CHAPTER 28: I DON'T BUT YOU ARE VERY USEFUL
Lexi looked up at the skies as she landed. At first, she thought the land looked dark because of clouds, but then she realized that the darkness came from the arrows above, each emitting dark, smoky wisps that writhed like living shadows, sending shivers down anybody's spine. The faint smell of ozone mingled with the dust rising from the cracked earth, and a chill ran through the air despite the arid terrain.
"Hahaha, are you scared? I already saw you when you snuck in, little rat. Now it's too late for you to sneak out."
Although a long speech, it boomed across the vast expanse of arid land, echoing off jagged rock formations and scattering small clouds of sand into the wind. It was clearly a tactic aimed at inciting fear in the heart of the target, who was staring up at the hail of arrows descending in a dark, smoky rain. But in that moment, her body lit up with streaks of crackling lightning, her hair flickering like sparks, and her eyes glinting with exhilaration. She smiled with pure excitement as she formed two swords made of raw lightning energy.
"A military base should have at least this much."
Lexi began moving at lightning pace. Dust swirled around her feet as a visible, circular barrier of energy formed, causing the arrows to shatter or veer harmlessly away before reaching her. The air hummed with static as she danced between the shots, leaving faint trails of sparks in her wake.
"You're good but too slow."
The masked archer appeared as if from nowhere, materializing out of a haze of sand and smoke. Three arrows were already nocked, each glowing with concentrated mana, their tips sparking and sizzling with destructive energy capable of leveling a few duplexes.
"Blame yourself in your next life for overestimating your abilities," he said, his voice dripping with mockery. He released the arrows in a blinding flash.
Lexi reacted instantly. She blocked two arrows simultaneously with her mana swords, the collision sending shockwaves through the ground and raising small clouds of dirt. For the last one, she caught it between her teeth and crushed it with a loud boom, sending shards of magical residue scattering like shattered glass. Dust and a faint blue glow hung in the air around her as the archer staggered back, incredulous.
"Ah, what a nasty bitch. She even had the guts to underestimate me. One of His Majesty's inquisitors. I wanted to give her a slow death for stupidity."
"Ah, ok I see. So all the inquisitors can do is trash talk women and don't even have any balls. It's ok, your king must be a eunuch. Anyway, I am out of time, so I'll be taking the eye you use to aim now."
As the dust swirled, Lexi's figure became almost ethereal. She drew a bow forged from crackling mana, the string vibrating with energy, and placed an arrow that glowed like a shard of stormcloud. The arrow seemed to hum, the sound like distant thunder.
"Bye bye," she said with a mischievous smile, releasing the arrow. A deafening thunderclap rang out, echoing across the barren land. The archer's breath caught in his throat as he realized dodging was impossible; even blocking with all his strength would leave his body mangled. He still tried, hope clinging to him that his comrade would arrive in time.
The arrow shot forward like a lightning bolt. Lexi vanished in a blur, already moving toward her appointment with Tori. Meanwhile, the archer threw every ounce of himself into blocking, calling to his comrade. The air shimmered with mana and tension as the new inquisitor arrived, surging his energy into the archer just as the arrow pierced defenses.
In that split second, the archer rerouted his own mana, creating a tiny gap. The arrow seemed alive, slipping through with terrifying precision.
"No!" he cried, his voice swallowed by the thunderous echo as the arrow struck, penetrating his left eye. A small explosion of blood and bone erupted, dust and fragments scattering, and his gut-wrenching scream cut through the dry, wind-whipped landscape.
"Oh, quiet down. With the amount of force it came, I was scared it would make quite a mess. Don't worry now, brother-in-law, you owe me."
The archer's screams intensified, interspersed with incoherent shrieks of "who?" hidden amidst the chaos.
"You, of course," the other inquisitor said, laughing as he watched his soon-to-be brother-in-law clutch his ruined eye. Shock, pain, and phantom agony collided in a perfect storm. Even he dared not chase after Lexi recklessly.
"We really did underestimate this small earth, didn't we, Noula?" he asked, but all he got were shrieks in reply.
"Ok, let's go back. We'll have you good as new when the doc sees you. Well, almost. Make sure to cover it up and don't scare the doc; she's pretty!"
The archer screamed his curses while covering his eye as they departed, leaving clouds of dust and shimmering mana residue behind.
Outside the Gates of the Village
"We greet the young lady, The Moon Princess," three guards from the spatial fortress said, appearing from thin air near the village gates. Tori stood with her back to them, serene as a statue, the soft sway of her robes catching the wind.
"Would you like to see the young master? Should we announce you?" The elite guard spoke in a teasing, flirty tone. "Anyway, since you are here, you must go see the Great Elder first, and then we can decide…"
"Shhhh."
Tori pressed a finger to her lips, hissing. The guard froze, thinking she was rude despite her courtesy.
"Be quiet, you're ruining my scenery. Better yet, disappear; I don't want you to pollute my air, and if you breathe a word of my business to anybody, it would be the..." She stopped mid-sentence, catching herself. The guards could sense the unspoken threat; the calm, pretty gaze was enough to send shivers down their spines without a hint of pressure.
"I mean it's a surprise, don't tell anyone," she added, acting extra cute. The guards were already trembling from her first statements.
"Ok, my lady, we will—"
Before they could finish, Tori's glare erased their presence, and they vanished like shadows swallowed by the wind.
Lightning shimmered around Tori as soft giggles echoed. Lexi materialized behind her, crackling energy trailing her form.
"Guess who?"
Tori spun around, eyes wide with excitement.
"You have it? Gimme, gimme!" she exclaimed.
"Hmm, if I didn't know you any better, I would say you don't love me and are only using me," Lexi said jokingly, sparks dancing along her hair.
"But I don't, and you are very, very useful," Tori replied, giggling devilishly as the air shimmered around them with residual energy from the previous battle.