Lucinda’s Knight 1

Disclaimer: The Characters of Lucinda, Millicent, Talia and Arturus Nightbane, Katelyn, Cecilia, Amanda and Fenwick were created and owned by El Loco Bruja with all rights reserved.

Footsteps echoed down the hall as a solitary figured walked towards a large set of doors. The large hallway and the doors existed on the interior of a massive castle complex formerly known as the Dark Spire. The land on which the Spire stood was many miles across. The castle consisted of numerous, incredibly tall towers, the central tower of which was almost a mile high. The entire complex was made of black obsidian and was quite intimidating to behold, or at least it had been.
       The Spire had seen many changes in the time that had past since its former masters; The Empress Talia and Emperor Arturus of Bruja, had been overthrown. The battle that led to their overthrowing had left many parts of the castle damaged and some completely unusable. If one were to look at the castle from the outside they would see much repair work being done and many people scurrying about doing it. Rubble was still being moved away and platforms were being constructed to allow access to higher parts of the towers that needed repairs.
     Inside the castle the décor had changed drastically. Any and all portraits depicting the former rulers, their family or the reign of the former empire had been removed yet to be replaced. The exception to this was in the hallway now being trodden by the lone figure. Along the walls there were a couple portraits of the one who had overthrown the Empire; the now Queen Cecilia.
     The figure continued walking down the hall. He was clad in shining white armour, the breast plate of which looked like a lion’s head. He also had a flowing silver cape and a helmet under his arm that had wings and a gold faceplate that would have covered everything but his eyes and mouth. The figure himself was of a large build, standing well over six feet tall. He had dark brown hair and a short beard of the same colour. He reached the doors at the end of the hall and thrust them open. He walked into what was clearly a throne room.
     The room was 200 feet tall and 1000 across made of the same black obsidian as the rest of the castle, but also had some red stone mixed in with it. A moving painting could be seen on the ceiling, which presently depicted the fall of the former Empress and Emperor. At the center of the room was a tall but now cracked throne, upon which sat the Queen Cecilia. Two large, white Clockwork Soldiers stood at opposite ends of the throne room, accompanied by a half dozen griffons with riders and another dozen knights.
    The figure approached the throne and kneeled before it; “Lord Knight Gerrik reporting as you requested your majesty.”
     “You may rise Gerrik,” replied the Queen. She waited for him to stand and then spoke again; “Your report please.”
    Gerrik stood up, bowed briefly and then began to dictate his report: “It seems that there have been several small rebellions in outlying territories. Although they were oppressed it seems that some people supported the rule of the tyrants.”
     “I have come to expect as much,” replied the queen, “Evil things tend to flock together. Please continue.”
     “We have yet to attain control of the magical defense systems of the realm and believe the control may have been given to one of the princesses before they were sent to another realm.”
    “I had assumed as much.”
    “Aside from that things are going fairly well. Provisions are being distributed to the civilians, most of the lords of the former court have been either imprisoned or executed and the remaining undead hoards are in retreat to the east.”
     “That is good to hear Gerrik.” The Queen stood and gestured to a scribe who proceeded to write down everything Gerrik had orated. “I have another matter to discuss with you today Gerrik,” she said, seating herself again.
     “What would you wish of me your majesty?” he asked with a bow.
     “As you well know the former princesses of the tyrant’s empire, my nieces, escaped to another plane before they could be apprehended. We had dispatched several parties to locate them and received word of their presence on a world known as ‘Earth’.
     “Earth, your majesty?” said Gerrik questionably, “I have not heard of this realm”
     “It is a realm where there is very little natural magic and was not worth much of note. My guess is my cursed sister sent them there because it was well out of the way.”
     “And what came of this?”
     “We dispatched a unit to apprehend the two fugitives but we have yet to hear from them and assume them dead or worse.”
     “It is terrible to hear that your majesty.”
     “We are dealing with very evil foes Sir Gerrik, and as such I have come to expect horrible things when dealing with them.”
     “And what would you ask of me your majesty?”
     “I wish for you and two other knights to go to Earth and attempt to apprehend the fugitives. Also if possible discover the fate of the others that were sent there so that we may inform their families and if at all possible save them.”
