103. Chapter
Thick droplets of sweat dribbled down my face as we rushed down the main street of the noble district. The normally peaceful and lively street, decorated with hundreds of monuments and statues were in a chaotic disarray. Collapsed or partially collapsed buildings, hit by giant rocks that ripped through the safety nets like a hot knife through butter, have caused massive destruction across the capital. I expected it, as all of us have, but seeing it with my own eyes, the true extent of the destruction was heartwrenching.
Dead people were lying on the street, among the many injured. Those who were lucky enough to escape with light injuries were trying their best to help the less fortunate, but the sheer scale of the damage made it impossible for help to arrive from other districts. Hearing the constant ringing of the alarm bells has put another layer of pressure on the already overwhelmed citizens.
My instincts were telling me to kneel at the first heavily injured person and ease their pain using my gift. My mind, on the other hand, reprimanded me over the thought. If I wasted my mana casting healing magic, which consumed power like no other spell did, except perhaps creation magic, then I would throw away my chance to participate in the city's defence.
Beyond that... I would be completely defenceless. Thinking back to my time in this world, how many times has my life walked on the razor's edge? I did not plan to end up in a situation like that, not now, not ever again. I have decided that the moment a fight becomes unfavorable for me, I will turn tail and get out of there using my short-distance teleportation spell.
Knowing my repertoire of spells, I was well aware of the fact that my abilities didn't incline my path towards healing magic. Most of my spells were battle-oriented. My healing spell is not as effective as those other choices.
I gave a last weary glance towards an injured woman lying on the side of the street, presently being helped by another woman, and I shook my head before hurrying past them.
She was not the last injured I saw. We headed down the street, and the destruction only seemed to get worse. My friends and companions, guards of the Smith Manor, along with whoever else that deemed to join our march. They were spreading the word about the incoming enemy attack and the need for able-bodied men to join the city's defence.
The slowly growing group took a sharp turn at the next crossing and came to a halt. Hearing the voices of disbelief mixed with several loud curses, I looked ahead and saw the cause of frustration. I saw a several-meter-wide crack in the street. It was a rift that parted the entire street. Complete houses and yards have disappeared in its dark depths on both sides of the road.
"By the divines!" Sounded several exclamations from different directions once the initial shock wore off. "We cannot go around that ravine!" Shouted one of the dwarven guards nearby.
"But, isn't that the road leading towards the northern gates? If we go the other way, we have to circle two other districts!" Another guard questioned, worry leaking into his tone, before adding. "Who is to say the other direction isn't just as damaged, or worse?"
The heavy silence that lingered in the air before another dwarf spoke up was telling.
"He is right, even so, there is no way we can cross that! Look at the sides of the crevice. The earth is unstable there, it can collaps any moment! To make it worse, what if the ground starts shaking again? We would end up at the bottom of that hole in a matter of seconds!" The man spat on the ground in disgust before continuing. "I have worked as a miner before joining the guards. Believe me, I know what I am talking about. If I have ever seen a death trap, that is one."
"Well said, I wouldn't go over that for a bag of gold." One of the others agreed easily. "But, what should we do now? The road is blocked."
The man who referred to himself as an ex-miner harrumphed frustratedly. "We have to go around. Exit through one of the other gates and find our way to the fortifications. We can only hope that the other roads are not cut off." He added the last part in a whisper.
As our column began to turn around and move in a different direction, I felt Hilde's body pressing against my side.
I glanced at the dwarf girl and was surprised to see her pale expression. "Hilde? You alright?" I inquired, seeing her uncharacteristic expression.
She shook her head, biting her lips anxiously. "I am not..." The girl stated at last, clearly struggling with a variety of emotions. I stopped and pulled her aside, letting the soldiers pass by us while focusing my attention on her.
"Are you feeling unwell?" I asked, not knowing what to say in the absurd situation. The soldiers were running by, and if we didn't follow them, we would be promptly left behind. There was no time for idle chatter. Then again, I couldn't just ignore her sudden mood change. It was true that I only knew her for a few hours at best, but she didn't seem like the person who cried easily. That was not a trait dwarven people often had to begin with.
