Jakob collapsed unconscious to the ground in front of Natasha. Covered in blood as he was from the last attack he had inflicted on Romas, it was hard to tell with a single glance how pale his skin had become. But Natasha knew before he even hit the ground what had happened to knock him out. He had tapped into an ability that he had no way of knowing, drained all his mana when he used it to protect her, then immediately used another Bloodburst. Mana exhaustion was the result. Thankfully she was also able to tell that his chest still rose and fell with his light breathing. Since he was clearly stable for the moment, she was able to turn her mind to the thoughts raging through her at what had just happened.

She had been writhing in pain on the floor when Jakob had made the grievous mistake of throwing Romas in her direction. Recovering quickly from the throw, Romas had refocused his attention on her, the greater threat, and had attacked swiftly to end her life before she could defend herself. Horror and fear at her impending death had shot through her mind, blotting out everything else. For long moments the room around her had faded away until it had just been her and those glistening blades.

As they came ever closer, her emotions had morphed into a deep, burning rage. Rage that it had all come to this, her dying far away from home. Rage that her father and grandfather had been unable to protect her from being sent here. And most of all, rage that she had not been able to reach her long sought goals.

Yet for all the rage flowing through her, the sight of Jakob roaring in denial across the room gave rise to the strangest feeling in her. His rush to intercept the attack against her was doomed, but it would nonetheless be fast enough to ensure he killed the last dark elf still standing. With a little bit of luck, he might end up surviving the dark elf threat in this city.

Then Jakob appeared over her in a burst of smokey shadow. With one last blast of Bloodburst, her human ally had completely reversed her fate.

She had caught his blood spattered form as he fell. It was no surprise that he had lost consciousness, as the cost in mana to chain those two abilities together exceeded his limits. She checked his pulse, but it was like she thought. He was in no real danger, though he would be laid up for a while if his mana did not recover somewhat before he woke up. Given the continued threat of her kin, that was not something they could afford.

Gently laying him on the floor, Natasha limped around the room, going from body to body checking them for a mana tincture, or even just one of the roots that were regularly carried by her people when they went on missions as an emergency reserve to recover mana. The name of the root escaped her at the moment, but she was sure she would be able to recognize it on sight.

Luck was with her, and the second dead dark elf had on him a few of the roots tied into a bundle. Pulling one of them free, she hobbled over to Jakob. Gently prying his mouth open, she placed the root between his teeth and cheek. As the unconscious human began to suck on it, his face tightened at the taste. She let out a nearly silent giggle. Having had to use them before herself, Natasha was well aware of exactly how nasty the roots tasted.

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Jakob taken care of for the moment, Natasha moved around to the desk. A long streak of blood that she had not previously seen started just next to the desk and went behind it. At its source lay a young human woman, still in death from the cuts and bruises that covered her. The look that was frozen on her face said that her death had not been an easy one. Natasha picked up a stained jacket that had been discarded on the floor and covered her body as best she could.

Morbid task complete, she turned to the other figure that lay tied up on the floor behind the desk. An older man, likely the one that Jakob had sought coming here, lay slumped in rough shape. Unlike the woman, his chest still quivered as he struggled to breathe.

Natasha was no healer, and her training in field medicine had never been much good. That being the case, all she was able to do was create some crude bandages from his ripped clothing to tighten over the worst of his wounds. His left hand had been particularly bad, as her kin had cut over several of his fingers, the stumps of which were still oozing blood. Once Jakob woke up, he’d be able to stabilize him with his healing ability.

Natasha’s task done, she went back over to sit next to Jakob. With the death of the other dark elves, they should be relatively safe for now. Her own wounds were painful, but it faded to the back of her mind in due to her whirling thoughts. While her hands began going over her own injuries, she began recalculating her overall situation.

Despite her words earlier to Jakob, she had planned on coasting a bit in their partnership, never going too far in risking herself. This latest fight, where he had both saved her life and demonstrated potential she had never heard of before in a pre-integration world, changed all her calculations. It was well known in the multiverse that worlds that went through the Infinite Framework’s integration were afforded benefits and opportunities that those born on already integrated worlds could scarcely believe.

So long as the could survive to seize them.

Very few uninitiated survived the integration of their worlds. Death and destruction came in so many forms, and it was the rare individual who could adapt quickly to such drastic changes and threats.

Her eyes drifted to Jakob’s still slumped over form. The human’s face had begun to unclench somewhat as the root he was sucking on lost its potency. A human Blood Warlock, still newborn to the Framework, and he had instinctively pulled upon the Blood Bond to use her Shadow Dash ability. An ability she even had trouble with using, given the restrictions the Framework had levied on her for coming to this planet before the integration. It should not have been possible, yet he had done it all the same. His potential was the highest she had ever seen, perhaps even greater than that of her grandfather.

Jakob’s face finally relaxed as the last of the bitterness left the root. Reaching down, Natasha gently opened his mouth to retrieve it. His breath was warm on her hand. She again marvelled at how much violence he had been able to inflict on her kin, despite him being so weak due to his lack of levels. A wicked smile graced her face, sharp teeth showing as she finally began to regain her composure. With just the right amount of pressure, applied in the right ways, and they would be able to do great things together on this planet. Her hand went to his hair, gently pushing it up out of his face.

But that was for later.

Hopefully he would not wake up too soon. She needed time to think up a plan.