30th of Rubicon, 1671.
Gregorio Tavros Cirillo, the previous Duke of the Cirillo Family, and the previous wielder of the twin-bladed Gae Bolg, Mantra Blade, one of a set of sibling spears. The single-headed spear, Solas na Marbh, held by the God Emperor of Salvantis, Alphius Marcus Major. The twin-headed spear, Gae Bolg, held by the aforementioned Gregorio Tavros Cirillo, and then the Saol Marbh, a Trident embedded into a tree within Osuna. Mantra Blades, all.
As the month of Rubicon met its close in 1673, the Hero King Ilias, along with General Gregorio and the High Emperor, Laventrios Uvenes Ucitiel, met with the God Emperor of Salvantis, whose lands consisted mostly of grasslands and very little forestry. They met on one of these grassy fronts, wind catching at their cloaks.
Alphius was a smaller man, sporting silver hair and a piercing amber gaze, clad in red cloth. He sat upon a throne set down by his men, the red-headed Tyranis Major standing by his side while Constans Deusdedit headed the group.
"The Great Imperator will speak!" The older man shouted, stepping aside as the younger Emperor looked out, watching the most important figures of Haflastus stand in front of them.
The High Emperor of Haflastus looked weak in comparison to the two Juggernauts that stood beside him. Laventrios was a thin-looking man with a placid expression, a thick moustache that sat above their lip. They seemed to have fitted the man with Karmaplate for this occasion.
Alphius took a breath before speaking. "You stand before the God Emperor of Salvantis. You have called us for a meeting of sorts?"
The High Emperor took a step forward. "I wish to negotiate... especially due to recent news."
"And that is?"
"We have found the forge. The Forge of Creation... deep within the Abyssal Plains."
A moment of silence encompassed their surroundings for a moment.
"I am sure you have heard of the prophecy by now."
"I have."
"I call for a temporary truce. This war has grown too troublesome."
"Do I get something from this truce?"
"I only call it, so that the day when that moon comes... it will be a fair bout between the lot of us. I only ask to stop the war. I cannot drag more innocent people into this conflict, not when there is no purpose."
"And you wish to give it purpose."
"You need only wait until the eye looks down upon us all."
"No."
Laventrios sighed with closed eyes. "I figured."
"I will pull back my forces."
Laventrios shared a pinched expression with his cohort. "What?"
"I will not stop this war. But I won't.. press, I suppose." They smiled.
"Why would you even do that? Isn't that effectively the same thing?"
"No, it is not, because I will still move to take land from the other nations. I will just... ease up a little. I can confirm... I will completely stop pressing forces against Haflastus's Wall. I promise that much."
"We will still support our allies."
"And I expect no less."
After the meeting, back in Haflastus. Gregorio sighed, removing the Karmaplate hugging his body within the High Palace of Haflastus. "What is that child thinking?" Gregorio complained. His Karmaplate was unique, an Artifact from the Dungeons that could encompass the whole body, interlaced pieces of metal leaving no gaps within the metal.
Laventrios looked to Gregorio as he began fitting himself in more proper attire. "Are you still planning to visit Ezekiel in Sitaarnujum?"
"I am. His Qaela is calling for my family to visit you know."
"Well... be careful. We never know what Salvantis could be up to."
"They'd have to have both that Emperor of theirs, Constans, and that red-haired bastard to bring me down, plus... It's foolish to even think of stepping into Ezekiel's territory-- the damned Djinn carries the Nartakee, for God's sake. Forces all carrying False Blades of their own. We'll be fine. Probably even safer there than Cirillo at this rate."
"Just be careful, friend."
Gregorio left by Landliner, making his way back to the Duchy of Cirillo. A landing bay was set for the ship to land, slowly descending and clasped by a metal landing latch that clasped the hull of the Landliner. Gregorio exited the captain's quarters, making his way onto the docks, led by his soldiers, back to his estate.
Once he had arrived, opening the doors to his home, he was met by a hug coming from a young girl, just barely reaching his waist in height. Kleio, 8 years old, accompanied by Kassandra Choreftria Cirillo, who held onto a 7-year-old Kristina, grasping at her mother's collar.
