Harek grabbed a hook and tied a long rope to it, while Robert took out his hand mortar. It was very similar to a rifle, except much shorter and its barrel a lot wider. He lit the fuses on a grenade and aimed it high.

"Do it." -Harek said.

Agnes ripped the paper covering the rune and Robert fired the grenade high above the wall above another section of the castle for distraction. It exploded with a green sizzling color while he loaded the next one with laughter and said:

"That should give us a minute!"

Harek aimed at the top of the wall, then as it shot out his hand it bounced away with a loud clank.

"Shit! Another one!" -He exclaimed.

Quickly Agnes tied another hook then gave it to Harek, ripping off the covering paper immediately.

"Adrian! Smokescreen!" - Harek gave the order behind him.

"On it!" -Adrian answered.

"Please don't fucking break." He thought as he aimed at the crenelations above the wall. Adrian ignited a smoke bomb and it quickly started to produce a lot more smoke than he anticipated. While violently coughing he wrapped a cloth around his face and started lighting the other ones. throwing them in various directions around them and down the hillslope to obfuscate their position and provide a slightly safer escape than running down an exposed hillside without cover. Another one of Robert's grenades exploded in red now above the same section as before. The hook left Harek's hand in the blink of an eye and ate itself inside the stone of the crenelation.

"Erick! Go! I'm behind you!" -The order boomed.

Erick grabbed the rope and while putting his legs against the wall started to climb up as fast as he could. Agnes had her sling at the ready when she saw a silhouette of a figure leaning over from the top of the wall and grabbing a rifle. She pulled the sling without hesitation and waited for a moment when the man stopped moving. He did as he raised his gun at Erick. Agnes let go of the metal ball and the silhouette's head jerked upwards as he collapsed with a new yellow cloud by Robert sizzling off behind him.

"Contact!" -She shouted.

As she did Harek called out to Erick:

"Grab the wall! I'm first then!"

Seeing the fireworks begin Frederick gave an order and the cannons and trebuchets of House Szabadhy came to life again as if called to battle by Roberts's colorful signals. Shrieks and booms rang in the air as they gave up all they had for the final assault.

Erick held onto the ledge of the wall as instructed and let Harek pass by him. Harek jumped over the stone cover and quickly took cover behind his shield and a cannon as shots rang out. Three men with rifles and another with a pistol were in front of him about 20 meters away. Two high-pitched clings, no sudden warmth. He was fine. For the split second he had to take in his surroundings he saw buildings filling up the courtyard with a strong square keep in the middle while multiple tower-like tall buildings gave cover from other sections of the wall. He only had to worry about his immediate area for now thanks to them.

"Robert throw us a long one! Erick, go!" -He shouted, his voice slightly trembling, drenched in adrenalin.

"Robert give us a long one!" -Erick shouted as well, then jumped over the stone, lay down, and took his rifle in hand.

Harek pulled one of his pistols and snapped at one of the men attempting to take cover behind a cannon. With his momentum, the man collapsed on the ground with a painful shriek. Another showed up from the stairwell inside the wall opposite of them. Erick fired and the man's skull fractured, covering the man behind him in blood and gore, who then collapsed in tremoring shock. Erick discarding his regular rifle to his back, pulled his other gun which was scarcely more than a metal tube with an opening on its back and a shoulder stock with no trigger. He loaded a metal tube into its back that had part of it missing. It must have been less than three heartbeats. Without a sound the gun fired at the wooden warehouse he recognized as the powder storage from the meeting. He aimed his rifle in a flash to the other corner of the courtyard to the second building, it fired again. Then in a heartbeat to the man who was quickly trying to reload his rifle from across Harek. It pierced his chest in fiery smoke while the walls shook. The bullets lit on fire and were followed by a loud bang and the sound of wood splintering. With effort, he pulled off his left, leather-gloved hand from the tube as it shimmered with moisture frozen to it along it's length.

"I can't see the third!" -He shouted.

"What?!" -Harek questioned.

"There is a tower covering it we need to go around it!"

"Fuck!" -Harek shouted.- "Follow me!"

As if on queue the requested grenade of Roberts landed next to them with a long, but already lit fuse. Erick scrambled to catch it before it fell down then tossed it to Harek. They ran along the wall towards the right and saw a group of men down below in the courtyard as they got a line of sight on them between a clearing of some houses. The soldiers quickly aimed at them and attempted to fire. Harek and Erick dropped to the ground and Harek tossed the grenade in their direction while laying down on his back. The men shouted as only a few shots rang out, then screamed as the shrapnel bounced around the surrounding walls.

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"It has to be good from here!" -Harek shouted and Erick took a knee.

"It is good!" -He answered.

He aimed between two buildings where he saw what he hoped was the warehouse from remembering its position on the map. He fired then a few seconds later and a great tremor shook the walls with such a shockwave that Erick lost his footing and had to catch himself.

Frederick on horseback was grinning satisfied, as a section of the wall, from the right side of the gate fell out and collapsed followed in a split second by an air-shattering sound before turning to his general and issuing orders.

