"Hey, are you sure you don't want a break?"
"I'm fine, don't worry about it."
"Are you sure? There's more than enough people to cover for you."
"Thank you, but I said I'm fine."
Moe watched the man shrug his shoulders and walk away. He was currently standing watch over Lilia and the others rescued from the brothel. There were several guards here as well and they had arranged to take shifts in their duty. As Moe was using magic items, he did not get tired and did not need to take breaks. Naturally, the guards did not know this and many asked if he needed a break.
If that were it, Moe would not be nearly as tense as he was now. However, for some reason, he could sense hostility coming from several of the guards here. He didn't know what he did to anger them, but it kept him on edge.
It would be a long night.
XXX
"Well, did it work?"
"Yes, I can see them now."
Merlin answered Yorlan's question and continued to observe the building. Despite this being a cloudless night, the quarter moon did not provide them with much light. It was difficult to operate in the dark, but they couldn't create a light source without revealing themselves.
Merlin and his group had been sent to attack a mansion. They had arrived without incident, but were unsure what waited for them within. Several people suggested sending in a scouting party, but Merlin vetoed that idea. Instead, he brought Larry and the three former orichalcum adventurers with him and approached the mansion. About half a block away, he stopped and produced several magic scrolls from beneath his robe and used them. He explained to the three confused people around him that he would use magic to scout the building.
"Well, that's quite useful. Still, isn't it expensive to use so many scrolls?"
"We don't have a better choice right now. Ah, it seems I've found some people. There are a group of three people talking"
"What are they saying?"
"I'm sorry, but the spell I'm using doesn't let me hear them, only see them."
"Ah, that's unfortunate."
Merlin continued to use his 'Arcane Eye' spell to scout out the mansion. Eventually, once he felt he had found everything he could, he ended the spell.
"Well, I think that's enough. From the looks of things, three of the Six Arms are in that mansion"
"What!"
Three voices rang out. They were surprised voices, but they were not very loud.
"Indeed, from what I remember from the descriptions I was told, it seems that 'Battle Demon' Zero, 'Dancing Scimitar' Edstrom, and 'Devil of Illusions' Succulent are in there."
"Wait, I thought Succulent was captured."
"Indeed, he was. It seems he managed to get free somehow."
"How could he have gotten free? I thought he was detained under royal authority and heavily guarded?"
"I don't know, but this is troubling. Anyway, what should we do leader? I don't think we can take this place down."
Merlin thought for a moment before answering Boris.
"We must attack. Even if we can't win, we should be able to draw out the battle."
"But"
"If we leave them, the other targets may call for assistance and our allies may be outmaneuvered. If we tie them down here, we should be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive."
"Are you sure?"
"It is the best course of action."
Merlin ordered his forces to surround the mansion while he attacked with Larry. He explained this as wanting to intercept any messengers that might come. In reality, Merlin intended to end this with Larry and have his forces catch anyone who tried to flee. He instructed his forces to advance into the mansion if they saw a fireball spell above the mansion and retreat if they saw a lightning spell. Merlin did not plan to use the lightning spell, but just said that to make it seem he was prepared to withdraw. If he did actually need to run, he would not bother going on foot, but use teleportation instead.
Merlin gave his forces 10 minutes to get into position, and then he and Larry used items to make themselves invisible and entered the mansion. There were many people here, but they didn't seem to be fighters. If anything, they looked like nobles at a party. The two slipped past them and went to where Zero, Edstrom, and Succulent were seen last.
As Merlin and Larry entered the room, they were surprised to see Zero standing over the lifeless corpse of Succulent, with two women behind him. Before they could act, Zero spoke.
"I apologize for this unsightly display, Lady Hilma. Please dispose of the body. I will pay you for your services later."
"Hmph, it will cost you. You've ruined my beautiful carpet."
"Well, that takes care of business. Come, Edstrom, we will return to the others."
At that moment, Merlin and Larry chose to reveal themselves. Merlin spoke first.
"Well now, what do we have here?"
"Huh, who are you two? What are you doing here? Well, it doesn't matter. Both of you will die anyway."
"Might I ask why there is a dead man here?"
Zero sneered at Merlin.
