Cool night air hit Cel’s face. Darkness waited outside, thick and nearly complete.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxwdXieuye
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAU4QjlV0aT
He looked up.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5j0LZrUgGd
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAK958D1ifa
The moon hung somewhere above, barely visible. Just a thin crescent, offering almost no light. Perfect for what he intended.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1D0kn1Kugo
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWaEtTesOd3
His feet carried him forward. Away from Lior’s house. Through streets he’d memorized during two days of residence. Toward a specific destination he’d learned through casual inquiry disguised as common curiosity.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6AAJWXrcI
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKbLKiba7e
The path between houses wound without logic. Until a certain house came into view. Larger than the others, positioned where several paths converged. Its walls built with proper planks rather than the woven branches and mud of its neighbors. Windows with shutters that closed properly.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMTOAtWVqp
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRIGCugcS1
A guesthouse. The kind of building constructed specifically for merchants and their companions. Villages like this one lived and died by trade routes, and a decent bed with a solid roof was often the difference between a caravan choosing your road over the next village's. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzMLq5dFDX
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mGMV1ykZM
Cel slowed his approach. Let his footsteps fall softer.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZqnWEzZGm
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVbqpdB6K5
Then he saw… a silhouette.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmhilWELQo
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBj7KftRTj
A figure standing before the house’s entrance. Still and straight, wearing armor that caught what little light the moon had to offer and reflected it back in muted gleams.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTrVt1YxZBZ
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLMWgAqvDd
Sylvaine Grovethorn.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pJoPS1hro
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDsPv9WMVi
Her armor stood out even in the darkness - sleek charcoal metal and ivory leather, muted gold ornamentation catching what little moonlight there was. A high-collared jacket framed her torso, broken by white leather enforced with a large shield-shaped breastplate at its center, twin panels engraved with roses and curling golden stems. Below her waist, an angular armored girdle gave way to fitted ivory-leather trousers reinforced at the knees, ending in tall metal boots that gleamed faintly with every shift of her weight. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUadzvJjok
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeNRuY8Jik
She turned as he approached. Her light green eyes found his through the darkness with unsettling accuracy.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4zKQowu69
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwrCXGpuxH
Cel stopped perhaps five steps away. Inclined his head in formal acknowledgment.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjyQ7YuM7D
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaeE72jdll
“Lady Sylvaine.” His voice emerged quiet. Respectful in the way commoners addressed nobility.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS941ORBCzP
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkm9kgTiof
Her expression remained neutral. “Celvian.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1Fw3O4CK7
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyAz7ms5Q1
Silence settled between them. Awkward and stretching longer than comfortable.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe2eMBmtvXk
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOP92v50yL
Cel lifted his head. "If I may ask, what business brings you out at this hour?" 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYsIDU6hDE
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIOQkcZZyZ
Something that might have been amusement flickered across her features. Dry and brief. “Probably the same reason you are here.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xBwwAuqOb
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQGAYCw8bCg
Same reason? 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgdFDObW87
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWGUaddyzJ
Cel studied her for a moment. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVctaCAzAo
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ39TjhqHAjk
What reason could she possibly have? 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqjn15unkJ
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZiD3h0UVI
“I see.” Cel shifted his weight slightly. Uncertain how to proceed. “Then I should—”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhqB5bmo2i
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1zwKXRTUr
“You may go back.” The words emerged gentle but firm. Not quite a command. More a suggestion that carried the weight of someone accustomed to being obeyed.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlN80UbQJsX
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvVLmQfcfM
Cel hesitated.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOaQue6bAkB
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9Wgy8Oo2d
How could he trust someone that followed a naive idealist like Theron? 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHACG7HdYo
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOu5YwNjA7
Then it clicked.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8RGw6dccw
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3QGl4rtOj
She wasn't here for herself. She was here for Theron. If those mercenaries broke their promise, it wouldn't just be a broken promise - it would make Theron look like a fool who couldn't back his own conviction. Sylvaine wasn't protecting the villagers. She was protecting him.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzKGY3RZoW
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEYwEu8mj1
“As you wish, Lady Sylvaine.” The formality felt strange in his mouth. He turned, preparing to retrace his path back through the darkness.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDW2KpYqF2
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZVzFC72EP
“Celvian.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnMve01QVW
