Chapter 54: Execution.
“GAH!” Lhikan hissed, his shoulder rocking back from the force of the attack, the silver blade merely an inch from his face.
Lhikan activated his rune circuits, his body glowing, his eyes focused on the man who was the splitting image of the grand statue in Lizaria.
“It's a doppelganger!” Tipsy yelled, lifting her flintlock pistol.
Lhikan lifted his foot, kicking off the black-haired man as Tipsy opened fire.
A bang sounded, the Hero lifting his blade, parrying the gunshot in a show of sparks.
“Well….” Tipsy went slack jawed, the gnome wide-eyed and dropping her gun. “Nope.”
The gnome turned and ran, the doppelganger shooting off, nearly impaling the small woman if not for Lhikan intervening, the man kicking off the ground with explosive speed that distracted the doppelganger.
Tsk!
The doppelganger effortlessly dodged his blade, the man's eyes shifting to glare at Lhikan.
“Damn.” Lhikan muttered before he was sent flying.
“SENIOR!” Marcus cried, charging the black-haired man with Jesse, the two warriors activating their mana circuits as Simone finished casting her buff.
“O’divine above, grant thee vigor!” Simone yelled, her body bursting with radiance that empowered Jesse and Marcus.
“KEEP HIM OCCUPIED!” Marcus spat, Jesse throwing a series of daggers that were easily deflected as Marcus closed the distance.
“O’divinity!” Marcus surged with strength, his blade clashing against the doppelganger's who easily parried his and Jesse's attacks with a look of indifference.
Lhikan pulled himself out of her crater in the arena, lurching forward, the paladin releasing his inner rage, supercharging with sparks flying off his body as mana focused at the tip of his blade.
“Thunderous Smite!”
The doppelganger looked up, blocking Lhikan’s blade but not the follow up, the paladin’s weapon unleashing a concussive blast.
Jesse and Marcus were sent flying, Lhikan performing a flip in the air before landing on his feet, the sand in the arena kicking up.
Lhikan held his breath, eyeing the dust, waiting, watching, looking for signs of the doppelganger that was nowhere to be found.
“Everyone ok?!” Lhikan called out, Marcus, Simone, and Jesse giving words of affirmation.
Tipsy had run off, but considering they no longer had their purifier, she was now the least of Lhikan's concerns.
“Damn that was scary, is it dead?” Jesse muttered.
“Why does everyone insist on saying death flags?” Marcus groaned, causing Jesse to chuckle.
“Please, it's only a death flag if… if…” Jesse looked down, eyeing the blade poking out of his chest. "Well... I'll be damned."
“JESSE!” Simone screamed as the rogue coughed up blood and fell to the floor, Lhikan moving.
“Stay alert!” Lhikan barked, cutting the black-haired man’s head off, killing the man instantly.
“Jesse! Jess!” Simone cried, attempting to heal the rogue who was struggling to breathe.
“We have to get out of here.” Marcus said, moving to shift the injured rogue.
“We won't get far. That things too fast.” Lhikan reported, everyone’s gaze turning to the paladin striking a stance.
In the distance, despite being previously decapitated, the black-haired man reappeared, its former body gone.
“It's a DOPPELGANGER!” Tipsy cried from across the arena stop a balcony. “You have to destroy the catalyst summoning it!”
Lhikan narrowed his eyes, his pupils straining as he willed mana to his eyes and activated Mana vision, observing the tether of mana latched onto the specter.
“Marcus, I need you on your feet. Simone, you'll have to put everything into buffing Marcus.” Lhikan instructed, feeling discomfort in his ribs.
One. Maybe two ribs broken.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“W-wha?” Simone said, looking up as she held Jesse in her arms. “I can't! I need to heal Jesse or he'll-”
“Do it.”
At the paladin’s word's the scribe went pale.
“Or we all die. Marcus I need you to buy me time.” Lhikan said, his body wafting with holy embers. “Distract it.”
“Great. Of course I'm bait.” Marcus grimaced, striking a stance, eyeing the black-haired man calmly approaching.
“I-I-i,” Simone stuttered, her voice cracking.
“Simone.” Lhikan said.
“B-but! But!”
“SCRIBE SIMONE! DO AS YOU HAVE BEEN ORDERED!” Lhikan snapped, the woman flinching.
“It's ok. D-do it.” Jesse groaned, grabbing the woman's shoulder.
“He's getting closer.” Marcus hissed, silently praying, activating all his augments with his body releasing blue energy.
“I'm sorry.” Simone squeakes, the girl crying audibly underneath her air filter as she lifted her hands and began chanting, a series of glyphs floating in the air.
One for strength.
One for speed.
One for fortitude.
And lastly, one that casted a magical shield over Marcus.
All of her mana. Gone. A tactical decision by Lhikan who closed his eyes as Marcus rushed forward.
