“Go to hell, Magnus,” I shouted.
He laughed, a sick, twisted sound that grated in my ears. “Now, where did you learn that name?”
“From your cronies, they couldn’t hide you from me!”
Magnus laughed and sauntered forward, twirling his cane while the warped floorboards creaked under him. “Darren, I imagine. He could never keep his mouth shut, but he had his uses.”
“Had being the operative word. I killed him,” I said, glancing around the warehouse room.
The vault door was locked tight, and I wasn’t reaching it without dealing with Magnus. But I had to get Eris out of her bondage first.
There was a table pushed along the wall with a few items scattered across it. Potions and poisons in equal measure, a scattering of small knives and weapons along with a large black key.
Magnus just smiled at my words. “No matter. He can be easily replaced. And from what I hear, you took out his entire crew. My, my. You’ve been a busy little bee, haven’t you?”
I didn’t bother responding, I lunged forward with a quick thrust. I’d aimed at his heart, but my sword bit through empty air by Magnus’s left arm. He hadn’t moved, I’d watched his hips and feet, but I still missed.
He flicked a finger on the flat of my blade, sending a metallic twang reverberating up the sword. “Missed me,” he taunted.
Before he even finished his sentence, he struck. A twitch of his fingers a split second before was my only warning. I just managed to bring my blade up in time to deflect his attack.
His smile only twisted further. "Color me impressed. Not many can block me. You have talent, young man."
I growled in frustration and swung at him; he sidestepped my sword with a flourish of his hat, still smiling at me. "Quite agile as well, my, my. You're a rare find."
"Fucking stand still!" I yelled, attacking him with everything I had, but he was too fast. With the barest second to spare, he dodged every single one of my attacks. I could do nothing to hit him.
With my barrage of attacks having done nothing, I backed up, giving me some space to try and come up with a new plan of attack. He’s too fast, so the direct route is out. I'll have to catch him by surprise. But how? I've got Chitin Shield now, but that's my last ability unless I want to rely on the Aspect again, but I still don't know what the first time cost me.
Poison Blade was active and dripped its vile substance down my blade but was useless if I couldn't even land a hit. Magnus was circling me, keeping his distance but watching me like a hawk. I moved, my footwork light, but I was so focused on Magnus that I stepped to the side and bumped into the wooden table, knocking over the many vials of potions and poisons.
Poison! I turned, keeping my blade in front of me and hiding my left hand from Magnus’s view while I grabbed one of the vials of poison along with the large black key.
He didn't notice my theft but chuckled at my clumsiness. "Watch your step, Sam, wouldn’t want to hurt yourself."
He's fucking toying with me! The fact he wasn't taking this fight seriously sent fury rolling through me. I wanted to rush him, but that would only hasten my death. I played it cautiously, getting in close and probing his defense with a few quick thrusts. As before, he nimbly dodged every one of them, but I surprised him with a low kick to his leg. It connected just below the side of his knee and put Magnus off-balance, which I followed up with a vial of poison to his face.
He shook off the kick quickly, and out of reflex, brought his cane-sword up to deflect the glass bottle. He sliced it in half, the glass shattering and raining harmlessly on his suit, but a splash of whatever poison resided in the bottle sprayed across his face. He cursed as it stung his eyes and entered his mouth.
Magnus’s humor disappeared. His gaze screamed malice, and he stopped playing around. His hand twitched, but before I could move, a sharp pain streaked across the side of my face. A deep gash opened under my cheek. Hot blood poured down my cheek, but I couldn't stop and worry about a minor inconvenience.
He frowned as he watched my blood soak through my armor. "Ah, a pity. I was slightly too high. You must forgive me; I'll make sure to hit your neck properly next time."
His hand moved once more. I didn't even try to deflect a blow I couldn't see and instead threw myself to the side as he struck. A slight pain lanced through my left side, but I could tell at once it was a flesh wound and didn't hit anything vital.
I just managed to rise to my feet when my instincts screamed at me. I stepped to the side just as death passed my ear, and a thin line scratched my neck—another too close call.
His frown turned positively sour as he struck again. Decades of trusting my gut on the battlefield were the only thing keeping me alive right now. I was surviving by the skin of my teeth. I was solely focused on keeping my head attached to my shoulders and couldn't do much else. He’s too fast for me to go on the offensive. I'm going to have to pin him down somehow.
Another slice at my neck, but I parried it with the
