Osmund decided Brand had to be a jötunn by his size and skin, and one of them even touching a vellian woman made him sick. He was planning on killing him quickly but maybe he'd break a few bones first. The only problem is what to do with Mildrith and whomever she was with.
“Who is the woman in the light armor?” Osmund asked giving Garland a sideways glance.
His brother recoiled, like being see burned. Pathetic. The Nameless bastard might not be an Earthbreaker, but he reflected on the house. A shame really. Osmond wouldn't have spent the gold on him.
“That’s Alda,” Garland said nervously. “She’s nameless but has family in the city guard. She’s usually around Mildrith and is a speedster, cultivation ranked four with no real mage talent.”
“And why is Mildrith here?” Osmund grumbled.
“I don’t know. She should be attending her mysteries right now.”
“At least the nameless bastard is useful for something,” Osmund thought as he rearranged his plans.
He’d need to separate Mildrith from Brand without being spotted. And even though Alda was nameless, it was best not to kill someone affiliated with the city guard, especially with the mess they might create if Mildrith caught wind of their attack. That girl’s overpowered focus could be problematic, deadly even if she puts her mind to it.
Osmund saw a brief flash come from Brand, a flash of magic that shouldn’t be possible. His gates had been sealed. Osmund had even told Aldhelm using both he and Garland to kill one mundane jötunn was foolish. Now he was wondering if he’d need to fight the man he saw on the balling that could cut through magic with ease.
Eyes glowing with magic, Osmund got a closer look. “Well shit,” he said as he saw Brand, Alda, and worst of all Mildrith looking directly at him.
Brand turned and ran with speed only a cultivator was capable of. Alda followed with her super speed slowing at his side to keep pace. Mildrith erupted in golden light that formed into thin form-fitting armor that bent and folded with her movements. Hundreds of small blades appeared and came together as gigantic wings on her back. With a great heave, she rose like a bird flying as fast as everyone else ran.
Osmund snarled. “Go gather more men and be quick about it. We attack with everything we have as soon as they pass the wall.” Now that his face had been seen, things were once again simple; kill Brand regardless of how Mildrith felt about it.
****
Brand sky-stepped over buildings saving every precious second he could. He looked over to his left seeing Alda doing the same with some kind of enchanted footwear. To his right, Mildrith flew through the sky as a golden Valkyrie shining like the sun.
Her armor’s plating was as impressive as her blades. Brand recognized the runes etched across its surface as the same ones used against him in their previous battle. The armor would do little against him, but to anyone else, she’d be a much harder target than any mage should be.
“Where are you going?” Mildrith shouted over the rushing wind. “We’re heading deeper into Vellia.”
“I need to get something before I leave unless you have half your weight in beast cores on you.”
Brand preferred to leave the city right away. Even with the tracking spell placed on him by the guards devoured by his aura, they’d still find him within minutes of his time running out. But, in the Dark Forest, he’d need his strength.
After another minute of running, Brand felt the pull of his own mana. He followed it to one of many identical rooftops and stopped in front of a smoking chimney. With a powerful kick, he sent stones flying to reveal a leather bag under the masonry. Brand reached into the bag pulling out a fist full of beast cores as Mildrith’s eyes widened.
“Why wasn’t I able to sense those?” she asked while trying to probe the magic of the cores with her perception.
“It’s my focus,” Brand said then strapped the bag to his back after stuffing a few pockets with cores. “Now start pulling mana from me.”
“Shouldn’t that be the other way around,” Alda wheezed trying to catch her breath. “And I’ll be empty in a few minutes if we keep running at this pace.”
“Are both of you crazy!” Mildrith exclaimed. “We don’t have time to set up a mana exchange enneagram, and without one, you’d die!”
Brand pulled mana from a core in his hand holding it up for Mildrith to see it dim. “I also shouldn’t be able to pull mana from a core directly, but oh look, I can do it.” He pointed towards their pursuers. “For now, they’re keeping their distance, but the second we enter the Nulls, they’ll attack. If you add my focus to yours, we’ll stand a chance. Now pull my mana and mix it with your own. And give me a small blade to feed off of. Keep it filled with power like the chains you used to hold me, that way we’ll cycle our mana between each other.”
