Main chamber,

  Forgotten Temple,

  Whispering Woods,

  The tip of Gareth’s spear was aimed straight at him.

  It was too late to react. Eric’s mind screamed as the weapon shot forward, the deadly point cutting through the air, a mere heartbeat away from him. Time seemed to slow.

  But just as the spear reached him, a flash of blue appeared in front of him—Archy.

  The impact was immediate.

  Archy had moved faster than Eric could comprehend.

  He threw up a barrier just in time, but the force of Gareth’s attack nearly shattered it on impact.

  The barrier cracked, splintering from the force, but it held just long enough to prevent the spear from reaching Eric’s heart.

  Eric was frozen for a moment, staring in shock as the tip of the spear glinted just inches from his chest. Then, the world snapped back into focus.

  He blinked, his heartbeat loud and clear.

  Archy’s barrier flickered, glowing bright before it cracked again, the mana bleeding out. He staggered back, but he stood tall, unfazed by the near miss.

  Eric blinked again, the fog of shock clearing, and he smiled. A wild, almost insane grin. Gareth you crazy son of a bitch!

  He grabbed Archy’s back, his palms heating up with intense flame.

  His heat flared, and the temperature heated. With a heavy breath, he conjured his last remaining mana in the form of exponentially rising heat. Fuck this better works.

  Archy’s smile faded for the first time.

  Not fear.

  Not anger.

  Something sharper. Recognition.

  “Ah, I got tricked. Didn't I?” he said, almost admiring.

  Eric didn’t waste breath. He slammed the heat outward. Flames exploded from his palms, not in a neat spell—just pure, wild eruption.

  Point-blank.

  The blast caught Archy dead center.

  He staggered, his black armament catching fire at the edges. The mana daggers around him faltered, flickering like dying candles.

  Gareth didn’t hesitate.

  He ripped the spear free from the stone and spun low, aiming straight for Archy’s ribs.

  This time, Archy wasn’t fast enough.

  The spear punched through the cracked barrier, the tip slicing clean through the shimmering shield.

  Blood sprayed the air—fine, misty.

  Eric sucked in a breath. Holy shit it worked.

  Archy reeled back, one hand clutching his side.

  His expression stayed calm.

  “You almost had me,” he said, voice soft, breathless.

  Eric didn’t like the way he said it.

  Before either of them could move, Gideon stepped forward.

  For the first time, his face shifted—brows furrowed, fists clenched.

  No more observer.

  No more passive wall.

  "Enough playing," Gideon growled. "You’re coming with us."

  ...

  Suddenly—from the hall—a voice.

  Soft at first. Rising.

  Everyone froze, instinctively turning toward the sound.

  Footsteps. Light. Staggering.

  A small figure stumbled into view.

  Eric, already fighting for breath, let out a long, low sigh. This couldn’t have been worse timing.

  The girl from before. Dust and blood smeared across her face. Her deep blue hair was tangled, her bangs sticking to her forehead.

  Wide, frightened eyes locked onto the chaos in the room.

  “Help—my father—” she gasped, each word cracking, desperate. “We... we were attacked. Please—help.”

  Archy’s gaze snapped toward her.

  Gone was the easy smile.

  Gone was the mask.

  "Oh," he said, voice flat. "You’re still alive."

  He drew his weapon from its sheath—a plain rapier, decorated only with a single orchid near the hilt.

  Eric’s body moved before his brain caught up.

  He stepped in front of the girl, chest burning.

  Gareth stepped forward too, placing himself between Eric and Archy, spears raised.

  The room crackled with new tension.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Archy moved.

  A flash of blue.

  One heartbeat, two—he was already there.

  The rapier snapped forward, slicing the air with stabbing arcs, too fast for the eye to follow.

  Not a charge. Not a leap.

  Just a sudden, sickening shortening of distance—bouncing off Gareth and Eric before arriving in front of the girl.

  Eric barely tracked it.

  Gareth did.

  He cursed, stepping between Eric and the blur—but Eric grabbed his sleeve, rasping, "Forget me. Save her."

