With the city wards powered down, everything from defenses to streetlights was failing. As time went on, the city’s glow was beginning to fade. Pretty soon, they would need torches just to navigate the streets. Emily hoped that Ashe was having a better time than they were.

  As it turned out there was another way to get to the upper campus, stairs.

  There was an external set of stairs that no one ever took as the lift was large and fast, so avoided using it.

  Luckily it was large enough that the Galendmares had little trouble climbing it. Seeing as it only added twenty minutes to their journey time they were not complaining. Well Emily was, but only internally.

  About halfway up they came level with the bridge, and from here they could see the battle unfolding.

  Sam’eth’s forces were more than halfway down the bridge, but that was not what caught Emily’s attention. She watched as a golem was launched from the center of the bridge straight over one of the railings.

  Their formation was shaped like an arrowhead, and amongst the sea of black and red, there was a singular white robe at the point. It led the others into battle with an unflinching courage.

  Even if Emily didn’t know who it was she would have been able to tell by his self-righteousness from here

  Any fighter that changed the white robe was either battered aside or captured and dragged away.

  Alex had said that when she had been knocked out, Cosmo had suddenly retreated from the area, but perhaps this was the real reason. Perhaps he was needed at the front.

  His power was certainly suited to it. With his level of strength and resilience, there is not much that could harm him, even on the frontline.

  When Alex saw this his face turned grim.

  “Okay make that three to four hours. I thought they would be able to hold out for longer, but as things go. The city with fall in the early hours of the morning.”

  Kael clicked his tongue to edge his Galendmare on, promoting the others to do the same.

  When they arrived at the top, Emily saw that the guard stations were empty.

  There were wards in place to prevent people from crossing over into the campus but as of right now, they were completely unpowered.

  The guard posts here were largely for show as the district's real defenses were the towers themselves.

  Now that they had arrived in the area, the destruction that the last attack had wrought became clear. Rubble from the surrounding buildings lay scattered all over the place. Hollow tower shells lay amongst the debris, their once magnificent walls plastered with dust If they had managed to escape annihilation, the shifting of the grounds had caused cracks to spread through them.

  It was like a graveyard up here, without a whisper of wind bouncing between the remaining structures. The destruction was the worst near the center of the campus some of the outer towers still clinging to life. Emily could also not see a single person move around the streets, but there was a strange energy about this place.

  Indicating with her head, Emily took them through the ghost town until they reached the outer section. Buildings were less damaged here but it was more familiar. Alex frowned as he looked around and his eye locked on Emily.

  “Emily…” his tone shifted dangerously close to disapproval.

  Emily shrugged.

  “What, this is the fastest route I know, plus it all looks different now that it's all destroyed,” Emily said innocently.

  Alex gave her a dull stare, making it clear he wasn’t convinced.

  However, a few seconds later it didn’t matter because Emily spotted Ariandel’s tower.

  The last time they had seen it, it was partially on fire, but now a crack spiraled through the structure, and the entire top half had snapped off.

  Emily was kind of disappointed that it was not complete rubble, but that had its own benefits. It meant that he still had a chance of being alive.

  Emily clicked her tongue and directed the Galendmare towards the tower.

  “This is not the time for revenge Emily.” Alex scowled.

  “Oh come on, there is always time for revenge.”

  Kael saw the approaching the tower and glanced around.

  “What is going on, where are you taking us.”

  Alex mulled over what to say and eventually came out with the truth.

  “The man in this tower wronged Emily recently,”

  Kael’s eyes narrowed.

  “And was this part of the plan, or is it just a coincidence that we’re here now.” his voice turning dangerous.

  Emily pressed her lips together and glanced at the visible door on the front.

  “It is a lucky happening. Look, all I’m asking is ten minutes of our time. Alex said we had till morning and if we keep heading that way, we’ll hit the external gate in less than an hour.” Emily pulled up beside the door and rested her hand against it.

  Hissing she withdrew it, as the material was searing hot.

