Felssi screamed, tightening her grip around Izick’s neck. The red electricity coursed throughout their bodies as they competed against each other in this life-or-death struggle.
"Y-you will not take me down with you, die!"
Izick felt Felssi’s grip block his supply of air despite her strength and Mana being drained away. His consciousness was fading fast, and his countdown for this Death Penalty continued to tick down as Felssi’s weakened hands shook around Izick’s neck.
Bitterness rivaled the pain coursing through Izick’s body. Not abandoning the Elves of Damaran was the right decision, but could he have been smarter about it? Cylvia had no chance now that he was out of the picture. Izick’s eyes began to close as he lost the ability to scream or even feel. A system message hovered over Izick as red boxes with exclamation marks rapidly popped up.
[ [Death Penalty] completion in 15, 14, 13, 12]
A wave of blue electricity raced toward Izick and Felssi before crashing into them and canceling out the Malevolence.
Unseen to Felssi, the countdown floating above Izick stopped and glitched before disappearing.
Felssi drew in a deep breath after being freed from the Malevolence, but leaned back as Giselle jumped off her horse and slashed at her neck.
Blood splattered as the tip of Giselle’s sword caught Felssi’s neck.
Felssi grabbed her bleeding neck with one hand while materializing an unstable ball of red Mana. A single, tentacle-like spike stabbed at Giselle’s chest. She lifted her shoulder to block the spike, but gasped as the spike pierced through her shoulder.
More spikes jetted out of Felssi’s sphere. Green shields of Mana phased into existence in front of Giselle, blocking each new spike from Felssi.
Mill rode up to Felssi and smashed her staff into Felssi’s neck, shattering her white staff into pieces.
Felssi tumbled across the stone road as white splinters from Mill’s staff fell around her.
Felssi gagged from her damaged neck but kept the ball of red Mana stable enough in her hand to throw the sphere into the ground, sending clouds of dust into the air.
Felssi was nowhere to be seen when the dust settled.
Giselle’s attention turned back to the unconscious Izick as red sparks crackled across his body. Red electricity enveloped him once more.
[ [Death Penalty] completion in 12, 11, 10 ]
Mill dismounted her horse and rushed toward Izick.
"Izick!"
"Wait! Don't touch him. We need to bring the Totem back to him to save him."
"Totem?"
Mill scanned the burning landscape until she spotted the Honor Rod on the ground near some rubble.
She shuddered at the ghastly crimson eye resting on the Honor Rod. The single eye seemed to stare back at her. She ignored it and Recited a few words before shooting a green rope of Mana from her right hand that wrapped around the Honor Rod.
[ [Death Penalty] completion in 4, 3, 2 ]
She yanked the green rope and swung it toward Izick. The Honor Rod got within the vicinity of Izick’s unconscious body, instantly extinguishing the red electricity of the Malevolence.
A large red System message appeared in front of Izick as the smaller ones began to dismiss themselves.
[ [Symbol Link] with [Honor Rod] has been reestablished ]
[ [Death Penalty] cancelled ]
The deep red lines began to recede from Izick's face like snakes slithering across the ground, leaving him perfectly still and back to normal.
Mill waved her glowing hands over Izick, causing green specks of Mana to flow from his head down. She gritted her teeth as she looked down at the unconscious Scout.
"You're alive, but I wish I had gotten to you earlier. I'm sorry…"
Giselle walked over to Izick while holding her left shoulder. She glanced at Izick, but her eyes stayed on the Honor Rod.
"The Death Penalty will stay dormant as long as he keeps that totem near him."
Mill frowned as she stood up and raised a glowing hand to Giselle’s shoulder.
"How are you feeling? You got hurt because I was slow in raising my shields earlier," Mill said, closing the shoulder wound with her green light.
"I have a few questions to ask, but that comes later."
"Agreed, we don't have a lot of time before we lose our chance to escape, according to Adell's report."
Giselle coughed up blood at the end of her sentence, barely moving as if she was unfazed.
"What happened? Did I miss an injury?" Mill said, materializing a translucent compass that she used to scan Giselle’s head and chest. An astonished face came over Mill after she finished her inspection. Giselle smiled, then shook her head as a streak of blood rolled down her chin.
"This injury isn't something you can heal."
Commotion started up behind them as a group of Ogres spotted them and began to charge.
They quickly lifted Izick to Mill's horse while her shields blocked the incoming spears flying their way.
Izick stirred awake and found himself on the saddle of a horse with Mill at his back. He tried to mutter a “thank you” to Mill with his weakened voice, but his nerves flared to life after being shocked into numbness. Mill shushed him as she placed a glowing green hand on his head. The soothing feeling from before returned, giving him relief.
