3 Once Upon an Ambush (Aurora)

The winter air was cool. We had been traversing the forest all day, and now it was nearly dusk again. Shadows cast by the tall trees made it seem darker than it really was. Everyone seemed spent, which was unusual since our greatest challenge all day had been walking. There was something vaguely threatening in the air, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I was having trouble gathering my thoughts at all, in fact.

I focused and sensed the bandits who had been following us. More and more were gathering around us, and I became worried.

They were approaching quickly, and I thought they would attack soon, but I couldn't be certain of it. Awaiting an ambush that wasn't coming was also tiring.

Enkha-sama's party had already made the long trip from the Guildhall to here, but they were trained fighters, so none of them should have been so exhausted. While I was only an adept, they were all Saints. I didn't know exactly what the problem was yet, but I knew we were in trouble. Even Enkha-sama was lethargic.

Since he was a saint of the God of War, he should have already sensed the danger and raised his awareness of our surroundings. His aura should have been shining slightly, announcing that he was preparing for battle, but there were no signs he was scouting the enemies at all.

And the others had strictly no reaction to the threat. Not even discreet glances. For a while now, they had only been looking at their feet. Seeing this, my anxiety about our situation heightened. All the more so because I could sense the ambushers were going to attack at any moment now.

"Enkha-sama!" I whispered to get his attention, but I barely got a reaction besides a slight glance. "The enemy..."

I paused, shocked to realize that he was completely unresponsive. He wasn't even paying attention to me anymore despite my using the word 'enemy.' The reality of our situation hit me like a slap in the face. This state wasn't them being exhausted or lost in thoughts. I looked at each of them in the eyes. They had empty eyes, void of any emotion or even... of any liveliness.

The bandits were almost on us, but my guildmates were completely apathetic and gave no signal indicating they were ready. As a Saint of the God of War, the mere realization of an enemy being nearby should have raised Enkha-sama's awareness.

It had to be magic! And magic powerful enough to take hold of a Saint at that!

I knew I had to break us free from it before the enemy's move, but I had no idea how. I couldn't sense the magic's origin, and I was also affected even if to a lesser extent.

I had thought, incorrectly, that the gloomy ambiance of this forest had weighed on everyone, hence why I hadn't paid attention to their attitudes sooner. But Miwa-sama was a saint of the God of Nature, so he should have been energized to be in his element.

Why didn't I pay attention to Miwa-sama sooner? His shoulders were hanging low, his back bent… I should have noticed his lethargy hours ago.

The enemy noticed I was breaking free from the enchantment, and they attacked. I jumped at those who dared approach my guildmates and sliced through the first few in quick succession. I had to take care of things until Enkha-sama broke free, too.

And Enkha-sama would snap out of it. A fight would make any War God believer alert.

I jumped backward and deployed a magical field to prevent them from being injured by arrows. As I turned toward them to do that, a man leaped at me. I heard him in time to turn and face him, but not before his blade glanced off my shoulder. The pain burned horribly, but the wound at least looked minor. Still, the blow was a reminder that given the number of enemies, it was too much of a risk to face them head-on.

My close-quarters skills were based on observation and reaction. I would only stand a chance with magic. I focused and my soul-orb appeared before me. Out of my three soul-weapons, my soul-orb, with its large magical output, was the most useful in the moment. Ten Commands was an excellent choice for quick skirmishes, but I was only an adept and using it on this many enemies would exact a toll on me. Meanwhile, Luxina was still damaged, but it wouldn't have been the best choice, anyway.

"She's only a mage, she can't handle close quarters!" yelled a man.

This wasn't exactly true, but I was indeed much weaker in close quarters… especially compared to the rest of my guild. Three men jumped at me. I made a broad gesture and my orb shone, showering the place with ice and fire spells, then with an earth barrier. Two of them died, but the third shielded himself and advanced forward. I would have to handle both my orb and my sword... That was going to be tough.

An arrow suddenly whistled through the air. Its aim wasn't very good, but Miwa-sama had gotten out of his torpor... A wave of relief overtook me as I realized I wouldn't have to fend off all these attackers alone. Even his wry smile was comforting.

On Miwa-sama's shoulder, a hawk was resting… At the time, I thought it was his familiar sensing his master's danger and waking him. Then I noticed the slight golden aura around the hawk and realized it wasn't a familiar; this was divine intervention.

Understandably, the God of Nature would be most angry to see his forest used against one of his own saints...

Miwa-sama's aim wasn't accurate, but given his state a few minutes ago, it was definitely an incredible shot. And it was sufficient. My assailant had backed off. He was in my attack range now.

