Erin ran down the alleys of the complex toward the temple, Ikal on her shoulders as her heart raced and the twining energy of her gate crackled through her limbs. Enneervating energy flooded her as she ran, and she didn't tire. Every breath in was a surge of aether that filled her body.
Ikal struggled against his bonds still, and the gag prevented him from speaking, but Erin wanted to be sure they were both far away before she stopped to free him. The plan had yet to go exactly as it was supposed to, and Alex needed every advantage he could get if he were going to win. Besides that, she had another problem.
Errn. Thud.
In the distance behind her, she could hear the groan of a massive object falling and the solid thud of it landing hard against the ground. Erin redoubled her pace, adjusting Ikal across her shoulder as she ran for the temple's base. A massive cloud of dust erupted behind her as she ran, particles slamming into her back as she came to the tall stone stairs of the temple.
There she laid down Ikal, reaching into her pockets for a dagger before she cut away at his binds.
"Ikal," she said, looking him in the eyes as she worked through the ropes. "I know you've had a rough day. Shades, I don't want to imagine what it was like for you, but I need you to run for the village alone after I free you. I must help Artur, so I can't lead you there."
She had made the decision to go back for Artur when she reached the top of the temple. The only reason she hadn't given up on the plan and done that already was that she had seen Ikal still in Benbeck's hands on top of his massive automaton. She had to decide between going for Ikal or helping Artur. Now, she was going to do both.
With a twist of her knife, she cut the last of the bonds, freeing Ikal's hands and legs and helping him sit up. Because the ropes would have cut off his circulation for hours, it would take him a while to stand and run away. However, she didn't have that kind of time. She embraced the power of her gate, reaching out with glowing green hands as Ikal tore the gag out of his mouth.
"Hold still," she said. "I'll get you up and running."
"Thank you," Ikal whispered, his slitted eyes wide in the darkness.
"Thank me by getting back to the village safe." Erin smiled back at him. We don't know where every member of their crew is, and I don't want you to get caught again."
"I'll get there." Ikal rubbed at his wrists as Erin's power worked its magic on any bruises.
With the recovery set, he raced off into the night, and Erin stood, looking up at the temple. She needed to get back to Artur, and she needed to move quickly. She could run around the base of the temple, but it was surrounded by thick brush that would slow her down. The other option was up and over, but that would take time, too. However, she had a different solution with the second level of her curse.
She focused on the power of growth inside her, feeding aether into her gate as she took in a deep breath. She held her arms out in front of her, both pointing at the ground. She had devised a new technique and practiced it now, such as climbing the temple and the massive automaton. She focused on a recently acquired plant in her mind as she called for it to grow out of her palms.
"Sticky Shoot," she whispered, and two short vines sprouted out from her palms.
With that, she pointed her hand up at the top of the temple. She had climbed up only a stair earlier, unsure of the vine's strength. However, she had climbed up the automaton, and she had been able to shoot higher, and the vine had held her weight. Now, she was more confident she could make it to the top of the temple in one go.
Thwip. Thwip.
She aimed at the small roof with both hands and shot out both vines simultaneously. They lashed out into the darkness, and she felt like a long length of rope was running out of her wrist. The vines shook when they made contact with the top of the temple, and she immediately began running for the stairs. The structure of the temple made it so she couldn't swing from it, but she could use the vines to run up the slanted stairs with her feet barely touching the ground.
The vines retracted into her wrist as she ran, pulling her up and away from the ground even as she fell back down onto the stairs. It gave her more speed than she was used to. She nearly hit a column as she came to the top, and only the vines pulling her up toward the roof halted her from hitting the hard gold. She hovered there for a moment, the vines holding her to the temple's roof as she caught her breath.
Finally, she released her hold on the vines, landing in a crouch before hurrying to the other side. Now, she faced a different problem. She had to get down the other side and to the ground below. She looked out over the open area around the back of the temple and saw Artur, his shield burning a bright blue, as he held off the knife-wielding man.
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Erin reached up a hand, already knowing the technique she would use to get down. A single green stem burst from her hand, rising up and away from her as she focused on the plant. It rose high into the sky, and she only grasped hold of the very end of it as it finished. At the top, a white feathery puff exploded out from the stem as she jumped from the side of the temple.
"Puff Parachute."
