"Magic Missile."
Ininise spoke, her voice slightly distorted by the magic gathered around her. Behind her, dozens of brilliant trails of light had formed. It was as if the stars themselves had decided to gather upon the earth.
They quickly shot forward like projectiles toward the corpses. The bodies could not withstand the attack: clusters of those bright streaks slammed into them, tearing them apart. Pieces of flesh and bone were sent flying, and within moments the battlefield had been completely devastated by Ininise.
"Phew… mages really are something."
Ralzire seemed to share the same thought.
However, as Uriel looked more closely at Ininise, he noticed that she appeared tired. It was only natural, considering the scale of the attack she had just unleashed.
Some corpses had managed to endure the assault, so Uriel set about crushing a few heads with his mace.
Smack!
Smash!
The sound of that last blow unsettled him and filled him with a terrible disgust. Suddenly he remembered the man he had struck from behind with a stone. He had mixed feelings: on one hand he hoped the man had died, but on the other he didn't want to get into trouble.
Killing those corpses was difficult for Uriel. They looked far too much like people.
He continued finishing them off until he was sure there was nothing left to gain from that battle.
[Notice to all climbers: the sudden event is ending. I repeat, the sudden event is ending.]
[Once the first group reaches the Crypt District, the Blood Moon will begin.]
Uriel thought he should ask Kaelira what this Blood Moon was about.
He dismissed his mace and shield. The battle was over… or at least that was what he believed.
He looked down at his chest and examined his leather armor. It was damaged and torn in several places, but it was still better than walking around practically naked.
When he approached the group again, he noticed something strange: none of them had lowered their weapons. They all stood tense, staring toward the street. It looked as though they were surrounding Ininise protectively, even more so than before.
Then Vykir drew his bow.
Five figures appeared from different directions, positioning themselves in front of the group.
All of them were hooded, but there was something distinctive about their bodies: tails and horns. They were of the same species, though they did not look friendly. Far from resembling a warm reunion, the scene felt as though a battle to the death could begin at any moment between the two sides.
"Who are those people?" Uriel asked.
Kaelira replied with a fierce smile.
"Old friends…"
"There are five more hiding between the houses, behind us," Vykir said sternly.
The situation was bad.
Especially now that Ininise was exhausted after casting so many spells.
Kaelira spoke in a low voice so the hooded figures wouldn't hear her.
"Remember what I told you? Well, this is the moment. I want you to take Ininise and get her out of here."
Uriel didn't like the idea of leaving them behind.
"I won't do it. It makes no sense to abandon you. We have better odds if I stay with you."
Kaelira shook her head.
Malach was the one who spoke this time, and there wasn't a trace of mockery in his voice.
"Nah. You fight like shit. I saw you swinging that mace like a rookie. If you stay with us, they'll kill you. Every one of those guys is a trained assassin."
Kaelira sighed, resting her hands on her hips.
"Malach's right. We can't protect the two of you. But what you can do is take Ininise with you while we deal with these bastards. They still don't know that we're aware they have another group hiding."
Kaelira's fists clenched tightly.
"After you get her out of here, we'll regroup somewhere. Until then, keep her safe, Uriel."
Uriel wanted to protest. There was a chance one of the assassins might follow them. However, if it came down to a contest of endurance, he knew he would eventually pull ahead.
In the end, he could only nod.
He was too weak to change anything. The fact that he had never truly been trained beyond a few basic hand-to-hand techniques was finally catching up with him. He had never used a mace before… let alone a sword.
So he made himself a promise: he would become strong.
He would become so strong that he would never have to run from anyone again. So strong that he could impose his will on anyone who wished to harm him or the people who had helped him.
Someday, that time would come.
But for now, he had to bury that resentment and turn it into fuel to grow stronger.
Kaelira waved a hand, drawing the hooded figures' attention.
Then she stepped toward them, the rest of the group following behind her.
"Hey, bastards. What are you doing here skulking around? Get lost?"
She shot them a cynical look, scanning them from head to toe.
"Don't play dumb, Kaelira. Hand over the oracle and the rest of you can walk away."
Kaelira began laughing exaggeratedly while holding her stomach. Suddenly she stopped and spoke with a voice as cold as ice.
"I don't want to."
Her gaze made it clear she was ready to kill anyone in that place.
"If you don't—"
"If I don't, what, you little shit?"
Kaelira rubbed her fists together.
"Listen up, you filthy dogs. I'm going to tear your limbs off like they're made of paper… and you'll spend the rest of your lives as crippled wrecks. How does that sound?"
"You asked for it."
The assassin raised his hand.
But at that exact moment an arrow flew toward him and pierced straight through his hand.
The group immediately surged forward, trying to break through. The battle had begun.
Uriel quickly picked Ininise up in his arms. It was better to carry her in front of him; he didn't want a strike from behind to reach her.
Suddenly, an assassin stepped into his path. He carried a sword and shield, charging straight at him with his entire focus set on killing Ininise.
But Kaelira intercepted him first.
She delivered a powerful blow to his jaw and, without stopping, skillfully grabbed the arm holding his weapon, bending it into an unnatural position.
The sound of bone dislocating echoed sharply.
Then she pulled with force.
Uriel didn't stay to see what happened next.
As he ran away from the battle, he heard the sound of flesh tearing… followed by a visceral scream.
Kaelira kept her word.
That was the only thought that crossed his mind.