109. Chapter
The explosion that happened outside shook the building at its base, causing most of the still-intact windows to blow inwards as the shockwave traveled through the air. My head was pressed down as both Elin and Alita covered me with their bodies once again. Unfortunately, I couldn't say that the experience was at all enjoyable, thanks to the plate armor and thick textile materials we wore. Nonetheless, I still found my already rosy cheeks to grow a shade deeper. Getting a face full of Alita's soft brown hair covered with her sweat and a lingering scent of perfume while hearing her quickening breathing filled my mind with images that had no place on a battlefield.
On the other hand, I truly appreciated the seriousness with which Elin and Alita took to ensure my safety.
Of course, I realized it to some degree that I was essentially their ticket to get back to the mansion, but still knowing the risk, they didn't hesitate to come along if there was a possibility to help people in need.
I looked at Alita as she slowly raised her head, sensing that the shaking had abated and the flying glass shards had stopped raining on our heads. Staring up at her while being forcefully laid on my back as both women covered me with their bodies, I felt a rare sense of warmth and pride blossom in my chest.
These women were something else.
Alita, I could understand somewhat since she likes me and has known me for some time. Camilla as well, but Elin and Hilde barely knew me for half a day, and we have already jumped into several life-and-death situations, trusting one another to do what is expected.
True, the circumstances were kind of given, all of us being locked in the capital and likely sharing in its fate, but the way they handled themselves was beyond anything you could reasonably expect from such young adults. At least I don't think so. I don't even know if Hilde or Elin have any proper military training aside from the one they acquired through mock combat in Alita's backyard. Camilla was an ex-adventurer and an active scout in training at the Dimhollow House, while Alita definitely had some standard military training, potentially some officer stuff too.
I shook my head, shaking some of the glass and rubble off my cowl, and saw how Alita finally decided to climb off me and kneel beside my body, peeking over our improvised barricades, followed by Elin doing the same on my left. I decided that it was high time to get off my back and check out what just transpired outside.
My movement resulted in even more dust and rubble scattering across the floor, but I didn't pay them mind and turned around to take a quick assessment of the present state of the room.
"What the hell was that!?" Sounded the complaining voice of Camilla. The girl was just sitting up among a handful of adventurers similarly thrown behind a nearby cushion, likely as a result of the previous shockwave and some panicked last-minute decisions.
The room was silent, aside from the occasional sounds of movements and curses.
I could still hear the echo of that explosion ringing in my ears, leaving behind a prickling sensation focused on the back of my head. I had the misfortune to feel that particular sensation more times through these last few months than in my entire past life. By now, it was easy to associate it with a physical aspect of fear.
There was a moment when I heard the warning shout. When I thought that fireball was coming for us for sure.
The relief I felt when I heard the explosion happen outside left a bad taste in my mouth. Knowing that I had the power to defend the three of us huddled together from such a spell, being unable to defend Camilla or Hilde made my mind simply lock up, trying to find a solution, only to fail miserably.
My jaw tightened as the cold understanding seeped into my bones. If that fireball had been aimed at us, I would have ended up as a sitting duck, just as when the arrows started falling on our position. Just because I didn't expect it to happen, I should have been able to react to it in some manner.
The memory of the young dwarf with an arrow stuck through his eye flickered across my mind, and a shiver of guilt passed through me. I could have raised a shield to deflect the arrows, but I didn't realize it in time. I froze at that time, too.
Alita and Elin didn't. They acted on their promise and potentially saved my life just now. My throat felt uncomfortably tight, and I blindly reached for Alita's bloodied hand. There was a hole in her gauntlet, shredded pieces of plate armor from which blood was actively dripping onto the floor.
It was definitely not just a flesh wound. My lips parted in a silent prayer as I recalled the familiar healing chant. My fingers gently locked around Alita's hand as a warm light seeped from my palm into her injury. Her face turned towards mine, finding my hand engulfing her armored one, a flash of golden light illuminating the space between the two of us.
Alita's eyes widened, clearly remembering my spell. She tried to pull her hand away, but she gave in the moment she noticed my pleading look.
She scratched the back of her head hesitantly with her uninjured hand as she spoke up stubbornly. "You shouldn't waste your magic on such an injury."
I narrowed my eyes, a pair of silver glinting against her deep brown. "You girls saved me. It's the least I could do."
Alita shook her head, bemused by my shenanigans.
Elin's voice cut in from my left side. "That was the point of us coming along, wasn't it?"
"Still," I added, equally stubborn.
