She growled, then dashed forward. A pale-blue shield peeked out from around a collapsed pillar, and Cindra shoulder-checked the barrier, producing a meaty thwack. The blow sent ripples across the magical surface, but it held.
Reyna coughed and staggered in from the left. Gabriel panicked at the sight of her wheezing figure and almost lost his connection to his bonded.
‘Unlike the dog, Miss Reyna cannot safely breathe such intense heat and fumes, Master. She is relying on her extreme healing to survive.’
That’s insane!
‘Yes. Unless one is a werebadger. Then healing through a hostile environment is merely a nuisance. They are even more single-minded than hellhounds. Despite her prickly personality and that ridiculous hairstyle, Miss Reyna would not be the worst bonded for you.’
Gabriel laughed out loud and turned to look at his Prime. She met his gaze and lifted her eyebrows in question.
You’re serious?
‘Of course, Master. She claims to be a skilled hunter, and her natural healing means she is quite hard to kill. A werebear or similar would be a more cooperative option. Or even a troll perhaps, but she does have some potential. You would still need a frontline guardian, though. She appears to be even less skilled at defense than Cindra.’
He nodded at Sthuza’s comment. Every fight Reyna had gotten into ended with her latching onto an enemy and mauling them until all that was left was a mangled, bloody ruin. While her healing let her survive her victim’s retaliation, she could only keep one target busy at a time.
The lycan wheezed and coughed again.
Tired of the stress from watching the fight through Cindra’s eyes, Gabriel reinforced his wind spell and blasted the thick clouds of smoke out toward the city. With the smoke cleared, he could see everyone. Unfortunately, that meant the archers in the towers could see him.
Tobias Falken stood, but the older man struggled to remain upright. The left half of his body was nothing but blistered and scorched skin. A near skeletal hand gripped an ornate bloodoak staff.
That looks as bad as the arachne Cindra roasted.
Despite the grievous injuries, the human mage had his less-burned arm raised and was in the middle of another spellcast. Falken demonstrated just how much a century of experience could do for a caster.
At his feet were numerous shattered spell tokens. While expensive and time-consuming to craft, they let the magic-user who broke them activate the spell locked within almost instantly.
The older man’s hand traced through an intricate pattern, and encrypted glyphs formed and filled the dual spell circles around him. Gabriel switched back to his Magesight but still couldn’t identify the spell at a glance.
His encryption is way too good to breach in combat.
“You’re going to pay for this, Gabriel. Don’t think Baron Alberik is going to let you off with a quick death. The man’s father gifted him with a true passion for sadism. You’ll regret this soon.”
Not even going to respond. Focus on a spell to help Cindra.
Gabriel found it a little surprising that the old mage would waste his breath on a tirade like that in the middle of a battle but was grateful for the pompous fool’s error.
It took only a second to decide on a Haste spell. By the time Gabriel had the basic spell construct formed, more arrows had begun to rain down from above.
‘Master, there are too many archers for me to suppress. We need to hurry!’
Working on it.
Despite the fright caused when a shot whizzed past his head and ruffled his hair, he kept focused on his spell. The glyphs formed quicker than before, and Gabriel grinned. He finished the spell in barely half the time he’d expected and released it.
Already tired from the last spell, he wobbled but remained standing. Cindra howled, and he risked a peek before he staggered behind a pile of rubble.
The giant hellhound had several arrows protruding from her fur, but there were only a couple bright-blue spots damp with her blood. She lunged forward and slammed into the mage’s barrier again.
His shield shimmered and rippled. It held—for a split second—then shattered with a tinkling sound and a rush of unbound mana. The loose energy dissipated into the Aether in seconds.
A startled scream rang out, then cut off. Where seconds before a powerful barrier thrummed and colored the air, now a misty red fog was beginning to spread. Cindra stood staring at the old man.
Four sharp claws jutted out of his gut.
Gabriel stared until Falken turned and slumped. The petite werebadger was right behind him, glaring.
