‘Alone…? Talyndra and Feyrin should be with her though?’
Though the Sandworm was a tough enemy, there’s no way it would have been able to take down the two of them, especially if Sylvia had anything to say about it. If they had fought it in its natural habitat and it was in its peak condition, perhaps things would be different. However, not only was it weakened by the change in environment, it had also been chasing us for a while, and from a simple glance, I could tell that the beam it shot before we crossed zones expanded a lot of its energy.
No matter which way I flip it, there’s simply no way the Sandworm would have claimed victory over Sylvia’s team, regardless of their conditions prior to the fight.
‘Maybe this is a ploy orchestrated by Sylvia to make them think she’s alone? That doesn’t sound too far-fetched… and it’d explain why I don't see Talyndra and Feyrin standing near Sylvia.’
Hoping to confirm my hypothesis, I look around, searching for the other two, hidden somewhere and ready to pounce on the attackers.
Unfortunately, when I do see them, my hypothesis is promptly proven wrong.
‘Just what happened?’
It doesn’t take me long to spot them, and when I do, a frown forms on my face. Slumped on the ground a few meters away from Sylvia, are Feyrin and Talyndra. They’re both devoid of life… but only in the metaphorical sense, their chests are still moving up and down, indicating that they are breathing. I can’t say for sure from this distance, but it seems that they’re asleep rather than unconscious.
‘They seem strangely… peaceful.’
With that thought, something clicks inside of my head and I remember just who is in Peregrine’s team.
‘Right…! Lorelai, sleep gas!’
The image of a young man with auburn hair which flows all the way to his hips pops into my head. With this new piece of information, I am able to better imagine the series of events that must have happened before leading to this.
‘That explains their state, but his sleeping gas [melody] has conditions. From what I recall, It needs a certain time of exposure, or a certain lack of awareness… or both. Surely he must have waited for them to be exhausted before spreading it…’
The pieces come together.
‘I see…. They must have been watching for a while then… or they were attracted by the sounds of battle…’
Now that I understand, everything finally makes sense, but now that everything makes sense, I finally understand just how dire Sylvia’s situation is. Though she hasn’t succumbed to the sleeping gas yet, I’m having a hard time seeing how she gets out of this predicament.
‘Hm? She hasn’t succumbed to the gas? How come?’
Curious, my gaze shifts toward Sylvia’s chest, purely for investigative purposes of course. I make sure to stare at it very intently. Very…. Very intently. I quickly notice that the skin tight bodysuits provided to us by DaiKar perfectly capture its…. curves to a surprising level of accuracy.
‘Wow, that’s ama- Focus you idiot!! Her chest isn’t moving! She’s holding her breath, just like back then!!’
I had almost forgotten just how unbelievable Sylvia is. Seeing her hold her breath, I am reminded of the time in Soulweaver’s facility, when Sylvia held her breath for at least twenty minutes while moving through the hallways with no problem at all. I remember being quite shocked back then, just as I am now.
Preventing me from recalling that event any further, Peregrine resumes, a smug smile still plastered on his lips. “It seems like you’re at a loss for words… or is it that you’re trying not to breathe in the gas?”
Sylva simply glares at him, and he continues. “It must be the latter if you insist on not answering. Well, no matter…” He plants his sharpsong into the ground and leans on it as he continues his monologue. “Before setting that trap for you, I had a few ideas, you know. I thought I could strike a deal with you at first, get a few points out of it, and increase my ranking…. But then I thought…’Where’s the fun in that’?”
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He slicks his golden hair backward and his grin widens. “An idea popped into my head you see. I thought to myself, what would the scouts think if I were to defeat Sylvia FullCastle?… If anything, it’d attract their attention… wouldn’t you say? I might even receive offers, perhaps even from the Sca-”
Lorelai, the sleeping gas man, interrupts. He licks his lips as he scans Sylvia from head to toe, his gaze slithering across her body like a serpent. “Or maybe… we could humiliate her in front of thousands of people…. Really give the audience something to remember…” A perverted sneer appears on his face, and his voice resonates with sickening intent. “...I bet they’d love that…”
Sylvia, however, doesn’t even flinch upon hearing his words. That does not mean that she is indifferent, but she makes sure not to show it, ensuring that Lorelai knows he won’t get to her that easily. I, however, cannot do the same as Sylvia. I can feel my heart beating faster, and before I notice, my fists are clenched so hard my hands begin to hurt.
‘Lorelai…There are limits you just shouldn’t cross…’
Fury burning within me, my body seems to move on its own. Before I can reveal my presence however-
- crack-
One of Lorelai’s teammates hits him on the back of the head, hard enough for his face to crash into the ground.
