Vice drew her own greatsword from its sheath on her back and stepped in front of Kafir. “Stay behind me, child. Do not interfere,” she told him.
Kafir scrambled backwards, nearly tripping over his feet. Vice ran towards the Sentinel, her sword raised high. A battle cry tore from her lips as she met the knight in the center of the bridge. The Sentinel swung at Vice, curving downward to meet her body near his knees. Vice dodged the swing, rolling between the knight’s legs and slashing at his heels.
At this, Farrah launched herself forward, running at full speed towards the Sentinel. While his focus was on Vice, the half-orc pulled her handaxes from her sides and hurled them towards the knight. The weapons were a blur, spinning through the air and making purchase in the gap around the Sentinel’s knee.
The blow didn’t seem to faze the Sentinel. His attention was still cemented to Vice, who was circling the knight, searching for the right opening to strike. It was then that Aveline stepped forward, taking care to stay out of the Sentinel’s eyesight. She began chanting in the arcane language, her hands moving and twisting as fire erupted down her forearms and to her fingertips.
In one fluid motion, Aveline lunged towards the Sentinel as she thrust her arms forward. Bright orange flames shot from her hands and moved directly to the Sentinel as if by their own volition. A heavy wall of fire crashed into the knight. This caused him to stagger long enough for Vice to plant her greatsword into the back of the same knee that Farrah had struck.
As the sword embedded itself into the Sentinel, violet light burst from the entrance wound and laced up the weapon to the hilt. For a brief moment, the sound of a crow cawing echoed across the expanse.
The plates of the Sentinel’s armor began to vibrate and tremble. The light coalesced into an orb within the knight’s knee and grew in size until it seemed that his armor was about to burst. With a loud bang, it did just that. Armor plates shot off in all directions, some flying off the rock bridge and falling down to the canyon below. In the place where his lower leg used to be, there was now nothing. Vice’s eyes grew wide as she realized that there was no body in that suit of armor.
Kafir’s voice echoed across the expanse as he cheered in excitement. Emboldened by Vice’s blow, he ran forward towards the Sentinel.
“Boy, stay back!” Vice screamed, but Kafir did not hear her.
As he ran, he lifted a hand in the direction of the Sentinel. Frost spread from the center of his palm out across his fingertips. A bolt of pale blue light shot from his hand and sped towards the Sentinel. It struck the knight on his helmet; he turned and stared at the boy. Kafir cowered before the Sentinel’s gaze, his confidence quickly dissipating.
With a careless flick of his wrist, the knight backhanded the boy. Kafir’s body flew a few feet backward and slid across the ground, approaching the edge of the bridge. Karina, who was some distance away, sprinted towards Kafir’s body. She lunged at the boy’s still moving frame, catching the hem of his tunic in her claws as she slammed into the ground.
Relief flooded Karina’s mind, but it was soon replaced by terror as her momentum slid her closer to the edge of the bridge, pushing her into Kafir’s unconscious body. Suddenly, the boy dropped off the side of the expanse. Karina was pulled down with him, her fingers still tangled in the boy’s clothing. In a panic, the dragonblood shot out her other arm and tried to sink her claws into the rock bridge.
Kafir’s weight dragged Karina closer to the edge. Her body was just inches away from the drop-off when her claws caught solid rock and stopped her. She screamed in pain as the weight of the boy’s body pulled at one arm while she clung to the bridge with the other. Summoning all the strength she possessed, Karina lifted Kafir’s body and threw him over her own. He landed with a soft thud on the bridge.
Out of breath and filled with pain, Karina scrambled to her knees and crawled towards the boy. Bloody gashes marked his face, which were rapidly pooling with blood underneath his skin. Karina probed at his chest and sides, feeling soft indentations where his ribs should have been.
Panic rose within her and sat like a stone in her throat. She pressed an ear to the boy’s chest and tried to quiet her breathing. Just above the din of battle, she could hear the faint thumping of Kafir’s heart - but it was slower than it should have been.
