A burst of red light flashed as Leaf’s arrow struck the Shade, biting into the invisible barrier that covered Cora’s skin, unable to break through, but carrying enough force to break her stance. As she staggered, Jahora’s hands brushed against Helbram’s back. A shiver ran up his spine, and he could feel wind brush against his shoulder before it settled between them. It was a sensation that he was familiar with, one that had been practiced countless times for a moment like this. Reflex took over, and he leapt from behind the tree as he raised his shield in front of him. Air swelled at his back, and right as it burst he lunged towards Cora.

The wind carried him, closing the distance between them in an instant and granting Helbram a momentum that he drove into the Shade as they collided. He tucked himself behind his shield as best he could, but still felt the shock of the impact tremble across his body as Cora took the full force of the blow at her side. The Shade was knocked off of her feet, and before she hit the ground Elly dashed past Helbram’s side. The Weaver’s arm radiated a soft blue aura as she raised it above her head. Ice trailed behind her fingers, fractals that danced at their tips as they coalesced into a spike as long as her arm and as thick as her leg.

When Cora hit the ground, Elly drove the spike towards the Shade’s chest. Once again her invisible barrier blocked the blow, but as the ice struck the Weaver clenched her fist. The spike burst into a cloud of frost that draped over Cora, coating the once unseen shield surrounding her in a layer of pale white, revealing it to be made of stone that had covered most of Cora’s body like a suit of armor. However, its cover was not perfect, and Helbram could clearly make out the gaps littered throughout its defense.

He was not the only one who could.

The Shade moved to recover, but an arrow whizzed past Helbram, coated in a bright red light as it struck Cora in a gap at her side. She let out a pained groan as the shot bit into her, carrying enough force behind it to knock her back onto the floor. Elly skipped back from the Shade, swapping positions with Helbram as he charged in, shield still held in front of him as he barreled towards the downed woman.

“Spear!” he shouted, and as he thrust his free hand forward the weapon materialized out of a flash of purple light.

He thrust the spear towards a gap at Cora’s shoulder, throwing all of his weight into the blow. Before it struck, Helbram could feel something grab the spear, an unseen hand that had wrapped around the haft before the spear’s tip could strike the Shade. He let go of the weapon as it stopped and shifted his stance, driving the face of his shield forward as he continued to push towards Cora. His charge was stopped as he ran into an invisible wall.

Which is what he had been looking for.

“Burst!” he yelled, and as he did he could feel the heat building around him.

A gout of flame burst from the shield, knocking down whatever was in his way and striking Cora as well. The Shade rolled from the impact, the arrow at her side snapping as she did so. She leaned into the roll, attempting to recover to her feet, only to be knocked back down as an icicle struck her again. Elly snapped her fingers as it landed, scattering the ice into frost that once again coated her earthen barrier in a layer of white. Arrows followed soon after, but they splintered in mid air as they struck something that remained unseen.

Helbram picked his spear back and joined Elly in charging towards Cora, but before they could close the distance the Shade slammed her hand into the ground, and Helbram could feel the air grow dense around them. Elly appeared to have noticed as well, for the Weaver summoned a wall of blue light in front of her right as Helbram tucked himself behind his shield. A wave of unseen force struck an instant later, pushing both him and Elly back as they soaked the impact as best they could. They maintained their footing, but Helbram felt his body tremble from the attack.

He was struck at his side only a moment later.

The blow was softened by his brigandine, but it was soon followed by another, and then another. A constant rain of invisible attacks that struck him from every angle at an ever growing frequency. He twisted his body to cover his vitals, the rush of battle numbing the dull pain that was starting to spread across him.  Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Elly was suffering from the same sort of assault, though the Weaver had managed to wrap her barrier around her before she was met with any direct blow to her body. Their eyes met for only a moment, but they shared a nod.

“Shockwave!” Helbram yelled, and he and Elly leapt towards each other.

The Weaver flared her hands out, expanding her barrier to encompass the both of them. The blows against Helbram’s body stopped, but before he could catch his breath the Aetheric shield around them trembled. An orb of condensed air struck the barrier, bursting into a concussive wave that scattered dust into the air around them. Elly dropped the shield soon after, but betrayed nothing but a wince as she shifted her feet apart and held her hands out. Green Aether wrapped around her palms as she brought them back, and Helbram stepped past the Weaver, raising his shield once again. Elly slammed her hands into his back, the winds that they carried throwing him forward as he felt his feet leave the ground.