“You’re revolting Lorelai!” A woman with glasses and a pixie cut says after hitting him, her words as sharp as her strike.
‘Halendra…’
“You’re a disgrace to the team, to the title of [enlightened] itself. If it wasn’t for the fact that we need that sleeping gas of yours, I would have hit you ten times harder!” She continues as she adjusts her glasses above her nose.
Even Peregrine clicks his tongue in disgust after looking at Lorelai sprawled on the ground beside him. “Tsk, this is why I stay away from commoners. That’s how they all are… weak…well, except him maybe.” he says, shaking his head to dispel any thoughts of him.”
With a last glance of pure disdain, Peregrine looks away and gives Sylvia a choice. “Well then, as an apology for our… comrade. I’ll give you the option to surrender. Sure there are healers, but the less injuries you suffer the better right?”
When Sylvia’s expression remains impassive and she takes up a battle stance, a smirk appears on Peregrine’s face. “Yea… didn’t think so. It makes it more fun this way anyway.”
With that, all of Peregrine’s team, even Lorelai who painstakingly gets up, grinding his teeth, adopt their battle formation. It looks like they have no intention of making this a fair fight.
‘I wasn’t entirely sure about intervening at first… but that Lorelai guy pissed me off.’
I slowly come out of the fir tree forest. I know that with a sneak attack, I should be able to take out at least one member of their team, but I’m way too far out of range for that. Instead, I decide to make my presence known and draw their attention away from Sylvia so she can think of something.
To not become like the rest of Sylvia’s team, I make sure to not get within range of the sleeping gas. Generally, from the recordings of his fights that I watched, It’s hard to see if one is not paying attention as it manifests itself as sparkly dust, but since I know what to look for, it becomes quite conspicuous.
When I’ve gotten close enough, they all finally notice me. Sylvia is the first to turn her head toward me, promptly followed by Peregrine and his team.
As he sees me approaching, a look of recognition appears on the golden-haired man’s face, rapidly followed by bubbling anger. “You…!!”
The next to react is Halendra, who frowns at the sight of me. “If it isn’t the one they call ‘the executioner’....”
‘!!?’
My cheeks redden with embarrassment. “I… I thought that nickname wasn’t going to stick…”
“...You decapitate your opponents with that spinning shield of yours in almost every showdown you’re in... What else would we call you…?” Halendra asks.
“...”
I clear my throat and change the subject. “I-In any case, I’m afraid I can’t let you eliminate Sylvia and her team. I still need them.”
I raise my sharpsong and adopt my battle stance. Seeing me, Peregrine wipes the smug grin of his face and his expression turns somber. His grip over his sharpsong becomes tighter and he appears to sign something to another of his teammates with his head, prompting him to aim his blastpipe at me.
“...I might have been scared of you a few months ago, but I’ve changed… You might be stronger now than back then… but so am I!” He says, an apprehensive look on his face.
‘Hmm… Five of them is a bit much…. Let’s see if I can rile them up.’
I raise an eyebrow, doubtful of his words. “Are you? All I remember is you begging for me to stop tormenting you a few months ago.”
Hoping to destabilize them, I press on with my provocation. “... If you managed to come out on top in your group for the selection event after losing to me like that… I can’t imagine the others on your team are that good either…”
It seems like my ploy has worked, because anger clearly surfaces on the faces of Peregrine and his teammates. Only Halendra seems to maintain her composure, her melo-string still drawn, pointing toward me. She steps forward between me and her teammates, which seems to calm them down somewhat. “Nice try …but it’ll take more than that I’m afraid.”
‘Tsk, she won’t allow me to cause any more damage than that.’
Halendra, not wanting to let me speak another word, is on the verge of releasing her arrow, and I steel myself in order to receive it. Before she can do so, however, Sylvia crashes her warchord into the ground to attract everyone’s attention. Once she is sure that I am looking at her, she performs a series of signs to convey a message.
She points to herself, then to the sky, then to Peregrine’s team, to then open her palm wide.
‘What is she trying to say…?’
She points to herself.
“I…”
She nods. She points to the sky.
“The sky?”
She says no with her head.
“What…? Then, is it the number one?”
She nods. She points to them and then opens her palm.
“Them, five…. So, you, one…or alone? And them…five?”
Satisfied, she then points to me, and crosses her arms.
“Me… no? Or… forbidden?”
She nods furiously.
“You… alone, them.. Five… and me, forbidden… Wait, are you saying you’ll fight them by yourself and I can’t help?!”
She nods with even more fervor, sending her golden hair swaying in every direction. Without wasting a moment and not giving me time to agree or disagree, she raises her warchord and lunges toward them.