During her swift charge, Prim's hands, once soft and uncalloused, as if she hadn't even lifted a jar in her life, morphed into large, swordlike appendages. the sharp, now metallic arms shone in the air, releasing an untamed pressure.

  Enyah waited for her to come, blocking the woman's momentum with a swing of her cutlass before moving to shoot her with her flintlock, sending lead careening towards her, aimed right for her skull.

  Yet, the woman ignored the blow, continuing her assault. When the bullet struck against her, it bounced back, as if hitting a wall, before falling to the ground in a smoking dent.

  Enyah didn't have time to frown, hurriedly blocking the blows with her cutlass, shrugging the woman back in a feat of strength she didn't previously own.

  A swing of the cutlass hit the woman, but she only went careening backwards instead of being struck down on the ground and bleeding.

  By the time the woman was pushed back, the others were upon her.

  Enyah ducked a clawed strike from the Feral and blocked a blow from the hardened man's fists. Above her, the Feral lunged forwards in a full strike while the bear-like man swung an axe behind her.

  These people were professional, cutting off her escape.

  Taking the Feral's lunge, his claws grazed her side, yet she lunged back, pushing herself forward and into his body. Behind her, where she once stood, Glain's axe struck air, hitting her with pressuring winds.

  She jabbed at his chest with her cutlass, yet something blocked her yet again.

  It was hard, like hitting a stone wall. Enyah narrowed her eyes, increasing the pressure of her blow. Something similar to cracks formed in the air and the pressure blocking her was smashed through, yet the Feral moved away long before she could break through.

  Behind her, the man came back with a face full of anger. He screamed an echoing roar and aimed a flurry of blows towards her.

  The Feral in front also charged, his claws outstretched and aimed for her throat, his face contorted into an animalistic snarl.

  From the side came the bear-like man, his axe raised to kill and a lust for blood shone from his eyes.

  Feeling the pings from three sides, Enyah whirled into combat, her sword slicing through the air at speeds faster than the naked eye, blocking all three strikes before charging for the feral once again, unleashing a whirlwind of strikes that lasted only a second.

  The wall held strong, blocking all damage that she would have done.

  Enyah tsked. Something, or someone was protecting them. An Ability associated with the mist or some God, probably.

  She quickly jumped atop the bear-like man's body, Dodging another swipe and keeping her boots positioned on the man's shoulders. She struck downwards, towards his head. The few seconds it took to break the wall felt like eternity, giving her enemies enough time to reposition themselves.

  Still, her cutlass struck down, drawing blood from the man's shoulder. Uncaring of the damage to his body, the man below grabbed hold of her boots, aggressively throwing her away from him.

  Enyah landed on her feet with catlike grace, her eyes darting through each of her enemies, including Pat and Manuel, who watched nearby.

  Yet before she could move, A void seemed to encompass her, separating her from the world around her.

  Walls surrounded her from all sides, blocking even air. She tried to push with her arms, but the compacted wall refused to budge.

  “You’ve put up quite the struggle, dear.” Manuel chimed in, his eyes glowing with a deep, rich purple. “But your attempts are futile. Those under my protection shall not be slain.”

  Enyah deigned to give him a response, narrowing her eyes at him.

  “And soon, the child will be ours. The world will be shaped in our God’s vision. The perfect world.” He continued speaking, his voice gaining fervor.

  As he spoke, the mercenaries surrounded Enyah, prepared to strike as she struggled inside the cage. She strained her muscles, using her newfound strength as best she could.

  Though cracks indeed appeared, the pace was slow, her being unable to put pressure on her squirming.

  “And you're free to strike her, my comrades.” He continued with a snap of his fingers.

  The walls fell in a flash, and Enyah felt pings from all sides.

  She let out a sigh, but the grin she sported never left her face.

  “Nothing like the thrill of a good fight!” The bear-like man roared in jubilation, swiping his axe to her side.

  The other mercenaries kept their mouths shut, simply throwing attacks at her.

  She ducked under the axe, rolling over to the man and dodging the scythe-like swipe from the crazed woman, whose eyes followed her every step with flaring intensity.

  She couldn't, however, dodge every attack.

  From her side, the man with hardened skin hit her side with a barrage of strong, hardened punches.

  Most, she managed to dodge with precise, flexible movements. However, a few hit, sending her reeling.

  Enyah grimaced, putting a hand to the side of her stomach and pushing down the urge to vomiting.

  “A fight worth dying for.” Enyah mused to herself, letting out rough breaths and steadying her stance. “Worthy opponents and a moral cause.”

  Enyah snorted to herself, her grimace quickly forming back to a determined smirk. “Who cares about that! I ain't a knight.”

  She turned gently, as if dancing on the dirt, and defended the hidden attack from the mercenary who barely spoke with ease. She almost forgot about him. Nothing stood out about this man. His body-covering attire hid his expression as he jumped back, moving his knives into a fighting stance.

  Pat, finally joining the fight, swung his massive sword at an impressive speed, blurring through the wind and slashing towards Enyah's neck.

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  “I've had quite enough of your jumping around, girl!” He growled, his sword swiping in a burst of swiftness.

