The battlefield froze for a heartbeat as a bloody scream tore through the jungle night.
Quade's head snapped toward the sound, eyes widening in shock and dawning hope.
Tonya, the only woman of the group, stood wobbly, two blades buried deep in her back. One sword had pierced straight through her spine, the other had gone through her lung.
Blood bubbled up from her mouth as she tried to speak, but only wet, choking gurgles escaped her lips.
Her eyes bulged with raw terror and pain, veins standing out on her greasy forehead. Her gnarled staff slipped from her weakening fingers and fell to the ground. Her body shook violently, blood pouring down her front and back, soaking her filthy clothes.
She then swayed for one long, agonizing moment, then collapsed forward like a broken doll, hitting the dirt with a heavy, final thud. Her body twitched once… twice… and then went still.
Lorenzo stood behind her, both hands covered in warm, sticky blood, breathing hard.
Earlier, during the fight:
Hound had spoken quickly while arrows rained down on their light shields. "We have to take out the supports first. They're the ones keeping the big ones dangerous."
Lorenzo had cast a near-perfect illusion of himself right in front of the enemy.
The real Lorenzo had immediately slipped behind the tent, using his small size and training to sneak through bushes and trees like a shadow.
He moved with deadly silence until he was right behind the fat woman, still in the bushes, thinking of what to do next.
I can do this, he thought, gripping his swords hard.
But then, seeing how badly Quade was struggling, arrows piercing him, energy draining fast, Lorenzo's hesitation vanished.
Instead of knocking her out, he drove both blades deep into her back with all his strength.
The scream that followed snapped him back to the present.
The woman's body fell.
The moment the support died, the rebound on the archer hit full force. Having received such a strong boost earlier, the backlash was devastating. The young archer staggered, his legs buckling, his bow dropping from numb fingers.
Quade saw his chance.
Gritting his teeth against the burning pain in his shoulder, he snatched up his katana with his good hand. In a lightning-fast burst of speed, he closed the distance.
He aimed for a clean decapitation, but the pain made his strike slightly off.
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The katana sliced deep across the archer's neck instead, cutting only halfway through.
The young man made horrible, gurgling noises, clutching at the wound as blood gushed everywhere. He collapsed to the ground, twitching violently for a few agonizing seconds before falling still in a growing pool of red.
The battlefield grew quieter.
Two of the bandits were dead. The remaining ones were the leader and the twins, and they stared in shock at the sudden turn.
Quade stood over the archer's body, breathing heavily, blood dripping from his shoulder and sword.
His eyes burned with fierce rage.
But the fight was far from over.
The bandit leader's eyes widened for a split second as he saw both supports fall.
But he quickly reclaimed his savage calm, spitting on the dirt.
"Scooter!" he bellowed. "Retrieve the Ether-spell enhancer and bring it back to the guild! Report everything to the boss!"
The ground trembled violently. Right beside the dead woman, the earth suddenly split open.
Out of the dirt rose the upper half of a grotesque humanoid figure, pale, mole-like skin stretched tight over a hairless, muscular torso. Its face was disturbingly human yet distorted, with small beady eyes, a broad flat nose, and long whiskers twitching. Massive, razor-sharp claws like those of a giant mole extended from its hands. Its lower body remained buried in the ground, connected like some horrific half-emerged monster.
Quade's eyes widened in horror. "Lorenzo! Jump away! NOW!"
But Lorenzo was frozen. His hands were still covered in the woman's warm blood. The reality of his first human kill crashed over him like a wave. 'What have I done?'
He stood motionless, staring at the dead woman's body, lost in shock.
The mole-creature lunged forward with terrifying speed.
Its long claws slashed across Lorenzo's leg in a vicious arc, tearing through leather armor and skin.
"Arghhh," Lorenzo cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground, clutching his bleeding thigh.
The creature didn't waste time. It snatched the wooden staff that seemed to be a spell enhancer from the dead woman's hand with one clawed grip.
Then, with a sickening squelch, it began sinking back into the earth, its body reverting fully into a monstrous mole-like beast covered in dark, slick fur.
In seconds, it disappeared completely underground, leaving only a small mound of freshly turned dirt.
Hound's head snapped toward the spot, his expression grim. "It's gone. I can no longer feel its presence."
The battlefield fell into a tense, heavy silence for a moment.
Two of the bandits were dead. The leader and the remaining twins stared at the group with renewed fury and caution.
Slicer spat on the ground, hefting his massive battle axe. "You little shits… you'll pay for that."
Lorenzo groaned on the ground, pressing his hand against his slashed leg, blood seeping between his fingers. Quade stood protectively nearby, katana still raised, breathing hard from pain and exhaustion.
Even though two of the six bandits had been defeated, the tide had not yet turned in their favor. Lorenzo and Quade were in no condition to actively join the fight against the remaining threats.
Lorenzo sat on the ground, legs sprawled, staring at his blood-covered hands with wide, unfocused eyes. The slash on his thigh burned, but it was shallow, painful, but not life-threatening.
What truly crippled him was the weight of what he had done. His first human kill.
Lorenzo's breathing came in short, uneven gasps.
The world felt distant, like he was watching everything through thick fog. He wanted to stand, to help Zyon and Hound, but his body refused to obey. Shame and horror kept him rooted to the spot.
Quade, by contrast, was in far worse physical condition. The arrow wound in his left shoulder was deep and bleeding steadily.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, he dropped to one knee and began the grim process of removing it. With his good right hand, he gripped the arrow firmly. He took a deep, steadying breath, then pulled hard in one swift, brutal motion.
A wet, tearing sound accompanied the arrowhead coming free, followed by a fresh, hot gush of blood that soaked his leather armor and dripped onto the jungle floor.
-"ARGGG!" he screamed.
Pain exploded through his shoulder and chest like fire, making his vision blur for several long seconds.
He pressed his palm hard against the wound, trying to stem the flow, his fingers slick with blood. Every breath hurt. He stayed on one knee for a long moment, head bowed, breathing heavily through clenched teeth as he fought to regain control of his body and his racing thoughts.
"I have to stop this bleeding and catch my breath, after that I will join the fight again," the young warrior murmured.
Both boys were temporarily sidelined. Lorenzo was mentally paralyzed by his first kill. Quade was physically limited but burning with warrior spirit, determined to recover quickly.
They could only watch as Zyon and Hound continued their desperate battles.