     “Understood your majesty,” Gerrik said with a bow, “And who shall be accompanying me on this endeavor?”
     “You shall be accompanied by Lady Miranda and Sir Mordecai.”
Gerrik cringed a little, but did not let it show. Lady Miranda was quite respectable and probably the best archer in their army, Mordecai however had a questionable reputation. Nonetheless he was a skilled warrior and if the Queen had selected him then he was surely worthy of the task. “As you wish your majesty,” he said, giving a small bow, “Is there anything else you wish?”
     “Yes,” she replied, “If at all possible you are to bring at least one of them in alive. The elder sister Millicent is even tempered and might be willing to surrender however be sure to anticipate much resistance form Lucinda, the younger sister. It is very likely that she will have to be killed. When you are ready there is a portal being conjured in the room adjacent. Miranda and Mordecai have already been informed of this and are awaiting your arrival.” The Queen proceeded to fill Gerrik in on the few other details they knew about the task to be performed before concluding with: “That is all; Go with the Light.”
     “I shall your Majesty,” replied Gerrik. He took a final bow and walked to the adjacent room. Inside there were several dozen mages erecting a portal. Standing outside the ring of mages were two more figures clad in white armour, bearing the same lion’s head imprint as his. The first was a woman standing a little over five feet. She had a bow strapped to her back as well as a short sword at her hip. Her hair was scarlet and flower to her waist. The second was a man larger than Gerrik in both height and breadth. He was bald and had a scar over his right eye from battle. At his side was a mace four feet long and as thick as Gerrik’s head.
     “Sir Gerrik” the two of them exclaimed simultaneously while standing to attention and saluting him.
     “At ease,” he replied and they stood down. “Now I take it the two of you have been told by her majesty the nature of this mission?”
Miranda replied first; “Our mission is to apprehend Millicent and Lucinda Nightbane, former princesses of the tyrant empire and fugitives from the light.”
     “What she said,” replied Mordecai with much less enthusiasm.
Gerrik glared at him but said nothing of it. “That’s correct. However the Queen wishes for at least one of them to be brought back alive to stand trial for the misdeeds of the former empire. I hope you two know of the danger we will be facing and are prepared to lay down your lives for the good of all.”
     “Ready willing and able Sir,” replied Miranda with a salute. Mordecai also saluted but remained quiet. At that moment the mages finished weaving the portal which took the form of a great open doorway. The doorway seemed to lead to a field where a large city of skyscrapers could be seen in the distance.
     “I have a couple more details before we depart,” said Gerrik looking back and forth between Miranda and Mordecai, “First of all the location to which we are going is a fairly large city. We do not wish to attract undue attention or frighten the locals so we shall be arriving under an illusion charm. That charm will cause us to appear as normal residents to the people of the realm to any without magical cognition.”
     Mordecai and Miranda both nodded and then Gerrik continued; “Secondly we do not wish to involve civilians of that realm in this operation. Therefore if you make contact with the fugitives you will first contact the other two knights and then place wards and barriers to prevent escape or outside interference.”
     Miranda nodded again but Mordecai just grunted. Ignoring that Gerrik resumed speaking again; “Lastly we will be dividing our search into three areas. I will take the northern most parts of the city; Mordecai will take the central areas and Miranda the south. If that is all clear then let us make haste.”
Miranda and Mordecai saluted again and then all three moved towards the portal. “Go with the light” said the head mage. Gerrik and the other two nodded before stepping through the portal.

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Crash! The door gave way. A Dozen White Clockworks, In front of Griffin riders and Knights that filled the hall. Battle Priests called the charge. The Emperor leaped into the fray, hacking a knight’s head off and dodging a Clockwork’s blade. A hand pulled her into the portal and she turned her head for one last look at her parents; her father’s head slid across the floor and her mother’s body exploded into a red cloud from Cold Iron cannon fire. The Warriors of good rushed at them as the portal closed and they flew beyond space and time…
Lucinda awoke with a start, tears running down her face. “CURSE YOU! she screamed. She pointed her finger arbitrarily, causing the wall opposite her bed to explode. It took her a moment to realize she had been dreaming. She shook her head back and forth to wake herself up and then stood up with a stretch. She wiped her eyes on her bed sheets then pointed at the ruined wall which instantly repaired itself. Shortly after that the door clicked open and Millicent walked in hurriedly.
