1

A tiny red spark hovered against the otherwise spotless blackness of void. Seeing that faint light restored Izumi’s self-awareness, even as her physical body remained deep in slumber. Still tired and unwilling to talk, she stared at the palm-sized figure of Yubilea, who came to float in front of the woman’s face.

“You again?” Izumi remarked.

“...I thought you were only another one of those mindless dogs,” the Divine spoke, a strange, slightly remorseful look on her face. “But now I feel rather sorry for you.”

“What’s this now?” the woman asked, unable to see the meaning. Or unwilling to.

“Never mind,” the spirit shook her little head. “You may have my sympathies, but we are both out of luck. There’s no way you’re going to live through this, is there? And I will be left with no chance to a payback.”

“Hm? Why’s that?”

“You still haven’t realized?” Yubilea sighed. “Oh well. You’ll see, soon enough.”

“Geez, thanks for nothing,” Izumi sighed. “Are you ready to get evicted now?”

“Whaaat!?” the spirit recoiled in dismay. “What for!?”

“I gave you the terms, pixie. You find a way to make yourself useful to me, or I’m getting your spyware uninstalled. Well? You’ve had plenty of time to think about it. How’s it going to be? Will you lend me your power, or will I call the Ghostbusters?”

“You’re a slave driver, you know that!?” Yubilea whined. “I take it back, what I said! Every word! My sympathies—all wasted! You’re a wicked creep through and through!”

“That’s not what we’re talking about.” Izumi remained unrelenting.

“I...” the former Divine stammered. “Uh, well, it’s true that I’ve regained some of my vitality, though not much. Nowhere close enough to possess a vessel, no matter how spiritually negligible, or exist on my own. So I suppose we’ve got to work together, if we are to live through this mess you’ve gotten yourself into. Should you die now, I will cease to exist, for real. Aah, what did I ever do to deserve this…!?”

“Well?” Izumi impatiently urged the spirit. “Teach me how to read the elf language and I’ll leave you be for now. It’ll be your rent price, this month.”

“Do you have the faintest clue what you’re asking!?” Yubilea exclaimed, horrified. “The language of the Gods! No Divine can grant you such knowledge! And what do you mean, ‘this month’? It’s impossible! To begin with, I don’t know how to read in any language!”

“...You sure are useless, for a Lord,” Izumi commented with open pity.

“I’m a dancer, not a scholar!” the spirit cried. “But, I did reflect on our arrangement, in all seriousness. And if I work super hard, there may still be a way I can help you, just a little. Even as I am.”

“And what’s that?”

The spirit held out her palm, upon which an even tinier spark appeared.

“This is far from what you’d call a Divine Blessing,” Yubilea explained. “Or even a regular blessing. More like, it’s just a gimmick. A buff. I can’t leech too much mana off you, or the White Death will notice. But I may be able to gather just about enough to make this work once a day or so. It’s the best I can offer, for now.”

“What does it do?” Izumi asked, staring at the mysterious light.

“Ever heard of how dancers may enter a state of trance when they really get into it? A trance is a state where your mind, spirit, and body become one with action, greatly augmenting performance. To induce this state is in my ability. If I apply the principle to the Rune of Perception, I can temporarily attune your senses beyond their mortal standard. For a brief while, you will be able to glean more information from your surroundings than is possible for a regular person, or even an emiri. Here, I’ll show you how.”

The spirit floated closer and touched Izumi’s forehead with her glowing palm. Needless to say, she had no real hand to touch Izumi with, and neither was Izumi’s dream body tangible in any way. The gesture was no more than representative of the bridging of their minds, through which information was conveyed above the efficiency of words.

The mechanics of the magic were indeed simple, and so was the effect. But as a combatant, there was no way Izumi failed to recognize the usefulness of the trick. Neither did she miss the toll it took on the frail spirit.

“I see,” Izumi made an approving nod. “Thanks, Yui-chan. You just bought yourself another month of bed and breakfast.”

The little red spirit was thrown for a loop.

“Err...what did you call me?”

2

Soft, temperate light shone through the tree cabin’s window. Izumi was the first to awake, having been the first to go to sleep, and sleeping very little in general. The few hours of repose hadn’t freed her from the persistent fatigue that accompanied her every waking hour, and her hip and shoulder ached direly for lying on the cold floor. It took her a lengthy while and gradual effort, before she could get herself in a sitting position.

