‘If Marva says she found the body of Aiko, is this “Harrow” not possessing her then? Is this the demon itself? How strong is it?!’

As James tries to assess the situation the battle ensues:

The Harrow starts sending out fiery attacks from the laser-red esoteric circles that had formed around his hands after his chant and they all attempt to dodge.

Alexander and Cassandra move backwards as James dodges sideways but at this point Marva was no longer next to them.

As the Harrow prepares to send forth other consecutive attacks he feels a presence behind him:

- Pathetic! - he shouts as he throws the attack behind him

Marva had been close to attack him with her daggers, but even though she wasn’t fast enough to surprise him just like that, she was fast enough to dodge his attack as well and get back close to James.

She then says to the acolyte:

- Getting close to him I could tell, we’re dealing with a projection spell.

‘A projection spell? So what, this isn’t even him at all?!’

She continues:

- He’s likely channeling from somewhere, but I’d wager it might be hell itself.

The Harrow scoffs at their dialogue and starts sending out more attacks as he says:

- Hah! As if that even mattered! Look at you-

James and Marva dodge his attacks with mild effort and the Harrow continues:

- You’re what passes for “master” in this era? You?!

‘Wow, he’s pressed.’

- I don’t think he’s fond of my style of not being a spell-caster. - Marva tells James

As he rants on the Harrow continues to throw attacks at them and they keep dodging from a distance as the demon starts rising higher over the ground at the level of the great pine trees surrounding them.

The Harrow continues:

- You’re all beneath me! Fighting a mere projection of myself shall be the highlight of your puny lives! I was the Magus Dominus of the greatest empire this world has and will ever has seen! Such decadence of the magi species to make the likes of you think you are anything more than children playing with fire!

‘Does that mean!?-‘

Marva shouts at James across the field:

- Do your best Jimmy, we’re fighting a piece of shit that claims to have been an arch-mage!

‘Hah! Oh, she’s not joking… Well then, let’s see if the training paid off!’

The Harrow speaks again as he looks out for the two running circles around him behind the trees:

- A lifetime ago when I was the first magi to regain my power in the hells, a daring mingling wizard attempted to contact me… - he says as he raises his scorched red hand with fingers looking like skeletal claws and red bright marks emanating from his middle finger

- He left a “gift”, a curse, in fact. But thanks to that, I had the ambition to plot for millennia, and I did, in fact, turn this curse he sought to bind me by into a gift for myself.

James and Marva meet behind a tree and whisper:

- What’s that? - James says

Marva looks at the glyphs on the Harrow’s finger with suspicious eyes that seem to remember forgotten legends:

- The Ring of Infernum... - she says and continues:

If he speaks truth, which is unlikely of a demon, but if he does…

- What?

- It’s not a discussion for now, I don’t know enough, I’m not sure anyone does… We need to focus on the fight at hand James!

‘She’s right.’

The Harrow turns his hand outwards, reaching with his arm towards Alexander and Cassandra direction:

- This ring that he promised me would become a key between the land and the hells, but then used as a device for leeching power off of me, that talentless plebeian, but little did he know that his grandiose pride and underestimation of his target would then be his doom one day! I will end him and all that he has built!

As he finishes his monologue small portals appear in a short distance behind Alexander and Cassandra who had been hiding trying to not get in James’s and Marva’s way.

- Damn it! - Cassandra shouts worried

Alexander was still shocked from what he had witnessed with Gabriel, the boy had never seen cold murder happen right in front of his eyes before.

To their horror several hell-hounds start chasing towards them from the portals.

‘I have to help them!’

- Jim! Focus on the demon! We’ll be fine! - Cassandra yells at James who was ready to move towards them

Marva puts her hand on his shoulder and says:

- Don’t worry. Scar! Go help them! - she directs her hound to protect Alexander and Cassandra

She then continues:

- Remember our training?

- Huh?! Yes.

- All of it?

‘All of it… Now that I think about it, something in me really wants me to show off!’

- All of it. - he responds

- Good. Go! - Marva tells him

Marva starts running towards the Harrow as James runs along the trees to the side, The Harrow starts shooting off more fiery projectiles:

- Die! - he says as he sends out blasts towards Marva that simply dodges them with ease to either side

Don’t think I don’t see you! - the Harrow sends out a blast towards James’s running trajectory but just as that happens he comes out from the trees and runs straight towards Marva instead

- What are you-!?