"That house... the one that fell into the ravine..." She began, and my mind instantly clogged up. Could it be?
"Fuck... was it yours?" She gave me a strained smile before shaking her head in denial. "No... It belonged to a friend... I was just visiting them this morning... and now they are gone."
I gulped, eerie silence stretched between the two of us. I felt short of breath and utterly lost for words. "I... I am sorry." Then, going for the only saving grace that came to mind, I grabbed her shoulders and shook her a bit. "Don't bury them just yet, who knows, perhaps they weren't home!"
Hilde chuckled painfully, looking across the ruined streets at the unmoving bodies lying in the rubble and dust.
"I..." She began shakily. "I am not sure if that's any better... You don't understand, Selora... this is my home..." Her eyes hovered across the street. "I know most of these people... if not all of them."
I took in a shallow breath, my stomach feeling like heavy lead as I grasped the full extent of her grief. For me, most of these people were unfamiliar faces, seen at most several times. Perhaps I exchanged greetings with some of them at one point, but that was not the case with Hilde and the others. They lived their entire life here. The noble district was indeed large, but there were actually not that many people living here. It was, at best, a few hundred people shared among thirty or forty families. Not every noble house had many members. In fact, most of them were about six to eight people living together, excluding the servants and people in the service of their family.
It was like a separate village inside a city, and nobles actually made an effort to know every noble house in the country. Of course, they knew each other, often personally.
I gulped dryly. I still didn't know what to say, but seeing her downcast expression, I decided to ask. "Do you... want to stay here?" I asked tentatively.
Hilde made a surprised expression, which quickly turned into a frown. "No... I... I can fight." She frowned. "It's just... I don't think..." She sighed. "I am just starting to fully comprehend the danger we are in." Her expression tensed. "If the dark elves are here... then what happened with the other city? They shouldn't have been capable of taking it, not even speaking of attacking us as well!" She shuddered. "For fucks sake, we just repelled their attack a few weeks ago, how are they back again?"
My throat felt especially dry hearing her voice those particular fears. I shared them too.
"I don't know, it doesn't make sense to me, either." I admitted, then took her by the arm and began to follow after the soldiers. "Keep close to me." I told Hilde, who nodded silently, while giving her best to keep up. "We shouldn't fall behind more than we already have." I added, worrying about the growing distance between our group and us.
We quickened our feet, and were surprised by the two familiar faces wecoming us at the end of the soldiers' line. It was Alita and Elin, clearly looking for us among the throng.
Alita snapped at us with a disapproving glare the moment we got close enough to receive her ire.
"What were you thinking, staying behind so far!" She demanded, before glancing at Hilde, a shadow of understanding passing over her features, but she hid it quickly. "Don't get separated again, and do not fall behind! Understood?"
"Yes!" We stated clearly and were herded in front of Elin and Alita's who were not taking chances this time around.
Once reunited with our companions, we continued moving together. Along the way, several more people joined our march, hearing the call to defend the capital.
Our passing was heralded by the sound of trampling feet and the repetitive clanking of armor. Well, that and the sight of destruction that welcomed us anywhere we went.
The result of the earthquake caused a drastic change in scenery. Therefore, it took me by surprise to see the familiar shape of a building, and my feet slowed. It was the sight of the Dimhollow Manor, I realized with a sharp intake of air. The building had clearly suffered moderate structural damage from the earthquake, but the main structure remained stubbornly standing.
I forced my eyes to blink several times, for a second I didn't understand why I was seeing the Dimhollow House... after all, we weren't supposed to head in this direction...
The memory of a wide crack in the ground blinked across my eyes.
Oh, yeah... we changed direction because of the rift that cut across the street... Apparently, in the chaos, I didn't even realize where we were heading.
A small smile sneaked onto my face as I hastened my steps towards the familiar household.
All the while, subconsciously dragging along a pointedly staring Hilde.
"I see, your home has survived the catastrophe." She stated in a measured tone, being lost in the moment, her voice managed to startle me.