  For a heartbeat, Gareth hesitated.

  Then he shoved his spear into the floor and launched forward, faster than instinct, snatching the girl mid-fall.

  He cradled her against his chest and sprinted for the exit, boots pounding on the cracked stones.

  Gideon roared and gave chase, double shields hammering forward—but heavy, predictable, a battering ram too slow to catch a deer.

  Archy wasn’t slow.

  He twisted in the air, rapier blooming into fresh strikes, stabbing the ground to propel himself in impossible angles.

  He shot forward, cutting through the room like a thrown knife, mana daggers forming around him.

  Eric moved too, though almost without any mana left.

  He conjured a trap rune from his virtual inventory and slammed it onto the floor between them and Archy.

  The trap detonated—

  A sudden lurch of force, dragged the air sideways, the ground cracking.

  Archy faltered for half a second—only half.

  Then he blurred again, momentum snarling around him like a beast snapping at chains.

  Archy closed the distance in a blink, already right behind Gareth.

  He had no choice—he threw the girl aside towards Eric, and turned on his heel. Freehand snapping to his weapon just in time to parry the incoming strike. Metal screamed against metal.

  Eric caught the girl. Fuck I can’t maintain this any longer.

  He ripped out another rune—Harmonic Bubbles rune. He threw it towards Gareth who accepted it with one hand while deflecting Archy's attack with the other.

  He injected his own mana, activating it.

  The rune burst midair, scattering a trail of shimmering bubbles between Gareth and Archy.

  Gareth shoved off the ground, retreating step by step, luring Archy through the trail.

  Each time the rapier nicked a bubble—pop—a shockwave jolted Archy's movement,

  knocking his rhythm just enough to slow him down.

  The hallway twisted with the sound of ruptures and boots scraping stone.

  They broke into a sprint, Gareth scooping the girl up again from Eric, the three of them racing toward the first chamber, leaving Archy's curses and the wreckage of broken bubbles in their wake.

  They barreled into the southwestern hall.

  The scent hit first. Blood, thick and bitter, curling up Eric’s nose. The floor ahead was slick with it, the walls spattered dark. A woman lay crumpled near the corner, blood pooling from a gash in her stomach. Eyes wide. Empty.

  Morning light was creeping in through the gaping entrance, pale and thin, chasing the rain away.

  A little further in—

  The old man.

  The one who had been with the girl.

  Flat on his back, stabbed clean through the chest. A dagger jammed into the throat of the man who had killed him, both bodies tangled together in a final, ugly knot.

  "Father!" the girl screamed.

  She broke from Gareth’s hold before they could stop her.

  She ran—half-stumbled—across the blood-slick floor. She threw the attacker’s corpse aside like trash and dropped to her knees, clutching the old man’s body.

  "Wake up, Father!" she sobbed, shaking him. "Sir, please—heal my dad! There's still time, right? He just needs magic, right?"

  Eric stepped forward instinctively—then froze.

  There was no magic that could pull a blade from a heart and call a man back. No rune. No prayer.

  The girl shook harder, fists pounding against the man’s unmoving chest. "Come on, come on! You're strong! Remember your promise when we get out."

  Her voice cracked into raw noise, desperate, animal. She buried her head against his tunic, clutching the blood-soaked cloth.

  Minutes—or seconds, Eric couldn’t tell—passed like that.

  Her cries choked off into silence.

  She lifted her head, face raw, eyes burning.

  She staggered upright, fists clenched, body shaking with grief and rage.

  Then she ran, desperate to reach the hall again.

  Gareth caught her effortlessly, holding her back.

  "Let me go!" she cried, struggling against him. "I'll kill them! They're the reason—all of this is their fault!"

  Her strength crumbled. She collapsed beside the old man’s body, sobbing uncontrollably. "Why... just let me through. I have to avenge my family..."

  Footsteps approached from behind.

  "You looking for us, girl?" Archy’s voice was smooth and almost playful. Gideon followed quietly, his presence still like a mountain behind him.

  The girl froze. Her bravado slipped away, leaving her small and vulnerable.