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjciGBWDAJ
He stopped. Looked back over his shoulder.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkE0OOe6dqx
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxjFAHxisZ
Sylvaine studied him with an expression that had shifted into something more curious than commanding. “By chance… are you chronically ill?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMD5mFOuJ0
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHZFBrazmw
The question hit like cold water. Unexpected and specific enough to freeze his thoughts for a heartbeat.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwVfLvtxnM
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGR5rdX2nm
"No." The denial came immediate. More defensive than he'd intended. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bNfCRAE4s
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVBFfSc6rz
Sylvaine held his gaze for another moment. Then nodded once, dismissing whatever thought she'd been holding. "I understand." 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOMMQz9Oei
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkwNLO3qtI
She turned her attention back toward the house.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vyO0lE3hw
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3g0hp2ri2P
Cel faced forward again. Started walking. Let his footsteps carry him away from the house and back toward—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbp4dyJJX8
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYspjSSXND
“Celvian.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCCIf2xN72
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVQLdaJJI6
He stopped. Didn't turn this time. Just stood there, feeling annoyance build in his chest. What now?65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkAYAnnrmW
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEn0JNHdwy
Silence stretched. Long enough that he started wondering if he'd imagined the word.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDhGLLNkQO
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWajrgv7YSx
He turned, irritation finally winning out. "What is—"65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiaFhX64fYw
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5CaAQk6OQ
Her hand snapped up. One finger pressed flat against her lips.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVgl4v3X6J
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVaDyjr7zw
The gesture cut him off more effectively than any word could have. Sylvaine had gone completely still, posture shifting from casual observation into combat readiness so complete it looked carved from stone. Her light green eyes fixed on the house's door.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5EnxPcHCS
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnYd0gVljF
Then she moved.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9didDFiDhi
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1s8FKVG5M7
Her hand extended, palm facing upward. Soft green light bloomed around her fingers, and leaves began drifting free of it - small and pale, spinning lazily through the air like something newly unfurled. The glow intensified, forming into a shape that solidified with impossible speed. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PjgNFh09g
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9peAKDjdi
Her weapon appeared.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQB30Lshqe
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pVAitUYBp
A whip-sword materialized in segments - blade sections connected by flexible joints, handle wrapped in leather that looked like black vines. The whole thing gleamed dully in the divine light before the summoning energy dissolved, taking the accompanying leaves with it. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlCHSKievV
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrTGnFZN7b
Cel followed her lead, summoning Silent Moon. Three moon phases lid along the spine, glowing pale and steady.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWkby1187n
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBqRC62vbE
Sylvaine reached for the door. Paused with her free hand resting against the wood, listening.  65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwXHrJeEkc
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0umhBMxLb
Cel positioned himself slightly behind her. Close enough to support, far enough to avoid interfering with whatever she planned to do.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNohBBcpVVA
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRaXXnyBVAg
Then she pushed it open.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqofVtO4T4
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTAlwWjTQn2
The interior revealed itself in increments. Darkness first, deeper than outside. Then shapes resolving as their eyes adjusted - furniture, walls, the entrance to another room visible beyond.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ual6pulTc
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDKwScrrUq
And on the floor… a body.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWdUkTAAFV
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Half a body.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8T5e1d6gm
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70xwjYV1Kp
The mercenary who'd held Lior's mother. Cel recognized him despite the damage - the leather armor, the build, the way his limbs still lay in positions that suggested he'd felt every second of it before the end came. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWp58ejAdMM
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0q3VHhHY9
The other half lay perhaps two steps further in. Separated cleanly. The cut looked surgical, edges precise despite the violence inherent in splitting a human being into pieces.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBeiCOkH8u7
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhIENDCU4E
Blood had spread across the wooden floor in a pool that was still growing, still finding channels and depressions to fill.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAzcdLZjoF
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9KSGSeu5F
And feeding on the corpse, tearing flesh from bone with methodical efficiency, were creatures.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFvRwxJhDa
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonlJqUDLV2
Three of them. Each perhaps the size of a large dog but built wrong. Limbs too long and jointed in places that shouldn't bend. Skin like burnt leather stretched over frames where bones pierced through in places, jagged tips breaking the surface like something trying to escape from the inside. Their heads were eyeless, featuring instead mouths that opened too wide, revealing rows of teeth that curved inward like fish hooks. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGirIMevyDb
