Sam's call filled the guard tower, Captain Mint took out his spear, activating his crystal he sent an order to his solders to squad up, switch to defense, and defend the kingdom. "Initiate evacuation orders! Now!" He charged outside, heart twisting as he saw three sprawled figures, one of them being Sam, face twisted in agony, half his body melted slag and blood and bile still pooling out. After a few words of prayer, the captain ran to the edge of the wall, joining his soldiers in the middle of a melee with cloaked figures. Shouts and screams and blood filled the air as men and women fought, died, and killed. He rushed a cultist, cutting him down with a quick strike from his enchanted spear. As the man crumpled before him, he roared at the top of his lungs. "GATHER TOGETHER MEN! AUXILARY SQUAD! WHAT'S THE STATUS OF THE EVACUTION PROCEDURES?!"
A solder ran up to him, the man who had been teasing Sam, giving a grim salute he answered. "Our auxiliary forces have already initiated the lockdowns and evacuations, all homes not designated as defendable positions have been locked down and warded with their magic stones, with the connection to the main source cut off. The citizens are being herded back."
"Where's our other forces?"
"On their way sir, but I received message that the elite squad is heading towards the main castle to defend the queen and nobles staying their in regards to the trial."
Captain Mint paled. "Damn! Are they aiming for the nobility!?" He grits his teeth. "Have any slipped past our forces?!"
"At least a hundred sir, we don't know the casualties yet…"
Horma gathered his former gang members. "Together now! Give them enough time to escape!" He winced as another member was cut down by the invaders.
"Dammit Horma! We're being slaughtered out here! What are we supposed to do!" One of the gangsters, an ugly fellow with a bad eye screamed.
"Your son is behind us Faz! And my daughter is behind me! We aren't worth anything if we can't buy them enough time!" He was joined by a soldier, off duty who had just had enough time to put on a breast plate and helmet before getting into battle. He had keys to an old garrison and could arm the former thugs, and together they fought the losing battle to buy enough time for the people of the slums to make it to safety.
"If we make it out here, you all should think about joining the guards!" The soldier laughed, stabbing a cultist about to decapitate a stumbling thug.
Horma's lungs burned as his attacks began to slow. "We have to keep fighting! We ha-"
He was interrupted as the world exploded around him and as several of his men fell down. A cultist with deep green eyes and black hair smirked at them. She was beautiful, save for the massive burn on her cheek and left shoulder. "This damn city will burn for Jahat and the Scarlett Heart! REVENGE FOR GALBATORIX!" Her men roared in agreement as she charged the soldier, who's chest plate's crystal had saved his life but left him weak, they fought for a few seconds before she cut him down and sent her men forward. As they charged, Horma stumbled to his feet, regrouping with a few barely alive men and women.
"We… we can't let you past…" The woman smiled, but before she could utter anything in the ancient language a stone smashed her in the forehead. Horma turned, shocked to see Dustin, the son of Martha, the last score they were going after before they met that boy. Horma grit his teeth. "Run boy! She'll kill you! Get to safety!"
Dustin shook his head. "I have to help people!"
"Dammit boy!" Horma stumbled towards the enemy, but before he could get to them an arrow pierced him in the neck. The last thing he saw before he collapsed was the famous old blacksmith wheeling a contraption, Uglauw's wife and Martha assisting him as he aimed it at the Scarlett Heart Cultists.
"Hahaha!" Meior laughed, "This city's full of surprises, first children now thugs, then children, two housewives, and an old man stand in my way?!" She kicked Horma's corpse and charged forward.
Gurant to his credit merely lit the match, watching as it rapidly drained, entering the chamber of the cannon. He had equipped Dustin, himself, and the two women with wax ear plugs, but even that didn't fully protect them from the sheer noise as the cannon fired.
Meior's face made an "Oh…" expression as the stone ball tore her in half and crashed into the cultists, seconds after it hit them an explosion rung out, engulfing the group of cultists.
