Chapter 310: Attack On Azol Manor
Nora turned away from the maids’ corpses in the pantry and ran out of the kitchen. Her feet slammed into the wooden flooring, each step filled with desperation. The sound of baby Kamilo’s persistent cries echoing through the manor haunted her every thought.
She spotted several bloody corpses on the ground through the corner of her eye as she ran through the halls. She clenched her gyroscopic necklace tighter; the rings grew warmer and warmer until it felt as if they would burn her fingers.
Kamilo shrieked a raspy cry, his little throat hoarse from all the screaming.
I’m coming! Kamilo! Mom! Just hold on! Gods, please let them hold on, she thought with silent desperation.
Nora reached the stairs and cursed under her breath. Never in her life had she hated an inanimate object so much. She vaulted up the stairs in sets of three and for the first time ever she was grateful for all those mornings Professor Tauri had forced her to run.
She reached the last step to the second floor and bolted towards Kamilo’s room. Her heartbeat thrummed in her ears and mixed with the sound of her panicked breaths. The corridors passed by in a blur. Nora turned the corner and the world froze for a sliver of a gasp.
Kamilo’s nursery room was at the end of the hall. The door had been wrenched open and its broken remains were scattered on the floor. Four intruders dressed in black garments from head-to-toe stood around the hall, unable to enter the nursery. A red wall of ward sigils blocked the doorway. Lady Isabel Azol stood on the other side of the wall, her arms outstretched as if holding back a falling tree.
The red wall had several cracks from where the assassins had tried to break through, yet it did not bend nor break. Blood seeped from Lady Isabel’s midriff, sweat covered her pallid face, and her arms trembled from exhaustion, but the fire of sheer determination in her blue eyes burned bright.
Blue mana surged through Nora’s veins. A scream of utter primal rage exploded from her lips. The assassins spun around at the sound. A gigantic clawed hand of water slammed into them before they could react. The aquatic hand crushed them within its grasp until their bones cracked and they cried out in agony, still, Nora did not release the spell.
Her eyes burned with rage and she squeezed the intruders tighter until blood seeped into the water and their bodies grew still. She flicked her wrist and the water hand followed and tossed the corpses through the window.
Nora stared out the window at the broken bodies lying on the cobblestone courtyard outside, before she finally released the torrent spell, causing the aquatic hand to dissolve into a pool of water that sloshed through the hall.
“Good riddance, you bastards,” Nora whispered through clenched teeth.
“Nora, watch out-!” Isabel shouted.
Shadow tendrils shot out from the floor and ceiling and wrapped around Nora’s hand and legs. She yelled in surprise and tried to move, but the tendrils held tight and constricted her fingers’ movements.
Black shadows rose from the corner of the room and an assassin stepped out from the darkness. He pulled out a dagger from behind his back and slowly walked toward Nora.
A second pair of footsteps echoed behind Nora.
“Stop resisting,” a feminine voice muttered from behind.
“I’ll make it quick,” the male assassin pulled out a second dagger.
“That wasn’t the plan!” the female whispered angrily.
“The bitch killed our squad, fuck the plan,” he growled.
Nora’s mind worked furiously, trying to capture the moment, every single breath of information, every step the man took. He had appeared out of the shadows; he was clearly a black mage, but his hands weren’t moving, he held the daggers with a clean grip. Which meant–
He’s not the one casting Shadow Tendrils!
The assassin raised his daggers for the kill.
A memory of Stryg’s voice whispered into her ears, “Take a deep breath.”
Nora inhaled deeply and filled her lungs with blue mana. Water formed in her mouth and she spat a pressurized torrent at the man. He yelled in surprise as the water sent him flying away and Nora careening back into the assassin behind her.
Nora slammed into the woman and they fell in a tumble of limbs. The woman gasped in pain, the wind was knocked out of her lungs. The shadow tendrils shackling Nora fell apart in black tatters.
The female assassin recovered in a single breath and jumped on Nora, and placed her in a chokehold. “Cheeky human,” she whispered angrily.