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmLkKWu7m1
One looked up from its meal. The eyeless head turned toward them, mouth still working on whatever it had torn free. Blood dripped from those inward-curving teeth.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSG0UxILmz
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAo0pxYLhbp
“I’ll take care of the creatures,” Sylvaine whispered. “You get the other people out.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzq05m7ygyX
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bKovAVQ08
Before Cel could come up with a response, she charged.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQetqKkae8n
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdLYU5CDkH
Her whip-sword extended with a sound like metal singing. The blade segments separated, connected joints allowing the weapon to flow like vines while maintaining cutting edges along its entire length. She swung it in an arc that should have been impossible - the weapon bending mid-flight, adjusting its path to strike the creature that had looked up.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRnjjP4SW0
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5GqpbiSiB
The blade caught it across what passed for its neck. The creature’s head separated from its body with the same clean precision the mercenary had received. Both pieces hit the ground.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0mIQyupwJ
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nJopFY6tP
The other two creatures abandoned their meal immediately. Rose from their crouched positions, limbs unfolding with disturbing grace. They moved fast - faster than their ungainly appearance suggested possible.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXjPyUzdMC
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ765lRW5DTa
Cel moved sideways. Let Sylvaine hold their attention while he made for the doorway leading deeper into the house.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjK2I1vpy3e
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jbK63dOvz
Behind him, combat sounds erupted. The whistle of Sylvaine’s whip-sword cutting air. The wet impact of blade meeting flesh. The creatures’ sounds - not quite shrieks, more like metal scraping against stone.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMf74rvZXB
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVZLlG3Dxa
He pushed through the doorway into darkness that his eyes hadn’t adjusted to yet. Shapes resolved slowly. Two beds, rough frames with straw mattresses. And on them, still sleeping, the merchant and the other mercenary.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxF1NYOMXzQ
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61sFI1S7YE
‘How are they still asleep?’65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZRDzfNUk8
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZbYNPkLnR
Cel crossed to the nearest bed - the mercenary. Grabbed his shoulder and shook. Hard.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0j8in3qJ6
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpi9qFq4Eq5
The man groaned. Swatted at Cel’s hand without opening his eyes. “Fuck off...”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNF8aYMCwqo
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGugNc39go
Cel shook harder. “Wake up you bastard!”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4QQGWwh3a
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcu1PU5yFg
The mercenary’s eyes opened. Confusion filled them, then irritation. “The fuck do you want? It’s the middle of the—”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdm85Hj5VP
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBF8dLvBhk
“We’re under attack.” Cel moved to the merchant’s bed while speaking. Grabbed his shoulder with less patience than he’d shown the mercenary. “Get up.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEOsgetRIE
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaz2GVbb7gm
The merchant woke slower. His eyes opened but didn’t immediately focus, consciousness taking longer to reassert itself. “What... what is it?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP53650SIIZ
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVsTq35Pb2W
“Creatures.” Cel hauled him upright by force. “You need to leave. Now.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZN98AX7ieR
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfuD4OQ5gp
Understanding crashed through the merchant’s expression. Fear replaced confusion, his face going pale even in the darkness.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DPnjg2Elg
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlC6ioHvuas
The mercenary had found his sword - kept beside the bed, apparently. Smart, for all the good it would do. He moved toward the doorway leading back to the main room, weapon raised, body falling into the kind of ready stance that came from experience.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5ZiCL4bs0
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqV1fkj7e8Z
The merchant stumbled after him. Cel followed both, Silent Moon gripped tight.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGV0FD0byhO
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIcfMkEwcy
They emerged into chaos.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Etl8bVDIW
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡER5G4GULHR
Sylvaine had killed another creature. Its body lay in pieces - limbs separated from torso, head split open. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6biCfpLfw
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1LX70JS7JC
But somehow… there were more now.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8rurYgnZl
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCxIHbxxX5
Five additional creatures had emerged from somewhere. They spread across the room in a loose formation that suggested no particular reason.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡITr08kVsx5
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCIZBmswvC
The mercenary charged forward immediately. “Get to the door!” he shouted back toward the merchant.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFoHIebM9R
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzi9huPGtU
Brave. Stupid, but brave.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxeL87Jp7N
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSMlIOxM3K