James leaps in the air and so does Marva who pushes James legs with her own, boot on boot, and propels him higher in the air, accelerating towards the Harrow, as James goes off towards the enemy, Marva back-flips firmly on the ground and gets her daggers ready-

As James reaches the Harrow he throws out a punch that goes straight through him, his arm getting stuck in the fiery projection:

- This was your plan? - the Harrow asks

- Just testing things. - James says

- Pathetic! - the Harrow prepares to blast James’s face off

As he does James punches him with his other hand right in the jaw, a hit that actually lands!

The Harrow looks back confused as he loses the grip on James’s other arm and who’s now starting to fall toward the ground:

“How did that hit me?! Wait, his other hand, is that fire engulfing his knuckles?!” the Harrow thinks to himself

- You! What are you?! - the Harrow asks furious and shocked

James looks at him from his fall and throws his jacket towards the Harrows face:

- A child playing with fire! - he shouts back as he smiles

As the Harrow gets increasingly mad heat starts to emanate from his body almost as if his anger is getting manifested externally, he grabs James’s jacket from before his face and in a fit of rage gets ready to attack them.

But just as he gets the jacket away from blocking his view, he sees one of Marva’s daggers coming straight for him:

- No! - the Harrow screams, almost afraid, but then

The dagger goes straight through him, like James’s first punch, landing into the tree closely behind him.

The Harrow’s expression switches:

- Ha-hah! You are indeed a sad excuse for a magi. - he directs his patronizing words towards Marva who simply watches him with a blank expression and he follows his statement by raising his arm and preparing an attack:

- What? No reply? Fine, die in silence! - he prepares to shoot off a large projectile

Marva crouches in an offensive stance, raising her remaining dagger high, across and behind her head, and puts her other arm back, almost as if she’s holding herself onto something.

As the Harrow’s huge projectile is fired off towards her, mid-trajectory, in the clearing created by the burnt down trees a sound is heard:

*snap*

The Harrow notices it, but is unsure of what had happened.

Closely behind him he feels a presence filled with anger, Marva, blood-lusted, but with a calm expression, holding herself against the tree using the dagger stuck in it.

The Harrow attempts to turn and defend himself again, but this time it’s too late, Marva leaps forward toward him and as she gets close with her dagger to his throat the Harrow thinks to himself “An almost valiant attempt, but this will do nothing!”, but as his thought finishes, and the blade is close to his throat, the dagger burns bright blue with arcane energy shooting off from the silver blade covered in enchanting glyphs.

*slash*

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

The Harrow’s head spins around without the rest of his body, looking into Marva’s eyes and saying:

- This… still won’t be enough! - the Harrow opens his dark eyes wide and dons a demonic smile again as his head quickly reattaches to his body in a blaze

Marva is not taken back by this, but she looks past the Harrow who gets ready to attack her, confusing him. As the Harrow looks back he sees Marva’s other dagger, in the air from the explosion of his own attack, and he also sees James leaping high and catching it.

Marva raises her palm and snaps her fingers, as she does the Harrow looks back and before him is James!

The Harrow almost laughs, being almost impressed at the peculiar use of transportation glyphs being used on weapons.

James attempts to slash the demon, but the Harrow catches his attack and gets ready to send out a fiery blast with it’s other hand-

James grins through his teeth as he locks eyes with the Harrow and directs his gaze quickly and back toward the dagger-

“It’s not! He can’t use the arcane on the daggers?!” the Harrow thinks to himself-

At that moment James uses his free hand to deliver a devastating cross to the Harrow’s head using his caught hand as leverage.

The Harrow gets visibly sent back and over his head behind him in the air, releasing James, but as that happens, and the Harrow loses balance…

Marva and James start switching places each second, delivering violent blows to the demon until he reaches the ground!

On the ground the Harrow’s projection starts fazing in and out, as he keeps getting bombarded by the attacks he mutters under his voice:

- Enough… is enough! - he shouts as he creates an explosion and pushes Marva and James aways

Both of them had the physical capacity to take the brunt of the attack without critical damage, although they had sustained burns.

They get up and start circling around the demon, as it tells them:

- You think you matter? There are ploys at play in which you are not even considered as pawns!

As he says that a great beam of light comes down from the sky in the far distance near a cliff and he says:

- No… I knew I had to do more to be rid of him, my mistake, but nothing I can’t still take care of after I’m done with you!

James looks at Marva and asks:

- It seems he won’t go away unless we get rid of him whole at once!

