Darius was the first one to move on the offensive. He’d been faster than Morwin expected, and the strikes came immediately. An overhead strike here, a stab there.

  He Absorbed in some diamond and focused on Speed. He could feel only a little bit of essence left in the diamond he’d picked up. He would have to use it all to avoid Darius’s attacks just a little bit longer.

  Sparks flashed and flew as steel struck steel. Darius’s attacks were rapid. This was nothing like the time he fought Galvin out in the fields. This time, the there was actual murder intention behind the strikes.

  Morwin saw into the eyes of his opponent and could tell, for the first time in his life, that this opponent wanted him dead.

  The door opened and closed. His father had left, leaving Darius and Morwin alone. Receding footsteps echoed out from the hall.

  “You’re letting him get away,” Darius snarled. “This might be the only chance we have. Galvin provided with the perfect opportunity for an assassination, and you’re just protecting him!”

  “I won’t let you harm my father,” Morwin snarled back. He pushed off and Darius stumbled just slightly. Morwin moved in on the offensive and swung downwards with all his might.

  If Darius was going to come at him with the intention to kill, then the least he could do was return the favor.

  Darius parried the attack, with more force than Morwin thought, and the surprise sent his sword flying into the air. Then with the butt of Darius’s sword, he slammed it right into Morwin’s gut, and he stumbled backwards and fell on his bottom.

  The sword landed several feet away from him.

  Darius let out a grunt before bursting out into the hallway. Morwin reached out to tell if Darius had any gems, and to his surprise, he couldn’t sense any on the man. Did he do all this without the help of any gemstones empowering his attacks?

  Morwin scrambled after his sword and chased after the attacker. He stumbled out into the hall and turned to the right, where Darius was already sprinting.

  Darius was not a servant here. He’d get lost. If only his father could get away in time, call the guards, then it all would be okay.

  Morwin Absorbed in some emerald and focused on Wind. He sent a burst of it at his feet and took off. Each step he took, he sent a tiny burst, not enough to launch him far, but enough to give him a slight boost in his step. Darius could run faster than he can, but he was the one with the gems.

  “Darius!” Morwin shouted, sending one final powerful burst underneath his feet. This one did launch him into the air.

  As he fled up, he gripped the sword tightly with both hands and raised it high above his head.

  Darius turned around just in time to see Morwin flying at him. He raised his own blade and parried the strike.

  Morwin stumbled back but was able to regain balance easily as he’d shifted focus from Wind to Balance using the same essence of the gemstone. It all happened within a second.

  Darius swung at him and he leaned back just enough for the blade to past inches above his eyes.

  When the strike followed through, Morwin sprang back, sending a flurry of stabs at Darius, who inched his own weapon little by little to deflect the strikes.

  “Why?” Morwin asked, breaking apart from the flurry. “Galvin promised he wouldn’t hurt him!”

  “No such promise was made,” Darius snarled as he raised his other arm and swung diagonally down.

  That alarmed Morwin. “He didn’t tell you guys?” He took a couple of steps back and avoided the attack just in time.

  Darius said nothing in response. Instead, a flurry of attacks came out, faster than Morwin had seen before. Still, the man remained calm and breathed steadily. There was no way he wasn’t using the power of gemstones, right?

  Darius disarmed Morwin, his sword clattering along the marble flooring. The brute then raised his sword with both arms and swung it down, which would be a killing blow.

  Morwin Absorbed in more emerald and focused it all on Wind, not sure if his plan would work.

  He held his arms up in an X pattern and emitted a powerful gust of concentrated wind which would circle the air in front of him, acting as a barrier.

  As the sword came close, it slowed but never came into contact. Morwin focused and held the circulation of wind there for as long as he could.

  Then he Absorbed the last drop of essences in his emerald and created another powerful gust, which disarmed Darius. His sword flew and the tip struck the wall.

  Darius let out a yelp of surprise. This would be the only chance that Morwin could get. A burst of wind underneath his feet to give him a tiny jump, letting him come face to face with the surprised Darius.

  Then he Absorbed in amethyst. A little bit to give him the boost he needed. He focused it all on Strength and swung at the attacked with all his might.

  The blow connected. Morwin could feel a crunch underneath his fist. Darius let out a yelp of pain before flying backwards.

  He slid along the marble and his head struck one of the ornate pillars.

  Morwin landed on the ground with a crouch, breath heaving in and out.

  Darius’s sword jiggled just a bit in the wall. Morwin noticed this too late. The sword removed itself and came flying straight for Darius. The assassin caught it in his right arm and stood right back up.

  He knew it. Darius did have gems on him. But the question was, how could Morwin not tell it was there?

  Darius ran. Both of them could still hear footsteps echo throughout the hallways. He was almost on the first floor.

  Darius created a tiny hole in the floor with topaz and jumped down.

  “No!” Morwin shouted. He scooped up his own sword and created a hole as well, leaping in after Darius.

  His father was there. Darius stood before him. Sword raised. Morwin would be too slow. Then a blow came down.

  Steel flashed out, seemingly out of nothing. In his father’s right hand, he held a nice long blade, which did not exist before. It pierced through Darius, right in his right shoulder.

  Darius let out a yelp of pain.

  Morwin took this opportunity to close in on the enemy. He sprinted and jumped, prepared to stab Darius right through the heart.

  Then the man disappeared, gone from existence, the only evidence remaining was his blood dripping down Lord De’Shai’s blade.

  “That bastard,” his father muttered. “He had a diamond this entire time.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  He leaned against the wall, and if by magic, his sword disappeared into a thousand black particles.

