Harold tightened his grip on Seraphina, the blade pressing lightly against her neck. The other knights stood frozen, their faces etched with confusion and anger.
"Harold, what are you doing?"
Edwin demanded, his voice a mix of shock and frustration.
Samuel's hand hovered near his sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice, but he didn't draw it just yet.
Harold's eyes were cold and calculating as he spoke. The previous demeanor of a friendly older man was gone, replaced by a cold-hearted killer.
"You wouldn't understand, Edwin. This crystal is too valuable to be left here. I've heard stories about the Arcane Crystal, it is said to be insanely valuable to the Mages. If I can bring this to them, I can gain immense power."
Seraphina listened to his words, but her mind was racing, trying to think of a way out of the situation. She knew she needed to stay calm and find an opportunity to break free.
"Harold, you're making a mistake. This can all just be a trap."
Seraphina said, trying to keep her voice steady. She wanted to first plant doubt in the man's mind, hoping that would get him to lower his guard.
Harold scoffed, his grip tightening.
"You're just a naive girl. You have no idea what this world is like. Power is everything, without it, you're nothing but an ant. And that crystal is my ticket to it."
Edwin took a cautious step forward, his eyes locked on Harold in case he did something regrettable.
"We can find another way, Harold. Put down the blade and let's talk this through."
Harold's eyes flickered from the man to the crystal for a moment, but he quickly looked back.
"No, it's too late for that. You were all going to die in this forest anyways, the crystal just makes it sooner."
'What?'
Hearing the man's words Seraphina was instantly surprised. She didn't understand what he meant.
"Are you saying you were going to betray us from the start?"
Seraphina asked, trying to keep the conversation going in order to learn as much as she could.
"Betray? No, I'm just doing my mission. You wouldn't understand, you don't need to; you're an eyesore that needs to die."
As the tension reached its peak, Seraphina felt a surge of adrenaline because she knew the man planned to kill her. There was no talking him out of it; he came into the forest with the intention to kill her to begin with.
She had to act quickly, taking a deep breath she stomped on Harold's foot with all her might. The sudden pain caused Harold to loosen his grip, just enough for her to twist free and knock the man off her.
Ducking free she dashed forward and separated herself from the man's blade.
"Now, Edwin!"
She shouted as she rolled to the side, and Edwin and Samuel sprang into action instantly.
Edwin lunged directly at Harold with his blade in hand, their swords clashing with a sharp ring that echoed through the clearing. Samuel moved to attack from behind, drawing his blade he aimed to stab the man in the side.
However he wasn't expecting Harold to react so quickly, pushing away Edwin with brute force, he swung the blade and met Samuel's incoming attack.
Stumbling back from the impact, Samuel realized that Harold was a lot stronger than he had shown previously. He wasn't a Rank 2 Knight just yet, but his strength seemed to be close.
"You've been holding back all this time?"
Samuel created distance and positioned himself in front of Seraphina, defending her as he spoke.
As Harold was distracted with Samuel, Edwin came in with another attack from behind; his blow landing this time as he sliced through the man's side. Blood gushed out as Harold sidestepped, just barely avoiding a serious injury.
But he was injured.
"Dammit it!"
Harold swung around and jabbed his blade towards the man in a wild swing; his desperation and anger were evident in the way he moved. It was an attack that Edwin was able to easily avoid, as a seasoned knight.
The two knights circled each other, the Arcane Crystal's glow casting a shadow on their faces as it was the main light source in the entire area.
"Seraphina, get to the crystal!"
Edwin shouted, his focus never wavering from Harold.
Seraphina scrambled to her feet and sprinted towards the pedestal the second she heard the words. She reached out and grasped the crystal, feeling a strange warmth emanate from it the second she laid her hands on it.
The crystal pulsed with energy, and she could sense its power coursing through it from simply touching it.
Harold, seeing Seraphina with the crystal let out a furious roar. Like with the goblins, a powerful wave rippled out from his body as he roared, pushing Edwin away from the force.
His attention was now completely on Seraphina, his eyes filled with rage as he dashed towards her.
"Samuel, protect her!"
Edwin commanded as he quickly tried to regain his footing and move to intercept Harold. Samuel stood his ground, his sword ready to defend Seraphina.
As Harold closed in, Samuel met him head-on, their blades clashing in a flurry of sparks. However the strength difference was evident, Samuel found himself being pushed back with each hit.
"Stay back, Harold!"
Samuel shouted as he put his entire body into swinging the blade, pushing the man back with a powerful strike.
Harold was in a state of rage, being pushed back only angered him further; with one wide swing he sent Samuel flying to the side; breaking his sword in the process but knocking the man out.
His eyes then focused on Seraphina; there she stood clutching the crystal, feeling its energy surging out from within its confines into her body. She could sense that the crystal was reacting to her presence, it was pouring into her body.
She could feel the energy from the crystal course into her, it wasn't Aura, it was different. A different type of energy, it didn't rush to her heart but instead to her mind.
After it coursed through her body it rushed directly to her head, causing pain to jolt through her brain; her head began to ache as she tried to stabilize herself by closing her eyes and taking deep breaths.
A blinding light erupted from the crystal, filling the clearing with its radiance. The crystal shattered as all the energy left it and entered her body, the residual energy forming a shockwave around her body.
The force from the energy blast sent Harold, who was the closest to her, sprawling to the ground from the impact.
Edwin shielded his eyes from the intense light, avoiding the impact with his sword. As the light faded, he noticed Seraphina standing there; the crystal in her hand was now gone.
He didn't focus on her for long though, he quickly moved to where Harold lay. Pointing his blade at the man's neck, he stood over him.
"Harold, it's over. You can't win this."
Edwin said, his voice firm.
Harold, defeated and exhausted, slumped on the ground as he looked up at the man. The desperation in his eyes was replaced by resignation as he just lay there.
"Fine, you win. But this isn't the end, you'll die eventually; she will too."
Edwin quickly restrained Harold, ensuring he couldn't cause any more trouble. Then he went to check up on Samuel; thankfully the man was still alive, just knocked out from the impact.
Seraphina took a moment to catch her breath, the crystal's energy still humming within her. She felt different, but she couldn't tell what it did.
"Let's secure Harold and get out of here."
Edwin said his tone commanding. This trip had turned out far more dangerous than intended, it was time to leave.
"We need to report this to your father, Lady Seraphina."
Seraphina nodded, however, she paused as she was about to agree. A thought crossed her mind.