Chapter 216: Three's a Crowd
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Chapter 216: Three's a Crowd
Three's a Crowd
Martel kept to himself all through Manday, waiting for tonight. He felt the weird mix of anticipation and anxiety brewing inside of him, threatening to reach a boiling point. He was not concerned about the fight as such, being two mages against a group of brigands. Yet he knew a moment of hesitation could cost him dearly. These thoughts remained in conflict within him, feeling confident one moment, concerned the next. It made him restless, unable to focus on much else. He spent the afternoon in his room, practising a few spells with poor concentration while looking at his Khivan clock every other moment.
As soon as supper was served, Martel ate heartily and left the castle straight after. For the third day in a row, he walked towards the harbour district and his new allies, trying to keep his emotions under lock.
They greeted him curtly, which either spoke towards their own state of mind being similar to his, or maybe it was simply discipline asserting itself, keeping them focused on the task at hand. They all changed into armour, and Martel was glad he had spent the time to become accustomed to chain shirts; the heavy weight of the iron made him feel calm, protected. With weapons distributed, they set out.
***
It took them perhaps an hour walking directly east. Even if still early in the evening, the sun had set, casting the streets into darkness except for the enchanted lamps posted along the main thoroughfares. They eventually left those, peering into the poorer neighbourhoods that straddled the border between the bridge district and the Khivan enclave. The buildings did not change, all of them being the cheap wooden houses common to this part of the city; only the appearance of the inhabitants determined when they strayed into the enclave and when they returned to the bridge district.This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.
"I'll sneak around and enter through the back once I hear you've started the festivities," Flora told her companions. "Stay behind Marcus, do as he says, and you'll be fine," she added to Martel before she disappeared into an alley.
"That's the house just ahead, with the one man on guard outside," Marcus explained. Martel glanced in the direction, seeing the building as described. "You got a spell to knock a man out?"
"I can hit him with a blast of wind," Martel suggested. He adjusted the mask covering his face. "That should slam him back against the house and on the ground."
"Good enough. When we get inside and things heat up, I'll stay in front of you to keep them back. But you have to cast your spells quickly. I can hold back maybe three at a time, staying offensive, but more than that, they'll overwhelm me. And if any of them get past me, you don't hesitate. Understood?" The Night Knife warrior stared at his companion, wearing the same surcoat as himself.
"Got it."
Dropping to the ground, Martel repeated his spell from before. Bursts of flame shot out from the palm of his hand, now aimed just a little above the floor. He struck two people around their ankles, setting their trousers on fire. This time, it worked as intended, and they dropped their weapons while trying to put out the flames.
From all sides, Marcus took blows. Martel could feel himself been drained of magic, having eagerly spent his spellpower on his first spells. He had enough for a few more, but he would have to make them count. At least six enemies remained, and the archer had returned to the fight; Martel had reacted on instinct, choosing a poor spell rather than something that would disable him permanently.
The backdoor burst open, revealing Flora. A wall of earth shot up from the ground, breaking through the boards of the floor. The brigands in the back were now separated from their companions fighting Marcus, who eagerly went on the offensive, swinging his axe. Rocks flew through the air, striking their enemies.
However intense the fight, it ended quickly. Faced with two mages, the bandits fled if able; the others lay on the ground, groaning or unconscious.
"What kept you?" Marcus asked.
"Guard at the backdoor took a moment longer than I thought," Flora replied with a smile. "Well done, boys."
***
They left the fight soon after, their task done. "How was it, Martel?" Flora asked.
Frightening, but also exhilarating, he thought. "It was fine."
"Good to know I didn't misjudge you. Come by the apartment tomorrow afternoon?" she suggested. "I'll have collected payment from Lady Pearl by then, and she may already have another job for us. She hinted as much when I spoke to her last. Always one to tease, that one."
"Sounds good." At this rate, Martel would settle his debts in no time.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 216: Three's a Crowd
Three's a Crowd
Martel kept to himself all through Manday, waiting for tonight. He felt the weird mix of anticipation and anxiety brewing inside of him, threatening to reach a boiling point. He was not concerned about the fight as such, being two mages against a group of brigands. Yet he knew a moment of hesitation could cost him dearly. These thoughts remained in conflict within him, feeling confident one moment, concerned the next. It made him restless, unable to focus on much else. He spent the afternoon in his room, practising a few spells with poor concentration while looking at his Khivan clock every other moment.
As soon as supper was served, Martel ate heartily and left the castle straight after. For the third day in a row, he walked towards the harbour district and his new allies, trying to keep his emotions under lock.
They greeted him curtly, which either spoke towards their own state of mind being similar to his, or maybe it was simply discipline asserting itself, keeping them focused on the task at hand. They all changed into armour, and Martel was glad he had spent the time to become accustomed to chain shirts; the heavy weight of the iron made him feel calm, protected. With weapons distributed, they set out.
***
It took them perhaps an hour walking directly east. Even if still early in the evening, the sun had set, casting the streets into darkness except for the enchanted lamps posted along the main thoroughfares. They eventually left those, peering into the poorer neighbourhoods that straddled the border between the bridge district and the Khivan enclave. The buildings did not change, all of them being the cheap wooden houses common to this part of the city; only the appearance of the inhabitants determined when they strayed into the enclave and when they returned to the bridge district.This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.
"I'll sneak around and enter through the back once I hear you've started the festivities," Flora told her companions. "Stay behind Marcus, do as he says, and you'll be fine," she added to Martel before she disappeared into an alley.
"That's the house just ahead, with the one man on guard outside," Marcus explained. Martel glanced in the direction, seeing the building as described. "You got a spell to knock a man out?"