  Morwin blinked. He pointed at where the sword used to exist. “How in the world did you do that?” he said. “Are you a Dragikiri yourself?”

  Lord De’Shai chuckled. “No, that wasn’t Gemming. But Morwin you have to chase him, you can’t let him get away.”

  “Oh right,” Morwin said. He took off, running along the marble hallways with his sword by his side. No more diamond essence nor emerald to give him the boost. All that he could rely on was amethyst and focus on Invigoration.

  He opened the doors to his palace.

  The city seemed to still be in a state of peace. Everyone moved to and fro, chatter continued, and no one knew that one of the Ministers almost died that day.

  He needed more gemstones. If only his father had more…

  He ran up to the first building he could get to and Absorbed in topaz. A plateau appeared underneath his feet and lifted him up to the rooftops. If he’d been right, then Darius would be escaping this way, as it was the quickest to navigate town.

  There. A figure in a black cloak, jumping from building to building, a worried look on his face.

  Morwin stepped onto the brick roofing and Absorbed in some sapphire, hoping this would work.

  He focused on Serenity and projected it towards Darius. Immediately, his expressions changed and his movement became slower. He was walking on the rooftop now. He even stopped to take a breather.

  Perfect.

  And Morwin could sense something else. An abundance of gemstones, from where Darius walked.

  It all clicked in his head. The opal, that’s what he used. Darius had focused on Illusion. As he could create things as illusion, he could also remove things are part of the illusion as well. He hid his gemstones that way and that’s how he managed to get across the Sensers of this city.

  Morwin Absorbed in ruby and projected a concentrated ball of fire, hurling it towards the unaware Darius. As the ball of fire soared, Morwin ran along the rooftops. He used Invigoration from amethyst to give him the boost he needed to jump between buildings.

  Darius looked up and noticed the ball of fire coming straight for him, and he moved on the offensive again, running along the rooftops, kicking up dirt and dust.

  The ball of flames whizzed past his figure, a tiny part of the cloak smoldering in flames and being put out in an instant.

  Morwin chased. He wanted to raise his weapon and throw it, but he knew that’d be a bad idea.

  The topaz he Absorbed gave him an attunement to the rooftops. He could feel the vibrations of the ground drumming through him.

  He focused on Ground and a pillar of brick erupted under his feet, launching him into the air.

  He wasn’t prepared for how high he went. When he landed, he rolled forward and almost fell off the side of the building.

  No. No time to stop and think about the could have’s. He sprang up and dispelled the last remaining traces of his topaz and Absorbed in another gemstone.

  He was out of diamond and emeralds, but Darius didn’t know that. If he wanted to play tricks with the mind, then Morwin would be able to oblige.

  He Absorbed in opal and focused on Illusion.

  With it, he reached out with his mind and envisioned something. Through his mind’s eye, he could see the layout of the area clearly, especially with the topaz giving him the vibrations of the earth earlier.

  He willed into existence a copy of himself. Not a tangible copy of course. Just something to make Darius believe he teleported.

  Darius stopped in his tracks when he saw the illusion and spun around, ready to take off in another direction.

  Morwin took this opportunity to launch himself at him. His body struck Darius’s. The illusion disappeared. The two of them tumbled off the brick roof and plummeted to the alleyway below.

  A burst of wind erupted from Darius, slowing their fall and they both dropped to the ground.

  Morwin stood up and fumbled his sword, but Darius was already standing there, his blade in both of his hands.

  Both of them were panting heavily.

  “Where did you learn how to gem like that?” Darius asked.

  “Go to hell,” Morwin sneered before striking. Darius dodged it easily. A simple sidestep to the right and he managed to dodge the strike.

  Morwin struck again, this time a swipe from the left.

  Darius leaned back and let it slice through empty air.

  When he went in for another strike, Darius’s hand shot out and caught him at the wrist. One squeeze of his forearm and he dropped the sword. Then Darius slammed a kick right into his gut and knocked him back.

  Morwin’s back slammed against the brick of the nearby building and he let out a cry of pain.

  Then an uppercut.

  Morwin swore he could hear something break inside his head as the fist connected.

  Darius picked up his weapon and raised it, poised to strike down. Morwin reached out to Absorb some sapphire, but Darius was quicker.

  A hand here and a hand there, and before Morwin knew it, all of his gemstones disappeared from his possession. Darius threw them back several feet, away from his range.

  Darius held the sword, ready to strike.

  Morwin stared defiantly. He knew he’d tried his best, and he was on par with the massive brute, but Darius proved to be a stronger adversary. And Morwin would have to pay for it with his life. He shut his eyes tight, waiting for the blade to come down.

  “What’re you waiting for?” Morwin hissed. “Just do it.”

  Darius sheathed the blade in and took a step back. “Galvin would never forgive me,” he spoke.

  “You know I’m going to tell my father, everything, right? The only way for him to remain in cover is if you kill me, right here, right now.” In Morwin’s mind, he had no idea what possessed him to tell Darius this. Regardless, the assassin just stood there, soldiers stooped.

  Darius nodded. “I understand,” he said. “And it’s a risk I’m willing to take. My mission today here is failed.”

  He turned around and started walking away. Morwin leaned against the brick right then and slid down, breathing in heavily.

  He couldn’t do it. He can’t protect anything. He wasn’t like Demarian, Darius, Galvin, or Saelsgar. He’s weak and pathetic.

  But a renewed sense of anger drove him. He wasn’t going to let Galvin get away with this deceit. He picked up his gems, his sword and headed back to his palace. Straight to where his father stood.