Wiping the sweat off his brow, Sebastian straightened his back to stretch. The repairs to the city gate were finally finished. Although it looked shoddy, it was sturdy and would keep the monsters out. That was all that matters at this point. He turned to his side to see Zes who was also panting. Her eyes became deep-seated and wrinkled in these past few hours - fatigue had taken its toll. Still, he chuckled to himself. No matter how tired and exhausted she looked, female elves still held their ground when it came to beauty. He saw that she was about to cast a spell to reinvigorate herself when he walked over.
"Save your mana Zes, we're going to rest for real. We can't keep using your [Second Wind] spell to keep ourselves going."
Letting out a long sigh, Zes allowed her shoulders to droop out of relief. "That sounds good Sebastian. Shall we go?"
"Follow me. I used to stay in one of the inns near here. I think they might still have some room for us. If they're still open." Sebastian led the way as the couple navigated through the abandoned houses, rubble, and the patrols roaming the streets. He noted that the patrols looked more ragged than them. He almost asked Zes to cast her [Second Wind] spell on them instead.
When the groups passed each other, they just exchanged mere greetings or gunts, nothing else. Even though they were tired, they still appreciated all the help they could get in this turbulent time. Sebastian felt guilty when he was headed for rest, but he reassured himself that an exhausted adventurer would likely slip up and make more mistakes.
When they turned after a corner, the inn came into view. Surprisingly, it was still lit and sounds of activity could be heard from the inside. Though it was faint, it still meant that it was functioning. A grisly thought crossed Sebastian's mind.
"Zes stay here. I'll scout the place with my senses. I hope it's not looters. [Augment] Steel mind and body, Hyper Sense, Hyper Sense." Feeling his mind dulled from fatigue, he had to augment his senses twice to achieve the desired effect.
Sebastian approached the inn quietly and placed his hand on the ground. He focused his heightened senses for vibrations in the ground and in the air. With a smile, he stood up and motioned for Zes to follow him.
Knock knock
He knocked on the door before opening it, to avoid startling the person within.
"Wha-? Huh?!" It still proved futile as she almost dropped the broom from her hands.
"Hi Chiza, it's me, Sebastian. Where's Urhill?"
The frightened beastkin proprietress didn't expect anyone to come in through the door, or even customers. A smile broke through her lips when she saw his familiar figure. However, memories of her accidentally opening his room and seeing him in a near-naked state forced her cheeks to become rosy.
Seeing as she was flustered, Sebastian continued to ask instead. "Where's Urhill? I expected him to keep his inn running even in these times. Do you have a room available?"
"Urhill is busy helping the city gate repairs. He's been gone since the attacks started. At first, he wanted to fight but I finally persuaded him to focus on what he does best - repairs and maintenance. Didn't you see him by any chance?"
"Unfortunately no. But then, we might have been defending another gate. I'll keep an eye out when we go back out there. For now, we're really exhausted."
"It's just me running the inn right now. If you can call it that. I'm just cleaning the floors and rooms like before. There's nobody here at the moment." She said the last part dejectedly.
"Can we rent out a room? I'm really tired right now and I don't care for much details. Just as long as you have rooms for rent."
"In that case we definitely do! Do you want the same room, Sebastian? Although I think it might not fit if the two of you - " She looked at Zes and couldn't continue her sentence as her blush grew fiercer.
Sebastian was almost worried the young beastkin would have a nose bleed.
"Definitely not then. Can we have a double room? This is Zes, my companion."
After introductions and formalities were finished, they finally settled into a double room. It had luxurious furnishings and even had a separate lounge. Although he could afford it, Sebastian never really bothered to move from his room. He grew fond of it when he stayed here. His attention was now focused on Zes who plucked the pillows from the king-sized bed and started to make her beddings on the lounge's couch. She even chose the biggest couch to ensure its comfort.
"What are you doing Zes?"
"Eh? I'm making my bed. I assume we would go back to defending the city walls in the morning. I was planning to rest. Do you need anything Sebastian?"
"No, not in particular. However, you can use this bed. I know you always slept separately in another bed when we travelled, but we don't have a choice now. Chiza might have misunderstood something as well."
"But I can't-" Zes couldn't finish her sentence as she bowed in silence. The temperature on her cheeks suddenly surged.
"I know about your apprehension. Nothing will happen. We need to focus on resting. I'm as tired as you are so let's not argue about this trivial thing please."
"It's not trivial to a maiden."
Sebastian was caught off guard with her comment and couldn't react. He shook his head to shake off the beginning of a migraine.
"Zes. Listen to me. We need to rest. If you don't sleep comfortable tonight you won't be in good shape tomorrow. If we have to fight then, your condition would actually hold us back. No other advances will happen here tonight. I can assure you that. We can even create a barrier of pillows and blankets in between us if that eases your mind."
Without saying anything else, Zes nodded. She then proceeded to meekly create a barrier that divided the huge bed right down in the middle. Even if it was fenced in half, the bed still looked spacious and comfortable.
After an awkward preparation, the master and slave finally went to bed. When they allowed fatigue to wash over them, they fell into a deep sleep.
