Xavier might have killed Infected and humanoids before, but he never killed any humans. Despite that, he didn’t feel sorry for the invading Card Holders as his grandmother attacked. She used several Cards to enhance her companions and encouraged them to strike as hard as possible.
Fireballs lobbed through the narrow room and exploded, tearing several bodies apart. Smoke and screams filled the entire building that threatened to collapse. Zora Vador appeared next to her grandson at some point. She gave him a quick once over to make sure that he was fine before retrieving a small vial.
Zora removed the lid and pressed the vial upon her grandson’s lips. The potion’s viscous content was glibbery, but Xavier swallowed it nonetheless.
All ailments have been cured. Effect of ‘Restraint’ Card has been lifted.
Xavier could finally move again. He was not sure how many effects had been put on him, but he was relieved to be finally able to move again. He saw something from the corner of his eye and moved instinctively. A blade condensed from energy formed in his hand as he used Energy Blade alongside Dash and Thunder Step.
He used every bit of strength within his body to pull his grandmother aside and burst upward. Just a millisecond later, a blade whizzed past Zora Vador’s head. Simultaneously, Xavier appeared in front of the man who had swung his sword at his grandmother. Anger filled his eyes, and he moved before he could think about what he was about to do next.
Blazing flames engulfed the Energy Blade alongside Pierce Armor And Break Armor as Xavier struck the Card Holder. The Energy Blade cut deep into the man’s neck and pierced through it in a smooth motion.
Xavier twisted the Energy Blade as his opponent's eyes widened, and he held his gaze as if to ensure that he was the last face the dying man would see. The man tried to struggle, but Xavier ripped his blade out of the man’s neck, causing a fountain of blood to splatter through the room. The headless body collapsed on the ground, and the head rolled to the side. However, Xavier was not done. He used Judgment on the remaining Card Holders and made his move.
He conjured several Elemental Aegis before the Card Holders and activated Stun several times in a row. In the next moment, he unleashed Air Bullets coated in Armor Break, Pierce Armor, and Coat of Fire. Dozens of Air Bullets filled the room all of a sudden, but the Card Holder couldn’t see them because the Pyro Elemental Aegis blocked their vision. The Card Holders only noticed the Air Bullets after it was too late. The Air Bullets smashed into their faces, throats, and the hands holding their weapons, taking them by surprise.
They were either disarmed, severely injured, or unable to block the attacks at all, resulting in a quick death.
Xavier was not sure what was happening to him, but he was going wild. His vision turned crimson and his memories of the following 30 seconds disappeared. He had no idea what happened. The only thing he could tell was that he had lost himself in fury and the hunger to kill every single person who dared attack his people.
[Proficiency of Minor Regeneration reached 100%. Level 13 → Level 14]
[Proficiency of Minor Physical Resistance reached 100%. Level 4 → Level 5]
[Proficiency of Minor Physical Resistance reached 100%. Level 5 → Level 6]
[Proficiency of Nightvision reached 100%. Level 8 → Level 9]
[Proficiency of Lesser Danger Sense reached 100%. Level 5 → Level 6]
[Proficiency of Energy Blade reached 100%. Level 3 → Level 4]
[Proficiency of Energy Blade reached 100%. Level 4 → Level 5]
[Proficiency of Stun reached 100%. Level 4 → Level 5]
8x Card Holders (Stage-1) have been slain.
+53 Soul Essences, +5 Common Cards, +2 Uncommon Cards, +6 Rare Card Shards.
Notifications flooded Xavier, but he couldn’t focus on them. Even the changes in the level up notification didn’t attract his attention. Xavier couldn’t focus at all. He had killed humans. It was the first time he killed his own kind, but he knew deep down that it wouldn’t be the last time.
I feel disgusting…but I don’t think I’m going to sleep badly tonight. Xavier realized.
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Was he already accustomed to death? He had killed hundreds of monsters, maybe even thousands at this point. It would make sense to be accustomed to death. But killing humans? Xavier shuddered.
“If you hadn’t intervened, they would have forced themselves on our defenseless women, and they would have attacked our settlement. Don’t even think about feeling sad or guilty. They deserved it!” Zora Vador reassured her grandson. She stood next to Xavier and slapped him when he stared mindlessly at the Card Holder’s corpses.
