies, he can only think about what is in front of him. He isn't just a guard, or a member of Tab’s military, he is a Green Plate. He has been trained to fend off assassins, and fight outnumbered all for the sake of protecting the royal family. His entire purpose in Tab is for moments like these.
Regardless of training, a fight four against one is impossible to manage. When Keyon engages one, he can’t focus long enough to create an opening. The others circle around him, and he needs to break away just to fend them off. Their short swords are easier to hide under their cloaks and catch prey off guard, but in a direct fight against a trained member of Tab’s elite, only their combat prowess matters. Their swords offer him a slight advantage but not enough to turn the fight.
Still, fending off the assailants is a battle of attrition that Keyon won’t win. With his current weapon he can only stave off the inevitable. Between parrying their attacks, he finds a chance to break free for a moment. He drops his sword on the ground and jumps back, giving him the time and distance needed to draw his own spear from his back. There are no weapons ideal for one versus many, but Keyon is confident in his skills with the spear.
The dynamics of the fight have changed only slightly. Now neither side is gaining ground. Keyon’s reach is much farther, and his spear is fast enough that none of the assassins can approach even if another distracts him. Keyon notices that one of the men has stopped engaging him. Instead, this man has stepped farther back and prepared a crossbow. Keyon won’t last long against three opponents while also dodging crossbow fire. He has to act fast but between the sword and spear he has run out of options.
There is one more thing Keyon can do to try and win this fight, but the physical and mental toll is extreme. With only a moment to act, he hesitates. As he parries the attacks from the assassins, the other raises his weapon to fire. Keyon knows this fight isn’t about him surviving, it is about protecting Maria. What happens to him is inconsequential as long as she is safe.
The spear is not only a melee weapon. It can also be thrown. The assassins know this and so the crossbowman is standing safely behind his allies. Even so, Keyon raises his spear and prepares to strike the man in the back. The men see this and prepare to dodge. They are not prepared for Keyon’s true skill. As he lets go of his spear it glides through his grip and he speaks.
“Kari.”
With this one word, the spear leaves his grip faster than what should be possible. It shoots past the three men in front and impales the fourth before anyone has a chance to move. The speed and force of the strike knocks the man to the ground, killing him instantly. Keyon’s opponents are not intimidated by this development.
“So, you invoke the God of wind?” the leader says, “But with no sword or spear, what good will wind magic do you?”
The men begin to close in on Keyon but pause when he reaches both hands behind him. What weapon was he concealing? When he pulls his hands back, instead of holding a weapon, he now has on a pair of iron knuckles. Normally, this would be suicide to use against proper weapons, but for Keyon, this is his last chance. Everyone is breathing heavier now, but Keyon noticeably so. Using magic is draining, and he isn’t particularly skilled in it. He is a soldier. He can use magic but only when he has no other choice.
“Knuckles?” The leader gives a bit of a laugh. He understands Keyon’s situation, “Nice work taking care of one of us kid, but this is where you die.”
One of the men move forward, charging Keyon and lunging at him. Keyon takes a few sharp breathes and invokes the wind god again.
“Kari!”
He sprints forward and meets his opponent head on. His speed is enough to close the gap and dodge the first strike, but not enough to avoid successive attacks. The enemy adjusts his footing and begins to follow up with another strike. Keyon speaks again.
“Jokla!”
He moves in quickly. The man is too slow to act. Before there is a second strike, Keyon hits the man in the side. A powerful cross punch. Something cracks. Something breaks. The second cloaked figure falls to the ground gasping for air.
The last two assassins stand silent. Keyon invoked both Kari, the god of wind, and Jokla, the god of ice, to speed up his own attacks and slow down his opponent. It is a deadly combination, one that should be impossible.
The leader thinks for a moment before speaking, “Keyon...” it’s a name he has heard before, “There’s a famous member of the Green Plates in Tab who can use any magic and invoke any god without venerating them.”
He puts away his sword and rolls back his sleeves. Holding out his arms, two short, serrated blades eject from devices on either hand, “It’s an incredible ability, but I’ve also heard it lacks a certain flexibility.”
The man is right. After only a few uses of magic, Keyon is breathing even heavier now. If he was more skilled, he could use magic with a proper weapon. As he is now, he can only focus on maintaining basic magical effects while swinging his fists.
The leader begins to charge Keyon, the same trick won’t work on these men again, “You’re a prodigy among prodigies kid, but party tricks don’t hold a candle to the power of Crow!” An aura of death magic begins to emanate from the man. Crow is the god of violence and murder.
There are only two assassins now. The leader, and an underling. Keyon can dodge their attacks just like before, but when he goes on the offensive, they are still able to guard each other every time. They understand the power of his magical abilities and he can’t use them lightly because of the toll they take on him. When he goes in it needs to be at the perfect moment.
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Right now, one second feels like an hour, and after an eternity, an opportunity opens. The last henchman oversteps slightly. Keyon should have missed it, but either because of his training or because he has become accustomed to this man’s attacks, he knows now is his chance. Wind magic will get him close, and ice will slow a counterattack. He throws a jab. Contact. Teeth break and blood splatters as his fist runs across the man's face.
Keyon has time for one more strike before the leader can interfere. It needs to be the last. While the man is still dazed from the jab, Keyon commits to a hook to the side of the head. There is no blood this time, but as the man falls to the ground, Keyon knows he will not be getting up.
The leader leaps at Keyon from behind. Both arms are raised and prepared to cut him down with this final attack. Keyon is exhausted. It’s now or never. He rushes forward and unleashes a strike with both arms to meet the man. Even if he could use iron knuckles to block blades, weapons empowered by Crow are especially deadly. These blades will slice right through Keyon’s hands. Keyon isn't aiming for the blades. His fists strike the man first. There is loud crunching and the man’s wrists are shattered.
