Bab 20: Duelling with Bravado
The trio of gargoyles launched into the air simultaneously, each one diving toward Grayson and Katheren with ravenous intent. Grayson faced the diving gargoyle head-on. With his cigar clenched between his teeth, he vaulted into the air, foot connecting with the gargoyle's cranium and sending it crashing down onto the cobblestone with a vicious thud.
Whirling around with sword in hand, Grayson parried the slashing talons of another gargoyle, kicking it away with a fierce blow. He advanced, exploiting its momentary imbalance, and plunged his sword into the creature's belly.
The gargoyle let out an agonized screech, but it didn't perish right away; instead, its body rapidly petrified into a pure black statue. Grayson tugged at his sword, but it was lodged firmly within the creature's stony flesh. As he struggled, the first gargoyle he had downed lunged from behind, seeking revenge. With no time to waste, Grayson released his silver sword, ducking beneath the gargoyle's swipe and grabbing its wing, toppling it to the ground with a Herculean throw.
The toppled gargoyle, unable to maintain balance due to Grayson's grip, spiraled awkwardly before crashing down. It quickly broke free, leaping up with its long, dark tail swinging at Grayson's head.
"I've seen tails far fiercer than yours!" Grayson taunted, leaning back as the tail whipped down where his face had been moments before. He grabbed the tail's end, pulling it toward him, his right hand slashing through the air. There was a gruesome cry as Grayson severed the thick appendage with his bare hands.
"Never assume my hands lack lethal power!" Grayson declared, tossing the severed tail piece aside. The gargoyle had turned to stone where it stood, and he turned his attention to Katheren, who was wielding a longsword with frantic disarray, parrying the relentless attacks of another gargoyle in a clumsy dance of desperation.
"Hang in there, darling, I'll be right there!" he called out, abandoning the tailless gargoyle.
Approaching the petrified one with the sword buried in its gut, which remained inanimate due to the embedded blade preventing healing, Grayson addressed the small owl hiding in his hat, "Time to help out, you little slacker!"
The owl, reluctant at first, peeked out indignantly, "I stopped being an egg a long time ago!"
"But you're just as lazy!" Grayson retorted. He gripped the hilt of the silver sword stuck in the gargoyle, instructing Elyra, "You know what to do."
With a fierce cry, he yanked the sword free, sending shards flying. The statue crumbled under the force, and the gargoyle, now free from its stone prison, let out a piercing shriek and took to the sky.
But in the span of a heartbeat, Elyra's eyes cast forth a twin beam of light, freezing the gargoyle mid-flight.
"I do so love slaying beasts that can't fight back!" Grayson's lips curled into a smug grin as his cigar hung from the corner of his mouth. His sword flashed silver, cleaving the gargoyle from the sky down to earth; its body split in two and tumbled into stone rubble at his feet.
"That one's mine! I'll boast to the falcons, hawks, and magpies in the forest about slaying a vicious gargoyle!" Elyra chortled triumphantly from atop Grayson's head before he could speak.
"No problem, we have more than one to vanquish; claim them all if you wish, so long as your tiny audience believes you!" Grayson replied. Then, sword in hand, he turned to the regenerating tailless gargoyle that now lunged at him anew.
"Ready for another round of tall tales?" Grayson's eyes were steely as he met the creature's charge. The owl peeked from beneath the brim of his hat, her large eyes blinking, "I'm set for the boasting; you handle the fighting!"
"Deal, our partnership is as seamless as ever!" Grayson leapt high, sword poised and shining with intent. The owl's gaze locked onto the gargoyle, and as Grayson descended like a silver comet, he cut through the beast, his boots landing assuredly as the sound of crumbling stone echoed behind him.
"It's time to check on our rising star, hope she's still holding her own!"
Grayson strode toward where Katheren had been fighting. In the distance, he saw a row of shelves collapse with a thunderous crash. Racing to the scene, he found Katheren, still shaking but unscathed, standing a safe distance from the fallen shelves under which the wings of the gargoyle could just be discerned.
"This was not part of the plan," Grayson muttered as he approached Katheren, who, upon seeing him, swiftly turned and sprinted toward him. Before they could close the distance, the debris exploded outward as the gargoyle roared and lunged at Katheren from behind.
Hearing the roar, Katheren spun around, her face pale with terror. Eyes shut tightly, she raised her sword wildly toward the monster's gaping maw and slashing claws. A sudden weight caused her sword to drop, and trembling, she felt a gentle pat on her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she saw Grayson extinguishing his cigar on the blade of his sword, tossing the stub amidst the gravel left by the gargoyle.
"You're brave, but next time, you might want to keep your eyes open, even though I hate to say it..." Grayson raised his eyebrows, "Your flinching with eyes closed was quite an unsightly spectacle."
With those words, he strode past her. Katheren glanced back at his retreating figure, then down at the shattered gargoyle's head on the ground and let out a relieved sigh.
Hastily catching up to Grayson, she watched as he scavenged useful items from the storehouse shelves: magical provisions, a map of the Icebound Isle, and even some magic tobacco, renowned for its refreshing taste and oral hygiene benefits.
Once they gathered what they needed, Grayson led Katheren out of the storehouse and toward the direction of the Mage Tower.
"Where are we headed now?" Katheren asked, sensing their direction seemed off.
"The mages will soon discover their ravaged storehouse, and we'll be chased down if we try to flee the City of Light. We're heading inside the Mage Tower – it's the most dangerous place but also the safest to hide," Grayson explained. "Furthermore, we can gather intelligence. I'm certain the tower isn't ignorant about Alyssia's whereabouts; they have eyes all over the Icebound Isle."
"If we find Alyssia first, we gain the upper hand. We need to locate her before the knightly order's grand entourage scares her off," he continued, conviction in his voice.
Katheren nodded, finding logic in his words. They arrived near the Mage Tower, and Grayson handed Elyra a rope he'd taken from the storehouse, instructing her to secure it to the roof of a nearby building. Then together, he and Katheren ascended to the rooftop.
"Do you hear that? 'Something's amiss in the storehouse!'" Grayson crouched on the sloped rooftop, whispering to Katheren, who saw a flurry of mages racing toward the storehouse, oblivious to their presence above.
"Come on, through there we can slip into the Mage Tower. Our little guide has already pointed the way out to me."
Grayson led Katheren across the rooftops, making their way stealthily to a window on the third floor of the Mage Tower, and slipped through into the building.
They found themselves in a circular corridor, with a spiraling staircase leading upward to their left. Grayson sent the owl to scout for Andros and any news on Alyssia, while he and Katheren ascended the stairs to the fourth floor.
At the top of the stairs, facing the landing, was a door with a wooden plaque that read: Grandmaster Constant. Grayson turned back to Katheren, "We're in luck. Perhaps there's something valuable inside the Grandmaster's chamber."
He pushed against the door, which swung open easily, unlocked. They entered the dimly lit study. Grayson and Katheren approached the desk to peruse the correspondences littering its surface.
Suddenly, a strange noise at the window caught Grayson's attention, and swiftly thereafter, the shutters burst open. A dark shadow, accompanied by a strange, cold draft, drifted into the room, settling silently in the empty space.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone