"Mister!" Sheiran and Gola called out simultaneously as they burst through the door, with Rachnera and Tinalara right behind them, her arms closed.
"We dealt with the other guy! So we—mister!" Gola's enthusiasm vanished the moment she saw me.
I was on my knees, my dagger buried deep in my own thigh, my breathing ragged.
"What happened!?"
"Wait! You're Alen's allies?" Antares asked nervously as the other four fairies stood up, trying to form a defensive wall with their bodies—each as mutilated as hers.
"We are," Tinalara said firmly, raising her machete and pointing it toward the fairies. "Have you harmed the boy?"
"Tinalara... I helped them..." I finally managed to speak.
"What happened, mister?" Sheiran asked.
"I was on the edge of dying. But this gentle boy saved me," Antares said softly.
"I made a similar promise to them as I did with Clighton about you..." I forced myself upright, using the desk for support. "They're coming with us."
"You five! You all look weak as hell," Tinalara said, pointing at the group of fairies. "Get inside Alen's cloak. Sheiran, go in with them so Rachnera doesn't eat them."
"Yesh!" Sheiran saluted nervously, touching his forehead before obeying the goblin woman's command.
"The... cloak?" one of the fairies asked.
"It's some kind of high-grade artifact," Sheiran explained as he entered first. "It can store living beings inside it."
Rachnera followed the goblin boy inside the cloak as if it was a pet dog following its owner.
Gola and I held out our hands for the five fairies to climb on. Once they were settled, we placed our hands near the cloak's interior, allowing them to enter.
"We'll talk later, Antares... right now, getting you out of this mess is the priority."
Antares was the last to go, carried by two fairies since she couldn't walk properly. She glanced down at Gola's palm before lifting her gaze to me.
"Alen... thank you... make sure you make it out alive."
"Dying isn't part of my plan. Don't worry."
After that short exchange, she entered the cloak and vanished with the others.
Sheiran mentioned a wooden cabin inside it once...
That left only Gola, Tinalara, and me.
"What did... what did you do to that guy?" I asked between ragged breaths.
"We immobilized him with Rachnera's help, but we didn't kill him," Gola reported.
"We actually beat him before those two came to help restrain him," Tinalara added, sounding almost apologetic.
"That's good... I knew I could trust you two," I exhaled, a faint smile forming.
"You can trust us, mister!"
"Don't think that means you can boss us around! I'm the squad leader, you know?" Tinalara barked.
Their opposite reactions almost made me chuckle.
"What's next, then?" Gola asked curiously.
"Escape this place without being noticed."
"Why are you so obsessed with staying in the shadows?" Tinalara asked, sounding frustrated.
"The spotlight's worse. Staying hidden helps me more right now—especially since I need to keep two unique groups of people away from attention."
A spider monster, a goblin squad, and now a group of fairies. I almost feel as if I was taking on the role of monster tamer of it weren't for the fact that the monsters I'm taking under my wing are not tamable in the game.
"How are we escaping, then?"
"You two get in the cloak and let me handle the exit—"
"No way, mister!"
"Look at you—you can barely stand. Let us help you escape, Alen!"
"I'd rather handle things myself and keep you safe... but I guess I can't deny your help."
"We're not objects for you to protect! We're capable too, remember that," Tinalara scolded.
Gola suddenly scooped me up and carried me in her arms—princess-style.
"You're so light, mister! I thought you'd be heavier," she said with a grin.
Being carried like a princess by a six-year-old orc girl taller and stronger than me... wasn't exactly helping my pride as a man. But I couldn't deny it was a relief to rest for a moment.
And so, we ran through the long underground hallway—Tinalara ahead, running instead of using Krath's Glide to stay in pace.
The sound of fighting above us grew louder as we neared the surface. Through the dim light, I caught sight of the man in the business suit pinned to the wall by Rachnera's web.
Still fighting after all this time... that's not a good sign for Kaida's leadership.