Nora snarled and held the assassin’s forearm tight. Blue mana streamed into her hands. Electricity crackled through Nora’s fingers and poured into the assassin. The woman choked and spasmed uncontrollably until her body began to smoke.
“No!” the male assassin shouted. He jumped to his feet and ran down the hall towards them.
Nora pried the woman’s arm from her neck and rolled away. She glared at the man and slapped her hand into the soaked floor, “Fuck you.”
Lightning streaked through the puddles. The man convulsed and dropped his daggers as the electricity burned his clothes and skin. He fell over with a splash, his muscles seizing relentlessly.
Nora panted tiredly and pushed herself to her feet. She ran past the dead assassins and reached the doorway.
Isabel saw her daughter alive and breathed out a sigh of relief. She smiled weakly and let her arms drop to the side. The wards fizzled and the red wall splintered into dust and faded away. Isabel’s legs buckled beneath her and she collapsed.
Nora rushed to her side and hugged her.
“Mom! Are you okay!? Where’s Kamilo!?” she asked frantically. Her eyes widened as she spotted the blood over her mother’s dress. “My gods, you’re bleeding!”
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“…I’ll be alright, Kamilo is safe,” Isabel mumbled.
As if in response Kamilo cried out happily from his crib. His tiny face was a pudgy red from his wailing and his cheeks were stained with tears, but he smiled at the sight of his mother.
Nora broke down into tears and stumbled over to her son. She scooped Kamilo out from his crib and hugged him close. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. I’m sorry Momma wasn’t here earlier, I’m so sorry,” she whimpered quietly.
Kamilo wrapped his small arms around his mother’s neck and nestled his face into her cheek as he cried.
“Nora… we cannot stay here,” Isabel muttered.
Nora wiped her face and nodded, “I know. I have to get you both out of here quickly.”
“The servants… are they…?”
“...They’re dead,” she said bitterly. “If any survived we don’t have the luxury to search for them. We need to move, now. Can you stand?”
“I think I can walk, but I could use some help getting up,” Isabel swallowed.
Nora crouched next to her mother, wrapped her arm around Isabel, and helped her to her feet. Isabel groaned painfully and stood up with a grimace.
Nora glanced at the red stain on her mother’s dress and swallowed fearfully, “...How bad is it?”
“...The blade just scraped my ribs. If there was poison I’d already be dead, so that’s good,” Isabel smiled with a wince.
“We need to stop the bleeding,” Nora said anxiously.
“First we need to get Kamilo out of here,” she mumbled through ragged breaths.
Nora nodded sadly, “...Okay, just hang on a little longer.”
With one hand Nora carried Kamilo and with the other she helped her mother walk through the hall and down the steps. They walked slowly, each stop clearly causing Isabel pain, but she just gritted her teeth and said nothing. Kamilo noticed his grandmother’s pained expression and he began crying again.
Nora wanted to soothe her son, but she was exhausted. The storm spells had consumed most of her mana and left her feeling drained. She used what little energy she had left to carry her mother’s weight and put one foot in front of the other.
Nora relaxed a little when they walked outside into the courtyard. She took a deep breath of fresh air, “Just a little longer.”
Kamilo suddenly stopped crying.
“Sweetie…?” Nora whispered.
Kamilo turned his head and looked at the blue bellflower trees that lined the edges of the courtyard.
Nora narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “...Who’s there?”
A dark shadow slipped down from one of the trees and melted away. In its place stood a young woman clad in black, save for her grey ears that poked out from the sides of her mask. The drow looked the Azols over with a cold countenance and nodded to herself.
“You’re weak,” the drow whispered.
“Wanna bet?” Nora said. She handed Kamilo over to Isabel and stepped in front of her family.
“You misunderstand me,” the drow shook her head. “I am not trying to insult you, I am simply stating your condition. You are clearly tired and whatever power you might ordinarily boast is undoubtedly diminished. You are at this moment… weak.”
“I killed your little friends,” Nora glanced at the broken bodies that had fallen out of the window. “I can kill you just the same. Or you can be smart and get out of my way.”
