The Heartstone Saga by Archibald Bradford (short novels in english .TXT) 📕

the face of the new threat, and once Evadne was back in charge of her body she saw something Nina didn’t: all of the magical attacks she had been flinging around in trying to kill Nameless and Milly had taken a toll on the structure surrounding them.

There was a long crack in the floor, which now had a noticeable slope in it towards the wall she had just collided with.

The wall abutting open air outside the Bastion.

“Nice knowing you.” The Gigas said firmly as she brought up her hammer to finally finish things.

But before she could swing, Evadne let out a wide fan of darkness from her hands, aimed at the floor.

Nina’s eyes went wide when the entire building shook, her swing disrupted as she struggled to keep her balance.

“Likewise.” The Chimera sneered as her feet came off the floor with one lazy flap of her wings.

Realizing what was about to happen, Nameless cried out in warning.

But it was too late.

The weakened floor and wall gave out, the slab that Nina was standing on lurching once before sliding away from the rest of the structure, the Gigas forced to ride it down like snow off a roof.

“This is bullshit!” She roared out in complaint as she gave one hapless swipe of her hammer at Evadne’s feet.

It was in vain, and she was dragged from view by the avalanche of rubble as a large portion of the room broke away from the Bastion and fell to the training grounds three stories below.

Nameless and Milly scrambled backwards to avoid following the Gigas as Evadne landed back inside, the pair of them now feeling distinctly cornered in the ruined mess hall.

“She seemed fun.” Evadne gloated at the shock and fear on their faces.

Though she was massaging at her forearms, the armour visibly cracked from the powerful blow Nina had landed.

“She- she’ll be back.” Nameless promised.

“Good. Someone will need to clean up your blood.”

Evadne winked and stuck her tongue out at him, again dripping with venom.

“Leave us alone!”

The broken metal leg of a table hit her square in the mouth, cast by a desperate and pissed off Minotaur.

“Mother-fucker!” The Chimera cursed as she rubbed at her bleeding lips and chin before glaring at Milly; “Everybody dies!”

But as she stalked forwards, golden light erupted from Volka’s shield and it began to vibrate in Nameless’s hands, to the point that he was having trouble holding on to it.

The Chimera paused, startled into caution by the sight.

“Master! What is it?!”

“I-I don’t know! Stay behind me!”

Before he could give in to panic, all three of them heard heavy wing-beats in the air.

There was blood matting Volka’s hair to her head and she had lost her helmet under the rubble of their apartment, but nonetheless her bearing was as fierce and proud as the morning dawn when she flew through the ruined wall where Nina had inadvertently made her ignominious exit.

Her knees bent to absorb the impact as she landed between her bond-mates and Evadne.

Her eyes blazed with divine wrath as she glared at the Chimera.

“Dick move dropping someone’s house on them.” She remarked coldly.

Nameless and Milly’s relief at her presence was palpable.

A chill ran down the Chimera’s spine as she felt the weight of the higher-angel’s gaze.

Something was different, she was different, and Evadne could feel the demon within trying to hide from her, something that had never happened before.

Volka extended her arm back towards Nameless, and a moment later her shield flew out of his hands and was returned to her.

“Go, Husband. And you Milly.” She said calmly as she strapped it to her arm with practiced ease; “Your part in this is done. I will finish this.”

“Be careful.” Nameless murmured as Milly pulled him away.

But even intimidated by the angel as she was, the Chimera would have none of it.

Whip-like, she cast her hand forth again, sending a narrow beam of darkness to strike at the exposed Empath before Volka could intercept it.

Her reflexes on a hair trigger from the earlier fight, Milly tackled him to the floor at the last moment, the blast of entropic magic passing a hairsbreadth from his neck and her face.

Neither of them would soon forget the numbness of non-being felt so close to their skin.

Quickly adjusting her position to better cover them, the Valkyrie all but tore her glowing sword from its ethereal sheath as the air around her crackled with the might of her people.

“Foolish child! You would have been better off aiming that at me, for I am your undoing!”

Despite the uncharacteristic behaviour of the demon inside her, Evadne laughed, stretching her arm out above where the floor was missing, as if to check if it were raining outside the broken room.

“Funny, you’re all glowy but I don’t really feel anything.”

“You wouldn’t.” The Dominar countered coolly; “Your heart is long dead. Your body soon to join it.”

Abruptly she dashed forwards, faster than she had ever flown, a harsh cry escaping her lips as her blazing sword slashed at the smug Chimera.

No more would she fight on the defensive.

The smirking Evadne brought her claws up, sheathed in the same darkness that had never before failed her and set to parry the blow.

But a moment later she was stumbling back and screaming in agony, four fingers shorn from her hand.

“Simple fool! I wield the very antithesis of what you have become!” Volka’s eyes grew distant as she looked into the face that no one else could see, still cowering behind the Chimera’s black eyes; “Spawn of entropy! You cannot hide from me! Leave this poor husk behind and return to nothingness, for you are not meant for this world!”

Volka drew her shoulder back and swiftly lunged again, her sword seeking