  “See, its protections run on a separate power source. We’re not getting in.” Alex said.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Emily frowned.

  "If I remember correctly, you once told me there was a ward that could get me inside a mage’s tower," Emily said.

  Alex’s face twitched. "I do, but… the protections inside could still cook us alive. Are you really willing to take that chance?"

  Emily glanced at the door, then back at him. "Yes."

  "Even if I come with you?" Alex asked, his tone laced with skepticism.

  Emily frowned at him but refused to answer.

  Alex leaned back and exhaled slowly, his gaze shifting to Kael.

  "I have reason to believe the tower contains a lot of valuable items, so we’re going to try to get inside. We’ll see you at the meet-up point."

  Kael looked between Emily and Alex, then down at his spear. "You are my clients, but at this point, who’s keeping track? I can’t follow you in there—not with my men’s safety on the line. But…" He hesitated before continuing. "We’ll wait out here for half an hour. If you’re not back by then, we’re leaving."

  Alex nodded his thanks and the Wandering fangs found an area to lay low that was still in sight of the tower.

  Emily glanced at Alex impatiently.

  “Well, come on. Give me the ward.”

  Alex bit the inside of his lip and shook his head.

  “I will, but there’s something different about this one that you need to know,” he said as he made a motion for Emily’s pack.

  “What do you mean?” she said as she handed it over.

  Emily’s brow rose when Alex began rummaging through her pack without permission.

  “Up until now, I’ve only shown you static wards. In runic sorcery, there is another type of ward called a dynamic ward.”

  Emily frowned wondering where this was going.

  “A dynamic ward is similar to a static, only thing is, it is a constantly shifting thing. The constructs are made in this way.”

  Emily squinted at Alex.

  “I’m failing to see how that helps me now.”

  Alex rolled his eyes at her impatience.

  “Emily we are trying to break into a Mage’s tower. It is one of the most heavily warded places out there. It can also respond to any threats appropriately. The ward I’m going to give you is dynamic, which means to some extent it's alive. But more than that it’s going to require an enormous amount of source.”

  Emily pursed her lips.

  “Well, power is one thing I have in spades.”

  Alex nodded.

  “Which is the only reason this might be possible. Dynamic wards are never usually powered by a person, their cost is just too high. But for you, it might be possible. How good would you say your condition is right now? You used a lot of source back there.” he asked seeming to have found what he was looking for.

  Emily’s impatience melted as she took stock of herself. Honestly, ever since the relic had been attached, she’d not felt that familiar fading sensation.

  If she were to guess she was around ninety percent at the moment.

  “I’m good to go,” she said firmly

  Alex’s eyes remained locked on her as though searching for a lie.

  “Alright, then drink this,” he said, handing over a small bottle containing a cloudy liquid.

  Emily squinted at it and tried to place it.

  Then it hit her. This was the very same bottle she had pulled from the illusionist's corpse, the one she’d gotten with the book.

  Frowning she looked at the syrupy cloudy concoction inside.

  Hadn’t Alex said this was spinal fluid? She’d been meaning to throw it out nostalgia had stayed her hand. She was regretting it now.

  “You want me to drink bone juice?”

  Alex grimaced.

  “It's a stimulant, the bottle would have kept it fresh.”

  Emily’s nose wrinkled, and her lips curled downward.

  “I don’t care how fresh it is.”

  Alex shook his head.

  “Emily, this is one of the conditions for you to use this ward. If you don’t, then we’re getting out of here”

  Now it was Emily's turn to grimace. Her shoulders drooped and she snatched the bottle from Alex.

  “I blame you if this makes me ill.”

  Without giving herself time to overthink it, Emily popped the cork at the neck of the bottle and began to chug.

  A deep musky scent filled Emily’s senses as the slimy concoction slid down her throat. She only stopped when the entire thing was gone.

  A shiver ran down he spine and her teeth chattered.

  “Done. Now show me the ward.”

