Chapter Twenty One

Saturday 21st of August 2008

11:00pm

"I said I was sorry," Ciel said from the driver's seat as we approached Cuvat.

"Sorry is not the problem." I snapped.

"I'm fine."

"And I had to watch my friend cut their throat open Ciel."

"And I'm fine."

"Not the point."

"Then what is the point, Harry!?"

"The point is that I. Had. To. Watch. You. Die."

"Which, clearly, didn't take."

"What is wrong with you!? You just cuts their own throat like that!?"

"Someone who was trying to make a point about their immortality."

"I said I believed you."

"And maybe you did intellectually. But there's a difference between believing something and seeing it in action."

"You couldn't have warned me?"

"No. Because I needed you shocked."

"Why?"

"Because when, not if, something kills me in this assault. I can't have you freezing up. So I needed you to get the initial shocked reaction out of the way."

"Never. And I mean never. Do that again Ciel."

"Why not?"

"Because, believe it or not, I don't enjoy seeing you hurt yourself. Why is that so hard for you to understand!?"

"I wasn't hurt."

"Oh and now you're lying to me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You already told me that you feel pain, Ciel."

"Fine. It hurt. But it was necessary."

"I disagree!"

"Good for you."

We lapsed into silence. It was an argument that had been ongoing since I'd seen the wound of Ciel's throat close so quickly that I almost believed it hadn't been there at all. Neither of us had budged on our position since the start of our argument. Mordred had actually supported Ciel's position, traitor, then retreated back across our bond when I'd told them to fuck off.

"How far away are we?"

"About ten minutes."

"Okay." I rubbed the rune stones in my pocket. They weren't the only things that could break Bounded Fields we had. Father Moreau had provided us with a few specially prepared scriptures that could do the same. Which was a good thing given how spectacularly I'd failed at making rune stones meant to break more powerful fields. Maybe the ones I had could do it if I overpowered the hell out of them, or the array was already damaged, but that was equally likely to make them explode violently as work.

The small collection of buildings came and went as we travelled through the town centre and out the other side barely slowing. The moon was almost full. Much like werewolves were forcibly transformed by the full moon vampires were strengthened by it. We were going to fight a two hundred and change-year-old vampire. In the middle of her power. When she'd had months to build up defences. If it wasn't for the situation we found ourselves in I would be first in line to veto this plan.

"So when we win," Ciel spoke and I took the words for the olive branch they were.

"Yeah?"

"Wanna go get dinner?"

"What would we get?"

"Curry."

"Really curry?"

"Curry is the dish of victory!"

"I didn't know you felt so strongly about it."

"If I could I'd eat it for every meal!"

"Why don't you?"

"The Church only has so much money." I got the feeling that if she wasn't driving then Ciel would be pushing the tips of her fingers together in embarrassment. "So they don't have the cash to let me eat out all the time."

"But you have the money for an almost daily order of éclairs?"

"Harry?"

"Yes, Ciel?"

"Shut up."

"Yes, Ciel." We lapsed back into silence for a moment.

"So about that curry?"

"Sure if we live through this then we get curry for celebrations."

"Good."

"I get to pick the Christmas dinner though." She looked at me her eyes narrowing.

"What are you going to get?"

"Not sure yet."

"Fou?"

"Maybe."

"Fou."

"Fine." Ciel allowed after a moment. We went quiet again. But the silence wasn't quite so suffocating. The car rolled on for another few minutes before she pulled over to the side of the road and killed the engine. "Should be up ahead. We'll go on foot for the rest. Shouldn't be more than a kilometre or two."

"Right," I opened the door and stepped out into the night opening the back door of the hatchback and pulling out what equipment I could reach. The scriptures were all bundled neatly into a few satchels. Ciel pulled out a bag of Holy Water that Father Moreau had included. Apparently, it could be used as material components for a few Sacraments, the Church's word for spells.

I'd asked about the differences in terminology. Jacques had advised me that unless I wanted to undergo a several-hour-long theological lecture about the whys and whens it was probably best I just took it as a 'church thing.' Not being the kind of person who liked those kinds of lectures, or lectures in general, I agreed.