Gregorio smiled, approaching his wife, holding the small hand of Kleio with one hand. "Sono a casa, amore mio. It has been... a long couple of days."
"I could imagine, amore. Are we still joining Ezekiel for dinner this year?"
"Yes, we'll be visiting the Sitaar in a week."
"Zio Ezekiel?" Kris questioned, a smile on her face.
Kassandra chuckled. "Yes, we will be visiting your zio."
Gregorio looked to Kleio, still by his side. Even at 8 years old, she still held herself strong, her back straightened, sporting a larger build than the average kid her age. Amongst the Cirillos, she wasn't an outlier, but amongst other noble children, she was. Taller than normal, more muscle than normal. And... even at such a young age, in touch with the system of the world. Already an Elioud. "Kleio," Greg spoke up. "Go get your brothers to start preparing, we leave in three days."
"So early?" Kassanda cocked a brow, Kleio running past her to send her father's message.
"It'll take us at least two days to arrive in Sitaarnujum, even on a Landliner."
"Fair enough." Kassandra paused. "Are you bringing your plate?"
"Can never be too cautious, and who knows when Ezekiel will challenge me to a duel again."
"Fair enough."
"Will you?"
Kassandra considered her options for a moment. "I may. I'll be bringing my whip, so I might as well."
Golair Bolsanaro Cirillo, eldest child of the Cirillo family, ran down to the lobby of the estate. "Father." They crossed over, looking at Gregorio. "You look good."
"What are you checking for?"
"I dunno. Sometimes you come back with gashes the size of my arm."
"Golair."
"Hm?"
"Is Goma coming with us? I know he has an aversion to festivities, but I wanted to be sure."
"He has an aversion, but he loves our zio just as much as Kris."
"Good to know. Make sure to bring any weapons, just in case."
"Huh, why?"
Gregorio shrugged. "Tensions are high out there, and being out of the country causes concern. Don't want you all to be stabbed randomly wandering around Sitaar attempting to sightsee."
Golair chuckled. "Alright, we'll bring weapons."
Kleio ran back to her father. "Brothers have been notified."
"Indeed, we have." Golair waved to the small Kleio, who waved at him back, quickly turning back towards her father with a pinched expression.
Gregorio chuckled, kneeling to meet her gaze. "Look at you, little lady. You sure look strong." He pinched her cheek.
"Do I?" She said with a lisp, struggling to speak as her father jostled her around by her face.
Outside, a fourteen-year-old Caladan faced off against the sixteen-year-old Goma, blades clashing against one another. Gregorio exited the estate, finding them both in the training grounds.
Caladan struggled against Goma's onslaught of attacks, even with a spear in hand, the reach practically giving the fighter zero advantages due to Goma's prowess with the blade.
Greg did two loud claps to gain their attention, and both of the apprentice warriors looked in his direction. "Training, are we?"
Goma sighed. "Papa, you're back. How was the meeting?"
"Alphius is as unreadable as ever. Has no good intentions, but for now, all we can do is proceed with our lives. Caladan, get any stronger last time I've seen you?"
Caladan groaned. "Trying..."
Goma pursed his lips. "You need to get strong enough to protect our Kleio, got it?"
"I think she'll be fine on her own when she gets older."
"You need to get strong enough to protect Kris, got it?"
Caladan raised a hand. "Can we decide on who I get to protect after I become a knight first?"
Gregorio crossed over to a weapon rack on the training grounds. "Becoming a Knight is hard business, you hear? The process becomes easier if you're Elioud, though."
"I'm not gambling on a storm."
Gregorio chuckled, leaving the children to their spars.
***
3rd of Paefsi, 1671
The Cirillo family steps onto the Landliner, prepared to go on their journey to the country of Sitaarnujum. A massive living space sits in the main cabin of the Landliner, the furniture bolted down within the cabin. The outside deck wasn't impossible to stand on, and there was a substantial amount of room for people to lounge on, but it was generally safer inside due to any stray debris.
Captain quarters are connected through a set of stairs at the back of the Landliner, and down the hallway leading back into the main cabin are various small capsule rooms for each person on the ship. Right across from the rooms is the kitchen and a recreational room with various plants set about on small cabinets and a small library for anyone who wanted to pass their time with a good read.
