As Ian hears the blade behind him unsheathe, he is forced to block the woman’s broadsword with a dagger in his other hand. A dagger can’t hold for long directly clashing against a longer blade. However, in this moment where her sword has been deflected, if I move faster with the spear, I can take her out quickly! In the millisecond where the woman shifts her weight to enter another strike, Ian swings around with his spear. The woman, unable to counter because of her shifting weight, is stabbed through the heart. The maneuver is not without consequence; the man with the tomahawks hits Ian’s leg, making contact with bone. Ian screams in agony and turns to deal with him.
Duke fares no better, as his opponent’s rapier is far too quick to do anything about with a dagger. However, Duke has a plan. He picks up some rocks and starts throwing them at his opponent whilst simultaneously maneuvering his way closer to a large rock he saw earlier. He backs up onto the rock, which is tall enough where he has to make a conscious effort to step up. His opponent does the same, stepping to meet him up on the large rock. His strikes do not relent at all, and a few graze Duke’s flesh. As Duke narrowly dodges and parries blow after blow, he strategically makes his way towards the edge.
Ian continues struggling with the man wielding the tomahawks. One of the axes is still embedded in Ian’s leg, making him dizzy with pain. Shit. Shit! What the fuck! He screams in both agony and frustration as he clashes with the man’s remaining weapon. Alright, alright… if it’s not broken, why fix it? Ian throws the spear and intentionally misses, just as he did in the Great Valley to kill the Lieutenant. The man looks behind him and produced a low laugh under his breath. As he goes in for a strike to kill Ian, who is now writhing on the ground with pain, Ian hears a squishy sound, and the man’s arms fall to his sides. The spear permeates through his face, bloodying the cloth covering him. He falls to the ground, dead. Ian falls unconscious with pain.
Duke, now at the edge, enacts his master plan. He throws his handful of rocks at full force at his opponent’s balls. He screams out in pain and punches the ground in anger. "I’m gonna gut you like a fucking fish!" He screams.
"Come get me then," mocks Duke. With a scream, the man jumps with his rapier towards Duke, who steps out of the way at the last minute revealing the edge of the rock the man is now tumbling down. The impact snaps his rapier in half. Duke takes the opportunity where the man is downed to jump down on top of him and plunge his dagger through the man’s heart.
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Darkness envelops Ian. He sees nothing, feels nothing, hears nothing. All of a sudden he opens his eyes. Revealed to him is a dark world with no sun or moon, a world whose surface is covered in pulsating purple sludge made of pure condensed malicious energy. Ian wanders around gif a bit, seeing only an occasional pulsating ovoid spewing more purple brine in the distance. Eventually, he does come across something; or rather, someone. It is hard to make out, but in the distance he sees a silhouette. It is completely dark, but he can make out the form. It appears to be a man clad in exotic armor. On his hip, however, Ian sees something unmistakable. The spear… Suddenly, the silhouette farts its head towards Ian, startling him.
"Come to me…" It reaches out its hand and Ian’s sight is warped before sudden darkness once again.
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Ian awakens, firstly experience massive pain in his leg, secondly the warmth of the campfire Duke created while he was unconscious. He groans in pain, which draws Duke’s attention. "Ian! You’re alive! Thank Rhea! For a second there I thought there was no hope for you."
"How did you stop the bleeding?" Asks Ian.
"Little trick I learned studying with the Southern monks. Apparently applying fire to a wound will seal it right up and stop bleeding! Hurts like hell though." Ian gulps down his pain and sits upright next to Duke.
"Hell of a night, huh?" Asks Ian.
"Yeah. Best one I’ve had in a while, though."
"Why’s that?" Asks Ian.
"Three reasons, my friend. Firstly, you are alive. Secondly, I’m not cooped up in some cell. And thirdly, in the two days that you were asleep—"
"I was asleep for TWO DAYS?" Ian asks, shocked.
"Yes. In the two days you were asleep, a merchant passed by here, and he quite liked the weapons I looted off of the fuckers that attacked us. Guess what he traded them for?" Duke grabs his backpack and pulls out four glass bottles of a pale yellow liquid.
"Is that…"
"Yes, sir, it is! Original Marley gin! I haven’t had this since I was nineteen!" Ian grabs Duke’s shoulder and smiles.
"Tomorrow, Duke, we hunt, but tonight, we drink." Duke laughs jovially.
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In the dark tower of Horus’s residence, he stretches out his hand, and out from it sprout his three warriors, alive once more. It takes them a moment to become accustomed to their bodies after being dead for a time. As they lift themselves off the stone floor one by one, Horus asks, "Did you even kill the prisoner?" All three of his servants are too afraid to answer. Horus quickly draws his katana and holds it to one of his warriors’ throats. "You have one week to kill then both. If this happens again I will no longer be bringing any of you back to life." They solemnly nod and leave the tower towards the location of their last battle.