Alita nodded, her head turning towards the nearby windows where one of our friends took cover. "Hilde, what is the situation outside? I hear the battle still rages, just as before."
The small girl was standing beside the broken window and carefully peeking out in a conscious attempt to show the least of her body surface, even though the arrows stopped being focused on our position after the explosion occurred. Hilde didn't seem to give them even the opportunity for a well-aimed, lucky shot. She took a few seconds, then moved back into cover and spoke up in a loud voice so everybody in the room could hear her well.
"It seems that the fireball wasn't targeted at the frontline. It was targeted at the golem in the air. It also hit a nearby building, partially collapsing its roof and setting it on fire. The front is mostly as it was, even if the dark ones have gained some ground through the momentary panic and distraction that spread following the explosion," Hilde explained quickly.
My stomach dropped. I reached out to my golem, suspecting the worst, but to my surprise, I managed to find an active connection towards Undine. It was coming from quite close, and based on the feeling, it was getting closer by the second.
Before I knew what happened, a floating bubble of boiling water flew through one of the windows at a breakneck speed, almost hitting one of the adventurers in the face, still eliciting a sharp cry from the human man as he ducked away in the last second, just for the blob to hit the wall and bounce off of it before the strange amoeba shape finally slowed down and stopped hovering in front of my face.
The girls, along with several nearby people, stared at the golem in shock.
Elin chuckled at the sight of the simmering little golem. "If I have ever thought to see water about to be caught on fire, then your golem would be a suitable contestant." She stated humorously.
"Undine?!" I shouted, eyes wide, drawing even more attention as I barely recognized the tiny little golem. All of its remaining water could probably measure up to that of a teacup. I took a simple glance at her pitiful state, then pulled out a small water container from my pocket, something I had picked up back in the mansion. The container was half empty already, and I had another full one in my magic bag, so offering it to the golem as a place of respite didn't sound bad in my mind. Especially seeing how she struggled to cool herself with so little water remaining under her control.
Pulling out the cork seemed to be enough for Undine to realize my intentions, as her fluid body started to squeeze itself through the narrow opening, merging with the blissfully cool water inside. I mumbled a shallow thanks for my heroic companion as I resealed the container, letting the golem rest for now. Undine did her best and barely got out of that explosion alive. There was still enough water inside it for another shot, the last I saw her, but she never got to unleash her water gun. I would have heard it, otherwise.
I suppose we were lucky that the enemy mage only acted after Undine had already used most of her water. A thought occurred: perhaps it was not a coincidence. Perhaps the enemy mage wanted to destroy the golem for good and feared that the fireball he or she unleashed wouldn't eliminate Undine while containing more water and possibly would bring her ire.
Elin smiled warmly, seeing the tiny golem disappear into my water flask. "Don't worry, Lora. Undine will be fine, if a bit reduced in size for the time being."
"True," Alita noted. "She is a real survivor."
"Yeah." I agreed, already thinking about what to do with the enemy mage. Cold fear grasps my insides from the flashbacks. I shook my head pitifully, trying to bury the memories of my last encounter with a dark elven mage. Taking deep, measured breaths, I did my best to control my emotions and indeed managed to get myself under control.
Just then, I felt a familiar presence brushing against my mind. Niana's strained voice mixed amongst my own stream of thoughts. To my surprise, the woman felt my distress and even took the freedom to leaf through my surface thoughts before directing her words to me.
"Ah, that explains it... You met her... I am shocked to find you still alive, girl; let me see how you esca-..."
My mental shields clenched tight, much like that of a clam's shell that found itself out of water. A flicker of genuine terror burst through my heart as the full realization of what was happening weighed on my mind.
Niana's presence flickered, her connection trying to keep the layer of communication magic attached to me, as I crushed her mental intrusion on all other fronts.
I felt a sense of frustration, bewilderment, and perhaps even a bit of pain from her side. "Now, what was that for?" Her voice echoed through my mind, clearly pissed off by my most recent action.
She met her foe this time, as I wasn't much better, rounding on the insistent woman. "I don't recall inviting you into my mind, Lady Mage," putting my feet down, I added, fuming. "I might be younger than you and more inexperienced. Perhaps a snot-nosed child in your eyes, but I will not tolerate such breaches of etiquette, even on a battlefield."
The woman went silent for a second. I could sense her general amusement regarding my words. She continued with a much calmer tone. "You are right, little one. I should have asked before, but I am a bit preoccupied at the moment. Nevertheless, your words rang true..." There was a moment of stifling silence between our connections as I sweated uncomfortably. "Still," she continued. "I find your extremely strong reaction to the prospect a bit troubling. I can sense your discomfort regarding this subject, your stifling fear... of me?" She announced, clearly shocked by the revelation. I could feel her eyes narrowing on me through the connection, her magic once again tightening around my defensive thoughts, which were forming an impenetrable shell.