And with that, they set off on their journey, the Liner unlatched from the Docks of Cirillo and let loose, gliding slightly above the ground, avoiding roads so as not to crash into any trains or caravans.
And the path is thus. They were to ride to Sajungdr, passing through the gate and proceeding south to the country of sandy dunes that was Sitaarnujum.
Gliding through the air, Kassandra guided her daughters to the outside deck so they could watch the land outside, blue against the speed of their landliner. A feeling like this would be something you can't forget. Cold air passing through your hair and clothes, eyes wide at the sights that greet you, and just as quickly leaving as you move onto the next view on this journey through the continent.
Time passed, and the second day arrived on this journey, getting closer and closer to their destination.
After leaving Sajungdr, they passed through the Jarldom of Nade, then rounded through Kirlaand, avoiding the territory of the Papal state that is the Warmth of the Land, religious zealots of an old order, believing humanity to be the original species of the world. They worship the planet itself, a simple religion, with violent zealots in their midst.
Once reaching Kirlaand, they made a straight path through a small independent state known as Pustynna Przepasc. A hard-to-understand language they share, and the land itself is mostly comprised of forestry. Luckily, Landliners have countermeasures against this, essentially using the trees as a lift-off zone instead of the Earth itself.
The problem is, once they exit the forest region, the Landliner itself will dip down back into the Earth, forcing everyone on the ship to stay inside. If they're on the outer deck, they'd be sent plummeting.
Finally, then, Sitaarnujum was within their reach. The trees and shrubbery making way for red, sandy dunes.
Tribes waved at the Landliner as it passed by, slowing down, adapting to the waves of sand that Sitaarnujum is comprised of. Kleio and Kris waved back, large smiles on their faces, surprised by the unique racial differences they could see in each of the individual tribes they passed by. Some Kalpit sharing characteristics of a beetle, while some fly at great speeds like dragonflies, emitting a loud buzzing noise in response.
Amongst those dunes stood large hive-like towers, sparsely placed across the land. Most likely, rest stops for the Nomadic Tribes of the Kalpit, while the Djinn caravans were presented through long lines of animals and men alike, clad in a reddish attire reflecting the sand from under them, masks donned on their faces.
Eventually, they had arrived at the docks of Sitaarnujum, latched into place, and were ushered off the ship, soon arriving at a clearing directly outside. From afar, a resplendent-looking young Djinn with dark skin, pointed ears, and hair that almost reflected the night sky approached, eyes clouded as they were blind.
Gregorio stepped forward, a confident grin on his face. "We've arrived, Ezekiel, my friend!"
Ezekiel chuckled, approaching the group. "It is a pleasure to be in your presence again, pietra." He blinked, tapping what looked to be a staff on the ground over in the direction of Gregorio's family. "And to your lovely wife and children as well."
Gregorio looked appalled at what he was looking at. "Y-Y-- Are you using your blade as a cane?"
Ezekiel chuckled once more. "I like to make the most out of the items I use."
"And using a Mantra Blade as a cane is making the most out of your item?"
"I do not need to use it as a blade... at the moment." And then the Djinn laughed, spinning on the balls of his feet. "Come, I will take you to my Qaela."
Kleio mumbled. "That's a Mantra Blade?"
Gregorio noticed his daughter speaking. "The cane?"
She nodded.
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Oh~"
The sheath of the blade carried what looked to be stars engraved on the base of the weapon that roiled like the waves of an ocean, the handle itself being closer to that of the hilt of a katana, wrappings separated in diamond shapes along the grip, having no guard.
The Qalea itself, carried in by an elevator set at the bottom of this massive brutalist monument. The building itself was set steadily upon multiple, nearly unbreakable pillars.
The inside of this monolith is comprised of slick limestone walls that intertwine themselves like a maze with one another, sharing five different floors that comprise the entire castle. The first floor is for the workers of the estate, each and every one of them being provided with a room equivalent to an apartment in terms of spacing and quality. The second floor is the lobby and ballroom, a place where a lot more of the fanciful iconography in the estate appears, whilst the remainder of the estate lacks that sort of style and luster. The third floor was for guests, sporting a personal dining room, a living room, and various personal bedrooms for people to stay in, mostly sectioned out for more important people who have come visiting Sitaarnujum. The second floor seems to be the personal training area of the Alqayid, Ezekiel. And the first floor is Ezekiel's quarters.
