Chapter 138: 138
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"Muddamit, I think you're right, Luca," Qwipps exclaimed. "What is that shit stain doing here?"
He walked over to join me and Luca as we stood next to the first gate that had blocked our way to rescuing Ty.
"He's probably here to give us a headache just like when he was failing to command us," Varda joined in.
She'd moved over to Qwipps' other side, and like the rest of us, the disbelief on her face was loud and clear.
"Guys," Aura wasn't one to join in on the wisecracking but even she couldn't help herself as she joined us by the bars. "It's not nice to make fun of an idiot… they're to be pitied."
Despite the seriousness of the situation and the possibility of total failure, I really couldn't help the unbidden smirk appearing on my face. Still, I wasn't past the point where I could joke around. Not with Ty in danger so close by.
"What the hell are you doing here, Roselle?" I asked through gritted teeth.
"That's Commander to you, boy," Roselle sneered.
"Nope," I answered, my hands gripping onto the steel bars. "Seriously, what is a piece of trash like you doing here?
"I'm here because of you, Dapper," he narrowed eyes at me. "Because you didn't have the sense to die when you were supposed to."
"That's probably our fault, Roselle," Aura answered coolly. "We tend to work well when we're under the command of someone competent."
"Oo~~oh, scorch," Qwipps added.
Roselle's eyes, one red iris on the left and one grey iris on the right, turned their attention toward Aura.
"You…" he spat that word out like it was bile stuck in his throat. "You burned my lair and subordinates down, girl…"
Aura inclined her head toward him. "Sadly, I didn't get to burn you too."
The fact that Roselle hadn't shown a hint of fear against Aura meant he still didn't know who she was. Thank the spirits for small mercies.
But after a second of more posturing, he finally continued his tirade, "I am glad you're both here along with the obnoxious slave you call a brother."
"Dean! Help—"
The sound of a whip cracking against flesh reverberated across the long hallway. It was immediately followed by Ty's cry of pain.
"You mother fu—"
But I didn't get to finish cursing Roselle as he cracked the whip a second time against Ty's arm.
"Argh!" Ty screamed.
"Interruptions will not be allowed while I speak, Dapper," he lectured.
He sent a smile my way, obviously relishing in the frustrations he caused.
"As I was saying, I am here tonight because of you lot," he continued. "After fleeing Broken Sellsword's Canyon, I made my way to the Westmarch… And while you fools played at war, I joined the Under Ring and climbed my way up to its ranks, eventually landing myself as overseer to new slaves."
"Wow… as success stories go," Qwipps cut in, "that really sounds terrible."
Varda nodded in agreement. "People finally recognize you for the piss-poor slave driver that you are. Congratulations, former Commander."
"Guys, you shouldn't praise the psychopathic megalomaniac," Aura chided. "It might make his head even bigger than it already is."
"Shut up!" Roselle snarled, pointing a finger toward Ty. "I hold the power here, you degenerates!"
There was a loud clanging sound as shadowblade met metal bars and the grating chink of steel breaking.
I glanced to my left and learned why Luca, who'd hated Roselle more than the others, had gone quiet while the razzed him.
Luca's broadsword had bent one of the metal bars to near-breaking point toward the top of our heads.
He pulled out his broadsword, and in the same motion, slammed down its shadowblade against the bars once more. But this time, at a spot just above our knees.
A loud ringing assaulted all our ears as the bar he'd hacked at twice fell to the ground.
Luca didn't stop. He continued hacking away at the other bars while the rest of us pulled away out of caution.
"Stop that!" Roselle roared.
A second metal bar fell ringing onto the ground.
"I'm warning you!" Roselle raised a whip, ready to strike Ty a second time.
A bright orange glow appeared on my right, and then, like a missile launched from a rocket, Aura's firebolt zoomed past the space between the bars. Flares sparked as the magic grazed the metal. It's glow seemed to weaken with each pass through the gate, and by the time it passed the third gate, the firebolt was nothing more than an orange wisp.
