Cherreads

Chapter 4 - The Unexpected Rescue

The mercenary leader drew the crossbow string, and the dry click of the mechanism sealed my fate. The arrow was ready to be fired.

I had no mana, no combat experience, and the only "fight" I'd ever been in was a school brawl that lasted barely ten seconds. The boxing I practiced in college, though fun, wouldn't prepare me to face three armed men with murderous intent in their eyes.

There was no choice.

I jumped.

It wasn't a leap of bravery, but of desperation.

My body launched forward, a blur amidst the snow, and the abyss beneath my feet seemed to open even wider, a cold, dark invitation to oblivion. As I fell, my gamer mind, strangely lucid on the brink of death, raced, calculating angles and vectors, propulsion forces and air resistance.

If I use the momentum… the distance is about three meters… if I can get a good push with my feet…

The air whistled in my ears, and the sensation of freefall was nauseating.

For a fraction of a second, I saw the sharp, ice-covered rocks below, waiting to receive me.

That's when, in a desperate reflex, I reached out, grabbing onto something.

It was a network of thick, twisted roots protruding from the rocky wall on the other side of the precipice, a small miracle camouflaged by the snow. My fingers closed around them with a strength I didn't know I possessed.

I managed to push myself up, my body hitting the soft snow on the other side of the precipice with a dull thud, and I got up, gasping. I looked back at the mercenaries, who stared at me with open mouths, surprised by my improbable escape.

"You filthy rat!" the leader growled, his voice distorted by rage.

They didn't hesitate.

Suddenly, the air ignited with a flickering light. The mercenary with the dagger extended his hand, and a beam of energy propelled him across the abyss, landing with surprising agility a few meters from me.

The other, with the sword, summoned a wind elemental that carried him across the gap, landing next to his companion.

The leader, with his crossbow, made a powerful jump, almost levitating for an instant before landing firmly. They were tired of playing cat and mouse. I was the prey, and they, the predators, had decided to shorten the hunt.

I ran. My lungs burned, my legs ached, but the imminent threat propelled me. The soft snow on the road ahead made running difficult, and the cold cut my skin. I heard the zing of the crossbow and instinctively turned.

An arrow, sharp and fast, lodged itself in my shoulder.

A sharp, searing pain shot through me, and I stumbled, almost falling to my knees in the snow. My vision darkened for an instant, but adrenaline and a stubborn will to survive kept me going.

I couldn't stop.

The mercenaries' shouts intensified, and the air around me grew heavy. I heard a whistle and saw an incandescent fireball materialize in the hands of the mercenary with the dagger, followed by another, from the swordsman.

They came towards me, glowing like miniature suns, burning the cold air. I was out of mana, wounded, and nowhere to go. This was the end.

I closed my eyes, awaiting the impact, the pain, the end of everything. But the impact never came.

Instead, I felt a wave of energy envelop me, and the air in front of me solidified. When I opened my eyes, a protective shield, translucent and glowing with blue runes, flickered before me, absorbing the fireballs with a dry crack and a smell of burnt sulfur. I hadn't done anything.

Beside me, an imposing caravan had appeared out of nowhere. Robust horses, equipped with light armor, snorted in the cold air.

Knights in heavy cloaks and mages with crystal staffs positioned themselves, their faces serious, their eyes fixed on the mercenaries.

And in the center of the caravan, a closed vehicle, ornamented with dark wood and silver details, caught my attention.

Engraved on the side, an unmistakable emblem: a furious bear, standing on its hind legs, claws extended.

It was the symbol of the Frest family.

My gamer mind, once again, made the connection. The Frest family. One of Astraea's most powerful noble houses, known for its formidable warriors and battle mages. And one of the playable characters in the game, Tessa Frest, was a powerful and astute mage.

The battle had already begun. Fireballs, lightning, and elemental wind gusts clashed against the mercenaries' weapons.

They, once so confident, were being massacred by the efficiency and power of that group. I was wounded, my shoulder throbbing, but hope began to shine. I had been incredibly lucky.

Still in shock, with the pain of the arrow piercing my shoulder, I wondered if my luck would take me even further.

Would Tessa Frest, the character I had guided through so many hours of gameplay, be inside that carriage?

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