"Include." I felt the Saber Card vanish as unseen forces strengthened my body. Clarent remained dematerialised for now. I checked my pockets. Black Key, two anti-bounded field rune stones, and half a dozen explosive rune stones. Mordred's gauntlet formed on my left arm.

"So we're starting?"

"Just a bit up the road."

"Got ya, keep your eyes open."

"Follow me." Ciel took off at a run and I raced after her. She was slow enough that I could keep up. We dashed past dark houses and what would have been green fields in daylight. Instead, they took on a dark, almost forbidding, vibe. The ones with lights in the windows were worse. Somehow they seemed sinister under the light of the moon.

It didn't take too long for us to arrive near the limits of the property. A two-storey home. A screening mesh of trees and shrubs kept people from being able to see the 'backyard' such as it was. Large enough that while not a mansion whoever was inside wouldn't lack space. It really pissed me off that Françoise had chosen a house this size.

Clarent Blood Arthur was an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm. Inherently it wasn't meant to destroy fortified structures. But that wasn't the same thing as not being able to. Lacking any kind of heavy walls and whatever magical defences were set up would likely be overwhelmed by the attack without any significant resistance.

If allowed I could completely decimate the house and everyone inside of it in an instant. No fuss. No muss. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. Mostly because neither Ciel nor I were big enough bastards. From past reports and Ceil's own experience Françoise always had humans locked up in her lairs to feed on. Regardless of if she had the Dead gathering energy for her or not. If I smashed this place to nothing. I'd likely kill innocent people too. Something even Mordred had been vehemently against.

They'd pointed out they were a knight. A large part of their duty was to protect the people. If there was a chance to save them Mordred wanted to try for it. Ciel and I agreed. With that said we were also all in agreement that if everything went to hell and I had to blow the house just do it.

"We're going in loud." Ciel reminded me picking out bags of scriptures. "Remember your part of the plan?"

"Yeah." I nodded back. The moment the Bounded Fields were down. I'd rush around the house find the people inside and get them out before coming back to help Ciel. I'd been encouraged to hide and take the cheapest shot I could at Françoise and I intended to do just that.

"Good. If things get really bad and you don't have a choice. Keep in mind I'm immortal. If you see a chance to take Françoise out using that Noble Phantasm thingy just do it even if I'm in the way." I didn't say anything. Ciel took it as agreement.

"So how are you going to break whatever fields she's got set up," I asked looking over at the house again.

"With these." She opened another satchel. "I'm going to throw Black Keys around the limits of the property then use a sacrament and holy water to break down the Bounded Fields. Once I break the fields we're going in hard and fast."

"Got it and if I run into any others besides Françoise?" Ciel considered it for a second.

"Draw them to me if you can. If not you'll be on your own." She cocked her head to the side as though remembering something. "Also while this will break any Bounded Fields outside the house I don't know if it would break ones in the house itself." That was something I'd need to keep in mind while I was getting out people inside. If there were any people inside.

It was a simple plan and left a lot up in the air to be worked out on the fly. But it was going to have to do.

"Got it."

"Good." She plunged a hand downward impaling the ground with a Black Key. "I'm going to need some height for this. Can you give me a boost?"

"Yeah." I bent my knees and laced my fingers together.

"On your mark."

"Mark!" Ciel raced forward as I spoke and planted her foot into my waiting hands. I heaved and felt every muscle contract even as she kicked off with the force of my throw. I felt the bones in my arms ache with the force. But it sent Ciel skyward.

Higher even than the roof of the house we were about to assault. She was at least, thirty feet in the air. Likely quite a bit higher. Her arms flickered, I barely saw three familiar shapes flying away as gravity reasserted itself and she fell back to earth. Ciel wasted no time snatching up the satchel of scriptures that were already open as she hit the ground.

"In the name of Jesus Christ, our God, and Lord, strengthened by the intercession of the immaculate virgin Mary, Mother of God, of the blessed Archangel Michael." Her eyes closed words carrying power. It was a spell of some kind but not one I'd ever seen before. Similar in nature, though different in purpose, to the one she had used against the Nightkin.