"I can hit him with a blast of wind," Martel suggested. He adjusted the mask covering his face. "That should slam him back against the house and on the ground."
"Good enough. When we get inside and things heat up, I'll stay in front of you to keep them back. But you have to cast your spells quickly. I can hold back maybe three at a time, staying offensive, but more than that, they'll overwhelm me. And if any of them get past me, you don't hesitate. Understood?" The Night Knife warrior stared at his companion, wearing the same surcoat as himself.
"Got it."
Dropping to the ground, Martel repeated his spell from before. Bursts of flame shot out from the palm of his hand, now aimed just a little above the floor. He struck two people around their ankles, setting their trousers on fire. This time, it worked as intended, and they dropped their weapons while trying to put out the flames.
From all sides, Marcus took blows. Martel could feel himself been drained of magic, having eagerly spent his spellpower on his first spells. He had enough for a few more, but he would have to make them count. At least six enemies remained, and the archer had returned to the fight; Martel had reacted on instinct, choosing a poor spell rather than something that would disable him permanently.
The backdoor burst open, revealing Flora. A wall of earth shot up from the ground, breaking through the boards of the floor. The brigands in the back were now separated from their companions fighting Marcus, who eagerly went on the offensive, swinging his axe. Rocks flew through the air, striking their enemies.
However intense the fight, it ended quickly. Faced with two mages, the bandits fled if able; the others lay on the ground, groaning or unconscious.
"What kept you?" Marcus asked.
"Guard at the backdoor took a moment longer than I thought," Flora replied with a smile. "Well done, boys."
***
They left the fight soon after, their task done. "How was it, Martel?" Flora asked.
Frightening, but also exhilarating, he thought. "It was fine."
"Good to know I didn't misjudge you. Come by the apartment tomorrow afternoon?" she suggested. "I'll have collected payment from Lady Pearl by then, and she may already have another job for us. She hinted as much when I spoke to her last. Always one to tease, that one."
"Sounds good." At this rate, Martel would settle his debts in no time.
Chapter 216: Three's a CrowdThree's a CrowdMartel kept to himself all through Manday, waiting for tonight. He felt the weird mix of anticipation and anxiety brewing inside of him, threatening to reach a boiling point. He was not concerned about the fight as such, being two mages against a group of brigands. Yet he knew a moment of hesitation could cost him dearly. These thoughts remained in conflict within him, feeling confident one moment, concerned the next. It made him restless, unable to focus on much else. He spent the afternoon in his room, practising a few spells with poor concentration while looking at his Khivan clock every other moment.As soon as supper was served, Martel ate heartily and left the castle straight after. For the third day in a row, he walked towards the harbour district and his new allies, trying to keep his emotions under lock.They greeted him curtly, which either spoke towards their own state of mind being similar to his, or maybe it was simply discipline asserting itself, keeping them focused on the task at hand. They all changed into armour, and Martel was glad he had spent the time to become accustomed to chain shirts; the heavy weight of the iron made him feel calm, protected. With weapons distributed, they set out.***It took them perhaps an hour walking directly east. Even if still early in the evening, the sun had set, casting the streets into darkness except for the enchanted lamps posted along the main thoroughfares. They eventually left those, peering into the poorer neighbourhoods that straddled the border between the bridge district and the Khivan enclave. The buildings did not change, all of them being the cheap wooden houses common to this part of the city; only the appearance of the inhabitants determined when they strayed into the enclave and when they returned to the bridge district.This chapter was first shared on the Nvl1n platform."I'll sneak around and enter through the back once I hear you've started the festivities," Flora told her companions. "Stay behind Marcus, do as he says, and you'll be fine," she added to Martel before she disappeared into an alley."That's the house just ahead, with the one man on guard outside," Marcus explained. Martel glanced in the direction, seeing the building as described. "You got a spell to knock a man out?""I can hit him with a blast of wind," Martel suggested. He adjusted the mask covering his face. "That should slam him back against the house and on the ground.""Good enough. When we get inside and things heat up, I'll stay in front of you to keep them back. But you have to cast your spells quickly. I can hold back maybe three at a time, staying offensive, but more than that, they'll overwhelm me. And if any of them get past me, you don't hesitate. Understood?" The Night Knife warrior stared at his companion, wearing the same surcoat as himself."Got it."Dropping to the ground, Martel repeated his spell from before. Bursts of flame shot out from the palm of his hand, now aimed just a little above the floor. He struck two people around their ankles, setting their trousers on fire. This time, it worked as intended, and they dropped their weapons while trying to put out the flames.From all sides, Marcus took blows. Martel could feel himself been drained of magic, having eagerly spent his spellpower on his first spells. He had enough for a few more, but he would have to make them count. At least six enemies remained, and the archer had returned to the fight; Martel had reacted on instinct, choosing a poor spell rather than something that would disable him permanently.The backdoor burst open, revealing Flora. A wall of earth shot up from the ground, breaking through the boards of the floor. The brigands in the back were now separated from their companions fighting Marcus, who eagerly went on the offensive, swinging his axe. Rocks flew through the air, striking their enemies.However intense the fight, it ended quickly. Faced with two mages, the bandits fled if able; the others lay on the ground, groaning or unconscious."What kept you?" Marcus asked."Guard at the backdoor took a moment longer than I thought," Flora replied with a smile. "Well done, boys."***They left the fight soon after, their task done. "How was it, Martel?" Flora asked.Frightening, but also exhilarating, he thought. "It was fine.""Good to know I didn't misjudge you. Come by the apartment tomorrow afternoon?" she suggested. "I'll have collected payment from Lady Pearl by then, and she may already have another job for us. She hinted as much when I spoke to her last. Always one to tease, that one.""Sounds good." At this rate, Martel would settle his debts in no time.
