"Is everyone okay!? Please get up and go outside in a orderly fas.h.i.+on!"Having freed the merkin hostages Terra took off her mask and addressed the merkin in a calm and kind fas.h.i.+on, which promptly broke out confusion along the now freed hostages.
"What is going on!?"
"Who are you!?"
"Mom what is that? It"s too warm to be water…"
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"B-blood! Don"t touch that sweety!"
"Please calm down and exit the building in a orderly fas.h.i.+on! My group have been requested by Opal and Abel to liberate this village and operations are currently under way."
Having explained the current events in more details some of the former hostages were relieved, while others were more pessimistic and believed that the boot that had been pressing down their head had simply been replaced. After the slight panic Terra managed to clear out the now blood soaked storeroom before sending in drones to check for surviving hostiles.
"Check pulse."
[DIRECTIVE CONFIRMED.]
Leaving the dark storeroom behind as flashes of subsonic suppressed rifle fire rang out Terra organized the now freed hostages and made them stay put as the remaining part of the small atoll was secured.
"What the h.e.l.l is going on!?"
At the same time the head research mage Tomas was panicking.
"Are we under attack? But who would even kn-"
Stopping his own ranting mid way Tomas suddenly realized something as he laid his eyes on the gigantic sphere in front of him: the sphere was a protection for something inside, in that case would the original owners not come looking for it if they went to such lengths to ensure it survived skyfall? They absolutely would.
"In that case why are they securing the village first?"
While he slowly started circulating mana Tomas wondered what the logic behind not going for the sphere immediately, and soon found out the reason.
"!!!"
Sensing the mana in the air s.h.i.+ft slightly Tomas hurriedly channeded strengthening magic as he jumped backwards with the ground where he just had been being decimated by air magic.
"Good morning."
Instantly giving up her advantage of surprise the a.s.sailant was revealed to be a elver of short stature with bright red hair and glowing golden eyes.
"... You"re a elder, what is someone like you doing here?"
Recognizing what he was up against Tomas correctly identified his opponent and started attempting to draw out time by striking up a conversation.
"That I am, not many outsiders seem to realize that…. You must be a scholar of some kind."
Showing a warm and proud smile in response to being correctly identified the elven elder made believe Tomas he had avoided a fight for the moment, and so he slightly relaxed his guard.
"May I ask why you have come here today? I believe this place is quite far from any elven territory."
"That it is, but that hardly matters as I"ve left the forest behind forever."
"Then wh-"
"Ain"t you the nosy child? It matters not. I am here today on behalf of my employer to reclaim what is rightfully theirs, and you stand in the way of that."
Radiating out bloodl.u.s.t thinly veiled behind a warm smile the elder made it clear she was not here to negotiate, nevertheless Tomas made a final attempt at avoiding a fight, as the spells he were preparing still needed a bit of time.
"Your employer? In that case I a.s.sume you are a mercenary, and I believe we can come to a monetary agreement that will benefit us both greatly."
"... You wish to pay me?"
"Yes, the Empire will reward you for your service quite graciously."
"No thanks~"
With Lilly feeling her blood starting to boil once more she sent blades of compressed air hurling towards the Empire mage while radiating a warm smile. The mage dodged the blades without issue by utilizing strengthening magic he seemed to have been preparing while trying to pacify her. The second he landed the mage tapped his foot and injected mana into the ground around him, making rock shards rip themselves out of the ground hurling towards Lilly.
"Weak!"
Seeing the offensive spell for what it was Lilly hardly attempted to dodge the rock shards that harmlessly deflected on the barrier of air she had put around herself and instead focusing on offence as she send more air blades towards her target in an effort to rip the mage appart.
"Tch."
Seeing his attack had little effect the mage once more tapped his foot on the ground, this time forming a defensive barrier of rock to block the wind blades as he prepared a more effective offensive spell. Pulling out a sort staff with a purple monster core on the end Tomas quickly loaded it with mana, then priced it into the ground where purple glowing runes quickly formed in circles around it.
"Then how about this!"
Pointing the staff towards the elder the very earth seemed to obey Tomas" command and a giant pillar like spear covered in purple glowing runes emerged about a meter in front of him and shot towards the elver with blistering speed. Having seen the move coming from the movement in the mana below the mage Lilly focused her wind barrier around her legs and waist and used it to shoot herself into the sky were she formed a jet of air from her left arm and flew to the right as she prepared another spell with her right hand. Forming a golden crystal spike as she had gotten behind the mage"s defenses Lilly aimed for the head then released the crystal with a smile forming on her face.
"FUC!-"
Correctly a.s.sessing that he had no time to form a proper defence Tomas put forth his left hand and braced it with his right and channeled mana into it. The result of such an action showed itself immediately, the golden crystal violently desintigraded, as did the cloak he was wearing showing Tomas" bare arm that was now covered on ominus red glowing runes. Tomas" eyes seemed to glow red with rage as he formed his rune covered hand into a fist as rock shard were violently ripped from the ground around him and started orbiting his glowing arm as they were compressed into small darts by some immense and unseen force.
(What is that?)
Feeling something strange about the mana around the mage Lilly took a defencive stance as she opened up the distance between her and the strange mage right as he seemed to have completed his spell.
"TAKE THIS!!!"
Feeling his own arm being warped under the immense stress of the experimental rune formation he had carved into his own flesh for emergency Tomas screamed in rage to suppress the pain spreading through his body from his hand and sent the compressed stone darts flying in a almost supersonic speeds.
(Here it comes!)
Seeing the movement in the mana Lilly employed strengthening magic on her entire body and twisted it unnaturally while still in mid air to dodge the blast of compressed rocks, the attempt was somewhat successful as only 2 of the rock shards. .h.i.t from the shotgun blast, leaving deep gashes in her arm and thigh respectively. Now her turn on the defensive Lilly rushed back towards the ground as she launched multiple large spheres of compressed air in front of herself to act as a defence before she hit the ground hard and injected mana into the ground and formed a barrier of rocks around her.
"f.u.c.k!"
Cursing out as she felt her rushed landing had further opened her wounds Lilly reached into the pouch that was a part of her green robe and pulled out 2 metallic vials.
""Point ejection port towards wound, then press rear end"... Here goes nothing."
Wis.h.i.+ng she had paid more attention when Lux had explained how to use the medicine of her world Lilly hoped for the best as she pressed the end with some tape that said "activate" in her native language as she pointed it towards the wound on her thigh. The effect was immediate, some kind of gray mist shoot out of the metal vial and sealed the wound immediately.
"Cold!"
The only issue was that the stuff was way below freezing, and as Lily could feel herself getting frostbite she hurriedly closed the other wound on her arm as she felt the mages disturbing mana signature close in on her hurriedly constructed barrier of rock.
"Lux I need help."
Speaking into what Lux had called a "headset" Lilly realized she been outcla.s.sed due to her own overconfidence and requested help.
["On my way, 20 seconds out."]