Author's Note: Again R for violence. Some spell work here is cleared up, Raina's use on the Cein actually saves his life in this piece, making him just a bit all too concerned later about just how perceptive and wise the young princess is.
I promise Aphonia and Wentz are up next!
On to the story.
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Chapter 20
Several minutes later, Cein made his way from the Admirality to the guard house where no less then a hundred men surrounded the building and more shouted orders from within. The crack of flint sparking and igniting the gunpowder of the firearms sounded before each loud blast of the heavy shells leaving the barrels. Crack, hiss, bang. Crack, hiss, bang. Such close range meant that Verin could easily duck for cover before the shell even left the barrel.
“You cannot enter,” a lowly sailor tried to block Cein from approaching the scene, “Go back home kid.”
“Kid?” Cein reached up and grabbed the man by the collar, “Does Marham's Cardinal really look like a kid to you?”
“What do you think yo-”
Cein's right arm snapped back several centimeters then forward into the man's chest, a loud crack filled the air as the man's shirt was torn from his body as he flew backwards and onto the ground. Tumbling over on his head and landing face down on the ground, scratched and torn up by the gravel walkway, he looked up at Cein weakly. The other sailors suddenly took notice and surmised quickly that he was not to be messed with.
“Go home,” Cein pointed his finger at the man, “You all have been disgraced by a woman. I can't believe that I, Cardinal Cein, has to handle this trifling matter. Your own incompetence is to blame!”
No one resisted his advance further and Cein entered the ravaged first floor of the guard house, now just a smoldering ruin of destroyed furniture, scattered papers and pools of blood from the gruesomely slain men. Chain lashes tore nasty wounds on their arms, legs and necks as proof of their futile restraint on Verin.
“Your duty is done,” Cein said as he past by the fallen, a faint light rising from their bodies as he uttered a prayer for their souls.
A three men continued to fire their slow guns up into the stairwell, exchanging shots with Verin. Shot for shot she was quicker then the three and very well supplied to have blown nearly through the thick stone wall by repeated shots. Cein slowly placed his hand on the backs of the soldiers as he advanced up the staircase and into the line of fire.
Cein saw a pair of savage blue eyes fixate onto him and the unmistakable green face of Verin grin in excitement as she pulled the trigger. A quick flash filled the air and Cein saw the large shell move down the barrel and fly directly at his head. The large brass shell was as large as a man's fist and faster then sound itself, yet to his eyes it might have been hanging in mid air. He raised his hand and blocked the bullet with his soft flesh, the brass shell crumpling up as it transferred its energy into the boy's palm and fell to the ground harmlessly.
Verin's eyes widened as the shell hit the ground and Cardinal Cein stood untouched, “I surrender.”
“Surrender,” Cein snorted, “After you killed so many? I don't think so.”
Cein took another step towards her and Verin furiously began reloading the gun with awe inspiring speed, a handful of black powder delivered by one hand and the shell with the other. No need to pack as she shook it into place and pointed the gun at Cein again, the flint trigger already mid draw in three seconds time.
“I just want to get out of here!” Verin snarled as she pulled another gun from out of sight and pulled both triggers at once.
Two flashes and two shells came for Cein, but Verin knew how quick he was and drew the third firearm and shot it almost instantly, a powerful barrage which she doubted even he could block. Cein raised both hands and blocked the first two rounds with his palm as the third came for his face and the shell crumpled on his forehead before falling to the ground.
“Bad move,” Cein grinned as he took another step towards Verin.
Verin lowered her head in defeat, “Cardinal Cein, you may not believe me, but he will come for me.”
“Of course he will,” Cein climbed the last step and took a look at the broken remains of thirty sailors who were merely unlucky to be forced to hold the in human Gralskin woman, “That is why you will be good bait.”
Saverz loved her and for that very reason he became predictable. The strong yet mysteriously feminine figure of the busty, thick boned woman held the secret of her immense strength and speed, the tattered blue uniform she was crammed into had become a skirt from shredding by her powerful muscles and the fabric on her shoulders blew out as they weakly held together by a few threads. Somehow the iron chains which bound her wrists held, but the ones on her feet were torn apart by a great force which tore the links apart.
Verin stood up and over Cein, breathing deeply, her chest heaving in and out as she summoned up all her strength, “I do not intend to be the bait!”
A blue flame erupted from her body and covered her entirety, her clothes burned away in the embers which engulfed her. The iron chains upon her wrist heat up and began to glow a faint hot yellow-white and the lack of hair on her head became obvious as it to would have been consumed by her fury, “I'd rather die trying to escape then just wait around for my execution.”
“Interesting,” Cein raised his hand to his chin and tapped it twice, “You are the first Ebon Master I've had the pleasure of meeting. I must say, they recruit well.”
