“What the—where’d this bird come from?” Astosind tried to swipe away the crow, so flabbergasted by its sudden appearance that he had forgotten about his own powers. “Get away from me!”

The bird just cawed loudly. That made several more of them appear, showing in from all over, all of making a beeline for Astosind. He tried to use his gravity powers to increase his weight, forcing himself closer to the ground, but the birds were too strong. They not only kept him in the air, they even managed to raise him higher despite the initial increase in weight.

Despite herself, Rieren could feel a grin stretching across her mouth. Those three bastards had finally arrived. A part of her had been prepared for the possibility that they might end up betraying her by simply letting her fall against any overly strong team they might come across.

But, they had to have realized it wouldn’t go well for them. For one, anyone who killed Rieren would likely take all the tokens she had, which meant the recruits wouldn’t be able to recover theirs. For another, most teams out there weren’t strong enough to kill Rieren outright, which meant she would end up with the recruits as her enemies again.

“Where in the Abyss are those things coming from?” Even as Ledorne voiced the question, she twisted around to peer at the edges of the clearing. Like Rieren, she must have sensed the three recruits dashing towards the area. They’d just sent the Domain Summons ahead of them.

Before they could arrive, though, Falvain shot to his feet. His shoulder was bleeding thanks to Rieren’s blow, but he seemed focused and aware. His Domain came to life again, the fiery birds reforming with burning screeches.

Ah, of course. What better way to beat birds than with other birds? Especially using ones constructed with flames?

That was exactly what proceeded to happen. The firebirds charged at the crows keeping Astosind trapped in the air. A fierce battle broke out. Fires burst and sparked, crows went aflame with burning feathers flying every which way, and the stench of scorched meat shredded the air.

Enough of the birds were distracted that Astosind was able to free himself. He started plummeting towards the ground, only to be caught up in red wires.

While most of the crows were busy, one was free enough to let the Domain-user, Forys, out through its mouth gaping wide. He was able to cast out his Domain even as he pulled himself free from within the crow’s magical guts.

Rieren grinned. Such a familiar frustration. It was quite wonderful to see it inflicted upon others.

Astosind struggled against the red wires, but they wouldn’t budge. Ledorne had no better luck. Try as she might, her slashes had no more effect than Astosind’s brutal pummelling.

Falvain was about to attempt burning next, but then he had to contend with the fireballs flung from Stade. They didn’t harm him, of course. Rieren’s recruit wasn’t anywhere near as powerful as Falvain was, which meant his fiery attacks were easily fended off by Falvain with his own flames.

And then he retaliated. Apparently, he could summon more fiery constructs aside from his birds, even while the birds were active. His next summons were two giant hands made of concentrated fire. They batted away Stade’s various attacks with ease, moving viciously fast despite their apparent girth, before flying at their target and incinerating everything in their path.

Nearer at hand, Morel had engaged the woman with the rocky sword. He wasn’t strong enough, either. But with Astosind tied up, Forys was free to assist his companion, and together, they did just enough to prevent Ledorne from being able to obliterate either of them.

This wasn’t going exactly according to plan. They were supposed to come in and use the element of surprise to push the stronger trio back.

Unfortunately, her three opponents had rallied way too quickly.

No. not all of them. Astosind was still tied up. Falvain was having better luck certainly, but Ledorne was on a tightrope. She couldn’t exert herself fully against either of her opponents, lest the one she ignored used her overextension to his advantage and dealt a devastating blow.

Rieren simply needed to join in and make her presence felt.

“The Abyss do you weaklings want?” Falvain yelled as he hammered away Stade’s location with his burning, disembodied fists.

“Your death,” Stade said. Bold for someone who was on the verge of being turned to ash.

Forys was about break away from Ledorne and charge at Falvain to assist his companion, but that wouldn’t be good. They needed to take advantage of their superiority and fast.

Rieren rushed in ahead of him. “Leave him to me. Take care of the armoured one, first.”

Nodding roughly, he twisted around to do just that. Astosind was still struggling against his binds. He ought to be easy pickings at the moment, even if he was stronger.

Summoning her Domain brought on the stormy water again. With quick thrusts of her limbs, Rieren sent waves crashing to Falvain’s location Through Tidal Summons. His flames were quickly quenched out with steam hissing everywhere, and he retreated away from where he’d been just about to maul Stade.

With his freedom secured, Stade rushed towards his companions instead.

