Alex went into full combat mode. His senses altered. He pushed away most senses so that he only needed to focus on sight, sound, and the sense of time passing. Brutus moved forward to meet him his hands in fists.
“Archer, do you know what is happening? What is he doing?” Alex let out in a quick breath.
“It is his magic,” Archer paused. “He can sense and…”
Archer was cut off as Brutus slammed a fist into Archer’s head and fed more of the numbing gas into Archer’s mouth and nose. Alex took a step back.
“Was he going to say scents? Is that what you are doing?” Alex asked rhetorically. “You a creating some kind of toxic gas then.”
Angela, who had no way to block the smells and gas from entering her lungs dropped to the ground as well. She tried to speak but the words could not come to her lips.
“Why you aren’t susceptible to it is the better question,” said Brutus. “I guess it doesn’t matter now. The other two are out and will be dead as soon as I deal with you.”
“You could say we both enjoy playing parts of other path’s as we have seen. I did think you were some kind of quiet rogue type with that tracking ability of yours. It has been very useful in our tracking efforts. I guess my question for you now is why are you turning on us? What did you find on Adrian that has changed something?” Alex realized.
Brutus didn’t respond to Alex’s words.
“I’ve got to keep him from using his powers directly on me,” Alex thought to himself, “My ability to shut off my senses and currently my sense of smell is currently keeping me going. I can’t let him knock me out or prevent me from using my powers.”
Alex scanned Brutus as he approached. Alex raised his knives and slid his feet into a more combat ready stance. Looking over Brutus now he realized that around his neck hung a pendant necklace of some kind.
“What is with the new necklace?” asked Alex, “It looks good but isn’t really your style.”
Brutus quickly stepped forward and his fist went under Alex’s hands. The fist hit Alex’s chest and Alex shifted to the side. He retaliated with a swipe of his knife. Brutus ducked and took a step back.
Brutus smirked and he lunged forward again, but Alex was ready this time. He sidestepped, using his momentum to deliver a swift kick to Brutus's side. Brutus grunted, stumbling slightly but quickly regained his balance.
Alex didn't waste any time. He lunged forward, aiming for the chest. Brutus was quick, though, and he managed to block Alex's attack. Alex pushed against Brutus, but the man was surprisingly strong. He was pushed back, his feet sliding against the ground.
Brutus took advantage of Alex's momentary imbalance and swung his fist towards Alex's face. Alex barely managed to duck in time, feeling the wind from Brutus's punch brush past his hair. He quickly retaliated, slashing his knife towards Brutus's exposed side. Brutus twisted away, narrowly avoiding the blade.
Alex didn't let up. He pressed his attack, his knives a blur as he aimed for Brutus's defenses. Brutus was forced to step back, blocking, and dodging Alex's relentless assault. But Brutus waited and then struck. He grabbed Alex’s hand as Alex struck and then used his weight advantage to throw Alex to the ground.
Alex was thrown onto the uneven ground made of rubble from their fight against Adrian. His senses caught Brutus’s movements and he narrowly rolled out of the way as Brutus’s fist came down where his head had been moments before.
“What did that necklace do for Adrian? What is it doing for you now?” Alex asked without expecting an answer to come. He shifted his body in preparation for standing back up.
“It will give me the power to climb the Tower more efficiently. Just like it did for Adrian. That is something anyone would kill for and now I will too. I won’t let it fall into anyone else’s hands.”
Brutus kicked at Alex, but he moved right before and shifted into a crouch. Alex pounced forward swinging his knives. The blades glanced off Brutus’s armored forearms and Alex was met with an elbow to the face.
A fist to the side came next. Alex was able to slide his elbow down to block some of the force but was still reeling from the last attack. He swung wildly and Brutus raised his arms and let his armor take the hits. Alex felt a bit unsteady, a side effect of the initial blast of toxic gas from Brutus. It seeped into his muscles and weakened his reaction time.
Brutus swung a fist which Alex ducked but it was followed by a sweep of the legs. Alex kept himself moving as he hit the ground. When Brutus attacked again Alex met it with his knives and left a bleeding cut on Brutus’s arm for the effort.
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“Why don’t we take a break? Talk this out,” said Alex as he panted.
“You tired already. Ready to give up and let me finish you off.”
“I can’t let that happen yet, but it is a pain that I’ve had to deal with back-to-back fights. You got to avoid the fight and run around town. Was that intentional?” asked Alex.
“I had my suspicions of how Adrian was able to level in the Tower so quickly and was able to use the powers he did. Well, my suspicions did not disappoint.”
Brutus threw punches at Alex once more and grabbed hold of one of Alex’s arms. He twisted and even as Alex stabbed Brutus’s arm he did not let go and instead continued until Alex dropped his knife and the muscles tore. Brutus kicked Alex away and quickly picked up the fallen dagger.