A spell of purification.

"Of the Blessed Apostles Peter, Paul, and all the Saints. And powerful in the holy authority of our ministry, we confidently undertake to repulse the attacks and deceits of the devil." In a storm of parchment, the scriptures rolled away from us hanging in the air around the boundary of the property for all to see. Holy water flowed after them creating a thin line connecting each page to another. If Françoise didn't know we were here before there was no way she could have missed this.

"God arises; His enemies are scattered and those who hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away, so are they driven; as wax melts before the fire, so the wicked perish at the presence of God!" She finished eyes snapping open and something roared in the back of my head.

Clarent dropped into a waiting hand and I was turning before I fully realised it. Held defensively a dark blue bolt of light, almost invisible in the night, crashed into its edge and parted harmlessly. Dissipating into flickering sparks. There was the sound of a church bell and the shattering of glass.

"There. The Bounded Fields are down."

"I think they know we're here."

"Good." Then there was no more talk Ciel. Accelerated forward and I lost sight of her for a second. She wasn't waiting for me anymore it seemed. I followed, though nowhere near as quickly, by the time I'd made it halfway to the building. The front door had been blown inward in a shower of splinters and Ciel rushed through.

There was a moment of silence before light, heat, and force roared back. It was enough to make me stumble a few hundred meters away. As the explosion howled into the night. Well, the cops would be here sooner or later. Whatever privacy-based Bounded Fields that were up would have dropped as well.

I turned and headed for one of the windows as a second, smaller, explosion roared from the home's foyer. An inarticulate scream of rage echoed over the estate. I didn't recognise the voice so that was probably Françoise. Another hundred meters disappeared as I raced forward there was a flicker of movement at the corner of my eye as I neared the barrier of shrubs. A warning echoed in my head and I threw myself to the ground.

I hit the floor at an appreciable speed and skidded forward rolling up right and back to my feet. There was an ominous crack and I saw that a tree had a blackened mark on its bark. At exactly the height of my chest. My mind screamed another warning and I turned Clarent blurring into a reactive deflection. Metal hit metal with a scream.

I felt like I'd tried to parry a truck.

My arms screamed in protest. My legs did the same and something in my back felt like it was about to pop. My attacker smiled showing off fangs and wine red eyes. I saw a movement to my left and turned. Spinning on the ball of my right foot. Allowing the pressure the vampire before me had put into the blow to slide away. Clarent lashed out cleaving another blue spell from out of the air.

Another pair of wine-red eyes looked into mine. Before the sound of rushing wind behind me triggered every survival instinct I had. Once more hitting the deck. The blade of another sword parted the air where my right shoulder used to be. The onrushing vampire was a semi-solid blur to my senses.

Two males, one using a sword and the other holding a wand providing ranged support. One female, also holding a sword. They all wore similar uniforms evoking the images of Victorian butlers. Each of them had moved with a speed I found difficult to follow and the man at least hit with force far beyond a Nightkin.

"Nightmares." I voiced my guess at their identity and was, well rewarded is probably the wrong word, with three similes that stretched too wide on their faces.

"Indeed." The sword-wielding male said with a nod of his head.

"The Mistress has charged us with apprehending you. That she may show you her displeasure on a more personal level." The female sword user.

"If you would like some advice." The wand using male added. "I suggest you surrender and throw yourself upon the Mistress's mercy. She was angered by your interference but she is a woman who rewards competence and initiative in her servants. You may find yourself the recipient of life eternal."

"Just so we're clear. Take that deal and I'll kill you myself."

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Good."

Great. Three Nightmares. Fighting one had almost killed me. My advantages boiled down to Clarent and my trick with the Od. The fact that I'd fought Nightmares before so their strength and speed weren't as surprising as the first time. But it mostly came from the fact they were told to take me alive. Meaning they had to be selective about their attacks. Along with the five rune grenades in my pockets and the Black Key.