Now that Ledorne was one-on-one with her opponent, she had nearly overcome Morel already. He was no match for her superior strength and speed. All his techniques were easily countered by the woman and her rocky sword, his knife never leaving a single dent or scratch.

“Watch out,” Rieren shouted as Morel prepared for an ability that would require commitment, which made Ledorne prepare her storm of glowing arcs by stabbing her blade into the ground. “Don’t get too close to that—”

A screeching fiery maw interrupted Rieren. She was forced to redirect her attention to Falvain, fending off his flaming constructs with her water. Hopefully, the warning would be enough.

Desperate, Falvain tried hammering away at her much as he had done with Stade, but Rieren was more than ready. Earthfall Blade deflected every single blow and she soon managed to find an opening to counterattack.

Rippling Blade elongated her sword. A quick slash should have cut right through him, but his flames could form a strong defence too. Instead of slicing into Falvain, the sheer heat from his fire-shield shattered her Rippling Blade. However, it couldn’t stop the full strength behind the blow, and Falvain was forced back several steps, nearly losing his footing.

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It separated them enough for Rieren to look back for a second. It was a good thing she did. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known she was needed elsewhere.

Morel had heeded her earning to stay away from Ledorne when she was in her current stance. Nevertheless, the woman had carried out her strange, powerful attack anyway. A storm of arcs flew outwards from her location, shooting in every direction. They cut through the blitz of fireballs Stade had flung at her, all while keeping Morel far away.

Apparently, Ledorne’s intention hadn’t been to take care of her current opponents. She had only sought some space. Now, she was free to rush at Astosind and kill the Domain-user trying to end him.

Which was where Rieren had to act.

She threw herself forward as fast as her Body stat would allow her to go. For a brief second, it was exhilarating to compare her pace with Ledorne’s. The other woman was faster. Instead of dismay, all Rieren felt was an exultation erupt in her chest. Her blood sang. This woman had the potential of defeating her, if given the chance.

Of course, there was the possibility that she was using a skill or technique to enhance her speed. The realization signalled that Rieren ought to use hers too.

She activated Fray Passage, reaching the trapped Astosind just in time.

“Why have you not ended him yet?” Rieren hissed as her Receptor sword clanged dully with Ledorne’s rocky blade.

“I can’t touch him because of his Abyss-cursed powers,” the Domain-user said.

A distant part of Rieren acknowledged that he was right. Contact-based gravity powers would obviously make murdering the wielder with one’s bare hands quite the puzzle. The rest of her was locked in a vicious duel with Ledorne.

The woman was a living storm. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot, her limbs moving so fast that they almost blurred, and her veins stood against her pale, dirty skin. It was almost as though all her power was making her insane. Rieren wouldn’t have been surprised if that turned out to be true.

“You act tough,” Ledorne said. “But you’re going to fall. I’ll crush you, just like I’ve squashed everyone else who’s stood before my blade. I’ll give you credit for lasting this long, though.”

It was hard to talk while in the middle of fighting for her life, but Rieren got the words out anyway. She had good practice. “I do not recall falling to your blade in the last timeline.”

That set Ledorne off for some reason. Rieren hadn’t thought it possible but her opponent’s fury grew even more overwhelming. Every blow made Rieren’s limbs shake at the impact, and Ledorne’s arms were truly blurs in the air. She managed to keep up, regardless. Rieren was not about to be cowed.

A knife flew in. In the flash of its passage, she recognized it as one of Morel’s blades. He had aimed it at Ledorne’s face, who had reacted just in time not to have the flying knife sticking out of her cheek.

But that distraction cost her. The flinch and the resulting shift of her blade left her open. Rieren wasted no time to take advantage. She slashed her Receptor sword through Ledorne’s midsection. The burst of triumph at having connected a blow that should have been fatal faded as Ledorne turned out to be fine. She had been pushed back and suffered a shallow cut, but that was it.

Rieren’s slice had torn through part of her opponent’s robes, revealing strange armour underneath. She frowned. That was the same kind of rock adorning Ledorne’s blade. No wonder the Receptor sword hadn’t managed to hit flesh much.

Ledorne was about to advance, but Morel kept up the pressure by throwing more knives. Rieren was about to leap in, but then Falvain joined his companion. Not Ledorne.

He was helping Astosind.

A flurry of fiery fireflies rushed through the area. All the critters shot at the wires still holding Astosind trapped in one spot. Rieren tried to summon her Domain to snuff them out, but Ledorne dodged Morel’s blades and slashed at Rieren. That slowed her down just enough for Falvain’s fire constructs to complete their task. Astosind was finally free.

