Shadows of Treachery

The corridor twisted and turned as Leo and Antony pushed deeper into the conspirators' hideout. The air was colder now and had a faint metallic tang to it which sent a shiver running along Leo's spine. Rune-Blade pulsed in his hand with rhythmic glow; its light cast eerie shadows on the stone walls, moistened by the water seeping into them.

Antony led, sword drawn, his stance tense as he glanced over at Leo. "You're holding up better than I thought you would," he said, with a small inflection of amusement above the gravity of the seriousness.

Leo snorted, wiping sweat from his brow. "For a man who has never set eyes on ancient Rome and has just fought a small army?"

Antony smiled, but said nothing. He gazed again down the corridor, and heard dim murmurings of far-off voices.

As they went under the arch, they quickened their pace. Over the arch, the conspirators stood in a dark chamber, talking low and zealously. Cassius stood among them, gesticulating freely as he addressed them.

"This dagger is no common one, not by any means," he said curtly. "They are better than I thought for; if we underrate them again, they will prove our undoing.".

One of the conspirators was an elongated man with a scarring mark crossing his cheek. "What are we to do? We could hardly escape with life!"

Cassius's lips curled into a cold smile. "We do what we came here to do: plan Caesar's downfall. But first, we make sure those two pests do not leave this place alive."

Leo and Antony exchanged a look, their expressions stern. He leaned forward and whispered, "If we make the attack now, perhaps they will not be prepared for us. Are you up to it?"

Leo nodded, tightening his grip on the Rune-Blade. "Finish it."

But before he could spring the trap, Cassius's eyes snapped to the hallway. His smile smoothed into a calculating expression and, his voice carrying over the murmuring, said: "They're here.".

Leo froze. How could he have known?

Cassius turned to his men. "You know what to do," he said.

The conspirators escape through the door at the far end of the room, leaving Cassius and only a few armed guards. Cassius lingers, his sharp eyes scanning along the dark corridor as if to speak directly to Leo and Antony.

"I commend your persistence," he said, his voice echoing down the hallway. "But persistence without caution leads to folly."

With a flick of his wrist, the guards leveled their swords and charged. Cassius moved backward toward the corridor to which the other conspirators had withdrawn. The jeering smile burned into Leo's mind as he retreated past the heavy door with its massive wooden paneling.

"Coward," Antony spat under his breath, stepping forward with his blade raised.

Leo raised his hand. "Hold on. He blew these creeps a whistle just for a lark; they can't be diversions over. We will have to play cagey.".

He nodded unwillingly, the stiffening in his body telling enough about his irritation.

The guards ran towards him, their boots stamping into the stone floor. Leo's blade came alive and his blade was bathed with glowing runes that seem to recognize the danger. He set his grip and concentrated himself as he recalled what he had learned earlier.

"Unleash Rune Strike," Leo whispered and cast the spell. The blade throbbed in response, and he swung it in a broad arc. A shock of energy exploded from the weapon as it slammed into the oncoming guards. Two were knocked back, armor clattering as they struck the earth, unconscious.

Antony did not waste any time and lunged at another attacker. His swordsmanship was so precise that every movement seemed calculated and efficient. He felled his opponent with one stroke and then spun to face another.

Meanwhile, Leo was surrounded by two guards who circled him like wolves. They lunged in tandem, forcing him to duck and weave. His agility enabled him to move in surprising ways, dodging their strikes and countering with swift slashes of his blade.

The fight was brutal, the room not yielding much space. He hammered down each step; sweat dribbled on Leo's face as he parried another blow with his arm screaming in pain. He knew Antony had managed to defeat the last but did not have time to give that a second thought.

A little muddle. One of the guards blindsided Leo, slapping the hilt of his weapon against the side of Leo's chest. Pain exploded in his ribs as he crumpled forward, gasping for air. The other guard raised his sword for the final blow.

In a desperate lunge, Leo thrust upward. His Rune-Blade crackled with power, runes shining bright. He sent the guard's sword flying to pieces, a force which sent him into the air across the room.

He looks to Leo and then to Antony, hesitates, then flings down his sword and runs.

Antony moved forward, a little panted as he took in the aftermath. "Well fought," he said, his voice grudgingly impressed. Leo winced, laid his hand against his flank.

 "That's a first-nice try." They turned to the door which Cassius had made his escape. It loomed before them, dark and foreboding. 

Antony laid his hand on the handle, glancing over at Leo. "You ready for this next thing? Leo tightened his grip on his knife. "Not really, but we don't have a choice," he replied.

 A nod from Antony and he pushed open the door, stepping out into the next corridor. The air was thicker here, the flickering torchlight casting long, menacing shadows. In the distance, they listened to voices—the plotters, who had gathered and awaited. Cassius's voice cut above the rest, sharp and taunting. "Bring them on," he said.

"We are prepared. With beating hearts in chests, Leo and Antony moved forward: It is, literally, the last stand, and stakes can never go higher.