“I got you now. I made a beeline to your location after the main party of Hossa cleared a path for the caravan and auxiliary members like us to pass through. They didn't want us to get picked off, so we had to lag behind. Now I have to get to the front and help anyone who's injured."
Mill peeked over her shoulder where Giselle silently rode beside her.
"Look, I'm glad you survived the Malevolence, but I hope to have some answers soon. You shouldn't have to suffer like this."
Giselle gave a weak smile to Izick, who looked in her direction.
"It's good to see you're awake, kid. As your master said, you're going to get some answers soon."
Izick wondered what Giselle was getting at, but he ignored her. He had bigger problems at hand. He looked at the countdown timer ticking down for the Mana Bomb. Eighty-three minutes remained.
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They only had around twenty minutes left to escape Damaran.
"Mill, I was given a timer to track Damaran's destruction by one of Damaran's leaders. We only have around twenty minutes to escape Damaran and not get caught up in its destruction," Izick said with a strained voice.
“I tried my best, but I wasn’t strong enough to kill her. I hope the citizens made it to the western entrance at the very least.”
“I hope so as well, but we might have our answer soon.”
They looked ahead to the smoke rising above the tall building of Damaran.
The Hossa Mercenary Band fought off the throng of Ogres in front of the western entrance with the civilians of Damaran crowded together inside the carriage cargo holds. Hossa's Mages raised towering shields of Mana, but these shields finally shattered from a gust of wind created by the many Death Elf Mages supporting the Ogres.
The Ogres rushed toward the now exposed mercenaries and began cutting them down as they pushed to slay the civilians in the carriages. The shield-wielding Paladins blocked the initial push, but an Ogre broke through and then smashed his massive battle mace into a carriage, sending splinters and metal into the air.
The Elves inside the carriage scurried away as the Ogre wound up for another swing. He unleashed another devastating swipe at a group of Elves, but the sturdy crate, containing Giff's wares, repelled the battle mace, saving the Elves from certain death.
Giff himself saw the destruction of the carriage containing his precious merchandise. He kicked open the door to his carriage and began running toward the Ogre.
"My babies! Get away from my wares! And leave those Elves alone too!"
The Ogre turned his attention from the Elves and placed his focus on the strange, short man running toward him.
Scotts clicked his teeth as he enveloped his staff with orange flames.
"Someone grab that old fool before he gets himself killed!"
The Death Elf Mages launched purple fireballs at Giff. The old merchant noticed the flaming attack heading his way, but he continued running to his wares while sweating beads.
Mill Recited some words and raised her hand to create a series of green hexagon shields to protect Giff and the carriage itself from the fireballs. Giselle rode ahead of Giff and slashed the neck of the Ogre from atop her horse.
Giff ignored the crying civilians as he jumped into the back of the carriage. He opened the crate containing his goods and let out a deep sigh of relief before closing it.
Scotts aimed his mace-like staff at the Mages ahead of him while Reciting.
Streams of fire swirled around Scotts’ staff before blasting off, creating an inferno upon impact that consumed the Death Elf Mages and burned any surrounding Ogres.
The Ogres screamed and flailed from their bodies, igniting in flames, as the Hossa Mercenary Band charged forward and created a wedge in the Ogres' formation. The escape route out of Damaran was starting to form.
An Ogre covered in white paint and gold chains raised his long white bone staff into the air while Reciting. A ball of blue water materialized before it dropped to the ground and created a wave of water that put out the inferno created by Scotts.
Mill slowed down her horse while keeping a hold on Izick as they got closer to the chaos.
“Izick, Mill! Over here!”
Izick and Mill looked over to their left and saw a group of Damaran Elf soldiers along with Hossa's Scouts.
Hobbs carried Bersi over his shoulder like a light traveling pack.
“I just got a message from Kern, we have less than twenty minutes left before the white tower explodes,” Adell said as she glanced at the white tower in the distance.
“We have to break through the western entrance now, or we're all dying here with Felssi. We're joining the main group and escaping with the civilians.”
Adell’s face darkened as she looked away from Izick.
“Apologies, Izick. We all saw your signal, but going that deep into Damaran again would endanger our lives, so we all pushed on without you."
Izick wanted to mouth off against Adell for leaving him behind, but then he remembered the collar still around his neck. He was an expendable pawn they didn't trust at the end of the day, not a true member of the Hossa Mercenary Band.
Scotts swung his staff into the skull of an Ogre, then ran over to Mill.
"Milletta, I need you to form a shield to help lead us out of Damaran. My Mages are all Mana exhausted from trying to fend off those opposing Mages. I know it might be a tall order, but I'll give you a 10% raise for your next payout. Can you do it?” Scotts said, striking his staff into the stone road to extinguish the flames on his staff.
“I can. I'll accept your offer, but I would even do it for free. I'm not willing to be incinerated here with this city.” Mill said as she raised her hand to create multiple green shields in front of her.
