Drim, who had been intently listening to Jaid’s monologue suddenly jumped in panic—a literal shiver sent down his spine when he heard his full name. His head craned away from Jaid, who looked amused by his dread, to find the source of the call.
She was still a ways away, and Drim could only feel pity and remorse for the soldiers that were too bold or too stupid to approach her. Several of them tried to subdue Ahvra, but none even made it close. She had her broom in hand and would swing it on occasion causing a massive tornado to whip around her.
When one soldier in particular got too close, lunging at her, he turned into a baby and slid across the ground before crying. Those around the baby were all suddenly changed too, their ages varying from toddler to senior citizens on death’s door. Normally, Ahvra was very restricted in her Curse usage, and would have passed out already from this much exertion, but today she was fueled by fury.
Eventually, she didn’t even let them get close. Any soldiers nearby just immediately doubled over in pain, clutching random parts of their body. Ahvra must have been doing something to their blood or the electricity in their nervous system.
“It’s too loud, Drim Drazah!” the pissed-off witch called him again when she got closer. Drim knew things must be serious, since this was the only time he had ever heard her use anyone’s real name, and full name at that. “I couldn’t focus with all the noise, so I tried to get some sleep, but it’s too Cosdamn noisy for that too! So what are you going to do about it, Drim Drazah?!”
“Uhh, yeah, sorry about that, Ahvra,” Drim apologized the best he could while glancing away from her scornful eyes. “We were just in the process of getting them all to leave.” His eyes drifted over to his enemy’s as if they were pleading for her to save him. “Weren’t we, Jaid?”
“Oh, Organ Farm, I didn’t know you had returned,” Ahvra greeted her, almost looking soothed by seeing an old companion. “Are you here to accept my offer to be my lab rat for life?”
“As I was saying about retreating,” Jaid ignored the question entirely. “I can issue the order, but with how chaotic things are right now, I don’t know how many would listen. Can’t say the regular soldiers have ever fully respected my authority. Look at their eyes, so many full of tunnel vision and bloodlust. We need something to bring everyone back to reality.”
“I can take care of that,” Ahvra’s hungry, tired eyes looked over to the field of soldiers. “Useful Drim,” she was halfway back to using his nickname so that had to be a good sign, right? “Tell me which soldier is the most evil.”
“Hmm…” Drim scanned the battle. He hadn’t been expecting to give an answer so easily, but his instincts guided him to one soldier in particular in no time. “That one, the one with the yellow shoulder pads who’s using a serrated whip.”
“Ah, I could have told you that. The sadistic piece of…” Jaid let her words trail off before she said something more incriminating.
Ahvra did a full spin of her broom and sent a gust of wind towards the soldier in question. Except it only started as a gust and quickly turned into a full roaring updraft of air. It was like a torrential waterfall of wind but flowing the wrong way. Ahvra had always struggled with using her Curse to any significant degree, so what was with this absurd level of improvement? Just how much had she been practicing in secret?
The wind picked up the evil soldier and raised him into the air. It only took him so high before it held him in place, suspending him for all to see. Now she just had to drive the point home. Ahvra held out her hand and closed her eyes, focusing.
Quickly, all color drained out of the man’s face as he started screaming in terror. It didn’t take long after that, and Drim could guess what she’d done the moment it happened. Ahvra had reversed the flow of all of the man’s blood, every drop of it, and sent it back to his heart. His chest exploded, raining blood all over the battle before his lifeless corpse crashed to the ground.
Before anyone could say anything, Victori appeared suddenly next to Ahvra—she must have been teleported by Phon. “Oh, uhh, I guess that’s my cue,” she looked around, surprised herself that she’d been moved. “Target: Central Peace soldiers invading the compound. ‘Holy zjik! If we stay here, that might happen to me too!’” she spread her rumor.
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Jaid’s face winced for a moment, clearly having received the manipulation as well, but she held it together better than a lot of the soldiers who clearly started to have panic attacks. “That’ll do then,” she muttered and then pulled out her Central Peace pendant that had been stuffed under her torso. She squeezed it and it started to beep and flash. “I’ve ordered the retreat.”
