Raising Wonders

Chapter 16: Defeat (Part 3)

The shock of Master Lanton's attribute briefly drove Johannes to unconsciousness. That fraction of a second however passed and the Paladin found himself hurtling across the sky, the wall of Toren beneath him. He cursed and began to pull together his Aura. A tug however pulled him further away from Toren. Annoyed by the sensation Johannes turned at the source. Standing in the snow was a man wearing a white mask cracked on its left side. A bitter anger dug deep into Johannes. If it weren't for him then everything would have went to plan. He followed the pull and used it to propel himself towards the Problem Solver. As he ploughed through the snow he swung his sword cutting through Mask causing the white around them to upheave revealing the frozen grass below.

"That was quite the entrance," Mask spoke easily and unharmed from behind where Johannes landed.

"An illusion," Johannes scowled. "A petty trick."

"But one you fell for," Mask added. "and not for the first time mind you."

The Paladin pointed his sword toward him as it shook with the Aura contained within, "I am well and truly annoyed. Do you really think all these tiny, insignificant chores you've tried to assault me with will stop me?"

"You look pretty tired to me."

Johannes laughed cruelly, "One word from me and the blizzard will start anew. I'll tear apart the city bit by bit and anyone who tries to escape will be food for the monsters and bitter cold."

"That's unless you die here," Mask drew the sword at his waist.

"You're merely an Expert at best," he scoffed.

"Correct, but you've never fought an Expert like me," Mask dashed forward, only to dance back as he came into the Paladin's range. A simple maneuverer like that however was easy to read and Johannes would not be fooled. He moved to chase, but a prickling sense tingled behind him. He turned, sweeping his sword. Another Mask was split in two as his sword easily passed through. Annoyed he turned back only to feel a stabbing pain in his side. Johannes's eyes widened. The illusion had stabbed him. He kicked away destroying the illusion with his Aura. He could feel the lingering sensation of the blade in his side but as he looked down, there was no wound. It was all in his head.

"Madness," the Paladin grimaced.

Mask revealed himself along with three others exactly like him, "Like I said, you've never fought an Expert like me."

"Enough with your tricks! Fight like a true warrior."

"I'm no warrior." All four Masks split apart and dived towards him. A flurry of combat devolved around them with Johannes on the defensive.

The Paladin cursed under the pressure of the mystic assault. His study of magic was rudimentary and barely at the intermediate level. To destroy the illusions he needed to rely on his Aura, a resource that he had been using too much of already. Though Strike was an efficient style, there was no telling how many more illusions Mask could launch at him. As such for the first time in a long while, Johannes begun to feel a cold sweat.

Far in the distance along the walls of Toren, two others watched the fight as it started. Chloe held a pair of binoculars, her grip on the tool tight with anxiety as she watched Mask repeatedly fall against the Paladin's sword, only to fade to nothing. The fear that one would be real and she would watch him be cut down was palpable.

"No need to grip so hard," the Handler commented as she hefted the large bag she was holding onto the wall's ledge. "I've got his back."