Mill rode up to the front of the caravan, using her shields to reflect incoming spears and arrows. The Damaranian soldiers joined the Hossa Mercenary Band as they wedged a path to escape Damaran behind Mill’s shield and through the now retreating Ogres.
Further up ahead, Barson and the Elf Hiddel chopped down enemies around them, but they slowly began to retreat as the Ogres regained ground.
“Hiddel, we’re behind schedule here! I doubt you will find Felssi in time at this rate!” Barson said as he cleaved an ogre’s arm off before cutting him down.
“I must find her or our efforts will be for nothing!” Hiddel said as he blocked the axe strike of an Ogre with his sword.
Barson cut down two Ogres before spotting the main caravan approaching behind Mill’s web of shields.
Hobbs handed Bersi off to another Scout before running up to Barson.
"We must leave Damaran now or risk getting caught in the explosion. All of our efforts must focus on escape."
"Then I'll leave it to you. Show us the best path out of here."
Barson smashed through the opposing Ogres until he reached Hiddel towards the rear, where he was still pushing towards the center of Damaran. Hiddel breathed heavily as he and his Elves mowed down every Ogre in front of them with razor-sharp precision and determination.
“Hiddel! It’s over! We need to forget about Felssi and focus our energy on escaping Damaran!” Barson shouted to Hiddel as he parried an Ogre’s great sword with his own.
“Leave me! I must perform my duty and pin Felssi here. Every sacrifice here will be wasted if I falter now!”
Barson slashed at the neck of an Ogre before grabbing Hiddel’s shoulder pad and violently turning him.
“We don’t have time for your pride, soldier. Our original plan needs to be scrapped. Don’t forget why you’re doing this and who you’re sacrificing for. Your people need you alive, not dead.”
Hiddel looked to the Mages of the Hossa Mercenary Band, who were desperately trying to help Mill hold her shields together to protect the carriages containing Damaran’s citizens and Giff's wares. The Ogres attempted one last push to swarm Hossa and regain ground.
Drops of rain began to sprinkle from above, lowering visibility. Both sides continued to wage war against each other, ignoring the prattling raindrops as they tried to kill each other for differing reasons. One side wanted to stop a desperate escape while the other pushed for salvation from imminent doom.
Hiddel’s shoulders relaxed before lowering Barson’s hand from his shoulder.
“Understood. My people need a leader right now, not a sacrifice. I will face the consequences of my failure later.”
Hiddel reached behind his back and pulled out a brown flask.
“Gamlin, we are abandoning the mission and focusing on helping the Hossa Mercenary Band escort our civilians,” Hiddel said as he popped off the cork on the flask.
”I was saving this for Felssi, but my people must come first. Remove all friendlies from my line of sight and bring me the Culling Sword.”
Hiddel downed the flask while the Elves around him kept any Ogres from getting close to him. Two Elves dragged an oversized sword to Hiddel and unsheathed it.
Barson nodded to Hiddel before charging back towards the front, where the rest of his band were.
Hiddel tossed the flask away, where it tumbled into a puddle of water, and then began to stumble around while grabbing at his heart.
He gritted his teeth as the rain pelting his skin turned into steam. Animalistic growls stopped any nearby Ogres from approaching Hiddel as his body started to grow in size and widen as his clothes stretched and ripped. Hiddel snatched the oversized sword from the ground. It now looked appropriate for his new size.
An Ogre stared at Hiddel’s transformation with shock before turning tail and running.
“That Elf drank Berserker Oil! Retreat or die–”
The Ogre’s head flew off, cutting his words and his life short along with two other Ogres as a monstrous slash from Hiddel devastated everything in his path.
He stormed through the ogres ahead of him while screaming and swinging his sword with unbridled rage.
The Ogre Mage in white war paint sent a bolt of lightning at Hiddel, but Scotts slammed his staff into the ground to create a wall of earth to block the Ogre Mage’s steady stream of lightning. Hiddel roared as he continued to mow down everything in sight, starting from the rear but now at the vanguard of the caravan near the western entrance of Damaran.
“Follow that crazy Elf!” Barson shouted as he tailed Hiddel. The Hossa Mercenary Band and Damaran’s Elves followed the new path opened from Hiddel’s efforts.
Mill raised green shields to block incoming spears as her horse galloped forward.
“Izick, how much time do we have now?”
“Eight minutes…we’re cutting it close,” Izick said as he stared at the floating clock that was perfectly clear despite the heavy rain. His hands shook as he looked down at the Honor Rod.
This conflict was speeding to the finish line, but the victors were yet to be determined.
He had to survive and make it home. Cylvia still needed him alive, and he still needed answers to the Malevolence that plagued him.