The silent scrutiny and uncomfortable prodding made me want to scream. There was no way I could let her see me while wielding blood magic against that woman.
"The two of you talked about something. I have seen that much," Niana questioned, clearly deciding to prod with words instead of magic for now. "Is that what makes you so unwilling to show it? What could the two of you possibly talk about that makes you this uncomfortable? I wonder." She scrutinized me even more harshly.
"Are you a traitor, Selora? Did she already put her claws on you?" She asked out of nowhere.
My eyes widened in a mix of disbelief and anger. "Oh, she definitely would love to capture me. Alas, I will have my own say about that. Think what you want, but I am not required to show you any of my memories, Lady Mage. I would also warn you against throwing around such superstitious claims. We are on dwarven territory, and should I remind you that you are speaking with a representative of the ancient and venerated House of Dimhollow?"
Niana chuckled, hearing my declaration. "So serious of you. Fine, but I will figure you out, little girl, barely a century old, with so many secrets to guard, but lacking the means to actually do it." She giggled. "You do realize, sweetheart, that if I had wanted my answers, I could take them from you any moment. Those mental shields of yours are splendid indeed, but hardly a challenge for a proper mage. Still, I don't want to ruffle your feathers more than this, but fully expect an honest answer when we get some time to breathe."
There was a moment of silence before she added, finalizing our conversation. "I reached out because I sensed your distraught emotions, but you seem fine now, and since you are such a big girl, you should be able to fight off some anxiety anyway." She paused. "Oh, and I liked that golem of yours. It's a pity the enemy blew it up."
I cut in, "She is fine, thank you very much."
That paused the woman, another flare of amusement leaking through the connection. "She?" The woman questioned exasperatedly. "My dear, that golem, while certainly impressive, did not possess anything even vaguely resembling the concept of a gender. What else, sweetheart? Next time, you might even name them."
I fiddled with my fingers, feeling particularly uncomfortable hearing those words.
There was a flutter of warmth spiking through the connection as the woman asked eventually. Struggling to stifle a chuckle. "So, what's her name?"
I hesitated. "Undine," I spelled it out numbly.
"... You are too cute." She spoke, gushing over me.
Her reaction made the atmosphere a tad bit awkward. Niana seemed to realize this as well, since for the first time, I felt a sense of uncertainty coming from her side.
Deciding to help her out, I asked. "So what about their mage?"
She grasped the metaphorical rope I offered without a shred of hesitation.
"Ah, don't worry about it. I have already dealt with that orc shaman the moment he finished his spell," she explained, clearly satisfied with her achievement and the opportunity to brag about it. "His fireball was certainly impressive, but his abilities severely lacked in magical defense. Not unlike you, little one." She paused, then added in a stricter tone. "I expect you to practice your defensive arrays from now on. This is as fine an opportunity as you can get. Use it well, and good luck, Selora."
I blinked, but before I could say anything back, the connection already faded. This time, though, I could still sense its presence being there.
Naturally, our silent conversation didn't pause the flow of time around us. The room we occupied was once again filled with activity. Those capable of fighting went back to shooting arrows from the windows, along with Camilla and Hilde. Alita was watching the spectacle, hiding behind a heavy metal table that was long since pushed on its side to serve as cover. She was presently tending to some freshly injured adventurers. Tying a bandage around a young dwarf's arm, the poor fellow got a nasty hit from an arrow.
Elin remained on my side as I was focused on my conversation with Niana. giving them useful bits of information I gleaned from the woman's words.
Reminding myself of the latest crucial knowledge, I immediately shared the news with the brave people.
"Niana has taken down the enemy spellcaster. It was an orc shaman." The good news has indeed elicited a small series of cheers followed by a sense of relief.
I felt bad about ruining the mood but still had to say it. "That doesn't mean they don't have more mages, though. So keep up your vigilance."
"Damn, Elfy! You sure know how to bring down the mood," shouted Camilla, letting loose another arrow before ducking behind the wall.
One of the adventurers, however, didn't seem to mind my words. "What's up with the thorns, Milla? You should appreciate it. After all, your mage friend is only looking out for you. After getting stuck in a broken table and some chairs, in a, if I might add, quite a compromising position, one would think she has a reason to worry."