Yura rushed towards Horma. As she sat by his side, he opened his eyes. Trying to speak, but the arrow blocked his wind pipe and was rapidly filling his lungs with blood. Interpreting his look, Yura smiled. "Tania is safe, she and your wife made it to the shelter, the men and guards there are safe, and the shelter has been protected. You saved them Horma." Martha by this point approached them.
Horma smiled, tears streaming down his eyes, with great effort, he squeezed out, "I'm… so…sorry…"
They were interrupted by another figure. Before they could utter another word the world again shook as the cannon fired a second round, the figure was engulfed in smoke. Gurant smiled, but his face twisted in shock as the smoke cleared, revealing a figure missing one arm, the heat had burned its clothes, revealing a red haired, red eyed man.
The shade grinned as it extended its arms, grabbing the woman with magic and levitating them.
"Let my mom go!" Dustin screamed, before he could take a step he began to grab at his neck, choking as the shade blocked his air.
Gurant calibrated his cannon, but before he could load it, the shade uttered, "Jierda." The cannon broke to pieces.
The shade's smile faltered as three spirits, glowing bright blue, surrounded it, the air filled with the smell of honey as an explosion wrung out. The magic holding the women and choking Dustin ended, but before Martha and Yura fell to their deaths magic wrapped around them, ethereal vines gently lowering them to the ground. Standing before Gurant was Farooq.
"You are the old blacksmith?" Farooq eyed the broken contraption, "Ahh… a pity." He turned to the vines. "Hey! Jaya! How should we take care of this!"
The vines wrapped around each other, exploding into flames before revealing Lord Jaya's form, his eyes still gleamed in a fiery red before returning to their normal blue coloration. "Of course." He smiled at the shade.
The shade returned an equivalent smile. "Your sorcerer." He glanced at Farooq, "He stole my magic…"
Jaya smiled, "Of course he did, I wouldn't fight Jahat's most powerful shade while they were at full power." The shade charged into the air, his fist piercing through Jaya's chest, as blood spilled everywhere the drops set on fire, wrapping around the shade and burning its body, as it did so, the flames turned into spikes, cutting the monster to ribbons.
"WHAT!" The shade roared.
"Your mistake was believing you could do as you wanted within this city, we of the thirteen carry the city on our backs." Jaya's voice echoed.
The shade struggled as its body kept being destroyed, then collapsed into a heaping mess. In an instant a spike of earth rushed up piercing through it, as it did, the shade's body began to reform. Behind the shade, a gigantic golem materialized, if fell apart as the spike jutted out. The shade collapsed, but slowly got up. "Hahaha… it's an illusion. But it feels reel."
Jaya smiled, "Yes, yes it does, enough that most die simply from the shock, how humorous…" He turned to Farooq, "This will be a fight indeed…"
"By Guntera above…" Vulcan swore a few dwarven oaths as he brandished his hammer. Volund! How are you holding?
I'll tear them apart! Raaargh! Volund flew through the air, trying to tear at the half dozen fanghur that attacked him. They were more agile than he was, but he held the advantage of speed. These mocking false dragons dare take the skies and challenge me?! They screeched at Volund who met back with a savage roar.
Vulcan grit his teeth. "Now, it's my turn to handle you lot." Before him stood six figures. Unfurling their hoods to reveal the final 6 members of the black hand.
"Our final orders had been to slay Nasuada." Their leader, a handsome man with shoulder length blond hair spoke, "Murtagh had convinced our king to extend mercy, and in his grace, he did." His face twisted, "But you dashed it away, and your disgusting fledgling rider killed him." Trianna stood in front of Nasuada, staff glowing a bright violet color. At her side stood 10 original members of Du Vrangr Gata. The man laughed, "Ah, the Du Vrangr Gata, why not one of our traitors? Do you seriously believe the ones Galbatorix didn't think were even worth keeping tabs on could defend you now? How many of your number have been felled by my blade or spell?"
"Why don't we find out?" Trianna yelled. "You've only fought us outside of the city! We of the Du Vrangr Gata carry the city!" Blades and words slung through the air as the groups clashed.