Blunder & Blunder

As the stalemate threatened to break with Jerry snapping awake and bringing everyone to their senses, Seth had yet to evolve, making Felix question the System.

[He hasn't used a C-Evo Card, so be patient. Besides, I only stated he has reached the condition for evolution... not that he's about too.]

Felix grumbled and turned his annoyed expression toward Jerry, the one issuing out commands.

"Belle and Luxal, tackle the Orcs. Gurmand, provide me support against this freak. Bea, check Homand's condition and keep your eyes peeled for the piece of shit who stabbed Homand. Notify us immediately, I have a feeling they don't want us dead." Jerry recalled the small exchange between Felix and Seth and pulled back the string, his aim fixated at Felix's loathsome face.

Soon, the others followed his command and rushed to his action.

Gurmand blasted into the ground his heavy, metallic shield in front and pinched the spear in his other hand. His steps slowly advancing closer to Felix.

Felix, seeing them get worked up, mumbled something under his breath and prepared himself. But just as he was about to charge forward, he suddenly remembered that Seth and the others couldn't infect the humans.

So he dropped his stance again and looked around for Seth.

As his head shuffled about, Jerry's hands began to tremble, 'Is he so confident that he can allow to drop his guard like this? I can shoot right now... and end his life in a single blow.'

His breath turned raspy, and his heart began to throb like a train's engine, 'No...' He took a deep breath, his eyes turned resolute, 'I can't fail... no matter what. I will live.'

Steeling his heart, he muttered under his breath, "One Shot!"

Under his command, the arrow, nocked and blood-thirsty, got enveloped in crude, shimmering lines.

At the same time, Felix spotted Seth, and seeing what he was doing, he couldn't help but marvel at his wits, 'Sneaky assassin! Since he can't kill humans, he's targeting the horses!'

The coachman, seeing that the leader of the mercinaries had already fallen, instantly got bummed and the odds of their victory dwindled in his mind, 'With the strongest asset already wiped from the table... I can't take risks. We are close to the city... and that child must return to master's hand at all costs... he's the key to finding out those bastards location and proving their existence to the higher ups.'

He gazed ahead, the road felt long and lonely, his grip on the reins tightened and his eyes flashed resolutely, 'I must take the gamble!'

"HIYA!" The horses, edged by the monsters' prescene, neighed loudly and lifted their hoves high, prepared to dash off.

But before their hoves could start kicking, a voice muttered beside them.

"Dagger... charge!"

Suddenly, a glowing small blade dug into one of the horse's neck, and the light contined intensifying under the sudden screech of the horse and shot out from the other side.

It extended to just the distance that it grazed the other horse's neck, but not pierce through.

The coachman, terrified at the sudden attack, panicked and struck down the reims ever more fiercely.

The surviving horse blew into a frenzy and started galloping ahead, but carriage's weight proved too heavy for a single horse and the dead comrade it had to drag along just added rock to the bag.

It barely dragged the carriage a few steps ahead before tripping against its dead brethren and collapsing down, making the carriage tilt forward and squashing the coachman beneath it.

At the same instant as the dagger dug into the horse, Jerry's resolve firmed.

'Go!' His finger slid back and the bow propelled the arrow forward with a low but powerful swiss sound.

Felix's Alertion talent instantly kicked in and warned him of his impending doom.

But despite him instantly reacting and trying to move aside, not even knowing what the danger exactly was, the arrow zeroed in on him.

Time halted as Felix's widening eyes took in the gleaming appearance of his assailant before... boom!

His head, alongside the arrow, exploded like fleshy watermelon.

The small shreds of his brain and everything else rained down in a rhythmic beat.

Gurmand, startled by the sudden explosion, peered back at Jerry and mumbled, "You used your Talent skill already?"

Whilst Jerry let loose an exultant roar, his face flushed red from excitement, "I DID IT! DOWN YOU GO YOU BASTARD! TAKE THAT FOR HOMAND!"

The three behind also turned back to stare at Felix and instantly their faces beamed. But, the racket created by the carriage became a bigger source of worry that it drowned the excitement of killing Felix.

"Shit, another blunder! WE LET THAT SNEAKY BASTARD DO IT AGAIN!" Jerry grounded his teeth and stared at the horses, from his location, he could see the carriage had flipped atop the horses and the coachman had been buried beneath it.

A pile of blood unrolled on the ground, making him belief the coachman had been done in.

"LUXAL! SEARCH FOR THAT BASTARD!! GURMAND, HURRY OVER AND REPLACE LUXAL!" Jerry nocked another arrow, seethed in rage, he aimed toward the Orcs.

Gurmand nodded and swiftly tromped ahead.

But suddenly, just as the arrow shot out and zoomed towards the Orc.

A hand reached out from behind Jerry and fiercely latched onto his neck. The hand clenched tight, suspending him in midair, making his face go pale and his legs to helpless squirm about.

His chocked groans reached Gurmand, who hadn't reached far, and made his head swing back. The sight made his heart go cold, "JERRY!!"

Bea's eyes shot wide, and a horrified scream escaped her lips.

Belle, having to single-handedly tackle the monsters attack while Luxal supported her with buffs and hindered the monsters, broke out of her zone, giving the two Orcs the chance to step forward and land a fierce punch into her gut.

"YOU FOOL! DON'T LOSS FOCUS!!" Luxal's face turned sallow as he slammed his staff into the ground, creating two small, foot sized ridges upon which the two Orcs tripped.

He hurridly dashed ahead pulled Belle back, "FOCUS ON YOUR BATTLE!!" He screamed into her ear.

Bea, staring around her, befuddled by the one-sided onslaught, trembled, 'Why... why is this happening? Where did we go wrong?'

'In choosing to fight? No...' Her eyes fell atop the headless beast choking Jerry, 'In engaging him... No!'

Her eyes shuffled and fell upon Homand's corpse in her hands, 'Him! We failed because he failed to live! Because he dropped his guard and fixed his attention to a single opponent...'

"That's why we are in this mess... otherwise, we wouldn't be so broken!"