The Cirillo family made their way to the third floor, escorted into a dining room with a full platter already set out for them. Ezekiel turned to Gregorio's children, a smile on his face as he made it to one end of the table. "I bet you've never had Sitaar, cooking, no?" He sat down. "We eat with our hands. Go, sit."
Golair chuckled, sitting down with his family, Gregorio sitting at the other end of the table along with his wife. Golair spoke up. "We have plenty of dishes in Haflastus that require hands as well, zio."
"Yes, but you all still supplement yourselves with silverware, here and there, we purely use our hands here." Various bread dishes along with stews of various kinds, marinated chickens, and other delectable dishes were set out on the table.
Goma immediately dug in, ripping a piece of what looked to be a type of flatbread that contained various herbs and spices, using it to scoop up an almost amber-colored stew, using one hand to throw rice into his creation before eating it whole.
"He's eating like he's never eaten before." Golair laughed, who began assisting their smallest with their meals.
Ezekiel began eating as well, hands gliding around the table, feeling for anything that would meet his path before pulling it to his end. "How was your meeting with the Emperor of Salvantis?"
Gregorio's head perked up. "Awful. Same as before, always in control-- I pray for the day when our own Emperor took initiative for once."
"And here I was, praying that you all had finally convinced that bastard to end his war."
"He's causing problems for you all as well?"
"Djinn caravans keep turning up slaughtered, evidence of their machinations left in the wake of their chaos, defiling my people, taking what they please."
"I am surprised you have not declared war."
"The tribes do what they will. They can handle themselves. But... we are getting to a point. At some point, that 'God Emperor' will cross a line that they will not back out from, and when that happens, I will be waiting with baited breath."
"Vengeful, are we?"
"Of course."
Kassandra raised a hand. "I'd urge you to keep such grim topics away from the dinner table. Sorry to ask that in your own home, Alqayid."
"No, no. I welcome any critique. You are right, there are children here."
"I don't mind it," Goma commented. "I'm gonna have to be out there one day after all, hearin' this stuff is a lesson for me, no?"
Gregorio gave a pointed look to his daughters. "When they're older, then maybe." He motioned to Kleio and Kristina.
Kleio silently observed as she ate her food, which could barely fit in her mouth, causing her to almost fall off the table.
Gregorio ate his food, observing Ezekiel from across the table, suddenly prompting a question. "I know I've annoyed you about this before, but when do you believe that you'll find a lover of your own? You've always been a secluded sort, so I grow worried."
"By the Stars, you always ask this."
"Look, I don't care where your preferences lie, I just grow curious to if... I don't know, you'd find someone. I know you are... slow of aging, but I can't help but question it."
"That ship has long passed my friend, but if it were to occur once more, I will notify you first thing since you seem so expectant."
"You better, I see you as my brother, you know. I'd hate to be kept out of the loop."
Dinner finished without any problems or hiccups along the way, and soon enough, the children were put to bed. Kleio and Kristina were kept in a separate room, closely guarded.
It was a quiet night at first. Kleio was sleeping beside her sister in bed, the cold air outside seeping into the walls. Kleio groaned, eyes straining, a prickling feeling coming across her skin, looking to the door not too far from the foot of her bed, light peering through from lamps hanging outside. Kleio blinked, attempting to narrow her vision, focusing on the feeling that surrounded her. Shadows suddenly passed by the door in a flash, no sound coming from whatever could've caused the blockage of light from the hall outside her door. Kleio sat up, covering her sister, leaning to the side in an attempt to see better in the dark.
Thump! Something fell from the outside, lightly obscuring the light outside the doorway.
Kleio pressed her lips together, slowly shifting across her bed, hopping off, the slapping of her feet hitting the cold limestone below, before quickly making her way onto carpeting, almost bouncing off to it due to the sudden shock of the cold stone floor right beside it. Kleio gasped, pausing for a moment, staring at the floor that she had just stood upon, looking back at the door.