"Hmph, I have no use for trash. Besides, I see two more dead men in front of me."
"I see. I had prepared to fight him as well, but I suppose that is no longer necessary."
Sensing the change in atmosphere, Zero tensed up.
"Edstrom, kill these two. Do not disappoint me like Succulent."
The woman with countless golden bangles on her wrists and ankles stepped forward while the other woman in a fancy dress stepped back. Edstrom drew one sword from her waist while the other five floated in the air. Suddenly, the swords flew towards Larry and Merlin, attacking from unusual angles. Larry expertly deflected the blows with his spear while Merlin created a magic barrier that repelled the swords. Seeing her swords were useless against the magic barrier, Edstrom focused on Larry. As the swords closed in on him, Larry dashed at Edstrom. Edstrom raised her sword in defense, but was knocked back by the force of Larry's attack. At that moment, Merlin cast a spell.
[Lightning Chamber]
Edstrom was blindsided by the spell. Lightning bounced back and forth in an area around her and struck her several times. Once the spell ended, she collapsed and the swords she was controlling fell to the floor.
Zero was surprised by this outcome. While Edstrom did make a few mistakes, these two were stronger than anticipated. Deciding not to waste time, he dashed toward Larry and shot his fist at him. Zero had intended to knock Larry out with this attack, but Larry used his spear to block it. Zero tried to slip past Larry and head toward Merlin, but he was forced to jump back as Larry thrust his spear.
[Blind]
Zero felt magic block his sight, but he managed to resist the spell. As his vision cleared, he was forced to jump back again to avoid another thrust from Larry. His instincts told him that the spear could pierce his body, even when hardened with skills.
These opponents were powerful. Additionally, he didn't know if they had backup. Deciding not to take any chances, Zero used his trump card. He activated his Shamanic Adept skills and strengthened his body with animal spirts. He would kill the one with the spear and withdraw while the other was shocked. Once he met up with the other members of Six Arms, he would plan a counterattack.
With a roar, Zero used his 'Single Strike Kill' technique.
"Gyaaaah"
With enormous power, Zero shot toward Larry. What happened next shocked him.
As the mansion shook, Zero's attack was halted. At first, he didn't know what happened, but after a second, he realized Larry had blocked the attack with the side of his spear. Zero was unable to move from the shock of his ultimate attack being blocked. Larry took this opening. He rotated his spear and impaled Zero with a thrust.
Zero screamed in pain. The shock of his attack being blocked and countered overwhelmed him. However, he quickly recovered and realized he was in an advantageous position. Currently, Larry's spear was stuck through him, but it didn't hit any vital spots. While it was painful, Larry couldn't use his spear in this position and he was close to Zero. All Zero needed to do was reach out and crush Larry's head. Zero smiled in victory.
However, his arms wouldn't move.
Confused at what was happening, Zero tried again to move his arms. He suddenly realized that his entire body wouldn't move. Before he could ponder the reason why, his vision started to fade. Zero collapsed on the floor without understanding what had happened.
XXX
Larry withdrew the spear from Zero's body. It wasn't his normal spear, but a top-class item he had taken from Silver Castle's treasury. While it was two tiers below his normal spear, it was extremely powerful for this world.
Naturally, he also carried his normal spear with him in a magic item.
The spear Larry wielded had several enchantments on it. One of them inflicted the paralysis condition on anyone cut by it while another increased the fatigue of its targets. While these abilities could be resisted, Zero wasn't strong enough to do so.
Seeing the members of Six Arms defeated, Hilma decided to run. However, she didn't get far.
[Hold Person]
Merlin's magic immobilized Hilma. Larry approached her and tied her with wire while Merlin opened a window and shot a fireball into the sky. After that, as Larry began restraining Zero and Edstrom, he used message to contact Moe and inform him of the events that occurred. However, he didn't expect Moe's reply.
"Merlin you should come here quickly, we have a slight problem."
XXX
I originally wanted to have Merlin mistakenly use a lightning spell at the end, and then have Larry point out that he used the wrong spell. However, it just didn't feel right when I tried it. Not only would it have messed up the flow of the story, but in my mind, it would be out of character for Merlin.
I do like to add humor to my story, but it has to feel right from my point of view.