With Miwa-sama's presence, my panic had lifted and I didn't feel as pressured as before. I calmed down and focused to feel my magic in my body.

Those guys were unlucky to have relied on that torpor enchantment for a quick victory: I was nearly immune to anything that affected the state of mind, hence why I was not too affected by the forest's spell compared to the others. As they rushed on me again, I made a sweeping move and a wind blast came forth, cast by my orb.

Again, some shielded, and closed in. This time, Miwa-sama was wide awake, and each of his arrows proved lethal to our enemies. But three more who were under an invisibility spell jumped at me.

If not for Fuin-sama who sealed their magic just as they were about to reach me, so their invisibility was rendered suddenly useless, I wouldn't have noticed the bandits in time. That Fuin-sama was able to seal their magic so quickly told me that our foes were not overly powerful. No wonder why they resorted to an ambush. Still given they almost successfully had us, they weren't to be underestimated either.

Miwa-sama was occupied with those who came from the other side, so I summoned Ten Commands in its sword form and held against two of them while bracing for the impact of the third enemy's sword on my skin-shield. While the blade didn't break through my shield, I was still knocked backward.

For a moment, all my strength was sapped, and I felt my aura heat up. My eyes opened wide: miasma! I hurriedly purified myself so I could move again. Just as I finished the purification, one of the attackers planted a foot in my midsection, and I had to purify that area too. I barely finished in time to dodge the sword that came right after. The blade sang right past my ear.

A frightening presence made the man shrink and jump sideways: Enkha-sama had broken free from the enchantment too. The place's temperature suddenly plummeted and made me shiver. Breaking free from close-quarter combat, I looked around for the source of this sudden cold.

Three of the four men who had rushed toward me suddenly collapsed in some kind of seizure... Tern grayish energy left their bodies as they fell dead... That was the Soul Abjuration of Chiki-sama, who was a saint of the God of Death.

I'll never get used to the followers of that god... I thought.

From the freezing atmosphere, ice formed and was shattered by strong winds that tore through anyone who was caught off-guard. It melted into acid, finishing off the injured and breaking the shields of the others.

Such combined attacks... that was Yoten-sama, who was a saint of the God of Wisdom. Those believers had the strongest affinity with magic amongst the followers of the major gods. And he did that combination right off the daze of the enchantment, no less!

Ijil-sama swung his sword and the enemies looked at him in a stupor of mixed admiration and awe. Unfortunately for them, that left them wide open to his next sword move which escorted them to Hell. Just as Leon proved with his iron fans, Ijil-sama also demonstrated that the God of Love wasn't a shabby patron for fighters.

Tenshi-sama, of the Faith of Sanctity, was a very unfortunate match for heretics covered in miasma. He sanctified the whole combat zone, and while his enemies were writhing in agony, his spear put them to rest.

The enemy had forgotten about me. The Saint Guard gave them more than enough trouble to deal with. Even if the Saint Guards were groggy, they were in terrifyingly foul moods. It was written all over their faces as they slew enemies without mercy. Since they were doing fine without me, I dematerialized Ten Commands and used my sphere to gather divine energy through prayer.

I used it to cast blessing spells, which enhanced their abilities. Strength, agility, insight, instinct. Then, I enchanted their swords, arrows, and spear so they would pierce through magic. Having nothing better in mind, I used a spell from my own divinity's domain on everyone: Clear Sight.

This spell enhanced guessing and comprehension abilities. Each and every detail would come to them as obvious, and they would guess things they would usually not. Cast on the Saint Guards, it countered the effects of the forest's enchant.

I also channeled my energy into a spell borrowed from the Faith of Life to heal the injury to my shoulder. It wasn't too painful or serious, but injuries should never be left unchecked. Once I was in shape, my full attention returned to the situation.

My guildmates were all busy with the bandits. As I looked where each of them was, and the lay of the battlefield, something attracted my attention. I began to pay attention to the bandits. Since I felt my magic raise, I knew my god was hinting at something odd. Indeed the bandits were abnormally numerous. Yet, before I could unravel this mystery, a terrible feeling of blood-lust invaded the place.

A crestfallen of the Abyssal of Massacre?! What is he doing here? I asked myself, scrutinizing the surroundings.

A slight shine alarmed me. Miwa-sama flash-stepped and intercepted a slash aimed at me. That crestfallen wasn't just anyone... he was as strong as an exalted. He was powerful enough to create the deceit that he was human. And I wasn't strong enough to make him appear as the monster he really was.