Kleio approached, lowering herself to the ground, and attempting to look under before seeing a shadow move close, blocking the light outside.
Kleio decided to retreat, quietly stepping back over to her bed, grabbing the nob of her drawer, slowly opening it, making sure to make as little noise as possible until opened enough that she could spot her knife within. Kleio let out a long and quiet breath before inhaling again, keeping it as long and as quiet as possible. She took the hilt into her hands, clutching it near her right breast. Kleio shuffled back to the bed, this whole time the door to her room slowly opened inch by inch, letting in more light from the outside.
Kleio fully lay herself down, hiding her knife hand beneath the cover, keeping her sister obscured, and closing her eyes. She focused on her ears, a stinging sensation setting in as the sound around her became louder, even the quiet steps of an assassin becoming audible as they approached, creeping slowly across the room.
This was a first for Kleio, never experiencing anything like this in her entire life, yet she had been trained for when such an occasion would occur. Not to mention her abilities as an Elioud gave her an intrinsic advantage for such a situation. She couldn't help but be nervous-- it was in her instincts and blood to handle a situation like this, but a sickening feeling overcame her. She was afraid, as a child should be. She tried being strong, and to herself, she failed.
Kleio noticed a second noise, another assassin following behind, loitering around the door, peering from behind them periodically— black silhouettes of their capes draped around them. The main Assassin approached the bed, raising their knife into the air. The exact second they brought their knife down onto Kleio, she quickly shifted her body and lunged forward, digging the tip of the knife she had been given straight into the neck of her assailant, who failed to react in time. Just as she failed to react to the blade that dug slightly into her side.
She groaned, the body of the assassin going limp, slipping down from the bed. The second assassin noticed all that occurred, freezing at the sight.
The assassin took in a deep breath, proceeding to jump from the ceiling, grasping onto the top of the bed causing the young girl to recoil as they swung onto the bed, kicking the young Kristina off as they took Kleio off-guard from behind, causing her to jump back, a stabbing motion hitting her in the arm, digging deep, blood spilling out and drenching her sleeve. The Assassin reeled their arm back again, repeatedly stabbing at Kleio, who dodged most of their attacks in a panic. Out of irritation, the assassin kicked her in the stomach, sending her to the floor. Kleio began coughing violently.
"Kleio!?" Kristina cried out from the floor as Kleio was left groaning.
"KRIS!" Kleio screamed, the assassin almost immediately lunging at Kristina, a shriek being spat out from her parted lips— she quickly jumped under the bed, causing the assassin to stumble, followed by a POP! that rang throughout the air, and the Assassin dropped dead.
Golair revealed himself from the doorway, carrying a gun in one hand, a blade in the other.
"Brother!" Kleio attempted to cross over to him but collapsed due to the loss of blood, Golair catching her. Kristina quickly followed, Golair picking her up in the other hand, and bringing them both to the bed.
Golair placed them down, grabbing the blanket near him and tearing a piece off from the bedding, wrapping it tightly around Kleio's arm, and tearing off another piece, tying it enough to cause a dense knot around her shoulder, the knot placed between her armpit. He then examined the wound on her stomach; luckily, the bleeding had already stopped, the cut itself being shallow.
"Squeeze here," He pointed, "Got it?" Kleio nodded, tightly pressing her arm against her body, letting the knot in her armpit do the work. Golair looked to his youngest sister, Kristina, lightly pushing her towards Kleio. "You two stay close…" He sighed, "Just… Just stay here."
"What happened to Brother? Father? M-Mother?" Kleio asked.
Golair slowly turned toward Kleio and Kristina, "I… I don't know yet."
"Goma… what happened to Goma?"
"I don't… I don't know Kleio."
Kleio could see in his expression, even at 8 years old, that she could see it. He knew, and Golair could tell that she knew.
Golair's expression became sour, but he recollected himself quickly, "I have to find Father." Golair crossed over to the door, turning back to his sisters, "Don't leave… okay…"
Kleio nodded, holding back tears, Kristina incessantly asked questions, bleating into her ear, attempting to hold back tears as well, much louder than her older sister. Golair left, Kleio looking to the ground, closing her eyes and swallowing her grief, holding Kristina close.