Alex wanted to cry out in pain. The numbing abilities flooded his arm and didn’t move much. He tried to flex his left arm, but the muscles sent back signals of pain and didn’t respond to his calls. Brutus spouted an evil smile now that he had a weapon in hand. Alex tried to go through the options he had and what he could do to take down Brutus.
“He isn’t much higher level than me but has much more natural strength. At least he is a fellow mage, so his physicality has not been increased. This fight is more a battle of skill and whether I can outmaneuver what he throws at me. I need to get close to him to effectively attack but he needs to do the same thing. I could try and stall, but I don’t know when Archer’s reinforcements will come. We didn’t talk to anyone before leaving for Elize so I’m not sure if reinforcements were called on until we arrived to help the townspeople and climbers. But I think delaying is still the right tactic in this case.”
With one hand freed Alex readied himself to use his magic when necessary. He started to move his injured arm slowly as feeling returned to it. While he no longer had access to the battery pack he had other tricks up his sleeves. The pair circled around for a minute assessing each other and looking for ways of attack.
Brutus charged first aiming his dagger at Alex’s throat. Alex deftly deflected it, and sparks flew as the blades met. He kept himself steady as Brutus pushed the blade forward and threw a fist as well. Alex blocked the fist with his shoulder taking it awkwardly but successfully.
He retaliated with a headbutt. At the same time, he focused on the one spell that could damage Brutus. His disruption spell activated from Ale’s forehead and into Brutus’s forehead. The spark of electricity traveled from Alex to Brutus and back with the intent commanded by him.
Brutus froze up and allowed Alex to carve a bloody arc across his chest. Blood spread across the blade and cut into the armor. Brutus stumbled back realizing what had been done as his senses returned to him.
“That was a nasty trick,” said Brutus. “But you’ve played your last card. I know you can’t summon more lightning, so you had to rely on that box. Now that box is gone so you are stuck with tricks. But how long until you’ve run out of those?”
“Hopefully it will be long enough,” Alex replied.
When Brutus charged next Alex lit his spark. Between his fingers, a flash of light appeared blinding the both of them. Alex though was able to see where he was in the moment with his echolocation. The effect was less pronounced because the power was not activated in the darkness of a cave or at night, but it still startled Brutus regardless.
Alex attacked again in the moment and was able to step to the side largely unseen and deliver another blow this time to Brutus’s arm. The larger man spun around to see Alex and followed up with a kick to Alex’s chest. Alex involuntarily coughed taking in drawn up dust from the fallen and burnt buildings.
Brutus kept his distance and swung his knife at Alex. His leg was caught in the defense and the blade skittered across Alex’s armor.
Alex grimaced, feeling a sharp pain shoot through his leg as the blade grazed his armor. He let his magic take over the pain. The pain became a momentary distraction as his focus returned to the fight. He had to think fast, his options were dwindling, and Brutus knew it. The larger man loomed over him, grinning like a predator ready to feast.
“I’m almost disappointed, Alex. I thought you’d put up more of a fight.”
Ignoring his comment, Alex collected himself, quickly scanning his environment for anything that could provide an advantage. He needed to buy more time and slow Brutus down.
“I thought you would be harder to fight. If I hadn’t expended most of my energy on Adrian then this fight would be over by now,” said Alex. “I guess I’m better when working with others or when I’ve got my full arsenal of magic to work with and I don’t have that today. But what I’ve got you have left behind. You’ve forgotten that I am not the only one you’ve got to face.”
At that moment, Brutus’s chest was pierced by an arrow. Behind him, the Archer stood unsteadily but awake. His bow was drawn back, and he fired once more at Brutus. The man dropped his knife. It clattered to the ground.
“You have also forgotten to use your magic,” said Alex, “and it has caused your downfall.”
Brutus fell to his knees, the blood running down his armor, and fell over.
Alex approached slowly. Brutus’s breath was slowing. Alex kneeled next to the man and inspected the pendant. It had few markings and was hung with a plain twine that went around the neck. When Alex touched it he felt its power and its utility. Alex looked up at the Archer.
“Thanks for the assistance. I’m glad that the sleeping gas wore off quick enough.”
“I’m just glad this event is over. His death will mean more paperwork though. I should be able to spin his death as one caused by Adrian. He deserved that at least. What does the pendant do?”
“I can keep it,” Alex questioned.
“Sure. It is a mage item so I can’t use it, and neither can Angela. Then by typical guild rules the item goes to you.”
“What about the sword from the pizza shop?”
“You owed me, and I took it as payment. You can consider the pendant a bonus for your work this week.”
Alex felt the power in the pendant and a system screen appeared which he shared with the Archer.
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Pendant of Mage’s Souls (Unique) : Kills while wearing this item collect in the pendant and then can be absorbed into the user to unlock further affinities. Monster or sentient creatures can be harvested with the latter providing more energy.
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New status indicator unlocked:
Percent Soul Captured: 0%
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