"Ah! Oh... Y-yes, it seems..." I acknowledged, awkwardly, just realizing that I was still holding her wrist. I quickly let go of her while gazing towards the house.
Hilde smiled at me, taking in my embarrassed reaction, her trademark teasing smile seemed to finally reform on her face. "I am happy for you, Selora. We should go and make a quick visit, bring all the help we can." She recommended.
I simply nodded and went along with her words. Before taking more than a few steps towards the manor, however, I felt a heavy palm land on my shoulder, turning me around with a sharp question thrown in my face.
"Where exactly are the two of you planning to go?" Elin stood behind us with fuming Alita, who was just about to question us a lot less civilly if she didn't interject.
I felt a bit embarrassed all of a sudden. Realizing that we just promised not to wander off without a word. "Ah, um, well, I thought..." I fumbled my words, feeling particularly stupid for that oversight.
Alita shook her head, taking a deep breath and releasing her frustration in an elongated sigh.
Glancing in the direction we were about to head, she understood what was going on. She looked me in the eye, her brown irises glinting with fresh understanding. "Go, do what you have to, but be back here in ten minutes or I am going to drag you out, now move!"
We nodded and turned around, moving towards the building.
After all, that was exactly what I intended to do anyway. I noticed that Hilde decided to tag along, while Elin and Alita stayed at the gates talking animatedly with the people who came from the Smith household. We hastened our steps and headed towards the builing entering the front yard along with some of the other members of our impromptu travelling group, who were spreading the news that we were actively gathering soldiers to defend the city.
Most of them were stopped by a bunch of Dimhollow guards not far beyond the entrance. We expected to be intercepted as well, and we were, but the moment I showed them my ring and pulled off my hood, they clearly recognized me and waved us past easily.
The estate was still standing just as we saw from the outside, but it was clearly weathered. The yard was practically ruined, pavilions collapsed, finger-wide cracks littered the ground, and there were even differences in elevation as the ground folded under the power of the spell.
The moment we stepped into the garden, we noticed the large cracks in the earth spreading out like spiderwebs in several directions. We could feel that the earth was unstable in several locations, but not to the point that it parted like the ravine we saw previously.
If the earthquake kept up any longer... perhaps then... the Dimhollow estate would have followed a similarly dire fate as a dozen houses had along the way here.
It seems that we were fortunate.
Being back in the estate after so many things had happened, especially in such a short time, was a strange experience.
A few hours ago, I was fuming from getting played by that stupid Jolga, and now the entire capital was on the brink of collapse. It was such a surreal experience. Seeing the destruction in the noble district, the safest place after the royal castle. Thinking about the absolute carnage that must have happened in the market district or other similar places. Ones that were stuffed to the brim with people, and filled with those tall multi-storey buildings that were meant to save space.
To think that we were intending to go through there. Perhaps I should just go back to my room, pack my things, and blink out of here.
True, I had some training in recent weeks with my spells. I also have some ridiculous magic in store, but after my recent encounter with that dark elf woman... I knew better than to attempt facing an enemy who has been practising magic for hundreds of years. Recalling the absolute terror I felt when facing that crazy dark elf. It made me seriously entertain this new idea.
So much so that before I realized where I was, I already stood in my room and was presently throwing all of my personal belongings into my magic bag. A handful of clean underwear, some fresh sheets, a folded blanket, several clothes, and more on the practical side. All of my gold and jewelry went in there, too. I even stuffed in some leftover food that was still on my nightstand, then of course, my refilled mana gems came to mind, and I threw in those as well, putting the red one separately inside the pocket of my skirt.
Hilde watched my actions with a bewildered stare. She blinked slowly, then, seeing me about to finish up, she decided to question my actions.
"Are you..." She shook her head, feeling confused. "What are you exactly doing, Selora? Because it looks like you are looting your own room, from where I stand, should I be worried?"
I glanced up at the evidently confused dwarf and said in a blank expression. "I don't know about you, Hilde... but... I suddenly had this ominous feeling... Like, as you said... it doesn't make sense for that other city to fall so suddenly, and now all of this? Coupled with my recent experiences, I am not going to take chances anymore."
