Noble Ventures, Part Fourteen

One by one, werewolves fell to that dark lightning shooting out from Xhez's hands.

Rin saw it all with amazement. Sye did the same with concern.

The bolts were just as effective as they had been at the Scorned's bunker, with every werewolf who came into contact with that deathly magic either keeling over then and there or becoming so wounded they could not move.

Once they understood where these spells were coming from, though, a very human desperation took hold of them.

"AFTER HER!" One of them yelled at the top of his lungs.

Suddenly, every enemy in the vicinity was racing toward Xhez.

Rin stood between them, however, fists raised in hopes of fending them off. As one stepped forward, the rookie adventurer dealt a hard uppercut to its snout, pushing it away. Another one came in from the right and Rin lowered her head, charging into its body to deliver a crushing elbow at its abdomen.

Still, though she held off a couple of enemies, there were too many of them for just one person to deal with.

Sye, who had been watching Xhez up until now, finally began to act once more, weaving her own spellsigns and launching barrages of flame at the incoming werewolves.

Try as they might to reach Xhez, every time the wolves stepped up they were met with punches and spells to keep them at bay.

They kept this up until their numbers became low enough to where they could no longer maintain such a ferocious assault. Instead, they decided to rally around their strongest member.

[Crap.]

The werewolves all flocked to the largest among their forces, where Sara and Elisa were just barely holding on.

[Okay, I think it's about time we join that fight.]

Turning around, Rin was treated to a concerning sight.

Xhez, having used up so much Essence, was struggling to raise her arms. The anger that had compelled her to launch all these dark spells was still visible on her face, though, burning a little more dimly now.

Rin turned and knelt in front of her.

"Xhez..." She said softly. "Sara and Elisa, they need..."

The sprite wasn't registering her words. Even as she stared back into Rin's golden eyes, that same anger was still showing. As though she was one of those wolves Xhez had spent the last several minutes taking down.

It sent shivers up Rin's spine.

"You know, oftentimes, people think the Mages Guild forbids the use of certain spells because we're conceited," Sye said, pulling Rin's eyes to her. "Because we don't want anyone to be as powerful as we are. I will admit, sometimes, they are right. This is not one of those times, though."

"What are you talking about?"

"The Curse magic that Xhez has been using so liberally today," Sye replied, "it is forbidden. Illegal. Mainly, because, if used too many times, it can lead to a sorcerer losing their mind. Becoming trapped within the dark feelings this type of magic feeds off of."

Naturally, Rin was quite alarmed to hear that.

"W-Will she be okay!?"

"Yes," Sye responded. "Or, she should be, anyway. But, she needs some time to rest. Not on a physical level, but rather, her heart does."

Rin was reminded, then, that, although to her a long time had passed for her since the events that led to June's death, to Xhez, she had just woken up and began using that same Curse magic immediately.

The same Curse magic she'd used to end the conflict back then.

"Leave her, for now." Sye placed a hand on Rin's shoulder. "Your other friends need help as well."

It tore Rin's heart apart to even consider that but, upon glancing to her right and seeing how desperately the girls were fighting, she decided that Sye was right.

[Sara told me to wait until I was done here. I think that time's now.]

With that decision made, Rin and Sye finally joined the fight against the wolves' leader.

He did not seem to be too discouraged by their presence. If anything, seeing them only made the wolf angrier.

"Their numbers are low," Sye announced to Sara. "We finish this fight and I think the night's massacre will see its end."

The relief Sara felt was so clear that Rin would have laughed if the situation wasn't as tense.

As the girls took up their positions around the wolves' toughest member, their opponents' confidence seemed to waver.

What should have been a one-sided massacre had turned into a proper battle. One that, thanks in large part to Xhez, they were losing.

"What should we do!?" One of them suddenly asked his allies out loud.

Before anyone could answer, Sara rushed in and decapitated the distracted enemy.

"Take them down!" Sara yelled out. Rin could hear the strain in her voice. She clearly wasn't used to speaking like this.

And what had already been a bloody conflict became even more chaotic.

People were having their flesh ripped off, wolves were being cut down, and Rin was in the middle of it all. An enemy ran up to her from the left and she blocked one of its attacks, a claw swipe aimed at her abdomen, responding with a knee to its chin. She was about to follow that up with a killing blow, only to be pushed back by an animalistic hand the size of her own head.

"Argh!" Rin cried out. She rolled to a stop and quickly go up, getting into a fighting position just in case something attacked.

Something did. The wolves' leader.

It charged at her wildly but was cut off by a certain noblewoman with sunlight hair.

Elisa stood in front of Rin, her confident aura revitalizing Rin's body just from looking at her.

"Need some help?" She asked as Rin breathed a sigh of relief. "Come on," she said, narrowing her eyes at their opponent. "I never did get to work with you as much as I wanted to. Let's show them what we're all about!"