Chapter 17 You’re just small fry

Yunis closely followed Aelarion as he carefully moved into the first courtyard. His eyes continued to scan the entire area for any sign of movement. As Aelarion moved, he used his magic to detect the traps and nimbly disable them. 

In this way, they were able to successfully scale through the first courtyard without any harm. However, passing through the second courtyard would not prove to be so uneventful. Immediately Aelarion and Yunis entered it, they were accosted by Nyssa's assassins. These assassins flocked from the shadows and flashed their blades in the dim light.

Always ever with sharp reflexes and instincts, Aelarion's immediately mentally activated his defence magic. This helped to shield them from the worst of the attacks. However, they still did not find it easy to deal with the relentless attacks of the assassins.

"Try to take them out quickly," Aelarion instructed. Yunis held his sword ready and his eyes glowed with determination as he nodded.

"Provide some cover for me. I want to do something about this." Aelarion said.

Yunis then charged forward, wielding his sword with precision. Aelarion used his hands to weave spells of light and dark magic as he followed Yunis.

In this way, Yunis physically attacked while Aelarion hurled his powerful and hard-to-deal-with spells at them. After all, mixing up spells of light and dark magic together lent an unexpected quality that his opponents found hard to deal with. Even though the assassins were skilled, they were no match for this combined approach. Their bodies crumbled to the ground as they fell, one after the other.

After the last assassin fell, Aelarion and Yunis proceeded to the next courtyard. This courtyard looked to be the most dangerous one yet. A figure stood in the middle of the courtyard with cold and calculating eyes. Zarek finally had enough and wanted to put an end to the resistance. Dark energy crackled around him, forming a veritable armour that protected him from harm.

"I cannot congratulate you for making it this far," Zarek said. His cold voice echoed through the entire courtyard. "...because this is where your journey comes to an end. Make sure you savour these last moments well."

Yunis maintained a tight grip on his sword and Aelarion kept his hands at the ready with magic glowing on them. "Act if you want to act. Don't bore us with useless talk. We have a Dark Enchanter to catch and you are just small fry." Aelarion sneered.

"Very well then. Let's see you back up your words." Zarek replied with curled lips. 

Zarek hurled a torrent of dark energy at them with a wave of his hand and Aelarion countered it with a burst of light. The area lit up in a brilliant explosion as the light and dark magic clashed. On his part, Yunis bravely charged forward and aimed his sword at Zarek's heart. 0

However, Zarek moved with dexterous speed and dodged Yunis's attack, stepping out of immediate range of the sword. He then immediately countered with a blade of dark energy. His ability to form a blade from dark shadows showed that his title as a master Shadow Adept was well earned. Yunis only managed to block the blade but his arms trembled from the force of the strike.

"Concentrate, Yunis!" Aelarion yelled in a steady voice. 

Yunis acknowledged the warning and further tightened his grip on his sword. Aelarion watched out for opportunities and openings to hurl bolts of light or dark magic.

The brilliant press of both Aelarion's magic and Yunis's sword kept Zarek off balance for a while. The courtyard echoed with the sounds of Yunis's sword being struck with deadly precision and clashing with Zarek's shadow blade while crackling magic continued to course between Zarek and Aelarion.

You should have stayed in the shadows

Something was bound to give and Zarek gradually realised he was outmatched as the battle reached its climax. He initially wanted to test his mettle against Aelarion and Yunis but he now signalled for reinforcements. Nyssa came out from the shadows with eyes burning with lethal intent.

"I wondered when you would appear. You should have stayed in the shadows, Nyssa," Aelarion sneered with ridicule. He had already sensed the presence of Nyssa in the shadows right from when they entered the first courtyard. "Now you'll have to face the light." He added in a voice that was filled with determination.

"We'll just have to see about that. Won't we?" Nyssa replied, her lips curled in a sneer.

Nyssa now displayed her skills not just as a Master Shadow Adept but also as a Master Assassin by bursting into speed and attacking. Yunis could not see her blades because they became a blur that struck with deadly precision.

Yunis did his best to block and parry her strikes while Aelarion used his magic to counter her attacks. 

The relentless attack that Zarek earlier faced was eased. He saw an opening and hurled a deadly burst of dark energy at Aelarion. However, Yunis was better positioned to see the attack and he threw himself in front of the attack. It was a good thing that Aelarion had a mental shield that was ready to activate instantly. 

He activated the shield and it absorbed the brunt of Zarek's attack.

"Yunis!" Aelarion shouted as his eyes widened with concern.

"I'm okay," Yunis grunted and pushed himself off the floor. "Let's finish this."

Realising that the situation was getting riskier, Aelarion became more serious and his eyes became colder with increased determination. He shouted and summoned all his strength for a devastating attack. What came out was a blinding combination of light and dark magic as Aelarion unleashed his power. It did not matter that Zarek and Nyssa were positioned differently. The light seemed to have eyes as they struck Zarek and Nyssa with unlimited force.

Zarek's dark armour barrier shattered in a deafening crack, and his flesh burned from the strike. He slumped to the ground and his body was lifeless and smoking due to the intensity of the attack. 

Nyssa's eyes widened in shock. Although she was gravely injured, she managed to find the presence of mind and will to escape into the shadows. Her presence dissolved like mist into the night.

"She must not get away! If we let her, she will return with reinforcements and delay our mission." Yunis turned to Aelarion and complained urgently. 

Such constraints were nothing for Aelarion

Aelarion agreed with a nod and prepared to pursue Nyssa in the shadows, but before he could, a retinue of city patrol officers hurried into the alley and surrounded them. The insignia of Volaris city was visible on the uniform of the officers but Yunis could see their eyes glinting with malevolent intent. It was clear to both of them that these were Mordak's agents. They must be the final gambit by Zarek and Nyssa. One meant to be a delaying tactic to delay their pursuit of Varrick.

"Surrender and drop your weapons!" the lead officer shouted. His commanding voice echoed loudly in the narrow space. 

Yunis gave a worried glance at Aelarion. Could they afford to be delayed further? Aelarion understood however that while they could not delay too much, they also couldn't afford a direct confrontation with these officers as it could escalate into a political incident. 

Nonetheless, he subtly signalled to Yunis. Then he initiated a flurry of movements by first conjuring a blinding flash of light. Yunis immediately understood. The blinding light disoriented the officers for a moment and Yunis seized the opportunity. He slipped through them and disappeared into the nearby labyrinthine of alleys. 

When the officers recovered and saw only Aelarion standing calmly with hands raised in surrender, they knew they had little chance of chasing Yunis and successfully re-apprehending him. The network of alleys in Volaris was too complex and he could have taken one of many routes.

With a scowl, the lead officer ordered. "Send him to the guardroom!. We'll interrogate and process him tomorrow."

His escort officers were highly on the alert as they marched Aelarion through the streets of Volaris. But he didn't bother making an escape attempt. He already had an escape plan in mind for later. 

The city guardroom was known for being an impregnable fortress. It was fully equipped with advanced security tech and there were high level magical wards that were designed by the city of Volaris to prevent shadow walking and other methods of magical escape.

Aelarion was remanded in a small, dimly lit cell. With the security measures in place, they did not bother to leave so many guards. Aelarion simply closed his eyes and waited for things to settle.

Not long after, he allowed his mind to reach beyond the constraints of his physical surroundings. To all intents and purposes, Aelarion was relaxing with his eyes closed but his mental energy was busy. He traced the intricate web of magical wards and tried to understand the nature of security tech that were designed to contain prisoners.