Mari really wanted to open her eyes and see what was happening, to check if Lennix was truly okay and to figure out who had just arrived. But, she didn't want to let Lennix down by disobeying him. *What should I do?* she wondered while rubbing her head against the soft fabric of Minx's clothes. *I'm so curious.* Her curiosity was overwhelming, and suddenly, an idea popped into her head.
"Um, fox lady, can you tell me what's happening?" she asked as Minx glanced down at her before returning her gaze to the ongoing situation.
"Your... uncle is in trouble, big trouble," she replied, her eyes fixed on the approaching high-ranked adventurers, weapons drawn, heading toward Lennix, who was still hiding behind Dash, who still grinned as they came closer. Mari now wanted to open her eyes more than ever; she had to see what was happening. But just as she was about to do so, a stern voice cut through the air.
"You will be in bigger trouble if you don't let her go," the voice warned, devoid of emotion. Before Minx could react, a hand seized her left shoulder, and a dagger pressed against her throat, freezing her in place.
Mari immediately recognized the voice. "Clarissa!" she exclaimed, while Minx, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down her cheek, shifted uncomfortably under Clarissa's grip. "Yes, Mari, it's me. Don't worry, I will free you from this woman's grasp," Clarissa reassured her before she began to squeeze Minx's shoulder, causing her to whimper. "Ow, ow, ow! Stop, you're going to break it!" Minx pleaded, releasing Mari, not due to the pain but because Mari clearly knew Clarissa.
Mari, still with her eyes closed, didn't know what to do. "Where are you, Clarissa? Uncle Lennix told me to keep my eyes closed," she said while turning around, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
"Go hold her," Clarissa ordered, maintaining her grip on Minx's shoulder and the dagger at her throat. "I don't want to," Karin whispered under her breath. Hearing her reply, Clarissa slowly turned her head to Karin and looked her dead in the eye, repeating, "Hold her." Karin, fearing for her life, reluctantly went over to Mari and tentatively reached out, grabbing her hand. "Mommy?" Mari asked, her confusion evident as she felt the touch of Karin's hand. Karin looked down at Mari, biting her lip before saying, "Just... don't let go of my hand." Mari, hearing her voice, was happy—very happy—as she squeezed her hand, finding comfort in the familiar touch. "Mm, I won't," she said softly, as Karin didn't say anything back and turned to look at Clarissa.
"Can you please let go of me now?" Minx pleaded again, her voice tinged with desperation as she tried to alleviate the discomfort from Clarissa's grip. Clarissa remained unmoved, her gaze sharp as she assessed Minx's request. "Depends," she replied coolly, her tone leaving no room for negotiation. "Are you going to try anything if I let you go?"
Minx shook her head slowly, careful not to accidentally injure herself on the sharp edge of Clarissa's dagger. "Good," Clarissa said before beginning to loosen her grip. But just as Minx felt a glimmer of hope, Clarissa leaned in close, her voice a whisper in Minx's ear. "If you try to call your party members, I will slit your throat immediately."
Minx's eyes widened in shock, her breath catching in her throat. "How did you know?" she asked, her tone trembling with fear.
"I can see you staring at the four over there," Clarissa replied calmly, nodding her head subtly towards Vrax and his companions. Minx's heart raced with apprehension as she realized she had been discovered.
"Alright, I won't," Minx conceded, her voice barely above a whisper, her body trembling with fear. "Please, let me go."
Clarissa released her grip, allowing Minx to rub her shoulder and throat tenderly. A soft blue glow emanated from Minx's hands, soothing her pain, but neither Clarissa nor Karin paid it any mind. Instead, all of them refocused their attention on the unfolding events with Lennix, the tension in the air thick and palpable.
The adventurer at the forefront, a man in his sixties with white scruffy hair tied in a bun wearing armor that combined heavy chainmail and dark leather, tightened his grip on his swords as he confronted Dash. "Why the hell are you here?" he demanded, his voice laced with irritation and tension.
"I came after sensing someone strong nearby!" Dash exclaimed proudly, causing the adventurers to exchange glances with one another. The head adventurer let out a weary sigh. "I shouldn't have even asked, but is that guy who's very clearly taller than you trying to hide behind you?" he asked, pointing one of his swords towards Lennix, who cautiously peered out to observe the adventurers.
*Holy shit, they're all gold badges!* Lennix thought, his mind racing with anxiety as he noted the gleaming insignias adorning their armor. *Gold is the third highest rank an adventurer can achieve, meaning all of these guys are incredibly powerful!* he concluded, attempting to conceal himself behind Dash once more, though with little success.
"Look at that pale skin and those crimson eyes, that's definitely the vamp," remarked one of the adventurers, glaring at Lennix. "Yeah, he's not even trying to hide it," another added, gripping his spear tightly. Meanwhile, the head adventurer glanced at Lennix before refocusing on Dash. "That's a vampire hiding behind you, you do know that, right?" he asked, to which Dash simply nodded, proclaiming, "Yes! I know that he's a really cool vampire!"
Karin had to resist the urge to gag upon hearing Dash's words, while Clarissa couldn't help but wonder if there was anything wrong inside Dash's head. (I'm pretty sure they don't recognize him).
"Ugh, for the love of the goddess," muttered the head adventurer under his breath before addressing Dash directly. "Look, I know you're trying to protect him because you think he's strong or whatever, but he's a vampire—an evil monster that will cause havoc if we don't end him right here and now. So, step aside."
Dash smirked and let out a few chuckles. "If you want me to move aside, then you'll have to fight me!" he exclaimed, putting his fists up in excitement. Lennix couldn't help but feel relieved that Dash was a battle-hungry lunatic.
All the adventurers took a step back after hearing Dash's declaration. "Can we win against him?" asked one of them, prompting another to surveyed the group's numbers. "There's seventeen of us, all gold-ranked. Will we be enough?" she questioned.
Dash grew excited, thinking to himself, *Are they actually going to fight me?* Suddenly, they all heard the sounds of footsteps and horse gallops as other adventurers arrived, along with the black knight and Elanor. "What happened?" one of them asked, panting from the run. "Where's the vampire?" questioned another, dismounting her horse.
"What the hell is that lunatic doing here!?" yelled Sir Hamish, pointing at Dash, who grew even more excited upon seeing the reinforcements. With around forty adventurers present, all gold-ranked, Dash's anticipation rose even higher. *Oh man, I'm getting so psyched!* he thought to himself.
On the sidelines, Karin pondered to herself, *Is that man famous around here or something?* while looking at Dash. Meanwhile, Clarissa tensed, ready to throw her knives if necessary. "Who is that?" Elanor asked as the black knight shrugged, replying, "I don't know, but he's our ally for now since he's protecting Lennix."
The head adventurer surveyed the gathered adventurers, noting their varying states of readiness—some tense, others concerned, and a few outright scared. But all were prepared to fight. He then cast a brief glance at the cowering Lennix behind Dash before returning his focus to Dash himself.
After a moment of contemplation, the head adventurer let out a long sigh. "Fuck it..." he muttered under his breath. Dash's excitement reached its peak as he saw the head adventurer raise his sword before he opened his mouth and said...