  Eric and Gareth readied themselves, protective stances instinctively forming between her and the two figures. Goddammit, just when will this all end?

  Archy gave them a long, amused look before chuckling. "Heh. Fine. I'll let you all go—for now. I'll even let her go."

  He made a lazy gesture toward her, his grin widening. "But don't worry Junior, we will be seeing each other again soon" He winked, a strange warmth in his voice.

  He turned, walking back down the hallway with a casual pace, Gideon following quietly behind.

  The air felt heavier once they were gone.

  Eric finally let out a long breath, his body sinking to the ground in exhaustion. “Gareth, what the fuck just happened?”

  Gareth shrugged, approaching the girl at the same time. “I don’t care. We need to leave. I’m tired of this place.”

  They were walking. The way back to Silverbrook was so much easier to find in the morning light.

  The ground squelched underfoot as Gareth trudged along the path, Erina asleep on his back. The weight wasn’t an issue—what weighed on him more was the silence.

  “Why are you so quiet? Say something,” Gareth muttered, glancing at Eric.

  Eric barely reacted. His gaze was fixed ahead, lost in thought. “…Sorry. It just didn’t make sense.”

  Gareth sighed. “I know, right? But at least I was glad I asked to tag in for this mission. Who knows what would’ve happened to you without me.”

  Eric smiled, “You’re right. Thanks.”

  “So what about the girl? We didn’t even tell her that both her mother and brother were murdered too.” Gareth added.

  Eric didn’t answer. The easiest way is to just leave it be, we'll probably never see her anymore anyway.

  Gareth stole a glance at him.

  A shallow stretch of the river came into view. From here, they had to follow the riverbank until they reached the bridge.

  The bridge finally came into sight. Neither of them said a word as they crossed.

  At the outskirts of Silverbrook, a handful of guards patrolled the dusty road winding into town.

  As Eric and Gareth approached, one of the guards stepped forward, hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword, his gaze sharp. "What’s going on here?" he asked, voice neutral but edged with suspicion.

  Eric exchanged a brief glance with Gareth before stepping ahead, showing the badge of his guild, Orchid Lovers. "Trouble on the mission in Whispering Woods," he said, his tone clipped.

  Gareth shifted Erina in his arms — the girl hung limp, her small frame bruised and bloodied.

  "She needs help. Her father..." Eric hesitated, just long enough to feel it in his chest. "He didn’t make it."

  The guards exchanged wary looks, the air between them tightening. After a moment, one stepped forward, a little less stiff this time. "We’ll take care of her," he said, quieter now, " We'll also send more men to investigate."

  Gareth handed Erina over, careful not to linger as his fingers brushed the tattered fabric of her sleeve.

  She was pale, dirt and blood streaking her face. Eric forced himself to look away.

  A beat passed. The guard who spoke earlier cleared his throat, his stance relaxing by a fraction. "You folks need anything? We can spare food. Rest. A healer, if you’re hurt."

  Gareth stepped forward, his voice firm. "We’re fine. Just see to her."

  Eric stayed silent, the thrum of his heartbeat loud in his ears.

  His jaw clenched as he stared at the distant lights of Silverbrook, blurred now at the edges of his vision.

  Finally, he found his voice, low and rough. "We won’t be staying," he said. "Just... take care of her."

  The guards nodded, their faces unreadable under the fading light. "We will. You have our word," one said.

  Eric let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding — a small, frayed thing. "I should’ve done more," he muttered, almost too quietly to be heard.

  Gareth glanced over, "You did what you could.”

  Eric’s gaze lingered on the girl for a final moment. For God’s sake, what do I need to do first?

  Gareth nudged Eric lightly.

  “You know what? Let’s stick around for a few days before heading back. No rush, right? Besides, I wouldn’t mind getting to know some of the local women.”

  Eric let out a breath, then shook his head with a small, tired smile.

  “Agreed. But first, let’s spend the day getting absolutely wasted at the tavern.” He chuckled, the sound dry but genuine. “I think we’ve earned it.”