Rubbing her eyes, Izumi gazed in the window’s direction. The sun was still low behind the trees, making it sometime between six and seven in the morning, if using the Earth’s clock to measure the day. The fireplace had shut down on its own, perhaps due to inactivity in the room, leaving the house quite chilly.

“Hm?”

Millanueve slept a short distance away, her back turned to Izumi. Her deep blue coat the knight had removed and put over Izumi at some point of the night, though the woman had all but kicked it off in her restless slumber. With only her light shirt and vest on, Millanueve hugged her shoulders, lightly shivering even whilst dreaming.

Izumi picked up the coat, gently dusted it, and cast it over the sleeper.

In a moment, the girl’s breathing grew steadier.

“...I’ll give you ten more minutes.”

There weren’t supplies left for breakfast, but there was water, so Izumi drank a bit. Then, to shed off the lingering drowsiness, she stepped outside, went down the stairs, and washed her face in the shallow but clear little stream at the bottom of the village.

She quietly pondered many things, feeling the cold water on her skin.

How the others were doing back in the city.

The long trip back home.

What they should do after regrouping.

The next step on her questline was to turn in the samples and retrieve her reward from Erekhigan. But after Izumi would obtain the rune of healing, all that was left was to leave the island.

Alderia was by no means the kind of a heavenly sanctuary where to spend the remainder of one's days, but neither was leaving it going to be a simple task. Moreover, Carmelia would likely be unwilling to return without completing her mission and obtaining an elven ship. Perhaps the goal points could be joined by stealing one of the fabled vessels and then using it to flee the island? Either way, they had to reunite with the sorceress before any actual plans could be made.

The path ahead cleared once more, Izumi stood to go wake up her companion.

And then, she recalled what happened on the previous night.

“…….”

First Izumi felt chills.

Then, her blood pressure shot up and she got feverishly hot instead. Clutching her head, she looked up to the clouded sky with a subdued wail.

“What the heck have I done…!?”

The passionate moment with Millanueve seemed only like a distant dream to her now. Yet, it happened. It certainly did happen, and there was no getting around it.

“How could I be so bold!?” Izumi exclaimed. “No, rather than bold, that was plain naughty! What was I thinking!? What was I doing!? With a girl half my age! How could I get carried away like that!? Just a little bit further and we would’ve crossed the point of no return! When ever did I turn into such a player!? Oh My God!”

Pacing frantically back and forth for a while, Izumi ended up crouching by the stream, looking at her reflection in the water for advice.

“It can’t be called cheating, can it? Just kissing is still safe, isn’t it? It’s safe, right? To begin with, can you even say I was in a relationship before? I mean, nothing official was established, I’m not bound by any social rules or conventions, am I? I’ve made no promises, unwitting or not, I’m still totally in the open market, aren’t I? Then again, you could also say that a certain tacit understanding was there...Was it real, gollum? Yes, it was, precious, the feeling was mutual, was it not? No, no, that was just my wishful thinking! There was nothing between us! I’m not wrong! That’s no romance! It was pure, platonic friendship! If I say I misunderstood it as friendship, then I’m safe! Yes, yes, gollum! Before the confession event, anything goes! It’s all right! I’m safe! I’m innocent, precious!”

——“Morning.”

A voice from behind her interrupted Izumi’s contemplation. She looked over her shoulder and saw Millanueve stand a short distance away, hanging her coat in one hand, drowsily rubbing the corner of her eye with the other.

“Gah—!” The shock made Izumi lose her balance and she tumbled into the brook. It was only deep enough for the water to reach halfway up her elbows, but crawling in it was still unpleasant.

“...What are you doing?” Millanueve asked the woman with a blank look.

“Um...’Oh, how I’d like a bath’—is what I was thinking.” Clearing her throat, Izumi stood up and tried to gather her composure. “ Ahem. Well? You ready to go home now?”

Millanueve stared at the woman for a moment longer, not saying anything. Then, she suddenly looked away, pursing her lips into a sullen pout, her cheeks turning slightly rosy.

“Of course!” she made her quick reply. “The sooner the better!”

“Eh, right...”

Izumi had no idea what was going through the girl’s head, but neither did she dare to ask.

3

Making sure the plague samples were in order and that they had not forgotten anything worthwhile, the two travelers began their journey back home without further ado. Most of the items Izumi had hoarded from the village were too heavy for her to carry all the way back, and Millanueve vehemently refused to share the load. Therefore, Izumi had no choice but to leave a good deal of loot behind, save for the sword and a handful of smaller items that fit in her bag.