Camilla hissed, her face resembling that of an enraged cat. "Would you cut it, Bob? Preferably before I decide to cut you?"
"Uh~! That feisty already? Nevertheless, it's good to know you still have your claws and that skillfully lashing tongue of yours." Camilla's face reddened, lashing out at the lean human man called Bob, who was presently shooting out of a nearby window.
"What the hell are you implying with that?" Camilla shrieked, likely contemplating the idea of shooting at the man in question.
Bob, on the other hand, turned towards her, his expression masked in a show of infuriating innocence.
"Did I say something?" His expressions slowly morphed into one of understanding as he took in Camilla's blushing cheeks. "Oh... Ah~! I see now where this might have taken a wrong turn..."
Unfortunately for Camilla, Hilde's eyes were already glinting with mischief as she questioned loudly. "Milla?" The smirk on her face made Camilla's face pale considerably. "The two of you know each other?" Hilde questioned.
Bob raised an inquisitive eyebrow as he spoke between shots of his bow.
"Quite well, even went on a few missions together... back before..." Bob seemed to hesitate about explaining, but he didn't have to, as Camilla cut in furiously.
"Before you decided that I was too much trouble to associate with," Camilla declared, sarcasm and a genuine sense of hurt dripping from her words.
"My dear," the man protested.
"Cut it out! I don't want to hear your excuses." Camilla was having none of it, though.
"Milla," he tried again.
"Don't call me that!" Camilla hissed threateningly.
"What was I to do?" Bob snapped suddenly. "People were telling me that you betrayed your party members. What would it matter what I said alone?" He huffed, a tone of helplessness leaking into his voice.
Camilla looked at him, a fire of emotions already forgotten and buried reignited in her eyes as she shouted at the seemingly stunned man.
"Nothing, but it would have mattered to me!" She declared with such vehemence that it left no more room for argument.
The man called Bob stood there by the wall, putting his weight from one leg to the other, an emotion of guilt and regret filling his every pore. Eventually, he said. "I-I am sorry... Mi—I meant Camilla. But I didn't know what to think!"
"Shut up already. Can't you see that I am trying to concentrate on not accidentally shooting you?" Milla declared, only for Bob to snap back.
"That temper of yours and these statements are the very reason you ended up in that situation to begin with; if only you stopped blaming and threatening others so comfortably," he said back.
Camilla was triggered, unfortunately, as she turned towards Bob with a disbelieving look and hissed. "They were blackmailing me and telling all sorts of lies about me. What was I supposed to do, let them ruin my life without a single word? If Selora didn't come along, I might as well be lying in a ditch somewhere in the deep roads. Having no party to rely on was as much of a death sentence as anything."
Bob clicked his tongue. "Don't be so dramatic, woman. You could find a normal job in the capital without the risk of facing dark elves. I even offered you a place in our family bakery."
"How do you think that felt, after getting accused of so many things I didn't do, only for you to humiliate me in such a manner?" She gritted her teeth but continued sending arrow after arrow into the enemy lines outside.
The man shrugged. "I didn't mean it that way, you know that much as well. Pride alone cannot feed a single mouth." He glanced her way, taking in Camilla's athletic shape covered in the medium armor of the Dimhollow house, her form-fitting armor proudly showcasing the hollow black circle of the famous crest. "Still seeing you now made me quite relieved, Milla. I thought you went back to the surface, or worse... only to realize that my little girlfriend climbed through the ranks like a monkey on drugs."
"Girlfriend?" Sounded the shocked voice of Hilde. Only to be stifled by an infuriated glare from Camilla. "That is over." Hilde nodded, startled by the intensity of Camilla's words.
"Over? I have been worried about you! Only to run into you in the most unexpected circumstances." Bob sighed theatrically. "But, fine... be it your way."
"Finally," Camilla grunted. Relieved to be done with that.
The rest of us girls exchanged a confused look along with several of the nearby adventurers, seemingly stunned by the ridiculous quarrel they had grown witness to.
"So, now that the theatrics are over... we are back to business, boys and girlies." Shouted the veteran adventurer dwarf with whom our paths unexpectedly crossed today. I should probably ask his name. Then he added with a shake of his head. "Far be it from me to put my nose in your business, children, but Bob, you are quite a bastard, I reckon." Bob's expression paled, and he sputtered, not finding his words for once.
I giggled along with Elin. Change that. I definitely need to know his name.
"B-but, Master Ignacio..." He struggled to explain himself.
"I have spoken, boy, and I am not prone to change my mind. So stuff it where you will." He stated matter-of-factly and moved back to reloading his enormous crossbow.
