Maeve deflected the incoming spear with her rapier. This caused the mercenary who was rushing towards her at insane speeds to stumble and roll across the ground beside her, stunned for a moment. Next to attack was the mercenary with the Blessing that made her control and extend her hair. She swiped at Maeve with the two knives in each hand and the sword that her hair wielded. This proved to be more challenging for Maeve compared to the first attack.
"What a unique way to fight!" Maeve excitedly cheered.
This gave the mercenary mixed emotions. She was trying her hardest to kill Maeve and survive, and Maeve was cheering her on.
They continued this exchange, Maeve not doing much attacking. The angry mercenary still kept with the same strategy of charging in without a real plan. Some of the other Unblessed mercenaries joined in the fight as well. She didn't kill any of them yet, her own way of telling them that the difference in skill was too high and that they still had the choice to run away.
"This is hopeless," Silak muttered under his breath.
His pack was still filled with several swords and axes, but he didn't feel the need to join them anymore. He had his eyes trained on Maeve's movement, he could follow her every move, he always had the talent for reading opponents. And, from a few moves, he could already tell that they were all outclassed by the Omnimage even though she hasn't used a single spell.
"You're right. I'd rather take my chances with being lynched by the Khalmascans for being a traitor than face her," the nervous mercenary said.
He panted as he scampered away. Just as he was about to go over the mound behind them, a large fireball engulfed his entire body. His screams didn't last long either. Now, the air was filled with the smell of charred meat.
Silak didn't have much of a reaction to it, he was apathetic to it all even before they were crawling in the mud. He got roped into joining the side that was losing the war. Despite not wanting to die, he couldn't muster the spirit to keep on fighting.
"I must already be dead," Silak stared at his calm and still hand.
He heard a clicking sound amidst the chaos and explosions. Silak looked back at the fight to see that Maeve had her index finger at the trigger mechanism on her rapier. The encased multi-colored crystals turned once when she pulled the trigger. Her blade was now aligned to a crystal that had a bluish white glow to it.
Even through the hecticness of the fight, Silak could still see tiny details like that. Even at what seemed to be his final moments of life, he was still fascinated by how the body moved during fights. This was something that he had a habit of doing ever since he was a kid picked up by a band of mercenaries.
A faint glow came from Maeve's blade, it was a similar color to the crystal it was currently aligned to. The weapons of the mercenaries that came into contact with it started to get frost on them. They could even feel the temperature change whenever Maeve's rapier was near them.
She took a step back, disengaging with the mercenary team and standing above them on top of a ruined structure. Taking a lower stance with her legs spread apart, she cocked her sword arm back and extended her free hand in front of her.
Most of the other mercenaries thought that it was odd of her to finally take a fighting stance when she was so far away. Silak thought differently though. He seemed to be the only one that remembered that they were up against a mage, not a duelist.
"Take cover!" Silak shouted involuntarily. Even when he was sure of himself that it was the end, his body and instincts refused to die without trying.
However, the warning was too late. In an instant, Maeve stabbed the air in front of her with quick succession. Sharp bolts made out of ice formed where her blade previously was. Then, with a diagonal swipe, she sent the ice bolts their way.
Silak managed to flip the pack on his back in front of him and deflected two of the ice spears that were aimed at his chest and head. The others, however, were not as quick as him. After the attack, he checked to see the others.
The two Blessed that led their team had several ice spears embedded into them, she must've sent more their way knowing that they were the strongest in the group. All the others also failed to dodge. Only a few died instantly, but most of them were dying.
"Sorry about this. Let me end this swiftly so that none of you are in pain anymore," Maeve said.
She pulled the trigger on her rapier again. This time, her blade was aligned with a crystal that was a darker blue. Acting as a wand, she did a motion with her rapier.
All of the ice she sent their way exploded into water. This drenched Silak and the other in water, leaving puddles of it on the ground.
Then, Silak heard another click. He looked up to see that her blade was now aligned with a bright white crystal, crackling with energy. With that same somber, expressionless look on Maeve's face, she tapped the tip of her sword into a puddle of water next to her.
The last thing that Silak saw was a bright flash of light. He couldn't move his body, or to be exact, he couldn't control his body. Silak crashed to the ground, his muscles spasming. After a few seconds, everything and everyone stopped. Only Maeve was left.
She looked at her work and let out a disappointed sigh. It still didn't feel right for her to kill people who aren't truly involved in the war. However, they were still enemies, and she gave them the chance to flee from it all.
After reasoning and reassuring herself, she sheathed her rapier and turned to face the real objective of her mission. The main Khalmascan army. As she was about to take a single step, she sensed something move among the mercenaries that she just killed.
The largest and youngest of the bunch was convulsing, although it wasn't because of anything she was responsible for. She went over and spread one of his eyelids apart to check his eyes. And, there it was, a faint glow. Then, she rolled one of his sleeves up to check the burn marks from the electric shock she gave him. They were starting to heal. She pulled a notebook out and jotted something down.
"Hm, perhaps the Blessing being tied to near-death experiences may be somewhat true," she tapped her pencil on her chin. "Or maybe it's heightened emotions that trigger it?" She asked Silak as if he could answer.
She watched him writhe and turn in the mud. There was no response from him.
"I should probably kill you, huh? That is what they hired me to do," Maeve sighed and was about to pull her sword out. But a thought crossed her mind. "Then again, I've already killed you once, and I wasn't hired to kill you twice," she put her sword back.
A horn sounded from a distance, a signal for something. Maeve tapped her shoe on Silak.
"Good luck," she said before leaving.
[... Can you bear my burden?]
An otherworldly voice echoed through Silak's fried mind.