Book 2 Chapter 43

Nerida’s smile was sinister as she looked down at the blue-robed priests and priestesses genuflecting before her. “You're right on time… These people have made themselves enemies of our god, Make them pay… Though make sure to capture as many as you can alive.…”

“Of course your Holyness,” The priestess complied quickly, she turned towards Tirr who stood nearby leaning against Maria as he caught his breath. It’s an honor to serve you, my Lord. Please watch as we devote ourselves to you and the Water Spirit.

“Ah, yeah…” TTirr tirr answered raising his nose as he enjoyed the admiration. “ Do your Best.”

“Yes!” She answered before leading the other Blue robed priests behind her towards the still reeling assassins. The hail had stopped, giving the guild members the chance to recover. Several of the cloaked figures lay on the ground, either dead or broken by the surprise attack from above. The rest did their best to prepare for the oncoming assault as the priests approached.

Nerida watched them go before turning towards the exhausted Tirr cheerfully. She took out a handkerchief, cooling it with the power of her shard before pressing against Tirr brow. He sighed as the cool sensation set against his exhausted body and wiped away his sweat.

“Looks like everything's working out perfectly,” Nerida said sweetly, “Just as I would expect of a plan you had approved of my Lord….”

Tirr nodded, letting out a sigh as he felt his energy returning as Maria transferred a small part of her remaining strength to him. He looked at the blue-robed priests marching forward and turned towards Nerida curiously. “As much as I’m glad they arrived, are we sure we can trust them? I thought someone within the Water Temple helped kidnap the prince in the first place?”

“No worries…” Nerida said proudly as she watched the priests advance. The Assassins were in tatters as they tried to fall back. The crossbowmen that had managed to avoid the hail storm started firing once again, trying to provide covering fire and slow down the stream that was surging towards them. The priests were unconcerned as walls of ice rose in an instant, blocking the oncoming bolts without trouble.

“I handpicked and taught each and every one of them myself. When I first learned of my purpose in serving you through the Water Spirit, I knew you would need more support then I could provide alone. I started by choosing people I could trust and slipping them into the Shard Ceremonies. I’ve had them lay low since, to prepare for the day you arrived, and this is the perfect chance to activate them for their intended purpose… Every single one of them would gladly die for you, my Lord…”

“So you have your own secret kill squad? Torvus asked sarcastically, smile back on his face as he watched the confusion and fear spread among the assassins. As he looked through the pandamonium, He found a white mask staring back at him. He smiled back at it, eyes locked together until the forms of the retreating assassins blocked his view. When the way cleared it Odee was gone along, with the Fire Shard user that had been next to him. He shook his head and watched as the priests did their work.

Nerida’s water priests swept in like the tide against the remaining assassins. They moved in unison, some focusing on defense, blocking the desperate attacks of the retreating guild members with ease. The remaining shard users were harder to deal with, their bodies flickering as they swiftly fled.

The water priests were prepared though, The water they carried with them spread out in a wave. And the time Shard users found the ground beneath their feet covered in water soon after. With only a quick prayer, the water started to freeze, the sheet of ice expanding across the entire area beneath the retreating assassins.

The Time Shard users found themselves unable to maintain the balance as they slipped. They fell to the ground, trying to gain some kind of purchase on the now slick ground. The priests and priestesses moved onward, the ice melting under their feet and the water guiding the way. Another waved washed out, sweeping over the struggling Assasins that failed to get away before freezing and trapping them into a cocoon of ice.

Tirr watched as the Water priests chased off or captured the remaining members of the confederation. They drew the captured assassins together, forming them into one giant ball of ice with arms and legs sticking out of it, each one struggling uselessly.

“They're strong” Tirr, acknowledged, watching the as the blue-robes worked…

“They’re nowhere near as skilled as me individually,” Nerida replied happily, “But I’ve been focusing their training on their coordination so they're quite powerful together…”

“What are you going to do with them?” Maria asked pointing towards the captured assassins.

“I’ll be sure to deal with them later… I’m sure Agir would like to have some time with them. It might help him relieve some of the pain…”

“Speaking of which, we need to get this kid back to him…” Tirr said pointing towards the princeling that lay unconscious on Maria’s back.

“The assassin’s guild will prioritize minimizing its losses,” Torvus mentioned, “So I doubt they’ll be back anytime soon. We should be fine to head back to the city now and leave it to your kill squad to clean up here.”

Nerida shook her head, “Agir’s already brought the army and a large group of priests towards the border. If we want to stop this war we need to head straight to the battlefield itself and reach him before more blood is spilled.”

“Then let's go!” Tirr said, leaving Maria’s arms, “This war has gone on long enough…”

“Of course my Lord, I had them prepare transport for us beforehand, so we’re ready whenever.”

Tirr nodded following Nerida, as he hoped that they could make it in time…