Their advantages were numbers, teamwork, strength, speed, durability, knowledge of local terrain, that all of them were armed, overwatch support from the vampire wizard, the fact that the ones with swords had at least some basic training, that they could see better than in the dark than I could, telepathic communication, and probably half a dozen other things I didn't know about.

This didn't feel fair.

"Don't suppose I could convince you to pretend you didn't see me?" I scrambled to find time. To find a way out of this that didn't involve fighting. I could try Installing rather than Including. Unfortunately, while it was a possibility. It meant staying still for ten seconds or so to complete the spell. If they didn't kill me before then it was be an actual miracle.

"I am afraid not." The thing that looked like a woman said with a shake of her head. Well then, in that case.

"Grimnir." I saw my heart torn from my chest and crushed in a shower of blood. The seventeen magic circuits I'd carved into my soul ignited and began cycling Od. Clarent shimmered as though in a heat haze. The barely visible red light around its edge.

"Very well negotiations have broken down then." The wand user that looked like a man said. We stared at each other. Three-on-one was not good odds unless you were part of the three. Each of us seemed to dare the others to make the first move. Then another explosion sounded from inside the house and Mr. Wand's eyes flickered away from me for a moment.

I moved first.

I wasn't as fast as they were. But I was still damned fast. Clarent howled towards the sword user's head. His eyes widened slightly not expecting the rush. I hit his block head-on. I didn't cleave through it. But Clarent left a respectable nick. Ruby red eyes widened at the damage. I assumed the sword was magical. I didn't stop moving. I couldn't afford to. A step to the right took me away from miss stabby, putting my current target's body between me and her.

I swung again going low for the hamstring. This time he was ready a back step and rising slash had me turn my own attack into a hasty deflection. My entire body shook from the impact, reduced as it was, I stepped to my right again. I pushed Clarent forward looking to take out his heart. The Nightmare looked shocked as though he couldn't believe a human was taking the offensive against him in melee combat.

Me too asshat.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a whole lot of options here.

His blade battered my assault aside and I let Clarent fall from my hands. He smirked his counter was almost too fast to see. Looking cut off my left arm. I assumed Mr. Magic could keep me alive. I stepped and pivoted to the right a mental command had Clarent back in my hand. The Nightmare looked scared. It was out of position. I had it and it knew that. At this close range, the difference in speed wouldn't matter at all. Clarent howled downwards looking to take his head from his shoulders.

I saw a flicker from my right and the killing stroke was abandoned. Clarent twisting to the side to deflect the strike coming in at my shoulder. My arm, and my back, screamed in protest even as I gave ground immediately to avoid having my guard torn through like cheap paper.

The Nightmare, who until a moment ago showed fear, smiled and cleaved across my stomach. My left hand whipped up fingers clenched into a fist. Muscles as tight as I could make them. His blow deflected away by my gauntlet. It felt as though someone had tried to shatter every bone in my arm with a sledgehammer.

If I hadn't caught the blow on the armoured portion of my forearm there was no doubt in my mind it wouldn't be attached anymore. I sent Clarent out in a short scything slash to my right. The swordswoman stopped it with a hard block putting a notch in her blade and pressed forward. The two vampires putting me on the back foot inside a cage of steel.

Her friend assisted on my left forcing me to abandon my two-handed grip on Clarent. My gauntlet weaved up, down, left, left, centre. Pushing his blade away while Clarent did the same for the swordswoman. My arms were burning. Protesting in pain every time I repelled the swords, the pain would soon give way to numbness. Once that happened I was probably going to lose.

Usually, I'd have been happy knowing the people who were fighting me didn't want to kill me. But given who exactly wanted me alive I really wasn't sure if death wouldn't be the preferable outcome.

My eyes darted trying to keep track of everything that I could. Honestly, it was only my experiences fighting Mordred for so long that let me keep up. The Nightmares were fast. But they had nothing, nothing at all, on the Knight of Rebellion. Unless I was mistaken they were a little slower than Marcel too. Younger maybe? Whatever the case was it let me stay a few steps ahead. Even if that was only because while they had clearly trained with blades. They were no experts. More amateurs getting by on being physically superior to everyone else.

That said, seemed to be working.