“What’s wrong?” she asked in a panic, “Are you alright? I heard a scream and an explosion”
“I’m fine,” replied Lucinda, putting on an aloof air, “I just happened to wake up in the middle of an unpleasant dream.”
“It must have been pretty bad for you to consider it unpleasant,” replied Millicent sarcastically.
“If you must know it was about our escape from the castle; or rather the last part of it!” exclaimed Lucinda, tears forming again.
Millicent’s expression softened upon hearing this and she embraced her younger sister. “I’m sorry Lucy, if I had known I wouldn’t have said something like that.”
Lucinda’s tears dried up and she tried to push her sister off. “Its fine, you didn’t know. Besides, it’s over now and I can amuse myself thinking about what horrors I shall visit upon the ones responsible once we take back our kingdom.”
Millicent released Lucinda and half smiled. She was relieved that her sister was back to her usual, albeit malevolent, self. “Well when you’re done contemplating those horrors come to the kitchen, I’m making breakfast.”
“You’re still cooking? I know you’re good at it but that doesn’t change the fact that its servants work.” Lucinda had always disliked that her sister had taken up cooking. It was beneath her status as a princess of Bruja and she could have used magic to conjure up anything she might have wanted. Despite this Lucinda always ate what her sister prepared, since all of it ended up being delicious.
Lucinda waved a hand at her bed which immediately tidied itself and then went into the bathroom adjacent to her room. She took a quick bath, wrapped a towel around her head and donned a robe before going to the kitchen. She sat at the table just as Millicent was bringing over the breakfast plates. The plate set in front of Lucinda carried on it three strips of bacon, two sausages and two eggs sunny side up. Millicent placed a knife and fork next to Lucinda’s plate and then sat down opposite her and began eating.
Lucinda sniffed at the food on her plate, then picked up her fork and took the tiniest portion of eggs into her mouth. As a princess Lucinda had learned the habit of checking her food for poisons before eating it, despite the fact that she was immune to most types of them because of her high blood. She should also have figured that her sister wouldn’t be trying to poison her, but old habits die hard.
Satisfied that nothing in her breakfast was going to kill her, Lucinda waved a hand at her knife which floated in the air and began cutting up her sausages and eggs. While her knife was cutting she picked up her fork and gobbled down her bacon. By the time she finished her bacon her knife had cut up the eggs and sausage and laid itself back down next to her plate. She ate through the eggs and sausage fairly quickly as well and then floated her dishes over to the sink.
“That was pretty fast,” remarked Millicent looking up from her own breakfast, “You seem to have forgotten your royal etiquette, what’s up?”
“I have plans for today,” retorted Lucinda indignantly, “and I don’t want to be late.”
“Oh? Does it involve plagues or dismemberment of any kind?” Asked Millicent. Her tone was sarcastic but she knew that her sister might seriously do something like that.
“It might, depending on whether or not people are smart enough to stay away from me. I haven’t gotten together with Katelyn for some time because she’s been away visiting her mother. This is the first time we’ve had to hang out in a while and I intend to enjoy it. If that means a few humans have to suffer then so be it.”
“At least promise you’ll keep damage to a minimum,” said Millicent with resignation.
“Very well,” replied Lucinda, “but if I don’t have as much fun I’m blaming you.”
She then headed back to her room. She removed the towel from her head and tossed it in a laundry basket, then threw open her closet. She debated with herself what she wanted to wear today. On one hand she was going to see her friend for the first time in a while and wanted to look nice. On the other hand she didn’t want to spend time putting on anything fancy and end up being late. After turning it over in her mind a few minutes she settled on a moderately elegant purple and black dress with white lace at the cuffs and a frill at the base of the skirt. She donned the dress and tied the large purple ribbon at the back to secure it. She walked over to her night stand and looked herself over in the mirror.
