Where Ashes and Oaths Collide

Chapter 60: Western Gate

Arrows continued to fly, but Lau kept the pressure on. Each time an archer found a clear shot, a crossbow bolt seemed to arrive from another angle. She moved constantly, never remaining in one place long enough to be targeted. Soon the dozen archers were scattered along the battlement rather than fighting as a unit. Sol threw an explosion ahead and vaulted onto a low section of stonework and landed among a cluster of opponents. His daggers sliced through guards while his quick footwork kept him moving. The explosion above knocked numerous archers off balance and off the battlement, drawing the attention of guards below. Lua covered Sol from above, whenever several archers tried to regroup, a well-placed bolt disrupted them before they could organize. Within minutes, the battle had shifted completely. The battlement was littered with abandoned bows and scattered arrows. Lua and Sol exchanged a glance as they waited for reinforcements.

Leo and Darm scaled the wall on the right side, where the battlement wall thundered with chaos as a dozen archers lined the parapets, arrows streaking into the sky while alarms echoed across the fortress. Leo, armed with twin daggers, sprinted along the wall beneath a hail of arrows. He stayed low, using the crenelations for cover. Stone chips exploded around his as shafts struck the battlements. The archers attempted to track his movements, but he was already moving before they could settle their aim. Beside him, Darm raised a hand toward the sky, and a gust of wind erupted from the battlements, swirling through the line of archers. Cloaks snapped violently, arrows veered off course, and several bowmen staggered backward as the sudden blast disrupted their formation. Leo seized the opportunity.

Leo burst from cover and rushed the nearest group of archers, his blades flashing in the sunlight as he slipped between opponents. One archer lost his bow after a quick disarming strike, and Leo stabbed him in the stomach. Another was knocked off balance when Leo drive into him shoulder first and once he was on the ground, Leo slid his throat. The narrow walls gave the archers little room to manoeuvre, and their advantage vanished once her reached them. More arrows flew and Darm extended both hands and streams of fire raced across the stone– not as a wall of destruction, but as a barrier that forced the archers to retreat from key positions. Hear shimmered through the air, driving them apart and preventing them from supporting one another.

The battlement became a maze of confusion, archers scrambled to reposition while Darm shifted elements with practiced precision and a wave of water burst from the stonework, sweeping across part of the wall and knocking several opponents off their feet. Moments later, jagged pillars of earth rose from cracks between the stone, creating obstacles that split the defenders into smaller groups. Leo moved through the disorder like a shadow, taking down isolated arched who tried to draw a bead on Darm. Whenever a defender attempted to regroup, he struck from another angle, his twin blades cutting through them. The remaining archers gathered near the staircase, determined to make a stand until reinforcements came.

Darm lifted a hand and lighting cracked overhead, a brilliant flash erupted across the battlement, striking the stone near them. The blast scattered their defence and left them stunned long enough for Leo to charge to position. The few archers who got hit by lighting was set on fire and screamed as they ran, one thumbing over the side of the battlement. The battlement wall was strewn with discarded bows and broken arrow shafts. Smoke drifted from scorched stone while fragments of ice, earth and water glimmered in the sunlight.

Meanwhile, on the ground Luz and Cassandra start approaching the two dozen guards standing in front of the western gate. Cassandra moved with practiced speed, her shield raised as she charged forward. A guard steeped forward with a spear, but she knocked the weapon aside with the rim of her shield and drove into him with enough force to send him stumbling to the ground. A second guard rushed in from her left, sword raised high. She pivoted smoothly, her own blade flashing as she parried the attack. The clash of steel echoed off the stone walls. Before the guard could recover, she struck the flat of her shield against his chest, forcing him backward and out of the fight.

A third guard stood a few paced back and hesitated for a fraction of a second as he watched his companions fall. It was all the opening Cassandra needed. She advanced relentlessly, her sword weaving through his defences. The guard retreated several steps before losing his footing. With a swift final move, she knocked his weapon from his and impaled him on her sword. The she kills the other two guards on the floor.

Luz’s armoured boots echoed against the cobblestone as he advanced toward the gate. His amber eyes remained fixed on the two dozen guards barring their path. His long black longsword rested in his hands as five guards closed in around him. Their armour rattled with each step, and the ring the steel filled the air as they drew their weapons. The first guard charged recklessly, Luz stepped aside at the last moment, letting the attacked pass harmlessly by. His blade swept in a precise arc, striking the guard’s weapon and sending it spinning across the stone, before Luz cuts him down and he falls to the floor. Two more guards attached together and Luz met them head-on, steel clashing against steel as he turned one strike aside and ducked beneath another.

Luz’s longsword moved with remarkable control forcing the pair backward, one lost his footing after a hard parry while the other found himself unable to break through Luz’s defences. Luz cut them down quickly while two guards attempted to flank him. The swordsman spun to face the nearest attackers, his black blade intercepting a downward strike. With a powerful shove, he drove the guard backward into his companion, disrupting their assault. Both struggled to regain their balance. Seeing his chance, the man pressed the attack. His sword flashed from one opponent to the next, forcing them to retreat. One guard dropped his weapon after a particularly hard exchange. Luz took the opportunity to kill him and then he cut through the final guard.