There were several chuckles around the room until Alita's words cut through our dynamic. "Look!" Her finger pointing towards one of the opposite buildings, we became aware of several dark-clad and eerily agile figures jumping from roof to roof before climbing into the buildings through the shattered windows and engaging the adventurers already occupying said buildings with lethal precision.
It seemed that we all thought of the same things, seeing what happened on the opposite side of the street. My ears seemed to notice the barest of sounds coming from the roof above, but before I could say anything, Master Ignacio already shouted the order.
"Prepare for close combat!"
There was not much else to say, as the next second, a handful of assassins jumped through the windows and the balcony, killing several adventurers in a matter of seconds and engaging with the rest in fierce combat.
It seemed that there was no rest for the wicked, and neither for us.
Locking eyes with three of the elven assassins taking over my previous spot on the balcony, I was suddenly overcome by a half-forgotten gamer urge. I lifted my right arm in their direction and sent a tightly woven telekinetic push into their midst. It didn't matter how agile they were, as all three of them slammed against the invisible force and were thrown off the balcony in a spectacular arc, their surprised expression and following screams gaining quite the attention from their companions.
Not exactly the right kind of attention, unfortunately.
"Mage, elf's apprentice? Kill or take?" questioned one of the dark-clad figures in their tongue before one of his companions answered in a dry voice. "Kill. Take it if possible. High priority." With that, they sprang to action, half of their numbers beelining towards my location.
Elin cursed my name beside me as she lifted her shield and weapon to take on the incoming assassins.
I, on the other hand, found myself not that terrified by the sight of those assassins. Compared to that bitch, these bastards felt somewhat manageable.
I reached into my pocket, taking my last filled red manastone into my palm, enjoying its rich blood-like color that was a telltale sign that the stone was filled to the brim. With that done, I was prepared for the dance ahead. After all, a lady should always accept an invitation to a dance. Based on my etiquette teacher's opinion, at least.
Channeling the stone's mana without restraint filled the air with a cold mist. I stepped out of Elin's shadow and unleashed a directed storm of frozen mana at the incoming foe, covering them in a thin layer of ice before cutting off the deadly stream and sending in a handful of shards that I had created in the meantime.
Taken by the euphoria of success, I shouted over to the half-frozen idiots.
"You have to do better than that, worms!" Just as I expected, several one-handed crossbows were directed at me in the next instant, their bolts knocking harmlessly against the light shield I had placed down beforehand.
I smirked, sending another volley of ice shards towards them, killing a few more as the chaotic battle of swords and spells engulfed the room.
"Not my first rodeo, bastards!" I hissed at them, getting quite a few vivid reactions. Hearing their own mocking tongue lashing them out was not something they were used to, apparently. Not from someone who could still fight back.
One of the men roared over the field, his previous precision lost in the fog of rage. His words were cutting through the air as he shouted in my direction, grinning like a mad beast.
"I take that back, you whoresons! I want that bitch alive. So I can personally break in her teeth and fuck her throat raw tonight." He grinned at me as my face paled under the manic glare, and then he added gleefully. "Seconds for the ones who manage to catch her."
Elin panicked, seeing the sharp change of mood in the room. "What the fuck did you tell him to make him this angry?" She squeaked.
I felt a bit dizzy while sending out another volley of ice shards.
"The good news," I explained while tripping another fool with telekinesis as he was getting uncomfortably close to us, just to grow a few deadly icicles from the floor where he was falling and getting skewered eventually. I breathed heavily from the effort, already preparing another shower of ice for the next attackers. "They want me alive. The bad news is, I think they want to fuck me." My eyes glinted with a mix of excitement and fear as I added the words teasingly. "They don't seem to care about consent, though."
Elin, if anything, seemed exasperated. "You don't have to talk to them to figure that out! They weren't this angry before. They are almost reckless now."
It was true, of course, but that was kind of the point. "A lot easier to kill them when they saw red." I explained releasing another batch of ice.
"If we get caught, I am going to kill you." Elin cursed, blocking an incoming sword strike and pushing back the elf who tripped on the ice I carefully put in place earlier, just to skewer himself on the prepared icicles.
I chuckled. "I will hold you to that. At that point, you might as well be doing a favor for me. I am not eager to end up on the wrong side of a dick, or several, for that matter."
Elin spluttered, locking blades with another enemy, only for him to be hit from the side with several ice shards thanks to yours truly. Elin cut down the stunned elf for good measure, watching him fall limply.
"You are impossible," croaked the surprised Elin, already preparing to block the next attacker.