     Her deep violet eyes looked her reflection up and down. She picked up a brush and ran it through her hair quickly yet carefully. Setting the brush down, she picked up a pair of crimson elastics and put her hair up in a set of pigtails. Satisfied with her appearance she picked up her purse and began gathering things from her nightstand. She picked up her black cigarette case and holder, debated for a moment whether to have one now, but decided to wait until she was outside and placed the items in her purse. She also grabbed a wad of large denomination bills and placed them in her purse in case she and Katelyn decided to go to a café. She then looked down at a small collection of jars on the nightstand. Each jar contained a human who had been shrunk to a miniature height. Lucinda smirked at them, and told herself to thank Amanda the next time she saw her for introducing her to the hobby.
     Satisfied that she had everything she needed she slid her purse strap over her arm and teleported outside the front doors of her apartment. The sky was cloudy and threatened to rain. This made Lucinda smile because it meant that there would be fewer mortals getting in her way. In light of that fact she decided to walk to the park. Along the way a rather impolite mortal attempted to snatch her purse and run off. Since Lucinda hadn’t had a cigarette yet that day she turned the man into one and placed him into her holder. She lit the cigarette with a point from her finger, brought the holder to her mouth and took a long, deep drag. The smoke tasted good and Lucinda exhaled happily and then continued her walk to the park.
     By the time she reached the park she had finished and discarded her cigarette. She walked over to the formation of stones near the center of the park, affectionately referred to as ‘Parkhenge’. This stone formation was donated by a group of local pagans who used the park as a site for various rituals and gatherings. Although the magic of this world was weak, this one spot was greatly attuned to magical energies and made Lucinda feel more at home than anywhere else in the city. Lucinda floated up on top of the structure and sat there, keeping an eye out for Katelyn.
     After about five minutes she made out her friend running towards the park. Katelyn ran up to the base of the stone upon which Lucinda was, leaning against it and panting. “I’m sorry,” she said between pants, “have you been waiting long?”
     “A few minutes,” came Lucinda’s reply, “you could have been here faster if you had flown though. How come you didn’t use the spells I’ve been teaching you?”
     “Well since I was visiting my mother I didn’t really have time to practice my magic.”
     “That’s pretty sloppy of you. It looks like we’ll have to spend today making up for lost time.”
     “Alright then,” sighed Katelyn. She had been looking forward to seeing Lucinda again since exciting things happened whenever she was around. She rummaged around in her back pack and pulled out the wand that Lucinda had given her. She waved it once and her appearance changed. Her outfit turned into a pink tutu like garb complete with toe-shoes. On her back a pair of fairy like wings also materialized. Lucinda raised an eyebrow, surprised that Katelyn had cast the spell non-verbally.
     “So you’ve learned to change form without a verbal command have you?”
     “I didn’t say I hadn’t been practicing at all, just a little less than usual.”
     “Oh well I guess that’s acceptable then. Now come up here.”
Katelyn nodded and then focused her thoughts on the wings that had appeared on her back. After a couple seconds they began to flap and Katelyn hovered into the air. She floated up to the top of the stone and sat down next to Lucinda.
“Good your flying has improved,” stated Lucinda after Katelyn sat down. “You’ll never be as powerful as me, but for a mortal such as yourself you’ve done well.”
“Um thanks,” replied Katelyn. She knew that as far as Lucinda was concerned, that was the highest level of compliment. She took it for what it was worth and smiled at Lucinda. They spent the next little while discussing what Katelyn had done at her mother’s and what Lucinda had done while she was away. Since Katelyn was fairly sensitive to the plights of other mortals Lucinda excluded talking about the few dozen mortals she had disintegrated or damned to a variety of hells.
After they had been talking for a while a mortal woman walked through the center of Parkhenge. This woman made the mistake of looking up at Lucinda and Katelyn.
“What are you two doing up there, you could get hurt!” She called out.
Lucinda looked down at the mortal who had dared interrupt her conversation. “We’re not going to get hurt lady, so move along and stop bothering us.”
“Well I never,” said the woman, “You should learn some respect for your elders young lady.”
“And you need to learn respect for your better,” retorted Lucinda, glaring at the woman.