  Enyah saw it coming, noticing the tingling sensation in front of her, even eying him swiping, but barely dodged it by ducking down, the speed intense even for her.

  “A dangerous man.” She noted.

  No time to ponder further, the Feral dashed on four limbs, his tongue lolling out behind him like an unfettered whip, billowing in the wind.

  He pounced towards her with outstretched claws, forcing her to backstep and regain her bearings before charging back herself, slicing towards him with her cutlass, which had barely a speck of blood coating its metallic edge.

  Still, it bounced off the invisible wall, which was just as sturdy as earlier. It was as if they were endless, appearing everywhere it's needed.

  Manuel… An annoying man.

  She moved backwards yet again, her mind churning for answers, yet the moment she stepped back, the walls caught hold of her yet again, plunging her into a sense of cold loneliness.

  Instead of fighting, Enyah put a hand against the wall. It felt… like solid water. Not cold enough to be ice, but… it wasn't like a purely solid object. She couldn't describe the sensation.

  “Must we repeat this dance?” Manuel questioned, shaking his head in mock disappointment. “You'll tire eventually, child. And we have men on their way to pick up the child. How much longer will you struggle?”

  “As long as I need to.” Enyah responded casually, her mind racing.

  The man obviously couldn't use the walls forever, else she'd lay trapped in his box with no fighting chance, suffering a slow, suffocating death.

  Still, he wasn't the only one she had to contend with. The various mercenaries posed a threat, especially the one with the sword, Pat.

  “It's just a job, do we need to humiliate her any further?” The tanned man asked with a frown. “Let’s just fight. We don't need this chatter.”

  “I concur!” The bear man boomed, hefting his axe to his side, “A slippery one, but worthwhile prey. A shame she's to die by my hand”

  “No rush, I have a few questions for the lady. Then she's all yours.” Manuel smiled, walking up to Enyah and laying a gentle hand on the invisible wall, noticing her inspection. “Impressive, isn't it. The Mist. The Gods. A miracle born from the earth itself.”

  “Carpenters can do the same thing, yet they aren't praising the Gods.” Enyah replied, her eyes darting towards his face, searching for a reaction.

  “It's very different.” He responded, his voice lowering into a sharp whisper. The others couldn't hear his words anymore. A private conversation, then. “How many other religions know about you?”

  “Dunno.” Enyah shrugged, leaning her body on the wall behind her. “Maybe I'll remember with a bit of coin.”

  “This isn't a negotiation. This is an interrogation.” He growled, his fingers grinding against the wall in frustration.

  “Good. Just waste his time.”

  “Really? It seems like you need information, and I'm your gal.” Enyah replied with calm. The mercenaries stayed back but tensed up, their weapons focused around her. “Now, with this wall between us, it doesn't seem like an interrogation. After all, I'll be dying either way and our good mayor wouldnt condone torture, would he?”

  “No. Yet it doesn’t matter. The information isn't necessary.” He responded with a frown. He stepped back,“May you find repentance in the prisons of Relicaye.”

  He ran a hand through his slicked back hair and stepped backwards, turning to the others. He spread his arms, ready to speak.

  “Manuel, sir!” a voice called, as two men in replian garb ran from the inn building, their faces flushed in sweat as they sprinted to his side.

  “The boy's missing!” One of them cried out, his wide eyes shaking in fear. “The room was empty when we got there!”

  “What?!” Manuel spat sharply and turned around in a hurry, putting his hands on the man's shoulders. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes! Sir!” The other man squeaked out, his eyes looking everywhere except the man. “No signs of him. Not in the room or anywhere else in the Inn.”

  “Grrr.” Manuel tightened his fists, turning back to Enyah in a burst of fury. He gave the wall a firm punch, blood trickling to the ground. “Where is he! Where'd he go!”

  “Long gone.” Enyah's smirk grew. For a moment, a single moment, the walls flickered. “Now are you in the mood to negotiate?”

  “No. I understand you now. You wouldn't answer me either way.” Manuel narrowed his eyes one last time, before turning away, as if declaring her dead. To the mercenaries, he finally spouted, “Do your–.”

  “Mayor! What's going on here?” A voice called in the distance with demanding flair.

  Walt stepped into view, bringing a horde of locals and mercenaries with him. His old, wrinkled face was shining with newfound vigor, and his eyes stared at Manuel with a blazing fire.

  “My citizens! We were just about to detain the criminal!” Manuel shifted towards the back, his masked smile perfectly in place. “Your children will be safe once again!”

  “And what has this woman done exactly?” A citizen asked with a raised brow.

  “Why, she kidnapped that child of course. Was he making a ruckus?” Manuel asked, his features sharpening, having seemingly come to a conclusion. “Did the boy say something? His family could have been threatened. We must save him from this vicious captor!”

  “He came through the streets, all right.” Another citizen spouted, heaving an axe used for trees over his shoulder. “Spoutin how she's his bodyguard and you're trying to kill her to take him away. We don't want any trouble, Mr. Mayor. We just want some answers.”

  “My good sir, my priority has and always will be the wellbeing of my citizens.” Manuel stated with a shake of his head. “How can you cut trees all day if you constantly have to worry about a child kidnapper?”

