Rows of freshly brewed mana potions lined up in batches.
Each vial holds alcohol thoroughly mixed with nectar and ground flower.
The bright blue indicates how little residue remains. Standard store quality.
Transparent blue would be the best, since it means no impurities at all. But Rosa knows she would be asking too much given what she has now.
Moreover, time is of the essence. Especially after the sigil Erika set up blinked several times.
It means something is going off plan.
Either someone got hurt, it got away, or they ran out of mana.
She can't do anything about the first two even if she tries to.
But if it's the last one, it means she needs to hurry up with the potion making.
"Erika, switch."
Rosa gives the command as soon as the still shifts color.
Yet Erika remains motionless, her gaze fixed on the flickering sigil.
"Erika! The still!"
Erika's body jolts as Rosa's voice finally reaches her.
"Right! On it!"
She immediately follows as she switches the container filled with head to an empty container for heart.
Rosa carefully pours the cooled blue mixture from the flask into each empty vial.
She refills with fresh, pure-enough alcohol. When she reaches for the herbs to her left, the cups are empty.
"Werner? Where are the herbs and nectar?"
She checks for other cups. There are none.
Werner stands further left, by the flowers.
The one near him is already filled with nectar as he grinds the other, filled with green paste.
He grinds again and again. His eyes seem to be locked exactly on one spot of the table.
Yet there's no sharpness in his gaze at all.
"Werner?"
"Werner!"
Rosa calls again.
"Huh? Ah, right! Here…"
He grabs the cups and passes them to Rosa.
Rosa squints her eyes as she receives them. She begins to pour the mixture in.
"Gleute…"
And heat it up gradually with her fire magic.
Rosa exhales as she tries to calm herself.
"Werner, Erika…"
This time, both gently glance at Rosa.
"I know you're worried…"
She pauses, looking down at the flask.
"About Reiko."
Something shifts. Rosa turns towards Werner. He grits his teeth as soon as she mutters Reiko's name.
In the other direction, Erika glances further down.
"But we can't slow down on—"
"I know, my fault. Won't happen again."
Werner immediately cuts her off as he grabs the next flowers and puts them upside down into a cup.
His hands start grinding the paste in another cup.
"Werner, you keep saying that."
His fists clench.
"...I know. I'll do better."
His voice comes out wavering.
Frustration boils in Rosa. Not just for Werner, but for both of them.
It's one thing to make a mistake. One can improve upon it.
To repeat the same mistake more than twice is another thing.
Not to mention it'll affect the person they're worried about.
There should be a line where someone puts up with their own inadequacy.
Especially after they said they'd do better. They better mean it.
Before Rosa can speak, the door swings open.
"Bad news, everyone!"
Werner's unfocused eyes snap to the door. Erika jerks her head to the voice.
Lilia's voice grabs everyone instantly. Rosa had to call them multiple times.
Something tightens in Rosa's chest, yet she swallows it before the thought even forms.
"Lilia… what happened?"
Lilia slumps against the nearest wall, setting her scythe beside her.
"Haah… haaah… it's the beast! It escaped us!"
"Escaped!? What happ— Where is it now!?"
Werner raises his voice. His face pales as he steps forward.
"What about the casters!?"
Erika presses.
"Haaah… haaah… It was too strong. It slipped past us…"
Rosa pours water from the glyph stone into a glass.
Then she crouches in front of Lilia and gives it to her.
Lilia takes the glass and gulps down the water in no time.
"Pwaaah…"
She gives the glass back to Rosa as she steadies her breath.
"That thing reads us. Every trap, every feint — it saw through all of it."
"...Was someone hurt?"
Erika weakly asks. The question hangs in the air for a moment.
Lilia shakes her head.
"No. It was planning to slip past us anyway, so no one got hurt."
Lilia then looks at Werner.
"But we gotta hurry! If the beast reaches here, your mages would be on plan B by the time it arrives."
Lilia extends her hand. Rosa grabs it and pulls her to her feet.
"...Where is Akira?"
"She's in the forest on the way here, fighting the beast alone. She said she has a plan, but alone against that thing…"
Lilia walks to the potion batches.
"These are the potions, right? I'll probably need more. Last bag was completely used up. Some of our support casters collapsed mid fight…"
Rosa's jaw tightens. The potions weren't enough.