Under the rising sun, the women hiked through the ghastly village where the dead remained dead, and no vengeful spirit came back to haunt them. They climbed uphill the way they had come, past the hill of corpses, and reached back to the stone wall sealing the gap in the cliffs.

Climbing the unnatural obstacle was a tad harder from the lower ground, but Izumi made use of the Rune of Strength to boost up Millanueve, and then followed along by jumping. Passing through the narrow ravine, back to the wide jungle basin, the diseased atmosphere of the village was left behind, and the two could again breathe easier.

Or, so they should have.

Yet, the air remained inexplicably tense.

Unlike on the merry trip the other way, Millanueve kept uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn. Whenever Izumi would randomly look back to check if the girl was still following, the latter would quickly look away, avoiding eye contact.

“Eh, is something wrong…?” Izumi finally asked, unable to bear the awkward silence any longer.

“Nothing, really,” came the moody answer.

“Eh, if it’s about last night…”

“—Why, did something happen?”

The icy retort made Izumi hurriedly give up on the subject.

As I thought, I went too far. What a fine mess I’ve made!

Desperate to fix the mood, Izumi tried to look for a distraction.

She noted how Millanueve continued to carry the yellow-black elven bow, in spite of her initial distaste of it. In fact, the girl had spent a good while cleaning and maintaining the weapon last night. By her practiced motions at the time, it was clear that she had experience with bows.

Spotting a chance there, Izumi tried to start some small talk.

“You actually know archery?” she asked in a light tone. “That’s impressive!”

“What did you expect?” Millanueve wryly remarked. “I’m a soldier.”

“Eh, that’s true.”

In a world without modern firearms, bows were quite as essential—if not more so—than swords and spears. Not knowing how to use one, as a knight, would have been weird. Izumi quietly berated herself for her thoughtlessness.

“You know, I did try it out once myself,” she shortly continued. “A long time ago. Archery, I mean. Sneaking around, sniping the bad guys in the cover of the night, just like in Skyr**—I mean, it’s common for women to use bows in these types of stories. So I thought, I should learn how to do it too.”

“...”

“My hand slipped and I almost shot the instructor in the foot, ahaha. One inch right and he wouldn’t have had a toe anymore. My, he got upset. I was so ashamed, I quit the course after that. Surprisingly heavy to pull, isn’t it? The string.”

“Of course?” Millanueve commented. “How else would it make the arrow fly?”

“Er...”

The dumb but irrefutable answer left Izumi without a comeback.

The mood wasn’t improved in the least. Instead, it seemed to be only getting worse.

“That reminds me,” Izumi nevertheless forced herself to continue after a pause, “will you be alright, not bringing a souvenir for your brother? He’s going to be disappointed.”

“He’s not a baby anymore,” Millanueve sourly replied.

“That’s right, he’s the more mature of you two, isn’t he?” Izumi teased.

“So what if he is!” Millanueve growled, failing to take the topic with any humor.

“...”

Somebody please help me!

They continued to march through the wilderness, following the path. Her stomach once again reminded Izumi of its emptiness. For her to feel any hunger at all meant it was probably getting serious. She started to wonder if they could find anything edible along the way, though she knew nothing about this world’s plants or fruits. Even had she studied such back in the Empire, the knowledge wouldn’t have helped her much on this island, unknown to all men.

“Hey, you hungry?” she asked Millanueve.

“Of course, I am, since I’m a pig.”

“...Er, excuse me?” Izumi froze mid-step and glanced back.

The answer had been rather strange.

“It’s because I’m fat, isn’t it?” Millanueve continued, stopping as well. “That’s the whole problem!”

“...W-w-w-what are you talking about?” Izumi yelped.

“Back home, everyone would always make fun of me,” Millanueve angrily blurted, blushing. “Because of my chest and bottom. It made me slow to get around, because running was so hard. No one could possibly find me attractive when I’m like this! I’m just that stupid, slow pig girl, who fails at everything she does and can’t understand anything! Isn’t that right? You think so too, don’t you!?”

Millanueve shouted out her thoughts, tears gathering in her eyes.

“Nue...” Izumi struggled to find the words. “I wasn’t thinking about anything like that...”

“You lie!”