***
Artur stood against the knife-wielding man, his blue barrier sparking as the two knives cut their way across it. His gate lay open in his chest as he struggled to breathe. His vision blurred as he held the massive half-dome in front of him to hold the attacker back. The tingling in his hands as he gripped his shield tightly was the only real sign that his barrier had yet to crumble.
Ktsh. Ktsh.
"You ain't going to last forever, boy." The knife-wielding man huffed as he cut against the shield again.
"I will give you some dismay." Artur pushed back against the knives. "Know that I can do this all day."
Artur flashed him a smile, but the words were really a lie. He had focused entirely on defending himself and let all his strength fade away, holding the man at bay. While the two knives weren't strong by themselves, something in the way that the man wielded them made every cut deep. He hadn't even used a cursed power on Artur yet.
"Enough of this." The man shook his head, jumping back. "If I can't cut through your shield, I'll just have to broil you first! Fire Breath!"
Click. Fwoosh.
With a click of his teeth and an exhalation of air, fire shot from the man's mouth, flowing out in a cone and covering Artur's shield. Artur ducked down behind his shield, the sudden weight of the fire pushing hard against him as the air around him burned. His shield could stop the attacks; it was a barrier against almost everything. However, the heat still radiated through the blue light.
Artur had a few options and would have had more if he hadn't wasted his strength holding back the man. He could try and charge forward. His shield would weaken if he approached the source of the flame, and the heat would rise. He might be able to attack with his sword before the barrier completely gave out. He could try and dodge the attack and only risk burns for what was left behind. Lastly, he could do nothing and die, having done his best to hold off the attacker.
"The last is no path for a knight." Artur forced himself on one knee, pushing against the heat as sweat rolled down his brow. "The adage is true: a knight fights!"
The heat doubled across his skin, reminding him of days he would stand out in the noonday sun on the Wall. The fire was so much worse, burned hotter than even the great Efreet. Artur stepped forward, pushing back against the flame as he advanced. No, this heat was terrible, but not the burning cleansing fire of Efreet. He would not be cowed into submission by a lesser flame.
"The Hell Knights will not be cowed." Artur took a second step. "To join their ranks, I must never be bowed!"
He squinted against the flame as he drew closer to the man. The fire swirled between red and orange, but the flames did not stop, and the man did not move. Regardless of what happened in the next few moments, both were consigned to their strategy. Either Artur would burn to death, or he would strike out with his blade and end the assailant. There were no other options for either of them.
Crackle.
The shield flickered in front of him as he took the third step. One more step was all he needed to get in range. However, the heat rose with that step, and Artur's fingers turned pink under the blistering that raged across his skin. He was more certain than ever that he would not win the fight. He had to make sure that he took that final blow to take down the man.
Crackle.
Erin and the rest of the crew were counting on him to do his part.
He had been with them for a very short time, but they had already proven their capabilities. They would fight and die for each other, even though they hadn't known each other long. They were everything that the knights in the stories aspired to be. They were brave and selfless. They would stand up for the downtrodden. To help save Ikal, he had to be willing to do the same.
Crackle.
Artur held up his blade, taking the final step for the swing. He didn't have any techniques for his sword beyond swinging it. All of them were focused on his shield and his barrier. However, he came up with one for this swing and pulled in aether with a final breath before the barrier faltered and flames crushed across his face.
"Gallant Strike!" he cried as he struck with the blade, and the flames wrapped around him in a burning hug.
He wasn't sure if he landed the strike. His vision warped as he fell from the fire and landed on the ground. He didn't feel anything when he hit. It was like a sensation of pressure across his body, but it was also strangely absent from his senses. He wasn't a part of his body anymore, and he couldn't even sense the heat around him.
He had let go of his sword and shield, but that didn't matter anymore.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The man with glasses still stood, his mouth open, but the fire was gone. Artur had a moment to realize the man was looking down at him before small black objects landed all around the man's feet. The man paused momentarily as he looked down through his shaded glasses. Then he looked up at the sky.
"What in the—"
"Thorn's Grasp!"
From the ground, from the black seeds, black thorned vines erupted, wrapping up the man's legs and crawling over his body. He fell back from Artur, and Artur smiled as he lay on the ground. He thought he had lost the fight but managed to delay long enough for Erin to return. He would have laughed if he could have, but he settled for a whisper.
"A hero falls, a hero returns." Artur's eyes sagged closed as black boots landed in front of him. "Another rises as the fight turns."