Alex grabbed the shield that had fallen onto the ground and silently went in between Elder Lan and the two sect masters, standing with his straight spine.
The sect master, who was about to kill Elder Lan with his spear, stopped and smiled. "What is this?" he asked. "Are you intending to protect him? With your measly power?"
"Doesn't matter how weak I am," Alex said. "I will always stand against evil like you."
"Evil, you say," the other sect master smiled. "You sound as though you are aware of our secret too. That's not very good."
"We're not evil," the other sect master said, pointing his spear down toward Alex. "We're just the ones who found a shortcut. Don't blame us for it."
Power built into that spear, ready to attack.
Alex held onto the shield, unsure if it would help him at all. It could most likely only be used by the man dying of poison behind him.