He burst from the cloud of dust, tucking his spear’s haft close to his body as he kept its tip focused on the Shade, whose hands were now outstretched. His weapon would not find its target, however, for as he closed in on Cora the spear was intercepted by an invisible barrier. The sudden stop jerked his shoulder back, but he dropped the spear before his momentum was stopped entirely and skipped to the side. Unseen blows struck him again, one of which glanced off the side of his helmet. His vision shook and blurred, but he kept pushing forward and closed the distance between him and the Shade once again.

“Mace!” he roared as he held his hand out behind him.

The weapon formed in his hand as he brought it forward, aiming towards the side of Cora’s head. The blow landed, but the weapon trembled at the impact. While the Shade’s head whipped to the side and she staggered back, there was no visible damage to her face. She cut her eyes to him, fury burning within them as she threw her hands up. The ground at Helbram’s feet cracked before exploding upwards, shooting him and a gout of dirt into the air. He was struck at his side before he landed, the blow powerful enough to send him flying backwards. Before he struck ground, however, a glyph of green light formed behind him, and he could feel the winds wrap around his body as he passed through it. His descent slowed enough for him to get his feet under him, and he let himself slide back as he landed. Helbram kept his shield up and mace raised high, for he knew that Cora’s attention was still on him.

And not at the archer that flanked her from the side.

Two arrows flew from Leaf’s bow. The first hit Cora at the shoulder, but was unable to pierce through her earthen armor. The force behind it, however, was enough to twist her body and expose the gap in the rocks that covered her leg. The second arrow struck true, biting into the Shade’s thigh with enough force to bury itself halfway into it. Cora screamed and thrust a hand toward Leaf, but whatever unseen attack she threw never landed as the archer dashed into the trees.

Helbram heard the clash of swords behind them and spared a glance back.

Leon and Erik were locked in a melee, the two men’s movements too fast to register as anything other than blurs as they crossed weapons. Helbram could not see a weapon in Erik’s hands, but they moved as if they held one, and it was clear that he was proficient enough with it to keep Leon at bay. However, their melee was interrupted as a burst of gold light struck Erik at his side. It had come from Ren, whose staff was brimming with the same colored light. Erik staggered, and Leon took the opening, swinging his blade at the tavernkeep’s neck. The Black Cloak’s weapon was stopped just as Erik managed to raise his guard, but Leon leaned into the blow, overtaking the bind and managing to leave a gash across Erik’s shoulder. Before he could react, Leon slammed his forearm into Erik’s chest and charged.

They disappeared into the woods, and Ren followed after them.

“Helbram,” Jahora urged as she joined him at his side.

The Mage motioned around them, and he could see that Erik’s departure had taken his enchantment of invisibility with him. The earthen armor that wrapped around Cora was clear to see, made of a blacked stone that pulsed with yellow Aether. Her Puppets were of similar material, loose piles of rock that formed the semblance of a humanoid shape with larger stones making up their hands, legs, and torsos. There were five in total, but rather than charging at the party they had all started to gather around Cora instead.

The Shade’s eyes, while still narrowed in clear anger, held a focus to them rather than the blind rage she’d held before, and Helbram could only clench his jaw at the sight.

This was only the beginning.

---

Leon and Erik crashed through the trees as the Black Cloak kepting pushing forward. The snap of branches around them became deafening in its brief melody until the two men collided with a tree. Leon followed their abrupt stop with a stab towards Erik’s stomach, but Shade recovered quicker than he could predict. Erik’s hand swept to the side, the unseen weapon within its grasp deflecting the stab and redirecting into the tree itself. Before Leon could pull back, Erik slammed his forehead into the Black Cloak’s helmet. A foolish move for the average man, but Erik was not normal. The blow threw Leon’s head back and rattled his vision, and as he tried to recover another blow struck him on the chest. He was knocked from his feet and lost grip of his sword as he flew back, his body flailing through the air. His legs struck another tree and his brief flight stopped, leaving him a twisted heap on the ground. When he looked up, Erik had already closed in, his hand pulled back and ready to bring down his invisible weapon in a stab.

The blow never landed, a bolt of gold light struck the Shade in the chest. Erik braced himself and weathered the attack, but was still pushed back a few feet, which was enough for Ren to step between him and Leon. The Shade’s eyes studied the Cleric, who held his staff in front of him but kept one hand back. As Leon pushed himself back to his feet, he could see Erik’s shoulder wound close, its very flesh stichting itself back together by what he could only guess was some kind of spell or boon granted by Ether. Given that he could see no gesture performed, Erik surmised that it was the latter, which meant only one thing.

Erik was an Awoken.

The Shade’s Core was hidden, but based not only on his strength but at the rate of his recovery, Leon appraised him to be an Expert of the Second or Third level. On paper, that would suggest that the Black Cloak was not far behind in terms of strength, but experience had shown many times that was far from the truth.

