The wind whipped through Rin's hair as Ysmor soared above Cardana, the drake's wings cutting through the sky with powerful strokes.
Rin sat near the front, with Eve perched in her lap, Lisa and Jany right behind them.
"Wow," Rin muttered, peering over Eve's shoulder. "The land's darker than I remember."
Eve, snuggled against Rin, craned her neck to look back at her.
"You're holding on a bit tight there, you know," she teased, a playful glint in her eyes. "Afraid of heights?"
"Hey, just making sure you don't fall off," Rin shot back, loosening her grip slightly. "Wouldn't want you to get hurt."
"You know I can fly, right?"
"Ohhhh, right. So, if I do this..."
Rin casually went to throw Eve off.
"H-HEY!"
"What?" Rin pulled Eve back with a smirk. "Just fly down."
Eve glared at her.
"My vengeance will be swift and merciless, Rin. SWIFT AND MERCILESS!"
Lisa, who had been quietly observing the landscape, chimed in.
"Do you see those lights over there?" She pointed towards a cluster of flickering lights in the distance. "Looks like some kind of settlement."
"Ah, I guess you don't remember," Jany said. Her eyes narrowed, her expression tense. "That's the main village. We should land nearby and walk the rest of the way."
As Ysmor descended, the view of the ground grew sharper.
The darkness that Rin had noted wasn't just the absence of light; it was a pervasive gloom that seemed to seep into everything. Shadows clung to the edges of buildings and trees, giving the entire region an almost haunted feel.
She couldn't help but be at least slightly nervous that some of those shadows were the ones they'd faced before.
Suddenly, Jany stiffened.
"Look there!" She pointed down towards the village where a commotion was taking place. Sure enough, guards from Cardana were currently locked in a struggle with those very enemies.
And, it wasn't going well.
"Trouble," Rin said, her grip tightening instinctively around Eve again.
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Jany's voice was urgent.
"We need to help them. Those guards won't stand a chance against those things alone!"
Without hesitation, Rin nodded.
"Alright, let's do this." She looked at Lisa and Eve. "Ready?"
Lisa nodded, her healer's bag already in hand.
The fairy rolled her shoulders, a confident smirk on her lips.
"Always."
Ysmor touched down just outside the fray, the ground trembling slightly under the drake's weight.
As they dismounted, Jany led the way, her movements swift and purposeful.
Rin followed closely, activating her [Spirit Flame] in an instant, her hands and feet igniting with brilliant white flames.
The scene before them was chaotic.
The guards, though well-trained, were clearly outmatched by the sheer ferocity and strange powers of the shadows. One of the guards had his arm torn off as soon as Rin's eyes fell on him.
Rin didn't hesitate.
Rin immediately sprang into action.
Each punch and kick landed with a searing impact, causing the shadows to recoil and hiss. They seemed to register her as a far more formidable threat than the guards, and some of them backed off while others surged forward to face her.
Eve hovered above the fray, drawing intricate spellsigns in the air with swift, precise movements. With a flick of her wrist, she sent jets of fire spiraling downwards, engulfing several shadows.
Their inky forms writhed and dissipated under the onslaught, clearing a path for the exhausted guards.
Meanwhile, Jany and Lisa, knowing their strengths lay elsewhere, focused on aiding the wounded. Lisa rushed to the soldier whose arm had been torn off, her hands glowing with healing magic.
"Stay still, this is going to help," she murmured, her voice steady despite the chaos. Under her touch, the guard's wound began to close, new skin and muscle knitting together seamlessly.
Jany moved swiftly between the fallen, her sharp eyes scanning for those in the most critical condition. She helped pull another guard to safety, laying him down beside Lisa for treatment.
"We've got this," she reassured, her tone firm and comforting.
Rin, all the while, fought like a woman possessed.
Her movements were a blur of fiery strikes, each one more devastating than the last as she gradually warmed up.
She ducked and weaved through the battlefield, single-handedly taking down shadow after shadow. So much training had made her energy seem inexhaustible, every hit landing with the force of a magical hammer.
"Eve, cover my left!" Rin shouted, not missing a beat.
Eve responded instantly, sending a barrage of fire toward a group of shadows attempting to flank them.
They shrieked and disintegrated under the intense heat, giving Rin the opening she needed to press her advantage.
One particularly large shadow lunged at Rin, its claws aimed for her throat. She caught its wrist mid-swing, her hand blazing with white fire.
With a fierce twist, she flung it to the ground and delivered a crushing kick to its midsection, reducing it to wisps of smoke.
The tide of the battle shifted.
The remaining shadows, seeing their comrades fall one by one, began to falter.
[Huh?] Rin's brows furrowed. [Are they...?]
Rin's relentless assault left them in disarray, and those that could still move started to retreat, slipping back into the darkness from which they came.
As the last of the shadows vanished, Rin stood in the center of the battlefield, her chest heaving with exertion, the flames on her hands and feet slowly dimming.
She looked around, taking in the scene: the guards, some injured but alive, thanks to Lisa's efforts; Jany, helping the last few to their feet; and Eve, landing gracefully beside her, a satisfied smile on her face.
"We did it," Eve said, her voice filled with relief.
Rin nodded, her expression softening.
"Yeah, we did." She glanced at Lisa, who was finishing up her healing spell on another guard. "Nice work, everyone. Let's make sure the village is secure and find out what's going on with that sickness."
"Agreed," Jany said. "These shadows are becoming bolder and bolder as well. I wonder why."