"This chest..." Hector turned at the red chest and then bashed it open with his weapon. It didn't take much effort and it was best not to leave it behind for someone else to use. As the prize inside was worth the grab. "..the Hammer is actually in here still."
Looking it over, he was glad one of the items was actually in its location Destined for someone. A few items that he tried to pick up early from locations around the continent were either not there entirely or the chest was empty from someone else grabbing them.
Side effect from changes over the years he chalked it up to that.
Stowing away the Steel Axe, the Hammer was now used for more oomph. It would be perfect for his next task really. The sound of fighting intensified and the voice of Dart could be heard. He was not that far away by the sounds of it.
It was good that he would have to snake around to get to the location of the stairs.
"Haaaa!" Hector reared back with the hammer and was about to smash against the door that led to the others. Specifically the boss and the staircase to the captured half-dragon below. "Woooah!"
The door opened up abruptly, causing him to miss and hit the side wall.
As the swing destroyed the hinges on the wall support, the Thief that just picked the door lock took that time to get out of dodge. He was about to run to the other path to get himself some goodies but that was not to be the case of course.
*Crash!* A body of a Mercenary smashed into the wall with an axe still embedded in his chest. A built man wearing a bandana walked up to him to retrieve his weapon and spotted the Thief.
"Hmm?" Dart looked at the scared thief and was amused. He was about to say something but spotted Hector coming out angrily for some reason. 'Must be one that slipped away from him. That's rare.'
A look of concern passed over the former pirate mercenary. The mercenary band was a little weary that Hector was back in the field after recovering from a strange sickness that left him bedridden for days.
"Hurry up Kent!" Sain shouted out coming up from the far side of Dart. The others for the most part came down that passage as well. "We need to make sure Hassar can make it through with the boy!"
The thief scrabbled to turn around and shot right pass Hector who was still slightly sluggish. The only thought in his mind now was getting out of this place alive.
'Screw this!' Unlocking the other locked door, the thief slipped pass the soldier and the mercenary in the room. 'Left usually gets one out of places!' He jumped towards the left staircase to make his escape.
Hector turned towards the formerly closed door. Hammer hefted over his shoulder as he moved into that room. The Black Fang soldier and the mercenary who was already alerted made their moves at the same time.
"They must not be allowed to take the girl!" The blonde swordsman in the room shouted out. "Just hold until those outside come and we can make short work of them!"
The soldier class Black Fang member had immediately engaged fiercer than before in the fight.
Hector whipped his arm out at the lance and grabbed it. With a jerk, it came free of the soldier's grip. With a forward-stepping thrust and tilted angle, the butt of the spear hit the soldier in the throat crushing his Adam's apple.
"Kuk! Kukk!" The soldier fell back gripping his throat and struggling to breathe through the pain. Pushing so aggressively he at least expected to hurt the intruder before something happened.
It was taking to long for him to die, Hector delivered a full-powered kick to the other temple. The force knocked the soldier into a wall and snapped his neck violently.
"Who are you?" The mercenary Beyard was striking at the same time as Hector did as he barked out. The advantage he had from using a sword against the other did nothing due to the skill difference. 'Fast! Never thought he would strike down my soldier so quickly!'
The hammer pushed against the sword but it did not fly out of Beyard's hand. The man reposition his hand to keep a better grip as he pushed back against Hector from underneath quickly. Trying to use his size to the advantage.
*Clang!* Hammer and Sword hit against each other loudly. With a quick pullback, Beyard was about to strike again but Hector was already swinging outward with the Hammer.
*Clang!* The Hammer hit the sword and caused it to crack a little this time on impact. The difference in strength is showing this time around. Enough that the resounding force caused the mercenary to push himself harder to keep from losing any of his stance further.
"Not like any sellsword I've dealt with before!" Beyard repositioned himself and changed his stance. "Do you know the danger of getting in the way of the Black Fang?"
Sword leveled in an odd way at first but Hector felt he had seen it somewhere before. If the Mercenary thought he would back down he was met with a passive look.
'This young man does not know of the Black Fang? How peculiar...'
Hammer coming around, Hector twisted the shaft changing the direction of the head. Stopping abruptly he tightened his abdominal muscles and swung sideways.
"Grr!" Beyard gritted his teeth as the Hammer blow caught the side of his armor. A rib or two straining underneath immediately. "I.. can not fail .. the fang..!" Mustering all of his strength, he swung at Hector.
Determination and drive only go so far. Hector grabbed the arm and snapped it back brutally. He drove his gauntlet hand through the open mouth and ripped the man's tongue out. The moment Beyard dropped down, cold hands wrapped around his head.
*Crack!* The sounds of broken bones echoed down the corridors the next moment. The body did not drop onto the floor as Hector pulled him into his Internal Space and dropped him into the Primordial Sea.
