“Assassins!” I heard Merlisse yell.

The guards of Fortress Major and the idle members of the Altar expedition, all simultaneously woke up to the realisation that they were in a danger zone. Within seconds, Assassins clad in merchant and civilian clothes had drawn swords, daggers, knives, and handheld crossbows, indiscriminately killing those around them, causing a mass panic.

At the same time, I became acutely aware of Saoirse running down someone trying to escape into the nearby forest. With her massive greatsword, she cleft his head from his body, before turning around to hunt down someone else who was running, the vague non-shape of the Unleashed Whistle guiding her to the next target.

There were, however, also some of the Demonologist’s men who made themselves known by going on the offensive. One of these was someone that, until moments prior, had ostensibly been a member of the Altar expedition, proving that they were embedded in the Adventurers’ Guild. She unleashed a blast of fire that turned three noncombatants and a Vanguard into charred corpses, while lighting up the nighttime darkness.

Emily immediately pointed her wand at this enemy Spellhand, seeming to will the air around her target to disperse, as I saw the flames die out as oxygen and air flowed away. The woman began clutching her throat, but then someone barged into Emily, knocking her to the ground and halting her spell.

I looked down in horror and saw blood seep through her tunic where the attacker’s blade had pierced through.

“REPEL!” I shouted, blasting him point-blank with such force that his body was smacked into the ground and an audible crack came from his left arm and torso.

He was about to stand back up, when I released Drain Spirit on him, swallowing his soul, while he tried to stab me with a knife he’d pulled from his belt, though Meigetsu kept pushing aside his weapon until he was drained entirely of life.

“ARMEN!” I yelled.

The Crusader was quickly by my side, having shoved through two Assassins that were quickly dealt with by the Witch Hunters who were with him.

He took in the scene and immediately knelt to tend to Emily’s wound. The shock and surprise seemed to have rendered her unconscious.

“Is she going to be alright!?” I asked, as I frantically panned around, searching for anyone else that might wish to do us harm. The enemy Spellhand was still choking and coughing, but I was sure it wouldn’t take long before she recovered.

“I can heal it,” he answered confidently.

“Perhaps announcing our intentions right off the bat was a terrible decision,” I considered, as I saw how people were being trampled by the panicked civilians and how others fell on each other with their weapons and spells. It was a horrific sight. I only hoped that Renji, Elye, and Ludwig were faring better above.

I turned my staff on the Spellhand and sent forth a Repel, which was now coloured burgundy with a black smoky trail. The Singing Branch seemed to writhe with desire for her soul.

The woman dispersed my attack with some invisible barrier and I realised she was holding a Focus in her left hand, on top of the sceptre in her right.

She must be using Soul Barrier! I realised.

A flame like a pilot light grew to life at the tip of her sceptre and I quickly threw out my own Soul Barrier, willing my staff to be the medium. In my mind’s eye I imagined a slanted wall that’d redirect her flames skyward.

With a great sweeping motion, the Spellhand swung her sceptre and send a cleaving flame across the battlefield. Many of those fighting nearby had quickly put some distance to her, while some were slinking around her flank, looking for a moment to exploit her lack of attentiveness.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

I felt the impact of her flames against my barrier in the depths of my soul, as though I’d just clenched my abs and absorbed a kidney blow. It hurt, but nowhere near as much as if I hadn’t braced for the attack. As expected, the flames dispersed into the sky.

With a step forward, I released a quick-cast Repel, then swung my staff like a bat and released another more potent version that I willed into a curving trajectory.

The first broke against her invisible barrier, though she seemed to wince at the impact, perhaps because of the many types of soul energies imbued inside it, thanks to my greedy staff.

As for the second Repel, it whiffed, because a guard from Fortress Major slammed into the Spellhand’s back with his mace, no doubt destroying her unprotected spine. She quickly collapsed to the ground and like a vulture, I swept forward and aimed my Singing Branch at her face.