Mildrith decided to trust Brand knew what he was doing and pulled on his magic while he replenished himself with her own. The constant drain felt slightly uncomfortable to Brand but was far from life-threatening and Mildrith’s mana was just as easy to process as any other.
Mildrith, on the other hand, had trouble equalizing how much she took with how much she sent the dagger resting in Brand’s belt. His mana was smoother than any she’d ever felt. There was no need to change it to suit her. It flowed unhindered like a breeze actually making the process harder to control.
“Alda, feed off me too. I’m sure Mildrith can handle it,” Brand said. A moment later, mana circulated between them without the need for a complicated spell that would have taken hours to create.
With only minutes to spare, they all ran and flew to the closest city exit, all the while being followed by ever-increasing numbers. Brand kept waiting for something nasty to come from their rear but none of his pursuers attacked. Seconds from the exit, he turned around to face his enemies and recognized one of them.
“Isn't that your friend Gar or something?”
Mildrith spun around too, easily able to fly backward. “That’s Garland,” she said with disappointment.
“And the one with the fancy robe?”
“Osmund, an Earthbreaker. We don't stand a chance if they catch us.”
“When they catch us, we’ll be ready. Now make as many blades as you can. Alda, stay out of sight and only attack when it's safe.”
A man across the from them drew a sword and Mildrith responded in kind conjuring hundreds. Brand grasped his magic in each one turning the hive of glowing steel invisible, but he also felt each one and their appalling quality.
“What the hells!” he said in outrage. “Use your best blades, not this blunted garbage!”
“I’m not killing anyone so I made these instead,” Mildrith said, realizing Brand could sense her blades as well. “They’ll still work.”
“This is not the time to hold back! Just check your damned aim!”
“You expect me to aim 300 souring blades perfectly?”
Brand bared his teeth but understood what she meant. If Mildrith killed anyone, she’d end up like him or worse.
“Fine,” he said as they passed through Villia’s exit and entered the Null Road.
The homes and buildings went from polished stone to rotting wood. Alda and Mildrith gagged as the smell of shit, death, and unwashed bodies assaulted their noses. Brand didn't falter for a moment. He was back in the Nulls and somehow, it felt like the perfect place killing.
As soon as Osmund’s group entered the Nulls, their speed doubled. Those that could fly zoomed across the sky ripping roofs apart with roaring tailwinds. Those that couldn't run on the air barreled through homes as of they weren't they.
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From the wave of destruction heading his way, Brand knew most of his pursuers were of a high mage and cultivation rank. It would be like fighting guard captains, but this time, he had help and more mana than he could ask for.
“Don't fire until they get close,” Brand said to Mildrith.
He jumped in front of her as many wands point forward. “Not yet!” he shouted while devouring the magic attacks that came his way.
The second volley glinted in the sunlight with shards of ice, stone, and blades of wind that could bypass his aura. He countered with a powerful mana shield using energy from the previous attacks.
The magical forces collided in an explosion that sent death falling from the sky. Ice and stone flew like crossbow bolts puncturing anything in their way. Homes were sliced apart or thrown into the air by a powerful gust.
“I thought you said you wouldn't be a defender,” Mildrith said with a mixture of excitement and fear in her voice.
“Well, I guess you got your wish,” Brand said echoing her mirth. “Now let them have it!”
The rooftops of the Null Road shattered with explosions as magi fell from the sky. Half of Osmund’s group instantly lost consciousness as invisible blades broke against their bodies. Those that met the ground with the strength to stand were acquainted with Alda’s hammer soon after.
Brand charged forward right behind Mildrith’s attack aiming for someone too distracted by the carnage to notice him. He devoured the man’s aura landing a powerful nose-crunching kick across his face and into a building.
Without slowing, Brand surged from side-to-side avoiding flying spears of ice or stone but all the while gorging himself on every spell he could. He ducked under a blade of wind that rend buildings at his back in half.
He conjured a spear and blurred with a burst of speed launching the weapon at the offending mage. The spear's tip only grew stronger as it tore through the mage's shield and through his chest with a spurt of blood gushing from his mouth.
