Chapter 20: Fight in the Courtyard

Giles was a brave man, but he was not a fool. As he charged forward with his wood-axe, his eyes were on the Fire Mage.

The bandit mage was just a few paces past the broken wooden gates. A bright orange light was in the palms of his hands. The air around the mage’s fingers was warped and distorted by the intense heat. Giles knew exactly what was coming. He had seen the massive explosion that shattered the barricades just moments ago. A regular man with a wooden axe had no chance against a wall of magical flames.

“Get back!” Giles roared to the men behind him, trying to dig his boots into the snow to halt his charge.

But the Fire Mage was already thrusting his hands forward. A massive torrent of flames was in the air, rushing directly toward the big carpenter and his men. The heat was like a wall, threatening to roast them alive in the middle of the winter snow.

Giles squeezed his eyes shut and raised his arms, fully expecting to die.

But the flames never reached him.

A dark shadow was suddenly in front of Giles. It was Bones. The heavily armored mage of the Frost-Grip family had stepped directly into the line of fire.

The blast of flames slammed directly into Bones’ bucket-helm and chainmail. The fire was all around the giant, creating a swirling inferno of heat and light. To Giles, looking from behind, it was an impossible sight. The back of the dark wool tabard on the giant was instantly singed away, but the man inside did not scream. He did not drop to the snow to roll. He did not even take a single step backward from the force of the blast.

Instead, Bones was walking forward.

From the perspective of the Fire Mage, the sight was pure terror. The mage was pouring every ounce of his Grey Core mana into the stream of fire. He was sweating heavily, his face twisted in a desperate sneer. He expected the armored defender to melt, to scream, to collapse into a pile of cooked flesh and hot iron.

But the iron giant was simply marching through the flames.

The heavy chainmail and the thick iron bucket-helm were glowing a dull cherry-red from the sheer intensity of the heat. The snow beneath the giant’s iron boots was turning instantly to steam. Yet, the narrow, dark eye-slit of the helm was fixed directly on the mage.

“What is this thing?!” the Fire Mage panicked in his own mind. His hands were shaking. His mana reserves were dropping rapidly. “No human can survive this! His blood should be boiling! His lungs should be scorched!”

Up on the stone balcony, Jack was holding the railing tightly.

His eyes were closed. His mind was entirely focused on the grey thread connected to Bones. The fire did not hurt the skeleton, but the elemental energy of the spell was violently crashing against Jack’s magical connection. It felt like a buzzing static in his brain, bringing a throbbing pain to his temples.

“Do not stop,” Jack commanded through the link. “Raise your fist. Strike him down.”

Through the empty eye sockets of the skeleton, Jack saw the terrified face of the Fire Mage. The man was completely out of options.

The Fire Mage finally cut off the stream of flames, his chest heaving with exhaustion. The young man had recently awakened his core and was entirely inexperienced with managing his mana. By pouring so much raw energy into a single, continuous attack, his reserves were completely empty. He stumbled backward, slipping slightly on the slush.

Seeing the glowing-red iron giant raising a massive fist, the young mage frantically crossed his arms in front of his chest. He pushed the last remnants of his mana outward.

A shimmering, transparent wall of hot, condensed air was suddenly in front of the mage. It was a magical heat-shield. It was designed to deflect arrows and turn the edges of regular swords away by using a dense layer of thermal pressure.

Bones did not have a sword. He did not have arrows. He had an eighty-pound iron suit and the raw, unyielding strength of the undead.

Bones swung his heavy, iron-gloved fist forward.

The glowing-red iron hit the magical heat-shield. For a fraction of a second, the transparent wall of air resisted. But a heat-shield was meant to deflect light, fast attacks. It could not stop the tireless mass of a giant skeleton swinging with absolute force.

With a loud, popping sound, the magical shield shattered.

The heavy iron fist slammed directly into the center of the Fire Mage’s chest.

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The impact was devastating. The sound of breaking ribs was loud in the courtyard. The Fire Mage was lifted completely off his feet by the force of the blow. He flew backward through the air, landing in the deep snow several yards away. He did not get back up. His chest was completely caved in, and his life was extinguished instantly.

The courtyard went completely silent for a brief moment.

Kael, the leader of the Frost-Bite Bandits, was just a few feet away from the breach. His sword was in his hand. A few seconds ago, he was confident. He was ready to slaughter the peasants and claim the castle.

But now, his eyes were wide as he looked at the crushed body of the young mage.