It might have taken her a while to catch him, but she’d wasted no time cutting him down. At least half a dozen arrow shafts stuck out of her fur-covered body, but she didn’t seem to notice.
She snarled again, louder, then snapped her head forward and tore out the dying man’s throat. More blood sprayed, and she shook vigorously. Reyna bit down harder, going for his spine. Bones crunched, and the man’s head flew loose.
Cindra leapt into the air and caught the gruesome chew toy in her giant maw and then looked up toward the keep’s defenders. A dozen guards still lined the narrow windows of the third floor.
No one had loosed a single arrow since Reyna struck Falken down. All eyes turned toward Cindra, and she shook herself before crunching down on the head. She chewed on it twice, then opened her mouth wide. Blood, bone, and brain matter leaked out of her muzzle as she showed off her grisly work.
Gabriel stared at the sight, then remembered the archers, and looked up.
I’ll be damned. She did that on purpose.
‘It looks that way, Master. Perhaps the walking rug has a natural talent for showmanship?’ The mirth in Sthuza’s mind-voice was infectious.
Several of the guards stepped away from the narrow windows. A few others were too busy throwing up to retreat, the sight of Cindra munching on the powerful mage’s head more than they could stomach. Gabriel hustled over to his second bonded.
“Great job, Cindra. And you, Reyna,” he called as he checked his pool.
Mana 33%
Both furry monsters turned to him, but their expressions were exact opposites. Cindra’s overly expressive eyes flashed with pleasure. Reyna looked like she wanted to skin him and dip him in salt.
“Fuck off. Why’d you make so much blasted smoke? Thought I was gonna die, you jackass,” the furious lycan grumbled. She made a horrific sound in her throat, then hocked up a thick mess of blackened phlegm.
Cindra let out an angry bark, and Reyna stepped back.
“Don’t insult Packmaster,” Cindra growled.
“Hey, he earned that. Besides, how the gods-damned fuck did you not choke on all that ash?”
“Cindra is a hellhound, Miss Reyna. They are not native to the Mortal Realm. Breathing through that smoke and ash would be easy compared to their original Realm,” Sthuza said. “Though I admit that the initial blast was far more intense than I expected.”
“Wait, really?” Gabriel asked, then nodded. “Hellhound. Of course.”
“Precisely, Master. They originate in the third of Asmodeus’ Realms. Though I would imagine that Cindra was born in the dungeon.” Sthuza turned toward the giant hound.
“Yep, Mother had two litters in our home down there. A Dungeon Master made her with magic, though,” Cindra replied with a wistful growl.
I have to make time to learn more about my bonded. There’s so much I still don’t know about them. Gabriel was careful to frame the thought as private, and when Sthuza failed to even twitch, he felt confident he’d succeeded.
‘Dare I ask why you suddenly seem so smug, Master?’ his Prime asked.
Just working to improve my control, he replied.
The gorgon smiled, then pointed toward the keep. “That is good, but I believe we should head in before the guards get over the gore. Without the smoke to block their vision, we are quite exposed.”
“Yeah, let’s go,” Gabriel said. He turned to Cindra and smiled
. “You can go ahead and shift back now.”
She gave a quick yip of agreement, and seconds later stood before him in humanoid form. Her armor was as form-fitting as ever. Only, now there were a few spots where she’d been cut through it, and her blood darkened the leather.
“What happened?” Gabriel asked. He knew she’d been injured, but the number of cuts in her armor surprised him.
“A few of the archers had enchanted arrows and shot her several times, Master. While she was busy distracting the guards in that giant melee. Shifting forms expelled the arrows, but it will take time for her armor to repair itself.”
“Shit. I’m sorry for exposing you like that, Cindra. I didn’t think of the archers. Was too busy worrying about that damn mage.”
“Cindra fine, Packmaster,” she declared. She bobbed her head twice to emphasize her point, and a grin spread across her face.