I felt my chest heaving like a bellows as I gulped down air. We'd barely been at this for twenty seconds and every part of my body was screaming protests about the abuse. The two vampires smiled their blood-red eyes crinkling again. Before rushing forward one pressing right, the other left. I was forced to defend with a single hand on each side again. Abandoning any chance of a two-handed grip for Clarent.

I gave ground. Constantly on the retreat. I couldn't match their strength or their speed. It was experience and skill that was keeping me in the fight. There was no time to counterattack. Every time I managed a parry with my abused arms the other sword user pressed in and I was forced to divert attention to keep them from scoring a blow.

Something was going to have to give.

The man swung forward as the woman slashed upwards. Trying to force me into using a static block on both sides. Something that would likely result in two broken arms. I gave ground again as the man picked up speed and the woman slowed down a little corralling me and turning my back to the house. A twinge in the back of my head let me know my subconscious had just worked something out my forebrain hadn't quite caught onto yet.

Another four steps, another six agonising blocks. My arms were getting slower. The second my back was firmly facing the building the two pressed the assault even faster. Up, down, right, left, side step, duck, back step, cross parry, turn. There was no time for thought I was barely staying on the defensive. Unable to launch an attack of my own without being sliced into ribbons.

Eventually, I didn't make it. My left arm, a strange mix between agony and numbness radiating out from it in waves, moved just a little too slow. A burning line of fire was carved across my stomach. Half an inch deep and running from the side of the rib to my sternum. Not lethal. Not even debilitating. But I couldn't afford blood loss on top of everything else.

They pressed in again. I wove a cage of steel around myself with Clarent and my gauntlet. Accumulating a series of shallow nicks across my upper arm where I was too slow to reposition. I went to back step again and a twinge in my head yelled at me not to. Instead, I pulled my left hand back and wrapped it around Clarent's hilt stepping into the path of the swordwoman's blow. Her ruby-red eyes went wide as I fell to one knee and heaved. Forcing her sword to skitter over my head even as it numbed my arms further and sent lines of fire through my body.

It was the almost invisible blue light that scythed through the area where my upper back used to be that held my attention though. The swordsman twisted out of the way. His own body now in the line of fire. My mind caught up to my subconscious. Mr. Wizard hadn't been firing spells. They'd been pushing my back to him. Lining me up for a shot. I'd probably only caught on because every time he'd fired at me. It had come from my dead zone. So my subconscious knew something was wrong even if I hadn't quite worked it out.

I forced myself back to my feet, legs groaning in protest. The start of a desperate plan formed in my head. Well, I did say that something was going to have to give. Just didn't think it would be my sanity. More fool me I guess. I gulped air like a man dying of thirst gulped water, and with about as much dignity.

The two sword vampires smirked at me. Prey that knew it was only prolonging the inevitable. Good. Okay, jackarse just keep doing that. Looking down on me was good. Meant they were less likely to see it when I sucker-punched them.

They went on the offensive again. Forcing me back. Arms screaming with every movement. I collected more scratches as my defence fell apart under their onslaught. My left shoulder, chest, right thigh, right forearm, and bridge of the nose. Each of them gained a small line of fire as the vampires pushed forward. Small cuts, but enough to be distracting and thus potentially my downfall.

My mind twinged and I moved with a strength and speed born of desperation. Clarent dipped low allowing the swordswoman to put a nasty cut near by bicep, an inch deep, scraping the bone. Hot blood mingled into my shirt. A distant part of my mind noted that I probably wasn't going to be wearing it ever again. I flicked the blade back up and stepped to the left.

Forcing the stab from the swordsman, which I would have taken through the stomach, to instead merely clip the side of my ribs. I grunted as blood pooled and contributed to ruining my shirt. His balance suffered for it. Hopping forward slightly. My left hand moved and picked a rune stone from my pocket. Surging Od from my circuits into it I let it drop, pivoted, and closed my right eye.

