"Well... What do you guys think about the mother?"
Khrall starts as we shove our way through the crowd. Strauss summons a tome with his mark and casts a spell, but he whispers it so the words are unclear. A small gust knocks down the thugs in the back, so it must be Wind Magic. Khrall summons a large buster sword with his mark and scares some of the men with menacing eyes. I can't blame them, though. They only have flimsy knives and someone with access to magic has yet to show up. There's something that bothers me, though. Some of the men's eyes are blue and lifeless, just like that time.
"Highly suspicious if you ask me." Strauss walks closer to Esmeralda and turns his back to her.
"I don't think it's the mother, though." I said. "I think she's only disturbed."
"That's why she's highly suspicious. A crazy woman like her is bound to blame anything and everyone."
"Strauss is right." Aldwynn agrees as he summons his gauntlets and turns to me. "Everyone can be a culprit. Even you."
"Huh?"
"Khrall. Throw me and run them through after we land. Strauss. You know the drill. All of us run as fast as we can, okay?"
"Okay. Wait, what exactly are we doing?" I ask.
"GO!"
...
Whoa, shit! Strauss chants a spell again, and a gust of wind instantly knocks us fifteen feet in the air and into the fray. Gods, my head hurts! This feels nauseating! I look at Aldwynn and he's charging up his gauntlet and... standing on Khrall's weapon? What the hell is he-- Oh! I get it now. He's going to throw Aldwynn... Where's Esmeralda?... Oh, there she is. Seems like she's doing good.
"NOW!"
Aldwynn's roar echoed throughout the place as Khrall swings his weapon, launching Aldwynn first. Blue energy starts to spark from Aldwynn's right gauntlet as he crashes fist-first into the ground, creating a small shockwave. We land in time as the shockwave stops, and Khrall uses his buster sword as a shield and rushes forward. I scream in joy as we ran past them. Esmeralda laughs, so I giggle with her.
"What's so funny?" Aldwynn asked as we ran.
"Oh, nothing." Esmeralda smiles and turns to me. "What are you laughing about?"
"Oh, nothing. I was laughing because you were laughing."
"No. I was laughing because you were laughing. What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing. I don't know. I think this is fun."
"Shit. They're onto us."
Strauss chimes in as we turn to the right corner. I glance at the people still chasing. All those people with blue eyes sure are persistent. We were about to pass through the entrance we came from, but Aldwynn and Khrall stops us, and I instantly knew why. Just ahead of the alley, a thick fog of blue smoke spread through the air. Its smell is sweet.
"Fuck. We're trapped." Aldwynn clicks his tongue.
"I thought you guys were immune to the fog?" I said.
"That's because we had our mages cast Purity spells on us." Khrall curses under his breath.
"Uhhh. Guys?"
Strauss laughs with a nervous smile. The thugs are catching up, and he tries to slow them down by whispering some more. Another gust knocks a small number of goons, but three of them used the gust itself to get closer. That's actually ingenious. Not on my watch, though. I summon my scythe, pulled the three of them with it, and shoved them with the handle. All of them got to their feet unnaturally, using only their lower body to support themselves up. As if they were puppets.
"What now?" I ask.
"Let's push through and find another way. There's another alley that leads to the plains. Let's go there."
"Are you sure about this, Aldwynn? Aren't you bad with directions?" Khrall shouts and swings his weapon, hitting some of the goons in the stomach.
"Erm... That's why Khrall will take the lead."
"Oh, don't worry. I've been in this place before. There's an alley to the right that leads to the plains. Aldwynn is right." Esmeralda points to the crowd.
"I'm assuming we gamble, then?" I ask.
"I'm afraid yes." She replies and turns to the three. "Do you guys want to take the chance?"
Aldwynn glances at the smog again.
"We don't have much choice, don't we?"
...
The wind softly touches my face as we rush again inside this maze of a slum. Aldwynn and Khrall, the tanks, led the team while Strauss and I stuck close to Esmeralda. Strauss kept on whispering spells, and Esmeralda and I held hands as we ran like idiots on a rainy day. Footsteps, the flickering sound of neglected wall lamps and the occasional sounds of people talking inside their thin walls... Why am I even focusing on describing things? We're getting chased, for fuck's sake!
"Are we getting closer?" I shout.
"I can see the plains now! Just a little more!" Aldwynn replies.
"Alright! Let's g-- What's that? Wait! Watch out!"
Using my scythe, I pull the two of them just in time as three large bottles hit the ground and produces the same blue smoke from before. A lone brown cloak majestically falls from a nearby rooftop, and the thugs seem to be standing still. Like all of this was choreographed. I was about to grab it when Khrall stops me, and I realized why. Two figures hovered in the air as the cloak descended, their blue eyes glowing in the dark. The one clad in bandages catches the cloak and puts it on, while the other lunges at us with the same magic Aldwynn used. Looking at it closer, it's a bit similar to blue lightning.
"Get back!" Aldwynn shouts as he leaps in the air, deflecting the punch with one of his own.
"Like hell I would! Ignys!"
I chant as I use my scythe to shove Sergei away from Aldwynn. His shirt burned as I did this, and his face stayed inanimate as he rolled to the ground. The one in the bandages doesn't seem affected, though. She just watched as Sergei got unnaturally back up, just like the thugs. I'm guessing they're victims of voodoo magic, too. Despite her appearance, the stance of the girl in the bandages seemed graceful, her hands relaxed and facing the air. I know because her figure is feminine. Yep... Real feminine.
"Are you the one behind all of this?" Aldwynn asks, but the question was so stupid that I had to answer it.