Sthuza spoke up before the hellhound could voice whatever thought had suddenly come to her. “Cindra, focus on the mission. We have already discussed everything. Do not waste Master’s time.”
The larger monster girl pouted but darted off to recover her sword before Gabriel could say anything.
“We need to hurry. That attack might have alerted the city watch,” he said.
“No shit, really? You blew up a fucking building! Of course they’re gonna notice. Question is if the bastards are smart enough to stay away till we’re done.”
“Miss Reyna, perhaps you would like to lead us to the keep gate?” Sthuza asked.
Reyna snickered but nodded and ran toward the imposing structure.
They followed her without comment, and Gabriel thought about what would come next. Despite the fact that he’d killed dozens of men just moments before, he was still able to concentrate and plan.
Probably a side effect of whatever caused me to be able to split my focus. Not going to look a gift horse in the mouth right now, though. We need to do this quickly, so Reyna will help us track down that crystal.
Time to make the baron pay.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Cindra caught up to them by the time they reached the iron-bound doors. The squad that had been in front had wisely retreated inside after the blast.
Arrows began to rain down again. Some of the archers must have recovered their nerve and returned to the keep’s third-floor windows. Fortunately, the angle made it hard for them to spot Gabriel’s group once they pressed against the walls.
We’re lucky they built this place for aesthetics more than defense.
‘Yes, Master. It was rather foolish to put all of that ornate trim beneath their windows. Without machicolations or similar defenses, they are quite helpless now.’
With Magesight active, Gabriel studied the formidable doors for several seconds. They were only moderately enchanted. Far less than he’d expected, and all of the inscribed runes were for reinforcement.
“Okay, it looks like there aren’t any traps. You three watch my back, I think I can unravel the defenses on the doors in a few minutes,” Gabriel said. He prepared to start when Reyna snorted.
“Why bother with magicking the door open with you’ve got a can opener right there?” The lycan pointed at Cindra—or more specifically, at her giant greatsword.
Sthuza chuckled, and Gabriel joined her while Cindra stepped up in front of the ornate wooden doors.
She’s right. It’s not like we’ve been stealthy so far. Speed is our ally now.
To his surprise, Cindra spent a moment readying herself. After a couple of practice swings, she roared and swung the adamantite sword in an over-the-head strike that sheared clean through the wood and iron.
Reinforcement enchantments flared and died. Her blade sliced through and continued down into the stone tile floor. Arcane sparks flickered and discharged along the gash she’d created and her sword.
“Get ready, they might have set up an ambush inside,” Gabriel said.
“Whatever,” Reyna growled before she rushed in front of Cindra and pressed against the splintered door.
With the locking bar on the backside cleaved through, half of it teetered and then toppled inward.
The petite berserker practically ran up the wood and pushed off at the top. She leapt into the foyer, hit the ground, and rolled. Cindra followed her, and Gabriel stepped in right after his bonded.
Shouting and the twang of bows sounded just before an arrow caught the lycan in the chest.
“You were right,” Reyna growled when a trio of heavily armored soldiers swarmed her.
“Master, please try not to rush into the battle this time,” Sthuza said.
“Cindra will protect you!” Cindra cried as she charged the armored men.
This is the real thing. Now that we’ve dealt with the barracks, all that’s left will be the keep’s guards. Time to buff everyone and teach these assholes a lesson.
Gabriel still had an active Haste effect on the powerful hellhound, so he tapped into the existing spell and began to weave another branch of it for Reyna.
Modifying an active spell would be quicker and easier than casting a second similar one. Not to mention trying to keep them both active without causing interference.
While he devoted most of his mind to form the needed glyphs, he glanced around the large, open chamber.
The main hall was at least as wide as the altar room back in the dungeon, but a good three times longer. A thick red-and-gold rug ran the length of it and led back to the wide staircase leading up.
Four more guards descended from the second floor, and Gabriel realized the defenders intended to stop the assault here.