“I mean, I’m not exactly a top model myself...”

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“But you’re strong,” the girl retorted. “You can do anything. You never lose courage, no matter how hard it gets. Even now, even though we’re in such a pinch, surrounded by death and disease, and all these terrible secrets, you keep smiling, trying to cheer me up...It’s not fair! Why did I even come along!? Why can I only be here to be supported and carried, helpless on my own? Why couldn’t I...be the one to support you instead…?”

Hiding her face in her hands, Millanueve quietly sobbed.

“Aw...”

Izumi took a step forward, to comfort the girl, to hold her, to console her, even though she didn’t know what to say.

But after the first couple of steps, she stopped as a sudden sound, or an impression of a sound, reached her ears.

“Eh...?”

It hadn’t seemed like a natural sound, by a bird or a beast.

More like a speaking voice, a quick yell or a command, from somewhere far away.

Had she only imagined it? Izumi strained her ears, but the sound wouldn’t repeat.

The unease it had stirred in her wouldn’t vanish, however. Why would she hear voices in a place that was forbidden for all the islanders to approach? Now that she listened, the singing of birds had ceased as well.

Something was definitely wrong, she could feel it in her bones.

“W-what is it…?” Millanueve was alarmed by Izumi’s strange behavior and looked up.

“Keep still for a bit,” Izumi gestured the girl. “The time came sooner than I thought, but I’m going to have to borrow your power a little, Yui-chan.”

Facing the direction she thought the odd sound had come from, Izumi murmured the incantation.

“Ocilí...Statha!”

In the next moment, Izumi’s vision was painted bright red. She ceased to see natural colors, her all five senses interconnecting, the signals pooling together, to render a detailed, unfiltered impression of all that laid in the jungle ahead.

Besides on the spirit within her, the spell was a heavy burden on Izumi as well.

More information than the human brain was ever made to receive was forced into her consciousness at once, without any control, unfiltered, uninterpreted, the plain reality as it was, in total accuracy of detail. She could only take in signals from the radius of about three quarters of a mile, and anything beyond was shut out, swallowed by white noise. Otherwise, she could have likely died or ended up comatose over a sensory overload.

Her sense of balance and direction cut off, Izumi wavered and fell. The spell’s effect lasted for only less than a second, but during the time, her consciousness had no room for anything else.

“H-hey! Are you okay?” Ignorant of what Izumi was undergoing, Millanueve rushed over to support the woman. “What happened!? Are you hurt!?”

Catching her breath, trying to regain her bearings, Izumi reported,

“We’re about to have company.”

4

They were Alderian elves, a group of seven. They wore light civilian clothing, but were armed with short swords or daggers. Judging by their outfits and looks, they weren’t hunters of wild game, average bandits, nor investigators in any official capacity. Nor looking to take prisoners.

“Are you sure about it?” Millanueve asked, unable to believe Izumi’s explanation.

“Quite sure,” Izumi replied.

“Why would they come here? Isn’t this place supposed to be quarantined? What if they are infected by the plague? They could spread the disease to everyone in the city! Why would they take such a risk? It doesn’t make any sense!”

“Maybe they’re not planning on going back?” Izumi suggested. “Maybe there’s something here that they don’t want us to find. Even if they have to sacrifice themselves for it.”

“T-they’re here to silence us?” the girl gasped. "How could they know we're here!?"

"I wonder..."

“What are we going to do? We need to get away from here!”

“I don’t think we can avoid or outrun them,” Izumi thought. “Their senses are better than ours, they’re faster than we are, and they’re getting close. We can’t get back to Nobuhiro without going straight through them.”

“You mean to fight them? That’s impossible!” the girl protested. “There’s no way we can defeat them, with just the two of us! It’s a suicide!”

“They’re tough, I know that,” Izumi told Millanueve, forcing her tone calm. “But it’s doable. If you help me.”

“What? How...?”

“Listen to me, and I will tell you. We need to split up.”

“Split up?” Millanueve was stunned by the proposal. “But I’m not—”

“Just listen,” Izumi interrupted her. “I want you to get their attention. Snipe at them with your bow. It’s okay to miss. You don’t need to hit anybody. I just want you to distract them for a bit. That’s easy to do, right?”

“T-they’ll kill me!” Millanueve shook her head. “I’ll die for sure! I’ve never been to a real fight before! I don’t have a chance…!”