He could study Erik no longer, however, for after his wound closed Erik stepped back from the duo, guard still raised. He took in a deep breath, and as he let it go, the Shade vanished.

Ren thrust his staff out the moment Erik disappeared from view, sending a pulse of pale gold light surging through the trees. It carried no force behind it, but as it washed over the area coated all in a sheen of gold.

Including Erik, who was right in front of Ren.

The Cleric pushed his free hand forward, forming a shield of light in front of him that intercepted the stab Erik directed at Ren’s neck. Leon lunged towards the Shade, reaching for the Core that pulsed at his chest. Ether of blackened gold flowed through his body and into his palm, condensing into a Fang, its shape similar to the sword that lay embedded in a tree. The Black Cloak dashed past his companion’s side and swung at Erik’s side, but the Shade hopped back before the blow could land.

Leon pulled from his Core again, but rather than direct it towards his opposite hand he forced the Ether into the air around him. Two Fangs apparated at the side of his head before shooting towards the Shade while Leon pursued. Erik hopped to the side to avoid the first Fang and deflected the second with his weapon. The motion exposed an opening in his guard, allowing Leon to land a blow at the Shade’s flank as he dashed by.

Erik gasped in pain as the blow landed, swinging his weapon towards The Black Cloak, which he soaked with his shoulder’s guard. The attack landed with enough force to knock Leon off balance, but rather than try and recover, The Black Cloak let himself stumble into a tree.

The one in which his sword rested.

With a single pull Leon freed the blade, pulling it back just in time to block Erik’s following attack. The Shade still had leverage over him, but before Erik could exploit it a lash of gold light wrapped around his arm and pulled him back. At the restraint’s other end was Ren, the symbol Velendel blazing upon his forehead as he clutched onto the lash with his free hand.

“You may have slipped my gaze,” the Cleric said, “But you will not avoid the Eye of the Watcher.”

Leon turned towards the Shade, shifting into a stance as he held both sword and Fang in hand. The figure of Erik, awash with golden light, dropped his enchantment and allowed himself to be fully seen. The wound Leon had given him was already closed, and the “weapon” he wielded was finally revealed; a mass of black, cragged stone that had formed the semblance of a sword. No doubt cobbled together by Cora as they had made their escape, but despite its rough and ragged appearance it was strong enough to deflect both sword and Fang alike, and Erik wielded it with clear proficiency.

“I suppose I cannot hide from the eyes of a god,” the Shade remarked. His free hand grasped the lash around his arm, “Tis good I’ve no need to.”

Erik threw his arm back, pulling Ren by the restraint and off of his feet towards the Shade. The Cleric appeared to anticipate this, and rather than try and fight against Erik’s strength he leapt with it, thrusting out his staff towards the Shade as he closed the distance. Erik stepped to the side and deflected the blow away from him, following it with a swing towards Ren’s head. The Cleric ducked under the blow and rolled, swapping places with Leon as the Black Cloak charged ahead. Sword and Fang lashed out, clashing with Erik’s makeshift blade as the Shade was pressed on the backfoot. 

The Shade caught Leon’s sword in a bind and pushed it aside as he stepped into the Black Cloak’s guard. Leon swung his Fang to intercept, but Erik caught the blow with his arm. Though the blade of light drew blood, the cut was shallow and Leon’s arm trembled as if he’d struck rock. Erik showed no reaction to the injury and drove his palm into Leon’s visor. The blackened metal of his armor withstood the blow, but there was enough force behind it to throw Leon back and crashing into a tree. His vision went white momentarily, but as Ether pulsed through his body his senses came rushing back to him.

Just in time to see Erik lunging at him with his sword.

Leon jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow as it drove the craggy blade deep into the tree. The Shade let go of his blade and leapt after the Black Cloak, closing the distance between them within a breath. Leon swept his blades inwards, but once again Erik blocked the blows with his hands, suffering only shallow cuts in the process. Swords still buried into his arms, the Shade’s thrust his hands towards Leon’s head. Before he could fully grasp the Black Cloak’s helmet, Erik was pulled back by another lash of gold light, though Ren had attached its opposite end onto a tree. Leon regained his footing and lunged at Erik, but the man was still agile despite his restraints, slipping between each of the Black Cloak’s attacks with ease. He ducked under one swing and drove his fist into Leon’s breastplate.

The armor absorbed most of the blow, but enough shock made it through his protection caused the Black Cloak to stagger back. Erik grasped the last around his waist and pulled, his arms bulging as he groaned against the binding. Leon righted his stance and lunged back into the fray, but it was a moment too late. The tree that held Erik’s lash faltered against the Shade’s might, and a chunk of its trunk was ripped from its body as he pulled himself free.