When I unraveled that deception, I realized he wasn't serving the Abyssal of Massacre. He was serving the Abyssal of Deceit and only borrowing spells from the Abyssal of Massacre. That knowledge would certainly come in handy.

"A follower of the God of War?" the crestfallen muttered.

Having watched me use spells from other faiths, it wasn't all that surprising that he mistook me for a follower of the God of War. After all, the only ones who were known to be able to cast spells from gods they weren't soul-linked to were those of the God of War and God of Mysteries. And we were quite an unknown faith at that time.

Good, I'll strike while he hasn't realized what god I serve... I finally had an advantage: while I knew well the powers and abilities of a crestfallen of the Abyssal of Deceit, he wasn't aware of mine.

My attention left the overall battle. The man's hairs and eyes became darker and his dried-blood-colored eyes became silver-tinted. He's already entering trance! I blasted him even further away from me and observed him as he came back charging like a wild boar.

First off, he's right-handed, then his sword was used, he is under an illusion spell that makes him look human... as I unraveled the mysteries of his existence, my god's energy became stronger in me. As my god's energy filled me, I was able to analyze my opponent better and better. My aura finally activated and his weaknesses, such as his blade's weak points, or the pain on the left shoulder, became apparent to me.

I blasted wind on his left shoulder, and while it worsened his injury, it didn't go deep enough in his aura. The stronger his aura became, the more his reflexes sharpened. And his bloodlust was also at its peak. He was like a wild beast with no mind or consciousness.

The smallest scent of blood filled him with joy, and he could draw from the life energy of this spilled blood of friend or foe to regenerate his injuries. So even each bandit who died was healing his every injury, and even refreshing his magical energy.

If not because I was an adept of the God of Mysteries, I wouldn't notice in time the shift in his weaknesses and strengths caused by these healings and my attacks.

Facing such a savage who was as strong as an exalted, and was becoming stronger at the slightest sight of slaughter, was extremely difficult as the Saint Guard was exterminating the bandits at a rapid pace.

I tried to get us a bit further from the fight, but he dashed at me and sent me flying back into the fighting area. His physical strength was getting greater with each body that fell on the ground. I was only alive because each time I discovered something about him, I was also getting stronger and closer to my god, but I wasn't sure I would be able to keep pace with the exalted for long.

My spells, which previously were penetrating his aura, now barely grazed him. Even when I managed to wound him, his bloodlust seemed to grow from the sight of his own blood. I had drawn him away from most of his allies, but I was only setting up a scenario where I would have to face him alone.

As if to taunt me, he let his guard down momentarily to allow one of my attacks to penetrate his aura. He laughed as he healed from it, but his injury gave me a chance to better observe him, to better comprehend him. As I linked with my God, I received a revelation. The exalted distrusted the men fighting with him.

Praised be my God that his information was useful. I began to direct trustful glances at one of the bandits in particular. I was discreet, but I wanted the crestfallen to notice.

He didn't at first, and he charged me. I dodged his sword swing to the outside, but then he caught me with a backhand swipe. The flat of the blade didn't cut me, but the blow was hard enough to penetrate my aura.

I scrambled away, clutching at my side, and continued pretending to send signals to the same bandit. This time, the crestfallen noticed. As he became distracted, new openings happened, new discoveries about him... and therefore, greater insight into his existence, a clearer mind for me.

A one-time opening appeared... It was a risk, but I knew this was my one opportunity. I teleported to him, summoned Ten Commands in its spear form, and plunged it deep in his body. The blow still wasn't enough, though, so I twisted my body and turned the blade, which unfortunately put me back within his reach and covered my right side in his blood.

I felt the debilitating effects of his miasmatic blood almost instantly. Before dying, the exalted pivoted enough to wind up and punch my shoulder. My bones cracked and I knew he had shattered my entire shoulder. I couldn't feel my arm at all.

I collapsed and yelped in pain as my shoulder struck the ground. Immediately, a few of the surviving bandits attacked me. I didn't have the strength left to move and was ready to be slain, but a shield appeared around me. Yoten-sama's shield exploded and blew the enemies away from me.

Fuin-sama, who had partially done so during the fight, rushed to my side to better seal the miasma the crestfallen had afflicted me with. If he hadn't been there doing that, a miasma of this strength would have debilitated me.

He called to Ino-sama, who had stayed behind during the fight, to apply his hand on my shoulder and heal it. His hand's gemstone emitted a near-blinding light and then ceased to shine completely. A saint of the God of Life's Gem Discharge was capable of healing any injury instantly if he flushed his whole gem's energy into it.

I jolted and, as expected, as I looked at my shoulder... it was black and blue from the magical impact. If I had been a regular human, I'd have died. Though, he wouldn't have used his whole energy if I were a regular human... I think.

