Mas Bagus

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Come to think of it, she might have cut some of her muscles.

Jazdia twitched her fingers. All were responsive albeit with limited movements.

Nervous system?

She could feel the touch, and pain, except for her right thumb and pinkie which looked very pale. She tested by yanking both fingers. Ouw! Ouch!
Yeah, they too passed the check.

Blood vessel?

Blood dripping from her punctured knuckle and wrist told her that this one was still... problematic.

Jazdia had finished tending to her left palm when Chonan approached her, offering help. But she shook her head and dismissively waved her hand. The Samurai was slow to take the hint, so Jazdia resorted to verbal instruction.

"You should help Yvonne."

That noblewoman in question however was walking, or rather, wobbling, with swords in her hand, but barely a few steps later she stumbled, almost comically so, and hit the floor, face first.

Hesitatingly, pausing many times for breath, she stressed."Yeah, you should help her..."

The samurai nodded and approached Yvonne. There was a short bark, unruly squirm, and wild arm movement when he gently picked the noblewoman up and bring her to safety. Come to think of it, they looked awfully matched to each other. Jazdia leaned backward and laughed throatily.

The Samurai then stormed for the south tunnel for God knows what.

***

Upon arriving at Gerrald's bunker, Chonan ransacked the guild master's quarter and opened all the containers he could find. There was no valuable intel, however, but at the cupboard where Gerrald stored his liquor, he found a jar of honey and unlabeled rectified spirit. Opening another cabinet near the door, he found a scissor, three small bottles filled with red aromatic liquid, two similarly small bottles filled with clear solutions that smelled like lemon extract, and a generous supply of bandages --three rolls to be exact.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

"Catch this, bitch!"

The girl was still hysteric, and now even more so when Yvvone swung Gerrald's ruined bulk against her. Her frail body thrown sideways and collided with the wall. She still managed to stand, yet trembling, both in panic and pain with bits of gore from Gerrald's cratered chest splattered on her abdomen. But it wasn't the end of the relentless assault her enemies had prepared for her. Suddenly the fire that had burned her before spreading to every part of her body, crackling to consume what was left for her. All but not the grief.

Long before her master took her in, she was no stranger to torture, if this would be the end of it, then so be it. She swallowed the pain and steeled herself. Her talent was ready, fire and blood blocked her impaired sight and sense, but she aimed regardless.

The bolt of energy shifted in the air, nicked Yvonne's shoulder, and hit the pillar behind her before bouncing off its course and bombarding the wooden crates at the far right of the hall.

Although not taking the full brunt, The young noblewoman was impacted by the attack. Pieces of masonry hurled at her with considerable force, and she immediately registered extreme pain in her left shoulder.

The girl was spent, so exhausted, so conditioned with the pain she could no longer feel the scorching fire the enemy had cast upon her. With one arm stretched, she wobbled, magic flickered in her fingers, and then, a sudden sharp feeling of pressure recoiled in her chest. She managed to make another step before finally kneeling, whimpering as her breath became narrower, and then lying down on the floor, an arrow lodged in her chest.

Several good meters away from that, Jazdia let go of her slippery grip from her bow. Blood trickled from both hands and her upper chest, soaking her torn undertunic. Her fear had set in and become worse with every passing second, luckily she found a campfire conveniently lit by someone...

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

The mace flew straight, and the flange hit the girl right on her temple, tearing the skin along with the upper part of her earlobe. The weep now was not just for her dead master but for herself as well. Blood immediately flew from her injured temple, and her sobs turned into angry growls.

Her blindfold unfastened, and with her glowing red eyes, she saw the woman charging at her with a blade drawn. Almost instinctively, a telekinesis wave blasted the woman away. Yvonne was still gripping her sword tightly when she crashed with Chonan, and the second pillar behind them with a thud.

Had the mace missed, she might never know what was coming. And she would have died, right here, right now spending her last moment indulging in a final sorrow.

***

The blindfolded young woman stood up, and now instead of using her power to hover, she walked. A spear from a dead soldier clasped into her grip as if attracted by a magnetic force. And then she advanced.

Jazdia now could make a small movement with her leg but it wasn't enough to stand yet. Her hands however were free, and immediately she tended to the most injured of the two: a broken arrow shaft was lodging in her knuckles between her index and middle finger, yawing with one part of the splinter made its exit on the back of her hand and the other exiting near the wrist. Gasping for a breath and bracing for more excruciating pain, she yanked the broken shaft out.

Blood spurted out, but she couldn't pass out yet. She could feel more blood trickling on her leg, but this time it was not hers. The girl stood in front of her now. Why did everyone in Kindeance seem to have a national preference for poled weapons?

The blow came straight down. Instinctively the elf shielded it with her palm, then desperately used her bloodied hand to grip the spearhead to stop the thrust. Seeing it from the lowest angle possible, it was easy to forget how lithe and frail the girl was. Her body was not, by any means malnourished, but the excessive use of magic had worn it inside out. How the spear stopped after piercing her palm reflected the girl's physical fraility.

Despite the girl's stunted strength, it was still a vertical blow that could kill her if she let it. The elf knew she was now bleeding profusely, and now the only thing that kept her together was the adrenaline that too will fade in time. Seeing no easy way out, Jazdia shifted the blow and let go of her grip, letting it sink shallowly into her upper chest, closer to her shoulder. The blow made her gasp for air, but not futilely so; a flicker of fire conjured from her bloodied hands like a whip, and she launched the flame, along with her boiling blood toward the blindfolded girls' eyes.

The spear yanked away. And with more strength now returned to her legs, Jazdia inched away from the frenzied girl. A telekinetic blast blindly aimed at the floor jolted her, but it helped to gain additional distance.

Between her wailing, growling, and piercing cry, the orb of white energy formed again on the girl's right hand.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

The girl floated across the broken bridge. Unhindered by the ruined infrastructure below her. White flames flickered and coursed in her right hand, but no spell was cast. Not yet.

She could feel more people come to aid the injured elf. One of them tried to tell her something, while the other sneakily tried to take the wicked elf away.

”I think I have a grasp of how you feel, you loved Gerald, your master, right? No amount of revenge can bring him back and no amount of violence and death will ever ease your pain! It will only put other people through the same misery you’re feeling now but it will never end yours. I will not allow you to hurt my friend because I feel the same.”

The girl lifted his left hand and waved it, sending a telekinetic wave to blast the rescuers. Kaito who was the closest to her suddenly found himself thrown away by the force and landed on the floor between the first and the second pillar. While Yvonne was similarly knocked away and hit the floor with Jazdia.

Another pain surged through her, but Jazdia managed to secure her right hand from hitting the floor. Now lying on her back, the elf faced the enraged young woman, who was now weeping before Gerrald's corpse. Her wailings were incomprehensible, more like a shriek from the wounded animal, but the rage was humane, pure, and filled with a burning need for revenge.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

One of Aaron's goons rushed for the dead navy near the northeast tunnel to loot the spare gunpowder, while the sharpshooter drew a bead at her, preventing Jazdia to shot at the running soldier. Commendable teamwork, but either miscalculated or simply desperate, they forgot that it wasn't a one-way trip. And on his way back, the elf fired her explosive arrow.

That one soldier smashed onto the wall before bouncing back to the floor and lying unmoving. Aaron, who was ready to receive the gunpowder thrown backward and could be seen squirming in pain behind the undamaged railing.

It was almost like shooting fish in a shallow barrel.

"Well, I guess Time is up, Gentlemen!"

That enchanted arrow on the northwest tunnel exploded. Its structure had sustained partial damage from the previous explosion before and now it had reached its peak stress. The entrance collapsed, and the explosion coupled with falling debris overwhelmed the navy sharpshooter, rendering him unconscious with substantial head trauma. Aaron was now the last one standing, or moving?

