Chapter 22: The Scholar in Chains
A deep, ominous red light pulsed from the inner sanctum of the Abyssal Sect. Shadows danced over soaring pillars carved with runes of control and suppression. Walking into the chamber, Echo's chest grew tight. At the center, chained with shining chains, pulsing with dark energy, was Soso.
Her gown was ragged but still elegant, a combination of nobility and toughness.
Her eyes met Echo's as he approached, wide but steady.
Even in restraint her mind was working and she was making the chains work for her as she took stock of the battlefield.
"Here… Soso. I'll take you out. "Wait a minute."
They'd fortified around her with their best defenses. Elite enforcers and magic wards formed a tight circle to bar all approaches.
Three lieutenants carried rune-reinforced swords and daggers.
Four more enforcers were stationed at the corners, waiting to cast spells. Their eyes glowed faintly.
Magical glyphs covered the walls and floor, throbbing in time, ready to unleash deadly energy at the slightest provocation.
Echo crouched in the darkness, watching the layout.
See first, act second – every move measured, every breath controlled.
Overdrive fired up softly, sharpening his reflexes and perception as he plotted a multi-angle attack.
His mind was moving fast, calculating distances, angles, timing, ways to use the surroundings.
At first the assault was all at once, trying to cut off Echo and stop him getting to Soso.
He leaped off a broken pillar, spinning in the air to drive dagger into the neck and wrist of two enforcers.
The others fell in time, sweeping blades.
Echo rolled back under the blades, counter striking to pressure points, efficiently taking them down.
Soso, although reserved, was a help:
She wrenched her wrists and shoulders, pulling energy away from the chains, making little openings for Echo to work with.
She whispered softly out enemy patterns, weak spots and attack rhythms.
Her mind was a quiet weapon, making Echo's moves more effective.
"The second lieutenant is getting too far to your left. "Use the pillar for leverage.
Echo moved instantly.
Jumped from the pillar, landing behind the overextended lieutenant.
A spinning dagger strike took his dominant hand out of commission, and a quick elbow to the chest staggered him into the wall.
Another dagger stumped a second attacker's foot, opening the path forward.
Each movement was in response to Soso's lead – a silent collaboration of trust and understanding.
The other lieutenants tried to shut him down.
Echo rolled low, slashing a dagger horizontally to intercept the sword swing, then flipping into a roundhouse kick to the knee.
He jumped backwards over a fallen column, hitting two enforcers in a row--chest then gut.
The overdrive boosted his speed, strength and reflexes in multi-angle attacks.
Again Soso whispered:
The glyph by the left pillar... flashes at three second intervals. "Wait until after the second pulse to move."
Echo nodded slightly, fine tuning the timing with her instruction.
He rolled under a potentially lethal surge of magic and came up behind a lieutenant.
She battles me, even when held... I can't let her down."
The combat continued as a fluid dance:
Vaults, flips and rolls evade sword arcs.
Spinning dagger Hit to joints and weak spots
Using environment (swinging chains, collapsing debris, pillars) for advantage.
Overdrive to boost your movement and reflexes, but stay in control.
Strategy and instinct guided Echo like a shadow through the chaos.
Soso could sense hidden threats in tiny cues, a head tilt, a shift of chain, and he could strike faster.
One lieutenant attempted a magical overcharge, letting loose a blinding arc of energy at both Echo and Soso.
Echo, following Soso's lead, jumped, twisting to avoid the blast.
Mid-way through the spin he threw a dagger to disrupt the lieutenant's stance and then delivered a disabling blow to his guard hand as well.
The magic wasted away against the floor and he was ready for the next wave.
The intensity of the fight increased dramatically:
Two lieutenants attempted a coordinated flank attack.
By flipping his body over both lieutenants, Echo struck them both simultaneously with pressure points and momentum technique.
The environment became part of the battle as well; vaults were made off ledges, spins were executed off pillars and dodged bursts of magic with a low roll.
"Every second counts... every movement could save her life."
Soso provided assistance yet again by:
She redirected the chain's energy in order to give Echo a series of minor advantages.
By providing him with quick whispers of advice on incoming strikes, he could anticipate them, duck and respond with a rotating dagger throw as well.
Together they performed an unbelievable display of silent teamwork which resulted in Echo being able to strike with deadly accuracy while Soso guided him in micro-adjustments.
After a series of rapid sequences of actions:
All four Enforcers were unconscious on the ground, with their weapons dispersed about the area
All three Lieutenants were staggered and dazed from the combined attacks and environmental tricks.
Echo moved toward Soso with his dagger drawn, muscles taut and his Overdrive aura flickering weakly through the darkness.
"Soso...I am nearly there. Just hold on a little longer."
Soso looked back at him with an unwavering gaze that seemed unaffected by the chains or the shadows that shrouded her.
I always knew you would be here, but I didn't expect you to be so unstoppable.
Echo quickly flashed a compassionate glance, then refocused on eliminating the last of the opposing forces.
While there were still remaining threats from the final lieutenants, with Soso's subtle assistance and with the tactics he had devised, the odds had become very much in favour of him.
After setting a foothold in the shadows, and combining: dagger strikes with joint/weak spot attacks; acrobatic moves to avoid the synchronisation of attacks by the opponent; utilising available resources within the environment (for example, pillars, chains/debri), to neutralise - i.e disable; overdrive to ensure that there was enough speed and precision, but that he didn't overextend himself; all of these combined actions enabled Echo to be extremely successful.
In the end; there was littered around the chamber, a number of incapacitated members of the sect.
Soso was unharmed, but she was restrained with chains that were glowing.
With steady breaths and dagger in hand, Echo walked toward where Soso was and prepared to unchain her from the glowing chains.
"Soso, scholar in chains... no more - I will free you. We are leaving, and nothing will stop us."