The fire was racing ahead of me now, surrounding the forest in a tightening ring of orange and black smoke. I had seconds to think—either the blood-hungry elves would gut me, or the flames would swallow me whole. I didn't know which was worse, and I had zero interest in finding out.
"I see someone!" a woman's voice yelled from behind. "There—running!"
"Kill him!" another snapped. "He's human!"
Something hissed past my ear—fast, lethal. At first I didn't register it. Then I glanced back and saw the arrow already nocked and loosed, streaking straight for me.
I ducked hard. The shaft buried itself in a trunk inches from my head with a solid thunk. They really wanted me dead.
"Stop, you idiots!" I screamed over my shoulder. "We're all gonna fucking die in this fire!"
"Catch him!"
A loud crack split the air. Two massive trees ahead, weakened by the blaze, groaned and began toppling straight toward me.
No time to turn back—the elves were too close. No choice but forward.
I threw myself into a desperate slide across the mud, arms tucked, body low. The trunks crashed down behind me, missing my legs by a heartbeat. I rolled to my feet, lungs burning, vision swimming from heat and smoke. My injured arm throbbed like fire itself; every swing sent fresh stabs through my ribs.
"Surround him!"
"There's fire everywhere, sir!"
"I don't care—surround him!"
"Ka'l is dead!" a new voice boomed from directly ahead. "He's dead!"
Ka'l. The elf I'd stabbed in the throat back in the clearing, it had to be. Shit. More of them were already in front of me—blocking the path I'd been running toward.
I cut left hard, plunging deeper into the thickest part of the woods. Smoke rolled in thick waves now, turning everything gray and choking. I glanced back—three elves were still pursuing, dark shapes flickering through the haze. But the smoke cut both ways; no more arrows came. They couldn't see me clearly either.
I pushed my pace, legs screaming, trying to open distance. They didn't tire. Hatred must've been better fuel than adrenaline.
"Let me go, you fucking idiots!" I yelled. "Or we'll all die here!"
"He's going that way!"
"I can't see him!"
"I see him—follow that bastard!"
They weren't listening. Fuck reason.
From the corner of my eye, a shadowy figure waited behind a tree on my left—tall, still, waiting. Another elf? They'd already flanked me?
No good options. Right meant more fire and elves. Left meant this ambush.
My boot snagged on a root or rock—I stumbled, knees slamming into mud. Dizzy, I planted both hands, shook my head to clear it, propped an elbow on my knee to stand—
A boot crashed into my back, flattening me face-down.
I rolled onto my back fast. Four elves loomed over me. The father—the one who'd killed the bound man—stepped forward, mean eyes glittering in the firelight. He drew his dagger slowly from its sheath and advanced.
"You did this," he sneered. "You did this. Why is your kind so allergic to being tamed, huh?"
"Look, I don't know what you're talking about," I panted, hands up. "But let me g—"
An arrow came from the right—clean, precise. It punched straight through his skull, exiting in a spray of bone and brain. The front of his face caved inward; gray-pink matter slid out and splattered the ground. He stood frozen for a heartbeat, then crumpled forward—ruined head landing heavy on my chest.
I shoved the corpse off in a panic and scrambled up.
The shadowy figure wasn't an elf. It was guards—six of them bursting through the smoke. They must've spotted the forest fire from the walls and come running. Thank fuck.
"Elves!" the lead guard bellowed, crossbow already raised. "Kill 'em!"
"Oh, shit," one of the remaining elf women hissed. "Run!"
The elves broke instantly—scattering into the smoke with speed. They didn't flee in blind panic; it was cold, calculated withdrawal. They knew every root and hollow in these woods, and the fire gave them perfect cover to vanish. Pursuit through flames would be suicide even for armored guards. Revenge could wait for another night.
The elves melted away like ghosts.
A guard—the one in heavy plate with a golden pauldron—rushed straight to me.
"You alright, citizen?"
I looked them over, still gasping. Five were in full steel—cuirasses, chain skirts, shields, heavy weapons. The sixth was different: simple black robe, hooded, clutching a wooden staff topped with a faintly glowing green crystal. No armor. Healer.
"My arm…" I wheezed, clutching my side. "Think I twisted it bad… fuck. Oh, man…"
"I'll take care of you," the robed woman said calmly. She knelt, staff planted.
"Get the citizen to safety!" the golden-pauldroned leader barked. "Don't chase the elves into the fire—let the blaze do the work. Move!"
One of the big armored guards scooped me up effortlessly—one arm under my knees, the other behind my shoulders—like I weighed nothing. Plate clanked as he lifted me.
They moved out in tight formation: shields up against falling embers, leader directing, healer staying close. We pushed through choking smoke and heat, boots pounding, sparks raining. A burning branch crashed nearby; a shield bashed it aside without slowing. The roar of flames gradually dulled behind us. Cooler air seeped in. Trees thinned.
A few minutes later we broke the treeline.
Night air hit clean and cold. We were at the forest's edge—grass, scattered boulders, the dark shapes of farmhouses glowing faintly in the distance. Kinola's walls rose ahead, torchlight steady along the battlements.
The guard set me down gently against a large boulder. My legs buckled; I slid to a half-sit.
The robed woman knelt in front of me again. Palms hovered over my chest and arm. Soft green light bloomed—warm, steady.
"Hold still," she murmured. "This will sting, then ease."
The glow sank in. Pain flared sharp—then melted into deep, soothing warmth. My ribs loosened. The arm's sting faded to nothing.
"What happened there, citizen?" The guard with the golden pauldron asked, voice low but firm.
"I… I saw the elves killing someone," I muttered. "The… the two elves you executed today? Yeah. They wanted revenge… ah, shit…"
"They killed who?" the healer asked, pausing her spell mid-glow.
"Didn't hear his name." I shrugged weakly. "He's probably burning in that fire now."
The commander—golden pauldron gleaming in the torchlight—turned to one of his men. "Call in the S-class students. Tell them to get here fast. We need to extinguish this fire immediately."
"Yes, sir!" The guard saluted, then sprinted toward a horse roped to a nearby tree branch.
I glanced at my status screen as it flickered into view.
╔═══════════════════════╗
> Ace | LC: 7 | EXP: 8/133 | LVL 2
╠═══════════════════════╣
> HP ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱ 84/100
> MP ▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱ 77/60
> STA ▰▰▰▱▱▱▱▱▱▱ 33/80
────────────────────────
> UNSPENT POINTS
╠═══════════════════════╣
> [ BAG ] [ MAP ] [ SHOP ] [QUESTS]
╚═══════════════════════╝
Damn. HP nearly full, breathing easier, arm barely aching. This magic healing was insane. If I'd had something like this back home, my night jobs would've been a hell of a lot less painful. No more limping home with cracked ribs and hoping ice would do the trick.
"Your face," the healer said, finally letting the green glow fade. She looked drained—sweat on her brow, shoulders sagging. "So much blood. But I don't see any cuts on you."
"I killed an elf," I admitted quietly. "I had to. I'm sorry."
"Don't you fucking apologize for killing a creature of nightmare," the commander snapped. "Good job, citizen. One less bastard in this world."
"Hmm…"
"Can you walk?" another guard asked.
"Y-yes, sir." I exhaled, pushing myself up. "Yeah. Thank you for, uh… for saving me."