“Get your act together!”
Xavier held his cheek and stared at his grandmother in surprise. He felt like defying his grandmother’s words but swallowed back the retort working up his throat. She had said nothing but the truth. Thus, he nodded silently.
“If you won’t help me get their Card Decks and equipment, help Penelope and her friends. Inform your mother and the others about what happened here. Tell them that it’s time to hold another council!”
Xavier nodded again and walked over to Penelope. She was one of the three girls who had been kidnapped by the few Card Holders who had invaded Haven. Penelope bawled her eyes out upon seeing Xavier approach her, but she didn’t faint. Her mental fortitude was stronger than one of her friends. She’d already collapsed on the ground.
Xavier picked the unconscious woman up and gestured to the others to follow him. In the meantime, he used Whispering Energy to relay a message to Haven’s higher-ups.
The message was simple.
[We were under attack. The invaders have been killed, but they were Humans. Zora Vador calls for a council.]
Xavier relayed a message to the infirmary as well. They didn’t have a psychologist, but the Healers could calm their minds to a certain extent. They couldn’t help with traumas, unfortunately. But they could help alleviate emotional stress to a certain extent.
Xavier noticed some movements in the settlement. He could tell everyone was ready to fight and some fighters had already been prepared to move to the collapsed building. Zora Vador's commotion had been enough to attract everybody’s attention in Haven. His message hadn’t been necessary. Nonetheless, it was better to be fully prepared than lacking everything needed to deal with problems.
He reached the infirmary where he put the unconscious woman onto a bed. Penelope and her friend stayed with her where Linsey and another healer took care of them. Xavier summarized what happened and told the healers to be quiet until the council was over. They had to decide what to do now that it was clear that not all humans were on their side.
As Xavier paved his way to the council hall, which was just a small hall near Alsburg’s center, he thought about the Card Holders he’d just killed.
They tried to retaliate against him, but his combat prowess, combined with Zora Vador’s surprise attack, had been too much for them to deal with. His grandmother was not an expert combatant, but her Cards made up for her greatest power; her Sparrow companions.
Xavier had fought and killed several monsters without batting an eyelid, but never before had he felt this strange unease. He had always wanted to protect his people from monsters because they were menacing. But killing fellow humans? That would take some time to get used to. Images of the moment he barged into the hall to see the helpless women and the men plotting against his loved ones made his head swim. He had never imagined fighting humans as well.
How could some humans stoop so low?
But Xavier didn’t realize that humans were worse than monsters. He shook his head and took a few deep breaths to calm himself The council was convened soon after and all the important members of Haven were in attendance. Their faces all had the same expressions- a mix of disgust, anger and worry. Xavier entered the small hall to see his grandmother sitting on one of the chairs, trying to explain what had happened. Silvia was clearly shocked to find out that humans had attacked them while Mark was leaning on the wall with a grim look.
“Who were these people exactly? Where did they come from?” One of the elders asked.
“They stepped in through a portal but everything was demolished and all the invaders killed so we don’t have to fear them for now.”
Zora tried to reassure them but Mark shook his head.
“If they have a base somewhere, their friends might realize something went wrong if these invaders don’t return. So they might come after Haven sooner or later.”
His words caused an uproar and everybody started worrying about the future and stating their concerns loudly. It was expected. So far, they had only expected to tackle monsters. Fighting humans was new for everyone.
The discussion went on and on as the leaders tried to think of a solution. Mark asked patrolling groups to increase their rounds and report to him if they noticed anything suspicious. Furthermore, he reminded his people to not venture outside Haven when it was dark to avoid a possible incident like today.
He gave his wife a small smile as he patted her hand reassuringly. “Until we find more information about them, I request you all to be vigilant and not go anywhere alone.”
Mark’s measures were essential but without knowing who the attackers were or where they came from, it was hard to plan further.
Meanwhile, the cogs in Xavier’s mind were churning. He had been wanting to rescue more survivors and bring them home but after this incident, he was not sure if all humans deserved his trust or help.
What are we going to do now? Can we trust anyone?