Chapter 23 - The Fatality Clause
There was a brief absence of immediate effect, leaving Lukas both worried and contemplative. What exactly was he expecting? He was not abandoned, however, and after only a short few seconds, Wood Nymphs burst into the clearing, charging the elves with their spears.
Green magic swirled around Lukas, filling up his HP pool and topping it off. He glanced back and saw the Wood Nymph Queen rushing to his side. Hell yeah, Lukas thought as he basked in the excitement and adrenaline of the moment.
"Do you want me to make you invisible?" Gwyn asked, guessing what was about to happen.
"No," Lukas said coldly. "I want them to remember my face from this night for the rest of their lives." He also wanted Gwyn to retain her Vigor boost; as angry as he was, he hadn't let it completely blind him.
His responsibility as a Dominant resonated within him stronger than ever. His girls were injured; they had been targeted and brutally attacked. They were depending on him. They needed him, and he swore that he would not let them down. He was their protector, and he would not accept failure.
In a rash, but potent decision, Lukas quickly used his recent level up to upgrade his Obedience skill, giving him more stats for his next move. He unleashed his Praise ability and sprang into action, with vengeance coursing through his veins.
He only made it a few steps, however, before yet another team of Anorans surged onto the battlefield. Lukas snarled at his misfortune, as he witnessed the odds seemingly worsen. His mood quickly lightened, however, when he watched a former opponent pull back his bowstring and launch an arrow at the Arkmere Mages. Edricht and his team had arrived, and they were intent on leveling the playing field.
The Mimic followed close behind Edricht. Using a borrowed lightning spell from Laera, he struck the golem that was lumbering towards Lukas. Lukas and the queen lunged forward, thrusting their weapons at the damaged golem. The rocky giant crumbled under their joint impact. Lukas selected his next target and surged forward.
Meanwhile, Vaymor tossed a mana potion at Laera. "Drink this. I need your magic." Though surprised at the gift, the young mage wasted no time downing the potion.
Emboldened by his magical immunity and the presence of his agile, royal ally, Lukas swiftly crippled a mage with a flurry of strikes, then removed the threat entirely with a knockout blow. The attacking mages, many of whose powerful spells were still on cooldown, found their feeble attempts at breaking the counter-offensive useless against Lukas, as his defenses effectively rebuffed their magic. The tide of battle clearly began to shift as both Edricht's team and the wood nymph minions each took down an enemy. Fear that had been so liberally dished out by the Anorans began to reflect back onto their faces. The hunters had become the hunted.
Thinking quickly, Laera cast her Ultimate on the leader of the Arkmere Mages. "Lukas! The one with the purple staff has a gem." Though too busy to respond, Lukas instinctively redirected his focus based on her advice.
The Mimic's eyes widened with excitement as he copied Laera's Ultimate. "What is this spell?!" Following the younger mage's strategy, he reached into the mind of an archer on the other opposing Anoran team.
Lukas' blades slashed across the mage's shoulder, causing him to drop his purple staff. He and the nymph queen had easily overwhelmed his physical defenses. "Give me the gem and I might let you walk out of here on your own two feet," Lukas growled at the elf, slamming the hilt of his right sword into his nose.
The diminutive mage's eyes widened when he realized what Lukas was after. Even with his bloodied nose and multiple arrows stuck deep within his torso, he still found the courage to spit at Lukas. "Fuck off, hatchling," the short elf griped and then activated a speed enchantment in his boots. With unnatural swiftness, he retreated beyond Lukas' reach.
The tall Dominant was about to tie the escaping Anoran down with his Ultimate, but his forest-dwelling partner beat him to it. Roots sprung out the ground and snagged the mage's ankles, turning his unnatural speed into his literal downfall.
The Wood Nymph Queen trotted over to her ensnared prey. "Give my king what he desires, or I'll take it from your lifeless corpse." She placed the tip of her spear against his throat for emphasis.
"You can't!" the mage yelled, rallying his defiance. "It would violate the Fatality Clause. It's against the law."
The queen glared down at her captive. "Foolish elf! I am only governed by the laws of nature. Hand it over. I will not ask again."
The Anoran shook his head with stubborn confidence. The wood nymph's lips curled into a ferocious smile. With one thrust of her spear, there were suddenly only four Arkmere Mages instead of five.
Lukas felt a surge of warmth within his core, silently announcing the arrival of his fifteenth level. The forest queen picked up a radiating blue gem off the recently deceased body and presented it to her king. He accepted the gem with gratitude, attempting to summon a sense of remorse for the elf's fate, but finding none.
Nearby, an elven archer struggled in a similar root-like entrapment, unaware that it was not the Wood Nymph Queen controlling her bindings. Vaymor crept over. "She'll come for you next," he whispered. "The gem isn't worth your life. Hand it over, and I'll help you escape."
The Anoran Ranger hesitated only briefly, clearly shaken by the fate that had befallen the mage. Begrudgingly, she handed the gem over. "Pleasure doing business," the Mimic said with a chuckle. He then dispelled the entrapment spell he'd just borrowed. The freed archer scampered into the forest.
The forest returned to an eerie silence. The Anoran attack party had fled, leaving behind four of their comrades: three unconscious, one dead. Lucy remained out cold, but Gemma was starting to stir. Fiona and Laera had been hit hard, but were already back on their feet. Gwyn remained healthy, thanks to her Domiant's efforts to shield her, and was bouncing around triaging her teammates' injuries. She was spending most of her efforts on getting their Ranger back up on her feet.
