(20 mins later)
The courtyard, once alive with the thunderous clash of steel and battle cries, now laid in grim silence, with littered bodies strewn across the blood-slick cobblestones.
Over the past twenty minutes, a brutal and unrelenting battle had unfolded, leaving Ben and Dumpy as the only figures standing amidst the carnage.
Their progress had been hastened once the enemy numbers thinned and gaps began to appear in their defenses, allowing them to exploit every weakness with ruthless efficiency.
The air hung heavy with the metallic scent of blood, mingled with the faint, acrid residue of dissipated magic.
Broken weapons, shattered shields, and remnants of armor were scattered haphazardly, a testament to the ferocity of the fight that had raged moments ago.
Dumpy stood towering over the battlefield, his colossal frame battered and bloodied but unbroken. His massive swords dangled loosely in his hands, their edges dulled and smeared with gore.
Arrows protruded from his thick hide, and deep gashes marred his forelimbs and flank, yet his glowing eyes reflected a proud defiance.
Despite the toll of the fight, the ancient swamp frog remained resolute, his sheer presence a warning to anyone who might dare approach, however, despite his best efforts to look tough, his size shrank significantly once the battle was over, as he reduced his form to a mere human sized frog.
Beside him, Ben stood hunched slightly, his daggers planted firmly into a mound of dead soldiers for support.
His usual composure was cracked, his chest rising and falling heavily as he fought to steady his breathing.
A long slash ran across his left arm, and bruises darkened the exposed parts of his skin, but his grip on his blade remained firm, his sharp eyes scanning for any remaining threats.
The pair had faced overwhelming odds, cutting down soldier after soldier in a relentless storm of blades and fury.
The royal forces had fought valiantly, their training and coordination making every step a struggle, but the combined might of Ben's precision and Dumpy's sheer power had proved too much for them.
Now, with the last soldier felled and the din of battle finally stilled, the two warriors stood proud amidst the aftermath, with Leo left as their only spectator.
"You've been resting twenty minutes now, you lazy piece of trash, mind hobbling over here now?" Ben shouted in annoyance, as his words urged Leo to try and get back to his feet.
As he stood back up, Leo could feel some of his muscles in his paralyzed leg roar back to life once again as the effects of the mage's attack seemed to be waning.
Hobbling, he moved over to where Ben and Dumpy stood, as he gave both of them an approving nod, before deciding to do some mischief.
"What took you guys so long? I finished my fight ages ago—" Leo said, as Ben gave him the most expressionless glare.
"Really? Boy? You're willing to test my patience tonight?" Ben dared, as Leo chuckled out loud.
*Shua*
*SPLAT*
Reflexively, without even glancing over, Leo threw a dagger across the garden, killing a Virex Corp operative hidden in the shadows as he took him out before the operative could cause any harm to Ben or Dumpy.
"No master, of-course I'm not willing to test your patience…. The job is not yet done, I've killed 17 Virex operatives lurking in the shadows while you were busy with your fight, but I'm sure more have brought the news back that Vivienne and Denver are dead.
The new chief of Virex Corp has not participated in this fight either, so it's safe to say that we can expect hell once we enter the castle—" Leo said, as Ben nodded grimly to his words.
"I'm afraid the new Virex Chief will not be found within the castle walls then. Most likely, he's already outside looking for reinforcements, and if my estimates are not wrong, he will charge back in here any moment now, with the royal army in tow.
We have 10 maybe 15 minutes to pull this off, or-else this mission will become a lost cause" Ben said, as Leo nodded in agreement with his assessment.
The hordes of royal soldiers that they had ditched in the city streets were roughly 30 minutes out from the castle at best, and if the new Virex Chief had set out to fetch them the moment Denver died, they could be here at any moment now.
The trio had 10 to 15 minutes at best to try and kill the Emperor and his family before the royal guards swarmed the castle grounds, which was going to be next to impossible considering the entire castle was on guard against them and filled to the edge with soldiers.
"Only a madman will attempt this mission from here on out–" Ben said, looking at the gash on his arm, as Leo nodded in agreement, placing his palm on the exposed side of his broken mask.
"Aye, only madmen…." Leo agreed, as his lips curled into a grin and his eyes turned predatory.
"I'll take the dungeon…. Pay a visit to Nathan D Evanus—" Ben said, as Leo gave him the thumbs up.
"I'll take the young Emperor and his mother. See you back here in 10!" Leo said, as Dumpy shrunk to the size of a pocket frog and jumped on his shoulders.
"Let me accompany you master, I've never seen an emperor die before!" Dumpy said, as Leo patted his head with joy.
"Very well then boy, let me show you how to become a KingSlayer!" Leo said as he hobbled into the castle entrance, with two daggers in hand.
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/// A/N - Hey guys! It's December and keeping up with tradition, December means we will hold lots of fun events, including mass releases.
So far I've planned riddle events, pop quiz and character naming events, but if you have any cool suggestions I would be open to them in the comments below.
For a full list of events and prizes, check the comment under the chapter. Cheers! ///