The shock and pain from the blows cause the man to stumble on the landing and fall to his knees. He tries to catch himself with his hands, but he only intensifies his own pain. He can still fight. The wrist blades don’t need wrists to do their job. As long as he can swing his hands, he can still finish this fight and kill his target. He looks up at Keyon as he is about to jump up and resume the fight. Keyon’s arms are still raised in the air.
A tired Keyon is standing over his enemy. Panting heavily while looking over his opponent. He knows he doesn't have the energy to finish this fight. Instead, he invokes the gods one more time to win the battle. He doesn’t speak Kari or Jokla this time. Only one power will end this fight. His fists tighten as magic begins to strengthen them and he lets out a violent cry.
“Crow!”
Spit and sweat fly off Keyon’s face as he brings his fists crashing down onto the man. As soon as the man heard the name of Crow, he resigned himself to his fate. What an honor to be snuffed out by the very god of murder himself. The battle is over.
Keyon rests for a moment while taking note of the scene. The first assassin is lying dead with a spear in his chest. The man struck in the side is still on the ground. Dead or unconscious. It doesn’t matter which. The final two are still right in front Keyon. As fatigue starts to set in, he allows himself to believe the fighting has finished.
“Princess... are you... safe?”
“I’m alright Keyon.” She had seen the fighting from the library entrance and was walking towards him now.
Keyon breathes a sigh of relief, but his rest is short lived. He hears footsteps running towards them and remembers he still has one more opponent to face. Turning to the final threat, Keyon rushes to engage Bao who has just finished his own fight. There are too many uncertainties surrounding this mysterious traveler. The timing of their meeting on the road, his unconventional origins, and most of all, Bao’s crimson spear.
“Bao! You’re dead!” Keyon begins the fight with wild blows. He still doesn’t have any weapons other than his iron knuckles, “I should have killed you the moment I saw you!”
Bao realizes that Keyon has finally snapped. The Green Plate had been paranoid for days knowing these assassins were nearby. The fight must have pushed the exhausted man past the point of reason. All there is to do now is wait for the Keyon to tire himself out. It shouldn't take long, he is already about to collapse. Unfortunately, Bao hasn’t seen Keyon’s magic yet.
The worn-out Keyon is savagely striking at Bao, but he isn’t able to get past his spear. He speaks Kari’s name and with magic that comes with it, he surprises Bao by instantly closing the distance. Keyon is tired and slow though, Bao should still be able to dodge and reset the distance.
“Goodbye Bao,” this will be Keyon’s last strike, he can do no more, “Jokla.”
Bao jumps back and easily dodges the strike. He doesn't know how Keyon closed the distance so fast, but he wasn’t able to maintain that speed long enough to make a hit.
Keyon stands there dumbfounded and defeated, his arms hanging limp from exhaustion. Jokla’s ice magic didn’t affect Bao in any way. Was it the death magic? Only extremely powerful death magic can cancel magical effects. Whoever Bao was, Keyon resolved that he was no friend. Keyon closes his eyes. He has failed to protect Maria and will die here and now at the hands of Bao. When he goes, he wants to be thinking of her.
Keyon’s tranquil acceptance is interrupted by a cry from Maria. Both fighters turn to face her. One of the assassins is still alive. The one Keyon struck twice in the head. If any of men should be dead, it should be him. The fighters don’t need an explanation, they rush to save the princess. Even as his vision begins to blur, Keyon’s wind magic makes him faster than Bao. He can no longer fight but maybe he can use his body to buy the girl a little bit of time.
Bao knows he isn’t fast enough to reach the princess before the assassin can get to her. Keyon will make it, but he doesn’t have a weapon. In a gamble, Bao throws his spear ahead of Keyon hoping to offer even a little assistance. It’s better than the alternative.
Keyon hears Bao call out to him and then senses the magic from his spear land in front of him. His peripheral vision is fading but he recognizes the magic. He stretches his arm out to it and makes a sudden realization. This is the first time Keyon has held this spear and like a bolt of lightning, he is overwhelmed by the presence of magic within the weapon. He understands now that Bao isn’t channeling magic through this spear but rather the spear itself is emanating on its own.
With both hands grasping the spear, Keyon thrusts into the assassin. He doesn’t need to invoke any gods for this attack. The magic from this weapon is more potent than what Keyon could muster on his own. The enemy tries to resist briefly before finally succumbing to his injuries. He falls once again, his body pulls the spear from Keyon’s hands, taking it to the ground with him.
Maria runs to Keyon and catches him before he can collapse to the ground.
“Princess...Bao is good,” Keyon loses consciousness just as Bao reaches the two of them. Maria gently lays him on the ground.
Maria approaches the dead assassin while Bao frees his spear from the body, “He was a follower of Moz, the god of undeath. Keyon killed him once, but he was able to get up and continue fighting. Usually, it takes a lot more to kill them a second time. Keyon was able to kill him with only a single blow.”
The two of them examine Keyon. He wasn’t injured in the fighting, and after some rest he will recover.
“I have some questions about you, Keyon, and everything that has happened here,” the fighting has stopped but Bao needs to know what he should expect going forward, especially if he continues to travel with them to Tab.
“You’re right, I owe you an apology and an explanation but that has to wait until later. There are more enemies here. We need to get back to the caravan and warn them.”
The leader of these men did mention there were others following the caravan. Even if Barros and his men were as skilled as Keyon, it was still the princess who put them in danger. She felt guilty and wanted to make sure everyone was alright. Bao agreed to go with her the rest of the way and helped carry Keyon down the mountain. By the time they made it to the road again, the day had ended. They found the horses, presumably left by the assassins and made camp for the night. The caravan was an entire day ahead of them, there would be no point riding all night.