"Hah! Did you think these bars wouldn't be warded, foolish she-elf!" he said, laughing in a self-important way.
His laughter died in his throat, however, after a third metal bar fell to the ground.
Without even waiting for Luca to pull his sword out of my way, I jumped through the opening in the first gate and charged forward with my sword raised.
I wasn't as physically strong as Luca, but my determination was at its peak. So, as I reached the second gate, I poured all my strength into that single slash, and — all I managed was a deep gash across the three bars I'd attacked.
"Shit!" I hissed.
"Dean, move!" Luca yelled from behind me.
I did as he asked.
And I was just in time too because Luca had launched himself forward with broadsword in both hands, and with a single sweep and a cry of, "Wild Strike!" he'd cut into the gashes I'd made along the three bars and sheered them in half.
There was an "Oo~~oh!" from the audience behind us. Hell, even I was impressed at my brother's reckless attack although I didn't react aloud.
"Now, see here," Roselle began, but he was quickly silenced by Luca's second Wild Strike cutting into the lower half of the three bars, effectively opening a second hole I could jump into.
However, before I could go through the gate, a loud howl from behind reached my ears.
I glanced over my shoulder and watched as kobolds came flooding into the entrance we'd come from.
Enna and Pike were the closest to the door, and so they were quick to react, but I could tell that they would be overwhelmed by the new enemies if the rest of us didn't help them.
We were trapped, caught in a hard place between two very aggravating situations.
I turned my attention back to the rear of the corridor and watched as the kobolds were once again manhandling Ty and dragging him through a side door.
"Dean!" Ty screamed. "Help me!"
"Ty, I'm coming!"
"Dean!" Aura yelled behind me. "We need you and Luca now!"
"Shit," I said, hesitating.
But Luca, after one final glance at Ty, had already turned around and doubled back to our team.
I cursed inside as I knew there was no way I could break through the third gate without him. To choose between my friend and my party, Luca had taken that choice away from me.
I watched Ty's head disappear through the side door, and I knew we had failed.
"Roselle!" I screamed. "I swear you're going to pay for this!"
I sent Roselle an angry glare that made the pixie take a single step back, his eyes with apprehension.
"N-now you know what it feels like to have your things taken from you!" he yelled through the bars of the third gate.
I turned my back on that fool of a pixie — promising myself that I'd make him regret crossing us a third time — and ran back toward my comrades.
"Luca, Pike, clear us a path," I ordered as I ran back to the front. "Enna, Qwipps' watch their back. Aura, Varda—"
"Spirits of the sacred flame, I call on you to ignite the fire inside these warriors." Aura raised her staff high above her head. "Lend them your will of fire and send them your fiery blessing!"
Aura's fiery blessing wrapped around Qwipps, Luca, Enna, and Pike like a glowing red aura, helping them intensify their attacks against our enemies.
At the same time, Varda pulled out a large pebble from her pocket and raised it forward.
"Spirits of earth assist me in breaking bone, empower this pebble into a fist of stone!" she chanted.
A dim yellow light radiated out of the space between Varda's fingers, and when she released the power from her hand, the pebble shot out of it, growing in size and turning itself into a boulder shaped like a fist.
"Duck," Varda yelled.
As the others followed her suggestion, the fist of stone soured past their heads and slammed into three of the frontline kobolds, launching them back toward their allies behind them.
"Muddamit, Varda! That almost hit the back of my ehad," Qwipps yelled at her.
"I warned you to duck," she countered.
"Enough talking," Enna interrupted.
She shoved her katana down on the chest of one of the fallen kobolds.
Then she glanced over her shoulder. "You people talk too much."
She stabbed another downed kobold in the chest before the rest of them regained their footing, but by then, my team was already within range and we made short work of them.
Once the dust had settled and we were the only ones still standing, I glanced over my shoulder one last time to look back at the side door they'd taken Ty through.
"Dean, we have to go… There are more enemies outside now," Aura said. "We're out of time… we can't rescue Ty if we're going to get caught here."