Harek and Erick turned back to leave the way they came along the wall when they found themselves facing a man, who must have used one of the stairways along the wall to flank them. He was the size of Harek and covered in a bronze full-plate armor. The armor was adorned with silver writings they could not make out. They appeared as if molten silver filled the armors indentations and crevices to form the symbols, with golden metal plates appended to his armor around his waist which were covered in elaborate and holy symbols with texts that swayed around gently with a clinging sound as he moved. He held a two-handed sword at the ready on his right shoulder with visible tension that could snap at any moment. The last shafts of light left them as they were staring each other down.

Harek pulled another pistol at him. "Strange." He thought looking at the man. "Facing guns in armor as soft as bronze..." When his thoughts caught up with his actions. He fired and the shot sparkled and glowed across the side of his chest as it tore apart the moment it hit the armor, leaving behind a faint glow on its surface and a crackle in the air reminiscent of ice breaking under pressure. Harek's eyes widened for a moment, then focused.

"Erick!" -He called out.

A shot whistled from the rifle and turned to sparks as it hit the armor at a much greater velocity on his abdomen with the sound of a great frozen lake crackling, leaving behind a brighter glow of impact. Harek approached him cautiously, trying to look for an opening. The knight swung at him. Harek blocked with his shield on his left and stabbed with his sword on his right, but it was a feint.

The man lifted his sword as soon as it touched the shield and brought it down across Hareks chest between his arms. He barely dodged backward in time before spinning his sword around with his wrist, pushing the man's blade to the right, and stepping in to dent the knight's helmet with his pommel.

It bounced off with a strange feeling like there was no force behind his strike at all.

The knight reacted quickly. He spun around his sword and thrust it backward at Harek. Harek pushed the blade aside clumsily as he lost his balance and quickly turned back towards him. Hunkering behind his shield. The knight met his stance as they switched places.

The knight heaved at his left shoulder which Harek blocked with his shield, then his right, which he parried away with his sword. Using the brief opening the knight twisted his blade and thrust towards Harek chest. He pushed it to the side with the edge of his shield as he stepped back and turned to the right, away from the blade.

Immediately, he pushed against his weight and momentum with his leg and almost jumped towards the knight. At first he pulled his sword into a parry, then realizing what Harek was doing tried to dodge back and stab him. It was too slow. Harek pushed him on his back, with him tumbling as well, and grabbed his shield in a heartbeat as he stood up and tried to bring it down on him to crush his armor. The knight rolled and got on his feet as they both stared each other down again, the knight holding his sword low in front of him with both hands.

Harek recognized his stance as the fool. He hated that one. Shield in front, he sent a probing stab towards his upper body. It was a mistake. The knight moved faster than he expected, he parried his sword and made a half step towards him, blade pointed at Hareks face. He pushed it from the left with the edge of his shield barely in time as it slid by him, opening up a strongly bleeding cut from above his right eye down towards his right ear, drenching his right eye in blood. He watched the man's footwork with his good eye unblinking when he glimpsed Agnes behind him.

"Keep him busy!" -She shouted. He had no time or will to argue.

He lunged at him quickly as if he were going to charge him again while the knight briefly turned towards the voice behind him. In slight panic, the knight stepped back generously this time. Keeping a distance, when three more shots whizzed past Harek from Erick. They hit the knight's helmet three times with their signature smoke and sparks, making three high-pitched crackles in flashing quick succession and leaving a bright spot on his helmet. This seemed to stun him for a moment, which Agnes quickly took advantage of. Paper in hand she ran up to him and slapped one of her runes to the back of the knight's leg then just as quickly turned to run away. The knight coming out of his daze spun around with his blade to strike. Harek lunged towards him, grabbing the sword blade and sliding his mailed hand along it as he tried to stop and redirect it between his hands. He could feel the links of the mail splitting. The knight pulled the sword out and moved to stab him in the stomach which he pushed away quickly with his arm to the side. He stepped back quickly pulled his last pistol and fired directly in the knight's face. With a cling sound, it sparkled in the dark as the man shook his head, then stepped towards raising his sword high. Then his left leg which Agnes touched moments before in the blink of an eye turned at an unnatural angle as both metal a bones cracked and bent. His leg shot off from his body. The man fell, screaming, blood pumping out of him at a deadly rate.

Harek and Erick took the chance to run back along the wall with Agnes. In the distance they could see Adrian kneeling where they climbed up, keeping an eye out for the small section of the courtyard they could see. He saw men run between houses, but armed soldiers pouring in from the collapsed section of the inner wall proved a good enough distraction not to make them the main target in the chaos. He tilted his head behind him towards the rope as he saw them approaching while keeping watch with his rifle. Agnes jumped down the rope first, with more vigor than she intended for which she needed to tighten her hold on the rope to slow herself, then Erick, Harek, and Adrian.

The foot of the wall and the surrounding area had been covered in thick smoke by now which made their eyes water.

"Done?" -The voice of Robert asked in the smoke.

"Done." -Harek heaved.