Aetius Septimus was the first one on the scene when the alarms blared through the halls of Cadiz, sword in hand. He expected this to happen, although what he did not expect was how well Atticus Mercilus held up agains the onslaught of clockworks rushing toward him.
Adrian Devereaux was not faring as well, however, judging by how he had been gradually forced into a defensive position as the Armada marines closed in.
Two men against the entire force of Royal Guards and patrols within Cadiz. Interesting, but short lived.
Clockwork soldiers stepped out of his way, making room for the assassin to take a single swipe at the Templar Grandmaster -
Metal screeched against metal, sparks flying between them. Void eyes met those of amethyst and opal, and Varius would have narrowed his eyes if he was a human, the same kind of hatred that he had felt before, that searing burn coursing through him igniting all sorts of images of what he would do to him.
"Argentius Septimus."
The amethyst - eyed clockwork's lower lip trembled; his weapon arm faltering for a single brief second, although it was enough for Varius. Sparks flew from between their interlocked blades, steel clashing back and forth decorated with occasional drops of crimson red with each deft slash of the Hidden Blade: once on his chest, just barely ripping through the outermost layer of skin, another on his upper arm.
Only a few times did Argentius land a blow upon Aetius Varius. Dull clangs would be added to the battle din surrounding them whenever his blade met the metal pieces of armor worn by the clockwork Assassin.
Deftly bringing up an arm and blocking the other's blade with his left bracer, Varius slammed the hilt end of his sword into the traitor's face. Cracks immediately spiraled out of the broken porcelain - skin:
Now-!
One swift kick to the torso was all that it took to knock Argentius down onto the ground, his blade skittering out of reach -
The Assassin brought up one boot and planted it on the other clockwork's chest, his lips curving into a smile before he even realized it. How he enjoyed the way Argentius clawed feebly for his freedom!
"You aided in the escape of the prisoners, did you not?"
Varius' left hand twitched, gears turning within the gauntlet and forcing the Hidden Blade out of it. Another twitch sent the pivot gear turning and spinning the blade's concealed hilt right into his open left palm: one strike and it would end all of this -
Before burning pain wracked his system, from the location where his Achilles' tendon would have been located; warnings blaring within his processor and drawing a unearthly sound from the clockwork Assassin's lips, a sound that could only be described as a bellow of pure pain.
The hilt of a standard issue Armada dagger protruded from his heel, Argentius' fingers wrapped around it. Pain even more piercing than before nearly was enough to draw out yet another scream from Aetius' lips when the blade was suddenly and violently torn out, only to be plunged into the chink in his armor directly under his ribcage.
Argentius delivered a blow to Aetius' torso, knocking the Assassin off balance, his back meeting the ground and sending a dull jolt up his spinal strut.
Aetius wrenched the knife out of where it had been lodged, flinging the bloodied weapon aside.
How foolish. I should have ended him right there and then.
It took a tremendous amount of effort for Aetius to get back on his feet, and he could feel the wound in his side widen with even the slightest movement, blood trickling from between his slender fingers and staining his once flawless armor -
Argentius gathered himself once more, fighting to defend his creator from the Praetorians closing in around them. A valiant effort, but a futile one as well - the chances were stacking up against them both, for when one clockwork fell under their blades, five others would take their fallen comrade's place.
Aetius' lips turned up into what a human would call a smirk, despite the continuous drip of blood from the wound in his side, which made it impossible to stand without leaning his back against the wall.
All was certain, all was sure -
Atticus then threw out his hand, the burst of light generated by the ring he wore enough to blind Aeitus for several seconds and to force the other clockwork soldiers to bring up their arms to shield themselves from the burning light.
Flashes of light lingered even after it had stopped, but Aetius did not need those to clear before he knew what was transpiring -
Argentius and the Templars fled down the halls, past the confused and dazed lower ranked clockworks and towards the docking area of the fortress. Few words could do justice to describe the horror (judging by the way his heartrate had suddenly picked up to a dangerous speed and how his entire processor seemed to halt) and the anger piercing through the clockwork Assassin's entire system: for seven years, Ulysses had longed for justice against this serpent traitor of the Assassin Order, only for it to fall apart at the hands of another traitor of the ranks?!
"Aetius! What happened?!"
The look of shock, of fear and concern upon the Supreme Commander's face was evident.
"Argentius…that traitor helped the serpents escape…"
Aetius had to shake his head to focus, and he found it impossible to even lift his schiavona blade.
"They are heading for the map chamber, stop them first!"
Ulysses' gaze darted down to his bloodied hand, the gauntlet stained thoroughly by the crimson fluid dripping out of the wound ripped into his flesh: an alarming amount of blood that sent warning signs flashing before his gaze.
"Go!"
His legs gave out the moment Ulysses spun and sprinted down the hall leading towards the chamber. Aetius could only lay on his side, drawing in labored breaths which grew more painful with each passing second. All of a sudden, his armor seemed to feel ten times heavier than it supposed to be, bearing down upon and crushing his ribcage.
Am I to be terminated here?
A pair of pale hands closed around his shoulders, hauling him back up until he could lean his back against the wall once more.
"Servius...?"
Varius found his voice pathetically shaken. Standing was next to impossible even with the sniper supporting him, winding one of his arms around his shoulders.
The din in the hallway had died down at this point, footsteps able to be heard in the distance as the Royal Guards storming down the hallway toward the direction of the two Templars. It was suffocating, almost, each sound magnified beyond what it was supposed to be - even his own breathing seemed too loud for him to bear.
Servius said nothing, his steps only increasing in speed.
It is all falling apart.
Some more Aetius Varius' POV for everyone. As well as some more pretty snipers for all who are as obsessed with them (or even clockworks in general XD). How successful is this prison break, we shall see next chapter: and rest assured, this won't be the last time Aetius Varius or even Argentius is in the picture... They shall both continue to play part in this.
Read and review :D until next time!
-Hades