  Alex nodded and began to draw the ward out on the ground he’d cleared of debris. The whole while Emily remained focused as she tried her best to memorize the spell.

  Unfortunately, it was so complex that after the first quadrant of runes, she was completely lost.

  When it was done Scarlet sister was singing in her ears at the complexity. That or it could just be the stuff she had drank because it felt like her bridges were humming to themselves.

  Once Alex was done she began to fill the chalk out with a blood ward. When it was complete she lifted it and directed it at the tower at Alex’s behest. Then came powering it.

  “Right now. Ashe taught you the wave method, right? You going to start with that and move into the stream method, But you will need to continue creating new pluses throughout the spell, so don’t let up.”

  Emily looked at the ward and it was larger than she was tall.

  "So give it all I’ve got, basically?" Emily asked.

  Alex pressed his lips together and nodded hesitantly.

  Emily smiled. "Now that I can do."

  She focused inward, engaging her bridges, and took the largest gulp of source she’d ever attempted. Her bridge hummed with raw power, the stimulant coursing through her veins like liquid fire—but she wasn’t done yet. Drawing even deeper, she pulled more power from the surrounding energy, simultaneously channeling a stream of current into herself. She pushed both methods to their absolute limits, her body thrumming with potential.

  The first wave of source surged through her, slamming into her hands. When the next wave followed, she unleashed it into the spell.

  Immediately, Emily’s blood began to glow with an intense, vibrant light. Yet for the moment, nothing happened.

  A full minute passed as she channeled power into the ward, stabilizing it. Then, to her surprise, the ward began to shift and rearrange itself, its runes twisting into unfamiliar configurations. Emily frowned, her instincts warning her she could stop the process—but something told her that intervening would be a mistake.

  Still, impatience gnawed at her. She pulled more energy from her surroundings, funneling it directly into the ward.

  Sparks crackled around it, growing into arcs of lightning that danced like living creatures, coiling into thick serpents of plasma. The surge of power grounded her as it expanded, radiating outward from the blood ward. This was beyond anything she had ever worked before.

  Alex had to step back to avoid the spell’s growing range, watching warily as Emily continued.

  The blood ward pulsed once, then fired a bolt of lightning that struck the crumbling wall of the tower. In an instant, a shimmering golden barrier of wards erupted into existence, blocking the intrusion.

  The battle began.

  Emily’s spell wrestled against the tower’s defenses, the two forces clashing in a violent struggle for dominance. The golden wards retaliated, releasing waves of power to repel her, but where the tower sought only to block, Emily sought to destroy.

  The air filled with an earsplitting shriek as the wards clashed, releasing rippling bursts of energy. It quickly became clear that Emily had the upper hand. Her spell tore through the tower’s defenses faster than they could repair themselves. But victory wasn’t enough.

  She craved absolute destruction.

  A low growl escaped her as she drew in even more power, her focus sharpening to a razor’s edge. She commanded the blood ward to rip the tower apart, and the runes responded, shifting into new formations as though they understood her intent.

  Suddenly, the tower’s resistance collapsed. The golden barrier shattered like fragile glass, breaking apart with a sharp, echoing snap. Inside, the internal wards began to falter, their intricate patterns unraveling.

  The tower's defenses crumbled entirely, leaving nothing in their place.

  Emily absentmindedly heard Alex trying to say something but she was too wrapped up in the spell. The power felt incredible and she wanted more, it wanted more.

  She was about to pull in more source when she saw Alex beside her, his sword glowing with its own runes to attract the lighting.

  He flicked his finger out in front of her face sarcastically.

  “Relax, any more and you’re going to pull the place apart at the mortar. Unless that’s what you want?”

  Emily felt as though a bucket of icy water had been thrown over her. She stopped supplying power to the rune and it screamed in loss as it died.

  She looked at Alex and then went over to the tower. It looked much the same, but now the front door lay open as though inviting them into its depths.

  Blood points: 342