“Listen!” Izumi seized the girl by the shoulders and pulled her closer. “You’re not going to die. We will get through this, I swear it. You have to believe me! I won’t let anyone I love die, ever again!”

“Eh…?”

“I’ll be counting on you.”

Placing a quick kiss on the girl’s forehead, Izumi patted Millanueve’s shoulder, turned, and disappeared into the bushes on the other side of the path.

The confused knight maiden was left kneeling on the road by herself.

“W-what was that supposed to mean…? Geez!”

The emiri assassins jogged through the woods in a diagonal line. They were like a pack of lions on the hunt, alert and focused. Their footsteps made no sound as they passed through the undergrowth. On the outside, they didn’t even look to be breathing. The gazes of their bright eyes were steady and emotionless, surveying the woods with downright mechanical patience.

Over the eight hundred years they had inhabited Alderia, the emiri had come to know these woods as well as one would their own backyard. They picked out any changes with ease, bent or trampled plants, dead branches kicked by passing feet, newly appeared prints in the dirt. Moreover, their observations weren’t limited to the physical world.

Sensing the mental presence of the two humans draw closer, the elves drew their weapons.

Millanueve hid behind a large, cedar-like tree some twenty yards from the road.

Thanks to Izumi’s warning, she knew which direction to expect the enemy from, and was able to see them emerge from a distance before they could spot her.

"I can't believe this is happening..."

Withdrawing back behind the cover, Millanueve took out an arrow and pulled the string with care. The bow was of superb quality, still in working condition after decades of disuse. Though it was too large for her and she lacked the strength of an emiri bowman, the streamlined, perfectly balanced design allowed for astonishing ease of use. Assuring herself that she had the element of surprise, that everything was going to be fine, Millanueve counted to thirty in her mind and waited for the enemy to come closer.

Here goes nothing...!

Reaching zero, Millanueve stepped out from her hiding spot, tightened the bow string to its limit and began to aim, her eyes searching for the easiest target.

And she froze right there, dumbstruck.

The enemy line had stopped before the cedar. They were all staring back at her, not looking surprised in the slightest. The restless movements of the birds high up in the foliage had betrayed Millanueve’s hiding spot well before she ever showed herself.

The ambush was ruined from the start.

“Oh no...”

Even as despair gripped her heart, Millanueve restrained her nerves, picked a target at random, and released the string. With a sharp whistle, the arrow flashed across the air. Her aim was perfect. The green-feathered shaft darted straight for the head of her target, a male third in the line. Not even blinking, keeping his gaze fixed at her, the elf lightly bent his neck to dodge the shot.

“...What!?”

Millanueve could hardly believe her eyes.

She knew elves were beyond humans in ability. All the old tales and legends had assured so, and nothing she had seen in Alderia contradicted the idea. Still, being able to respond so casually to events that were much too fast for human perception went well beyond acceptable. How could such absurd beings even be real?

Having waited for Millanueve to fire, thus rendering herself harmless, the foes now all jumped into action.

The elves charged through the dense ferns that carpeted the forest floor, their long legs delivering them with astounding swiftness. The ground trembled with each step. Panicking, Millanueve reached for another arrow, though she could tell that she had no time. Long before the second shot, she would be stabbed by the cruel daggers, bled out like a swine.

And there was nothing she could do.

Her fingers wouldn’t obey her, unable to pick out a new arrow from the quiver.

The fast-approaching threat of death was simply crippling.

That was when Itaka Izumi made her move.

“Sifl. Gram.”

On the other side of the path, Izumi lay flat against the ground, in the manner of a certain figure of tactical espionage action. Now invoking the two words of power engraved onto her, Izumi pushed herself up and sprinted into action. A pale blue glow trailing behind her, she soon caught up with the charging killers from behind, and picked the last in the line as her target.

Stepping up beside her opponent, Izumi swung the looted saber in a casual uppercut.

The borrowed weapon was no replacement for the legendary Amygla, but, as a product of the same smithing philosophy, it was not left greatly wanting either. Light and thin in build compared to what Izumi was used to, the sword sliced air in her hands with almost grotesque ease. She barely felt the leg left in the path of the cut. Through the densely knit muscle, through the steel-like bone, the sword severed the thigh above the knee, drawing a vermilion arc of blood in the air.