  While he was distracted, Enyah tested her arms against the walls. They felt weaker, flimsy.

  “Were they tied to his emotions?” Enyah pondered, subtly flexing her muscles, breaking the wall “The situation's blowing up. I can use that.”

  “She's breaking free!” Pat called to a distracted Manuel, who still stood only a few paces away from her.

  “What?” He turned back towards Enyah with a startle.

  “Too late” Enyah grinned, pushing herself against the wall and tumbling through, gaining her bearings in a moment and lunging towards the mayor.

  With a haphazard raise of his hands, a wall manifested, but Enyah burst through with her shoulder, the hurriedly made wall snapping in a moment.

  With a swing of her cutlass, a gash appeared along his arm, long and deep. Even the white of bone was visible, peeking from beneath the skin.

  “Arrgh!” He grunted, falling to his legs in pain, holding his injured arm with the other and breathing heavy, labored breaths.

  Behind her, the horde of mercenaries caught up and began their assaults, leaving Enyah with no time.

  She couldn't evade every attack. When dodging the bear man's axe, Pat's sword would be waiting, cleaving lines on her body. She parried the Feral's frenzied strikes, yet

  Prim's swordlike limbs poked a hole in her stomach.

  Her body screamed in exhaustion, earlier than usual. “The Mist.” She assumed, its increased potency pushing her past her limits.

  Still, she stood back up on shaky legs, and lunged forwards with only a singular thought running through her mind on a loop, “Not a coward. I ain't a coward.”

  She faced their barraged attacks with flexibility, letting their strikes graze her body while she turned around for an assault. Bursting past Pat and Prim, she charged at the Feral, Ducking below his outstretched claws to give him a swipe at the stomach, blood pouring into a pool in the ground.

  The Feral reeled backwards, his eyes bloodshot with hatred. He seemed to Ignore his injured stomach, turning to lunge towards her in a fit of fury.

  Yet before he could continue his relentless assault, the world seemed to pause for a moment as day turned to night. The sun drifted beneath the trees, replaced by an ominous, bloody red as the Wild Moon popped into the sky as if teleporting.

  The town tinted red as the moon appeared, so close, as if it could be touched by simply reaching out, yet always lay slightly beyond reach.

  The town itself paused in silent fear, or awe, within the moon's glow. They simply stared upwards, at the crimson orb gazing above them that brought forth an invisible pressure that heralded something. Whatever it was, it wasn’t human. Perhaps even something that should never be gazed upon by mortal eyes.

  “Miss Enyah! I'm here to help!” Rinne charged in atop Zarts, who screeched with a feral eagerness, yet his fervor paused the moment he gazed upon the crowd. “What's… going on here? Are we stargazing?”

  He looked up at the red moon, his curious gaze turning into entrancement. “Wooah…”

  Though focused on the moon, his entrance brought most of the crowd out of their stupor, though Manuel stared at the moon with intensity, whispering, “The Wild Moon. The Crimson Moon. Replicio be blessed!”

  “See! Our mayor's been messing with our minds for years! He's just a zealot who wants the child himself!” Walt wheezed, with an angered, reddened face.

  “Well… what should we do about it?” Another man asked, his face in a frown. “He's still our mayor.”

  “A mayor that we chose! Probably brainwashed, while we were at it.” Walt said, turning to the crowd behind him.

  “Then we won't vote for him next time! We know better now!” The man yelled passionately, raising his arms into the air in a cheer. “Let's vote for someone else, right guys?”

  “Wooo!”

  “Down with the mayor! What was his name?”

  “Let's vote Pat instead!”

  “Pat--Pats right there! He's in on it too!” Walt pointed out to the incensed crowd with a sigh. “Let's just get the mayor.”

  “Like attack him?” The lumberjack asked, his face tilting in confusion.

  “Yes! He's clearly using some mist voodoo! We can help the girl!” Walt almost yelled, his voice rising in frustration.

  “Eh, sure. Why not.”

  “Woohoo! Violence!”

  “I always wanted to kill someone!”

  The crowd's raging yells roused Pat and Prim into movement, rushing to protect the mayor, while the mercenaries seemed content to simply watch the situation. Or looking for an opening, perhaps. Enyah couldn't tell.

  Still, she tore her eyes away from the glaring moon, which followed her on her journey as a silent spectator and towards the pair that sprinted forwards.

  Her body groaned, yet obeyed her instructions. With uneven steps, she began a slow strut, which turned into a darting run. Her sword swung, its sharpened blade swinging Towards Prim.

  Her head turned in inhuman fashion, her bladed arm moving to block the strike. Yet, Enyah’s increased strength pushed Prim back, hindering her stride.

  The strike hadn’t stopped her for long, as she righted herself in an instant, diving towards Enyah to kill.

  Next to her, Pat narrowed his eyes, as if coming to a decision, before charging along with the woman towards Enyah, his sword raised and eyes bloodthirsty.

  Their blades danced through the red tinted air and their fierce combat continued, with the faint echoing of booming laughter resounding around them, hidden and unknown to all.