Lilia grabs one of the vials.
"It took only one of us with cracked Varriere and it managed to force its way out."
One by one, she puts each of the vials into her bag.
"I'll need more than these. Last time, even the dome faded halfway from the kemomimi's technique."
Rosa glances at the remaining flowers. One, maybe two more batches at most.
The store-bought ran out. Hers will too.
"Lilia, a piece of advice. Try to make the ward circle smaller. That way, they'll need less Varriere and less mana consumed."
"I'll take you up on that…"
Lilia returns her gaze to Werner, who is already deep in his thoughts.
"Werner. I'll need you to hold off the plan to kill the beast. No one was hurt and we can still save it."
His gaze lands on Rosa.
"...Can we?"
"...This farm is rich in mana in the first place, so if it manages to move from location to location, our chances would get slimmer."
Then her voice lowers.
"If it reaches here where the mana is the densest… saving it would be impossible. With the phylactery sitting right beneath us."
His gaze drops to the floor.
"If it reaches here… We'll have no choice but…"
Erika softly mutters. The container behind her overflows with alcohol mixture.
"Erika! The still!"
Erika flinches, kills the heat, switches the container.
"Anyway!"
Lilia cuts off.
"We'll leave to the worst when the worst happens! For now, I'll regroup and help Akira with the casters!"
"Werner! Erika! You heard her! Let's do our best to—"
One of his men barges into the room, cutting Rosa off.
"This is bad! The beast! The beast arrived here!"
His eyes widen as he drops the cup he's holding.
"This fast…? What about Akira…?"
Lilia presses a hand to her chest as she mutters softly.
Erika immediately grabs her staff and rushes out of the shed.
"Werner! What should we do!? Kill it as planned!?"
"Let's… see and decide…"
He grabs his sword and runs with one of the mages outside.
Lilia scoops up her scythe from the wall.
"Let's go."
Rosa nods as they exit the shed.
By the time they arrive at the battleground, swordsmen already surround it.
The beast is bloodier than yesterday.
Patches of blood soak its fur coat, shackles, and chains.
Lilia's brow furrows at the sight as she tightens her grip on the scythe.
Akira's? The beast's? If that's Akira's blood, there's nothing left to debate.
"Werner! The beast arrived! Shall we proceed!?"
Werner's hand tightens on his greatsword. He doesn't answer.
"Werner!"
One of the swordsmen calls.
It makes a sequence with its hands before it disappears into the wind.
"Vlitzschreitt!"
Lightning wraps Rosa's legs as she launches herself forward.
She remembers the hand signs from yesterday, and what comes right after.
She rushes past the line and tackles the charging swordsman aside.
The ground where he stood cracks apart a second later.
She retreats to Lilia's side before the beast can reach her.
"Lilia… Cast only after it finishes its sequence. That way, your magic won't get disturbed."
A magic circle appears in front of Erika before she speaks.
"You heard her! Only cast after it finishes its hand sequence!"
Erika's amplified voice carries over the chaos.
"Roger!"
The men around her shout.
"Werner!"
An archer shouts from the rooftop.
"We kill it or not!?"
Werner doesn't answer. Instead, he rushes towards it.
It dodges the men's slashes, nimble as wind. It forms another sequence — Werner's greaves glow before the flame even leaves its mouth.
He jumps over the flame and does a spin slash towards the creature.
It easily dodges before an arrow hits its shoulder and explodes.
The other swordsmen rush in.
One swings for the neck. The man beside him blocks the blade.
"What are you doing!?"
"What are YOU doing!?"
The two immediately dodge back the moment it regains its balance.
"We're supposed to kill it per the plan!"
"Werner hasn't confirmed his order yet!"
Rosa aims her staff forward, lightning envelops her and forms three bird shapes above her.
Then two launch at it. The third hovers, ready.
Bzzzzt!
Yet two of them hit Varriere before they reach the creature.
"Rosa! Stand down! We haven't given up yet!"
Erika's voice rings loud beside her.
"She is already here. At this point, it's impossible to save her, not with mana this dense…"
Rosa grits her teeth and lowers her staff. She can't fire if Erika blocks every shot.
"Werner! Decide, you oaf! We kill it or not!?"
The same archer shouts. All while some of the men try to cut it open.
