There was no soul left to [Analyze] or [Identify,] just seven empty husks that had once been people. Soleil could hardly believe what her skills had refused to tell her.

Soleil screamed in anguish for those who would never see their friends and loved ones again.

Stepping over the lingering flames of the Fire Beams, Soleil dismounted her Magitech armor and called to her knight. “Maeve, I need you to pilot Hope for me while I focus on healing.” There wasn’t much mana left in the Hexcrawler’s mana engine, but they were going to need to use every last drop of it if they wanted to have a chance at surviving the encounter.

The Beast Tamer cried out as Aster and Soleil held her in place, restraining her from approaching the remains of her party members.

“Don’t break formation.” Aster warned.

They were not going to have time for a prolonged conversation. Soleil would have to make this quick. She met the tamer’s gaze. “Should I prioritize healing you or the wolves?”

Seeing her up close, Soleil could make out pointed ears beneath the ashen hair. The tamer revealed sharp canines as she growled a warning. “Don’t bother. Save your mana for someone worth saving.”

Not accepting that answer, Soleil willed a mote of white mana into a cut at the tamer’s side.

The mana sizzled and died as Soleil felt lessened by the exchange.

The tamer snarled at her, with her companions now deciding to back her up. “You don’t understand. You can’t save us.”

Corruption then.

Soleil unslung her bag, retrieving the Blood Apple and Dried Meat before pressing the Vitality filled foods into the tamer’s hands. “Fine. If you want to look at it that way. The best chance I have at saving my friends is topping you and yours off.”

“Soleil.” Aster gave her a warning look.

“Go help the others.” Soleil snapped back.

“I’m going to have to let you go now.” Aster said to the tamer. “My friends still need me. Make sure nothing happens to our healer and leader.”

Soleil wasn’t sure if she had intended it as a threat or instruction. Either way, the tamer seemed to back down at that. Holding out a clawed hand, she coaxed her beast companions into standing down.

“Fine.” She said with a bitterness that faded with each sentence. “You can call me Aliza. These are my sisters Pyre and Coal. Pyre’s wounds aren’t corrupted. If you heal her, my Soot Hounds and I will do our best to keep your family alive.”

Her family, Soleil thought as she willed the remaining four conjured motes of mana from her [heal] to close Pyre’s most serious wounds. Soleil didn’t have that close a relationship with her party. She could only wonder how much the beast tamer was projecting. “Thank you, Aliza.”

No sooner had Pyre’s wounds healed, Aliza snapped her attention to the sounds of the party engaging in battle. She issued a commanding bark. “Protect.” Before the word even finished leaving her mouth, the Soot Hounds lept into battle alongside the most vulnerable members of Soleil’s party.

Aster and Maeve were already fighting back to back, trying desperately not to let anyone past them. Fia and Metis focused on dispatching the ones that got past the front line as quickly as they could. But each of them gaining a flanking partner in the form of Pyre and Coal made a world of difference. At this rate, they could almost keep up with putting down the rotted plants as fast as they arrived.

“What’s your plan?” Aliza asked.

There was no point claiming her original goal had been the same one that got Aliza's party killed. Soleil quickly turned to eye the forces arranged against them. She needed to pick a path with the least resistance or something else they could turn to their advantage.

There. At the top of the same hill they had crested earlier. Even at this distance, Soleil could make out bright yellow rot mana burning behind slits carved into distinctly familiar wooden armor.

Malady was here.

That put a lot of things into perspective.

“How do you feel about revenge?” Soleil asked. She had no idea how she was going to get her party from here to there, but it was a possible win condition beyond just surviving.

Aliza's response was simple and direct. “I would love you forever.”

Not the answer Soleil was looking for. But she hesitated only for a moment. Aliza's unexpected declaration did not change her reply.

“Get me to the top of that hill.” Soleil said with grim determination. "I'll handle the rest."

“Oh is that all you need from me?” Something about Aliza’s laugh caused Soleil to shudder. “It would be my pleasure.”

***

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Soleil soon found herself with her sword drawn in her right hand. She did not like the idea of fighting in melee with only five Vitality, but she was not likely to have a choice in the matter.

The right hand remained dedicated to defensive measures only. Soleil did not have half the Endurance that Fia or Metis had, even if they were burning their reserves at a much faster rate.

In her left hand, Soleil clung tightly to a Life Wand. A number of motes of life mana orbited around its tip so that [Heal] could be used at a moment’s notice.

Whenever someone needed a moment to retrieve an item or just take a breather, Soleil would rotate into their spot or heal them, whichever was appropriate.

Soleil owed a lot of their initial progress to Aliza and her Soot Hounds. She had to revise her earlier estimation of the trio. Despite being surrounded, the three excelled at trading attention and flanking each others’ targets. All three of them moved with an alarming speed and grace to circle around to the spot in the group wherever they most seemed to be needed. Despite not being members of Soleil’s party, they displayed an invaluable awareness of the fight unfolding around them.