“They’ve got reinforcements on the stairs,” he said.
“I see them, Master,” Sthuza replied and then loosed a black arrow toward the closest of the new arrivals.
“Kinda busy with these assholes. Try using your magic,” Reyna grumbled. She snarled, and a man screamed in pain.
Sthuza took several more shots at the guards, who Gabriel now realized were the archers from earlier. Once the four got settled in behind the partial wall on the stairwell landing, they began to rain arrows down on the intruders.
Gabriel focused on completing his spell, almost to the point that he rushed the cast. The moment the last glyph stabilized, he released the construct, barely noticing the mana drain. He turned inward and started a new spell.
“I may need sssome asssisstancce after all,” Sthuza muttered. It was hard to hear the gorgon over Reyna’s snarling and the clash of weapons.
“I’m working on it,” he said.
The simplest solution he could think of was a shield spell to block their arrows. It took longer to cast the spell due to the less familiar glyphs needed for a static defensive effect. Despite that, he had a physical barrier spell complete and ready to release within twenty seconds.
In the Academy, they’d taught him to keep non-attack spells close to himself. It made them harder to dispel and cheaper to maintain. But to do that here would require a huge wall of magic. He wasn’t confident enough to try erecting a shield that large to protect all of his allies. Not as spread out as they were.
Instead, he manifested a much smaller barrier just in front of the four archers on the landing.
“That will only delay them, Master. And it means I cannot hit them either,” Sthuza said.
“Yeah, but you can help those two finish off the armored thugs down here. Then we can deal with the archer,” he replied and flashed her a smug grin.
Sthuza shook her head, which caused her auburn locks to sway oddly. “A valid point.”
While he’d been busy casting, Reyna and Cindra had continued to battle the three well-equipped guards on the first floor.
Only, now there were four.
“Where’d that guy come from?” Gabriel asked.
“Oh? You paying attention to us again, you damn snake-lover? The bastards are coming up from the basement.”
“Basement?”
“Yep, Packmaster. Four
have come up so far. But I smell more scents down there,” Cindra said.
Shit. How’d I miss them—
Cindra darted forward in a flash. She swept her massive blade in a wide arc and forced all four guardsmen to stagger back to avoid the aggressive strike. Her attack was reckless and left her exposed.
On purpose.
The petite lycan hunched low to pass beneath the lethal greatsword. One guard took the bait and stepped in behind Cindra’s swing to strike the vulnerable hellhound. He shifted his shield to his left and thrust his spear toward Cindra’s exposed flank.
Reyna rushed forward in a crouch and dove between his legs. Before his spear reached Cindra, Reyna came up beneath his mail skirt.
Hastened as she was, the guard never stood a chance.
The armored man yelped in surprise, then screamed in pain and fell over. Blood sprayed from the man’s crotch in a terrifying parody of afterbirth.
Instead of a crying baby though, a blood-soaked werebadger popped up. The dying man’s partner was still turning toward the screams when Reyna literally ran up his armored side.
She grabbed his helmet with both hands and spun her body to the side, then twisted and wrapped her legs around his neck.
Gabriel blinked at the odd tactic. He blinked again when the feisty lycan sank her claws into the t-shaped slit of the man’s helm. That elicited another pained scream, but this one died out almost before it began, and the pair started to fall.
Reyna contorted wildly and pulled off an incredible somersault—all without releasing the dead man’s body.
She moved almost too fast to track, and the corpse was already airborne before he figured out what she’d done.
His Haste spell gave her supernatural speed. Combined with her incredible strength, it let her hurl the man into the air.
Gabriel figured out the reason for her flashy move when two more armored goons rushed out of a shadowy corner he hadn’t inspected earlier.
The new arrivals cried out as their former comrade slammed into the pair, staggering them.
There was a small alcove or doorway set into the left side of the wide staircase. He’d missed it when the archers rushed out onto the landing. Now that he looked at it, he could see that it was the top of a much narrower staircase.
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