"Of course she is, you idiot."
"Shut up. I know."
"Then why ask?"
"Every man needs their cool moment. Now you shut up and let me do my thing."
"What?"
Sergei lunges again, this time hitting Khrall straight in the cheek. A tooth fell out as a red mark starts to form around his face. Strauss and I tried to hold our laugh, seeing the little tooth fall down on a nearby sewer hole. He punches Sergei back and turns to us, glaring.
"Well, it's not funny, guys."
"Oh, come on. You know it's at least a little bit funny." Strauss replies.
"... Okay. You're right. Well, can we focus on fighting now?"
"Sure thing, boss."
"Uhhh, Strauss?" I tap his shoulder and point to the thugs doing something unusual. "What should we do about these guys?"
"We beat the shit outta them."
The thugs in the back are scratching themselves, rapid enough to leave marks on their skins. Their mouths start to foam as blue energy leaked out of their bodies. The white on their eyes are also starting to turn blue. They're looking like zombies now.
"Do you want a boost?" Strauss asks and whispers something.
"What's a b--"
My body floats in the air as a small tornado wraps itself on my lower body. It felt ticklish, and for some reason I can control it by shifting my body.
"This feels amazing!"
I flatly shouted as I rushed to the fray with my trusty scythe. I cleave them in twos, retreating up in the air as they try to reach at me. Esmeralda throws something at me, and I catch it as a thug grabs my left foot. He instantly gets blown away, and I go higher in the air while examining what she gave me. A vial of something crimson. It's looks thick, too. I open the cork and drink it... It's pretty good. To be more specific, it's sweet and spicy. Like ketchup and diced chili mixed together.
"What is this?" I ask.
"A tonic made from demon's blood! The effects should kick in about thirty seconds! Be ready!" She shouts.
"Demon's blood? You took this from Nelen?"
"Uhh... I... Yes. She'll understand."
"How does this help us?"
"Focus!" Strauss cries a battle roar and slaps one of the thugs with his book.
"Esmeralda?"
"Yes?" She takes one out of her pocket and drinks it.
"How does this h--"
My body. It's feeling hot. Is it working now?... Oh. Ouch... My chest feels like it's burning. I can't breathe! And my skin... What's happening? My veins are turning visible and red... Oh. Wow. The burning stopped, and I feel even better. Like I'd just woken up from a very good nap. There's something wrong with my vision, though. I can see everything clearly, but the colors are red. Red light. Red walls. Red thugs... Oh. My mark also changed, and it itches. Maybe I should press it.
...
This is cool. The weapon changed. What was once a jet-black blade turned crimson, and the handle got filled with weird looking veins like the ones in my body. The fire blazing on the blade got replaced by crimson smoke. I look at Esmeralda. She looks the same, but one of her purple eyes turned red, so it must've happened to me, as well.
"The spell will wear off any second now!" Strauss shouts and slaps casts another spell.
"Just cancel it! And launch me straight into them!" I reply.
"Alright! Vento Laurem!"
Holding the book on his right, Strauss aims his left palm at me, and a surge of wind pushes me straight into the thugs. I brace myself, tightly grabbed the scythe, and spun myself as I landed. Blue magic starts to ooze their bodies as a large number of thugs lay on the ground. I feel stronger than usual, too. The bodies felt like butter as I cut them... That's a bad terminology.
"Nice job, Sol!" Esmeralda smiles while holding a thug by the face. She then smashes it in the ground.
"Thanks. Their numbers are thinning now. I think we can do this!" I smile back.
"Well, hey guys."
"Wait, Khrall? Shouldn't you be helping Aldwynn?" I ask as he repeatedly taps Strauss on the back.
"Well... They kind of disappeared after the girl stabbed me with something. Probably a knife."
He then shows me his left hand. His palm had a gash that stretched from left to right. We took care of the last three: Aldwynn smashing the head of the large one, Khrall slicing the thin guy in half, and I doing the same as Khrall with the last one. We walked back to the alley leading to where we came from, and sure enough, the mist was gone. Strauss, Aldwynn and Esmeralda were talking in the front, so I asked Khrall again. About what happened to the bodies. They just laid on the ground, stayed there for a few seconds, and dissipated into thin air.
"Well, the bodies went back to nature. Although they have the toughness of the undead, their organs were replaced with magic, so it's game over once the magic leaks out. Of course, this only applies to victims of voodoo magic and other kinds of puppetry. We still have burials and stuff." Khrall replies.
"Well, yeah but... Why do the bodies also--"
"Well... Magic gives and magic takes. That's all there is to it."
"Oh, okay. Is this considered normal here? Killing people? What if some of them aren't controlled?"
"Well... Controlled or not, it doesn't justify the crimes people commit. You know, Stassi has one of the lowest crime rates in the whole Ensaeres. Do you know why?"
"This world is called Ensaeres? That sounds cool."
"Sorry to say this, but you're missing the point. Do you know why Stassi has one of the lowest crime rates in the whole Ensaeres?"
"This sounds ominous. Why?"
He turns and gives me a condescending smile.
"Because we're ruthless. Most people are afraid of us. Ironic, isn't it? People who are supposed to protect are feared. I can't blame them for being fearful, though. The Legion's unpredictable. Some times they do good, some times they do bad."
"And they're scared of that?"
"Yes. Well... Who wouldn't?"
"I wouldn't. I'd be curious, yes, but not scared."
"You're a weird one, Sol. Well... Me and the boys are going to the clinic now. Our job's pretty much done here. Take care of Esmeralda."
"You got it."