Chapter 73: Aftermath

The trek back took longer than Leo would’ve liked. His limbs felt sluggish from the chase, and his stamina was recovering slowly. It was probably a good thing that most people had hidden away during the Echo attack, or he would’ve drawn a lot more attention than necessary.

While Leo made his way down the winding streets, he took the time to distribute his stat points from leveling up.

200 points he used to raise his agility up by 2—the fucker had been fast, and he’d need more agility to keep up the next time they met.

That, and a petty part of him didn’t like the idea of someone being faster than him. Sure there wasn’t a logical basis for it, and obviously higher level people would have higher agility, but speed had always been his thing. Like hell was he going to let this guy one up him in that department.

After some thought, Leo used the remaining 100 points to raise [Teleport Object] to level 2. Now that he’d had some time to calm down and his initial fury had died down, he was gaining a new appreciation for how the spell had saved him from that last attack.

Maybe he’d been looking at it wrong this whole time. He’d exclusively been thinking of ways to use [Teleport Object] offensively with his throwing knives, but if he used it defensively against incoming projectiles, the accuracy issue wouldn’t matter. As long as he was quick enough to activate the spell when the objects entered the spell’s range, it could very well be his best defense against long distance attacks.

Based on the way the man had disappeared after firing that arrow, he probably didn’t know Leo had survived, and the [Fragmentholder] planned to take full advantage of that fact.

He turned the next corner, dragging his foot behind him. A little longer and he’d have enough mana to use [Renewal], but until then he’d just have to deal with it.

Some of the rubble had been cleared out, Leo noted. It looked like all the Echoes had been dealt with, and he could spot a few guards and other volunteers working to try and deal with the damage.

Leo hunched in on himself in an effort not to draw attention. He did have enough mana for [Fade into Background], but he didn’t think it was worth it. He looked like just another survivor; no one would pay him extra attention as long as he didn’t do anything suspicious.

Speaking of survivors, Leo passed by several people huddled on the ground cradling fresh wounds. There was a haunted look in their eyes, one he recognized all too well. He swallowed and kept walking.

The city would never be the same after this. Even after the ward was fixed, any illusion of safety had been thoroughly shattered with the ward stone. This was probably the last time Alnwick would have so many festivities happening at night.

Soon the auction hall came into view. Some of the worst damage was here, and Leo had to weave around collapsed buildings and upended chunks of the road.

He spotted the painting where he’d left it, still propped up against the wall, and snorted. It figured that it would survive the attack. Leo moved over to grab it; at least he wouldn’t owe Lenore after this.

“Leo!”

The [Fragmentholder] turned around just as Allan approached. The [Healer] was holding a bloodied cloth in one hand and had fresh blood stains covering his clothes that hadn’t been there after the fight. There was a noticeable weariness to his shoulders, which Leo guessed was from excess mana use. He must’ve been helping heal the survivors.

Allan’s pace slowed as he approached, dark eyes scanning him for injuries. “Did you…?” His voice trailed, but the unspoken question was clear.

Leo shook his head. “He got away.” He didn’t bother hiding the bitterness in his tone and tapped the arrow he’d grabbed. “This is all I got.”

He turned to the street in general, noting the guards clearing away rubble and the tarps covering what must be dead bodies. He frowned. “How’s it been over here?”

Allan pursed his lips. “Not great,” he said quietly. “The guards took out the rest of the Echoes, but too many of them made it into the city.” He shook his head. “Rebuilding will take a long time.”

Leo swallowed. “How many dead?”

The [Healer] glanced over at him, then back to the street. “I don’t know the exact number, but there were more than 40 in the square alone and even more injured. Some of them might not survive the night.”

Leo’s jaw clenched. Even if logically he knew better, he couldn’t help but feel responsible somehow. If he’d just realized what the man was planning sooner, he could’ve taken care of him or warned someone and the ward would still be intact.

Allan must’ve sensed his thoughts, because he frowned at the [Fragmentholder].

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“You know it’s not your fault, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” Leo let out a huff. “Can’t help feeling guilty about it though.”

Allan hummed. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

Leo furrowed his brow, but before he could ask what the man meant, a familiar figure stepped closer.

Spade’s borrowed guard uniform was covered in blood and other odd Echo parts that Leo didn’t want to think about. She still had her sword out, and the blade was just as coated, so much so that barely any of the actual metal was visible.

That being said, the [Executioner] herself didn’t look particularly injured. On her back, she was casually carrying the bags they’d left in the alleyway before the masquerade, which thankfully looked undamaged. The [Executioner] nodded at them.

“Looks like you made it back. You ready to go?”

