Intermission XV
All around Sofia, fire raged with unrelenting intensity. Homes were engulfed in flames, their wooden structures crackling and collapsing under the intense heat. The air was thick with smoke, making each breath a searing challenge and filling her lungs with acrid, choking fumes. The once-peaceful community of Gilla lay in ruins, transformed into a nightmarish landscape of destruction.
At the center of the community lay Sofia on the ground holding a stab wound on her side while constantly applying first aid magic on it to prevent herself from bleeding out. All around her were the bodies of locals that were strung up brutality, impaled on pikes.
Standing over her were a group of men in white robes, their figures looming menacingly in the flickering light of the flames. Their faces were obscured by hoods, casting dark shadows that concealed their features, but their presence a palpable threat. These men were the architects of the current tragedy that had befallen Gilla, their hands responsible for the deaths and inferno consuming the village.
Robed Man: “Fucking burning abyss! She managed to take out a dozen of us by herself before we got her!” one of the robed men shouted.
Not far from Sofia, a dozen men in white robes lay sprawled on the ground, their lifeless forms a testament to the fierce battle she had fought. She had cut them down herself, each strike precise and determined. However, amid the chaos, one of the robed men had managed to surprise her. With a sudden, brutal move, he had jabbed a dagger into her side. And now she found herself laying on the ground helpless, for if she stopped applying healing magic to fight these people, she would most likely bleed out.
One of the men in the group stepped forward, his presence immediately distinguishing him from the others. Unlike his companions, who wore plain white robes, he was taller and adorned in more elaborate attire. He wore a striking silver mask, intricately designed and polished to a finish. The mask hinted at his elevated status within the group, setting him apart as their apparent leader.
The man slowly removed his mask, revealing a bald head that shone under the fiery light. His face was marked by a prominent, square jawline and a pair of sharp, piercing eyes that conveyed a hardened, unyielding resolve. The look of grim determination etched across his features.
The man was known to Sofia. He was an old friend to her’s, Teddy Rova.
Teddy: “Sofia! We don’t have to be enemies. Come join the purifiers, like Darra. We’ll forgive you for what you did today.”