“How did the two of you get up there anyways?”
Lucinda smirked, as the woman had just provided an opportunity for some fun. “Have you ever heard the expression ‘Curiosity killed the cat’?” she asked the woman. She then looked to Katelyn and smiled. “Try this one without speaking again,” she instructed.” Katelyn nodded and pointed her wand at the woman. She focused on the wand and the energies it contained, and also on the energies flowing through the stones. She felt the energy build up and directed it at the woman. She envisioned the woman turning into a cat and released the energy. The magic struck the woman and there was a flash of purple light and where the woman once stood there was now a black haired cat. The cat looked around; seeming a bit dazed and then proceeded to lick its paws. Lucinda howled with laughter and Katelyn giggled.
The cat continued to give itself a tongue bath while the two girls sat laughing about it. Then Lucinda had a wicked idea. She pointed to a spot in the center of the stone formation. There was a loud crack and a puff of smoke. In the middle of the cloud of smoke, Lucinda’s less than willing vassal Fenwick appeared. Fenwick looked around, momentarily dazed, but his confusion lessened substantially when he looked up and saw Lucinda grinning down at him.
“You know, I was in the middle of something,” Fenwick said, in spite of who he was talking to.
“Silence Fenwick,” commanded Lucinda, “We’re going to have some fun with you today. If you provide suitable amusement I might see fit to overlook your attitude problem for today.”
Fenwick hung his head, disappointed with his lot once again. Lucinda pointed a finger at him and he shrunk down, becoming a mouse once again. It was only then that he noticed the cat that was also in the midst of Parkhenge. The cat chose that exact moment to stop licking itself and look up, noticing Fenwick. Lucinda waved her hand and an invisible barrier formed around the inside of the stone formation, preventing either Fenwick or the cat from escaping. The cat lowered its body to the ground and began slowly stalking towards Fenwick. Fenwick squeaked loudly and ran to the opposite end of the formation. He looked back at the cat, which was still laying low, and turned to face forward just in time to run straight into the barrier. He then staggered back as the cat leapt at him, who also hit the barrier straight on. Watching the scene Lucida howled with laughter. Katelyn laughed as well, pleased that her friend was enjoying herself, especially since it was without doing major bodily harm to someone.
Lucinda and Katelyn continued watching the ensuing game of cat and mouse, with the cat getting ever closer to catching Fenwick. After a while Lucinda decided she wanted a cigarette. She reached into her purse to retrieve her case and holder, but before she could reach them she felt something. It was magic. Lucinda hurriedly looked around for the source so she could tell what was being done. Whatever was being done was outside her line of sight but she could still feel the energy being used. It was white magic, the kind used in Bruja. Katelyn felt something too. She wasn’t as keen as Lucinda but she instinctively knew that there was other magic going on. She looked to Lucinda for an answer, but Lucinda did not look back at her. She instead floated down to the ground and waved her hand, releasing the invisible barrier.
Katelyn was about to ask what was going on when Lucinda spoke without looking at her; “Leave.”
“Why, is something bad going to…” began Katelyn, but she was cut off by Lucinda.
“If you don’t leave now I’m going to send you somewhere unpleasant,” came her reply. Katelyn wasn’t sure what was going on, but she could tell it was serious. She quickly gathered Fenwick and the cat up in her arms and flew off towards the apartment complex where Lucinda and her sister lived. Lucinda didn’t pay and heed to where Katelyn was headed, focusing her attention on the magic being woven. It was a barrier.
As soon as Katelyn cleared the park a white dome sprouted from the direction in which Lucinda was looking. The dome crossed through the air and touched down just beyond the edge of Parkhenge. Lucinda raised her hand in the direction the spell had come from. A figure approached form the distance. The figure was clad in white armour, the breast of which looked like a lion’s head. The figure drew closer but Lucinda held her ground.
“The Lady of Corbus demands that you identify yourself!” She declared. When the figure was about ten feet away from her he stopped and looked directly at her.
“Of course, ‘My Lady’” he said with a sneer, “I am Mordecai Warwick, knight of Bruja and servant of her Majesty Queen Cecilia.”