Golair returned to his room, where the corpse of his younger brother was, shocked that his Father had arrived before him. Gregorio looked down at his son's lifeless body with a stern expression on his face, jaw tightened, hands shaking. Gregorio closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I acted too late… I shouldn't have done that."
"F-Father n-"
Gregorio's gaze alone stopped Golair from saying anymore, "Golair…" Silence….
"What is it, Father?"
"Where is your Mother?" Gregorio questioned, eyes shifting to his left, looking over his shoulder to look toward a sound only he heard.
"I-I don't know I-"
Kassandra rounded the corner, her arm and foot bandaged, though in comparison it looked almost as if her ankle was hanging on a thread, left limping helplessly, "Greg, Son! Whe-" Kassandra stopped, quickly spinning around.
"Mother, stop!"
She halted, "What!? I want to see I-"
"They're fine! I already checked up on them!"
Kassandra's head whipped around frantically before locking eyes with her dead son's body, breathing becoming more frantic, tears welling up in her eyes. "W… W-Where is… Ezekiel?" Kassandra took in a deep breath, looking to the ceiling before running one hand through her hair, "I'll, fuck…" She broke out into a screaming fit, slicing a wall beside her.
"Mother! Calm down!"
"Ezekiel…" Gregorio mumbled, "I'll go look for him."
"Kleio!" Golair yelled, causing Gregorio and Kassandra to whip their heads around - Kristina was in tears, running to the group, screaming for her mother as Kleio attempted to control her, failing, barely able to stand up straight, pale and covered with blood. "What are you guy-!?"
Golair was cut off by an ear-piercing whistling coming from outside the Qalea, "Get down!" Gregorio screamed, grabbing Golair by his arm, running to Kleio and Kristina, and Kassandra, attempting to cross over to them. From outside the complex, multiple shells slammed against the Qalea, breaking through the walls, as rubble fell onto the city below, causing immediate chaos. There were four rounds, the first two rounds hitting two sides of the middle floor, which was the same floor that the Cirillo family resided in, and the next two rounds slamming against the topmost floor and the bottom floor. Each round caused the limestone walls to melt, which contributed to the damaged city below, not cooling down until a few minutes later, where all that was left was debris and the hardened and black, ashen remains of rail bullets.
This came from one thing, one thing that was set miles away. A Golem Railgun, something that could only be found in the Abyssal Plains or even dungeons. But in all of those cases, the weapons were out of commission. Somehow, in some way, these assassins had found a way to recreate such a devastating weapon, thought to be lost when the Dvergar faded into obscurity. These were the methods they were willing to take to kill a Mantra Blade Wielder, or maybe even two.
Once the dust settled and the ringing stopped, more assassins entered the building, surrounding everyone inside. Six assassins in total entered the middle floor, three on one side and three from across, almost looking as if they were levitating into the Palace.
"Bastards… The lot of you!" Gregorio growled - armor that wasn't there before now worn on his body— Karmaplate. Gregorio spun his Gae Bolg, slamming the butt of it into the ground, causing a red string to spread across the room. "Dhíthógáil," The armor on Gregorio's body was slightly melted, making it a struggle to move, but that doesn't stop him, making a wide stance and bringing his spear close to his hip, the string spread across the room being pulled toward him, tightly winding itself close to the tip of the spear, "Draíocht." two of the assassins believing this was a perfect opportunity for them to attack. Gregorio swung at one of the assassins, who retreated. Another one ambushing him from behind with a shotel, reeling their arm back over their head, causing it to glow, swinging at Gregorio, who spun around in response to the presence he felt behind him, jumping towards the assailant, who retreated before. The Assassin, the one now just behind Gregorio, goes in for a stab, aiming for the gaps in his armor, whilst the assailant in front of Gregorio has swung, a blue mass of energy, curved and sharp, quickly barreling toward Gregorio.
Not even a few seconds before both attacks reached Gregorio he pulled himself into the air, defying gravity, hanging in the air from his Gae Bolg, upside down, using the size to vault over one of the assassins, spinning his spear around and stabbing them in the ribs as they spun around to meet Gregorio face to face, the spear almost completely poking through the Assassin, his skin bulging out on the other side, most of the Gae Bolg's blade getting stuck in their stomach.