Suddenly deprived of a leg, the female elf lost her balance. She had no time to feel the fall, however. Izumi let the cutting motion flow uninterrupted, spun around over her heel, and swung the saber up again, decapitating the tumbling foe. Steadying her footing, Izumi kicked off the ground and slipped past the dismembered corpse before it could hit the ground.

It only took a blink of an eye.

A normal human wouldn’t have been able to notice anything yet. But the senses of the aldervolk were something else. Even in the midst of their charge, the nearest of them had already sensed the unusual movement behind him, and turned his head.

Keeping her posture low, Izumi adjusted her path to avoid the opponent’s field of vision for as long as possible, pushing the limits of the rune’s accelerating effect. This speed limit now manifested as a vague pressure that resisted movement, growing stronger the harder Izumi pushed against it. Instead of surrendering to the overwhelming desire to stop, Izumi employed the Rune of Power to keep on the torturous border of the magic’s potential. She perceived her own motion as unbearably slow, yet could only rein in her impatience. Besides movement speed, she also sensed weight and momentum with a drastic lag, and had to be particularly mindful of her actions. One carelessly placed step or a sudden change in direction could end up rending muscles, dislocating joints, or breaking bones. Though paying such close attention to one’s footing in a fight for survival was a lot asked.

Izumi’s augmented speed was not enough to elude eyesight for long. The elf spotted her. Recognizing the imminent threat, he gave up on the assault and started to turn back, raising the dagger in his right hand.

But it was too late. In stopping his run, he had sealed his fate.

Leaning deep, Izumi thrust her arms forward. The tip of the saber dived in under the elf’s ribs, impaling his upper body. To avoid crashing into him, she kept low, stepped in, and pivoted around his back. At the same time, she drew out the saber, forcing it outward, using the spinning motion to slice the hitman’s side wide open.

Izumi’s attacks might have appeared rather excessive, were her opponents human. But by this point, she knew better than well how durable the emiri could be. Simply being stabbed, or cut, or losing a limb—even losing all limbs—was not necessarily enough to neutralize the threat. She had to make sure.

One mistake—but one—and she would die instead.

And after her, Millanueve.

There was not a moment to waste on mercy.

Onto the next.

Each passing second since the start of the engagement only served the enemy.

The third foe as well had noticed the trap by now. He was able to turn around to face Izumi directly, though the advantage was still hers. It was bizarre how unsurprised the Alderian looked, even after seeing two of his companions fall into pieces in front of him. Did these beings truly not fear death?

The elf raised his dagger to block Izumi’s overhead swing, casually as one would an umbrella under a light spring shower. He showed no shock over his glaring miscalculation either. Regardless of his strength, there was no way he could receive Izumi’s two-handed blow with one arm, not while Gram empowered her muscles. Izumi cut straight through his guard, cleaving the male elf from collar bone to hip. Continuing to run past him, she turned the saber to her side and sliced across his stomach, the curving blade slipping through muscle and intestines, all the way up to his spine.

The next foe saw it happen, and opened his mouth wide in a loud cry of anger and dismay. Whatever he said was unintelligible to Izumi, whose personal time now flowed close to five times faster than normal.

There was too much distance. She couldn’t take him by surprise anymore.

Keeping calm, Izumi slowed her movements and lowered the sword tip to give an opening. Not missing it, the elf attacked without caution, stabbing down at her heart. Accelerating again, Izumi took a diagonal step in and raised her saber before her face to guard. She didn’t receive the opponent’s weapon but his wrist, severing it with the upturned blade.

Roaring in pain, the elf threw his arms up in the air. Switching her sword in the right hand, Izumi leaned in and swung at his exposed flank. The impact felt no different from hitting a sandbag with a baseball bat. The muscles and bones of the elven body resisted the murderous blow with frustrating toughness. But it wasn’t a baseball bat she was striking him with. Patiently pulling the blade along, as if drawing with a pen, Izumi cut the warrior open and continued on.

Three were left.

As dramatically as their numbers were reduced, the elves still had the upper hand. By now, they had all become aware of the trap and turned to confront the main threat, Izumi.

But they were too hasty in their judgment.

Millanueve was not out of the picture.

Although what she saw only a confusing, vicious mess ahead of her, Millanueve’s survival instincts commanded her to keep fighting. Therefore, with the additional time given, she finished taking out another arrow, aimed at the closest of the remaining enemies, and fired without hesitation.