The pain was excruciating, and the bruise hideous, but my body could self-heal that within a day or two, so that wasn't too much of a problem.

"You went a little overboard, Ino."

"I grant you that," he said as he looked at my shoulder. "But I seriously thought he had ripped her shoulder apart, and there was so much blood."

"It was all his blood, not mine," I lied.

"Hey kid, that was..."

Tenshi-sama who didn't see the last few moments of my fight, and seemed to completely miss my horrific bruise, gave me a grand tap on the shoulder. The pain took me to my knees as my breath was cut short. Enkha-sama glared daggers and told him about my injury and Ino-sama's Gem Discharge spell.

"Ino, are you insane? The pain must have killed her," Tenshi-sama said.

"Probably not as much as the pain from your tap on her shoulder," stated Ino-sama.

"Oh, no... Aurora-chan you're k'ay?" he asked, obviously worried.

"I guess I am..." I managed to say.

He put me on my feet again and apologized, so I smiled. Enkha-sama wanted to know how the bandits had gotten the jump on us, so I explained that the entire forest was enchanted with a dangerous lethargy spell.

"So that's what's going on," said Enkha-sama. "Can't believe you didn't notice Yoten."

"It's geared to aim at Saints," I explained as we re-commenced our walk. "It's poisoning your mind through the aura's absorption..." A shriek that I muffled escaped me as I picked up my backpack to put it on my shoulders.

"Are you alright?" asked Tenshi-sama.

"She's not. Isn't it obvious that her backpack is pressing on her injured shoulder? Idiot!" grunted Ino-sama.

"Oh, don't bother yourself with it," Tenshi-sama said. "I'll take it for you."

He lifted the backpack, and I escaped it just in time not to be lifted, too. He threw it on his back, using its handle - that I prayed to be solid enough to bear its weight - to carry it over his own bag. I mumbled my thanks to Tenshi-sama and realized how rude that sounded.

I cleared my throat and thanked him more formally, both for carrying my backpack and for casting the sanctity spell on the battlefield that had surely helped me survive my fight with the exalted.

"No problem. We may have messed up on this one, miss-chan, but you can ask for help when you need it," Tenshi-sama said, seeming to brush off the importance of his sanctity spell.

"Her name is Aurora, Tenshi," said Ino-sama. "That said, Master Kayuki did say that she would be a great help for our mission, and she proved to be."

"I hope so," I said. "This is certainly more exciting than my last mission, at least."

"What kind of mission did you just come back from," Enkha-sama asked.

"More like an errand," I replied. "The Duchess of Junin was persuaded that her castle was haunted. However, her husband thought someone was just trying to scare her. I was to find the person and drag the culprit to the dungeon. But the culprit was their own daughter, so I dragged her into the Duke office instead. Since it began to turn into a drama, and my job was done, I came back without delay."

"Was it an unpleasant job?" asked Enkha-sama, frowning.

"Well, that kind of situation doesn't require an adept of the God of Mystery, just someone with a brain. How would you feel if anytime their kids had a fight, the nobles would ask Master to send you and solve the fight under the pretense that battles are your god's domain?"

"That would definitely be short and intense, but fun to watch from afar. And there would be no 'anytime.' The first occurrence would likely be the last," said Tenshi-sama.

"Have you told Master Kayuki about it?" Enkha-sama asked.

"No," I said. "Master seemed in a terrible mood as soon as I got back, and he immediately sent me to join you. Also, the only person I've seen complain about his job was fired the next day," I stated.

"That was Stan-san, and he wasn't fired because he complained, but because he called Master an idiot," explained Yoten-sama.

"There's someone stupid enough to do that?" I asked.

"That person was," he asserted. "Kenten thought it would turn bad if he went on, so he fired him."

"Oh, I see. Well, no, I haven't complained to Master," I said.

"Make sure to tell him. The last thing he wants is a god that's angry because his domain is looked down upon."

"I don't think my God thinks enough of mortals to get angry at them. But I will follow your advice," I agreed.

Chatting had allowed us to keep our spirits up. Past the last trees, we could just barely make out the village of Esperia in the distance. It seemed to be welcoming us out of the enchanted forest. The village looked sleepy enough from a distance. It was hard to imagine it being overrun with heretics, but Enkha-sama didn't seem comforted by the village's wholesome image.

I could understand his reticence. The ambush had unsettled me. I couldn't keep from wondering if I hadn't set foot in a mission that was bigger than my capacity. Had Ino-sama not been there, I would be a dead body basking in my own blood by now.