Another blade of wind passed right overhead a heartbeat later then again as Brand rolled and jumped and did whatever he had to against the mob. But where the hells was Mildrith?
He sought her out with his perception finding her surrounded in a school of blades all flying at and around the Earthbreaker noble who encased himself in a shield of hard-packed stone.
“Guess I'll take care of the rest,” he thought as he landed on the ground.
A landlocked cultivator swung at him with a sword radiating magic. “Mountain Cleaver!” the man shouted with incredible strength but little skill.
Brand took the man's arm with ax and spun thrusting a spear through his chest. Abandoning the weapon, he aimed low cutting the feet out from two with a newly conjured spear. but more still rushed in held only a moment when Brand’s aura flared red.
He drew heavily on the knife connected to Mildrith’s massive mana pool. The magic he had now felt limitless, so he cast his runes like never before. One hundred, then a thousand from his werewood inked skin and more after that as he ran and parried and fought.
Brand finally came to a stop in the middle of his gorgeous creation. He'd won. The fight was over, and it was time everyone knew it.
Releasing his focus, a web of spells appeared in the shape of a pillar, wider and larger than any building in the Vellia. How many circles were stacked on top of each other was hard to see from within, but it towered into the sky and shined like a beacon birthing more runes by the second.
The hot summer air took on a harsh winter’s breath as more runes appeared stealing heat from the air without Brand’s guidance. Then, the spells halted still filling with more power, collecting it greedily from the sun, the wind, the very magic in the air, and all for Brand to control.
Several of those trapped within the massive spell array ran for the edges knowing such a beautiful work of magic would be deadly even if they could not comprehend its purpose. It was futile of course. The first person to test their luck was a woman running with a shield and sword.
She placed the shield in front of herself, hoping to defend against whatever magic barred. The shield did help protect her face as she fell to the ground after passing through an invisible veil of death magic.
A mage behind her stumbled as he too was drained of mana but reacted in time to protect himself. Brand watched in glee as the mage wasted his mana by purifying the blighted area and picked up his fellow would-be assassin to march forward. He took nine more steps before a bolt of lightning leaped from a rune and onto his finely decorated staff.
With a violent shudder, the mage fell causing stunted silence to waft over the battlefield. For a long moment, everyone was too afraid to move. Only Brand’s haunting laughter could be heard over the racing hearts of the unfortunate men and women at his mercy.
“We need to kill him!” one of them exclaimed. “It's our only chance!”
“You won't get the chance,” Brand said as his magic challenged the sun with its brilliance. “TOWER OF RUIN!”
The ground in the tower sank several inches. Everyone but Brand slammed against compressed stones many unable to scream as gravity like a crushing hammer stopped their lungs from expanding. Not one of the magi could lift their bodies much less point whatever conduit they use for magic. Some held onto magic staff and wand through broken fingers as they were crushed by the weight of their instruments.
Only the cultivators were able to move, a few even strong enough to be unaffected by their heavy bodies. Two such men continued forward intending on taking Brand’s head, so he changed the magic of his tower with a thought. The gravity was replaced by a storm of lightning stopping the men in their tracks as they seized up with uncontrollable spasms.
With spears in both hands, Brand lunged forward stabbing the cultivators through their stomachs. With a great heave, they were nailed to the ground and abandoned as Brand ran past them conjuring another weapon.
As people struggled to overcome the electric barrage, he severed arms and legs with a swing of his ax. It seemed all too certain that his victory was at hand when a woman erupted with power that gathered around the bodies of her allies. The lightning now only struck the ground and moved around anyone in its way.
Brand stopped his bloody work feeling the need to compliment good mage craft. “I've got to say, that was impressive.” Several people cried from the pain they were in, the horror they had endured, and cried angrily at the one responsible, but he still spoke in a conversational tone. “Really, I've got to learn that spell, but can it defend against fire?”
A man covered in a web of lightning burns cried out as he understood what was about to happen. “No, Gods, please! Just let us-.” His words were cut off by the roaring of flame that filled the Tower of Ruin.
