Jonathan threw himself off the top of the building just as he heard soldiers breaking through the roof beneath him. He flew twenty feet into the air and landed on the nearest building, using it as a stepping stone to build up further speed. He needed to get away from his pursuers for long enough to concoct a plan, but that was seeming unlikely, given how fast the soldiers were. They were not holding anything back, sending their best and strongest after him. There weren't many Tier 2s in the citadel, which was a blessing, but Jonathan knew that one of them would probably be dispatched after him soon enough, and perhaps Granath himself. He just needed to buy enough time to find Edgar and get them out of here.
As he ran across the buildings, he could hear a faint voice calling out his name, the sound carrying across the wind in a strange manner, almost as if it was being funneled to his ears by magic. Jonathan paused, remembering that Edgar possessed control over the element of Air, and he turned, trying to trace the sound to its source. He saw a figure racing across the cobbled street about five hundred feet away from him, and Jonathan smiled, recognizing it as Edgar. He was still wearing the guard armor from before, but the fact that he was on his own exposed him for who he really was.
Jonathan looked behind him and then vaulted over the edge of the roof, landing a few seconds later on the streets. He ran towards Edgar, and as the man saw him, Edgar sped up as well. Behind Jonathan however, there was a muffled thump, and before he could turn around, he heard the air behind him boil as a fiery bolt of energy was launched at him. It was not a spell that he could afford to tank, and he could feel the heat from here. If that thing hit him, it would melt through his armor and skin alike. Whoever had appeared behind him was a Tier 2.
Jonathan rolled away from the bolt, and it sliced through the air next to him, leaving a faint afterimage in his retinas. He turned around to see a man in crimson robes regarding him with a faint smile on his face, one accentuated by the seemingly ritualistic scars that marred his features. The man cracked with magical potency, and he began to weave together another firebolt in his hands, this one even larger than the one before.
“Jonathan Harlowe. I have heard much about you,” the man said as he did so, his voice raspy, as if he had been a lifelong smoker. “You do not exactly live up the legend, I am sorry to say.”
"What legend?” Jonathan asked as he started to edge away from the man. He began to draw upon the power of the Void within him, ready to unbind the skill if he needed to. Behind him, Edgar got ready as well, a sword of wind forming in his hands.
“Those who oppose the Lord are few and far between, and those who survive for more than a few days are even rare beasts entirely. You belong in that latter category, but judging by your strength, I cannot fathom why.”
Without another word, the man thrust the bolt of fire towards Jonathan, sending the searing spear of light through the air. Jonathan sent his mana and elemental energy out in front of himself in a wave, dispelling the spell as it entered his range of control. However the spear of energy was too strong to be fully unbound, and its outer layer was simply stripped off as it passed into Jonathan’s domain. Jonathan was able to dodge the weakened bolt however, and Edgar stepped forwards, tearing it apart with his wind. With the majority of the energy gone out of the spell that the man had cast, a simple gust of wind was enough to blast it apart.
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Jonathan was upon the mage a moment later, his fist glowing with purple light. He sent his Divinity into his fist as well, causing his gauntlet to light up with red power. His fist came down like a thunderbolt, leaving a trail of light in the air behind it. However the mage simply laughed, and summoned a shield of energy around himself, stopping the attack in its tracks. Edgar edged forward after Jonathan, sending a gust of wind after him. The skill empowered Jonathan’s blow, causing it to strike the shield with more force than normal. However, it was futile. The shield glowed brighter, but ultimately held, and Jonathan ran out of energy to maintain the purple aegis of Void energy around his fist. However, the other mage was sweating by now, and Jonathan reveled in at least that small victory. While the main was under the effect of his shield, he was unable to attack back, a downside of having such a strong shield up.
Jonathan drew back his fist, and struck again, putting even more power into it. He could not use his full abilities here as he was still weakened, and the effort would tear his body apart, but he was still able to eke out a passable amount of energy to send at his enemy. His fist crashed into the same place the first one had landed, causing the shield to grow brighter and brighter as it failed. A crack spread across the shield a moment later, and Jonathan thrust his mana into it, unbinding the shield from the inside, where it was weaker.
It shattered with a noise like breaking glass, and Jonathan sent his left fist forwards, slamming it into the mage’s face. Teeth shattered and bones broke as Jonathan’s punch landed, sending the man flying. However he was still Tier 2, and the damage was mostly superficial. He hit the wall with a muffled thud and the stone cracked behind him.
Jonathan ran forwards, ready to finish him, but he heard supporting troops coming from all directions, and he cursed. It was time for him to go. He could not finish off his opponent in a short enough time to evade the soldiers. Edgar and Jonathan raced off away from the scene, both men using as much of their strength as they could to run. Jonathan did not slow down for Edgar, and the other man was forced to use his magic to keep up. However, that was necessary for them both to escape. Wind blustered around Edgar, surrounding him in a halo of transparent air. The gusts around him reached hurricane levels of force, which was enough to add some spring to his step.
Behind them, converging troops of soldiers surged into the street, and a few Tier 2s came with them, outpacing their allies. Jonathan swore under his breath as he spotted more of the crimson robed mages coming, these ones outfitted with staffs and wands. Two of them stopped and started to send powerful attacks towards Jonathan and Edgar, creating craters in the ground. Both men zigzagged across the streets, trying to avoid the strikes. The other two mages stayed with the soldiers, casting buffing skills that empowered their allies, allowing them to run faster. In addition,two heavily armored Tier 2s raced ahead of the main group, wielding large greatswords. They were faster than Jonathan and Edgar, and if neither man did something soon, they would catch up soon, spelling their end.