The others slash slow. Careful.
Werner slashes quick, yet slows in the middle of his swing.
She can't act freely with Erika's Varriere in the way. Every shot she takes is a shot Erika wastes mana blocking.
Her jaw aches. She looks at Werner.
"At this point, someone will…"
Some archers begin to shoot grappling chains at the creature.
While others shoot explosive arrows.
It dodges the arrows.
Some hit anyway. Too many to dodge them all.
Its hands blur through another sequence, but two of the grappling chains land on its wrists.
It pulls. The chains hold. A swordsman charges, blade swinging for its head.
Then the trees around it start to wilt. Cold air rushes to Rosa's skin.
As the edge of the blade comes close to its neck, the chains break.
The merc swiftly pulls his sword to shield his waist.
The creature's claws strike through it, breaking the blade as if it were made of glass.
He dodges. It's already on him.
It drives its claws toward his skull.
Footsteps rush across the grass.
KRRSSCH
Rosa's blood runs cold.
Yet nothing happens to his head as he tumbles backward, horror on his face.
Werner. Between the beast and the swordsman.
The creature's claws are buried in his shoulder. It tears its claws out.
Blood trails from Werner's mouth.
"Rei… ko…"
He slumps to the ground, bleeding into the grass.
"Werner!"
Erika rushes towards Werner.
"Rosa!"
Lilia calls. Rosa nods as she rushes with Lilia to Erika's side.
"Please! Please! Please!"
Erika crouches in front of the man. The beast still standing in front of them.
For a moment, the beast hesitates. Then it bolts for the shed.
"Werner got injured! Plan B, now!"
The same archer shouts once more.
Erika presses a sigil scroll to Werner's shoulder. It glows. The bleeding stops.
Rosa and Lilia extend their hands to the same spot.
"Heilen…"
"Heilen…"
Green glow envelops Werner's whole body.
"Erika… Rosa… Lilia…"
"Sshh… Don't speak for now… Lie down, just like this…"
Lilia whispers, spell steady.
"Please…"
Yet he continues.
"Don't let anyone die…"
"You know that's Imp—"
"We will! We'll try our best!"
Erika cuts Rosa off. Lilia smiles.
"We'll try to find a way… Right, Rosa?"
Rosa can't help but gulp.
Think, Rosa, think! Is there a way to drain her mana while keeping her in one place?
Then it clicks. One detail from the earlier fight.
Its movement can be stopped, as long as her hands are locked. No hands, no techniques.
The trees were wilting a moment before it breaks free.
Which means mana is drained from around her.
Drain the mana around her. While she's still in it.
The conditions are doable. If all three are met.
One, whatever holds her must be physical.
Magical restraints would destabilize the moment environmental mana is drained.
Two, the environmental mana must be finite.
The phylactery feeds mana endlessly. Draining the area is pointless with it right below.
Rosa's healing fades. She pulls her hand and bites her thumb.
Erika glances at Rosa's idle hand. Lilia shakes her head.
There are two ways to mitigate it. One is to move her away from it.
Which has proven to be too difficult, even Akira and Lilia can't pull it off.
Or move the phylactery away from her. This one might be doable.
Steel clashes somewhere behind them. Rosa's teeth press harder.
Three, the environmental mana must be actively being depleted.
The beast drains mana naturally. To accelerate it, Akira can help.
"...I think we may have a way to revert Reiko's transformation."
"Thank… goodness…"
Werner finally closes his eyes, his breathing steady.
"Really!? Ah, right!"
Lilia's healing flickers as well. She quickly refocuses.
"...Can you elaborate?"
Erika asks, as if begging her to prove Rosa's previous conclusion wrong.
"I'd like to do that, but we have no time."
She takes a deep breath.
You can lean on me more.
And… even if you don't feel like you earn it.
Please lean on me like I would lean on you…
"Erika, can you stabilize him alone?"
"As long as he stays put, I shouldn't have a problem."
Rosa's gaze lands on Lilia.
"Then, Lilia… I'll need your help… Would you?"
Lilia smiles, locking her confident eyes to Rosa's as she stands up.
She puffs her chest forward as she gives her thumbs up.
"Hmm! Have I ever refused to help you?"
Rosa glances at the shed. The phylactery first.