Chapter LX: Gobudo (Cont. II)

Thyrus glanced over his shoulder, “Won’t you just give up? It’s not a good strategy to pursue until someone kills you, especially when they’ve already bested you once before.” Thyrus ducked the swing of the first one’s axe and delivered a precise blow to the man’s kidney, sending him stumbling back and groaning in pain as his axe fell to the ground. “Of course, you’re not listening….” He leapt backwards and vaulted off the wall behind him, tackling and rolling off a very stunned and now disarmed soldier, “…to a word I say.” Thyrus rolled up and ground down into the next thief’s instep, uppercutting him in the jaw and listening to the sound of shattering bone. “You know, I’m not trying to be lethal here….” He dodged the next one’s charging swing and stomped on the man’s blade, sending it bouncing back up and smacking the man in the face, breaking his nose. “This is really not something I enjoy.”

“Thyrus!” Adelia entered the middle of the rubble and glanced around at the various men, all who were laying on the ground and grumbling. One remained on his feet, moving back and forth and trying to jab Thyrus who did not answer her. “Thyrus?!” Adelia was quite in shock at the man’s merciful efficiency, trying also to restrain Kiki from having a field day.

“One moment miss,” Thyrus said politely, sidestepping the man’s lunge and planting his elbow into the side of the man’s head, a cracking sound echoing as his elbow struck the man’s cheek and ear and dropped him. “Yes? Oh…you’ve got it up and working! Then let’s get going.” Thyrus raced over and grabbed hold of the orb, slinging his forcepike onto his back again. He held out his hand, “Link hands with me and grab Kiki.” Adelia obeyed, Thyrus spinning the orb and unhitching the bracket. “Get ready, this might hurt a little……and who knows how long it will take us to move through time-space.”

“You mean you don’t…..”

“No,” Thyrus said as the bracket fell away the energy burst out from the orb and the three flickered, their images expanding and shrinking and then with a quick snap, exploded out of sight in a shower of sparks, Adelia’s groan the only sound remaining, floating in the air for several moments. One thief slowly brought himself up to his feet, having seen everything from where he had been playing possum. He wiped his eyes and stared at the bracket which lay on the ground, a few bolts of energy dribbling off of it and carving a random design in the ground.

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Wooden splinters sprayed everywhere as another of Baen’s warriors brought their sword right through the wooden barricade. Its writhing face and burning red eyes peered through the hole only to be greeted with an arrow that tore right through its head, flames spewing everywhere and igniting the wooden barricade. “Nice shot, Laura…” Blackheart began, stamping out some of the raging flames, “But if we keep killing them, we’re going to trap ourselves in a furnace of death!” Blackheart glanced up the tower ladder to West, who was trying desperately to fend off the creatures. “What’s going on, West?”

West fired off another musket ball, knocking a climbing warrior off the wall, “They’re almost here! I can see them on the horizon!”

“Who…Adelia?”

“No! Allies!”

Blackheart turned his ear up to the sound of charging palade hooves and heard the sound of whooping yells and the bark of several human guards. Blackheart glanced up at West’s grinning face, “Allies?”

“The fifteenth Azuratian Regiment to be exact, they’re the smallest squad of soldiers from Azurat, but they’re the only ones I thought might be free enough to help us out!” West turned and drew the mirror around, flashing several signals off as the remaining hundreds of warriors turned to see the advancing threat, another middle warrior toppling over and bursting into flames as Eza continued to do her hasty undercover damage.

The regiment broke into smaller pieces and began to swarm the large horde, not even questioning their battle tactics as they knew exactly who was giving the orders, Preston West, even from a distance, wasn’t all that hard to identify. West smiled with pride, “Now you’ll see what Azurat is all about!” And then, the wail slowly began spiralling through the ranks of the dark warriors, the kind of wail that slowly climbs up through the entire body and shuts down the nerves, paralyzing one with fear. West glanced down at the ranks, the front line slowly drawing their blades and positioning them in various ways. “This is not good,” West whispered.