And slammed it right into Leon’s side.

The wood splintered against him, knocking him from his feet and throwing him to the ground. Though he managed to keep a hold onto his sword, his concentration over his Ether faltered from the blow, and his Fang dissipated into the air. Control did not return to Leon’s body until he rolled into another tree, and even then he could feel his legs shaking as he tried to push himself to his feet. When he finally looked back at Erik, the Shade had already freed his cragged blade and was turned towards Ren. The Cleric stood his ground, a translucent shield of golden light wrapped around him as he held his staff with steady hands. Before Erik could move, Ren thrust his staff out and summoning four bolts of Aether from its tip. The Shade deflected the first two and weaved through the others, but the attack had bought the Cleric enough time to slam his staff into the ground.

As he did, light surged through the dirt and towards Erik’s feet. Threads of light burst from the ground, originating from the golden eye that emblazoned itself across the forest floor. They wrapped around the Shade’s limbs and pulled down, and though Erik managed to keep himself standing his movements were restricted. Ren ran towards the Shade then, fishing out a pair of Sealing Cuffs from his robes, but before the Cleric could get close Erik roared and threw his hands up, tearing, earth, dust and his restraints from the ground. Ren threw his staff in front of him, projecting a shield that blocked the rubble before he brought back the focus and swept it to the side, summoning a mass of golden light that struck Erik at his flank, knocking the Shade back.

Rather than pursue after him, however, Ren pulled back and ran towards Leon just as the Black Cloak got to his feet. None of Erik’s attacks had made it through his armor, but Leon could still feel the Ether within him working to right parts of him that suffered from the shock of the blows alone.

“He’s a tough bugger isn’t he?” Ren said with a sigh.

Leon nodded.

“I should say the same of you,” Erik called out.

The Shade emerged from the cloud of debris, his makeshift sword in hand. Though his clothes were ragged and torn, any trace of injury had vanished from his body.

“You both are as formidable as they say,” he said with a respectful tone, “The Blessed Infernal and the last Hound of the Rikards, but that is not all they call you is it?”

He pointed his sword at Ren, “The one lost in a hero’s shadow,” then to Leon, “Kinslayer.”

Leon grit his teeth and moved forward.

“Hold,” Ren said, “You’d be doing exactly as he wants.”

The Black Cloak’s hands shook, but he kept his feet still.

“What is it that you want with Aria?” Ren asked, “A Shade she may be, but to come all this way, to spend years watching over her, there must be a reason behind it.”

“Is it not obvious?” Erik asked back, “Can you not feel the power coursing through her?” he motioned around him, “The very chill that seeps into my bones, all through the restraints that a Chosen shackled upon her.”

“Yes, but how did you know?” Ren asked.

“Now you know I will not answer that,” Erik took a step towards them, “Can you afford to waste time with these questions? I imagine the others of your party are not faring quite so well.”

“Your partner is without the boon of your Technique,” Leon fired back, “I imagine that she is the one that is not faring well.”

Erik’s expression remained unchanged, “Who said she was without my enchantment?”

Leon paused. He’d clearly seen Cora’s earthen magics reveal themselves as he pushed Erik away. There were only five puppets under her control, unless there were mo-

“We need to get back, now,” Leon urged.

Erik leapt towards them, closing the gap between with enough speed that Leon barely managed to block the Shade’s swing. His eyes drilled into the Black Cloaks' own with a still, cold look that chilled Leon’s blood.

“I won’t be letting you do that.”

---

Author's Note: Phew, gonna be honest it has been a hot minute since I flexed some of my action writing skills here. Its not as technique focused as the duel between Helbram and Leon since I wanted to use these scenes to establish a few things. The first would be the strength of Erik and Cora. I know they utterly defeated Helbram's party a few chapters ago but quite a few factors played into that to where Helbram's party was just in a terrible situation. Here we have Erik facing off two "higher level" fighters with less equipment, showing just how strong an Awoken can get, and then we have Cora, who admittedly took much more of a beating than Erik did but that plays into another thing I wanted to show case, and that is the overall teamwork of Helbram's party. Of course there are a lot of repeat moves from previous arcs and even within this fight, but what I wanted to hammer home was how coordinated the party was now that they've been traveling together for a while and how strong they could be when they aren't caught completely off guard. That and it has been literally months since I wrote the party actually fighting together so I decided to lean into that to give this fight an overall more "teamwork" feel.

Let me know what you think! Was there too much detail here or did you want to see more of a particular character shine in this chapter?

Also, some family stuff has come up so no chapter next week, but I will be back and ready to go the following week.