Stepping in a curve, Naph circled around the rectangular fountain pool keeping his pursuers in sight just as they kept him.
His hand gripped his ride's handle while the other kept Bulwark's presence aware to him.
As he followed with his semi-formed plan, suddenly a jolt wrecked through his ride. And he felt where it came from. It was none other than Bulwark's severed corpse.
The jolt randomly brought far more attention to be focused on his surroundings than he did just by keeping people in sight. Naph felt the decaying flesh's texture through the white tarp of Bulwark's severed neck.
Texture of flesh and the jolt rose in him deep bile to his mouth. He swallowed it back.
"Ugh! That…was worst." His mouth felt like he had eaten dirt and puked it out. His tongue and nose living the aftermath of swallowing the bile.
Squishy under his right palm, Bulwark's flesh remade a wave of energy that flowed into his hand and the ride as well.
'What!? Two jolts in a row! What is up with her in death?' Scrutinizing her, he twisted his ride behind the fountain as the seven Streno knights chased after him with slow steps.
One man in the same grey coat stepped forward from his companions, "Hand us over the body! And you may live a protected life in our dungeons!"
Coughing from the aftermath of his poor decision, he exclaimed, "Whose body, you ant trampling witted sickos?"
Matching his advanced companion's example, another in the grey coat stepped forward going further than his colleague. This man spoke out, "It does not matter for even you will be presented to the Lord. Your life is now his."
"Are we possibly in a drama or some play or maybe even an impromtu?" Naph quipped back.
Incidentally pointing his right dagger at the group of seven, he thought with intent 'ca' as a part of the word cata but stopped at that.
A kaleidoscopic space emerged in the space between Naph and the group of seven with enough distance away from him and his ride. The kaleidoscopic space shattered.
Naph's eyes widened and he was in the process of slapping his forehead when suddenly rather than the shattered mirrored space falling down it flew.
It flew straight at the seven Streno knights.
Shards over shards enveloped the knights in an instant. Three brought out bladed weapons as Naph saw them do, but couldn't figure out from where.
The other four simply radiated different coloured lights from their body. First three attacked furiously at every shard that came close to them while the other four kept advancing except now they were slower than they were before.
'How did it get speed?' That was his first question about his own unknown ability.
Naph felt a sudden danger on his right. He skidded his ride back behind him as his right hand crossed to his front while turning to face his right at the same moment and stabbed that way.
Astref flipped back mid-air avoiding Naph's dagger. "Ooh, that was close!" Astref winked at Naph from above in between his mid-air flip.
Astref stopped his flip and stayed afloat. Zanlo shook his head, disappointed at Astref's attempt.
Meanwhile, Naph was having a hard time registering every movement happening around him. His newly acquired ability to sense gaze was ineffective against the ones actually here to attack him, rather he could feel the gaze and stares of the panicked crowd escaping from the crossroad.
Each one of them felt like needles pricking him all over. Leaving the handle of his ride, he tapped his left dagger's butt at his left temple, "Ugh, too much information."
Naph's eyes instinctively looked at his peripherals. And he saw what he felt, the dozens of people running away. All hurrying to escape from the crossroad, except none were succeeding.
'Why can't they escape?' A simple thought came to his mind.
Zanlo replied to it, "Pretty simple. Someone is keeping them as hostage here. Guess who, boy?" A small laugh whispered into the crossroad's center.
Naph heard it.
He once again looked to his left and right but saw none who may have just laughed. Everywhere either the people were running away from the fountain's nearby area or cowering down on the ground.
He glanced up at Astref. His luscious dirty red hair were being played by the air while he looked down upon Naph. Zanlo on the other hand had moved yet again to inspect the man with no sleeves.
"Hmm, how long do you believe you will be able to maintain your state, Rhide?" Zanlo asked the man with no sleeves. If Rhide had any response in mind, he did not show it on his face.
Naph on the other hand refocused on the Streno knights. All of them have survived his attack. A few nicks and cuts were on them. Each stepped forward to his direction.
"This. Is. Too. Slow. You get it?" Naph titled his head at the last sentence as he spoke them with emphasis to the knights.
Hearing his response, one of the knights on the right of him shrugged. Then, he was gone.
Anaphol's eyes widened.
He screamed, "CATA!"
Saved yet again by a hair, Naph stood right in front of Rhide where his colleague had been killed. Naph and his ride teleported away to his previous place.
The Streno knight that vanished. Came back into view in that instant with him pushing down a massive cylindrical stone column at the position where Naph was.
Boom.
The crashing of the column rolled through every street connected to the crossroad. A dust storm enveloped the fountain's immediate surroundings.
Naph's hand left Bulwark's neck to grab on his instinctively. He grabbed his. Feeling for whether he is still alive.
"I-I, uh, ugh. I-," Naph stuttered.
Astref spun mid-air. His head down and legs were up. "It is ok, Naph. Things as violent as that can scare a lot of piggies. Just like you." He winked.