“Sen-ka-lera,” Verin's blue flames spread and engulfed Cein, negating his own winds as they surged up to protect him, robbing him of his strength just as Raina had done.
Cein fell to the ground, the spell's effects much stronger then Raina's, but his body still remembered how it felt and he felt the invisible chains of her strength binding him. One by one he severed the chains and rose to his feet as Verin watched in sheer terror, “It's much too soon... too soon...”
“Ars Arcanum,” Cein raised his hand as the very essence of his body turned from energy into coils of light, reflecting the witch's bind back upon its master.
Verin's flame spread further as she resisted the binds, pure hatred flowed out from her soul, turning it black as her skin begun to burn away, blood fueling her power. The source of a witch's magic, the very blood of their body, catalyst of the soul's power, expended for a moment's power. Cein knew his own strength was far above hers, but in this state she would kill herself just for a chance to strike him down.
“Save your strength for Leviathan,” Cein couldn't use the full extent of his ability without destroying Cenal himself and needed her alive to draw Saverz to him, “There is no point to fighting, so listen to my words. If you kill Leviathan I might give him whatever he desires.”
“Land,” Verin growled, blue blood dripped to the ground as she was bleeding to death in front of Saverz. A massive surge of energy welling itself up in her fists, forming dark spheres of immense destruction on the level of Belrusi's. Cein could not believe she held such a power and wondered how the Gralskin even knew of it.
“No,” Cein said as he raised his hand and shot a single sword of light into Verin's head. Distracted for a single moment by his response she fell to the ground as her power dissipated. Blood seeped from her entirety and she fell to the floor, barely any skin left on her body. Sections of muscle and fat slid across the floor, mixing with the blood. Cein sighed as he was forced to keep the distestable woman alive, “Vitae.” he said as he placed his hand upon her burnt head.
“I can't believe I had to use sacred words to save your life,” Cein growled as her body was forced to recover, Verin's eyes widened in pain as she felt her body rapidly grow a layer of new skin to protect itself. Cein watched as her paralyzed body twitch as rapid recovery away at her proud muscles to provide the energy necessary.
“Hurts doesn't it?” Cein pulled his hand off her head, a thin trail of blue light filling his body as he sealed away her arcane strength, “I'll have no more of your witchcraft. Though I do believe you are not alone in its practice. Another purge perhaps will ensure you inferior creatures stay in check.”
Her eyes narrowed on him as she struggled to move, but she could not break his spells now. Cein stared down at the greenish blue flesh covering Verin and spat on her face, “Disgusting. You are the color of a goblin, let's make you look like one.”
Forming a sword of light in his hand, Cein kicked Verin onto her back, the sword paralyzing her fragmented and adding its strength to the one in his hand, “I want to hear your screams, goblin.”
The sword touched her breast and the newly formed flesh burned away at the slightest touch and Verin let out a loud scream of pain as he dragged it up to her neck and across her face. The guards from below at last came running upstairs, unable to restrain themselves any longer.
“What are you doing to her?”
“Burning her sins into her flesh,” Cein pressed the sword against her cheek and slowly wrote into the seared flesh the word, “Whore.”
Verin spasmed in pain and fell unconscious, but he knew she could feel the pain even while unconscious because her body resisted and tears streamed down her eyes. There was no release from the pain as he carved the words, “Murder, traitor, witch and beast.” into her breast and stomach. The guards completely stunned by what the saw were captivated as Cein added grievous disfiguring scars to her legs and arms to ruin any sense of beauty she would ever see in herself. Then in one final act of punishment, he slammed the sword of light into her sex and watched as blood pour out of her womb and blacken under the heat. Pulling the sword free it shattered and rained down hot sparks upon her body, further burning the flesh as it dissipated.
“What... what did you do?” Aesimir asked Cardinal Cein, “Did you kill her?”
“Retribution,” Cein turned away from Verin, “Cover that 'thing' up and deal with the brave men who fell fighting this heathen witch. I want her locked in the basement cell until she wakes.”
“She looks hurt real bad, sir.” Aesimir pulled off his shirt and threw it over Verin's to cover her nudity and much as the cruelty as possible.
“It does not concern you, but she will not bleed to death. Try to remember she killed your comrades when you throw her in a cell,” Cein started down the stairs, “I will in form your superiors that the matter is handled, you shall be promoted for having the guts and nerve to face a witch in combat.”
“A witch...” Aesimir said as he looked down on Verin's pained face, “That is why she was so strong.”
“An unholy power, but a power nonetheless. Luckily for you, she was a novice and had no power or talent to speak of.”
“Is...that... so...” Verin whispered as she struggled to lift her head, “Am... I really... that weak?”