Edricht approached Lukas slowly, surveying the scene as he traversed the clearing. "I can't believe you just took on ten of the most powerful Anoran Adventurers and came out on top," he exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief.
"I had help," Lukas replied, offering his unexpected ally a gracious nod. Then he glanced over to where the forest queen had been regrouping her forces. He was unsurprised to see that they had already disappeared into the dark and tangled depths of the Mystic Forest.
Lukas furrowed his brow, still puzzled by his elven allies. "Did my 'King of the Wood Nymphs' summon you?" he asked tentatively.
"Yeah," Edricht replied. "It was crazy! A glowing white stag jumped in front of us and began loping through the forest, leading us straight to you."
"Really?" Lukas questioned.
The elf burst into laughter. "Nah, I'm fucking with you. I have no idea what you are talking about. We heard the clash of a battle and came to investigate."
Lukas mentally chided himself for being a dumb ass. "Well, thank you for your help. Your timing was spectacular."
"Don't mention it," Edricht said. "We found a gem earlier in the night but it turned out to be a fake. Probably a capital team being a bunch of shitbags. You gave us an opportunity to snatch a real one and stay in the tournament." The elf then sneered at one of the fallen enemies, who was slowly regaining consciousness. "We don't like bullies, either."
"We should head back before they decide they want their gems back," Lukas suggested.
Edricht nodded. "The gems are ours now. Let's disarm the three we have here. I'll take care of Aephas' body. I don't think you can even begin to comprehend what's about to unfold in the next few days."
"Am I about to become Anora's most wanted?" Lukas asked grimly. The weight of what had just happened suddenly hit him. Not only were his actions likely to anger a lot of Anorans, but his team's ability to continue in the tournament may have just been jeopardized. He hadn't been the one wielding the spear, but it would not be far-fetched for someone to pin the mage's death on him.
"Much deeper than that," Edricht responded. "Lukas, the events tonight might trigger an Anoran civil war. Luckily, I think Dreyfus is too arrogant to have prepared a contingency plan."
"I just wanted to participate in the tournament," Lukas said with a grim expression.
"Let's get out of this forest, then," Edricht urged. "On to round three!"
Gemma and Lucy were sitting up but still looked shaken and disoriented.
"Here," Edricht said, offering Lukas their bonus health potion. "I'll need your team ready to fight -- just in case."
Lukas accepted the potion and jogged over to his girls. By the time his team was up and ready to travel, another Anoran mage had awakened with a groan. He looked around, bewildered, unable to fathom the idea that his team had been defeated yet again. His eyes then fell on his dead team member. "You killed Aephas?!"
"Not quite," Edricht replied coolly "He pissed off some royal forest nymph and got the pointy side of the spear in his neck. We're heading out, so unless you want to be left in the Mystic Forest, low on health and without your staff, I would suggest you come with us."
Edricht's tank hefted the dead elf over his shoulder; Lukas picked up the last remaining unconscious Anoran. They began their trek back to Celestia, keeping their eyes peeled for trouble.
They reached the forest's edge without incident. Emerging from the tree line, they captured the attention of an awaiting crowd. Torchlight illuminated their approach, and the audience erupted in cheers. However, as they drew nearer, murmurs swept through the throngs, accompanied by gasps of disbelief.
As Lukas and Edricht led their ragged group out of the Mystic Forest, the atmosphere shifted. The cheers from the spectators started to fade, overshadowed by whispers of astonishment and rising tension. The sight of their group, especially the fallen Arkmere Mage slung over the elven tank's shoulder, only fueled the speculation.
"Look at them!" one spectator exclaimed, wide-eyed. "Did they fight the Anorans again?"
"What happened in there?" another voice chimed in, filled with a mix of awe and concern.
Lukas kept his head high, but inside, a storm of emotions brewed. He was proud of their victory but also acutely aware of the weight of their actions. The crowd parted, making way for them as they stepped further into the light.
Simultaneously, two groups surged forward to intercept the returning Adventurers. One was led by a tall tournament director, his expression serious and authoritative, while the other was headed by a sneering Anoran.
"Aephas has been killed?" Dreyfus bellowed. He jabbed an accusatory finger in Lukas' direction, despite one of Edricth's team carrying the body. Dreyfus' insistence on blaming Lukas told him all he needed to know. "We cannot stand by and let this affront go unpunished. I demand that their entire team be arrested at once!"
"Dreyfus!" Jaren exclaimed, his voice rising above the commotion. "You will hold your tongue or you will be the one that is dragged away in chains. I will confer with the observers that were embedded in each team to get the full story. Only then will I, as the tournament director, determine the appropriate disciplinary actions. Simon, Geno, I need you to accompany me to the Pegasus Guild Hall. Captain Horton, please ensure that Dreyfus does not harass my participants further."
Jaren spun around and stormed off. The two moderators he'd called out moved quickly to keep pace with his long strides. When they filtered out of sight, Dreyfus' anger boiled over. His mouth twisted into a scowl of hatred. He took a threatening step toward Lukas, but was halted by the guards.
"You're dead," he growled, his eyes blazing with fury. "Your team is dead. You've declared war on us."
