Blood

"Sorra, they're just stalling. Let's just kill the knight and take the girl," one of the armored adventurers said.

Another, this one a seventh-level mage, nodded. "The Justice Hero is taking too long with that demon. It's only sixth level, but highly skilled and able might exploit our hero's inexperience. We should clean things up here and support him before any reinforcements arrive."

The second was an older man, seeming out of place among the younger adventurers. I had no memory of seeing him before, and from the way he spoke about the hero, he clearly had no personal attachment to him. He was the only one strong enough to have cast that seventh-level Judgment spell and probably wasn't a permanent member of their party. Had they taken him from the front lines of the army to ensure the success of the mission?

"Luxxa," I said nervously, "Where are the others?"