The white light took several seconds to fully fade away.
Max narrowed his eyes, still partially blinded by the flash. Everything looked blurry. Figures. Shadows. Vague silhouettes moving through the lingering brightness.
He blinked several times.
And then he heard a familiar voice.
"Are you alright?"
Max's eyes widened.
"…Dorian?"
His vision finally cleared.
The scene in front of him looked completely different from what it had been only seconds ago.
Vasha was pinned against a stone wall.
Literally.
Four magical purple daggers had pierced different parts of her tight black dress, pinning her to the wall like some particularly aggressive decoration.
The orc woman hung there unconscious, her head tilted to one side and her whip lying nearby.
"Well," Max muttered.
He blinked.
"That's a considerable improvement."
A few metres away, Seraphine was helping Chloe back onto her feet.
The human still looked exhausted, but far more stable than before.
Chloe tried to smile.