He swung his sword at the nearest creature, a wide arc that carried decent form behind it. The blade caught the thing across its torso, cutting deep. Blood sprayed from the wound.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwD8cnGcSZq
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHLwdrr7GY
But the creature barely slowed. Its limb - that wrong-jointed thing that shouldn’t be able to move the way it did - lashed out faster than the mercenary could react. Claws caught him across the throat.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0x3Tr67Ocg
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZW96zAjyqt
His blood spilled across the floor, mixing with the other mercenary's. He went down choking, hands pressed to his neck in a futile attempt to hold himself together.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MhrhtZCHg
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Nt2OXEWgu
Cel moved.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUR5bYJzNf
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vmE3hHgZ7
Not toward the dying mercenary. Toward the merchant, who’d frozen in the doorway, eyes locked on his hired protection bleeding out.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXmDDI7tGR
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKzB9ac2Aa
One of the other creatures charged at him. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVAAqqA8iT
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYGX12uS9H
Cel’s body moved without thought. Enhanced speed carried him forward, Silent Moon rising to meet the creature’s leap. The violet blade caught it mid-air, momentum doing most of the work. The steel slid through burnt-leather skin and whatever passed for bone beneath.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSPw33UoH9
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfsb3bdAQGu
The creature’s weight drove it further onto the blade. Silent Moon bit deeper, catching somewhere inside the thing’s body. Cel twisted, using the creature’s own momentum to redirect it. The body tumbled past him, crashing into the wall with force that shook the ground.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNeVaZojVWU
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5I3G9UDW5
He spun back toward the merchant and grabbed his arm with his free hand. “Move!”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrkmMlByCE
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsRqdK9Vsk
The merchant stumbled forward, legs remembering how to work. They made for the door - just three steps away, close enough to reach if nothing else went wrong.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxPOHePmKe
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDv2cwXgus6
Naturally, something went wrong. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFWzb0B1KJ
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPSa3ZfH8u
Another creature had broken from the fight with Sylvaine. It positioned itself between them and the exit, body low and coiled like springs under tension.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPMdoyvXMY
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0M4mGNT9H2
Cel didn’t slow. Let his momentum carry him forward while Silent Moon came around in a horizontal slash. No technique. No form. Just raw speed and enhanced strength driving the blade through space the creature occupied.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrQgHhCdgL
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKpjDluk9iP
The violet steel caught it across the midsection. The cut wasn’t clean - Cel’s lack of proper technique meant the blade dragged and tore instead of slicing smoothly. But the result was the same. The creature folded, body separating enough that its limbs stopped working properly.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnWwNqYRVk
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSj3odl20lE
They burst through the doorway into night air that felt sharp and clean after the blood-thick atmosphere inside.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOt0xKIdahK
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2nzC2YVLb
The merchant collapsed to his knees. His breathing came ragged, too fast, shock beginning to assert itself. “You... you saved my life.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcMLEmpsFb
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWgxDOO4H9
“Go.” Cel turned back toward the house. “Raise the alarm.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHD821mXfN
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJSi1zrjF1
“I’ll never forget this.” The merchant’s voice cracked. “I swear it. I’ll—”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiPWiBzRBP
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3nEd2rhTt
“Go!”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyr2E2Ru363
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrP5Z5BuoV
The merchant ran. His footsteps retreated into the darkness, gradually building speed as his legs remembered their full function. Then his voice rose, cutting through the night with desperate volume. “Attack! We’re under attack! Creatures in the village!”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIX1PllDgv8
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYasNELKVTn
The cry repeated. Growing more distant as the merchant ran along the street.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WeyFlLoxS
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6XPa742jF
Cel moved back through the doorway.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdApIt7YIzQ
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZ8LRKyipo
The room had transformed into a butchery. Blood covered everything - walls, floor, the old furniture. Bodies lay scattered - the two mercenaries in various stages of dismemberment, creature corpses in even worse condition.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqYNzd0X1I
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MMDd7CAPL
Sylvaine stood near the center. Her armor was splattered but she looked uninjured, whip-sword extended to its full length and dripping blood that steamed slightly in the cool air. Four creatures remained, all focused on her.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32z4E8Gxji
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HEYGbo1wB
She glanced toward Cel as he entered. Her expression remained composed despite the carnage surrounding her. “About time.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfB0VAyb9CU
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf29bV7vsWI
Cel didn't bother answering. Just raised Silent Moon and took position. ​​​​​​​65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3lELIZNyr
1234 copyright protection61ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMbSHXhYHs 尼

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