I’ve never experience such tremendous presence before. It was magnitudes stronger than any beast or human I’ve ever faced in my life. I could hear a faint presence in my head, a weak voice screaming at me to stop, to find a place to hide and hope that I’ll be left alone and safe. It was this kind of presence that a strong adventurer emanated simply by standing there, letting his immense bloodlust free.

I saw numerous men on the ground, all fainted from this horrible aura, and I, too, would have been among them, if not my training from before. It was like facing the final boss on the first level, only it wasn’t a game and no scenario existed in this world. I could die here for real…

“Hey, Marie” I hear his voice, free of doubt or fear. It was normal. It was the same kind of tone he used to beg me for food, or to tell me about “that awesome thing” he saw today, or to simply talk with me, like it was an everyday occurrence. It was normal. “I know you don’t like to bother you, but it certainly would be nice, if you lend me a hand out there or even two, okay?”

Alan wasn’t scared. Rather than this, he was smiling genuinely. I couldn’t believe this. And yet, it was so much like what he would do. Even when we were younger, Alan never faltered. At least, he never showed that he was scared. It was me who was the voice of the common sense, but…

“I will make sure you will repay me for this, idiot”

… I can do stupid things as well, can’t I? I took a deep breath of air, trying to stop my hands from shaking so much. It was an arduous task because I could hear my heart beating at incredibly speeds, as if trying to make its way out of my chest.

“It is common tactics to go after the magic caster first, young ones. So, be prepared!”

I heard the imposing voice of our opponent, and, before I could even react, a giant shadow of the two-handed sword was slowly closing in on me. I wasn’t prepared for him, a man in a full-set of metal armor, to be able to move so fast. And I wasn’t prepared for Alan to match him as well.

“It’s also stupid to tell you opponent who you are going to attack, you know?”

He stopped the attack. Alan, that idiot, somehow moved fast enough and intercepted the swing before I could react. And he did so only with one arm. I could feel his comforting presence as he whispered to me, using the stalemate as a distraction.

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“Listen, Marie, I need you to use that spell right now. I will give you some time, and when the chance appears, attack with all you’ve got, okay?”

I nodded at him, still shocked by the whole situation. It was something out of a fantasy novel, and yet, this was my new reality. I never had a chance to realize how bizarre this world was. After all, it was impossible for humans to move as fast as did Alan or Gorm. And yet, they did. Against all odds, they did.

“Guardians of the Above…”

I started my chant, feeling my voice finally free of trembling. Meanwhile, Alan did his best to stale our enemy as long as he could, sending a barrage after a barrage of impossibly complex sword-skill combos. I am still not sure how strong he was compared to a normal adventurer, but the fact that he could stop such advanced opponent was astonishing.

“Guardians of the Below…”

“Not so fast!” roared Gorm, preparing to attack me. You see, a chant requires a precise amount of concentration from the caster and, once interrupted, needs to be started again. I could have dodged that blow with speed-enchantment magic, but that would mean starting from the point one yet again. I could have, but I forced myself to continue.

“I will be the one to command you…”

I heard the sound of clashing swords above my head. However, since I closed my eyes shut, I couldn’t see what was happening. I had to believe in Alan. I believed in Alan.

“I will be the one to obey you…”

“Marie!” I heard Alan shout somewhere from behind. Good. Now, I only needed the location to hit, and this battle would be won in a single attack. Heh, serves you right, compensating sword assholes. Feel the might of arcane arts! “He is on your six!”

“Awaken, Starlight Crusher!” I turned around and fired a bolt of pure destructive power, one of the highest-level spells in my repertoire, and one of the most destructive. However, in order to use it, I have to burn all of my mana reserves for only one shot. Also, no auto-aiming for me this time.

“Heh, interesting, young ones…” I saw the gigantic frame of Gorm, his amused form and…

Alan holding him in an arm lock.

I could only shout his name, when my spell connected.