I lay there as my body grew slightly weaker. My mind was sluggish, and it was getting harder to focus. "P..please." My mouth grew dryer as I watched Calixa walk close to me. The display of magic would have alerted the assassins to this location, so it was only a matter of time before they got here.
Eventually, the Empress got close enough that I could see a pair of eyes that were far greener than any emerald I have ever seen. I felt my skin crawl as they traveled across me, waiting for me to speak. "Help. Take my soul, take whatever you want, but please, make sure that my friends get out of here." My lips felt dry and chapped, and the taste of iron coated my tongue.
She tilted her head as she gazed at me, and a strange filament of grey energy appeared and wrapped around her like a snake before it vanished once more. "You want help?" Her voice was softer than I imagined, and in a way, it seemed to bring me a sense of peace.
"Yes, please. I don't care if I live or die, but my friends, they are all that I have left. They can't suffer because of me." The act of talking was getting even harder, and a heavy breath punctuated each word. I was dying, and I knew that there was very little I could do about it. My life for theirs sounded like a good trade.
She kept her distance as she squatted and stared at me. A strange emotion flickered in her eyes as she regarded me for a moment before a small silver runic circle appeared underneath her, revealing a scarlet red potion in a glass jar. "This should help you out a bit, no?" she asked as she walked over to me and slid it over while keeping her distance from me.
Maybe being on the verge of death was causing me to hallucinate. But did she just create a potion out of nothing? I regarded the glass for a second before I took it. I mean, I was dying anyway, so what could this hurt if it did actually finish me off? My hand trembled as I brought it to my lips and closed my eyes, sending a prayer to whatever god was listening, asking for some shred of forgiveness.
The tart liquid entered my mouth and coated my tongue, and vitality immediately entered my veins, chasing away the fatigue and rapidly fixing the damage that the poison and darkness were doing to my body. Though it wasn't quite enough to cure it, it did wonders to keep me alive. My arm screamed out one last time as the potion pulled the bone back into place, and I could feel my skin stitching itself back together. I spat out another round of blood that had gathered in my mouth and I stared at her in awe. She just produced a mid-grade health potion out of nothing.
We sat there in silence as my body came back together, though I knew I was still in no condition to fight yet. "So, about me helping you. I have a…" As she spoke, a noise sounded out behind us. A slow, methodical clapping.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A dying noble and an Empress. Today just keeps getting better and better." She spun around and stepped in front of me, which shocked me. I was an intruder on her lands, and yet she was still going to protect me? Her cloak billowed in the soft gust of wind as she stepped outside, blocking me from them.
"You don't have to do this. Just leave me here, help my friends escape." I croaked out, and I refused to let someone else die because of me.
She threw her head to the side and affixed me with her emerald eyes. "You asked for help. So I will help you." The tone in her voice sent shivers down my spine, making it clear that she was daring me to challenge her. I bit back my tongue. She was right. I was the one that asked for her help. But that didn't mean that she had to risk her life for me.
"They will kill you. I'm not worth it." I tried to beg her, convince her to let me go.
Her eyes bore into me, and she shrugged. "I'll be okay." Her voice wavered for a second as if she wasn't sure of that herself. But as soon as I opened my mouth to send a retort her way, she spoke again. "Now shut up and let me help me." Her voice had even more conviction than before, and I sighed. I had a feeling if I kept pushing it, I would not win.
"Fine," I replied as she shifted her focus forward. The assassins that followed me here appeared from the shadows looking only slightly worse than wear.
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"I don't know what you want from the man behind me, but he and his party now belong to Asteria; leave now, and I will spare your lives." Her voice was muffled only slightly by the mask, but the threat was clear as day. What really got me was the fact that she said that my team and I belonged here now. They would kill me if they found out I bargained their souls for this. It wasn't even my place, and I still did it anyway.
"I am sorry, Ms. Asteria, but I'm afraid I can not do that. My employers paid a pretty hefty sum for his head. Just give him to us, and we will leave quietly." The lead man stepped forward and dropped his hood. Revealing a face covered in scars. His hair was nonexistent, and a single ring hung from his nose.
"No." The air grew thick as the tension grew. The wind howled, and the distant peel of thunder rang out as the two-faced off. I wanted with all my heart to believe Calixa was strong, but that level one next to her name gave me no hope. Especially against three trained assassins. For well over a minute, the two stared at each other.
"So be it." He said as he pulled his hood back up, and I saw an arrow let loose from beside him. The arrow rushed towards me, and I relaxed. My death was here, and I will accept it. I closed my eyes, waiting for my end. But it never came. I opened my eyes and saw Calixa's cloak shift as if a large gust of wind had struck it. In her hand was the arrow, which she quickly snapped in two.
But before I could voice my surprise, a pulse of energy came from her and shot into the sky. A pillar of blood-red light chased away the clouds and the stars. A single ball of crimson flame formed in the sky as the air grew heavier, and another set of text appeared in my vision.
The sound of dozens of bells rang out as the moans of the undead came from the forest surrounding us. My eyes, however, were drawn to the word that appeared once more. Was Calixa actually a god? The assassin in the middle drew his sword and made a quick motion for the other two. "Quick, we need to kill Redrick before the rest of the mobs get here." I pressed myself against the wall, trying to make my profile as low as possible.
With a blink, the lead assassin jumped forward, bearing his sword. He was fast, almost as fast as me. She was as good as dead. But much to my surprise, she stepped back and grabbed the sword with her metal-clad and swung her leg in a tight roundhouse, causing the lead assassin to let go of his sword and jump backward. Dark orange energy radiated off of her in a shimmering haze, which I recognized as being Ki. They were going to have a hell of a time trying to fight her at close range.
Ki amplified the body, and high-level Ki users can often fight much higher level people than themselves, though it was intensive on the body to do so. She grabbed the blade's handle with her other hand and took a guard position as she kept her eyes on her attackers. She was fluid, and from the guard alone, I could tell that she knew how to use a sword, which was uncommon considering that most monks and Ki users shied away from blades.
Another arrow was loose in her direction, and the other assassin dived in. She parried the first dagger and twisted her body to dodge the arrow that was coming her way. She was moving and parrying with such liquid efficiency, though she was clearly outmatched. It was amazing that she was holding her own against the three.
This dance went on for another minute or so. Calixa was on the defensive as she tried to block and dodge all the attacks, and the hope was slowly fading in my chest once more. She wasn't going to win. It looked like she was doing everything she could to keep the fight going. It was a vicious fight, but in the end, it was still three against one, and I was still too weak to do anything.
I stood up and drew my sword. I knew that going out there was dangerous, but I would help her. I limped out of the structure, the handle of my blade clasped firmly in my hand. I activated duelist focus with practiced ease and watched as the fight unfolded, ready to jump into action, at least until I felt a wave of killing intent coming from the forest opposite of us. A wave so intense that my heart skipped a beat, nausea overtook my stomach once more.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one since everyone froze. The intent was tangible, and the message was clear. A pair of golden eyes appeared in the clearing across from us and a voice like that of a thousand whispers rang out shortly after. "How dare you lay a hand on her."