The assassin, equipped with a shotel, began rushing to Gregorio in an attempt to help their comrade, along with the other four Assassins, who began rushing him with spears.
Gregorio pulled his blade away from the impaled Assassin, pulling their intestines out with it, string-shredding pieces of flesh that could impede the sharpness of the Gae Bolg.
The assassin raised his shotel into the air, glowing once more and swinging down on Gregorio with a mighty blow that was blocked, but powerful nonetheless, sending Gregorio backward into a group of two assassins. "Stop this!" An assassin held Kleio hostage with a knife, carrying Kristina in the other arm passed out. "If you continue this, I'll kill them both!" Gregorio's eyes grew wide, straightening his posture and tightening the grip on his spear.
"You'll kill them regardless, yeah?"
The Assassin paused for a moment, "Yeah," The moment they even attempted to slit Kleio's throat, "Dhíthógáil," their arm came flying off, remnants of a red string left in its wake before getting their head cut off by Kassandra, grabbing Kristina and holding her in one arm just as the assassin fell.
Kassandra took a deep breath, closing her eyes and focusing on the sounds around her before opening them again. The two other Assassins who entered from the other side of the Qalea were both dead, one cleaved in two, and the other had their throat slit. Kassandra pushed Kristina onto Kleio, "Leave," She demanded, pointing in the opposite direction of the battle, "Kleio, you need to take your sister and leave."
"B-But…" Kleio glanced at her Mother's leg, completely mangled, with burn marks and melted skin. "You-You're hurt!"
"Kleio!" Kassandra silenced her daughter, "You need to go…"
Kleio shook her head, looking to her father, who had dealt with one of the other two assassins; the last one managed to cleave through a chunk of his armor. Gregorio took a deep breath, attempting to focus on the assailant in front of him— another ear-piercing whistling sound coming from outside interrupted this concentration. The Assassin attempted to take the opportunity to attack Gregorio, but instead was deflected just before running over to his daughter, and jumping on top of them, Kassandra saw a flash of light barreling in from outside, covering her daughters with Gregorio, hugging all of them, Karmaplate spreading across her body as well, just like her husband. The assassin quickly absconded, jumping away from the resulting explosion, more melted debris falling onto the city, Guards and Citizens alike attempting to recoup as quickly as possible, their efforts ending up being in vain.
The room was filled to the brim with steam, and the temperature was at an absurdly high level. Gregorio practically melted into the ground, his wife dead, lying not too far away from them, half of her body missing. Gregorio began breathing heavily, looking around the room, noticing the corpse of his first son, Golair, before looking down at the two children he had protected, struggling to stay alive, drenched in sweat and blood, long dried from the heat which permeated around them. Gregorio slowly rose, armor fused into his skin, scraps, and debris falling from his torso. A chill enraptured his body as repeated stinging sensations slammed against his back. Sputters of blood spilled from his lips, and through parted eyes attempted to look at his surroundings - perhaps the source of this pain. Multiple spears were dug into his body, and multiple Assassins greeted his gaze. Gregorio fell back to the ground, keeping his back in the air in an attempt not to crush the only children he had left.
"We need to take his weapon." One of the assassins spoke, Gregorio powerless to do anything, almost becoming completely still as crimson escaped his body. They pulled the Gae Bolg away from Gregorio, who still gripped it hard, causing the assassins to struggle, forced to pry it from his fingers, starting with using the butt of their hilt to break each bone individually. "Fuck it!" One cut his arm off.
An assassin grabbed the arm, prying the remaining fingers off the Spear.
"Tyranis, you're here." A man entered the hall— Kleio had woken up by now, peeking out through the gaps of her Father's arms, only capable of looking at the many feet scattered about, one being distinct - this was Tyranis - boots much louder and larger than the men who surrounded him.
