Red Blossom

"I'm thinking of a story." Drake's voice suddenly rose. "Following Rhode's party, Marcus's party was also lost in the Mist Cave, chopped into mincemeat by those hideous goblins. And the squad under my lead just happened to pass by, so out of the goodness of our hearts, we collected your corpses and dealt with that pack of goblins along the way... How does that sound?" The teammates behind Drake broke into greedy, cruel smiles. This was a deal worth fifty or sixty gold coins... What was getting a little blood on their hands for that? "Then you really are daydreaming," Vallis retorted coldly. "Ha, another half-breed mongrel." Drake sneered. "Think a drop of elf blood makes you noble? I gave you and that mage boy a chance back then, but you just insisted on charging down a dead end." Zelier's expression darkened. Damn it... It looked like the other side was playing for keeps. There was no one else around; dead men tell no tales. On top of that, his own teammates had just finished a brutal battle and were running low on stamina. If a fight broke out... they would be at a serious disadvantage. The tension in the forest clearing spiked, as though invisible blades were spreading outward in all directions. Marcus slowly raised his shield. Gray and Gak tightened their grips on sword hilt and axe handle, while Vallis rested his hand against his quiver. Just as Zelier was about to make a move, a furious shout came from across the clearing. "Hey, mage boy, don't move your hands! Stay still!" The two rangers in Drake's party reacted with lightning speed, instantly drawing their bows and nocking arrows, sharp tips locked dead on Zelier. The corner of Zelier's eye twitched. Refusing to be outdone, Vallis drew an arrow to his bowstring as well, locking onto the brow of one of the rangers. *Shhk, shhk, shhk!* With several crisp rings of drawn steel, weapons left their scabbards on both sides, and the situation deteriorated in an instant. "Keep your eyes on that mage! If he makes a single move, shoot him dead on the spot!" Drake snarled. Who knew what kind of spell the kid might cast? Better to be safe than sorry. Damn it... Zelier cursed under his breath, not daring to act rashly. *Why the hell are you all staring at me?* He couldn't manage a poker face while channeling magic yet, and fluctuations of mana always rippled around him. Anyone paying attention would easily notice the signs. "I'd advise you against doing this, Drake," Marcus warned in a heavy voice. "Leave now, and I can pretend none of this ever happened..." "Do you think you have any right to talk down to me?" The greedy, cruel sneer on Drake's face didn't fade in the slightest. His gaze swept over the group one by one. Useless Marcus, the half-orc mongrel, the blond skirt-chaser, the half-elf mongrel, the mage boy, and one more... Drake's expression froze. Wait... Where was the female assassin? Hadn't he just seen her a moment ago? "Looking for me?" A languid female voice drifted lazily from the very rear. Drake and his teammates whipped their heads around. A dagger was pressed against Richie's Adam's apple. The sudden sensation of razor-sharp steel made Richie's eyes widen. Cold sweat poured down his skin, and he didn't dare make the slightest twitch. Shir slowly emerged from the shadows behind Richie, her tone light yet perilous. "I'm right here." Damn it! Seeing this, Drake felt a shock of panic. When had she slipped behind their lines? With so many of them, not one had noticed a thing! "Captain, calm down... Please, you have to calm down!" Richie stammered, pleading. "Don't do anything rash!" He could feel the icy blade already piercing his skin, sinking deeper by the fraction. Very soon, Richie wouldn't even have the chance to make a sound. If his vocal cords vibrated again, the blade would plunge straight through. Shir swept an indifferent glance across the clearing, her eyes conveying a naked threat. *Useless trash!* Drake cursed inwardly. Both were assassins, yet his own had been subdued by the enemy first! Utterly incompetent! Richie was crying bitterly on the inside as well. He had already locked onto the mage and prepared to stealth forward to attack. Who could have thought that the moment the thought crossed his mind, the enemy assassin's dagger would already be resting against his throat? When did she get over here? Why hadn't he heard a single sound? For an assassin, this was nothing short of humiliation; it meant their skills were on entirely different levels. On the other side, Marcus's party felt their spirits surge. Nicely done! Shir had seized the initiative in one move. As expected of a mid-rank assassin, a true specialist in PvP! Zelier was already cheering for her in his mind. "Are you sure you want to fight? You'd better think it through before deciding, Drake!" Marcus pressed his advantage. Drake's expression flickered between dark and uncertain. He looked at Shir, then back at Marcus, his mind wavering. If a fight broke out, he would lose a man immediately. The risk was far too great... Finally, Drake gritted his teeth and spat out a bitter concession. "You win this round! Let's go!" Marcus and his companions breathed a sigh of relief. Yet the moment the words left his mouth— *Squelch.* A scalding red blossom erupted from Richie's neck. He clutched his throat and collapsed, convulsing on the ground, but he couldn't stem the geyser of blood. The grass was quickly dyed crimson. Everyone froze. Time seemed to stop in that instant. Shir... she struck? She actually killed Richie?! Though no one had expected Shir to simply slit his throat, this was no longer the time to dwell on it. After a fleeting silence, both sides reacted instantly. The balance was broken. That left only one choice. "Get them!" Marcus and Drake roared at the same time. The moment Shir butchered Richie, she didn't spare him a second glance, charging straight for her next target. Lowering her supple frame, she skimmed across the ground like a serpent, aiming straight for the rangers ahead! The two rangers loosed their bowstrings on reflex, and the arrows aimed at Zelier shot forward! "Ugh...!" Zelier fell to the ground with a cry of pain. Almost simultaneously, an even more violent roar of displaced air tore through the clearing. Even without channeling battle aura into his shot, Vallis's arrow still carried lethal force far beyond normal. The teal streak arrived first despite being loosed later, slamming straight into one of the rangers' heads. *Crack!* The ranger's head shattered like a melon, red and white matter splattering everywhere! As for the other ranger, a spray of blood burst from his throat as well. A blade punched out through the front of his neck—Shir had run him through from behind! "Kill them!" Drake's squad consisted of one vanguard, one assassin, two swordsmen, and two rangers.