I already know what has to be done. The Sellsword knights surrounding us are beginning to push in closer.
"Everyone…" Renald looks at each of us with determination. "...It's now or never."
Renald draws his saber and shield, rushes towards Goldenclaw's limp body, and takes a slash at one of the knights. The knight knocks away Renald's sword. Renald switches his stance, preparing for the knight to counterattack.
"Renald!" Glimmer yells. "Pick me up and fly me to the top floor!"
He begins to play a tune on his flute. Thin strings emerge from the end of it, floating over and connecting themselves to me, Goldenclaw, and Whisperclaw. A wisp of blue smoke puffs out the end of the flute, transforming into a massive Blue Demon, which now stands in the middle of the room.
Using the newfound chaos to my advantage, I rush over to Goldenclaw's limp body and check for any signs of life. To my relief, he's still breathing. Working as quickly as I can, I pull a set of my healing pills out and forcefully shove them down Goldenclaw's throat.
"My dear Whisper…" I look up and see the golden-furred Saber, who knows Whisperclaw, slowly approaching. A sick grin stretches across his face. "...how I've missed you."
The knights, just in a tight formation around us, look at the massive blue demon and try to retreat. Gaps begin to show in their formation. Renald takes another swing at the knight he's engaged in combat with, but misses as the knight steps back.
"Fear not, brave knights of Amacedia!" Carvallen bellows from the top floor. "Instead, strike fear into the hearts of our enemies!"
His encouragement seems to be giving the knights inspiration. Even my own eyes are drawn to his large figure, which I see holding a gold inlaid wooden cane, pointing down at me.
A bolt of crackling orange energy shoots out of the end of the cane and explodes into my chest, throwing me back against the floor. My ears are ringing, and my vision begins to fade to black.
I can see the faint outline of Whisperclaw standing over me and can feel her digging around in my medical bag.
"Take these!" I barely hear her muffled voice through the ringing in my ears. "Hurry!"
I feel her shove my healing pills into my mouth, and I swallow. Instantly, my vision clears, and the burning sensation in my chest disappears along with the ringing sounds.
"Hold on!" Renald yells.
He allows his wings to unfold from underneath his cape and flies towards Glimmer, scooping him up into the air. I feel a tug on my back, and Whisperclaw, Goldenclaw, and I get scooped up into the air along with him.
"W-what is…" Goldenclaw finally begins to regain consciousness, just to see himself somehow hovering above the ground. "...Dear Gods! This must be a dream!"
"It is most definitely not a dream!" Glimmer sings the words.
As he sings, the demon poofs into a giant cloud of blue smoke that completely covers us. Then Glimmer hits a high note on his flute, and there is an explosion of sound below us.
"You're not trying to run again, are you, my love?" The saber's voice cuts through the noise. He almost sounds sarcastic.
"My ears!" The knights below us scream in confusion. "The ringing, make it stop!"
"Enough!" The cloud of smoke Glimmer had made dispels. Carvallen's voice sweeps through the room like a blast of wind. "I don't have time for this."
He points his cane at Renald, who tries to fly out of the way. Another blast of energy explodes into Renald's shoulder, leaving it charred black with yellow lightning streaks among the burned area. Somehow, he manages to stay afloat.
Renald flies as fast as he can towards the top floor. With the smoke cleared, I can see the knights below, holding their ears in agony. The only one who isn't is the golden-furred saber.
"Yeah, I'm not dreaming," Goldenclaw says. "This outta help a little bit."
The room suddenly shakes violently. Goldenclaw points his paw out towards the knights below us. It becomes bathed in a golden glow, and the knights below us, the saber included, are crushed against the floor.
Glimmer hits another high note on his flute, and a blue bell blasts out of the end. It crashes into the top floor, exploding in a high-pitched shriek of blue energy. I feel my body begin to grow warm. Green orbs float out from within me and into the others. Renald's shoulder begins to heal, the charing reverting to his natural tan.
"Arghh!!" The saber screams in rage on the floor behind us. "Why must you get in the way of our love?!"
"My ears! Damn the Gods!" Carvallen calls out at the same time. "Well, good thing I don't need to hear to be able to kill you!"
He aims his cane at Renald once more, yellow energy crackling around it. Before Carvallen can get a chance to fire his spell, Glimmer plays a sharp note on his flute. As he does, the energy dissipates from around the cane.
Whisperclaw whips a dagger out and throws it into Carvallen's shoulder. The Knife digs its way inside, causing him to drop his cane. Then she begins cackling. Carvallen falls onto his back and stares at her in terror, as do the knights and golden-furred saber below us.
"I…can't hold it anymore." We're almost up to the top floor when the glow on Goldenclaw's paws begins to fade.
"Everyone, close your eyes!" Glimmer yells. I slam my eyes shut and hear what sounds like glass shattering. It's quickly followed up by more screams from the knights below.
When I open my eyes again, all of the Sellsword knights are either rolling around on the ground or stumbling into each other, covering and rubbing their eyes.
"Whisperclaw, cheap tricks won't work on me." The saber chuckles behind us. "You should know that much, my love!"
His creepy voice sends an uncomfortable shiver down my spine. How was Whisperclaw ever involved with someone like that? Carvallen scoops his cane back up off the ground with his good arm. Energy begins swirling around him, and his eyes begin to crackle a golden yellow.
"You are making a mockery of my great city!" He screams at the top of his lungs, fully unhinged. "You are making a mockery of me!"
He aims the cane at Glimmer and fires off a bolt of energy so fast that none of us has time to react. It arcs across the room and slams into Glimmer's chest. I watch as his whole body begins to shake in Renald's arms. Then he stops, completely unmoving. The strings that had been connecting us to Renald, allowing us to fly, suddenly dissipate, and we begin barrelling towards the ground. In a brief moment, I remember what Renald had said to me before we left the Goblin Pot. Suddenly, my body feels hot, like it's on fire, and I hear Glimmer take a deep breath as the same green orbs begin to flow from within me and into him.
The scorch marks from the Arcane bolt start to disappear, and Glimmer's strings reappear, catching all of us before we can hit the ground.
"Damn you!" Whisperclaw screams in absolute rage, throwing another one of her daggers at Carvallen.
The dagger soars into his gut. He sinks to his knees. His cane spills out of his hands, and he makes a few motions towards it as we finally land on the top floor. Before Carvallen can reach it, Renald steps forward with his saber and slices open Carvallen's neck.
"That's for Glimmer." He says before motioning for us to follow him, "We've accomplished what we came here for, now let's move. We have a ride to catch."