Hope's arms were trembling.
He could barely keep the sword raised, the weight of it feeling more like a slab of stone than steel. His breath came in short, ragged gasps, his ribs flaring with pain each time he sucked in air. Still—he held the line, deflecting another scavenger's slash with the last of his strength.
CLANG!
The blow sent a jolt of pain up his arms. He reeled backward.
A second scavenger leapt from the side, mouth open, serrated fangs dripping with black ichor.
"Shit!" Hope growled, spinning just enough to raise his blade in defense. The edge met the creature's chest in a hard counter, biting into its armor—but not deep enough to stop it. It kept pushing, forcing him back, claws swinging wildly.
From somewhere behind him, Massa's voice rang out:
"I—I have a spell!"
Hope's heart jumped. "What?!"
"I can cast a spell—it only works on inanimate objects, but... I've never tried it on living things!"
Hope ducked under another wild slash, narrowly dodging a claw that would've torn his face open. He countered with a shallow cut to the scavenger's side, forcing it back for a second.
"What does it do?" he shouted between gritted teeth, already sidestepping another incoming blow.
"It—It relocates objects. Displaces them... maybe two kilometers, give or take!"
Hope grunted as he deflected another claw, the force rattling his bones. "Two kilometers?" He dashed back, cutting another scavenger that had gotten too close, but three more were closing in fast.
"How long to cast it?" he barked, already guessing the answer wouldn't be good.
"Three minutes!"
Hope spat blood onto the ground, eyes darting to Massa. She was already kneeling, hands glowing, runes swirling around her wrists in delicate loops of light.
"Perfect..." he muttered sarcastically. Then louder: "Nefer! To Massa!"
Without hesitation, Nefer broke away from the scavenger she'd just gutted, sprinting toward the center. Hope did the same, his movements sloppy, uneven—but there was no time to think. No time to hesitate.
Massa was the center. Their hope of survival. They had to protect her.
The three formed a broken circle—Massa at the center, light growing beneath her feet like a slow-building storm. She was chanting in a tongue they didn't recognize, each word glowing as it left her lips.
The scavengers didn't wait.
The moment they regrouped, they were swarmed.
Six of the beasts came in a wild rush—leaping, snarling, claws raised.
Hope stepped forward first. He raised his sword to block a descending claw and met it head-on.
CRACK!
The impact forced him to one knee, his shoulder nearly giving out. But he didn't stop. He pushed upward, twisting his blade to slash across the scavenger's midsection. The steel bit through black carapace, not deep—but enough to make the creature snarl and recoil.
Behind him, Nefer's blade flashed like lightning, cutting through a scavenger's leg. But another was on her instantly, slamming her with enough force to send her skidding back, blood trailing in her wake. She coughed, rolled, then rose again—limping now, but ready.
Hope turned just in time to parry another strike, but his reactions were slower now. One claw slashed across his thigh—deep. He gasped in pain, nearly falling. His leg felt like it was on fire.
"Fuck...!" he hissed, barely keeping his footing.
He swung wildly, his blade connecting with something—bone, maybe. The scavenger shrieked and fell back, but another one replaced it instantly.
"Massa—how long!?" Hope cried out.
"Almost halfway!" she replied, voice strained, eyes clenched, sweat pouring down her face. The light beneath her was growing brighter now, the symbols spreading like cracks through reality.
"Just keep going!"
Hope stepped in front of her, blade raised again—but his fingers were going numb. His arms ached like they were filled with molten lead.
Another scavenger lunged.
This one had spikes across its back—faster, heavier.
Hope barely dodged to the side, but the creature clipped him. Hard.
He hit the ground with a grunt, vision blurring. The beast was already above him, its claws poised to stab down.
Then—
SHNK!
Nefer's sword plunged into its neck from the side, black blood splattering across Hope's face.
She yanked the blade free and kicked the corpse off him. "Don't die yet," she muttered.
Hope gave a tired, bloody grin. "Trying not to."
Another scavenger leapt from behind, but Nefer turned just in time. She blocked the strike, but not cleanly—it tore into her side. She grunted, staggering.
Massa's voice rose—louder now, commanding.
The spell was close.
Hope forced himself up again, limping now, his sword dragging.
One more came, rushing at Massa's back.
Hope didn't think.
He leapt into the path, sword raised, and met it head-on.
CLANG!
The creature's claws raked down his shoulder—tearing flesh.
"Damnit!" Hope snarled, blood pouring down his arm.
He slashed upward, carving across its face. It shrieked.
Then another came from the side.
Too fast.
He couldn't stop it.
But Massa did.
With a sudden gesture, a sharp glyph burst into the air—and a force of raw magic slammed the scavenger aside with an audible thud.
She was glowing now—her entire body a conduit of the spell, the light pulsing like a heartbeat.
"Just one more minute!" she shouted.
They were going to make it.
Or die trying.
Nefer was bleeding from multiple places now, her steps slower, but she still fought—blades dancing with precision even through the pain. Her blade found another throat, killing a scavenger that had nearly gotten through.
Hope, barely standing, caught another with a wild, clumsy swing—knocking it off balance just long enough for Nefer to finish it.
"Thirty seconds!"
A scavenger lunged past them both.
Hope turned—but too late.
Its claws were already swinging toward Massa.
No—!
Nefer dove in, pushing Massa sideways, taking the full brunt of the strike to her back.
She screamed.
But she was still breathing.
The light around Massa exploded.
Time froze.
The air twisted, crackling.
"NOW!" she screamed—and the world shattered.
The spell detonated, a vortex of white-blue light consuming the space.
Hope felt himself being torn from the ground, his limbs pulled by unseen forces, his vision white, his mind blank.
Then—silence.