A tirade of beeps filled the compound and most soldiers didn’t need to think twice. They started running away towards the southern gate at full speed. A few of the stronger willed or more stubborn ones held their ground for a minute, still staring down their opponents. But once they saw the mass migration, they joined the rest.
“Okay, I’m satisfied,” Ahvra yawned. “I’m going to bed. Someone wake me in a week.” Drim didn’t have it in him to scold her at the moment for killing someone in cold blood. He’d have that talk with her later… or whenever he felt up to it. Surely that day would come.
“Umm, I need to get back to observing the situation,” Victori ran off as well.
“Guess I need to go corral the herd,” Jaid sighed as she watched them flee in fear. “Maybe at least that lasting image will finally make them understand why this was a bad idea. But when there is a next time… Next time… things will be different.”
Drim found his hand reaching out towards the knight as she started to walk away. “Wait, Jaid!” A lump formed in his throat and the back of his neck started to feel tense, but there was something he had to ask. “Are you sure you’re where you belong?”
Since their fight had ended, Jaid had almost had a peaceful expression on her face, accepting of what had happened. But now it had soured. She quickly glanced back at him, just for a moment before turning back towards her retreating army—her eyes filled with hatred.
“You’re the boldest person I’ve ever met, Drim Drazah—that you would dare to ask me that when you’re the one who threw me away.”
Drim could only watch her walk away with nothing to say in response. There was a pit in his stomach and his heart felt hollow. He needed a moment to process his feelings, but he didn’t get it. “Is that The Paladin?!” It was Rishaki of all people whose voice rang in his ears next, but she didn’t stick around and raced after the retreating knight. “Mistress Luciri! Hold a moment! I want to talk to you about your sword!”
“Not before I ask her about airing rights first!” Chorus popped out of nowhere as well and began sprinting towards harassment.
That gave Drim a moment longer of reprieve, something he desperately needed before he could face everyone again. And they started congregating towards him. It seemed Drim at the northern gate had become the unconscious meeting spot where everyone decided to regroup.
After Itsy, Mallea, and Feyj had joined up with him, Phon suddenly appeared and gave Drim a hug. “It’s over and everyone’s fine! Well, a few minor injuries but Farian is taking care of it,” she reported. “Ah thank mawhg, they’ve cleared the compound, and I can finally see properly again! Let’s see if the barrier will restart.” She fiddled around with her phone for a moment and then a great sphere of pink blinked around the entire compound a few times. Eventually, it held steady and returned to its invisible state.
This prompted everyone to move a few steps and make sure they were back safely inside. Phon then disengaged the lockdown, and the buildings started to rise back up. Word was sent to those who had evacuated that they could go ahead and return via the secret tunnel, or wait until all the soldiers had cleared and come back through Bisomote.
Phon mumbled something about letting free the soldiers and Fiends they’d trapped, but Drim wasn’t paying much attention at that point. As quickly as the crowd had formed around him, it dispersed all the same. A lot of them still hadn’t had lunch or were jonesing for an early dinner—possibly a lot of drinking too.
Eventually, only Phon and Xard remained discussing a few things and talking at Drim while he tried to work through the myriad of issues in his mind. Not long after, Kada joined them as well to round out the group. Leave it to her to say something so absurd that it finally snapped Drim out of his funk.
“This is my pe-eeeeeeeeeee-I mean, this is our new member, Laurim Marasa! Even if you say no, I’m using my general authoritativeness to say yes!” Kada held the mauve-haired Fiend up by the scruff of her neck for the others to see. “Didn’t I do great? Not only did I beat my assigned Fiend, I also got her to defect and join us too. Praise me!”
“Oh and get this, she’s the one who’s been naming the monsters this whole time! Every time she turned into a new one, the CP—”
Red flashed in Drim’s eyes and his entire body started boiling with rage and vitriol. Before he could realize and stop himself, he found his fist punching Laurim straight in the face. The pitiful Fiend went flying backwards, tumbling into the north gate.
Drim rushed straight after her, crouching down next to her and giving her a bit of life to help her heal while he apologized profusely. “I’m so sorry! That was unforgivable of me. I just had a bit of a longstanding grudge and a promise I had to keep to myself. It will never happen again, I swear it will never happen again. Once more, I apologize, and let me welcome you officially to the Fiends For Hire!”