24. Magnar

Ipushed through the crowd of bodies, delivering death to any biter who came at me as I kept my gaze locked on Valentina.

I left Julius behind as the vampires swarmed between us and he was engaged in another fight. It didn’t matter though; all I had to do was get to her. My goal was in sight and I wasn’t going to leave here without completing it. Valentina had spent too long in her undead form; she needed to die. Permanently.

I was surrounded by lessers and Venom and Tempest bathed in their blood as I carved a path into existence.

She hadn’t noticed me yet but I was sure when she did she’d turn her storm against me, so I had to make the most of my advantage. I just needed to get close: I’d spent years encouraging her to hone her battle skills, but she’d always relied too heavily on her gifts. She thought they made her untouchable. I was about to show her how wrong she’d been about that.

Behind you! Venomhissed.

Strike high, Tempest urged in agreement.

I spun around, twisting my blades through the air as an Elite launched herself at me with her own sword drawn.

Venom knocked her blade aside and Tempest cut into her chest before she crashed into me.

I absorbed the blow with a growl of rage as I threw my elbow back into her jaw. She was knocked aside but a lesser catapulted onto my back as I was left exposed.

His teeth grazed my neck and I dropped Tempest before catching him by the hair and dragging him over my shoulder. I slammed him to the ground in front of me and drove Venom between his ribs as he screamed for mercy.

The Elite rushed at me, locking her arms around my waist as she attempted to throw me to the ground. I twisted, stumbling back a step before I managed to right myself and I kicked at her knees, sweeping her legs out from under her. She fell, swearing as she landed on Tempest where it lay on the concrete and the blade began to burn her.

She tried to roll away but I kicked her back, pressing my foot down on her chest so that she was stuck on top of the blade as it burned her flesh from her bones. She shrieked in pain, clawing at my leg as I used Venom to cut through several lessers who attempted to help her.

I looked down at her as she cursed me and I snarled, letting my face be the last thing she saw before I plunged Venom through her heart.

I stooped to retrieve Tempest from the pile of clothes she left behind and the blade greeted me excitedly as I clasped it in my hand once more.

I looked towards Valentina again just as she turned and spotted me. Her mouth fell open in surprise and I could have sworn the twisted bitch looked happy to see me. I bared my teeth at her as I began running to close the distance between us.

The wind caught in her hair and I leapt aside just before her lightning strike hit the ground where I should have been.

“Catch him!” she cried, pointing me out to more of her vile followers.

The biters raced towards me and I noticed some of them holding a length of golden chain as if they thought to snare me with it.

I laughed at the absurdity of it. “You think if you chain me, you might be able to drag me down the aisle?” I mocked as Valentina whipped up the wind around me.

“You will regret scorning me, Magnar Elioson,” she swore and lightning hit the ground behind me.

The heat of it flared across my skin but I didn’t flinch. If she wanted me alive then I had no need to fear her theatrics.

“I regret many things,” I replied loudly. “But never that.”

I ran to meet the biters as they raced for me. With a surge of power, I slashed my swords towards them, leaping into the middle of their group as they sought to overwhelm me. But I was a Blessed Crusader, I had no reason to fear a group of lessers such as these, especially if they were foolish enough to try and trap me instead of killing me.

I danced between them, laughing as I evaded every desperately grasping hand and delivering deadly blows with my swords.

The vampires who held the chain approached cautiously, holding it out as if they thought I might actually be contained by such a thing.

I swept the head from the final vampire to have come for me then turned to face them with my arms held wide.

“Come then,” I taunted. “If you truly think you can hold me then do your best.”

The vampires shot towards me in a rush of motion. The first to arrive snarled, whipping the chain forward so it coiled around my right arm. I laughed as I yanked on it, forcing him towards me and slamming Tempest into his heart.

He disappeared into a cloud of dust, and I shook my arm to knock the golden chain free but it didn’t come loose.

The second vampire approached me and I decided to use the chain for my own purposes. I whipped it towards him and the heavy metal slammed into his skull, breaking bone as he was knocked from his feet.

I charged after him and swung Venom down to finish him off.

I searched for Valentina again but she’d abandoned the truck and I’d lost sight of her to the crowd on the far side of it.

I cursed and placed Venom on my back before trying to remove the chain from my other arm.

Pain seared through my wrist as I pulled on it and I scowled as it tightened instead of coming free.

More biters began to hunt me, but they stopped suddenly and just stared instead. I frowned at them in confusion, preparing to cross the gap between us myself.

Idun’s tinkling laughter filled the air around me, and I stilled as I looked about for the deity but she didn’t appear.

“Now, now Magnar,” she sighed, and her voice was full of disappointment as I felt her breath against my ear. “You didn’t think I’d just let you change the rules, did you?”

“What have you done?” I growled, glaring at the chain as I noticed the power which resided in it was flaring against my skin.

“I’ve decided to bet on someone else for a change.”