I felt like I'd been robbed at the very last second. The frustration of it grated on my nerves. But, I wasn't about to give up. Not yet. I had one more trick up my sleeve.
"I know…" I said. "Let's get out of here."
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"Muddamit, I think you're right, Luca," Qwipps exclaimed. "What is that shit stain doing here?"
He walked over to join me and Luca as we stood next to the first gate that had blocked our way to rescuing Ty.
"He's probably here to give us a headache just like when he was failing to command us," Varda joined in.
She'd moved over to Qwipps' other side, and like the rest of us, the disbelief on her face was loud and clear.
"Guys," Aura wasn't one to join in on the wisecracking but even she couldn't help herself as she joined us by the bars. "It's not nice to make fun of an idiot… they're to be pitied."
Despite the seriousness of the situation and the possibility of total failure, I really couldn't help the unbidden smirk appearing on my face. Still, I wasn't past the point where I could joke around. Not with Ty in danger so close by.
"What the hell are you doing here, Roselle?" I asked through gritted teeth.
"That's Commander to you, boy," Roselle sneered.
"Nope," I answered, my hands gripping onto the steel bars. "Seriously, what is a piece of trash like you doing here?
"I'm here because of you, Dapper," he narrowed eyes at me. "Because you didn't have the sense to die when you were supposed to."
"That's probably our fault, Roselle," Aura answered coolly. "We tend to work well when we're under the command of someone competent."
"Oo~~oh, scorch," Qwipps added.
Roselle's eyes, one red iris on the left and one grey iris on the right, turned their attention toward Aura.
"You…" he spat that word out like it was bile stuck in his throat. "You burned my lair and subordinates down, girl…"
Aura inclined her head toward him. "Sadly, I didn't get to burn you too."
The fact that Roselle hadn't shown a hint of fear against Aura meant he still didn't know who she was. Thank the spirits for small mercies.
But after a second of more posturing, he finally continued his tirade, "I am glad you're both here along with the obnoxious slave you call a brother."
"Dean! Help—"
The sound of a whip cracking against flesh reverberated across the long hallway. It was immediately followed by Ty's cry of pain.
"You mother fu—"
But I didn't get to finish cursing Roselle as he cracked the whip a second time against Ty's arm.
"Argh!" Ty screamed.
"Interruptions will not be allowed while I speak, Dapper," he lectured.
He sent a smile my way, obviously relishing in the frustrations he caused.
"As I was saying, I am here tonight because of you lot," he continued. "After fleeing Broken Sellsword's Canyon, I made my way to the Westmarch… And while you fools played at war, I joined the Under Ring and climbed my way up to its ranks, eventually landing myself as overseer to new slaves."
"Wow… as success stories go," Qwipps cut in, "that really sounds terrible."
Varda nodded in agreement. "People finally recognize you for the piss-poor slave driver that you are. Congratulations, former Commander."
"Guys, you shouldn't praise the psychopathic megalomaniac," Aura chided. "It might make his head even bigger than it already is."
"Shut up!" Roselle snarled, pointing a finger toward Ty. "I hold the power here, you degenerates!"
There was a loud clanging sound as shadowblade met metal bars and the grating chink of steel breaking.
I glanced to my left and learned why Luca, who'd hated Roselle more than the others, had gone quiet while the razzed him.
Luca's broadsword had bent one of the metal bars to near-breaking point toward the top of our heads.
He pulled out his broadsword, and in the same motion, slammed down its shadowblade against the bars once more. But this time, at a spot just above our knees.
A loud ringing assaulted all our ears as the bar he'd hacked at twice fell to the ground.
Luca didn't stop. He continued hacking away at the other bars while the rest of us pulled away out of caution.
"Stop that!" Roselle roared.
A second metal bar fell ringing onto the ground.
"I'm warning you!" Roselle raised a whip, ready to strike Ty a second time.
A bright orange glow appeared on my right, and then, like a missile launched from a rocket, Aura's firebolt zoomed past the space between the bars. Flares sparked as the magic grazed the metal. It's glow seemed to weaken with each pass through the gate, and by the time it passed the third gate, the firebolt was nothing more than an orange wisp.
