{Xhez}

As Rin had told her, the sprite needed to focus. Doing so was difficult, however, when she was in the presence of someone whose Spirit was as ominous as that man's was.

The last of the adventurers to come, the mage dressed in black, carried such a dominating aura that Xhez felt like even with humans not being able to perceive Spirit on the same level that she could, they had to have sensed it.

His eyes remained on her as they walked up to the fortress. Xhez remained on edge the entire way.

Finally, as they were getting close, Rin walked ahead to join the other "frontlines" and Cruz approached the sprite.

"Uh-!"

Xhez was about to yell for help, but the man put a hand on her wrist.

"Calm down. I just want to talk."

At this distance, the power this mage held was even more tangible.

Xhez knew that if a fight was to break out right now for whatever reason, she'd stand no chance against him. She knew that if Rin were to fight him, she'd also be helpless.

As someone who believed in her friend as strongly as Xhez did, that latter fact was depressing to acknowledge.

"I-I am sorry, but... I am new. I do not believe I have information of value to offer to you."

That was the best excuse not to have this "talk" that she could think of.

"I would have to disagree with that," he stated. "I find that information from a sprite traveling with humans would be exceptionally valuable."

Xhez froze. She looked up into the man's dark, brown eyes, cowering.

"As I said, calm yourself. I do not wish to harm you or that friend of yours over there. I do just want to talk."

The sprite had a hard time accepting that to be the case. In the face of this overwhelming power, however, she could only trust those words right now.

"I take it you're willing to speak, then?" He asked, noticing how she calmed herself down... or, at least, tried to.

"Y-Yes."

"Good. Now, before we get in there, I wanted to know. How exactly is it that you are able to speak? And, how exactly were you able to cast the illusion spell you've got on you? Did someone else do it?" He glanced at her from the side.

"I... I do not know how to answer this question. Most sprites I have known throughout my life have been like me," she shrugged.

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

"Is that so? I have never met an intelligent sprite before. All of the ones I've seen were far too busy trying to claw my throat out to say a word."

"I... I know what you are referring to."

"Ah..." He nodded. The others up ahead didn't seem to have any clue this conversation was happening. With how powerful Xhez could feel that this man was, she wouldn't have been surprised if he had done something with his Spirit to keep them from noticing. "Then, you understand why I am so intrigued. Have you seen the others? The ones who are... not like you?"

"Once, yes... Though, it was not alive. The differences between it and myself were noticeable, though."

Xhez recalled that moment. Finding a strange, wild-looking water sprite at the bottom of a pond. That moment was the first real clue she'd gotten as to what other humans normally saw when they looked at her kind.

It didn't excuse the way they were treated, but it made slightly more sense after that.

"Hm... Interesting. It does make me wonder, however, if there may be other creatures like that. Creatures who are mistaken for more feral counterparts. Perhaps this fortress we're about to assault is occupied by such creatures. How would that make you feel?"

Rather than answer that, Xhez's response was:

"What is the point of that kind of question?"

"To see just how closed the gap between sprites and humans is," he replied. "You are capable of speech. If you cast that illusion spell on yourself, you are capable of using Essence. Are you capable of empathy as well? Isn't that important information to have?"

As they drew closer to the fortress, he turned away from Xhez.

"We will resume this conversation after the mission is done."

The way he said that left no room for declining. It was as though that was simply the new reality and Xhez would have to accept it.

[Will he use this information against me somehow?] Xhez worried as she looked back at the man. He strode toward the fortress so confidently. So sure of himself.

Xhez hoped someday, she would be able to move through human society the same way. At least, with an aura that didn't make others shudder in fear.

[... Maybe it is because he knows he has this effect on others that he is so confident. Then what? Is that what I would need in order to gain the respect of humans?]

Things would never cease being so confusing, would they?

---

{Rin}

They arrived at the foot of the fortress before long. The orcs there noticed them, of course, and promptly began preparing themselves to start throwing projectiles their way.

"Our mages can place barriers on us until we're inside. Does your sister know how to do that?" Dominic asked.

"Um... No."

"The others will have to make up for it then. I do hope she will be of *some* use to us, however."

Maybe it was because they were about to begin, but Dominic lost that polite tone he'd been maintaining this entire time.

"She will be. I promise."

"Very well," Dominic replied. "Mages, you see those archers, right? You mind doing something about them?" He called out but the spellcasters were already halfway through their spellsigns before he'd even finished asking.

Just as the first flurry of arrows was launched at their positions, a few barriers appeared over their heads. Rin briefly turned back, just to see the mages in action.

She found that, if her positioning was to be interpreted this way, Alea was the one casting the barrier currently protecting her. Alea, who had been looking in Rin's direction before the brunette had turned, locked eyes with her and arched a brow high as though to ask "what are you looking at?"

[... Annoying as she is, at least she's not going to just let me die out here.]

It was nice to know the woman planned on doing her job, regardless of how she felt about Rin personally.

"Alright, move in! Good luck!"

As Dominic gave that order, he proceeded to run straight into the wooden gates barring the adventurers from entering the fortress.

To Rin's surprise, he burst straight through them.

[... Limit-breaking can make miracles happen, huh?] Setting that aside, Rin inhaled deeply. [Okay... Let's do this.]

As she charged in alongside Seth and Dominic, the battle began in earnest.