27: The battle of the mist - part 2

Maria only had so much to defend herself with so it made total sense for her body to react and bring her chains out at the first sign of danger she saw.

‘System, you there?’ Maria asked, not expecting much.

There was no response from the other side but it had been expected by Maria. The system was bound to her magic and without a grasp on it, Maria could not contact it.

Had there been any other circumstances, Marai would have tried to think it all through before deploying her weapon but it was not a normal situation for her.

Not only was she alone, but she also had Nao to defend against the attack. Moreover, the dulled senses made it harder for Maria to be able to do much.

The chains were Marai’s last line of defense and it felt wrong to use them. They also drained her life energy which was dangerous for her.

Maria felt the drain on her life force and the weight of the chains in her hand. For some reason, these sensations were not being dulled by the mist and Maria could finally allow herself to move.

The chains danced as Maria moved her arms. They collided with small objected being amused at Maria in the mist and Maria did her best to obstruct their path.

A pair of her chains had formed a protective circle around Nao. They emerged from the ground and circled the other unresponsive girl like a cage.

But it did leave Maria exposed to the attacks. The chains were too draining to use at max capacity.

The mist dulled and thickened at random intervals and Maria was sharp enough to spot a human shape running through the mist.

It never stayed constant, always on the move and always in a random direction. It was impossible to pinpoint and made for an impossible target for Maria’s chains.

Maria had a few knives and tools she could use but even they would not help as long as Maria was unable to pinpoint the enemy and stop them for a few seconds.

She laced her throwing knives with magic spells and prayed that they do not expose to overexposure. Not being able to feel her magic was an annoyance and caused one of the knives to explode in Maria’s grasp.

The resulting injury was painful and seemed to have been exemplified.

However, the pain caused her focus to falter and Maria thought she saw the mist lighten up for just a second. It gave her a stupid idea but she had to take this chance.

She applied a weak tracking spell on one of her knives before reading herself. She would get her chance pretty soon but she had to be patient.

Maria dug her nails into her palm and pain assaulted her senses. But it cleared the mist around her and allowed Maria to aim the knife at the moving shadow.

The knife landed far away from her target but still close enough to transfer the tracking spell onto the other.

Maria did not hesitate to aim her chains onto the tracking spell and felt it hit something. She pulled her chains back but had a bad feeling about it.

Flashes of something sharp impaling her exploded across Maria’s mind and she ducked out of principle.

And it was enough to make the share sword in her chains go crashing down behind her. That had been a close call and Maria just barely made it out alive.

Maria felt grateful for the sudden flash of vision she had just seen during the battle. They were a hindrance most of the time but they did have their uses sometimes.

Like this time. Maria’s head survived a great tragedy just now.

“Sorry for this” Maria felt Nao’s familiar voice behind her but the figure of Nao was still in her chains at her side. Not that Maria got the time to think it over before she was being pushed forward.

And her body collided with something which caused her senses to collide back into her.

Maria only had time to see a pair of wide eyes with a staff pointed to ready and then she was taking the other person with her down.

Maria landed on something soft and warm, her face in a pair of familiar and soft things.

“Nao, that was not funny. You can't just thrust the oracle at me and expect me to react. Also, what is she even wearing?” the unfamiliar voice of the female was too close to Maria.

“I’m not sorry. I told you not to involve her but you did it anyway. I hope you are convinced as well about my claim” Nao walked closer as well and extended her hand to Maria. Maria carefully picked herself up and instantly looked down.

Her clothes had decided to not stay in a decent situation and Maria was as good as naked now. When that had happened, Maria had no idea and the ‘eep’ that escaped her mouth could only be called embarrassing.

“I’m more than convinced. I’ll help the oracle out and get you those tickets. Also, a room and clothes since you look like you could use one” Maria finally gathered the courage to look at the female in front of her.

She had dark purple hair along with midnight black eyes. She held herself like a warrior but held no noticeable muscle mass.

And she was entirely human as well. A pretty young human who looked to be just a few years older than Maria.

Maria followed the other’s eyes and felt her face explode as she reached her naked breast. She felt exposed and angled her front body to mesh into Nao’s.

“It would be much appreciated, Mei and it is nice to see you again” Maria took at Mei and felt something in her mind connect.

So this was Lady Mei? The person they were using to get inside the city and who held a noticeable reputation in here?

“It is nice to see you as well. Not that I remember you much or anything but it is nice to finally be free of this favor. Though I must admit my surprise to see the Oracle alive. Care to tell me what happened?” Maria felt Nao’s body tense behind her back.

Maria calculated the odds of this confrontation going bad and started to build up her magic. Nao’s hold on her body was tight but not painful yet.

“On the other hand, we have time to discuss this later. Let’s get out of here first” Lady Mei decided with an odd tone to her voice.

The topic did not come up again.

(Kindly Spare a powerstone for me if you can. Just to let me know that you are there. Is I cross 200 somehow, I will post one extra chapter this week. 300 will be 2 extra chapters)