"You are afraid." She said. "We all are! It's understandable, really, you almost died."
I rolled my eyes. "Believe it or not, I am not that afraid of death as most are."
She blinked, swallowing her saliva while looking at me with a baffled expression. "That goes without saying... Most members of the long-lived races, not even mentioning immortals like you, wouldn't take the sort of risks you did for us. That is the reason why so many have accepted you among our nobility." She looked to the side awkwardly. "Still... there are some who disapprove, but the majority have accepted your presence, which is unprecedented for an elf. That's... that's why I am so confused... Selora... are you trying to run away, and leave us in this mess?" Her voice hitched a bit at the end.
I stopped for a second, turning towards her, the tip of my ears taking a bright red shade as I realized the apparent contradiction.
Still, after being reborn as a woman and getting constantly hit on by both men and women, I could easily soldier through the thick awkwardness that filled the room.
"No. I am merilly preparing for the possibility of running away." I paused for a second, seeing my companion silently parting her lips, then closing them several times without uttering a word.
Remembering the extreme discomfort of only owning two pairs of underwear, I decided to open another drawer and throw in several more pairs of small clothes into my bag, before turning back to Hilde. "Look... as explanations go... It's not the best, but... more recently, I have become painfully aware of a variety of fates which are categorically worse than death, and would undoubtedly await me, should a certain dark elf witch get her hands on me." I paused, thinking about it, then said it anyway. "She intends to make me her personal plaything."
Hilde's eyes widened into saucers as the girl stared at me, her expression turning several shades whiter.
"What?" Her voice faltered, torn between rage and terror at the prospect.
I turned to her, locking eyes with the girl, and said. "Right? Quite preposterous if you ask me! Still, after already being captured once by the dark elves and miraculously escaping before getting knocked up, I decided not to take my chances lightly. Also, if I see that bitch, or any other dark elf, throwing around crazy spells, I am getting out of here. I used my strongest spells against her in an advantageous situation and from a surprise attack, yet she fucking mopped the ground with me. I barely got out of there alive! There is no way in hell I will let her catch me. Blowing myself up is a preferable course of action, except I don't trust my ability to actually go through with it before getting captured, so I would rather not risk that."
The dwarven lass seemed a lot more uncomfortable after my tirade of words. "C-could she be really that p-powerful?" She asked hesitantly.
I turned to her while stuffing another bra into my bag of holding, looked Hilde in the eyes, and said with absolute seriousness. "I threw some crazy spells at her, spells specifically created to kill people. She shrugged them off quite easily. So I would wager yes, she is that powerful."
Hilde stepped from one foot to the other, fear starting to get the better of her as she listened to my words. She seemed to think over my answer, coming to several realizations, of which I didn't have the energy to care about. "Do you think she is the one responsible for the earthquake that shook the capital?"
I paused, finding nothing else easy to pack up after the pair of shoes and sandals I had just put away. Suddenly feeling out of steam, I plopped down on the edge of my bed. Thinking through the question, I came to one conclusion.
"I... no. I mean, she definitely participated in the magic, but even she couldn't possess so much power to unleash such a spell. It could only be the result of a ritual coordinated by a dozen powerful spellcasters. At least, that is what my limited knowledge and instincts tell me. If she were truly that powerful, I couldn't have possibly escaped her even once. Beyond that, she would have just demolished the capital the first time they attacked."
Hilde seemed to accept my words, and her posture calmed to a degree. Before turning to a different topic. One that was already on my mind, even if I stubbornly kept ignoring it.
"Why is this mansion so empty? We just walked in, but didn't run into a single servant." The girl pointed out the obvious.
"Yeah, well... The Dimhollow House doesn't have servants. People are only hired on special occasions, and I suspect that most of the soldiers have already left to join the defence of the city. We took quite some time to get here, and they tend to mobilize especially quickly. When we walked in, I also noticed that the weapon racks in the entrance corridor were mostly empty, meaning that a call for mobilization had already been issued." I took a glance around before adding. " Still, I can't help but wonder, where had the children, the elderly, and womenfolk gone? Warrior clan or not, there are plenty of people who are not fit for battle in this house."