"Ansuz." A low-powered explosive rune wouldn't do anything to a vampire. But Ansuz simply meant God. A God of fire would make for an explosive. A God of light, however? The rune stone lit up like the noonday sun. The swordsman growled in frustration and I saw an eye close against the glare. Yeah, almost perfect night vision could be bitch. It was painful, it was distracting, and it wouldn't be enough. He could still see me. He could still move. Good thing that I wasn't counting on the rune stone to make my opening.

It was just the distraction.

The blue spell, almost invisible in the darkness, was lit up by the shining light of the rune stone. It raced through the air. Slow by the standards of vampires, hell slow by my standards for that matter, but off balance, half blinded by the light, and hidden until the last second by my body?

The world slowed down as the blue light made contact with his chest. I could see muscles begin to lock up as they tensed. But he was fighting and he was overcoming the spell almost as fast as it was effecting him. It would only buy me half a second. Clarent was still high from the deflection and I was already in position. My left hand wrapped around the hilt, joining my right.

Half a second would be more than enough.

I poured Od into Clarent. I felt my seventeen circuits burn as I forced more energy into them than they could safely contain. It was fire inside as well as out. Clarent amplified magical energy placed into it exponentially. The red haze around the edge became a dazzling beacon of bloody light. Almost lightning-like edges breaking off in waves. I swung down, the vampire put an arm in the way. Clarent cleaved through it like a hot knife through butter and severed his head. I expected blood, instead, his body turned to ash almost instantly.

I pulled back on the flow of Od and held in a scream. It felt like someone had charbroiled my insides. The smell of searing meat wafted toward me on the night breeze. I wasn't good enough to control the discharge of Od around Clarent yet. The lightning had cooked part of my arm. A fresh wave of agony rolled up to my shoulder and I let out a hiss of air. Struggling not to vomit. I could still feel it and I could still move it. That was going to have to do.

The other two vampires looked at me. Before their gazes had been amused. Watching prey struggle.

Now they looked wary. Good. They probably wouldn't take it easy on me. But I liked two-on-one odds much more than three-on-one.

That plan probably wasn't going to work twice. But it wasn't the only idea that came to mind. I took a deep breath in. My entire body ached. Every cut I'd accumulated seemed to burn and my head was light. As though I were about to pass out. Even reducing the flow of Od still made it feel like fire was running over my bones. The red haze around Clarent's edge caught my eye. I hated the fact this was the first idea that I had.

Against the protests of my body, I pushed forward again. Clarent rang out connecting with the swordwoman's blade. The small nicks in her sword had increased in number. I turned, sword cutting upwards into a twisting parry that transformed into a stab. I hadn't been in a sword bind with a vampire before. It reinforced the fact she was stronger than I was. But her technique was nowhere near up to par.

She scrambled for distance and I followed. Clarnet rang off her blade with every step. She never tried to parry. She only ever blocked. I turned again and forced Od through my abused circuits into Clarent. Trying not to scream under the strain. The red haze roared into a sword of light as it connected with her block. This time the nick was substantial. Notching a third of the way into her blade. I throttled back on the energy immediately. My right arm throbbed in agony. More burns. I set my teeth and kept moving forward.

A rising slash turned into a flat beheading strike. That beheading strike connected with her block as the blade blazed once more. I pushed forward turning the stop into a stab for her head. She panicked and almost threw herself out of the way. I wasn't letting her use her speed and strength to her advantage.

Marcel surprised me. I'd spent the entire fight trying to keep up with just how physically out of my depth I was. Then these three outnumbered me. Not letting me put that one-on-one experience to good use. Right here though? Right now? She was scared. She hadn't thought I could kill her. Then I'd offed her partner.

Now she was the one dealing with doubts. But that wasn't going to last forever. Clarent swung down her own blade rushed to meet it. I felt blood bubble up in my mouth. My circuits flared in pain as Clarent blazed. Gouging another third of an inch notch into the sword. There was a harsh pop from the roof and I threw myself to the side. Every single instinct screamed danger. A cutting spell sliced through the air just above my knee. My landing was anything but graceful. My shoulders hit the ground, hard, sending another spasm of pain running through me. Even as I scrambled back to my feet.

