Demoness 2 - Chapter 70 - The Magister of the Guard (Again, Part 1) (Patreon)

Elania looked at Bannon and then at the incoming group. It felt like her heart wanted to wrench, but instead she found cold calculations running through her mind. Fight with Bannon, here and now, or with Keswick, at the Magistry, later.

The Watch Fortress was a terrible place to have this fight, and at the Magistry, they would have Yolani’s new defenses, hopefully, and the Celestial Engine as a wildcard.

This confrontation sucked, no matter how she tried to cut it. “This is a mistake. We need to fall back with the troops.”

Magister Bannon grunted, his eyes never leaving the approaching enemy. “You can do as you wish, Elania. It’s clear I have no say over what you do.” He paused, his grip tightening on his sword. “But everyone is counting on you to get the remaining guards to safety. Fighting with me in the ruins of a fallen fortress won’t be saving them.”

Her fists clenched, and for a second her wings flickered. “You’re making everyone else’s chances worst by this stupid display. No one will benefit from you staying behind to die. You’re throwing away your men’s sacrifices!”

Anger flashed on Bannon’s face for the first time. Before he could respond, three of the paladins flanking Elder Holt broke away from the group. Their heavy armor clanked as they jogged towards the wall, angling away towards the retreating Guard.

Elania’s eyes widened. “They’re going after the retreating guards.”

Bannon nodded grimly. “You need to go, Elania. I will deal with the Elder and you can protect the men.”

She turned and unfurled her wings, golden feathers glinting in the light and propelling her into the air. “Try to retreat when you can!”

He didn’t answer, and she didn’t look back.

The paladins had a head start, but she was fast. She paralleled them from above and then summoned a light spear, hurling it towards the one in the front. It exploded in a blinding flash, but the paladin emerged unscathed, his armor gleaming in the smoke.

“Damn it,” Elania muttered. She needed a plan to deal with all three of them, and fast.

The second paladin in the group turned and leaped onto the side of a building, his boots digging in to find rough purchase on the stone. With a powerful kick, he launched himself onto the roof of another building, his sword flashing as he swung it toward her.

A green arc of wind magic sliced through the air, nearly clipping her. She rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a second attack. He raised his sword for another strike.

Elania summed another light spear, hurling towards him. He deflected it with his sword, the magic dissipating harmlessly into the air. She dived toward him.

The other two were getting away, and there was no way the retreating guards would be able to deal with them.

More wind arcs flashed by her as she spun, wheeled, and dodged them throughout her plunge.

A ragged volley of musket fire erupted from a group of guards on the wall, the bullets ricocheting off her target’s armor like hailstones on a tin roof. Elania seized the opportunity, buzzing past him to aim for the back of the one in the lead.

She landed on his shoulders, her legs wrapping around his helmet in a vise-like grip. The paladin grunted, his hands reaching up to grab her, but she was pulling him up into the air immediately.

Her fists pounded into his helmet like hammers.

A white-hot pain flared in her side as he stabbed her with a dagger, tearing through her leathers. She screamed, dumping a mana shard’s worth of energy into her palms, the pour coursing out like a broken hydrant.

The compression only lasted a second, but that is all it needed for it to turn into a blinding flash of light and heat.

The blast sent her flying upwards, her body twisting through the air like a rag doll as [Regeneration] kicked in to mend her side. After several seconds, her wings took back control and stopped the chaotic motion.

The paladin plummeted like a rock, shoulders first. His helmet and head were missing.

One down, two to go.

Elania landed on the wall, her wings flaring out behind her as she faced the two paladins on the street below.

“Quoting my favorite wizard—You shall not pass,” Elania shouted. Her wings flung forward to strike the crenulations, sending a spray of stone at the two Paladins. It thumped and thudded against their armor, and she used the time to jump down toward them.

Two at once wasn’t ideal, but she had no idea on how to split them up easily.

They charged forward, their great swords flashing blue and red at nearly the same time. She met them head-on, a light spear in each hand, sending electric sparks showering the scene as the weapons collided.

It wasn’t a great clash for her, and she had to spin and dodge by jumping into the air to avoid being slashed in half. Before she could think, she had to dodge again.

The attacks came in a relentless flurry, both of them switching angles as they sought to pin her down and deliver a solid blow.

Behind them, she caught a glimpse of the rearguard pushing further away. They needed more time.

She rolled between one of the paladin’s legs. He kicked her, but she planted a shortened spear of light into the meat of his calf, right through the armor. She left it behind.

His fellow’s great sword slashed into her upper armor, but it only made a glancing blow. She moved away and then the light spear embedded in the paladin’s leg exploded.

As she regained her feet, an explosion atop the Fortress Gate drew her attention. Magister Bannon was locked in combat with Elder Holt and two more paladins. They danced across the wall, Bannon’s water magic and blue sword clashing against the Conclave Elder’s staff and light spells.

The paladins kept pace with them, flanking Bannon on either side, their great swords flashing with arcs of energy that tendrils and geysers of water cut off prematurely.

Elania’s attention snapped back to her own battle as the uninjured paladin’s sword nearly took her head off.

Weave, dodge, roll, jump… she spun around the wounded paladin, jabbing him with little spears of light. It wasn’t until she moved away from her opponent that she realized the second one had disappeared.

In the distance, he was sprinting down the wall. A loose detachment of guards wielded their weapons against him, but were cut down en masse.

Elania grimaced. He was doing that to draw her further away from Magister Bannon so she couldn’t help him.

It worked.

As she took a step to take off after him, she triggered the light spears she had left behind and the second paladin detonated from the inside out.

[You have slain Paladin - Human - Lvl 295]

[You have lost 256 Karma.]

[For slaying a being over 50 levels higher than you, extra experience is rewarded.]

[You have gained a level!]

[You are now Level 199!]