I think we're only an hour away from Armillian. We were doing so well, I thought, my feet skidding slightly as I came to a sudden halt.
The dirt road ahead dipped slightly, revealing a chaotic scene a few kilometers away—plumes of dust swirling in the air and flashes of steel clashing under the noon sun. A convoy of luxurious carriages had come under attack by what looked like bandits. A full-scale battle raged in front of us—knights in glistening white and silver armor desperately fending off a mob of wild, bloodthirsty fighters.
Before I could process the situation fully, Kayda's voice erupted behind me.
"This is all your fault, Nova!" she shouted as she sprang off my back mid-run, her boots barely touching the ground as she launched herself toward the fray. "I was having the best nap of my life, but you just had to run us straight into these dumbasses!"
"How the hell is this my fault?!" I shouted after her, skidding into a full sprint as I shifted into my human form. "I was following the damn road!"
Kayda didn't slow down. "I'm blaming your troublesome luck, you damned fox!"
I groaned and picked up speed. "She acts like she isn't the one who always runs toward danger."
The closer we got, the more details came into focus. On both sides, ragtag but surprisingly coordinated groups of bandits surrounded seven polished and reinforced carriages. At least a hundred bandits, some donning mismatched armor and tattered capes, encircled the perimeter. The guards were clearly outnumbered—perhaps two dozen, half clad in gleaming white armor while the others wore silver. The silver-armored ones were struggling badly, their formations sloppy and fatigued. Meanwhile, the white-armored knights held more confidently, blades moving in clean, calculated arcs.
Kayda landed beside me just long enough to speak. "You help the knights with the small fry. Don't underestimate them, though. These guys aren't just random thugs."
Before I could answer, she vanished again—her speed a blur of flame-tipped motion.
"I always forget just how much they hold back around me," I mumbled, steeling myself.
I took a deep breath, my mana flaring subtly. Time to work.
With a whisper of wind, I flash. Stepped into the fray, appearing directly behind one of the bandits closest to the silver-armored guards. My ice dagger slid smoothly toward his neck.
"Urk—?" The man barely turned his head, sensing something too late.
He tried to duck, but the blade sliced across his throat in a clean arc.
"I see what she meant," I muttered, sidestepping a swinging mace and burying my second dagger into another attacker's ribs. "That was my full speed. And they still reacted."
No time to dwell on it. I moved from target to target, a blur of motion, ice slicing into flesh as I danced between chaos and steel.
"Enemy is attacking from behind!" A deep voice roared—an enormous, fur-coated figure near the edge of the fight, pointing straight at me.
Damn.
"I was doing so well," I sighed, flipping both daggers into a reverse grip and backing away slowly.
The call had drawn attention—several pairs of eyes flicked toward me, blades shifting in my direction.
"We've got backup!" a knight shouted from the silver line, renewed hope in his voice.
BOOOOM!
A thunderous explosion split the sky, and a pillar of searing white light shot upward, so bright it temporarily blinded the entire field.
"What the hell—?" I shielded my eyes briefly, then blinked. "Did she just... kill their leader or something?"
The battlefield hesitated, just for a moment. It was long enough for me to take advantage of the pause.
I leapt forward, ducking low, then drove a dagger into the thigh of one bandit and another into the stomach of a second. A third tried to scream—only to be silenced as I buried an ice spike into his chest.
"Ugh!"
The grunt of pain drew eyes again—this time back toward me as I retrieved my daggers. One man had a sword halfway raised when I flashed. Stepped forward and stabbed him through the temple. He collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut.
"Get her!" the same massive fur-coated guy shouted, brandishing a massive axe.
"Tch. I should've stayed quiet," I growled, ice flaring around my hands.
I dropped my daggers and summoned a full scythe instead—crystalline and curved like death's personal tool.
"Watch out for her re—!"
I didn't let him finish.
In the instant before he could speak again, I closed the distance and swept the scythe in a wide arc. His voice—and his head—were severed in the same moment. Others near him followed, their bodies falling like dominoes as the edge of my weapon cleaved through them.