Marva looks between the trees and looks as if she almost saw something and didn’t want to say, but she looks at James and tells him:

- We’re dealing with a joker, it seems, the cards are stacked against us, since between us we don’t really have an attack like that, but maybe if we get a lucky draw…

‘Wait… all these words-‘

- It seems like you got it, go on James, we need to keep the pressure on whatever it takes! - Marva tells him

James nods as he throws the dagger back to Marva and both of them run around the Harrow, dodging his accelerated attacks. Every now and then one of them tries to go in and hit him, but they can’t, he’s onto their tactic now and won’t let himself get caught again. His eyes are following their every move closely.

- You’re going to wish you let the canes dismember you! - the Harrow says as another arm grows on his chest and then his back, getting ready to increase his projectile output

[Back at Alexander and Cassandra]

Scar can take on even two hell-hounds at once, as he’s much faster and he has enough force to take them down, even if not kill them permanently, but there’s too many and they get dangerously close to the two acolytes.

- No! - Cassandra yells as one almost jumps at Alexander

She raises both her arms and with open palms toward the beast launches a devastating arcane beam for a second, torching the beast whole, disintegrating part of it.

- Cassandra… - Alexander wakes up from his shock, grateful, but with a worried look he directs his view towards her hands

Cassandra looks at her arms, bleeding whole, shaking from the pain and she starts coughing.

Another hound comes for her this time, but Alexander fires off an ice-bolt as best he could and hits it, sending it flying off, but his hands start to shake as well.

They get back to back and Scar tries to bark and intimidate the hell-hounds off of them, but it doesn’t seem to work.

The hell-hounds charge them and Alexander and Cassandra hold hands, while raising their other one. Scar buys enough time for them to chant Eternal River, and they raise an arcane barrier as Cassandra also chants: “Ciretose Reirrab”. The three of them now sit inside this barrier, trying to hold it up against the relentless attacks.

They look at each-other and smile, not knowing if this is the last one that they will ever share.

Out of the corner of their eyes they see something thin flying onto a tree behind the hounds, but they’re not sure of what they’re seeing, and they don’t have the option to lose concentration on their spell.

[During this, at James & Marva]

‘We’ve been trying to deal attacks, but it gets seriously hard, hopefully it will be enough soon… and I think I know what I have to do!’

- Death, I can feel it, it comes for you. - the Harrow says as he brings his three front hands together and moves them around, spawning a big red circle of demonic markings and he continues:

Eximius incantatio infernalis: Maitnetineop!

From the bright red pentagrams a deadly bright red beam flies straight for Marva with incredible speed.

James, who was very close, runs straight in it’s trajectory as Marva shouts filled with worry:

- No! Don’t!

As the beam reaches James’s hands, who raised his arms against it, the point of impact becomes a point of chaos, creating incredible amounts of smoke and mist.

James starts grunting in pain as he is visibly pushed by the beam more and more, dragging the ground under his feet as he tries to keep his footing.

- Graaaahh! - he screams in pain as he keeps his arms up

At this point, the whole area was filled with smoke and mist, thanks in part to what James had done.

As he first ran in front of the attack he chanted:

Eternal River, Chorus: “Ordyh Reirrab!”

Creating a lasting barrier made of water that continuously absorbed the impact of the beam of fire into itself, creating the thick mist around them.

As this happens, Cassandra’s and Alexander’s barrier shatters, and the hell-hounds quickly attempt to jump onto them as Scar can’t stop all of them.

But then at the last second before a hound almost bites down on Alexander’s shoulder from his back, another one of the Du Blanc’s secret techniques is used, this time passively protecting Alexander:

“Denroht Esor”

Several sharp ice formations spawn from Alexander’s back, impaling multiple hell-hounds with their shape resembling spikes, or thorns.

He gets enough of them that Scar can keep the rest at bay, but Cassandra drops in pain and fatigue, she can’t fight anymore, and with this last effort, Alexander is at the end of his powers as well.

Blood starts gushing from his mouth as he tries to keep the spikes cold enough to contain the beasts impaled, who are burning hot and still alive, not caring about the physical injury.

Alexander looks for James between the smoke, fire and mist with his tired eyes and sees him fighting with the endless beam of destruction. Then he looks at Cassandra at his feet, while he himself is trying not to collapse in pain.

Looking down at the ground he thinks about his family, his mother, his father, his siblings “I am sorry, I could not make you proud…”

James still struggles to keep up his barrier in front of him while getting pushed against a tree and starts to almost push the tree out of its roots behind him.

