The city bustled with life, its streets weaving a tale of movement and chatter. Xhaelyn walked with measured steps, her small frame slipping through the crowd with ease. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows, and she adjusted her hood instinctively, aware of the occasional glances she attracted. A child wandering alone in a place like this was bound to draw attention, yet she lazily brushed it off. Her posture remained relaxed, but her senses were ever-guarded.
Xhaelyn's eyes flicked to the alley, scanning the shadows like a predator tracking its prey. She moved with the grace of someone who had lived in the shadows longer than most. Her small frame allowed her to slip through gaps in the crowd without drawing attention, her hood low enough to obscure her face but not her piercing gaze. The world around her hummed with voices—disjointed, fragmented, but always telling a story.
The cobblestones beneath her boots clicked softly with each step, her movements smooth and deliberate. A group of traders passed by, their conversation a mixture of languages, but the word trouble caught her ear.
"Damned bandits… a bounty for anyone who can catch 'em…"
The conversation drifted away as the traders moved, but Xhaelyn filed away the information, her mind already piecing the details together. Bandits, bounties… good to know.
As she weaved through the crowd, her attention shifted, picking up small snippets from others: a blacksmith complaining about dwindling materials, a pair of guild members discussing a potential recruit. Fascinating, she thought dryly. Everything's connected. You just have to know where to look.
Her attention flicked back to a group of children running past a marketplace. Their laughter echoed through the air, bright and carefree. Mercenaries, likely. They never come alone, she mused, her gaze following the children for a brief moment before moving on. She could almost feel the weight of their parents' presence—familiar, protective. But, of course, that was just a fleeting thought. She was here for a reason, and distractions weren't welcome.
The city around her continued its usual hum of life, but beneath it, there were things that shouldn't be ignored. Her instincts sharpened as she picked up on a distant noise—a low commotion, not quite a scuffle but a disturbance. It wasn't loud enough to warrant immediate attention, but it tugged at something inside her. Her steps slowed, and she slipped through the crowd with more care, her ears straining.
Eavesdropping isn't nosy—it's an art, she thought, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. And an essential survival tool.
With her back pressed against the stone wall of a nearby building, she slipped into the shadow of a narrow alley, her presence almost nonexistent. A few soft breaths, and she crouched low, keeping herself hidden as she peeked around the corner.
What she saw made her blood run cold.
A group of children, no older than eight or nine, were being dragged away by cloaked figures. The children struggled weakly, their faces pale with fear. They were no match for the adults who held them in their grips, not even putting up a fight as they were pulled deeper into the shadows.
Human traffickers.
The words formed in her mind like a venomous snake. Her gaze sharpened, her pulse quickening. A part of her wanted to turn away, to ignore it, to move on. But she couldn't. Not now. Not when she could do something about it. The faint sound of a child's cry tightened her chest. Innocent lives, and they don't even know what awaits them.
She exhaled slowly, considering her options. She was good at avoiding unnecessary trouble—being silent, being invisible. But this was different. She didn't need to get involved. She had no obligation to help. And yet…
But just as she was thinking, the air shifted—an unsettling prickling sensation across her skin. Someone was approaching. Not the traffickers. Someone else.
Her body reacted before her mind could process. In a fluid motion, she spun on her heel, her senses screaming as she pivoted to face the threat.
A mercenary. Not one of the traffickers. But the intent was clear. His hand was already reaching for a weapon, and his stance was offensive. This one has underestimated me.
It was a quick, decisive move. Her fist collided with his chest with a sickening thud, sending him crashing backward into a nearby barrel. His breath left him in a violent gasp, and he crumpled to the ground. She didn't waste time.
Done. Now—
The sound of feet scraping across cobblestones broke her train of thought. The traffickers. They had heard.
Damn it.
Her eyes narrowed as they turned to face her. She could see the shift in their stance, the movement from concealed aggression to full confrontation. Why do I have this gut feeling they anticipated me?
The one in the lead—tall, with a scarred face and an air of authority—glared at her, his hands twitching toward his weapon. Then, she sensed it—the cold gleam of a Unique Ability pulsing in his gaze.
Fine. If they wanted a fight…
Her hands tightened into fists, her mind shifting gears. The first hint of a grin tugged at her lips. I'll fight. I'll make them regret underestimating me.
But then the air shifted again—again?
Xhaelyn's senses flared. She could feel it—multiple energies, all converging on her from different directions. This wasn't a simple confrontation. This was a coordinated attack.
Her grin faltered. Her posture shifted from confidence to caution as she scanned her surroundings.
I'm not alone. There's a group. And they're ready.
The first strike came before she could fully react.
