The Arcane Guardians Chapter 66: Chapter 61: One More Day

Read chapter 66 of The Arcane Guardians by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

A tiny flash of movement was the only warning Marcia got. It was enough for her to react in time, but not everyone was as lucky. Drones burst into her lair like a swarm of giant angry wasps. They wasted no time, locking onto their targets and firing plasma bolts into the skulls of her men. The gangsters’ lifeless bodies hit the floor before they even had the chance to process what just happened. Marcia rolled to the side, mentally barking at her constructor to attack. Artificially recreated animals solidified from the streams of blue energy gushing out from her waist. Her eyes flared pink in tandem with the makeshift zoo, and the horde of animals joined in the fight as well. Chaos broke out as the abandoned castle ballroom quickly turned into a warzone. Marcia looked around, before spotting the source of her trouble. She gritted her teeth at the figure sauntering away and fired her pistol at the woman. “Ow! What the fuck, you bitch!” Kleopatra stumbled to the side, clutching her cheek where the plasma bolt had grazed it. Marcia threw her body towards the woman, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. She flung her hand and swept the staff out of reach. Kleopatra snarled and lunged towards her. Marcia dodged her feral attacks, before locking their legs together and straddling her enemy’s waist. She raised her fists, raining blow after blow onto Kleopatra’s face. But her temporary victory was short-lived. Hard wood met her back as she released a short gasp, losing her telepathic focus on the animals. Marcia staggered to her feet, massaging her stomach gingerly where Kleopatra had kicked her away. She dived for the staff again, but the Magi was prepared this time. The taste of iron filled her mouth as Kleopatra caught the side of her head with a steel-toed boot and kicked her away. Marcia barely felt herself tumble on the ground as everything went dark for a brief moment. “Bet that felt good for you, huh?! ” Kleopatra’s voice slowly registered as awareness temporarily seeped into Marcia’s senses. “That fucking hurt !” Kleopatra snapped her fingers again, and the drones turned their attention to the mobster boss instead. The world spun as Marcia tried to get up, dazed by the concussion Kleopatra had just given her. She tried again, but only crumpled back to the ground as an unbearable headache shot through her. No… Get up, dammit. I have to get up! The familiar sound of plasma cannons charging up sent alarm through her entire being, but it wasn’t enough to revitalise her. Everything was turning dark again— Metal groaned as the drones trembled slightly. Cracks shot through the cannon muzzles as the emerging light faded away. Kleopatra could only open her mouth in surprise before an invisible force clumped all the machines into one giant metal wreckage. Marcia strained to turn around. “Felix Pagonis?!” And that was the last thing Marcia heard before pink light flashed behind her. ~ ~ ~ Felix did not have to wait too long for Marcia to wake up. The damage done to her head was mild, to begin with, and it was a damn good thing she had stocks of healing potions readily available in this place. He had left her men to take care of her while he watched over Kleopatra’s unconscious body. She was easy enough to knock out. It only took a solid blow, in addition to the fact that she was caught by surprise. But her memories were disturbing, to say the least. Unlike the heroic Kleopatra of his world, this version of her had estranged herself from her family and chosen to forge her own path after failing the Guardian Council tests. Unfortunately, she turned corrupt almost immediately after becoming an official, and Surone’s unstable regional politics only gave her more reason to lust for more power. He cast another glance at the knocked-out woman. She did not look so vicious now, despite everything she had done before. “I can fix this for those I can yet save…” he mumbled to himself. “I know how to get that power. I just need to find the boo