The Harrow gets impatient:

- Die! Die! Die! - he shouts as the beam grows stronger and stronger and he starts laughing

As he says that one of Marva’s daggers flies from the mist straight through his head as it did the first time, the Harrow smiles and catches it with the arm he has on his back. Then, a second face forms on the back of the Harrows head:

- I know all of your tricks now! - the Harrow devilishly says from both of his mouths and prepares an attack with his index and middle finger while holding the dagger with the other three

But just then, for a moment, he sees another boy standing behind a tree through the mist, keeping his distance, he hasn’t seen him before during this whole fight.

The boy looks at the Harrow, standing with his back against the tree, relaxed, almost taunting him while holding something that looks like playing cards in his hand.

“He’s a decoy?!” the Harrow becomes infuriated as he gets ready to attack whoever would switch on the dagger.

But then:

*snap*

The Harrow hears Marva’s snap from his front and smiles with a demonic grin, but when he almost fires off his attack:

“Nobody!? What happened?!” he thinks to himself

Using his original face, he sees that there’s no one trying to attack from the front, but when he holds out his hand he notices the dagger gone and in it’s place: two cards.

One of black color and blue etching, and one the opposite, on those cards were the glyphs of transportation used on the daggers, but also other symbols used for spells.

*snap*

The Harrow hears the sound, this time coming form the boy behind the trees, who now had the dagger in his hand instead of the cards, and Jack says:

- Blackjack! - the cards start to light up

The two cards explode with different effects: the first one ensnaring the Harrow with “Ciretose Sniahc”, the spell used by Cassandra to trap the hell-hounds, and the second card “Ciretose Noisolpxe”. Both pure arcane spells, dangerously volatile in this format, the first to trap, the second to explode.

A bright blue explosion crashes with such force that it sends echoes throughout the whole mountainous region and blasts the clouds away, revealing a clear sky with a bright onset of a sunset.

At the same time, other cards with Jack’s usual explosive blast detonate on the trees next to the hell-hounds attacking Cassandra and Alexander, dropping several trees on the beasts and allowing Scar to finish them off.

- How’d you like that?! - James shouts, his whole body shaking and recovering from the impact of the explosion and of the beam

Marva picks him up, having shielded them both with an arcane barrier just in time.

- You did well… both of you. - Marva tells Jack and James while being seemingly disappointed in Jack, likely for not helping the rest and giving him a stern look

Jack is visibly regretful of his actions and checks around him to see who is actually still alive and realizes both of his team mates perished.

Cassandra and Alexander come to them, limping, but happy that they survived.

- No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Not. Like. This!

They hear an angry voice, getting deeper, from the crater formed by the explosion.

They become horrified looking at the remains of the Harrow climbing out of the crater, reforming itself, with the chains formed by the spell still on him.

- You think your arcane could stop me? Don’t you know how this works? I am beyond your puny spells! Your efficiency in arcane is laughable! I don’t care what you do, what strategies you concoct, you could never even get rid of this form of mine which is no more than a thought for me!

The Harrow then chants:

“Sniahc Ciretose”

And the chains around him disintegrate as he regains his form back and starts levitating, ready to send out more attacks:

- I will bring down this world of humans and magi, I am thoroughly disgusted by what our legacy has been reduced to! I will not rest until I have scorched everything!

Then, as the Harrow finishes his sentence, he looks away, in the distance. With a faint look of worry he drops his arms and says:

- You will see soon enough… - he says as he willingly phases away into a blaze of fire

‘ What happened?!’

As James finishes his thought they hear people running.

- Fear not! The Protectorate division is here! - a magi shouts

At this point multiple protectors swarm around the place and a captain comes to talk to Marva:

- Where’s the threat?

Marva looks around at the destruction caused and asks him

- The threat is all of you, not doing your job… - Marva says that holding back tears thinking about Aiko and Gabriel

As she starts walking away from the captain, another protector of lower rank comes to tell him:

- Sir, we’ve got two bodies, a young female, confirmed dead and in pieces… and a boy, he has no visible damage except his for his clothes, but he’s in a coma.

Marva looks back at them and says:

- What do you mean the boy has no visible damage? Where is he?!

Just then a couple of protectors where bringing Gabriel's body up from down the near cliff.

- Wait… - James is shocked

Although Gabriel’s shirt had been clearly ripped by the Harrow’s attack, his chest seemed intact, and in fact his heart was still there, inside and beating. But he was unconscious.

Marva goes and hugs the boy’s body.

James wants to come and tell her about what happened, but he decides to let Marva be happy. Jack on the other hand, is relieved, but does not let himself feel grateful.

At that point, another man comes from away, in the distance, and shouts:

- Oi! What in the bloody hells happened around ‘ere?!