Karina closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, pressing her hands to Kafir’s chest. She began chanting in the arcane language, calling upon Solas’ power to flow through her. She felt a great rush of magical energy flow through her body, creating a warm, yellow glow that ran along her arms. Karina inhaled deeply; on the exhale, she pushed all of the energy down her arms and out of her open palms.
Light filled Kafir’s form and surrounded him in a brilliant glow. Despite Karina’s eyes being closed, the light tore through her eyelids and forced her to look away from the boy. She felt a large amount of energy leave her body, and as the light began to fade, she slumped over in exhaustion.
She inched her hand along Kafir’s side; his ribs were strong and intact. As she panted, sweat pouring down her forehead, she could hear the steady beating of the boy’s heart. Karina smiled as she patted the boy’s torso, mentally sending a prayer of thanks to Solas.
Another explosion echoed across the expanse. Karina lifted her head and saw that one of the Sentinel’s arms were now gone and the mangled armor in its absence was now alight with flame. The dragonblood caught sight of Aveline, standing behind the knight with her hands and eyes filled with fire. A wide gash cut through the daímona’s leather vest, the tear itself slick with blood. Aveline swayed erratically, her arms limp at her sides. Her magic is running out, thought Karina. That spell probably took a lot out of her.
Vice’s voice rose above the noise, calling out to Aveline and Farrah. “Get behind me!” she screamed. The theosian ran forward, passing the other two as she stopped just before the Sentinel. Slowly, the knight turned towards Vice, his form gliding a few feet off the ground. The entire group felt the bridge begin to tremble slightly, the force originating from the Sentinel. The trembling stopped and started, coming in spasms. Vice realized that the knight was laughing.
“Puny marauders,” a deep, rumbling voice began, “do you believe you may pass to the gateway? I have kept this path for a thousand years, and warriors far stronger than you have perished at my hands.”
The Sentinel drew closer to Vice, who was hidden almost entirely behind her shield. “You are no different,” he finished.
Vice lowered her shield and raised her greatsword to strike the knight. Before she could move, the Sentinel swung his own sword at her, knocking the weapon out of her hand, sending it sliding towards Farrah and Aveline some distance behind her. Vice glanced over her shoulder and saw that the sword was near the half-orc. She looked up, making eye contact with Farrah, and nodded slightly.
The half-orc’s eyes moved to the greatsword before her. She wasn’t entirely sure of what Vice wanted her to do, but she had a feeling it involved her potentially getting killed. She laughed to herself. *What’s life without the danger of death?* she asked herself.
Meanwhile, Vice had turned back to the Sentinel, staring him down with her pitch-black eyes. She dropped her shield to her feet and stretched out her hands.
“Ladies,” she began, “you might not want to watch.”
Her lips began to move silently, chanting in the celestial tongue. The wind picked up around her, swirling around her body as an inky black aura curled out from her form.
While Farrah watched, she realized that Vice’s body was lifting off the ground. The theosian rose a few feet and then stopped, motionless before the Sentinel. Her lips continued to move, but the sound of her voice grew louder as she went on. At this, Farrah looked away from Vice, motioning for Aveline to do the same.
The aura around Vice deepened and grew, stretching out behind her. Soon, the energy took shape along the theosian’s form. A pair of giant black wings sprouted from her back, spanning the width of the rock bridge. The air between Vice and the Sentinel was electric.
The knight was motionless, as if some unknown force froze him in place. Psychic attacks battered against his mind, weakening his hold on his sanity. Vice felt the strength leaving him and a cruel smile spread across her face. She completed the incantation, reveling in her patron’s power.
“The Crow flies to meet you.”
At these words, the Sentinel’s form began to crumple. He fell to his knee, dropping then face-first onto the bridge. But Vice could still feel a glimmer of life within him. “Farrah,” she called out. “Now.”
Farrah glanced at the sword before her. She began to run towards the Sentinel’s body, scooping the weapon up and raising it high. When she reached the knight’s head, she jumped into the air, pointing the sword down and driving it into his helmet.
The glimmer disappeared from Vice’s mind.
