One of the Nightshades blew a flame at the carriage with the king. Kojo lifted the earth to form a wall that exploded when the fireball hit. Kojo then made a frozen dome around the carriage. Reynolds opened the door and jumped out before the carriage was completely encased.
"Protect the king," Kojo yelled, and instantly some soldiers surrounded the dome. The Nightshades moved toward and attacked, engaging them in a fight. There was the clang of metal against metal as they fought. Kojo caught one of the assassins and slammed him into the ground. He made an ice spear and stabbed him, but he turned to mist and disappeared.
From the corner of his eye, he saw some of the assassins attack the carriage where the girls were. One of them opened the door and was about to enter but was killed instantly by a shower of ice spikes. The others were lifted into the air by a strong gust of wind. Koniko burned them with her arrows before climbing to the top of the carriage and hitting the assailants with fire arrows. Sasha pulled out her sword, and Sharone made a spear, and together with Lin, who had her halberd, and Adriana, who surrounded herself with ice swords, they tore through the whole battalion. Reynolds was equally showing mad skills as he used his lightning magic to slice through the enemy before they could react. There was a beam of golden light as Yuki and Leo entered the fray, killing even more of the enemy.
"Wow, everyone's so badass," Kojo said as he stood and admired the others. He did a backflip to avoid a slash from behind, grabbing the assassin by the arm then twisting the sickle, bringing it to his neck, and spitting his throat. One of the Nightshades jumped at Kojo from behind. Oslon came up out of nowhere and tackled the assassin in midair. The Nightshade turned, slamming his head to the ground and pummeling him. He then pulled out two daggers and was about to stab Oslon, who blocked with his arm. With his other arm, he pulled out a vial from a pouch and broke it on the assassin's face. He stood up, holding his face as the acid burned him. Oslon took out one of the blades and walked toward the assassin, sidestepping as the assassin tried to grab him, then stabbed him. The body dropped to the ground, and he pulled the other blade out of his arm. He smiled at Kojo.
"Are you okay?" Kojo asked.
"Huh?" He looked down to see red veins spreading from his wounds.
He pulled another vial out of his pouch and drank its contents. The veins began to fade.
"Well, ain't that something," Kojo said, reaching out behind him and grabbing the arm of an assassin, pulling him forward and freezing him with an icy breath. The Nightshades then jumped back. Even though they had lost a lot of men, they still outnumbered Kojo's group. Kojo looked around and saw that even though they had strong fighters, a lot of their soldiers were down. Veins were spreading through their bodies. Oslon went around trying to save them, but he didn't have enough antidote. The Nightshades pulled out vials containing the doping drug glamour and drinking it. They bulked up, and smoke came off them. Their eyes turned red.
The men braced themselves.
Kojo sighed and stepped forward.
"Aegis Sphere."
The arcana sphere expanded.
"Spirit Seal."
A dome descended, trapping the Nightshades inside.
"What do you think you're doing?" Leo demanded. Kojo ignored him.
"Universal Negation."
A magic circle appeared on the ground, and the effects of Kojo's anti-magic cancelled out the effects of glamour.
Caliburn appeared in Kojo's hand.
"Quicksilver."
It was nighttime, and they had made camp in an open field outside the forest. Scouts led by Leo had gone in ahead to make sure the path was safe and would return by morning. They had managed to kill all the assassins, leaving only a handful for interrogation. Yuki was asking them questions while the others recuperated. The soldiers escorting them had sustained serious injuries, but other than that, no one had died, all thanks to the hard work of Dr. Oslon.
"Oslon," Kojo called as he walked into the tent where Oslon was treating the wounded.
"Oh, Kojo, to what do I owe this pleasure?" He said with a faint smile on his face.
Kojo had suspected that Oslon was connected somehow to recent happenings. But he remembered how Oslon had tried saving him, and though Kojo didn't need it, he was still surprised at his selflessness. Oslon had the hardest time as he had to contend with goblin assassins while trying to save the wounded. Oslon sat and began to bandage one man's wounds.
"Why did you try to save me?" Kojo asked.
"Well, looking back, I shouldn't have. You are far more skilled than I am, after all. I struggled to handle just one goblin, but you caught more bodies than anyone else," he said. He noticed the expression on Kojo's face.
"I know you don't like me. I don't know your reasons, but I'm not going to try and force you to get along with me. This life would be hella boring if everyone liked you."
"Were you the one who planted the wurm inside me?" Kojo asked. Oslon stopped, finished bandaging the man, and stood up.
"Kojo, regardless of what you think of me, I'm a doctor, and it is my responsibility to save lives, not destroy them. I would never do something as underhanded as that." He put a hand on Kojo's shoulder.
"I'm not an enemy; I'm on your side. Even if you can't accept that, then believe that I'll do my job as a doctor. Okay?" He smiled at Kojo.
"Kojo, it's time for dinner," Sharone called him. He turned.
"Oh, your friends are looking for you. I'm still a bit busy; you go on ahead." Kojo walked out of the tent and turned to look at the doctor one last time. He was mixing some medicines.
"There you are," Lin said, grabbing his arm and pulling him away.
"You're gonna make us some good food to raise everyone's spirits," Lin chatted, but Kojo was lost in thought.
"(You think he's being sincere?)" Sysia asked.
"He sounds sincere, and his actions today..." Kojo sighed. He then remembered how Oslon had skillfully sidestepped the attack and how he was able to strike at the goblins' vitals without hesitation.
"The way he moved was too sharp to be by an amateur, and even if we write off his strike as being due to his knowledge as a medical practitioner, he didn't hesitate and didn't show the emotion he showed a few moments ago. Something's not right."
"Kojo?" Lin called his name with concern. "You're quiet. Is anything wrong?"
"Nah, was just thinking of what recipes to try," he replied.
"Let's hurry then," she said, pulling him. Oslon watched them go from his tent.
"You've exceeded my expectations. Not only did you notice the worm I planted, but you used anti-magic. That was Cyranius' ability, which leads me to believe you have some way of copying abilities. Oh, what a wonderful specimen," Oslon said, holding himself as if he was aroused.
"Now calm down. Soon enough, that body will be mine," he said, adjusting his glasses and walking into the tent.