Kurt

I pulverised what must have been my fiftieth golem of the night - it may have been rounded down- and I kneeled for just a second.

No! Master still fights. I must move.

The sounds of battle were closer. I hear his passionate fight; his and the mage's powers clash like gods in clouds. He gave me a job to fulfil, but these walls and damn golems block my way to him.

“Sir, down the tunnel!” The gambler pointed at a falling woman.

“Beiye?” I called over to the former prostitute, now gang leader.

A step forward and ten slashes in a second decimated the golem attack her. I offer her a hand to stand. “Are you alright, Beiye?”

“I am okay but my-”

“It's MADAM, you pretty-” A large guard swatted away a stone golem. “Bastard!”

My water sabre shot an arrow from his hilt and the golems glowing head burst into chunks of rock. Debris fell to the floor and they where no signs of them reforming again.

The glow.

“Woah…”

“Beiye, explain the situation.”

“You say her title!!” Another big man came forward with his broadsword at my chest. I hear my men’s weapons click and the hum of their mana.

“Idiots, weapon down!” A short but voluptuous lady, clothed in a beautiful dress, stood in between us. Long-nailed finger point at me. “The boss’s main man.”

The guards stepped back in fear. “The captain! Shit! We are sorry, sir!”

“Quick. Situation. Now.” I demand, still hearing dozens upon dozens of weighty footsteps in the dark tunnels.

“The boss and your wife came to the ring. George appeared out of fucking nowhere and destroyed my VIP box. Vanessa floats in a shield while the duke fights to death.”

Mage…Mouve. He helped me; I remember now. Saved the duchess. George? Is that why Master had us spy on him?

Images of a hand grabbing my face flashed in my mind. I sighed and collected more water from the air.

I am such a fool.

“MEN. ESCORT BEIYE OUT OF THE PREMISES.”

“YES, CAPTAIN!”

“What about you, sir!?”

Mana cloaked me like a warm hug from Jen.

“It will be faster to stalk the shadows without you.”

Like a roaming fog, I disappeared.

image [https://i.imgur.com/5E3i63i.png]

Tarion

We let each other go at the same time. He will throw a light but swift jab to test the distance. The back of my right hand pushed it away. Next; a right hook. I bent down to dodge. But it's to set up for a low kick. I lifted my left leg and let Vel’s kick pass.

“Oh, that quick?” Vel became intrigued again. “You make your wife do the thinking but there seems to be something up there other than muscle.” The missed low kick of Vel’s spun into an elbow strike and my right hand received it. A palm strike was met with Vel’s own. The explosion of our mana forces both away.

My Greatsword was still stuck. Vanessa floated in peace. No help has come yet, but I lasted more than a minute; I can last several more. Those runes around his attacks. It rips apart mana like a wood chipper. If could avoid it, the situation would be more manageable. But his moves…

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“You were watching our sparring.”

Vel smirked. “I was learning. At first, your spars with Vanessa were a good source of knowledge, but you were going easy on her. So I had to find other sources.

Kurt. Must have messed with him while I had him spy. Could have gotten her? No. Master Zhi is in a different realm. Vel would never be able to come close. I felt a spark of hope in my chest. I have a chance.

“It's just moving limbs about. Is it supposed to be challenging?”

I retreat into my mind's eye. Passed my middle dantian, where my circle rotated around my mana heart, and I delved down to my lower dantian. I dipped into the sea of Qi.

A hundred points from agility to intelligence and I opened my eyes to a fist torpedoing toward me. My fingertips shimmered gold as I lightly pushed away the attack. The mana blast destroyed the floor and the once grinning mage became confused. The same redirected fist went for a right uppercut. My head moved a centimetre from the mana fist and chips of stone fell from the ceiling.

“Yes. You were right. I was taking it too easy on her. But I was taking it easy on Kurt, Beatrice, Charles, Joshua.” I grabbed Vel's hand and pulled him close. I uppercut his body and Vel’s free hand caught my punch.