“Drain Spirit!” I yelled, sucking the embers of life from her, while the man who’d struck her witnessed in horror. I understood why he had such a look in his face as he saw my magic, but I didn’t care.

I returned to Emily’s side and she was already getting to her feet, thanks to Armen’s potent healing.

“Use me for support,” I told her.

Meigetsu, extend your protection to her.

A sharp pain shot through my head.

“Argh,” I groaned.

Fine! Then just focus on keeping me safe from anyone charging in my general direction with ill intent!

Ryūta, please do not defy the rules of your contracts, Saoirse’s voice suddenly commented in my mind. I am no fan of such pain.

I know. My bad, okay!

Emily’s weight on my shoulder was heavy, but I bore it gladly.

“Do you have any energy left?” I asked her.

“I do.”

“I want you to create a powerful wind around the battlefield, such that those attempting to run away will be prevented.”

“I’ll try,” she said and began carefully moving her wand, while her eyes flickered around, perhaps trying to gauge the exact dimensions of what she was trying to accomplish.

“Armen, try and save as many of those on our side as you can, but don’t go too far away.”

“Understood.”

As Emily worked to surround the emergent skirmish with her magic, I looked around at the fights that were still unfolding. It looked like most of the Assassins were already dead, having foregone proper protection in exchange for disguises. Though they had not lasted long, each of their deaths had cost four or five noncombatants or allied deaths. I had initially thought these Assassins were Otherworlders, since I knew there was a Rogue specialisation with that name, but their auras had been too weak to be anything but that of Natives. To think that they had managed to slay not just noncombatants, but Otherworlders, that was a terrifying thing.

However, the worst of the ambush were those embedded deeply into the Adventurers’ Guild, as they relied on the bonds they had built to slay their former allies. There was only a total of five of such people, with the Spellhand being the first to die. The other four were a Paladin, Ranger, Vanguard, and Summoner, the last two of which lay dead.

The Ranger was currently skipping away from three guards and a Hunter who were in pursuit, while the Paladin was being torn to shreds by three Witch Hunters working in tandem to stay out of the reach of his spells, while dealing damage to vital areas.

I tracked Saoirse as she came into view behind the elusive Ranger and then just chopped his head off with a single swipe.

These are weaklings, she complained, though I was glad she was lending her strength to our side. The real challengers are above.

Armen was still busy healing injured civilians, but there were many for whom his aid was too late.

Emily was also not in great shape, though the winds were whipping into a frenzy at her command and making escape for the few survivors of the ambush impossible.

“We’ll stay here,” I said, knowing Saoirse could hear me, even at this distance.

It was painful, but I couldn’t charge into a fight like Renji. My arsenal was tiny and I lacked the kind of firepower that Seramosa had imbued me with, with my Drain Spirit requiring me to be quite close, and Repel having mixed success at range.

Once again, I felt like I had back in Helmstatter. I was just standing on the side-lines, while the real fighters dealt with the serious threats. Even with Armen and Saoirse linked to me through contracts, that feeling wasn’t gone, because they were not part of my arsenal, but rather their own actors merely working on my behalf.

Perhaps I’ll always be locked to the sidelines, I considered.

“Is that such a bad thing?” Armen asked through my thoughts. “Those on the sidelines play an important role, they are just often not hailed as heroes.”

I sighed. It wasn’t that I wanted to be hailed as a hero or fight life-or-death fights up-close. Instead, my apprehension about my role in this sort of thing came from the fact that I felt so powerless. All I could do was watch and lend some support, without knowing if those I was supporting would survive or not. If I had been a Priest, I could’ve felt more in charge of my supportive role, but instead I was merely someone who urged the long-deceased to fight on my behalf.

In short, my position was one of a coward.

Emily squeezed my shoulder.

“Don’t look like that,” she said. Her face was pale, but she was putting on a smile for me.

“Thank you for saving my life,” she continued.

I smiled a little bit as well.