Arthur was a blur of flame and steel.
He leapt first, boots tearing across the cobblestone path with such speed that I couldn't visually keep up with him. His sword was alight like the sun - yellow-crimson embers spiraling up the blade like a snake.
No words - just action.
The Bishop flickered to the left, his body distorting like cloth underwater. The blade missed by inches, carving into the air with a violent whoosh.
I clicked my tongue.
Not this vanishing shit again.
"Feisty," the Bishop chuckled, eyes gleaming. "So the false Emperor's lapdogs have some fight after all. I must ask, how does the leash around your neck feel, mongrel?"
Not offering a moment of waste, Arthur answered with fire, his glowing sword aimed toward the ground. From here, I could see his mouth moving, as if incanting something barely audible.
A wall of flame surged forward, igniting the garden in a flash of brilliance as it swept forward, consuming everything. From where I was standing, I could feel the heat as it burned against my exposed skin.
The yarrow in the garden combusted, petals curling into ash - but the Bishop was gone again. Not just fast. Absent.
He reappeared behind Arthur - reaching for his neck. I was watching this and even I couldn't tell how the Bishop had gotten behind him. It was as if he appeared out of thin air.
Arthur twisted in a fraction of a second. He dodged the arm that reached for his throat and slammed his elbow into the Bishop's ribs.
The Bishop staggered slightly, then let out a pleased, almost maniacal laugh. It was as if the pain didn't affect him, and Arthur just stood there, waiting for his next move. The Bishop just clapped.
"Bravo! Better! Better!"
He kept clapping, seemingly happy with the result Arthur had produced. But just as suddenly as before, the Bishop's smile vanished, and a disgusting frown replaced it, his eyes never blinking.
"But please, let's make this quick. I'd rather serve my actual guest. Since you weren't invited, pig."
Arthur grimaced, anger in his eyes as the flame on his sword drew brighter with every passing moment. He spat on the ground and readied himself.
"Let's."
I kept to the perimeter, crouched near a ruined column. Blade drawn. Heart racing.
I need to wait for an opening.
Their movements were almost too fast to follow. Arthur fought like a man on fire - every swing calculated, every spell burning brighter.
But I could notice his breath was getting heavier, his swings quicker, his movements more desperate. He hadn't told me his specific pathway, as his family was exterminated because of it.
But it was something to do with righteous flame, and it was incredibly explosive.
And with explosiveness came a quick comedown. This meant an attritional battle was something Arthur would surely lose, if it continued like this.
Shit, I need to find an opening and quick. We have one opportunity.
Me and Arthur had already fought side by side in the ashes of the Northern Forest, so words didn't need to be exchanged between us. We were seasoned, but that didn't change the fact that Arthur was losing steam very quickly.
He called out phrases loudly now, as if trying to bring out every ounce of power within him.
"Ignis Manus!"
A burst of flame erupted from his palm, searing a straight line across the battlefield. It was like a laser, and it destroyed the wall behind the priest, who dodged again effortlessly.
In return, the Bishop's hands started to gather the shadows around him. It was as though he was sucking energy from the surrounding area, and Arthur's flames dimmed under the weight.
Before Arthur could react, a large spectral blade formed out of thin air and swung toward him.
"Pyrum Aegis!"
A shield of heat formed before him, catching the spectral blade mid-air. The clash between the two caused me to brace, as the force flung me meters away from where I was standing.
Arthur looked better, but he seemed very tired now. They had been fighting for almost a minute, and it seemed that last exchange had really exhausted him.
But the Bishop...
He wasn't human.
He merely laughed seeing Arthur's condition, with a wide, toothy grin that reached his eyes.
He phased in and out of visibility - flickering like a dying star. He'd vanish for a heartbeat, reappear behind Arthur, swipe at his ribs, vanish again. It wasn't teleportation - it was slipping, like the air couldn't hold him.
Suddenly, two and two clicked together, and I figured it out.
Veil manipulation.
He kept laughing.
Laughing like this was a game.
Arthur didn't laugh.
His breathing was growing heavier. Sweat ran down his neck. His swings got wider, flames more erratic.
"Arthur - " I barked.
"Not now!"
His eyes flashed to mine just long enough to see the shock.
Then the Bishop stepped in.
Too fast.
A hand like a spear - long, pale fingers - pierced Arthur's shoulder like a lance of shadow. A blossoming web of blood followed.
Arthur gasped.
The Bishop didn't remove his hand - he kept it in - then with casual cruelty, flung Arthur sideways. Still skewered like a piece of paper.
Arthur hit a pillar with a crunch, flames extinguished as his body slumped. Ash covered him now, but the brightness from before was gone.
I didn't think.
Didn't blink.
Didn't breathe.
I was already moving.
