Twin arcs of pale yellow wind-Qi gouged deep furrows across the roof shingles as Vanguard Captain Varo leaped.
His hooked sabers whistled through the mist, aimed directly at Kaelen’s neck.
Before the blades could clear ten feet, Elder Sterling’s broadsword crashed upward to intercept the right hand.
CLANG.
The collision showered white sparks across the balustrade, driving Sterling’s boots two inches back into the shattered mortar.
Varo sneered, his winged crow-crest helm gleaming beneath the gray sky as he twisted his left wrist.
He drove the second hooked blade in a low, slicing arc intended to sever Sterling’s legs at the knees.
The blade whistled with the lethal shriek of compressed wind-intent.