Master Nero had arrived, fashionably late.

- Master Nero! - all three acolytes are overjoyed at seeing their master, knowing nothing bad could happen to them now

- Hey… easy lads. You’re all banged up pretty gnarly, eh? - he says

I’m going to need you all to tell me what happened, but not now… not in this shape, you need to recover.

At that point Alexander looks at him and says with what power he has left:

- But our mission? We need to reach the Citadel.

Nero shakes his head and tells them:

- You know what? The bloody archons can wait, I can see they really hurried by sending help, so we’re going to “hurry” as well. No. I’m giving you guys a break, and afterwards I’m bringing you into the Citadel myself!

All the protectors present look at Nero, not believing what he just said, hinting at going against the rules.

Their more experienced captain looks at the rest and tells them:

- What? Did I order you all to stop and stare? Keep providing aid and collecting evidence you lazy asses!

Nero looks at the captain and nods in mutual respect.

At this point Jack comes over from standing by Marva and gets close to James, pulling him aside and telling him:

- I’m not fit to become master… I’m not fit for this life, James. - he says it with deep regret

- What? What do you mean? Who are you and what did you do to Jack? - James is surprised by Jack’s tone and approach

- I mean it Reeves. I made up my mind when I chose to come help, after Marva yelled her heart out at me in Waldheim for not coming with you… knowing what would happen.

- What are you saying Jack?

- I’m going back. To the Brotherhood of the Nameless, to help master Douglass at the orphanage.

- You’re just giving up?! Ryan would have given up everything to get this far.

- Ryan would not have given up someone else’s life, and that’s mainly the point, he deserved to be here instead of me, maybe Aiko would’ve still been alive.

‘Maybe he’s right… maybe he isn’t, but still, should I even try to stop him if that’s how he truly feels?’

- Here, James. Pick a card. - Jack says as he holds out a few cards face down

- What?

- I’m serious.

- Okay…

‘This one, I guess.’ James thinks to himself as he picks out a blue card, resembling the one he counter-spelled when they fought at the trial.

- You never know. But whenever you use it, whoever you use it against, give ’em hell for me!

James nods and shakes Jack’s hand, who walks away from them, looking at Marva crying from relief over Gabriel’s body.

Afterwards, Marva stands up and comes near Nero and his acolytes.

- Where’s Jack?

- Gone back to the orphanage judging by what James told us. - Nero tells her

- I’ve been to harsh on him… - she says with regret in her voice

- Can’t blame you. - Nero says as he looks around him

- You know they’ll take him to the Citadel to be inspected, right? - Nero says as he points at Gabriel

- I know, I’m not against it, whatever happened does seem strange.

- I’m sorry about Aiko. - James tells her

Marva looks at James with a sad smile and says:

- She would’ve liked all of you, I had wished that you all would have become masters and became friends in the end…

- I’ve never seen someone with air or wind or whatever sorcerer affinity she had before, I would have liked to have seen her spells. - James says with a genuine curiosity

- Oh, I guess you talked with Gabriel before it all happened? It’s true that in the east the natural sorcerer affinity for air is more common, but Aiko was special even so, she had fire affinity actually. But she never told anyone, she felt too persecuted already, she wanted to hide it, learned wind spells and whispered the chants as well as she could. I was the only one who knew, but I think she may have opened up to Jack as well.

‘But then… I was right to assume she had a fire affinity because she wasn’t cold? Or-‘

- I was going to mention that I thought she had a fire affinity because she didn’t have a coat, but then that was already the demon when I saw her, so…

Marva seems confused by his words and asks

- Hmm? Why wouldn’t she be cold if she had-

At that moment Nero pats Marva on the shoulder and says:

- I’ve got a banger of a plan lads!

They all look at him confused.

- We take you all to the Du Blanc residence to rest, since it’s close and I’m sure Lex here doesn’t mind, their doctor will take care of you, and when you’re all done and well, we go see that movie!

- I do mind… - Alexander replies quietly

- Oh, hell yeah! - Cassandra tries to communicate her enthusiasm but her words barely come out because of how tired she is

‘That was weird… but-‘

- Hell yeah, indeed! - James replies

Marva turns, hugs Nero and tells him:

- Thanks for coming, it could have been so much worse….

Nero accepts the hug and tells her with a saddened voice:

- It was bad enough… but thanks for taking care of them, I should be the one grateful, really.

Nero then turns to his three acolytes and with the sunset behind him says:

- Well then, who’s ready for some time-off? - he says as he lights a cigarette with his finger