Mr. Wizard had joined us on the ground. He didn't let me catch my breath. Each movement of his wand chained one spell after another. Clarent whipped forward intercepting most of them. While I twisted right and left barely scrambling out of the way of the spells I couldn't stop.

"Maria!" Mr. Wizard ordered not slowing in the slightest. The swordswoman collected herself and then rushed forward her sword raised over her head. A massive downward chop. Clarent raised as I pivoted. The impact felt like it broke every bone in my arms even as I tried my hardest to dampen it. Luckily I didn't lose my grip. I used the pivot, and the power of Maria's slash, to spin. It was a gamble. But Mr. Wizard proved that it should be possible.

There was the feeling of being a kitten crawling down a hosepipe and the entire world tasted of the colour purple. With a pop, existence came back into focus and Clarent howled down towards Mr. Wizard. The shock on his face was almost worth all of the pain I was feeling, almost. His wand slashed, hand outstretched, a translucent barrier forming between us. Protego, when cast by a competent wizard, could resist a troll's club with little difficulty.

Clarent sheered through it like it was made of paper. Then through Mr. Wizards' wand arm just below the elbow. He screamed and I tried not to black out from the pain. My circuits screamed at me to maybe, just for a second, stop sending power to the magical artefact in my hand. Unfortunately, that really wasn't on the cards right now. Mr. Wizard turned as I struck again leaving a clean slash across his back even as he apparated away.

There was a crunch from behind me and I stepped to my right. Pain blossomed across my shoulders as a new wound was carved across them. A pivot brought me around, Clarent held across my body in a guard. A very necessary one as it turned out. Maria slammed into me with all the grace of an angry bear and far more strength.

My block was hammered backward into my chest. I felt two somethings break and another three crack. Pain welled and I let out a gasping scream a split second before the force of the blow picked me up and threw me back half a dozen meters. I hit the ground and my vision went white. Pain rolled through me even as I scrambled back to my feet.

Maria had gotten her confidence back. She didn't give me any time to breathe. On me again when I'd barely got my feet under me. Her sword crashed in from the right Clarent rose to meet it as I stepped to my left. There was a harsh pop and I knew that I'd made the wrong choice as my brain screamed danger. The corner of my eye caught another sword heading towards my neck. Looked like they didn't care about the 'alive' part of their orders anymore.

I let my legs have their way and dropped. The strength flooding out. I still caught a nasty cut over my left eye. Annoying, painful, and very, very, worrying. Sooner or later blood was going to get into my eye. I wouldn't be able to see and that was yet another disadvantage I didn't need.

My right leg buckled as I tried to stop myself from hitting the ground before giving out. I felt tears sting my eyes as my already abused ribs hit the ground. Clarent came around in a forward guard as Mr. Wizard kicked me. The blow sent me rolling away and certainly didn't help the pain. But it didn't deprive me of Clarent. Nor did it cave my chest in. So I guess I'd call it a victory.

I gulped down air as I forced my legs under me. The vampires weren't giving me time anymore. They were on me in a blur of motion. I was forced to abandon my two-handed grip on Clarent. The sword whipped to the right while my gauntlet did so to the left. Deflecting whatever I could. I backed up trying to make space.

They didn't let me.

My arms had gone numb but every blow was sending shocks up my arms that made my back and shoulders ache. Not to mention the stabs of pain from my ribs whenever I deflected another blow. My defence, which had been holding off the lion's share of damage was no longer ironclad. They scored a half dozen cuts over my chest, thighs, and forearms.

I took a step back and they pushed forward, Mr. Wizard stabbing while Maria slashed.

I stepped back again. Maria stabbed while Mr. Wizard slashed.

I stopped my retreat and faced them. Clarent cut up, down, left, and right. Defence flowed into offence before being abandoned to preserve my own life. My fist was clenched in the gauntlet. Stabs were directed wide while slashes were deflected down, I couldn't feel my arms anymore. Which was probably a good thing. Because this was really going to hurt.

