She reacted quickly enough to redirect the blow away from her core with her right palm and allow it to merely graze her ribs, though the mana-infused point cut deeply into her flesh, leaving a burning trace of it behind.
"Damn you," she spat, wincing at the pain and deflecting another set of incoming strikes. Each one was precise, perfect in its form, and aimed at various debilitating points on her body. She was forced to twist her hips and move her upper thigh out of the way of another strike, but the sweeping motion from his spear as he pulled back slammed her into the nearby wall.
However, given her prowess in combat, she recovered quickly, dashing out from the dust to strike wildly at her target with her talons. The tendrils of mana spawning from her back made it difficult for Draer to find an opening through her flurry, as each one timed its attack to reach him while she prepared another blow.
It was a beautiful display of overwhelming power, but Draer hadn't reached the position he had for nothing.
He dashed backward and to the left, creating some space between the two of them, then leaped into the air, bringing the full might of his attack down toward the ground where she stood. The attack missed her head by little more than a hair's breadth as she leaned backward, allowing the tip of the spear to crater the ground beneath her feet.
Cursing silently, he pressed forward, launching attack after attack that narrowly missed her or were parried each time. "It seems you haven't lost your touch after all," she grinned, deflecting his spear directly upward with her talon. "Silence, wyrm," he seethed in reply, using the other end of his spear to jab her in the face.
Using the momentum of his strike and the fact that she was still recovering from the powerful blow, he quickly readjusted his stance to land a finishing thrust on her core with a mighty roar of exertion.
The mana surrounding the tip of his spear cracked the air as it tore through, clawing at the walls around them, but it was quickly halted by both her talons and the tendrils from her back.
The resulting shockwave tore through the hall, shearing the walls as it raced along them and sending debris barrelling into a portion of the subdued guardsmen behind her.
Limbs and armor were scattered across the hall, while blood and mana permeated the air like a macabre mist. However, within the short lull that followed, there were others who quickly took their place, standing silently amidst the corpses of their once-fellow guardsmen as they seethed with the sickly green mana.
Has all of Aen Silar fallen, then? Just how long has she been here? Draer wondered as his eyes widened at the sight of his fallen comrades as he struggled against her, desperately attempting to overpower her, but it was no use.
"What? Did you think I would come here and only target his tower? Oh, how far you've fallen. Just like those sanctimonious hypocrites who have grown blind and too long in the claw for my liking," she grinned maliciously, using his brief moment of surprise to snap his spear with her talons, causing his weight to shift forward and be right in the way of her next attack.
One that was aimed at his core.
He hardly managed to grab her wrist in time, feeling the tips of her talons already digging into his body as blood spurted from his mouth. He did what he could to stop her movements, but the more he struggled, the less his resistance seemed to matter.
Why can't I heal? Draer wondered behind gritted teeth, but that question was soon answered the moment he felt her mana voraciously tearing through his body.
"You cannot outheal this, Draer. You've sat in this tower for far too long, and as commendation for your duty, you will die a miserable death in the service of he whom you've held prisoner for so long," she said coldly, bringing her face right up to his just before driving her talon and her mana deeper into his chest, causing him to gurgle his agony.
"And you… will not… get away… with… this," he hardly managed the last word before his eyes began to leak in the same manner as his fallen comrades. "I already have," she snickered, tearing her arm away from him violently, as the shell of the warden before her staggered backward a few paces.
"Ah, that's better. I had rather hoped that wasn't going to take much longer. You fought well, for a coward, but that is the only respect I can afford you," she said with a smug grin, patting him on the shoulder as she walked past him.
"Now then, let's get to why we're really here, shall we?" she said over her shoulder, leading her newly formed army toward the central chamber and undoing the barrier using a tendril of mana to work the other set of controls required to do so. "All of you wait here. I will speak to him alone," she said over her shoulder.
As she stepped inside, she knelt before the subtle ring of the Mouth's power. "Lord Mideia, it is good to see you again. I am here as instructed by your guidance and have fulfilled your will to the very best of my abilities," she said reverently as the coffin descended, with the one inside allowing himself a self-satisfied chuckle of disbelief.
"Splendid, Nevesh. Your efforts here have been nothing short of spectacular. You are a true testament to the might of dragons as a whole," Mideia said with no small amount of pride in his tone. "It seems Terwin has upheld his end of the bargain after all. I knew I could trust him," he said with a self-satisfied chuckle.
"Thank you, my lord. The honor is mine to hear such praise from you, as our reunion has been long overdue," she began humbly, lowering her head. "Indeed. Now tell me: what news do you have?" he asked, leaning forward in his coffin to look at her more directly.
"Before I begin, there is the matter concerning Terwin, my lord. I do wonder whether he's been discovered by now, as those in Polarion have kept their senses sharp over the years. Surely, the Eyes have not grown so blinded by their own hubris as to miss something as grave as his betrayal?" she asked with a hint of concern, but Mideia shook his head and chuckled.
"No, not yet anyway. By the time they discover what he's hidden from them, it will be far too late for any of them to do anything about it," he replied, leaning his head back in his coffin a little. "Tell me: have you heard any news of Thoma Fayren?" he asked, curling an eyebrow.
"I have, though it is likely that my information is already outdated, my lord. According to Terwin's final report before my arrival, he was last seen in Vareluth, but even that was only briefly. However, he did have some interesting company," she said with a wry grin, piquing his interest. "Oh? And who might that be?" he asked as a playful curiosity ruled his tone.
"The Mouth of the Twilight Sea, my lord," she said, regretting her answer immediately and growing sick the moment the words left her mouth. Mana surged throughout the chamber, violently heeding the one who called it to him. It swirled and tore at the walls like a bear would to mark a tree, each slash gouging out a crevasse of stone in its wake.
Within mere moments, dozens of tons had been messily strewn across the cold, glowing floor. However, just as quickly as it grew in power, the maelstrom of mana died down; the only remaining sound was that of a heavy sigh being released from within the coffin.
"That insolent wyrm is still alive, is he? Very well, then. He will serve my purpose in due time, but for now, there are two things I will require before I make my move," he said, slowly regaining his composure as he spoke.
"What else do you require of me, my lord? I cannot break you out of his spell, but if there is anything else within my power to achieve…" she trailed off, lowering her head a little more as Mideia paused for a brief moment.
"The fall of Aen Silar will certainly take some time to be discovered, giving us the advantage of time. Until then, there is still work to be done here, since we need to secure the area and gather our allies," he began, prompting her to look up at him. "What would you have me do, my lord?" she asked with a hint of excitement.
"Post your warriors around each tower and unleash the beasts within. Gather as many of them as you can fit on the land surrounding this tower and allow the smaller ones inside, as I will have use for one of the prisoners I know to be in this place," he began with a wry smile.
"It will be done, my lord. Is there anything else?" she asked, her question spawning a wicked, malicious grin on his face that stretched from ear to ear. "There is, in fact, one more thing I would have you do for me before our precious time here runs out," he replied, licking his lips while she listened intently.
"I want you to be the one to bring me the ring," he said with a malicious, wicked grin stretching from ear to ear.