To describe Aliza as a whirlwind of claws and kicks wasn’t an exaggeration. On more than one occasion the wolf tailed demon allowed herself to be surrounded before [Grappling] one plant and using it as a flail to club away another two or three attackers.

The radius and Intensity of her [Stomp] was not quite as potent as Aster’s, but she made up for it with the ability to [Charge] at the same speed Fia could. She used this to ensure just as many plants fell in the stunned period that Aster’s use of the skill opened up.

Soleil lacked the time or resources to ask or [Analyze] Aliza and her hounds. She could only watch and get a sense of her measure despite knowing that two of her companions were corrupted.

It was everything she could do to inform the rest of the party that she would not be able to heal them without paying for it by accepting further level drain.

Now that she thought about it, Soleil would not be able to heal herself without sacrificing enough levels to cure her Corruption affliction.

Despite also being corrupted, Aliza proved to be a strong and capable fighter that the party seemed thankful to have in their ranks. That did not mean she came without downsides.

The demon and her wolves did not respond to any orders not directly issued by Soleil. They also had a habit of overextending in attempts to cover for others without asking for help when they needed it.

This is how Soleil found herself standing over a prone Aliza and swinging desperately at a number of vines from three bushes. In this specific instance, Soleil was a poor substitute for any other member of the party not available to help when Aliza needed it.

Attempts to reduce her number of attackers by going on the offensive with a [Pierce] through the heart of the nearest bush cost her dearly. A thorny vine cut straight through her clothing and left a deep gash in her side.

“Soleil!” Maeve cried desperately aloud, but there was no getting Hope through the plants she was engaged with in time.

So Maeve did something reckless instead.

The Knight got up onto her feet and used Hope’s height to leap over a row of plants and land with a mana infused [Smash] of her shield, flattening one plant and seizing the element of surprise to cut down Soleil’s attacker.

Without Maeve, Hope fell into a neutral stance. Maeve’s stunt also left herself wide open to attacks from behind. Both could do nothing but withstand a thorough lashing. Thankfully, both had metal armor working in their favor.

Aliza discarded the core of a devoured Blood Apple before launching into assisting Maeve in fending off the increasing number of plants attempting to finish off a wounded Soleil.

“I’m going to shape a spell.” Soleil cried desperately.

“We’ll buy you time.” Maeve said, before turning to reveal a number of dents in the back of her armor.

Soleil willed her wand’s stored [Healing] energy in Maeve’s direction.

After fishing for her third Focus Drought, Soleil spared a moment to get a sense of how the others were holding. Everyone was thoroughly engaged and surrounded now. Their progress had come to a halt halfway between the river’s edge and the base of the hill.

Deep breaths. She knew what she had to do.

Soleil reached into her replenished Focus reserves, drawing heat from the air around her. [Fire Affinity] conjured up a number of motes around Soleil. There was no time to retrieve her Fire Wand. This was going to have to be quick before her friends were overwhelmed and someone could break her focus on the chain of skills she was weaving.

Soleil stopped at Six motes of flame from three uses of her Rank 2 [Fire Affinity.] Little by little she [Shaped] a pair of motes into a wall of fire before [Manipulating] it at a rapid pace. A dozen rotten plants lay incinerated in the path of her spell.

Fia, Metis, and one of the Soot Hounds were next to be rescued, clearing them a path to retreat to Soleil’s side. The last wave of flame revealed Aster fighting over the other downed Hound. She used a break in the fighting to lift the injured beast over her shoulder and flee. An enraged Eliza quickly [Charged] into the corrupted plants in order to cover her escape.

[Soleil’s Soul gained a level.]

[Soleil gained a deeper understanding of [Mana Manipulation.] The skill can now be raised to Rank 2.]

Exhausted, Soleil willed her Focus into [Fire Affinity] once more. This time she pushed the mote of flame towards a mass of spiked tendrils attempting to drag away her mother’s beloved Hope. Soleil dropped the Life Wand in order to crush her hand into a fist.

The Fire mana [Detonated] in a fiery explosion that incinerated a dozen of the bushes and revealed Hope collapsed in a partially disassembled heap. Given enough time, the plants had succeeded in ripping three of the six legs from their sockets. Worse still, her mana core had been punctured, evidenced by sickly yellow Rot mana seeping out and pooling around the Hexcrawler’s mangled form.

“No!” Soleil screamed. “No no no no no. Not you. Not now.” She desperately tried to cut her way to the fallen Magitech Armor. It took being crushed by Maeve’s embrace and forcefully dragged back to safety to confirm what Soleil already knew.

With the core shattered and unable to hold mana, there was no saving her Magitech Armor.

Hope was dead.