Sir Mathew ran towards the first silhouette in front of him, and he noticed the man was holding a dagger and wearing a black cloak.

"Feel my might!" Sir Mathew growled as he charged at the cloaked figure.

The assassin turned around and dodged the initial swing. Before launching an attack of his own. Mathew managed to dodge the attack and kicked the assassin in the leg, knocking him away.

Wina taught assassin's tactics to her husband and Sir George. And one of the things they learned was that assassins prefer to work in teams of two or more. Only the best of the best worked alone.

Mathew knew that another assassin was coming from behind. Hoping to stab him in the back. So he quickly rolled away from the first assassin and got back on his feet. He then spun around and caught the second assassin by surprise.

"W-What the?" the assassin muttered as Sir Mathew's sword pierced the man's chest.

"Cheap tricks won't help you," Sir Mathew said as he yanked his sword out of the man's chest and kicked him away. Spraying blood on the grass and dirt.

The first assassin wasn't going to stick around for a fair fight and retreated into the green mist.

"You can run, but you can't hide!" Sir Mathew yelled as he chased after the assassin.

Once the man was out of sight, Sir Mathew heard the sounds of someone choking and coughing.

"That sounds like Sir Andrew," Mathew said to himself.

Then a thought came to mind. 'These assassins are trying to use these fumes to do the dirty work. But they have to know that it won't affect Wina. She has immunity... Or were they hoping to rid us so they can outnumber her? Either way, they won't stop until everyone is dead.'

Mathew took a deep breath and went in the direction of the coughing. Once he got to his destination, he saw Sir Andrew, Mitchell, and Sir Richard struggling to keep the three assassins at bay. Their movements were sluggish, and they were barely holding on.

"Sir, there are too many!" Richard shouted as he blocked an attack.

"Just hold on!" Mathew said.

Then Sir Andrew coughed up a large amount of blood, and the assassin that was fighting him took advantage of the opening and charged at him.

"DAMN IT!" Mathew shouted as he tried to save the young knight, but he was too far away.

"Pick on someone who isn't poisoned, you weaselly bastard!" Roared Sir George, as he came through the green mist with his shield and sword glowing from his mana. He then bashed the assassin with his shield, pushing him back and saving Sir Andrew. He quickly stabbed the assassin through the heart and ripped his blade out of the body.

"Andrew! Find somewhere to recover! I'll deal with these cowardly bastards! Sir Mitchell and Sir Richard. Stay here and protect him. If things get too hot, get out of this mist! I'll catch up with you later!" Sir George shouted.

"Understood, Sir George! We'll do what we can!" Mitchell shouted as he blocked a blow and tried to counter.

Sir Mathew swiftly ran around the perimeter and did a horizontal strike from the assassin's blindside helping Mitchell.

*Swoosh!*

The assassin was cut in half and his guts spilled onto the grass.

"George! Have you seen Wina or Lady Nelumbo?!" Sir Mathew yelled.

"I haven't seen them! But they can handle—"

They heard a scream of pain that sounded like Lady Nelumbo.

"Dammit! I have to go now," Sir Mathew yelled.

"Go ahead. We'll take care of the rest," Sir George shouted as he killed another assassin who was going after Richard.

With that Mathew bolted through the mist heading towards the scream.

'Please don't be too late!'

***

Mathew could feel his heartbeat as he ran through the mist, and then he saw a flash of silver.

*Clang!*

"How the hell did you deflect my blow?!" a man yelled.

"Because I'm used to your cheap tricks," Mathew said.

The man jumped back into the mist to conceal his presence. Mathew knew that it was the same man he first tried to engage at the beginning before his friend tried to backstab him. He also knew the assassin was trying to use the green mist to his advantage, and that was going to be his downfall.

'I don't have time for this...'

Mathew quickly moved through the mist keeping his guard up until he came to a clearing. Six dead assassins were lying around Lady Nelumbo and Wina who were tied up in some type of trap.

Lady Nelumbo was bleeding from her leg.

"I told you to leave me! I'm slowing you down!" she yelled out.

"I can't just leave you behind!" Wina said as she was trying to remove the vines.