She thought they would attack her head-on, an offensive strike. But instead, their attacks seemed designed to capture her.
Damn. She barely dodged it. I haven't even trained this new body properly yet.
With a quick assessment, she concluded that they were mercenaries. Experienced. Skilled. And coordinated.
On the opposing side, realizing that this little girl had combat skills, the mercenaries exchanged looks—calculating, considering their options. Their initial assumption that she was just a vulnerable child had shifted, and now they were reassessing their strategy. The traffickers, too, began to understand that this wasn't a random encounter; there was something more to Xhaelyn than they had first thought. They recognized her ability to fight and the potential danger she posed. It was clear now that both groups were working together, their actions coordinated in some way, even if they hadn't fully anticipated how capable she was.
Xhaelyn could feel the shift in their energy, a subtle ripple in the air as their intentions changed. She focused, her senses tuning into the familiar hum of their unique abilities.
One of them—a broad-shouldered man near the front—had an energy that pulsed heavily around his arms and chest. Body enhancement. His muscles swelled, and with a swift grunt, he lunged forward, the air around him thick with force as his enhanced strength slammed toward her. Xhaelyn stepped to the side, her footwork fluid, barely avoiding the strike. The power of it left the ground shaking, and she could feel the wind of his blow rush past her.
Her fingers tingled, sensing another—a wiry figure at the rear, whose energy was tightly coiled around his hands. Elemental manipulation. He snapped his fingers, and a blast of jagged ice shot toward her from an impossible angle. Xhaelyn's body responded before her mind could process, twisting and ducking as the ice shards tore through the air, narrowly missing her. She exhaled sharply. This is getting serious.
The traffickers had also activated their abilities. One in particular, a tall man with a scarred face, radiated a cold, sharp energy concentrated around his eyes and shoulders. Sensory enhancement. His gaze locked on her, and she immediately felt the pressure—a deep, unsettling sensation, as if he was peering into her very thoughts. He was trying to read her moves before she made them.
But Xhaelyn's own senses were finely tuned to detect such things. The cold weight of his gaze didn't touch her—not entirely. She dodged, staying one step ahead, but she knew that if she stood still for too long, he'd have her.
As the attacks grew fiercer, she realized they were closing in. Another mercenary, his energy flickering across his legs, activated speed enhancement and blurred into motion. He was fast, a blur in her peripheral vision, rushing at her with unnerving speed. Xhaelyn didn't hesitate. Her legs coiled, and she launched herself to the side, just as his fists passed through the space where her head had been a moment ago. The force of his speed left a ringing sound in the air, but she was already gone, moving further into the alley.
Dammit, they're good. She could sense the coordination—each of them attacking with purpose, using their abilities in tandem to trap her.
But the worst part? They were slowly closing in, tightening their circle. She was being corralled. Xhaelyn could already feel her energy beginning to wane from the constant dodging and evading.
She had no choice. She had to act.
The next attack came fast, almost too fast for her to react. The man with the ice powers struck again, this time with a sweeping arc of frosty energy. The air around her turned frigid, a jagged line of ice slicing through the narrow alley. Her instincts screamed, and she leapt backward, her hands outstretched to catch herself on the stone wall behind her. Her fingers brushed against the surface, sending a jolt of sensation through her as she used her momentum to rebound, narrowly avoiding the sharp edge of the ice that sliced through the space she had just occupied.
But as she landed, the man with enhanced speed was already there. He delivered a fast series of punches, each one stronger than the last. She blocked one, then another, her arms burning with the effort, but the pressure was mounting. Each strike pushed her back, step by step, into the corner of the alley. Her breathing became heavier, her body protesting the constant movement. They had her now.
No way out.
The trafficker with sensory enhancement moved forward, his gaze cutting through her defenses, locking onto the precise moment when her guard was weakest. His eyes narrowed. She could feel the weight of his focus, like he was trying to predict her next move.
A fraction of a second. That's all she had.
Xhaelyn's pulse raced as she dropped low, spinning to avoid another crushing blow from the speed-enhanced mercenary, but she couldn't stop the blow that followed. A heavy punch from the mercenary with enhanced strength crashed into her side, sending her crashing against the stone wall. Pain shot through her ribs, but she gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stay on her feet.
This isn't good... She needed to break the circle. But with every step she took to move away, they countered her.
The traffickers closed in, their movements synchronized. The one with sensory enhancement smirked, as if he knew he had her. They're closing in for the kill.
I'm trapped.
Xhaelyn's heart pounded in her chest as the cold edge of panic nipped at her. Think. There had to be a way. She wasn't going to go down like this.
But with every second, the walls were getting tighter, and the world around her blurred with the intensity of their abilities.