"Ezekiel is coming; let's end this quickly." A deep and grave voice came from Tyranis, who was handed the Gae Bolg. He sighed, looking at the pole of the spear, "He isn't dead." He commented, "Give me a spear." One of the assassins handed him a normal spear, and Tyranis crossed over to Gregorio, "Goodbye…" Tyranis stabbed him one last time, right in the head, killing Gregorio. "Now…" Tyranis paused, looking at the Gae Bolg in his hand as it burned an insignia into his palm, "We're done here, let's move."
A sudden scream forced everyone to be alerted to another person's presence, leading to the death of four Assassins— Ezekiel had reached them, a man who blindly reached out with his blade coated in a sickly black. His dead, clouded eyes looked over those who had ruined this day of celebration.
"Let's leave here," Tyranis whispered.
"I wonder who you all are…?" Ezekiel spoke, none other than the very Alqayid of Sitaarnujum, holding the corpse of an Assassin, dragging them by the collar. Ezekiel lifted them close to his face, grabbing a symbol underneath their coat with his other hand. He waved the patch limply, "Not good carrying emblems like this around."
Tyranis cursed under his breath, slamming the butt of the Gae Bolg on the ground, causing the string to surround him, "Let's get this over with…"
Ezekiel sighed, "Yes… let's do that," Ezekiel closed his eyes, "For those who have intruded on my domain, I shall eliminate thee, bringing the utmost terror upon thy being, fall under my grace…" Ezekiel pulled his Mantra Blade out from its sheath, a thin blade with blue lining and engravings going up the back of the blade.
Tyranis raised the spear, throwing it at Ezekiel, a red beam of light following it as it shot at Ezekiel like a bullet, slamming against a wall and causing more rubble to spread, the attack missed through, Ezekiel holding his blade upside down, placing it back in its sheathe with a loose grip before quickly taking the blade out once more before returning it to the sheathe just as quickly. "Cleave," Ezekiel spoke.
In that second, the assassins nearest to Tyranis went on alert, one of them attempting to block the attack with a shield, getting bisected in the process along with the amputation of many of their compatriots.
Tyranis jumped into the air to avoid the attack, recalling Gae Bolg to his hand. Tyranis, during his air time, looked to the ceiling, quickly stabbing the Gae Bolg into it, hanging from it with one hand and looking down at Ezekiel, who was preparing for another attack.
Just as Ezekiel was gonna attack again, Tyranis pulled the spear out from the ceiling, causing it to crumble onto people, landing on Gregorio's corpse, causing his body to buckle, almost completely falling on his daughters, and the sight of the outside world being much harder to see through Kleio's perspective.
As the ceiling fell Ezekiel sped up to an almost incomprehensible speed, jumping on pieces of rubble in an attempt to get closer to Tyranis who, from Ezekiel's perspective, looked to be going in slow motion as he ran down the hall, almost about to round a corner with two assassins who managed to recover from becoming amputees. Ezekiel shot over to them, spinning as he landed back onto the ground, cutting one of the assassins in half. The other assailant just in front of them became alert, taking a stance and readying their weapon, "Tyranis, GO!"
Tyranis nodded to them, and just as he turned away, that Assassin was cut in half by Ezekiel, still rushing Tyranis down as he lowered himself to the ground, launching himself forward, becoming significantly quicker.
Ezekiel went into a stance once more, lowering himself as much as possible, the butt of his sword practically touching the limestone below, the grip on his blade becoming stronger and stronger before clicking his tongue, "Cleave." swiping upward and clashing with another assassin, specifically one named, Riah, whose blade broke in contact against Ezekiel's Mantra Blade, sending them flying, collapsing on the ground. Riah peeled themself off the ground, looking at the hand wherein their now broken weapon used to be— the hand was broken, mangled, blood spilling out from the torn flesh.
Ezekiel noticed another figure that had approached him, specifically, another swordsman, Alqatil, holding a False Mantra Blade, specifically a sword with a golden etching. Ezekiel groaned, "This is… This is a travesty." He growled his words, unsheathing his blade and pointing it at both of them, "If you wish to die, come at me!"
The young Kleio faded back into unconsciousness. Unable to hold on any longer, her body shutting down to conserve her strength.
The last bit she had remembered from this incident was the bits of light that pierced through as they attempted to remove Gregorio's body from over her and her sister, who was clutched closely in her arms.