"Hehe... This Umbralis assassin has grown soft... Good catch, Zephyr," a sinister voice laughed.

"We haven't killed her yet, so keep your guard up," Zephyr replied to his comrade.

Wina looked behind her and saw five assassins approaching them.

"Shit," she cursed under her breath.

'I should have been paying more attention. They used the others as cannon fodder, and they wounded Nelumbo before using her as bait.' Wina thought as she was trying to come up with a plan.

"Sever her head and be done with it, Nikolai," said a female assassin.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Hmmm... With pleasure," said the male assassin named Nikolai.

With that two male assassins came after Wina who was trying to free herself but the vines refused to be cut.

'Mathew! I'm sorry. I've failed you... Just know that I love you.'

*Swoosh!*

Wina closed her eyes thinking she was going to be cut in half.

***

Mathew saw the assassins coming down on Wina and a rage shot out of his core like never before as his lightning blood activated and made time slow down to a snail's pace.

His eyes lit up as the world around him became dark, and his vision went blue. His body and senses were heightened and the five assassins were outlined in a yellow color.

"NO!" Mathew's body was surrounded by electricity as he appeared in front of the two assassins.

Nikolai and Zephyr didn't know what happened as their body parts started falling to the ground.

Mathew had sliced through both of them with three swings of his sword.

"W-What the hell is this guy?!" one of the female assassins yelled.

"He's a Lightning Rider! Kill him—"

Mathew had already closed the distance before the assassin could finish her sentence. The next thing he saw was the yellow glow coming from Mathew's blade.

"Run! He's too strong!" the last assassin yelled as he turned and ran.

The other female assassin tried to counter, but Mathew was too quick and strong. He parried her attack and countered. Slicing off her right arm in three spots.

"AAAAAHHHH!!!" she screamed in pain as her arm fell off.

Mathew's body was glowing brightly and the lightning around him was arcing. The woman tried to attack again, but Mathew swung his sword and cut the assassin's head clean off. The remaining assassin kept running and didn't look back. Mathew could feel his blood pulsating and his power growing.

*Boom!*

A lightning bolt hit the ground and a huge explosion erupted. Causing the mist to scatter. The blast was so powerful it destroyed the remaining tents and even destroyed a couple of trees. Wina and Nelumbo could see Mathew's body engulfed in lightning and the air around him was shimmering. Soon the electricity started to dim, and then Mathew collapsed to the ground.

"MATHEW!!!" Wina yelled as she got out of the vines and rushed over to her husband.

Mathew was unconscious, but he was breathing.

"Thank the Gods..." Wina sighed as she checked his pulse.

"Is Sir Mathew alright," Lady Nelumbo said as she freed herself from the vines.

"He's alive, but he pushed himself. I have to get him out of here. Can you walk," Wina asked.

"Y-Yes," Lady Nelumbo said as she tied a bandage around her leg to stop the bleeding.

Just as Wina was about to lift her husband, a dagger was thrown by the assassin who was hiding behind a tree. She caught the blade with one hand and turned towards the assailant.

"You should have stayed hidden," Wina said with cold eyes and a murderous aura.

The assassin panicked and tried to run but after taking two steps he felt his body get tangled up in something that he couldn't see.

"What the hell?" the man said as he struggled to break free. That's when he noticed Wina was only five feet away from him and she had her hand out holding something that looked like spider webbing.

"W-What sorcery is this!? Let me go!"

"Oh? So you've never seen Arachne Webs?... Let's see how long it will take before your body gets torn apart," Wina said as twisted her hands and tightened the webbing around the man.

"AAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!" the man screamed.

Wina was twisting her hands while pushing down. Causing the webs to tighten around the man's body cutting into his flash.

The man's screams soon became a gurgling sound as his own blood filled his mouth.

"No one will ever harm my husband. Not while I'm still breathing."

"T-This is what happens when an Umbralis grows too attached to a mark," the man sputtered out as his blood was starting to soak the ground.

"You're mistaken. This is what happens when an Umbralis finds her love and her true purpose," Wina said as she yanked her arm up, dicing the man's body.

"AAAAAGGGGHHH!!!" the man screamed one last time before his head was cut off.