"You shouldn't be that off-guard," I muttered, spinning the scythe with one hand, preparing for the next target.
THWUMP!
I twisted instinctively, barely avoiding an axe the size of a man's torso embedding itself in the ground beside me.
"You worthless insects! "You worthless insects! You can't even handle one measly demihuman!" growled the source of the attack—a towering figure now standing beside his weapon.
His muscles bulged beneath black-stained armor, a snarl of fury curling his lips.
"Funny, I thought Kayda would be the one dealing with people like you," I quipped—
ZAP!
Another blinding scorch beam arced down from the sky, slicing through the man's neck like paper. His head popped off his shoulders and rolled with a thud.
"Ah... never mind. Thanks, Kayda," I said with a smirk, watching his corpse slump forward.
"Big Baby Ax!!" several of the bandits shouted, horror replacing fury.
"Retreat!" A new voice called out from the back. I turned sharply—
Just in time to see a blur of leather and steel.
I brought my scythe up to block, but the sword slammed into it with such force that the entire shaft shattered. Even so, it bought me just enough time to twist—
But not enough to avoid the cut.
"Gah!" I dropped to one knee, clutching my neck as hot blood poured through my fingers. My vision blurred.
The attacker stood above me—a dark-skinned woman with braided hair, a single arm, and eyes that glimmered with cold amusement. Her leather armor was torn, her clothes stained with ash and blood. Yet she stood like a predator among prey.
"You reacted better than I expected. But it won't help. You'll bleed out soon enough. This should be an acceptable present for that dragon bitch," she sneered, smirking before turning away.
"Let's move!" She barked, and her remaining soldiers fell in behind her.
The guards began cheering.
"They're retreating!"
"We won!"
But I couldn't celebrate.
"Fhggk—!" I tried to speak but immediately choked, vomit and blood gurgling from my mouth. Pain surged in waves through my neck and chest.
Soft hands suddenly touched my wound. I didn't think. I Flash. Stepped away, katana half-raised.
Only to see a healer—peach-skinned, golden-haired, blue-robed—eyes wide with worry.
"I—I'm just here to help," she said, holding up her hands.
I exhaled sharply, lowering my blade. "Sorry. Reflex. I'm fine now."
"You... fine? I just saw her slice your throat!"
I wiped blood from my lips. "Self-healing. It's not as awful as it looked."
She studied me, stunned. Then finally said, "You're... really something."
"And you're pretty," I added with a weak grin.
Her cheeks flushed. "Th-thank you."
"I don't think this is the time to flirt," a deep voice rumbled from behind her.
The healer bowed instantly. "Apologies, Archbishop."
I glanced past her at a knight in pristine white armor—well, it was pristine before the blood stains. A symbol of the Church marked his chest plate.
"She's at the front carriage," he said. "Your companion. Being treated."
My heart clenched. "What happened to her?"
I bolted toward the front without waiting for an answer.
"Let go of me! I said I'm fine!" Kayda's voice rang out, as angry and animated as ever.
"Just let them finish healing you," I said as I approached. She turned her head and glared.
"What happened to you? I told you to be careful!"
I gestured at my throat. "She got me. Big woman with the sword. If I hadn't blocked, she would've carved through my spine."
Kayda's expression darkened. "So she came after you, huh..."
"Yeah. Said something about delivering me as a present to you. Guess she doesn't realize I'm harder to kill than I look."
"Would've been nice if she stayed dead the first five times," Kayda muttered, standing up despite the sisters protesting.
"Sit down!" one cried, holding her shoulder.
"What? It's just a scratch," Kayda snapped, pulling her shirt up.
I blinked. "That's barely three centimeters."
"And they're still not done healing it," Kayda growled.
"Maybe it's because you're fully manifested now," I offered.
"Sirone could heal this in a blink. This isn't normal," Kayda said, brushing the hands off.
"Whatever. Are you willing to move?"
Kayda looked around at the now-calm battlefield. "Yeah. We're not needed here anymore."
We turned to leave—
"WAIT! Where do you think you're going?!" A shrill, entitled voice screeched from behind us.
I winced.
"… Don't tell me I recognize that voice…"