Vigdus, his war Knuckles gleaming in the dim light, lunged at Ren with a ferocity that matched his bulging muscles. The room reverberated with the sound of metal clashing against metal as Ren skillfully parried each strike, his own blades flashing like streaks of silver in the chaotic fray.

The man was relentless. Tears streaming down his cheeks, and screaming at the top of his lungs, Vigdus seemed like a man possessed. Ren slipped beneath a wild swing and stabbed his blades into the man’s ribs like a jackhammer, his fists blurring with inhuman speed. The first seven strikes failed to pierce through his enchanted armor but Vigdus groaned in pain as the eight stab dug into his flesh.

Ren’s sense’s screamed in warning as Nereus lunged forward with a ferocious swing, aiming to skewer Ren where he stood. There was something mesmerizing about the way the robed man moved with the massive weapon. His footwork was immaculate, and the Poleaxe’s blade struck as fast as a snake, but with the weight of a mountain behind it. Ren blocked what he could, and evaded the rest, always maneuvering to put the bellowing Vigdus in the path of his ally’s deadly swings.

Meanwhile, Asher, his eyes ablaze with fury, conjured ropes of fire that crackled and hissed, ready to ensnare him in a tangle of blazing death. With lightning reflexes, Ren spun and twisted, narrowly evading the fiery tendrils that snapped at his heels. The intense heat licked at his skin, singing his hairs and promising wicked retribution if he slowed down a step.

In this lethal dance of blades, fire, and brute force, Ren's agility and resourcefulness became his lifeline. He expertly weaved through the onslaught, exploiting every gap in their coordinated attacks. His movements were fluid, his strikes precise, as he sought openings to strike back without compromising his own safety.

The room filled with the clash of steel, the crackling of flames, and the grunts of exertion. The fight had lasted only about a minute, but it was getting harder and harder for Ren to disengage and continue his escape. Worse, he could feel Asher’s patience wearing thin. The man had been cautious with his fire spells so far, trying to avoid hitting his companions. But when Ren looked up to see the glint of malice in his eyes, he knew it wouldn't take long before the man’s fury overwhelmed common sense.

Ren decided to give the man some perspective.

In a fluid motion, he sent one of his last remaining daggers spiraling towards the expensive looking ward-breaking array. He wasn’t sure how much damage his dagger could do to the array, but the look of panic on Asher’s face was extremely satisfying to Ren. The man flared his energy, sending a fiery tendril to intercept the flying blade. The dagger was pushed off course, a good portion of the metal melting in the process. However, to everyone’s horror, it flashed into the shimmering ward behind.

Like a gunshot, the metal slag ricocheted out of the protective ward, a malevolent energy coating it. Ren ducked reflexively, to avoid being hit with the errant projectile. His action saved him from being bisected by a diagonal slash from Nereus’ weapon. The nifty Cultivator had taken the opportunity to capitalize on Ren’s distraction and had almost succeeded.

Any other time, Ren would have raised his glass in appreciation to the robed cultivator. At the moment, he was preoccupied with escaping. His thrown dagger being redirected by the protective wards, gave him an idea that a portion of his mind was working on utilizing. He calculated angles, worked out trajectories and positioning necessary to bring about his plan. Deciding on a plan, he let his body implement the necessary steps.

Ren's instincts took over, his body moving with preternatural agility. He leapt to the side, narrowly evading Nereus' deadly strike that sundered the ground where he had just stood. He weaved and dodged, his movements fluid and precise, avoiding the thunderous blows of Vigdus' Knuckles that left craters in their wake.

As Asher unleashed his fiery assault, Ren rolled and somersaulted, the searing heat grazing his heels. He countered with swift and calculated strikes, exploiting gaps in their defenses. His every movement was a dance of survival, his agility and wit, his greatest weapons as he waited for the perfect opportunity.

There.

Vigdus was charging towards him, as Ren’s predictive analysis had foretold. The man was a natural brawler and with his enhanced muscles, was deadly with his hands. Ignoring the man, Ren noticed Nereus had moved to block the room’s exit. His plan had not accounted for this, but no matter. Ren would adjust his calculations to account for him. For now, he turned and locked eyes with Asher across the stone table. The man was conjuring more fiery ropes but his eyes narrowed as Ren winked at him and pulled his last remaining dagger from its sheath.

Asher tensed, withdrawing his fiery ropes and forming them into a shield around the ward breaking array. Perfect. At the last moment, Ren looked towards another shimmering Ward and after calculating the best trajectory, tossed his dagger towards it. A look of relief and confusion washed over Asher’s face as he wondered why Ren had wasted his attack. That look was shortly warped into fury as the dagger sank into the Ward, and was sent flying straight into Vigdus’ unprotected spine.

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Ren dove on the ground, before the Ward coated dagger obliterated the torso of the charging man. A thick surge of Red Kill Energy extricated itself from the dying Vigdus and surged into Ren, flooding his meridians and forcing a gasp out of him. The dagger coated in the malevolent energy continued on its path, past the prone Ren and towards the surprised Nereus.