***
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Huge explosions in the area woke Sebastian up. When he jumped off the bed, Zes also did the same. He caught a glimpse of her thin sleeping garments veiling her supple curves, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment. They both stood up and stared at each other in shock. It seemed to be daybreak from the bleak amounts of light entering the window.
BAM! BAM!
Another set of explosions brought them back to reality. They quickly dressed and picked their weapons up before opening the window in full and peering out. Beyond the windows, the city in front of them was doused in flames. Using his enhanced senses, Sebastian could tell that fighting had broken out inside the city. Spells were exploding left, right, and centre. Screams were calling out in the distance. He looked lost looking at the turbulent scene in front of him.
"Sebastian? Sebastian!" Zes pulled his arm and shook him out of his stupor.
"Zes?"
"Sebastian! We need to get out of here and make a plan! The city might be overrun soon!"
Slap!
Sebastian slapped his cheek red to reawaken his senses. With his enhanced state, it actually hurt more than he wanted it to. Gripping his swords tight, he made a dash for the inn's entrance with Zes in tow.
"Chiza! Where are you!!"
"I'm here. What's happening?" A tiny female beastkin with dishevelled hair stood standing in the doorway rubbing her eyes. How she woke up just recently with all the ruckus outside surprised Sebastian.
"The city is in flames! We need to get out of here now!"
"What? Then Urhill..." Chiza's sleepiness was now replaced with shock.
"We don't have time! Zes, get some of her clothes and a coat. We're going now!" Sebastian continued to bark orders. He knew that time was of the essence and didn't want to waste anymore. To his surprise, Chiza came to her senses quickly and helped gather her belongings along with Zes.
"We're ready!" Both chirped as they came out of Chiza's bedroom within minutes.
"Chiza, can you wield a weapon?" Sebastian looked at her tiny frame and silently prayed that she could at least use some offensive spells.
"I - I think I can use a dagger. It's closest to a kitchen knife." She proudly held a kitchen knife in one hand. She was still holding it as if she was about to slice vegetables on a chopping board.
With a sigh, Sebastian motioned to Zes. "Put the knife away. Your main focus will be on running and hiding. Use your beastkin senses."
The trio then ran out the backdoor into the alley.
"Where are we going, Sebastian?" Zes held Pertinax ready in one hand. She was planning to hold Chiza's hand while they run, but thankfully the beastkin's agility and speed were commendable even in her untrained state.
"Let's go to the monastery first. I feel that the survivors should be holed up there."
"What about the gates?"
"There's not much we can do there if the fights have already spilt in the city."
"Then what about -"
"We can't do anything about it! We are not in any condition to fight." Sebastian fully knew who Zes was concerned about. However, he couldn't let emotions govern his decisions at this moment. It was a difficult skill he learned during his nursing days. He had to compartmentalise his emotions to avoid them spilling into his judgment.
Seeing Sebastian's adamant response, Zes bit her lip in silence. She couldn't argue when she also knew that he was right.
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Chiza broke the silence first. "Are you both worried about Urhill? I know I said that he was in the city gates, but he's mainly focused on repairs only. During combat, they wouldn't let him fight. He should be okay, don't worry."
Sebastian and Zes exchanged glances before breaking out into a smile. Sebastian patted the beastkin's head. "That's good to know then. Let's go to the monastery. We still go as planned. We avoid fighting at all costs."
Navigating through the alleyways and using the buildings to their advantage, they covered some distance and were nearing the monastery.
"We should be almost there. Just a bit more!" Sebastian hissed to his comrades to reassure them.
"Wait. Do you hear that?" Chiza was the first one to tense up.
Sebastian added another layer to his augmentation to keep up with Chiza's senses. "[Augment] Steel mind and body, hyper senses." There was a subtle fluctuation in the air around them. It was caused by mana and something physical. It almost felt familiar to him.
"Get down!!" With a start, Sebastian pushed the other two down on the ground.
BLAM!
A fiery explosion billowed through the surroundings, levelling the entire area within moments. Sebastian felt burns developing on his arms and back from when he shielded his ragtag comrades.
"[Heal]!" Even under the pile, Zes still sensed that Sebastian was hurt and promptly applied aid.
When the explosion finally stopped, Sebastian immediately circulated his mana within to assist the healing process. When he lifted his head up, he saw a monstrously huge black mass in front of him. It still had the gaping maw of a wolf, however, it wasn't moving for some reason. The eyes darted back and forth restlessly as if to assess the surroundings. Each of the 8 limbs hummed a familiar faint tune that instilled goosebumps in Sebastian's skin. He felt cold sweat break out all over his back. He looked down and he could see Zes in a state of shock as well.
"We need to run. Now!" Sebastian pulled both Zes and Chiza up from the ground. He pushed both of them towards the direction of the monastery. If they all ran at full speed it would take them 3 or 4 minutes at least.
While running and weaving through the rubble, Chiza couldn't wait anymore and asked out of curiosity. "What was that faint noise?"
Sebastian kept looking forward as he answered. "The mutated beasts' limbs could wield mana. Think of its whole body like a magick weapon."
They were within visual distance to the monastery when they all felt a stronger vibration in the air. Sebastian and Chiza noticed it first.
"Sebastian-"
"Everyone scatter! Now!"
BLAAAM!