I stepped back. Mr. Wizard stabbed and Maria slashed. This time instead of holding my ground and deflecting I reversed my momentum and stepped forward. Maria's downward slash was caught on Clarent. A small pulse of Od had the sword burning bright as it bit into an already existing notch. My left arm deflected the stab wide and I punched forward into Mr. Wizard's chest. He probably didn't think it was going to do all that much and under normal circumstances he would have been right.

Everything nerve in my body was lit on fire as I poured Od into my arm. I couldn't do Reinforcement to my arm, or any body part really, just yet. I was more likely to break every bone inside of it than strengthen it successfully. Thankfully while I would require decent Reinforcement to use Mana Burst without breaking my bones. That wasn't the same thing as not being able to use it. All it required was a complete lack of care for the consequences of my actions.

Mana Burst. Using built-up energy to create a jet-like effect. Exploding it from behind the weapon, or in this case limb, to increase speed and power. I felt the power roar through my arm and felt the bones break right before cratering Mr. Wizard's chest. I saw the expression on his face morph into one of surprise and fear before he was hurled a dozen meters away, through a decorative shrub.

That was breathing space.

I turned to face Maria who looked shocked at what had just happened. To be fair I probably would have been the same in her position. I pulled Clarent back. I was stuck with a one-handed grip now. I could flex the fingers in my left hand and even move it a little. But it wouldn't be up to gripping anything being swung around. At best it could probably hold something steady. Assuming it was very light.

A single step forward and I swung. All my body weight behind the slash. Her sword came up to block. Perfect. My body screamed in protest again as I forced Od down my circuits into my arm. My head swam even as Clarent once more became a beacon of light. I pushed everything I had into the strike. Pain, rage, and fear. The sword impacted the notch I'd been steadily widening during our engagements and sheered through it with the sound of screaming metal.

Maria had enough time to look shocked before I split her head open like a ripe pumpkin and then tore through the rest of her like tissue paper. She was ash on the wind before I'd made it to her heart.

I cut the flow of Od and fought the urge to scream. Instead, I spat blood onto the ground and turned as something hit the ground behind me. Clarent came around deflecting the stab and gaining me a new free-hanging scrap of skin near my hip.

As if walking hadn't already been hard enough.

Mr. Wizard's red eyes were narrowed. Raw, visceral, hatred rolling inside of them. A part of me wanted to be a smart arse. But most of me was too in pain and tired to think up a decent one-liner. The vampire reeled back before bringing his sword down again. This time even parrying was beyond me. Clarent was in place but my arm had no strength left. He smashed through it and gave me a cut from shoulder to hip an inch deep.

This time I screamed. He smiled. He came on a stab to take me in the sternum and was redirected into my arm by Clarent, lacking the strength to do more. A slash at my neck instead carving yet another line across my chest. On and on we went for what felt like hours but couldn't have been more than a handful of seconds. I forced my left hand to move into my pocket, where I kept my rune stones, and saw a flash of insight in his eyes. With a roar, he forced Clarent out of my hand and rammed his own sword through the meat of my forearm. I screamed again, hand spasming.

"That's quite enough of that." Mr. Wizard hissed red eyes narrowed.

"Y-Y-Ye-Yeah." It took a few tries to get the word out properly. But that was mostly to make sure he was in position. He bared his teeth at me, I think he thought it was a smile. I spat a wad of blood into his eyes and screamed as I forced Od through my circuits again.

The left hand in my pocket, which had been surreptitiously adjusting the aim on the Black Key within, flooded with Od. The blade extended. Not my best work. But I'm not sure the vampire with a hole in his chest would agree.

"O-Oh." Mr. Wizard said looking at the purifying blade lodged in his heart before turning to ash. My legs gave out and I fell hitting my knees on the grass before the rest of me lay on the ground. The sword that had been stuck in my arm fell loose with a plop that felt oddly incongruous. I closed my eyes.

God all I wanted to do was sleep. I ached all over and I'd just taken on and killed three Nightmares. I deserved a nap. Something wet touched my face. I shook a little. Then it did so again and again in short licking motions. I forced my eyes open. Green stares into purple.

"Fou!"

Chapter Twenty One- END.

Fou continues to be best Squirrel-Dog.