Chapter 95: Crisis
"We need reinforcements! I repeat we need reinforcements in the forest team!"
The voice crackled through the communication crystal like a flare in the night. One of the rogues from the Loose Leash team was shouting, panic barely hidden in his voice.
Kaelen, who had just finished healing another wounded veteran, snapped his head toward the sound.
"What’s going on over there?" he asked into his own crystal.
"The bird-headed tyrant’s going wild! We’ve lost formation. Too many down, Derek’s holding it alone. If this keeps up, we’re gonna lose people for real!"
Kaelen’s expression darkened. He turned to the nearby transporter from Hather’s support group. "Get ready to jump. Take us there now."
The caster nodded and chanted a short spell. A bright ring of light spread beneath them, and in the next moment, they vanished, reappearing near the forest’s edge.
Without a second wasted, Kaelen moved straight to the wounded. Some were conscious but bleeding heavily. Others lay still, arms wrapped in bandages or burns etched deep into their flesh.
And there he saw Alira tending to the wounded, her hands slick with blood as she dragged another wounded fighter behind the crumbled tree trunk. Her breaths came in sharp, uneven gasps, her muscles burning with exhaustion, but she didn’t stop because she couldn’t stop. Every second counted. The air reeked of smoke and the metallic smell of blood, the distant shriek of the monster shaking the ground beneath her feet.
Then a familiar presence appeared before her.
Kaelen’s voice cut through the chaos, rough with urgency as his hand clamped down on her shoulder. The contact was firm, grounding, as if he needed the physical reassurance that she was real, unharmed. "Are you okay?" His words tumbled out, edged with barely restrained fear. "And how did things escalate this quickly?"
Alira turned, her face streaked with dirt and sweat, but her eyes flickered with relief at the sight of him. She nodded quickly, though her voice wavered. "I’m fine, thanks to Uncle. But he’s... he’s not in the best condition." Her gaze darted past Kaelen, toward the heart of the battle, where shadows and screams clashed.