Leo frowned. “We’re just… leaving them?” He gestured vaguely at the injured civilians huddled on the streets and the frazzled guards and doctors. Spade shrugged, flipping her sword and sheathing it in one smooth motion.

“We’ve done all we can here. I heard some of the guards talking. The guard captain and city mayor will be here soon. Unless you want to risk the extra attention, I suggest we leave while we still can.” She nodded down the street. “We’ll be able to hide out in the Pearl while we plan our next move.”

Leo nodded slowly. He couldn’t really argue with that logic.

The [Fragmentholder] adjusted his grip on the painting, still silently impressed that it had survived the attack, and gave the ruined street a final look before turning away.

“Let’s go,” he muttered.

—

About halfway to the Pearl, Leo had to pause and catch his breath. The pain in his leg was getting worse, and there wasn’t a way to hold onto the painting without exacerbating the injury in his hand.

Allan’s face was a mixture of exasperated and worried as he eyed the [Fragmentholder]’s ankle, which was now slightly swollen. “You really should’ve said something,” he said.

Leo winced. “I figured you wouldn’t have enough mana left?”

The [Healer] snorted and raised a hand.

[Allan has activated the [Mend] skill]

By the time the familiar ultramarine glow faded, the sharp pain had softened into a still annoying, but tolerable ache. Allan dropped his arm back down.

“I saved enough mana for another [Mend].” He shot Leo a pointed look. “I figured you’d probably end up needing it.”

Leo snorted. “Yeah, you got me there.”

He stood and readied to begin moving again. When he went to grab the painting, however, Spade leaned forward and picked it up, then continued walking without a word. Leo exchanged a look with Allan, who just shrugged. Shaking his head, the [Fragmentholder] moved to follow.

The three of them passed by more collapsed buildings, and more than once they had to take a detour just to get around piles of debris. Occasional pieces of stray rubble fell onto the road as they moved. Leo made sure to keep an eye on their surroundings to make sure they didn’t get caught under any buildings on the verge of collapse.

Soon the Pearl came into view. The building itself seemed to have survived the attack unscathed, though the neighboring shops hadn’t been so lucky. Leo could see the tall chimney of the building across the street was cracked straight across. It looked ready to fall down any minute.

As they approached, the front door of the Pearl swung open. Leo was surprised to see Lenore stepping outside.

The woman was wearing the same robe as earlier and smoking from that seemingly ever present pipe of hers. Leo was about to call out, but before he could open his mouth, a loud crack rang throughout the street.

His head snapped up to the damaged chimney, where the cracks had spread across the brick surface. The entire thing broke in half and fell, tumbling down towards the Pearl.

Leo yelled in warning, instinctively activating [Sprint], but he only felt a sharp pain in his chest from his insufficient mana reserves.

Lenore remained in place, watching the incoming bricks with a steady gaze. She removed her pipe and exhaled a ring of smoke.

[Lenore has activated the [Lacrimosa] skill]

It was as though a boundary was drawn through the air. On one side the collapsed chimney was a solid mass, hurtling towards the brothel. But as soon as it crossed that invisible line, the object disintegrated into streams of ash.

The ashes flew into the night sky, carried away by the twisting breeze, while the rest formed a grey pile on the ground in front of Lenore’s feet.

Only a few pieces of brick made it past the skill’s range, weathered down into chunks so small that they clattered onto the ground like pebbles. Perfectly harmless.

Lenore took another long puff of her pipe, then turned to face them with a detached, assessing gaze.

“I’m assuming the wards weren’t your doing?”

Leo realized his jaw had dropped and promptly clicked it shut. That was one hell of a personal skill; no wonder the woman had never bothered to change into a Tier 1 class despite undoubtedly having the money for a crest. She probably had other skills suited to her profession, and her personal skill took care of any defensive needs. If she was only interested in maintaining her current lifestyle, then that was more than enough.

The [Fragmentholder] quickly shook his head. “No, it was—”

Ringing laughter cut him off before he could continue. Lenore shook her head, still chuckling.

“Relax, I was joking. I know you wouldn’t do something like this.” She pointed her pipe at Spade, eyes sparkling in amusement. “Besides, I like to think I have better taste in bedfellows than that,” she drawled.

The [Executioner] raised an eyebrow, some kind of unspoken conversation passing between them that Leo didn’t think he could even begin to try to decipher.

Finally, Lenore snorted and took a step back. She pulled open the door and gestured at them.

“For now, why don’t you three come in before another building collapses?” Dark blue eyes swept over their bloodied clothes and the wrapped painting from the auction, finally landing on the arrow still strapped to Leo’s belt.

“I’m guessing you have a lot to talk about.”