Jazdia notched an arrow in her bow, and again, the radiant purple flame engulfed its crystalizing head. She risked a little bit more energy into her eyes and scan the walls, to ensure nobody would interrupt their last dance.

To her disappointment, however, Jazdia saw a lithe silhouette approaching from the now-collapsed tunnel. And as the unknown actor hover closer, The debris, small or large was shoved violently and pushed aside like dried leaves. The figure was getting clearer to see, showing a very young girl in her early teens. Jazdia already had her bow drawn and aimed at her, but, for a half second, the elf hesitated, and she doubted her own eyes.

It was a mistake.

A white flash of energy hurled from that breached tunnel, and in the last attempt to correct her error, Jazdia released her arrow. Almost instantly, an enormous crackling ball of white and purple fire exploded in front of her. The blow flung her body backward and crashed to the floor.

The world was spinning, all the noises were now replaced with an annoying ring in her head. Her chest contracted as she gasped for breath, and as she partially gathered her wit, the pain was so severe she unable to move her body. Perhaps the most grueling part of her injury was when Jazdia realized she suddenly had an extra finger.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Goodbye Mr. Henri, your service will never be forgotten...

After making a personal vow to tell Fred what the prince's loyal tutor had done in his (probably) last moment. Jazdia could see the dome strengthen, but then rapidly lose its integrity. The musketeers only realized it after Jazdia impaled one of them with an arrow, the rest, including Aaron scamper to the wooden railings next to them.

Before today, the last time Jazdia killed a soldier was twenty years ago, during the Tretagor crisis. Not the proudest milestone in her life, to be honest. To her, soldiers were the most pitiful profession a man could ever take. They didn't have the right to choose; a chain of commands bound them and the order was their sacred codex. They were disposable pawns, a perfect asset to discard to suit their commander's needs. And when their commander fell, they too fall with him.

So, let's give them a chance. Jazdia fired an enchanted arrow with a remote trigger at the wooden frame on the northwest entrance then shouted at the hunkering Aaron.

"Constable! What a sorry state you are in right now. I see that your shield is shrinking. That's a shame! Tell your boys if they retreat they will be spared! If they retreat with you they will be killed. And if they stay with you for too long, they will die. Do you see my arrows? It will explode in five minutes! Or when they violate the rules! As for you, Mr. Delving, God willing, I will not let you leave this tunnel unscathed! Time is running. Go and make your choices!"

One of the musketeers unneighbourly responded by blindly firing his musket. An arrow flew in retaliation, but it hit the side of his helmet and deflecting the arrow off of its course. Two of his friends took advantage by running for the exit. Probably under Delving's order.

Didn't matter. They didn't violate the rules.

"What a lousy shot! Never do that again if you value your life!"

***

A half kilometer away from that, in a cold chamber, a shackle shattered.

waking up from her pitiful slumber, a woman cried. Agony shot through her, agony such as she had never known, and it concentrated in a brand on her nape. At first, she thought her master was angry at her, punishing her for a mistake, and she was willing to accept.

But as the pain subsides, she found no sign of her master. The young woman shambled for the exit, moved by unexplainable anxiety, and it grew stronger when she opened the unlocked door. There was a faint trace of magic, one that didn't belong to anyone she knew. She shivered, a whisper came, and it brought faint ill news. She tried to shrug it off as the usual useless lure from the lingering spirit who haunted this place.

At first, she walked, and with every step taken the anxiety turned into fear, and the fear turned into sadness, from sadness, came anger. The memory of her master started to fade in her mind, the master that had taken her in and liberated her from the torment of her so-called parents. The master who raised her and gave her purpose in life. She feared she would lose his touch forever.

Terrified beyond reason, the young woman now hovered over the bloodied, broken corpse of her fellow servants. She stopped, yowling incoherently about where the master was and why his throne was empty, but nobody answered.