Jumping to his feet, Ren sprinted towards the exit in a lightning-quick dash. The dagger was still flying towards the robed Nereus. Ren’s calculation suggested the man would either be rendered useless or he would have to perform evasive maneuvers to escape the deadly projectile. Either way, Ren planned to use the opening provided to escape through the main doors behind the man.

Ren watched Nereus’s eyes widen as he dove away, letting the dagger bury itself with a resounding boom, into the doors behind him. A manic smile was quickly forming on Ren’s face as he prepared to ram his way out, when he felt a deep sense of impending doom.

Shit.

With a tremendous heave and with his muscles stretched to their limits, he pushed off the floor, jumping sideways and away from the massive fireball that swept past his previous position. Ren felt the Kill Energy from Vigdus pushing into his core, and he set his willpower to refine the last sliver of the First Chamber. He needed any edge he could get at the moment. Especially as he dove away from another fiery tendril Asher sent his way. He was being herded away from the door and he knew it. Nereus had already recovered from the near miss, and was making his way over, a grim expression on his face.

Ren’s mind whirled and he focused, slowing down his perception of time to think of a solution. With Vigdus dead, and Nereus blocking the only exit, his options were limited. Asher was content to provide support from across the room, as he insisted on protecting the array that was working on getting him his [Blazing Armor].

At this rate he would be cornered in a few seconds. With Nereus advancing from one corner, herding him towards Asher, his fate would be sealed. Even if he jumped on the table, the Poleaxe Cultivator would just shear his legs off, before Asher cooked him alive with one of his techniques.

Looking around for an alternative, Ren’s eyes landed on the Alcove with the flickering Ward. That could work! Wasting no time, he jumped into the Alcove, passing between flickers. In one smooth motion, he uses his last dagger to scrape off the sliver of tar-like goop that had been interrupting the Ward.

“Stop him!” Asher yelled and Nereus dashed towards Ren, his Poleaxe pointed forward, ready to skewer him with it.

Spinning on his heels, Ren watched as the flickering Ward reformed, flowing with practiced ease towards the point that had obstructed it for untold ages. Nereus was less than two breaths away, as Ren watched the tendrils of azure energy stutter upon reaching the spot he had scraped free of the tar-like goop seconds ago. Ren's heart beat in nervousness as he watched with baited breath. It was a make-or-break moment, a gamble on the Ward's resurgence that would determine his fate.

Under his hyper-focused mind, time stood still as the suspended moment of uncertainty unfolded. Then with an exhilarating burst of energy, the tendrils surged forward, undeterred by the obstacle that had threatened to hinder their progress. They weaved and intertwined, their ethereal essence shaping into intricate patterns and ancient symbols, imbued with the wisdom of bygone eras. The tapestry of enchantment unfolded, each sigil etched with purpose upon the fabric of this unfamiliar Realm.

The tip of Nereus' Poleaxe was a second away when a loud crack resonated through the chamber, shattering the silence. A momentary flash of azure light filled the room as the Ward completed its resolute reforming. Sparkling motes of light flickered and danced within the newly formed Ward as it stood as a formidable barrier between Ren and his pursuer.

Nereus skidded to a halt in front of the Ward, staring into Ren’s eyes and waiting for the Ward to flicker again. Locked in a silent battle of wills, Ren met his gaze from across the newly formed barrier. The dangerous warrior would have to find another way to reach his prey, for the Ward now stood as an insurmountable obstacle between them. He was protected here within the Alcove. A cynical person might say he was also trapped. But Ren was choosing to ignore that for now, as he let the tension leak out of his muscles.

Nereus stood on the other side of the Ward and continued to stare at Ren, but there was no malice on his face. His face was instead full of curiosity, as he studied Ren like he was looking at an abstract painting.

“I like ya kid,” he drawled on, his deadly weapon resting on his shoulders. “ Ya wear Temple robes, but ya eyes,” the man tilted his head, blinking slowly at Ren. “Ya eyes are cold. Ruthless. Just like ma ol’man.” He pulled on his eyelids and fluttered his eyes.

“Now, I don always like Asher, the prissy Trout that he is.” The man continued.

“You better watch your tone, Wavegazer!” Asher snapped out angrily.

“Ya see?” Nereus gestured towards the fuming Asher. “Prissy. But he pays well. And I gave ma word to help him get that there Necklace. Now you’ve gone and locked yaself behind these Wards”

“Leave him be. We have no reason to waste our breath on dead men.” Asher called from across the room. It seemed he had composed himself and focused on his array. The thing seemed to be working, as the barrier protecting the [Blazing Armor] was flickering and warbling. The array was giving off smoke as well, indicating that it was on its last legs. However, at the rate it was going, the Ward would be broken before the array collapsed on itself.

Grunting noncommittally, Nereus turned to Ren and continued, “He is right, ya know?”

“What? That you should stop nagging me? I completely agree with him.”

Nereus chuckled jovially. “Not quite. That ya are more screwed than a keg of rum in a Pirate’s Bay. We only brought the one Array Breaker over there. This –” he gestured towards the Alcove Ren was hiding in, “–will be ya grave. Hope ya like it.”

With that he turned away from Ren and walked back towards Asher.