Hilde had the answer to that question. "In case of invasions, members of noble houses tend to gather in the royal castle. The inner walls can provide a last layer of defence."
"Oh, you know what? That actually makes sense for once, should have joined them while I still got the chance." I frowned. "Not that they would let a mage linger around while the city is under siege."
"You might be right about that." Hilde noted in a dry voice. "Still, I didn't take you for a coward. Are you seriously contemplating running away after everything?" She narrowed her eyes at me.
I raised my hands and bolted up from the bed. "Call me a coward if you want, but in the end, I am just one girl!" Oh, for God's sake, it felt good to use this particularly annoying excuse for once.
Hilde sputtered, clearly not expecting such a shameless reaction. "One girl, my arse!" She rounded on me like an angry turkey. It completely took me by surprise. I swiftly reminded myself that I barely knew the woman, acting so willfully, maybe it wasn't my brightest idea, but I am panicking, so it is likely a forgivable mistake anyway.
"You are a mage, and from what I have heard, quite a powerful one! Stop acting like a scared child!" She scolded me while poking me in the middle of my chest.
I stared at the intruding finger, a mix of shame and anger flaring in my chest. I pushed her hand away and threw my own frustration back at her. "Everybody keeps treating me like a child, so what if I, for once, want to be treated like that for a change? I find it awfully convenient that the only exception to that is when there is a fucking battle going on, strangely, that seems to be the only time I am allowed to roam freely, and I am starting to get fed up with this hypocrisy." I shouted, making Hilde step back a few times.
My breathing hitched as I took several calming breaths after my little outburst.
I waved my hands in the air, shaking out the lingering frustration, then lowering my voice.
"Ah... sorry about that... you didn't deserve those words, it didn't even have anything to do with you, it just came out of nowhere." I paused, fiddling with a lock of my hair while avoiding eye contact before continuing my words. "I am not going to just up and leave, as I said, if that is what you are afraid of... but don't expect me to fight a thousand-year-old sadistic monster!" A panicked chuckle left my mouth as I added. "Try to look at it from my perspective... I can live quite long! Getting kidnapped by someone like that is the equivalent of eternal suffering, and that makes me a bit jittery."
Hilde's expression softened considerably, but her heated gaze was still smoldering with a sense of righteousness. She gave me a long look before stating in a court tone. "So, what is your plan then? Will you just keep running away? You will eventually run out of space to hide, and they will get you anyway. Perhaps, by then, you won't even have friends to rely on."
I stared at an unassuming spot on the floor, silently acknowledging her point.
"Perhaps you are right, but it can take quite some time until it gets to that, by then I will know enough to defend myself from that bitch!" I explained.
Hilde snorted, showing me a smirk accompanied by a proud nod. "Well then, it seems that you are not that much of a coward you presume yourself to be..." The dwarven lass stated. She intended to say more based on her encouraging expression, alas, her words were cut off by the sound of quickly approaching footsteps.
Both of us turned towards the left open door, muscles tensing subconsciously.
At least, until we saw the person appearing in the entrance. It was Camilla.
My body relaxed seeing the familiar redhead. It was good to see her, even if a bit surprising. True, we didn't look through the whole building, still nobody came to greet us while getting to my room, which made me presume most of the others had left already.
I stepped towards Camilla, asking. "Camilla! I didn't expect to see you here. The estate seemed completely abandoned when we got here."
The human lass nodded fervently, while stepping up to me and clasping my hands. Her movements felt jittery, and she was struggling to contain her emotions.
"Oh god! Selora, we were so worried!" She started speaking so fast that I had to actually focus to catch most of her words. "There was this terrible earthquake, and now the bells are ringing, which means there is an enemy attack, but we don't really know what is going on!" She took a quick breath before continuing. "There have been reports that the enemy is already inside the gates! However, we don't know where, or if it is even true! Our chain of command is in utter chaos! Most of the others have already gone out either to help or figure out what is going on, while the rest of us are staying in the dining hall."