"Hah! Did you think these bars wouldn't be warded, foolish she-elf!" he said, laughing in a self-important way.
His laughter died in his throat, however, after a third metal bar fell to the ground.
Without even waiting for Luca to pull his sword out of my way, I jumped through the opening in the first gate and charged forward with my sword raised.
I wasn't as physically strong as Luca, but my determination was at its peak. So, as I reached the second gate, I poured all my strength into that single slash, and — all I managed was a deep gash across the three bars I'd attacked.
"Shit!" I hissed.
"Dean, move!" Luca yelled from behind me.
I did as he asked.
And I was just in time too because Luca had launched himself forward with broadsword in both hands, and with a single sweep and a cry of, "Wild Strike!" he'd cut into the gashes I'd made along the three bars and sheered them in half.
There was an "Oo~~oh!" from the audience behind us. Hell, even I was impressed at my brother's reckless attack although I didn't react aloud.
"Now, see here," Roselle began, but he was quickly silenced by Luca's second Wild Strike cutting into the lower half of the three bars, effectively opening a second hole I could jump into.
However, before I could go through the gate, a loud howl from behind reached my ears.
I glanced over my shoulder and watched as kobolds came flooding into the entrance we'd come from.
Enna and Pike were the closest to the door, and so they were quick to react, but I could tell that they would be overwhelmed by the new enemies if the rest of us didn't help them.
We were trapped, caught in a hard place between two very aggravating situations.
I turned my attention back to the rear of the corridor and watched as the kobolds were once again manhandling Ty and dragging him through a side door.
"Dean!" Ty screamed. "Help me!"
"Ty, I'm coming!"
"Dean!" Aura yelled behind me. "We need you and Luca now!"
"Shit," I said, hesitating.
But Luca, after one final glance at Ty, had already turned around and doubled back to our team.
I cursed inside as I knew there was no way I could break through the third gate without him. To choose between my friend and my party, Luca had taken that choice away from me.
I watched Ty's head disappear through the side door, and I knew we had failed.
"Roselle!" I screamed. "I swear you're going to pay for this!"
I sent Roselle an angry glare that made the pixie take a single step back, his eyes with apprehension.
"N-now you know what it feels like to have your things taken from you!" he yelled through the bars of the third gate.
I turned my back on that fool of a pixie — promising myself that I'd make him regret crossing us a third time — and ran back toward my comrades.
"Luca, Pike, clear us a path," I ordered as I ran back to the front. "Enna, Qwipps' watch their back. Aura, Varda—"
"Spirits of the sacred flame, I call on you to ignite the fire inside these warriors." Aura raised her staff high above her head. "Lend them your will of fire and send them your fiery blessing!"
Aura's fiery blessing wrapped around Qwipps, Luca, Enna, and Pike like a glowing red aura, helping them intensify their attacks against our enemies.
At the same time, Varda pulled out a large pebble from her pocket and raised it forward.
"Spirits of earth assist me in breaking bone, empower this pebble into a fist of stone!" she chanted.
A dim yellow light radiated out of the space between Varda's fingers, and when she released the power from her hand, the pebble shot out of it, growing in size and turning itself into a boulder shaped like a fist.
"Duck," Varda yelled.
As the others followed her suggestion, the fist of stone soured past their heads and slammed into three of the frontline kobolds, launching them back toward their allies behind them.
"Muddamit, Varda! That almost hit the back of my ehad," Qwipps yelled at her.
"I warned you to duck," she countered.
"Enough talking," Enna interrupted.
She shoved her katana down on the chest of one of the fallen kobolds.
Then she glanced over her shoulder. "You people talk too much."
She stabbed another downed kobold in the chest before the rest of them regained their footing, but by then, my team was already within range and we made short work of them.
Once the dust had settled and we were the only ones still standing, I glanced over my shoulder one last time to look back at the side door they'd taken Ty through.
"Dean, we have to go… There are more enemies outside now," Aura said. "We're out of time… we can't rescue Ty if we're going to get caught here."