Lucinda was infuriated at the very mentioning of that name. It was the name of the one who had destroyed everything she had ever known and was the direct cause of her parent’s deaths. “I will not suffer that name to be spoken in my presence!” She roared and sent a spark of dark energy from her finger at Mordecai. The spark struck him in the chest, but rebounded off of his armour and dissipated into nothing. Lucinda glowered at Mordecai who chuckled at her.
“Silly girl, Cold Iron is resistant to magic. With how smart you are, I would have thought you’d remember that much.” Mordecai chided Lucinda. He then drew the mace from his belt, which shone with a dim white light.
Lucinda glared fiercely at him and lowered her hand. She still stood her ground and addressed him again; “What exactly is your purpose here, as if I didn’t already know,” she demanded.
“Well since you forgot about my armour you probably forget about a bunch of other things as well so I’ll clear it up for you,” stated Mordecai with contempt, “I’m here with a couple other knights of Bruja in order to apprehend you and your sister. Your sister we can probably take without a fight, but the Queen has declared that we only need to bring back one of you alive to stand trial for the old empire.”
     “How dare you threaten my sister,” yelled Lucinda, raising her hand again.
     Mordecai ignored her and continued speaking, “I imagine a hero’s welcome will await the one who brings back your head. I was supposed to contact my comrades when I located you, but I figured I could take you myself and claim all the glory.”
     Lucinda scowled and cursed under her breath. She swore to herself that once she got out of this she was going to make sure that this ‘Mordecai’ was cursed into a million pieces, each of which would be sent to a million different hells. She then began to gather energy to dispel the barrier and depart from the park. However the energy she gathered suddenly slipped away from her towards Mordecai.
     “Sorry Princess, but that won’t work either,” he said, “My weapon will absorb all of the energy from your dark magic and convert it to light.” As he spoke the glow of his mace intensified. “Or did you forget that too?” he taunted. He then approached Lucinda at a speed that wouldn’t normally be expected from a man his size. He then raised his left gauntlet and struck Lucinda hard across her face.
     The force of the blow threw Lucinda backwards. When she hit the ground she slid several feet, stopping when her head struck one of the standing stones. She felt a trickle of blood run down the back of her head and her jaw had been broken. She looked up as Mordecai stalked towards her again. As he approached, Lucinda realized that she was completely alone. At the battle of the Dark Spire there were Hotspur and numerous other knights defending her. In the throne room her mother and father had bought her the time she had needed to escape. Her sister hadn’t come with her this time and she had sent Katelyn away with Fenwick. The barrier erected by Mordecai prevented her from summoning anyone or anything in to help her. She was truly alone, and she felt afraid.
     Mordecai stopped a couple feet away from Lucinda and glared down at her with a mixture of contempt for her and pleasure at what he was about to do. “I hope you enjoy your stay in hell,” he said, raising his mace above his head. “Oh and tell that bitch Empress it was me who sent you to see her.” With that he brought his mace down towards Lucinda.
     Lucinda shut her eyes and winced away from the incoming blow. There was a flash, a blur and the loud, sharp clang of metal on metal. Lucinda held her eyes shut for a few moments, but when the blow she was expecting didn’t come she looked up. Standing between her and Mordecai was a young man wearing tattered clothes. In his right hand he was holding a long thin sword in a back-handed fashion and was using it to fend off Mordecai’s mace.
     Mordecai was surprised that someone was standing between him and the princess. Not only that, but the man was fending off his heavy mace with a thin, frail looking sword. Mordecai grunted and pushed on the other man’s sword with more force. The young man smirked and pushed back just as hard.
     “Who are you, and why are you standing in the way of justice?” Demanded Mordecai.
     “Y’know what,” replied the young man, “I don’t feel like telling you.” With that the young man gave a mighty heave and forced Mordecai backwards. Mordecai quickly regained his footing and held his mace out in front of him. The young man shifted his weight backwards onto his left foot and brought his right hand level with his left hip so that the blade of his sword ran diagonally to his right shoulder. He smirked at Mordecai again and braced himself for another attack.
