The force of the explosion tore through the night, scattering debris and heat shockwaves everywhere.
Kael slammed into the ground, rolling reflexively to cushion the impact. Despite the pain in his body, he forced himself to stand up and scan the surroundings through the smoke.
Mira had already pushed herself to her feet with a sudden intake of breath after landing close to a fallen tree. Sera groaned from a few steps away, with her bow just out of reach.
The blast had scared the horses away, and their frantic hoofbeats had faded into the distance. Kael's mind was already analyzing the scenario as he brushed the dust from his face.
They were being attacked.
A deep crackling voice echoed from the darkness. "Leaving so soon?"
The smoke cleared slightly, revealing three figures standing in the road ahead.
The first was an elderly man dressed in military robes from the Earth Kingdom, his long silver beard glowing in the dim flames that surrounded him. He was a pyromancer, and the residual fire burned in his palms. His eyes blazed with intensity, but his posture was rather relaxed.
A middle-aged man stood next to him, his muscular frame barely contained by his armor. His yellow eyes shone in the faint light, and his fangs glinted as he cracked his knuckles. He was a werewolf.
Standing to the right of the werewolf was a woman in flowing blue robes, observing them with an eerie calmness. Faint water ripples swirled at her feet, and her palms glistened with lingering moisture. She was a water mage.
Kael let out a slow breath and he thought. 'A well-rounded group. Fire for destruction, water for control, and raw physical strength in between. It's going to be a difficult battle.'
The pyromancer tilted his head slightly. "Three little rats sneaking through our kingdom, stealing our secrets. You should've left when you had the chance."
Kael gripped his dagger more tightly. "And allow you to continue feeding lies to your people?"
The elderly man shook his head and laughed. "You misunderstand, boy. I don't care about the war. I care about loose ends. And you… are a loose end."
The werewolf rolled his shoulders. "Aren't we talking too much?" He had a gruff, impatient voice. "We should be tearing them apart already."
The water mage sighed, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Don't be so hasty, Garth. If they had the nerve to infiltrate Lord Elric's manor, they must be capable."
Sera who was now back on her feet, wiped blood from her lip. "Capable enough to ruin your day, at least."
The pyromancer's smile widened. "Then let's see it."
Kael made the first move.
He surged forward, his speed like a blur in the night and his dagger aimed at the pyromancer's throat. However, before he could strike—
BOOM!
A wave of fire erupted, forcing Kael to veer to the side. He barely escaped the blast as heat licked at his cloak.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Garth, the werewolf, was already on the move, rapidly rapidly closing the distance between them.
Kael dropped low just as a clawed hand ripped through the air where his head had been.
Garth's follow-up with a knee to the gut was instant. Despite Kael's last-second spin, the impact caused him to skid backward.
Mira lifted her staff and called forth a lightning bolt, but the water mage retaliated before she could fire. Her spell was instantly neutralized when a surge of water broke into it.
Sera let off an arrow aiming for the pyromancer's head, but before it could land on its mark, it melted midair.
The elderly man let out a sigh. "You'll have to do better than that."
He then held up both hands.
A wall of fire erupted from the ground, cutting Kael's group off from one another. Mira rolled to avoid the flames and barely jumped away in time.
Kael clenched his jaw. They were being separated.
The werewolf bared his fangs in a sadistic grin. "No more running."
Kael didn't even bother to respond. Garth lunged once again, more quickly this time. Claws swiped across Kael's chest, causing his cloak to tear as he barely avoided them.
He did not back down but took a step forward. That was not what Garth had anticipated. Kael ducked low, slamming his dagger into the werewolf's ribs.
A normal enemy would have dropped. However, Garth merely chuckled.
Kael's eyes widened as the wound healed instantly, pushing his dagger out with a sickening squelch.
"Cute trick," Garth growled. Then he took hold of Kael's wrist and gave it a squeeze.
Kael felt his bones groan under the strain, and pain radiated up his arm. Garth struck forward with his free hand, aiming directly for Kael's ribs.
Kael acted on instinct.
Before the punch was delivered he activated his new skill, Abyssal Pulse. His body emitted a dark energy that sent Garth reeling back just far enough for him to escape.
Kael let out a harsh sigh. His dagger's current growth wasn't sufficient enough. He needed something more powerful.
And he thought of something. All he needed was an opportunity.
Sera and Mira had their own problems to deal with on the opposite side of the firewall.
The water mage flicked her wrist and tentacles of water lashed out toward Mira. She ducked, barely escaping a sliver of pressured water that carved itself into the stone where she had stood.
She retaliated with a blast of lightning, forcing the water mage to step back.
Sera, meanwhile, circled the pyromancer cautiously, her attention fixed on him.
The old man grinned. "A little archer thinks she can match me?"
Sera let her arrow fly.
The pyromancer didn't move.
Instead, the air around him shimmered with heat, and the arrow burned to ash before reaching him.
"Predictable."
He flicked his fingers and then the earth beneath Sera burst into flames. She leaped back, barely avoiding the raging inferno, but the edge of her cloak was scorched by the heat.
"Sera!" Mira yelled. "Switch targets! We can't fight them head-on!"
Sera's eyes flickered toward Kael who was still locked with the werewolf.
They had to turn the tide.