I felt like I'd been robbed at the very last second. The frustration of it grated on my nerves. But, I wasn't about to give up. Not yet. I had one more trick up my sleeve.
"I know…" I said. "Let's get out of here."
"Muddamit, I think you're right, Luca," Qwipps exclaimed. "What is that shit stain doing here?"He walked over to join me and Luca as we stood next to the first gate that had blocked our way to rescuing Ty."He's probably here to give us a headache just like when he was failing to command us," Varda joined in.She'd moved over to Qwipps' other side, and like the rest of us, the disbelief on her face was loud and clear."Guys," Aura wasn't one to join in on the wisecracking but even she couldn't help herself as she joined us by the bars. "It's not nice to make fun of an idiot they're to be pitied."Despite the seriousness of the situation and the possibility of total failure, I really couldn't help the unbidden smirk appearing on my face. Still, I wasn't past the point where I could joke around. Not with Ty in danger so close by."What the hell are you doing here, Roselle?" I asked through gritted teeth."That's Commander to you, boy," Roselle sneered."Nope," I answered, my hands gripping onto the steel bars. "Seriously, what is a piece of trash like you doing here?"I'm here because of you, Dapper," he narrowed eyes at me. "Because you didn't have the sense to die when you were supposed to.""That's probably our fault, Roselle," Aura answered coolly. "We tend to work well when we're under the command of someone competent.""Oo~~oh, scorch," Qwipps added.Roselle's eyes, one red iris on the left and one grey iris on the right, turned their attention toward Aura."You" he spat that word out like it was bile stuck in his throat. "You burned my lair and subordinates down, girl"Aura inclined her head toward him. "Sadly, I didn't get to burn you too."The fact that Roselle hadn't shown a hint of fear against Aura meant he still didn't know who she was. Thank the spirits for small mercies.But after a second of more posturing, he finally continued his tirade, "I am glad you're both here along with the obnoxious slave you call a brother.""Dean! Help"The sound of a whip cracking against flesh reverberated across the long hallway. It was immediately followed by Ty's cry of pain."You mother fu"But I didn't get to finish cursing Roselle as he cracked the whip a second time against Ty's arm."Argh!" Ty screamed."Interruptions will not be allowed while I speak, Dapper," he lectured.He sent a smile my way, obviously relishing in the frustrations he caused."As I was saying, I am here tonight because of you lot," he continued. "After fleeing Broken Sellsword's Canyon, I made my way to the Westmarch And while you fools played at war, I joined the Under Ring and climbed my way up to its ranks, eventually landing myself as overseer to new slaves.""Wow as success stories go," Qwipps cut in, "that really sounds terrible."Varda nodded in agreement. "People finally recognize you for the piss-poor slave driver that you are. Congratulations, former Commander.""Guys, you shouldn't praise the psychopathic megalomaniac," Aura chided. "It might make his head even bigger than it already is.""Shut up!" Roselle snarled, pointing a finger toward Ty. "I hold the power here, you degenerates!"There was a loud clanging sound as shadowblade met metal bars and the grating chink of steel breaking.I glanced to my left and learned why Luca, who'd hated Roselle more than the others, had gone quiet while the razzed him.Luca's broadsword had bent one of the metal bars to near-breaking point toward the top of our heads.He pulled out his broadsword, and in the same motion, slammed down its shadowblade against the bars once more. But this time, at a spot just above our knees.A loud ringing assaulted all our ears as the bar he'd hacked at twice fell to the ground.Luca didn't stop. He continued hacking away at the other bars while the rest of us pulled away out of caution."Stop that!" Roselle roared.A second metal bar fell ringing onto the ground."I'm warning you!" Roselle raised a whip, ready to strike Ty a second time.A bright orange glow appeared on my right, and then, like a missile launched from a rocket, Aura's firebolt zoomed past the space between the bars. Flares sparked as the magic grazed the metal. It's glow seemed to weaken with each pass through the gate, and by the time it passed the third gate, the firebolt was nothing more than an orange wisp."Hah! Did you think these bars wouldn't be warded, foolish she-elf!" he said, laughing in a self-important way.His laughter