As she strode past the broken trapdoor, unexplainable emotion surged through her. For the first time in her life, she felt impatient. As another wave of pain pulsed from her nape, her back arched in agony, and another scream was torn from her, and she realized with a racking, raging sense of grief that her master might have met his demise.

The wall before her crumbled in an explosion, there, she rushed deeper. Tunnel after tunnel she knew so well, now all would be the victim of her unadulterated rage; crumbling and caving in in her wake. As she reached the place where her master's life force have once lingered, her eyes-- or rather, senses, were immediately fixed on the elven woman with a bow and wicked magic. Sensing the same magic from her and the residual life force of her master.

The hate grew inside her like a living, parasitic thing. With trembling hands, she gathered her magic. The pride and joy that her master would never spare his kind words to praise her talent.

"Talent, not disaster, not a terrible affront."

To think that she would never hear those words again hurt her more than anything, and in sheer malice, she unleashed her power toward those who have robbed the world from her.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Despite the wrinkles on his face becoming more apparent, Aaron remained unflinching. Sure his pride was bruised from the south and from the west. Coward, crooked, traitor. Some were warranted and some were not, he didn't care, he swallowed them all whole because this tactic was his own tactic, and he knew its strength and weakness.

His decision to hold the line seemed to pay off when he saw four of his men arrive from the northwest tunnel. That elf peeked from her cover to shoot at the regrouping soldier but his sergeant's shield deflected the arrow and thus allowed his part to safely enter the barrier.

Deep down, Aaron was relieved it wasn't an explosive one.

"So what now?" He shouted. "What now you dipshit! I will have you all buried! And you can hide or face your judgment! Go on and make my day! Useless piece of filth! Do your worst!"

"Oh, you bet I will! I even went so far as to make you a little present." Barked the inhuman tutor mockingly, still hanging on the edge of the floor. "SOME of us pay attention when we read things in the library, and got promoted to the royal court on MERIT, instead of who their daddy fucked. Oh, I am quite sure you paid a lot of money for that gaudy little pig-sticker you have, but I MADE my shell-- ALL. BY. MY. SELF. Now, I feel I must part company, Lord Dipshit. I have a tunnel to collapse."

Looking up, Aaron glanced at the red, spherical metal things hovering near the ceiling closer to the entrance, right above their head. How that thing could have gotten there and since when?

Whatever it was, it didn't matter. He had his barrier.

Still focused on the lingering danger, the navy shooter reloaded and aimed his weapon at Henri, but the Royal Tutor let go of his grip and splooshed back into the water with one hand still erected at the surface.

Aaron watched how that metal sphere glows brighter, but then, another unexpected thing came; a fletched shaft with a glowing tip flew from the south and hit the sphere.

Violent explosion shook that tunnel, shattering the wooden frame that supports the middle entrance and its surrounding masonry. Pieces of concrete and other debris started to fall from the collapsing ceiling, filling the passage until it was completely shut. But it wasn't all. A splash of warm and rancid mud befell them, the barrier might have eased up the temperature, but it was still crap, and he was full of it, now inside out and Aaron was wide awake when that humiliation occurred.

The constable coughed, swiping blood and a handful of black mud from his nose. The barrier remained undaunted however, in fact, it glowed even brighter... only for a few moments after. That instant strengthening had cost him a great deal of energy and imposed a heavy strain on his body.

When the barrier began to shrink, Aaron knew he was in deep trouble. A bit too late for that, really.

"Men! Retreat now!"

It was the sentence he never imagined he would say.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Aaoron counted that it had been ten minutes of grueling stalemate. Stalemate, the word itself felt exaggerated. Those imbeciles barely held their ground; they were helpless, desperately hiding behind the pillar like a cornered rat.

Even then, he thought about an alternative plan. Something his brother had taught him but he kept forgetting. But that day in the office had given him a valuable lesson, to always come prepared, and be introspective. And that had served him well today. That elven woman was no ordinary archer and the amount of destruction she could dish out in a single spell was staggering. But again, he had come prepared, this protection spell will not fail him. This was his signature, one that he had honed over the years. While his father always had a bias toward the old adage that the best defense is the good defense, his brother had told him everyone was born with different gifts, and he should just be himself and improve what he was good at.