     “Clearly you must not be aware of who it is that you’re protecting, stated Mordecai harshly. “That girl is the wicked daughter of an evil empire. She has slain many thousands of innocent people on a whim and countless more were destroyed in the name of her and her empire.
     “That’s nice,” replied the young man, “But I already knew that.”
“Then why are you protecting her?!” roared Mordecai, lunging at the young man with his mace. The young man brought his sword up to deflect Mordecai’s blow and the two started grappling again. “What reason could you possibly have for defending that vile creature?”
     “That’s for me to know and you to piss off!” stated the young man. He then raised his back foot and brought it forward with incredible force, kicking Mordecai square in the chest. The blow threw Mordecai back several feet where he landed with a thud. The young man returned to his former stance making sure he was still covering Lucinda.
     Lucinda was now sitting up against the standing stone, observing the struggle between the two men. She has beyond enraged at Mordecai because of what he had said, and more than anything else for striking her. She however could do nothing at the time since she was still in pain as her body healed the broken jaw and the cut on her head. Nonetheless she continued trying to stand up.
     “If that is the case, then you shall die too” stated Mordecai firmly. He then held his mace out and a beam of light shot from it towards the young man. The young man simply held his sword in the path of the oncoming ray. When the struck his sword it splintered into dozens of smaller rays, all of which flew off in different directions away from both the man and Lucinda.
     “But how?” blurted out Mordecai, surprised at the result.
     “Your world isn’t the only one with Cold Iron,” the man said curtly. This remark surprised both Lucinda and Mordecai, but neither of them could respond to it.
     Mordecai raised his mace again, but its glow had faded away, indicating that it had no light energy left in it. Mordecai was displeased, but figured that it didn’t matter. He could easily out muscle the scrawny punk and prepared to charge him. The young man read Mordecai’s movements and took up his stance again. This time however he shifted his weight to his forward right foot so that he could bring his left up quickly. Mordecai charged at him at a blinding pace. The young man lifted his back foot off the ground and spun around. By the time Mordecai reached him his foot connected with his right hand, sending the mace flying. It landed some thirty feet away. With the momentum from the spin still with him, the young man brought his sword around and drove it into Mordecai’s breastplate.
     The sharpened edge of the young mans blade cut into Mordecai’s armour and split the breastplate cleanly in half. The tip dug lightly into his flesh, forcing Mordecai to leap back several feet. When he landed his broken breastplate fell to the ground, along with a few drops of blood.
     “So that’s how it is huh?” grunted Mordecai. He then reached for his knife, “Well then…” he didn’t get to finish speaking. In his concern about the young man, Mordecai had completely disregarded Lucinda. It was a huge mistake. Lucinda was now standing again, blood still on her face but her wound and jaw healed. As soon as Mordecai’s breastplate had hit the ground Lucinda had raised her hand and focused all the energy she could muster towards him. She was going to make good on what she had sworn earlier.
     As the young man looked on, Mordecai seemed to break into thousands of tiny pieces, each of which disappeared in a small flash of light. All that was left were the pieces of his Cold Iron armour, which clattered loudly to the ground, and his mace which was still on the ground some thirty feet away. The young man stood up straight and sheathed his sword. He then turned around only to be faced with Lucinda’s threatening finger.
     After Mordecai was destroyed the barrier he had placed began to collapse. Just beyond the barrier were Millicent and Katelyn, who came running towards Lucinda as soon as the barrier was gone. They saw that Lucinda was hurt and called out to her.
     “Oh my Goddess Lucinda, are you alright?!” exclaimed Millicent, running towards her battered sister. Katelyn followed behind her but the sight of Lucinda’s blood caused her to faint. Millicent caught her before she fell and then looked to her sister. Lucinda ignored them and continued to point menacingly at the young man.
     “Princess Lucinda Nightbane demands that you identify yourself immediately!” she stated fiercely to the young man. To her surprise the man dropped down on one knee before her. He placed his left hand on the ground and his right over his chest.
     “Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier,” he said, bowing his head to her. “Princess Lucinda Nightbane, Lady of Corbus and High Magis of Bruja; My name is Drake Northwind, and I am at your service.”