“Have you forgotten! I know you!”

My knuckles shone gold. A large step in and I pushed my fist. Past his grasp, my punch twisted into Vel’s skinny body. I stepped in deeper, bringing strength from my feet, waist, chest, and shoulder. Vel’s mana busted and he was sent rolling across the ring. I pursued my prey with a flash step and threw another wide punch at Vel's face. Beautifully formed mana shields broke one after the other. Each one was made worse than the last and my fist was finally guarded by Vel’s arms.

I stopped and tapped his guard down. A left punch blew the bastard's face away. The same left tapped down his guard and my right fist knocked his head back with another golden punch.

“Out of all my sparring partners, Master Zhi made me try.”

He doesn't bleed…

“Oh, I see. The Liuen…” Vel said with a bit of apprehension in his voice.

“What? Couldn't wrap your voyeuristic tentacles around her?! Creepy motherfucker! What did you do to Vanessa, huh?! WHAT DID YOU MAKE HER YOU, PERVERT?!”

Consumed by wrath, Vel flicker-jabbed with less accuracy but more power. Golden caught each punch, dissipating their power. Vel swung a right hook and a finger glowed gold and poked into a pressure point in his forearm. Vel’s hook continued its journey and I stepped aside it.

“Umm…”

I reached deeper into my basin, summoning more Qi.

Vel charged in with a poor imitation of flash-stepp and I ran at him with the real deal. Dipping under a mana punch, I countered with a golden palm to a face. I felt something crack and grabbrf on.

“Wait-” my hold on Vel’s face covered the mage's mouth. My right leg went around and kicked Vel’s left foot, which held his weight. Like I practised thousands of times, I flipped him over in one swift throw. Vel's head made a crater, exploding rock and sand everywhere. I pulled him by his mouth and slammed him against the floor again. Not enough. Again. I pulled him up.

The sword of heavy steel soared from behind. I let go of the crafty bastard and evaded my greatsword. Vel caught it by its hilt with a smirk on his roughed-up face. No. Wiggling around, Vel's skin healed back into his normal disguised self.

“Mmm. Try to be me all you want but it will never amount to the real thing.”

Vel chuckled. “No.”

His slim sword arm bicep to his chin, Vel wound up for a horizontal slash.

“I will be better!!”

With a blurred slash, a mana slice of wind soared toward me.

Kellen

I heard chatter from the guards. A rumble under a black sand, they say. I moved closer to the bars and a guard surprised me with a large, bizarre smile. The corners of her mouth pull on the freakish mask she wore. Undetected by normal eyes, once the method of making it was learnt, every sight of it gave goosebumps

“Very good news! He is distracted! It happens today!”

“But my revenge.”

The masked helper pulled on my dirty shirt. “Don’t ruin this with your ridiculous notion of petty justice. You are here to do a job. And the result will be the revenge you seek. So follow my instructions thoroughly. Do you understand, conquered one?”

I nodded. She let go with a grunt.

“Be happy. Your days as a prisoner were over quicker than we thought. Oh, here he comes. Your enemy’s best friend. Next best thing, right?”

I am starting to dislike this particular Liuen.

“Gentlemen, or gentlewomen. Good evening! Is this the prisoner?” A soft voice said to my helper. An unbelievably tall and immaculately dressed butler walked near the cage and inspected me with appraising eyes.

“Mmm. His grace sure is…unforgiving with his punishments.” Such a soft voice from the big man, yet I couldn't hear any naivety from his inflections. “Bring him in.”

Locks clicked and my chains jingled as I stepped down from the cage. I could finally see the home of my foe. Where he spent his childhood, where generations of his house ruled.

Where my half-sister and nephew are captured.

“We aren't going there. We are bringing you somewhere more appropriate for your kind.” The butler pointed to the right of the manor to a secondary building made of stone bricks with a large tower.

I felt the black sphere squirm in my pocket.

Soon.