“Hm. The former option is possible. Perhaps you might have enough strength to kill me, but even in your best condition it’d be very, very unlikely. As for your latter statement, well, I cannot step aside. This is my mission and I will not let it fail.”
“So, you’re those murdering bastards’ leader, huh?” Nora muttered grimly.
“The proper title is Master of Shadows, but yes,” the drow said calmly.
Isabel’s face paled, “That title is only given to the master of an Assassin's Guild.”
“Correct,” the Master said.
“Wait, Assassin Guilds are actually real? I thought the Ebon Lords disbanded them centuries ago?” Nora whispered to her mother.
“And yet here we are,” the Master said. “I’d rather you both surrender without a fight, but you will come with me either way.”
“And what makes you say that?” Nora glared.
“Them,” the Master snapped her fingers.
The shadows around the courtyard blurred and a dozen assassins emerged from the dark.
The Master opened her arms wide, “These are only two of my teams. I have five more lurking through your home, killing whatever unfortunate souls are still left. You are outnumbered and clearly outclassed. I will only say it one last time, surrender. Do not mistake my courtesy for mercy.”
Nora glanced at Isabel worriedly, “Can we trust them not to kill us?”
Isabel shook her head sadly, “...No.”
Nora licked her lips and swallowed hard, “How much red mana do you have left?”
“Just enough,” Isabel smiled and created a small ward sphere over Kamilo.
“Mom,” Nora’s voice cracked.
Tears formed in the corner of Isabel’s eyes. She smiled, “I am so proud to have had you as my daughter.”
“I love you both so much,” Nora cried. The memory of Clypeus’ smile flashed through her mind. She took a shaky breath and channeled blue mana into her arms. “When I give the signal… run.”
Isabel opened her mouth to speak but stopped and instead nodded resolutely.
The Master sighed, “I was told to bring you in unharmed, but these sorts of missions always seem to be more complicated than they appear.” She raised her hand and flicked her fingers in a quick gesture, “Kill the women. Take the baby.”
The assassins nodded and closed in on the women.
The gyroscope’s gem suddenly glowed a soft blue. Nora looked down at the necklace in surprise. Its three rings began to spin, slowly at first and then faster and faster.
The Master narrowed her eyes, “What is that amulet?”
The air above them exploded in a deafening boom. A golden light flickered across the courtyard.
The Master jumped back and glanced around, “What was that!?”
The dozen assassins around her abruptly collapsed on the floor. Their heads fell off their shoulders in a gushing splatter of blood.
“I’m sorry for the late arrival, Miss Azol,” a charming voice said.
Nora spun around and gasped with relief, “You made it!”
A scarlet-cloaked vampire stood behind them. His face had been touched by the passage of time, but he held himself up with the vigor of youth. He had high cheekbones and deep crimson eyes. His black and white hair was swept back and his beard was trimmed short. He gripped the hilt of a long silver sword with a golden sheen that dripped with blood. In his other hand he held his own gyroscope necklace, its three rings spinning in sync with Nora’s.
Gian Gale smiled, “I got your signal. I told you it was a good gift.”
Nora relaxed her shoulders and exhaled deeply. “You really made it,” she cried softly.
A pang of pain crossed Gian’s eyes, “I really am sorry for being late.”
“Don’t apologize, my lord,” Isabel shook her head vehemently. “We are grateful for your assistance.”
“Who are you!?” the Master screamed angrily.
“Hm? That's an interesting question,” Gian stepped forward, “I was about to ask you the same thing.”
“Stay back,” the Master hissed. “I said back away! You cannot stop us all by yourself!”
Dozens of shadowy figures jumped out from the manor’s windows and hurried to the Master of Shadow’s side.
Gian cocked his head to the side and smiled, “Who said I was alone?”
Two dozen scarlet cloaked figures emerged from above the rooftop. Their crimson eyes glowed softly under the moonlight.
“What is this!?” the Master stumbled backward.
Gian raised his sword Primoria high into the air. The scarlet cloaked figures drew their longswords in unison.
Gian pointed Primoria at the assassins and spoke with an unwavering voice, “We are the Shield of Veres. Be it monster or man, here we stand proud and we shall not falter.”