My sword, previously at my side, snapped open mid-motion. The hilt flicked into place as I closed the distance in a breath, and with a backward slash, I carved upward toward the Bishop's neck.
Please land-!
It connected.
But not deep enough.
A thin red line bloomed across his throat.
His head tilted slightly.
Expression unchanging.
Then slowly... his smile widened, the frown from fighting Arthur before turning into a complete smile of joy.
Fuck, not good.
He touched the wound.
"Oh," he whispered. "Our little fledgling wants to play. Finally, I've been waiting for this opportunity."
He turned to me fully now. The field fell still.
"Let's see how the dogs of the Empire have trained you!"
And the lesson began.
I attacked again - this time with a forward thrust.
He sidestepped it lazily, like he was waltzing.
I followed with a slash - wide arc - trying to catch his hip.
He ducked, grabbing my forearm mid-swing.
"You telegraph," he said. "Poorly."
He twisted. I nearly lost my footing.
"Balance is everything," he added, releasing me. "Without it, you're just spinning steel."
I didn't respond.
I went for his ribs.
He batted the blade aside.
His palm flicked out - and I felt a force, unseen, slam into my chest.
I stumbled, falling into the dirt.
"Centre of gravity," he tutted. "Child's mistake. But how could I blame you? You've been groomed by these vermin. You and that girl need true family -"
"Stop - " I gasped. "Talking."
"Why?" he seemed concerned, crouching as I rolled to my feet. "Are you afraid? Believe me, my child, the rotting Empire holds more darkness than you -"
I swept at his knees. He jumped.
He kicked downward, foot slamming against my sword hand, knocking the blade loose.
He didn't press the attack, choosing to land gracefully.
He stepped back and let me stand.
"Come on," he beckoned. "Show me your real eyes. The lapdog has already been put down. You need not be afraid."
That... that got under my skin. Even if Arthur pissed me off constantly, he was still someone I had shed blood with.
I tapped my temple once.
Warmth bloomed behind my eyes - and the world shifted.
Charlotte's sigils flared to life.
The Bishop changed.
His body warped - slight tears visible in his silhouette. He wasn't fully here. His entire form pulsed with divine and heretical residue. Shadow and light, tangled in knots.
I could see it now. His true form, wedged between the Veil and this world. Now, I could even see the moves he'd make before he made them.
Doesn't mean I'll be fast enough to stop them though.
His attacks were choreographed - clever but predictable once you knew the rhythm. And thanks to Charlotte's eyes, I didn't need to know the rhythm.
I struck again.
This time, I read the twitch in his elbow and saw the afterimage cut through me like butter. I ducked low - avoided the swipe - and drove my elbow into his ribs.
He grunted.
A real sound.
Then he smiled - but this one was different. This one was mad. His eyes dilated, and he seemed extremely excited, as if he had seen something precious.
"Now that's more like it! Please continue, my dear boy, we have plenty to learn today."
I jumped back and waited for an attack, but none came. He just stared at me, as if he expected me to make the first move.
I obliged.
But I wasn't fast enough.
My thrust, which was aimed at his throat, stopped mere inches from his neck, blocked by his hand gripping my wrist.
How did I not see - ?!
He caught me.
His other hand then wrapped tight around my throat.
He lifted me.
I kicked - gasped - tried to twist, but the grip was iron.
My feet left the ground.
"Still raw," he whispered. "Yet still so much potential."
He pulled me close. I could smell the rot of his skin and see the maniacal glare in his eyes. His smile had never faded, acting like it was almost a pleasure to be fighting me.
"Let me help you see. To see your true path."
Arthur - barely conscious - dragged himself into view.
Blood ran down his arm.
"Let him... go," Arthur croaked.
The Bishop didn't even look, still staring me in the eyes. The more I was forced to look, the funnier I felt - as though something inside me was being pulled out.
Something that wanted to come out.
Don't you dare - !
My hand struggled toward my pistol. I grabbed the gun at my waist, and in a split second, I pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The air around my belt rippled.
My pistol flung itself off - yanked away like a puppet's string had snapped. It hit the grass, bounced once, and landed beside Arthur.
Out of reach.
The bullet had stopped mid-air, and the Bishop was holding it in his palm, as if he had stopped it.
He seemed weirdly happy at my dirty tactic, pinching the bullet between his index and thumb.
"See, now that's what I'm talking about! Good job, young man. Fight with all your means. Honour means nothing if you're dead."
My vision blurred.
I was fading.
The Bishop leaned in closer.
"Now, open your eyes, our little Angel."
Darkness rushed in around the corners of my vision.
No - please don't -
My head started to pulse, and my eyes began to feel warm.
Red turned to black.
Everything started to tilt.
And the world stopped.