She paused, giving me a sudden, tight hug. "I am just so happy to see you being fine! Aria was very worried about you. She told me to wait for you in case you came back, while she went out with the warriors to learn more about the situation."
I patted her on the shoulder, letting her calm down somewhat, before telling her what I knew. "I am also happy to see you being fine, Camilla. I thought you went to the castle, that was what Hilde suggested, being a protocol for such situations..."
Camilla nodded to that. "Yes, I heard about it from the elders, but leaving the house when the entire capital is turned over its head was out of the question, especially so when the estate fared relatively well so far."
I nodded, realizing that trying to get to the castle would be a challenging and dangerous quest in the current chaos. "You are right, we didn't really think it through."
"We?" Camilla stated, seemingly only noticing the other presence in the room. She jolted, straightening herself and giving Hilde a hasty little wave. "Oh, I-I didn't see you there, hello! I am Camilla." She introduced herself quickly, causing Hilde to chuckle at her antics.
"It is fine, it's a pleasure to meet you, disregarding the circumstances." She smiled. "My name is Hilde. We just came from the Smith manor for aid to repel the incoming enemy invasion."
Camilla paled. "Invasion? Have you run into an enemy inside the walls, just like the rumors say?"
Hilde shook her head. "No, but according to Selora, the earthquake itself was of magical origin, meaning that the enemy who unleashed it is likely following closely in the wake of the spell, using the present chaos for their advantage.
Camilla's face snapped from Hilde to me, then back, repeating the cycle several times before a panicked shout broke out of her throat. "Whaaaat!~! How are we supposed to defend the city if we can't even get to the damn gates!" She screamed.
Hilde covered her ears, just as I did, while stating in a calming fashion. "Calm yourself, there are guards constantly posted on the walls. They can't just break through it in a matter of minutes!" She declared. "Even if something went catastrophically wrong, we have three separate gates for this very reason."
Camilla blushed, realizing that she let her panic get the better of her while acknowledging Hilde's points. "I-I see, sorry... I am usually not this excitable. It's just everything is so overwhelming."
"I understand, girl! Half of the capital is in ruins... how could I not, but panicking won't help." Hilde chastised the human lass, who was presently silently scratching the back of her head.
"Right..." She said, before both her and my head snapped towards the same direction.
I felt a wild fluctuation of power. It was unstable and extremely condensed. It expanded in a fraction of a second before the sensation vanished completely.
Camilla spoke in a whisper, noticing that I, too, had sensed the magical phenomenon. "W-what was that?"
I closed my eyes, opening my inner eye and trying to concentrate on the previous sensation... alas, it seemed that I didn't have to. A thunderous explosion shook the city once more. The tremors of a distant explosion could be felt in the ground. It was a huge explosion, even if it was small compared to the previous earthquake, and it died in a few seconds. It still left behind an ominous silence which lingered in the room.
"What the hell was that?" Camilla demanded again.
Hilde stood next to her, frozen in silence and worry.
I once again tried to sense something with my inner eye, but there didn't seem to be anything else to find. Well, not from this distance and without some concrete image to look for. I shook my head and decided to stop trying for now. Seeing that none of the others were willing to voice their assumptions, I decided to do it, based on the short pulsation of mana I experienced.
"Nothing good... based on what I felt and what we heard just now... that was an explosion, and a powerful one of that." I stated.
"Explosion... it keeps getting worse!" Camilla cried out.
Hilde, on the other hand, frowned deeper. "The sound didn't come from the direction of either of the two gates. One is at the northern end, while the other is at the south. That explosion, meanwhile, came from the eastern side of the capital." She explained, clearly trying to make sense of what just happened.
Before we could react, she spoke in an impatient voice. "We should go out and check if we can see anything obvious." With that said, she turned around and was about to leave, before Camilla grabbed her arm and said.
"Wait, if you want to look around, we should head to the balcony on the upper floor. You won't see much form standing in the garden."
Hilde seemed to consider this, then changed her approach accordingly. "Good idea, lead the way then!"
The three of us exchanged a worried glance before heading towards said balcony.