"Mas…" Ashe stood up but an elderly woman pulled her down.
"Shhh. Do not make a noise."
Standing in the center of the attention was a hulking man.
He was inhumanly tall. His head reached the branches of trees and scraped over their leaves. His muscles were bubbling under the skins and his veins moved like worms inside his flesh.
However, the man's head was small. It was an average human head but attached onto that giant body, he looked like a wood carver toy of disingenuous proportions.
The man wore a well-tailored tunic of white that was barely hanging out to his skin. It looked like the fabric could explode at any moment due to the stretching of his muscle. On the outside he wore a black leather coat that was gleaming under the moonlight like an old mirror.
His chest was exposed, showing a symbol branded on his skin. The emblem of a Witch Clan. A crow spread its wings while catching a small star with its mouth. The emblem of Starcrow, Lyara's High Noble Clan.
He was a servant of witches, the man who had sent Siderius flying.
Puffs of wet air exited his nose like those of a buffalo. The man straightened his coat like a well-mannered noble. His arrogant eyes looked at the rubble and when he saw Siderius did not give up, he gave a disdainful scoff.
Then he looked at Alex laying on the ground. "The lady ordered you to report if the murderer shows up. Why didn't you?"
"I…"
As Alex opened his mouth, the man stomped on one of his knees, causing him to squirm in pain.
"A minor punishment for your stupidity."
All the miners observed the new player in this conflict. Questions in their mind and dread filled their hearts. Everything had gotten out of control, frightfully.
It didn't matter who would become the final winner of this ordeal anymore. Whoever it would be, they would surely pay a hefty price.
The man stepped forward Nadia. A miner was in his path and trembled. He didn't have the chance to say anything as the servant slapped him, sending him flying and then rolling on the cold hard ground.
The miners instinctively moved away, leaving their leader standing on her own, facing the grotesque human being.
The man grabbed Nadia at the throat.
"I am Pax, servant of the High Clan Starcrow." The man's voice was so high, almost to the point of squeaking. "I heard you've been hiding a criminal here?"
Nadia squirmed. She tried to get off of Pax's grasp but it was a futile attempt.
"I… I didn't know…" Nadia tried to form her words with her throat being forced closed. She was telling the truth. But that didn't matter to Pax.
Pax put more strength to his fingers. He lifted Nadia off the ground, her feet scrambling looking for surfaces and her face lost its color. A deadly purple took over her tanned face.
"My Lady has been looking for him for quite awhile." Pax said, putting more pressure in his hands. The veins bulged up and Nadia resisted.
She slammed and scratched Pax. But it didn't move him one bit. The light of life was moving away from her and her hands grew quicker.
In that moment of panic, she begged for anyone to intervene. She begged that the miners that she had desperately protected and helped would come out to save her.
But no one did. After all, they were all ordinary commoners. Or so they reasoned to themselves. An excuse to stand and watch their leader die.
"Hel… Help… Me…" Nadia uttered. In her mind, she lost all hope at her allies. So she looked for someone else, anyone else that could save her. Gods, Monsters or Demons. Anything at all.
And her prayer was answered.
"Let her go."
Suddenly, something screeched through the air. Pax turned his head toward the noise and was met with a high-speed stone.
The stone flew through the air in a blur, smashing on the servant's face. It left a dent on his small head for a few seconds before his flesh popped and filled itself up.
Pax let go of his hand.
Nadia dropped down on the ground and coughed intensely. Her throat opened up again and her lungs gasped for air.
Siderius stood on top of the rubbles. In his hand was the sling that Ashe made for him. He had used that to throw the stone at Pax.
The servant was wondering how that stone was so fast and hit so hard. For a moment, he thought that he met another servant with super strength. But no, it was simply because of a crude weapon of the low-life human.
It amused him and Pax shared a smirk.
"Snow of Mucktown…" Pax said.
"Dog of witches…" Siderius answered. Even now, he had no worry on his face, only a lingering smile that couldn't tell the observer what he was thinking.
Pax smiled wider, revealing his perfect white teeth. So perfect that it looked artificial. Those weren't real. Those were silver teeth painted in white.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet the man who took Lady Lyara's heart.
You really are different, aren't you? Usually these bastards would have fallen onto their knees and begged for their lives already."
Siderius didn't answer. He spun the sling again, now with another stone in it.
Pax laughed. "Stop your stupidity, Snow! That toy won't be able to kill me."
Siderius continued to stay silent and released the sling. The stone bolted through the air.
Pax moved extremely quickly for that heavy body of him. He stepped to the side and dodged the stone effortlessly.
"Not going to listen, eh? I told you. It is futile."
"For a man that had nothing in between their legs, you sure like to talk." Siderius finally spoke and it touched Pax's core immediately.
The vein on Pax's forehead popped up and his eyes were raging like an animal.
"You shouldn't have said that." His high-pitched voice echoed again. It was not that hard to know that he was no longer a proper man. "I will kill you now."
"Come and try, dickless." He officially caused Pax to lose his mind.
The man charged at Siderius.
Nadia got up from the ground and ran back to her group.
"Get everyone out of here!" She shouted.
Siderius left a lot of miners injured and incapable of walking. These people had betrayed her and left her to die. But still, she would lead them out of this alive. If she didn't, no one else would lead these frightful miners.
The miners gathered and quickly helped their friends get out of the area, moving away from the conflict.
Nadia helped Alex get up. Shame was visible on his face. He knew he didn't deserve her saving.
"Nadia… I…"
"Stop. We'll talk later." Nadia's face was cold. She definitely was disappointed in Alex but even after what happened, she still decided to help him.
That only put more weight on Alex's heart. He let out a heavy breath, one that contained too many regrets and sorrows. If he had another chance, he would have never let down this woman.
Pax's speed was even greater than Alex and Siderius knew he wouldn't be able to get out of the way fast enough.
Siderius used both of his sigils,
Even then, Pax was able to swing his hand at Siderius, grazing the
He was sent flying once more and had to roll a few times on the ground to dissipate the force.
"What a monster you are." Siderius wiped the blood off the corner of his lips. It was a bad fall.
He picked up another stone off the ground and swung it at Pax. Siderius moved backward at the same time, extending the distance between them.
If Pax was able to get close, Siderius knew it would be his death sentence. He couldn't allow that.
"Idiotic move."
Pax responded by picking up an even bigger rock and hurling it at Siderius. The big rock broke Siderius' small stone into pieces and kept flying after him.
There was no time to evade, Siderius could only try to block the boulder with his sword. He focused all his strength to his shoulder and swung as hard as he could.
The sword broke in two and the boulder was redirected. Siderius was safe at the cost of his weapon.
Pax laughed out loud. "You lost your sword! How are you even going to fight me now?!"