Though they could easily evade when ready and alert, doing so while distracted was another matter. Confused by Izumi’s movements and the slaughter of his companions, the foe only managed a flinch before the arrow pierced through his right temple. His brain skewered, he collapsed on the spot.

The two surviving elves found themselves in a two-sided battle.

Still displaying no hint of mortal fear, they confronted their foes head-on, one turning to Millanueve, one to Izumi, both covering the other’s back.

“You giving up yet?” Izumi asked the elves and momentarily halted the rune’s effect to recover.

But she made a mistake in thinking that she could parley with the enemy, or buy any time trying. As soon as she stopped, the giant man before her lunged out, aiming his dagger at her right eye. His speed and reach caught her by surprise, as wary as Izumi had been of the distance.

Reflexively increasing her acceleration, Izumi hurriedly twisted her neck left, taking her head barely out of harm’s way. The short sword brushed her bangs, passing her brow by half an inch. The warrior followed the missed stab with an outward swing, but the difference in stature worked in Izumi’s favor. Bending her back and knees a little, she escaped his range.

Pulling the dagger back, the elf shot forward another stab, now aiming at her chest. But this time, Izumi was ready. Taking the saber closer in her hands, she parried the stab, let steel slide against steel, and turned her deflection into a vertical slash. The tip of the saber cleaved the enemy’s face, drawing a deep red line across the left cheek, from brow to chin.

But the cut was too shallow.

Enduring the doubtless horrifying pain without blinking, the elf swung his sword arm again, cutting down at Izumi's head. Seeing it coming, Izumi twisted herself to the left, out of the dagger’s path. But she was slightly late in pulling her arm out of the way, and her right shoulder was hit, the emiri’s blade cutting through her jacket. The hit couldn’t have reached deep, but the flash of sharp pain informed Izumi that blood was definitely drawn.

Forcing this knowledge and its ramifications out of her conscious mind, Izumi took a long, sliding step in, under the enemy’s passing arm, and shoved her saber through the elf’s side, aiming for where human heart would have been. To make sure, she twisted the blade around and down before extracting it. The nameless warrior sank to his knees and fell, the damage undeniably critical.

One enemy remained, cornered.

The instant the elf made the mistake of turning to Millanueve, Izumi threw her saber like a javelin, plunging it into his chest. The sight of the weapon jutting out of his body was quite eerie, but neither was it enough to kill him. His face tightening, the warrior grabbed the sword, pulled it out of his body, and threw it away.

Though disarmed, Izumi didn’t stop but stepped towards the enemy.

Enraged by her impudence, the elf raised his dagger to cut her down with force. Izumi quickened her feet and stepped in, receiving the killing blow with her left hand. Not resisting the motion, she directed the swordhand down beside her, adding weight to pull it on instead. Using his own momentum to drag him out of balance, she wrestled the emiri’s dagger around to point at his own gut, and then pushed her full weight against it. Stepping forward to fix his footing, the elf ended up impaled by his own weapon. Letting go of his wrist, Izumi stepped back and kicked the pommel, sinking the blade all the way in.

With a mad roar of pain and fury, the elf tore the dagger out of his gut and faced her once again. But the battle was over, with Millanueve's third arrow sinking through the warrior's neck. To end his suffering, Izumi went to her discarded saber, kicked it up and executed the suffocating foe by a swift beheading.

Silence returned to the jungle.

“I can’t believe it,” Millanueve said as she returned to Izumi, looking at the scene of carnage with awe. “We did it. You fought them off, all of them! I—That was amazing! Terrible and frightening, and quite disgusting, but amazing. In a way.”

Izumi didn’t feel like celebrating. She felt her right shoulder. The cut was about six inches long and bleeding. As shallow as it was, it sure was bleeding. Izumi retracted her fingers, dyed bright vermilion, and grimaced. She should have used Tauhirn, after all, despite the costs to agility and speed. Who would’ve thought that even quintupled acceleration was barely enough to keep up with the emiri warriors.

“You're hurt?” Millanueve asked with concern, hurrying to examine the wound. Pulling up Izumi’s sleeve, the girl's concern soon faded. “Oh, you can’t even call that a wound, it’s but a scratch! I’ll wrap my napkin around it and it’ll stop bleeding in a moment.”

“I sure wish that were the case...” Izumi replied with a nervous sigh.

As blood continued to run through her fingers, Izumi thought about the long way home, the many hours to be spent on the road, and hoped dearly to find the Sage at home. In time.