Once he was dead Wina looked around her surroundings and noticed only one assassin was fleeing the area and towards a cave where some Galebane Fumes were lingering by the Labyrinth.

'I'll deal with him later. I need to make sure Lady Nelumbo can watch over Mathew and give the rest of the men the antidote.' Wina thought as she turned to her friend.

"Nelumbo! Do you still have the antidotes for the men? They'll die if they keep breathing this in," Wina said.

"Yes... What are you planning, Wina?" Lady Nelumbo asked as she pulled out a satchel full of antidotes.

"I'm going after the last assassin. I need to make sure he won't send any messages about our location... Go help the men and tell Sir George to watch over Mathew," Wina said as she disappeared into the darkness.

Lady Nelumbo almost felt sorry for the assassin who was fleeing.

'Poor bastard. She's going to tear him apart... But they had a choice and they must suffer the consequences,' Lady Nelumbo thought. The last thing she wanted to do was face her wrath. She picked up her spear and walked towards the men who were struggling to breathe.

***

"Fuck! Fuck! How am I the only one left?!" the last assassin cursed under his breath as he was fleeing the area as fast as he could. He knew the cave wasn't that much further but the green mist was making it hard to find. The assassin hoped he would make it to the cave and barricade himself in. As he was running he saw a silhouette in the mist, and his instincts kicked in as he threw a dagger at the person. Hitting the figure squarely in the chest.

"Ow? If you really wanted to get a reward, you didn't have to attack me you know?" Said an old man sitting on a rock. His white eyes glowed in the dark.

"Who the fuck are you?" the assassin said as he pulled out his sword.

"Huh? People like to call me Rolf... But I'm just the Keeper of the trials," Rolf said as he poked the dagger that was sticking out of his chest.

"Dammit! It's the Eternal. I don't have time for this," the assassin said as he was about to run.

"Oh... Don't be like that. Aren't you curious about your reward?"

The assassin stopped and turned around.

"What reward?"

"It will help you guide you through your future."

"What the hell does that mean?... Never Mind! You're wasting my time! I'm leaving!"

The assassin started to leave, but the Keeper chimed in, "Well, this is interesting?... I can't see your reward. I wonder why that is? Hmmm..."

"What the fuck are you talking about old m—," the assassin felt a sharp pain in his chest, and he looked down.

There was a bloody hole, and a blade was sticking out.

"That is very strange... But now I know why I can't see your reward... Oh well. Have a nice trip," Rolf said as he waved his hand.

Then the assassin heard the cold voice of Wina who was behind him.

"Die..."

Then a second later the man's body was torn apart and blood was all over the grass and stone. Her face was still as cold as ice as she looked down at the pieces.

"So? Have you decided to fight the shackles?" Rolf said as he looked at Wina.

"So, this is what you meant... Yes... I will fight them... But I can't do it alone," Wina said.

Rolf smiled, "It's good that you aren't alone, Wina Daz."

Wina smirked and looked at the Keeper standing there with a dagger in his chest. She was a little worried but Rolf seemed unfazed.

"I take it that this isn't your first time getting stabbed?... D-Do you need someone to help you pull the dagger out?" Wina asked as she didn't know what he was going to do.

"Oh? This thing? Thanks for pointing it out... When you live as long as I do, you tend to forget things," Rolf said as he looked down at the blade in his chest. He used one of his hands to pull the dagger out with no signs of pain and no blood. The hole quickly closed as he brought up the weapon and examined it.

"So, Eternals don't have blood. Interesting..." Wina said with intrigue.

"Hehe... Nope. Never had the stuff... Hey? Is that Mathew guy, alright? I think he needs his loved one by his side," Rolf said.

Wina's eyes opened wide. She got distracted by Rolf and forgot her husband was unconscious.

"How could I've forgotten! I'll take care of him right away!" Wina didn't bother with pleasantries. She ran back as fast as she could.

Rolf just smiled, "Those two are something... I wonder what's going to happen once they take over the shadows?... Meh... I need something to eat." He looked around the ground before looking at the dagger in his hand.

"Well, this will do," Rolf said as he started eating the dagger.