“Gods,” Forys said from farther behind, in a tone that would make the actual gods frown heavily. “We almost had it.”

Rieren wasn’t sure she could agree. The fray had been chaotic from the very beginning. Even with the element of surprise in their hand, they hadn’t truly held an advantage.

“The crows are ready!” Stade yelled from the other end of the little battlefield.

At the same time, he threw a furious volley of fireballs at Falvain. With most of the redheaded cultivator’s constructs busy freeing Astosind, he was wide open. Stade hadn’t wasted the opportunity. He had flooded the area’s rear with his flames.

But it had no effect on Falvain. He seemed to absorb the fires somehow, as though he was reconstructing whatever his Domain was with his opponent’s use of his main Aspect.

The next second, he set everything aflame with a scream.

Rieren didn’t understand what technique that was supposed to be. All she was aware of was the fact that the shriek from Falvain was so piercing that his companions had clamped their hands over their ears. With the way her own ears were cringing, her eardrums feeling like they were on the verge of tearing, Rieren would have joined them. Except, her hands were on fire.

They were smoking, like her robes, hair, and the rest of her. The pain caught up with her a second later. This strange fire was real. It was burning her, and her recruits too. Their screams were loud, clashing with Falvain’s shrieks.

But even through their screams, they could still communicate.

“The crows!” Stade yelled, sounding like his voice was a moment away from breaking. “They’re ready!”

“Use them,” Rieren said.

She was burning up. Literally. Rieren summoned her Domain. The relief was immediate and instantaneous as her water doused much of the flames that had caught upon her. Morel and Forys had come close enough that her water could save them too.

Hopefully, the crows would allow Stade to survive. But then, he wasn’t the only one escaping through those strange birds. Several crows were rustling down to land on and around Rieren as well. It seemed they were all to use the same getaway. Well, it wasn’t like there was any point in continuing this battle.

Of course, their escape wasn’t going to be so easy. Having seen Stade disappear already, Ledorne and a now-angry Astosind rushed Rieren’s position.

It was a good thing she could summon her steam to blind and disorient everyone in the vicinity. The explosive vapour elicited another round of shrieking from everyone besides Rieren. She was too busy gawking at the feeling of being devoured by one of the birds.

The crow ate her hand first. Rieren couldn’t make sense of the feeling at first. It was as though her arm was passing through a tight, wet, fleshy ring. A supremely icky feeling that nearly made her shiver. But Rieren controlled herself, especially since the parts of her ingested by the crow didn’t feel any different from normal, besides being a little wet.

It felt like there was an entire world past the crow’s mouth. Soon enough, the rest of Rieren was quickly devoured as well. She hesitated when it was her head’s turn to join the rest of her body, but there was no time for vacillation.

Darkness claimed her for a second. When she could see again, she found herself jutting upside down from another crow.

Rieren dropped down. “That was disgusting.”

“You are welcome,” Stade said.

He was batting the last remnants of the fires that his passage through his crow hadn’t been able to fix all the burns. They did look serious, but not fatal. So long as they got away, they could treat it. Rieren was certain hers were no better.

The others appeared a moment later. Morel popped out of one crow, Forys following suit with another.

“Everyone alright?” Stade asked, asking more after his companions than Rieren.

Forys made a show of checking all his limbs were intact. Morel was naked save for the armour underneath his robes, which he was in the process of quickly taking off, likely because the flames had overheated it. Rieren decided to spere him any further agony and summoned her Domain to help cool his armour down.

“Don’t do that!” he hissed. “Don’t you know that rapid cooling only turns overheated metal brittle?”

Rieren frowned. “Truly?”

“Yes! One must never cool something rapidly unless you want cracks in your armour.”

“I recall seeing forge masters and smiths quenching their heated swords into buckets of water.”

“That’s different. It’s part of the process when the metal hasn’t been set yet. But you really shouldn’t do that once you’ve finished creating the actual product.”

“I see. Good to know, thank you.”

“Where to now?” Stade asked. “I can show you where—”

Rieren raised a hand. Her heart had skipped a beat as she sensed a sudden channelling of Essence not too far from their location. She could tell that it was closing in on them at a very rapid pace. Someone was heading straight for them, and fast.

“What is it?” Morel asked. “Someone else coming?”

Instead of waiting for an answer, Forys headed straight to the end of the clearing Stade’s crows had brought them to. He returned quickly, his shocked face proclaiming Rieren’s worst fears coming true.

Ledorne, Falvain, and Astosind had already found them.