“O’Lord, hear thy prayer,” Lhikan said, channeling divinity, the sound of clashing metal on metal echoing through the arena. “Grant thee succor and strength, display upon the world a miracle from thy hand-”
Marcus screamed, the ground shaking. The paladin barely keeping up with the einhiner despite his various buffs.
“-Let your grace flow through me, mold me, shape me into an instrument of your divine will.” Lhikan recited, runic glyphs floating around his body as he held his glowing sword aloft. “Judgment Blade, Radiance!”
Lhikan's eyes shot opened, his pupils brimming with golden energy.
“GET CLEAR!” Lhikan roared, Marcus fleeing as Lhikan swung, unleashing a devastating torrent of divine energy that smashed into the doppelganger.
The arena shook, the force of the divine attack kicking up sand that obscured everyone's vision.
A moment passed, then another. No one moving until the dust settled.
Lhikan huffed, out of breath, standing over a large crater in the earth where a dungeon core had been.
“Remind me not to piss you off.” Marcus said, bleeding profusely as he knelt beside Lhikan.
“Won't have to if you do your job.” Lhikan replied, steading his trembling hand. The paladin turned, eyeing Simone, the girl crying over her friend who was bleeding out. “Take Simone and the others and get out of here.”
“What?” Marcus said, “You can't be serious. You want us to leave you? We can still be useful sir!”
“You’re all useless to me without mana and I can't spend all my time watching after you four. Go. Help Simone.”
“Ok, How? Last I checked the exit is flooded with monsters and we don't exactly have a purifier anymore.”
“I'll cut a path. Carve out the escape route so you can leave.” Lhikan said, before handing Marcus the party’s rift stone, his lifeline to escape. “We have about five days supply of air. If we can't retrieve the artifact, use-”
*CLANG!*
Suddenly, the clashing of metal on metal sounded, every set of abled eyes turning to the hallway where the armored goblins stood flanking the entrance like some form of honor guard.
Lhikan clenched his jaw, the old man’s arms trembling as he pushed Marcus behind him and stepped forward.
*CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG*
The sound kept echoing, getting louder and louder with each *clang* that sounds until it was replaced by a loud scraping sound.
Then it stopped, the silhouette of a woman standing in the doorway sending shivers down Marcus's spine.
“Now.” A voice echoed, “What's this I hear about you wanting to leave?”
“A-a Maiden!” Simone cried, her eyes wide at the priestess with emerald eyes and green hair walking into the arena with a massive blade in hand dragging across the floor. “PLEASE! Madam Light, my friend! You have to help me heal my friend!”
Marcus eyed Lhikan.
“Commander Danse isn't supposed to be here for another two weeks. What's a Maiden of Light doing here?!” Marcus asked incredulously.
“That’s no Maiden.” Lhikan hissed, his teeth audibly grinding as he eyed the rubber duck on the head of the mysterious woman wearing Natalie's clothes.
“Please! You've got to help Jesse! Madam Ligh-” Simone began to approach the woman, but a quick blast of mana hitting the dirt in front of her stopped the scribe.
“Stop. Don't go near it. It's a shapeling.” Lhikan lowered his palm, stepping towards the woman smiling ominously at him as dozens of armored goblins entered the arena.
“Not quite.” The woman giggled, hand covering the smile that contrasted the evil in her eyes. “Would you like to guess again?”
Simone scurried away, grabbing Jesse and dragging him along.
“Ah… this ain't looking good senior.” Marcus muttered, eyeing the monsters that now surrounded them. “What's the plan here? ”
“I'm thinking.” Lhikan muttered back, eyeing a skeleton stepping out of the crowd with daggers in its bony hands.
“Well, it's talking to us, maybe we can negotiate with it?” Marcus offered, the man coughing up a bit of blood.
Lhikan grunted, his jaw clenched as a seething rage bubbled within.
“Uh, excuse me!” Marcus began, walking forward. “Hi! I'm-”
“The human who killed Lieutenant Gobledee.” The woman said, all smiles, bloodlust rising into the air from the gathered crowd of goblins.
“Uh… right…” Marcus let out, the man at a loss for words as he eyed the massive two handed weapon. “Well, I'm Marcus Delphi whats-”
“By Order of Lord Hiro, Marcus Delphi, your execution shall commence immediately. Please resist.” The woman said, lips moving to reveal inhuman teeth that made Simone yelped.
Wait, Hiro? Lhikan's eyes went round as Marcus chuckled nervously.
“Wait, my execution?” Marcus said, barely containing his nervousness. “Surely we-”
The woman shot off, blade in hand, giggling as she seemed to disappear.
“WAIT!” Lhikan barked, reaching out, attempting to move. Yet, try as he might, his body wouldn't head his orders, pain shot through it, his mana circuits on fire.
“NO!!” Simone shrieked, watching both halves of Marcus fall away.
Lhikan clenched his trembling hand, unable to do anything for his soldier as the sound of crying echoed out.