In the middle of his self-admiring, the constable saw something was steaming in the murky water below. He stepped forward to peer at it and found that pesky tutor hanging for dear life on the rim not far from him and his men. He was holding a glowing metal sphere. Whatever it was, it revealed his figure rather clearly

"You! Sailor," he commanded, and the best shooter in the group responded. He lowered his musket, and Aaron only needed to point at the hanging nuisance below. "Put one between his eyes! The rest of you stay on your targets"

And he fired.

Henri's head jerked backward, indicating a bullet hitting its mark. Smiling, Aaron expected the tutor to slip down and lost in the filthy stream, but he was not dead yet. He glanced at them with one eye missing and full of vengeance.

"So, my brother was correct." He gripped his sword tightly and with his left hand, spread some of the light onto his breastplate. His heart raced, but not in fear. Anticipation! He was ready to pay back the humiliation he suffered that afternoon. "Come here if you dare, you renegade!"

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Up above, Aaron Delving was completely unfazed by the spectacular show. "What a dork!"
Indeed, there were several unexpected things happened. He looked at the other side of the platform and glanced at Gerrald's mangled body with a certain amount of condolences. His father will not like it, but at least one potential witness was 'out of the picture' and that was what mattered.

Now, for the optional one; he needed to clear out the trashes.

His only regret was he didn't bring enough archers to keep them pinned. But his men had redistributed the musket and regrouped around him. Inside his barrier. Sadly the time was insufficient to salvage the spare gunpowder and bullets. But this would do for now. They just needed to dig in. His reinforcement will arrive soon.

"Steady! Don't shoot unless you have them in your sight."

Yes, Go ahead and try it! Once they ran for the tunnel, they would have nowhere to hide and no space to dodge.

Deep below, Henri the golem trudged to the other side of the canal, walking slowly toward the other end of the bridge where Delving and his men are making their stand. After a long and tedious journey of swimming in filth, he arrived at his destination. Using his telekinetic power he tried to snatch their metal weapons, but something negated that attempt. Not giving up, the golem launched his hook and had it swept along the edge of the canal, aiming to snare a foot.

Something repelled the metal thing and tossed it sideways, yet, it caused the hook to snag something that wasn't a human foot, rather, it was a metal pole that held the wooden railings near Aaron's company.

***

Jazdia retreated back to the pillar. Biting her lips as she realized that the only hope was through the south tunnel, but Aaron's men seemed to have marked it as the only place to spend their bullet.

"Miss Rosenving. Would you kindly move to that pillar?" She pointed at the middle pillar closer to the mouth of the south tunnel. "Go! While they are still reloading their weapon!"

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Regulating her breath to be more steady, Jazdia tried her best to ignore the foul stench and stayed focused. The haze had been dispersed, but the darkness remained, and she started to feel a burning sensation in her eyes.

To prevent the situation of having to choose between ultravision or enchanted arrows, Jazdia blinked and downgraded her vision. The perfect see-through view was replaced by a more mana-efficient vision that could still show general terrain and people, but not through the walls. And once again, she jumped from that pillar, shooting an enchanted arrow at the wooden railings that protect Aaron and his men.

The arrow exploded, but it did not shatter the barrier. There was a faint light spreading in that area, and Aaron was standing there unmoving with a sword drawn. At the tip of the blade, a brilliant light manifested and then spreads into a protective dome made of light that grows slowly.

This kind of barrier was the worst. Every attack directed at it would strengthen and prolong the duration. And now those musketeers were retreating inside it. Where they could aim their shot without fearing retaliation.

Jazdia canceled the enchantment and shot her regular arrow toward the running musketeer. It hit the side of his torso, but the man kept going and reached the barrier. Who would have thought he brought the weapons of his fallen comrades with him?