2025-02-01 12:05:41The air was heavy with the stench of blood and fire. Kael's gasps for air were ragged as he dragged himself through the city's ruined streets, his body screaming protest. Selis pulled him on, her hand clamped over his wrist like a vice, her dagger stained with fresh blood. Behind them, the shouted cries of pursuit echoed through the broken streets.
Darius was far from done. Kael ground his teeth together to silence the whimper as each step pulsed pain through the open wound in his side. "Goddamn. How much longer?" "Not far," Selis whispered sharply. "If we make it over the northern wall, we can vanish." A piercing whistle shattered the silence. Instinct took over. Kael pushed Selis out of the way just in time as an arrow whizzed by, burying itself in the wooden frame of a collapsed building. A second arrow followed, grazing his shoulder. Pain flared, but he pushed himself to move. "Move your ass, Kael!" Selis yelled, yanking him into a side alley. "They're closing in!" Kael sucked in a labored breath and forced himself to keep up. He could see that the ground was slick with blood and rain, and crumpled bodies lay about in grotesque heaps. The city had become a f*cking graveyard, and they were next if they didn't get out of there. Another set of footsteps pounded behind them. A glimpse over his shoulder sent ice down his spine four assassins, all clad in Shadowborne black, closing the distance with frightening speed. "F*cking persistent bastards," Kael spat. Selis didn't respond. She pivoted mid-stride, throwing a dagger with deadly precision. It found its mark, burying itself in the throat of the nearest assassin. The man gurgled, collapsing in a heap. The other three didn't slow. "Go!" Selis yelped, turning to meet them. "I'll take care of this!" "I'll show you to take care of this," Kael snarled, but she was already in motion. Her sword flashed and bit into the first attacker with a hideous crunch as steel chewed through flesh. Blood fountained in thick arcs, splattering the walls of the alley. The second assassin lunged, the curved sword cutting toward her neck. Kael barely had time to act—he kicked a loose stone, sending it skidding under the assassin's foot. The man faltered, just enough for Selis to ram her dagger up under his ribs. The last assassin snarled, drawing a pair of short blades. Selis barely had time to block his first strike before he pressed forward, forcing her back against the wall. Kael moved without thinking. He scooped up a discarded sword from the ground and drove it through the attacker’s spine. The blade punched through bone and muscle, protruding from the man’s chest in a gruesome display. The assassin’s body twitched before he slumped forward, lifeless. Selis wiped her face, her eyes wild. "I told you to run." "Fuck that," Kael panted. "We’re in this together." A familiar voice cut through the night. "So touching. But it won’t save you." Kael’s stomach turned to ice. Darius. He emerged from the shadows, his golden eyes gleaming with sadistic amusement. His sword was drawn, its blade still slick with blood from his last kill. Behind him, more assassins fanned out, blocking any hope of escape. Selis stiffened. "Shit." Kael tightened his grip on his sword. "I was hoping you’d bleed out, brother." Darius chuckled. "And I was hoping you'd just accept your fate. But here we are. You've made quite a mess, Kael. Did you really think you could just walk away? That I'd let you?" Kael spat blood onto the ground. "I don't give a fuck what you let me do." Darius exhaled, shaking his head. "Always the stubborn one. But it's time to end this." With a flick of his wrist, he motioned his men forward. The assassins lunged. Kael barely had time to raise his sword before the first one was on him. Their blades met in a violent clash, sparks flying as steel ground against steel. He twisted, dodging a second strike, and drove his knee into the attacker's gut. Selis moved like a ghost, slipping between foes, her daggers slicing through the flesh with merciless precision. She dodged one assassin's swing and plunged her blade into his armpit, twisting until his scream turned into a wet gurgle. Kael caught a glimpse of Darius watching, unmoving. Enjoying the show. "F*cking coward," Kael growled, cutting down another attacker. "Too scared to face me yourself?" Darius sneered. "Oh, I'll get my turn. But I want to see you suffer first." Kael narrowly avoided the strike. A razor-sharp knife cut into his thigh a slight wound, but enough to take him off guard. He clamped down, biting through pain as he propelled himself onward and forward, driven by rage to continue to attack. Selis let out a strangled cry. Kael spun round only just in time to see one of the assassins sink the blade into her stomach. "No!" He leapt forward, his sword arcing across the attacker's neck in a macabre curve. The man's head thudded into the ground. Selis staggered, pressing her hands over her wound. Blood seeped through her fingers, staining her clothes. She looked up at Kael, her eyes wide with shock, lips parted. "Damn it," she panted. "That's bad." He grabbed her before she could hit the ground. "Don't go. Just hold on, damn it." Darius sighed. "How disappointing. I expected much more from her." Kael's anger flared. He set Selis down carefully and turned to his brother. "You're going to pay for that." Darius sneered, raising his sword. "Then come and make me." Kael charged. The world blurred as he swung, every ounce of fury pouring into his strikes. Darius met him blow for blow, their swords clashing in a brutal, deadly rhythm. Kael's muscles screamed in protest, but he didn't stop. He couldn't. Then, Darius feinted a deliberate, calculated misstep. Kael took the bait. Darius' blade flashed, cutting deep into Kael's side. Pain exploded through him, white-hot and searing. He stumbled, his grip on his sword faltering. Darius laughed. "You always were predictable." Kael fell to his knees, blood pooling beneath him. He barely registered Selis' weak, gasping breaths behind him. Darius knelt beside him, gripping his hair, forcing him to look up. "This is where it ends, little brother. Any last words?" Kael smirked, blood dripping from his lips. "Yeah. F*ck you." Darius sighed. "Typical." Then, he drove his sword forward.
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