Chapter 49.2
Adeline stepped out of Damian’s embrace and approached Rune with a vacant expression. “Rune.”
“AAAAAHHHHH!!! AAH! AAAAHHH!!! EEEK!”
As her trembling hand reached out, Rune whipped his head up. His orange hair was blackened with ash, his white body sooty. His dazed face, which at first hadn’t recognized Adeline, gradually hardened. His bloodshot eyes bulged, and he suddenly screamed in a voice filled with rage, “Get away!!! It’s all your fault!!!”
The volume was incredible, unimaginable from such a small creature. Adeline froze. Your fault. He wasn’t wrong. They had come for Damian. But…
“We have to get out of here. It’s all exposed. If they attack again, even if we’re alright, you…”
“Don’t make me laugh! You just stood there and watched! You’re not one of us! You can’t empathize! You just talk like a human, think you’re like us!”
She couldn’t understand anything after that. Standing dumbfounded, Adeline realized Rune had lost his ability to speak coherently. Gritting her teeth against the high-pitched tirade, she reached out again. She had to take him with her. Even if he didn’t want to go now. At least to safety.
Crack.
Her fingers were inches from the screaming fairy amidst the black debris.
Rune was stepped on.
The noise stopped.
Adeline’s eyes widened, staring at the fairy, crushed as if by something heavy. It was like an invisible person was standing on him. A trickle of blood, not even enough to form a puddle, seeped out from beneath the mangled body.
“Rune…?”
Why? How? From where? The questions were fleeting. The attack came for her next.
Swish! Instinct made her recoil, but it was too late. Something sharp pierced her left shoulder blade and tore out. She remembered the feeling of being watched when she first arrived at the forge. Something unseen had been observing her, close by, as if through a thin pane of glass. With a gasp, Adeline clutched her burning shoulder and stumbled back, colliding with Damian.
“Change the terms of the deal, now.”
He spoke coldly, like a demon, upon seeing her shoulder. The deal must have been his promise not to kill anyone. Adeline let out a shaky laugh, inappropriate for the situation. She thought he had changed. He was different from the man who had announced Shade’s death to his comrades in a flat voice. His tone was still emotionless, but now it radiated an icy chill. Gripping her heavy sword, Adeline retorted, “No. I’m fine, so just watch.”
She felt the blood flowing freely, but the injury was almost a relief. She wouldn’t have snapped out of it so quickly otherwise. The current situation could be summarized in a single sentence: They were all dead. Her friends, who had been chatting so cheerfully just moments ago, were all dead.
What a screwed-up, pointless ending. If this were a fictional story, shouldn’t the beginning of an adventure involve gaining companions? Or at least dying gloriously? Wasn’t that the promised cliché?
Clang!
The invisible blade came again. This time, she was ready. She parried the blow. It was like fighting in an open field, yet she felt no fear. Adeline even closed her eyes, as if taunting her enemy. Senses are close-knit. If one fails, the others compensate. This time, her hearing was working overtime.
Footsteps approaching stealthily. There it was again. She could picture the attacker’s silhouette without seeing them. Gripping the hilt, she swung her sword powerfully upwards.
Clang!
Having pinpointed her opponent, Adeline snapped her eyes open and sneered, “I guess you have to fight dirty when you’re this weak.”
Her upward swing reversed, transforming into a downward counterattack. The screech of metal on metal split the air.
Skill: Gaping Slash (MAX) activated.
Swish! The unavoidable speed and force finally caught the fleeing coward. The flashing blade sprayed blood into the air.
Item: Curse of the Forbidden Fruit (2) buff applies ACTUAL DAMAGE.
Beneath the shower of blood, a woman’s body suddenly appeared. She was skilled enough to have twisted away at the last moment, avoiding a fatal blow. Adeline raised her sword for the finishing stroke.
The woman was as good as dead. If only a man hadn’t jumped in the way.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.