By now, Kaida and her team should've already cleared the store. They shouldn't still be stuck fighting grunts.
"Wait, Gola! Let me take it from here. Even with my injuries, I can sneak out better alone," I said as we reached the stairs.
"Are you serious, Alen?"
"Yes. If I need help, I'll call for you."
"Let's go inside, Gola," Tinalara ordered, stepping into the cloak.
Gola gently set me down on the steps. "Are you sure about this, mister?" she asked, worry on her face.
"I am. Don't worry too much, Gola. I made a promise to Clighton—I won't die. I've got to look after the Eleventh Songbird Squad," I said, smiling faintly.
Despite her height and strength, she was still just a girl.
After a reluctant nod, Gola entered the cloak as well.
Now, it was just me.
I climbed the stairs and peeked over the counter.
Through the glass, I saw the battle raging outside the store.
The question of why Kaida's team was taking so long answered itself.
They were all fighting in a straight line—a single front pushing forward.
Kaida, Tirino, and Cole formed the frontline, maintaining pressure on the enemy. Kaida with her rapier, Cole with his lance, and Tirino with his sword.
Behind them, the backline consisted of Yani, Silva, and... Atro?
What are Silva and Atro doing here?
That shouldn't even be possible in Dragon's Roar.
Silva was an NPC who never appeared in the main story besides that event with that one teacher, and Atro was a former S-class student—characters like that weren't recruitable until mid-game. This was still the early stages!
Silva cast supportive spells to aid the others, while Atro rode a horse, firing arrows with deadly precision.
"He was a mounted archer in the game," I whispered, remembering his duel against Ximuss, where he couldn't use his horse due to Aurum Academy's rules.
Atro's role was clear—mobility. In the game, he could reposition allies by rescuing and dropping them strategically, allowing flexible tactics.
He wasn't strong, if he ever was used to attack, it was to do some chip damage. Not even his unique passive skill [Backshot] helped him a lot in damage. The skill only made him available to shoot an arrow while retreating.
However, now he was stronger than ever. His arrows struck harder than I remembered.
Was this because he is a stronger character helping on a lower level stage? Or maybe the continuous training we'd done together improved him?
Either way, he was performing brilliantly.
It was just a shame Kaida wasn't making full use of his repositioning potential.
"I got him!" Yani shouted as his arrow hit an enemy's leg—giving Kaida the opening to finish them off.
"Attacking in one line... Kaida, you need to flank the enemy with Yani and Tirino. Maybe Silva too—but I don't know her exact strength yet," I muttered.
Still, the enemy numbers were dwindling. Slowly.
I needed to leave.
While I watched, I'd been quietly preparing my escape, chanting the incantation for—
"[Breeze Step]."
Once I cast the spell, I moved. Silent as the wind—ready to vanish unseen.
I slowly made my way to a backdoor in the store, that allowed me to exit from a place no one could see me escape through.
Once I opened the door, I was greeted by the familiar sight of absolutely nothing in front of me on the street. No one present to stop my escape.
I limped my way into an alley, where I finally called for help.
"Gola..."
The orc girl came out of the cloak, and she enthusiastically hugged me.
"I was so worried, mister!" She gasped out while she lifted me up and began carrying me in her arms.
"I told you to trust me... I trusted you and Tinalara, after all" I exhaled while letting myself be carried away.
"I'm sorry for doubting you, mister!"
I couldn't help but laugh at how sincere Gola was.
While I did feel the same kind of paternal feeling inside me with Gola just as I do with Sheiran, it was a slightly different feeling.
Is this the difference of having a son and a daughter?
No matter how much I internally asked, I still was focused enough to give the orc girl instructions to reach the Golden Dragon house.
Once we got close, Gola had to go inside the cloak once again.
"See you tomorrow... maybe" I said my goodbyes to the orc girl before she entered the world inside the cloak.
"Now... time to sneak into my room..."