died in his throat, however, after a third metal bar fell to the ground.Without even waiting for Luca to pull his sword out of my way, I jumped through the opening in the first gate and charged forward with my sword raised.I wasn't as physically strong as Luca, but my determination was at its peak. So, as I reached the second gate, I poured all my strength into that single slash, and all I managed was a deep gash across the three bars I'd attacked."Shit!" I hissed."Dean, move!" Luca yelled from behind me.I did as he asked.And I was just in time too because Luca had launched himself forward with broadsword in both hands, and with a single sweep and a cry of, "Wild Strike!" he'd cut into the gashes I'd made along the three bars and sheered them in half.There was an "Oo~~oh!" from the audience behind us. Hell, even I was impressed at my brother's reckless attack although I didn't react aloud."Now, see here," Roselle began, but he was quickly silenced by Luca's second Wild Strike cutting into the lower half of the three bars, effectively opening a second hole I could jump into.However, before I could go through the gate, a loud howl from behind reached my ears.I glanced over my shoulder and watched as kobolds came flooding into the entrance we'd come from.Enna and Pike were the closest to the door, and so they were quick to react, but I could tell that they would be overwhelmed by the new enemies if the rest of us didn't help them.We were trapped, caught in a hard place between two very aggravating situations.I turned my attention back to the rear of the corridor and watched as the kobolds were once again manhandling Ty and dragging him through a side door."Dean!" Ty screamed. "Help me!""Ty, I'm coming!""Dean!" Aura yelled behind me. "We need you and Luca now!""Shit," I said, hesitating.But Luca, after one final glance at Ty, had already turned around and doubled back to our team.I cursed inside as I knew there was no way I could break through the third gate without him. To choose between my friend and my party, Luca had taken that choice away from me.I watched Ty's head disappear through the side door, and I knew we had failed."Roselle!" I screamed. "I swear you're going to pay for this!"I sent Roselle an angry glare that made the pixie take a single step back, his eyes with apprehension."N-now you know what it feels like to have your things taken from you!" he yelled through the bars of the third gate.I turned my back on that fool of a pixie promising myself that I'd make him regret crossing us a third time and ran back toward my comrades."Luca, Pike, clear us a path," I ordered as I ran back to the front. "Enna, Qwipps' watch their back. Aura, Varda""Spirits of the sacred flame, I call on you to ignite the fire inside these warriors." Aura raised her staff high above her head. "Lend them your will of fire and send them your fiery blessing!"Aura's fiery blessing wrapped around Qwipps, Luca, Enna, and Pike like a glowing red aura, helping them intensify their attacks against our enemies.At the same time, Varda pulled out a large pebble from her pocket and raised it forward."Spirits of earth assist me in breaking bone, empower this pebble into a fist of stone!" she chanted.A dim yellow light radiated out of the space between Varda's fingers, and when she released the power from her hand, the pebble shot out of it, growing in size and turning itself into a boulder shaped like a fist."Duck," Varda yelled.As the others followed her suggestion, the fist of stone soured past their heads and slammed into three of the frontline kobolds, launching them back toward their allies behind them."Muddamit, Varda! That almost hit the back of my ehad," Qwipps yelled at her."I warned you to duck," she countered."Enough talking," Enna interrupted.She shoved her katana down on the chest of one of the fallen kobolds.Then she glanced over her shoulder. "You people talk too much."She stabbed another downed kobold in the chest before the rest of them regained their footing, but by then, my team was already within range and we made short work of them.Once the dust had settled and we were the only ones still standing, I glanced over my shoulder one last time to look back at the side door they'd taken Ty through."Dean, we have to go There are more enemies outside now," Aura said. "We're out of time we can't rescue Ty if we're going to get caught here."I felt like I'd been robbed at the very last second. The frustration of it grated on my nerves. But, I wasn't about to give up. Not yet. I had one more trick up my sleeve."I know" I said. "Let's get out of here."