It only lasted an instance as to not breath the scorching air, but the damage had been done.
Only one now stood against him, the same woman that shielded her fellows. Her red and blistered skin was on full display, the rest burned away by the flame. The only thing on her person was the wand she pointed at Brand with the last of her strength, but she never got the chance to use it.
The gravity in force returned but in the opposite direction lifting all but Brand into the air. He stayed put thanks to his own magically altered weight and let everyone else be tossed out of the tower when he changed the gravity into a powerful whirlwind. They’d rain down across the Null Road, some even making it over Mur.
“Maybe I went a bit too far,” Brand wondered, but then he thought of how they’d tried to kill him. Worse was how Azmina had betrayed him, or had she? But what reason would Prometheus have to lie? He was a god of knowledge and truth who only revealed secrets of the world. Could a being such as him even lie? Was he capable of doing so?
Brand’s confusion quickly turned to anger. He hoped he killed his assailants. They challenged outside the protective embrace of the Hall. Drawing a sword here meant either dying or killing when you walked the streets of the Nulls. They got what they deserved and so would that high noble bastard Mildrith fought.
He looked over at the raging battle. Huge boulders flew at Mildrith and were destroyed by dozens of her invisible souring blades. She was holding her own, but Osmund forced her back from on top of a slab of stone he floated off the ground that was wide enough to hold a large house.
“I bet I can make a tower of ruin around him,” Brand thought.
He was marched forward with murder in his eyes when Alda slid to a stop in front of him.
“Are you really crazy enough to go over there?” she shouted.
“It where I’m walking,” Brand said as if it were obvious and walked past her.
“That magic you did was impressive.”
“You mean fucking amazing.”
“Yeah, sure, but Osmund’s a mage with two open gates and an S-ranked mana pool”
Brand cracked his knuckles. “I’m still going to kill him.”
“You can't kill a named noble!”
“I’m pretty sure a spear to the brain might work, or an ax, or a broken neck.” Brand said with obvious mirth. “I’ll test my theory on this guy before killing Aldhelm. A thaumaturge has to be thorough in their research after all.”
Alda sped back in front of him and pushed Brand's chest with her arms in a futile effort to stop him but could not hold her ground as he strode forward. “Even if you can kill him, it’s not worth it. His family will hunt you down.”
“I’m already being hunted!” Brand exclaimed. “Mildrith being here to help me guarantees that!” He looked Alda directly in the eyes making sure she understood every word he said. “Aldhelm wants to fuck his sister and wants me dead because he thinks I might have her first. So even if Azmina takes me back, he won’t stop coming after me.”
“That's ridiculous!” Alda exclaimed with disgust written across her face.
Brand laughed at her reaction. “Do you really think this is about me hurting his precious Valkyrie? You think all of this!” he gestured to the demolished homes and blood-soaked ground. “Was about dick measuring! Do me a favor and take a good look at one of his winged sluts with your perception. You’ll find those half-naked women look just like Mildrith down to every fucking curve!”
The ground shook bringing Brand’s attention back to Osmund. The noble had created a simple and massive spell circle of his own maybe half as large as Brand’s. Within it, dirt and rock rolled into a mound that shifted like water. Mildrith was not idle as whatever Osmund was creating formed. She rained down soaring blades on the forming creature but all pass-through leaving holes that quickly filled with more soil.
The earthy mound took the shape of a man standing at about 40 feet. Mildrith conjured chains to ensnare the golem but they sank into its body as it reached for her with a giant fist. She flew out of the way and swung her baculous in an arc, cutting the giants in two with a golden blade as long as the golem was tall.
“You see,” Alda said. “She has it all under control.”
Her words were proven false when the golem came back together in seconds. It moved twice as fast, catching Mildrith with a backhanded slap that sent her flying.
Brand waited with bated breath for Mildrith to slow herself and return to the fight, but she only stopped after her body broke through several wooden houses and crashed into the ground far from his position. He still held hope that she’d rise but when the knife connecting him to Mildrith’s mana pool vanished, Brand broke into a cold sweat.
“I think we might be in trouble.”