"Hmm?" Hector heard the sound of something distinctly up ahead. It was getting further away so he went into a full sprint. 'She will not get away from me!'
Going down the staircase, Hector was upset not seeing the halfbreed Ninian. The thief had left him a gift as several of the captives were freed. They did not listen to reason and actually attacked on sight to escape!
"Haaa..." With a look of resignation, Hector pushed through the group attacked somewhat restrained. "..don't start none, there won't be none."
Some ran after the first hit, but three or four thought him no different than their captors. Trying to attack from the rear. Hector did not stop going forward and used his magic to make them fall down.
With stampeding rushing captives, a good bit of people was seriously injured after falling down. Trampled due to fear of other escapees.
'This could have been avoided if I had more magic currently. Then again, waiting them out would not have worked either. Who else is captive down here or released for that matter?'
Making it to Ninian, he met up with a member of the Black Fang. None other than Ursula who delivered orders to Beyard beforehand. However, she did not have the chance to leave or escape with the girl when fighting broke out.
"Stop right there!" The blue-haired Valkyrie commanded. Of course, Hector did not in the least as his pace only increased. "Damn you!" She went on the offensive immediately.
*Crackle!* The devasting power of the Lighting spell was unleashed. It shot toward Hector widely and took up a good portion of the corridor. Going into a running spin, the Hammer was thrown against the wall.
"Tch!" Ursula trotted the horse back seeing what Hector had done. She immediately switched to the Tome Elfire to use for midrange combat.
The hammer took the majority of the magic lighting attack but a good bit of it was not redirected and jumped around the corridor before smashing into Hector's extended hand.
"Ugghhh!" He tried to take over the magic and redirect it with his own, but his Anima magic was way too lacking for that. "Tch!" With a shake of the hand, the magic damage was done. His arm tingled briefly but enough that it wouldn't hinder the fight.
Hector equipped his Axe Wolfbiel to fight with, he needed the advantage against the horserider Ursula. His eyes moved to a body in the area when a blast of fire was cast out.
The target Ninian was there and looked to be sleeping currently. That, or she was knocked by someone recently and never came to. For some reason, Ursula made sure not to injure the girl as she moved back and side while fighting Hector.
"Your boss... Brendan is unwell already, isn't he?" Hector didn't have time to engage in intense combat. Something was pushing him to finish and get a hold of Ninian. So he had to get started with Operation "Defang" at once! "Making odd decisions the Fang would never do."
Ursula's face scrunched up but she didn't drop her guard. She herself had a deadline and the Fang did not take kindly to failures.
"Boss Hector, be a smart young man and return to Ostia before it's too late." She wants to play on the sympathies she believes he would have for the Lycian territory. She was dead wrong. She watched as he pounced at her with a large axe swing. "Where is your honor?!"
"Honor, is it something I can eat?" Hector's axe was in the ground but he was able to get a close look at Ninian. His prize was right there and he only needed to drive away the woman first. "I have an entire Dimension to conquer & save, I don't have time to be honorable!
The axe was twisted along with some pieces of rock from the floor, he launched at Ursula who cared more about the swing that came her way. The pieces of rock stung her face, neck, and, most importantly, the face of the horse.
"You wretch!" With a use of her tome Elfire and heightened by anger, the horse did a small trot back as the Valkyrie raised her hand up before swinging down. "Burn!"
The force of the critical damaging spell knocked Hector off his feet into the sidewall. Burns along his chest and armor glowed visibly. The member of the Black Fang Ursula was beside herself at the sight, her strike should have killed him!
"What!?" With a look of unbelieving, she watched as Hector didn't take the chance to attack her but the girl. His hand was wrapped in a powerful magic that radiated various Chaotic energies. 'That magic... how dangerous is it!?'
*Schlick!* Stabbing down right through the chest at the half-breed, he pulls at the heart and the magic inside, lifting the half-breed into the air dangling at the brink of death as far as most could see.
"Blasted half-dragon, the things I have gone through to take care of you and that boy, damn children of that psycho Nergal!" The words were for Ursula to hear as well. "It's a good thing you didn't get to Brenden Reed before he was manipulated by Nergal!"
Hearing the man's name twice who she saw work with the woman that courted the Black Fang Leader, Ursula had some misgivings. The sounds coming in that could be heard were not good for what she needed.
The Valkyrie turned away and left. She also needed to get her horse tended to at once. Hector didn't pursue more than just the reason for the problem at hand, he could feel a small trace of Enthrallment forming on the other.
"Up ahead!" A voice called out. It was but a few minutes later the situation turned more voltile.
Nils went cold seeing his sister in the air so helpless. Her body looked to be devoid of almost all life. His blood thrummed as rage would have consumed him if not for the fact it was drowned out by fear.