BXBX NOVEL Chapter 17 17 - The Assassins
Brought to his knees by the sharp graze, Haruki hurled up on the ground trying to stop the bleeding. As the pain seeped through his eye, he clenched his teeth attempting to power through the agony.
"Stay down, I'll handle this!" Rose declared, standing guard in front of him.
Squeezing the cleaver's handle, Rose swiftly glanced in each direction as well as every corner of the passage. With nobody in sight, her shoulders dropped for a brief moment. However, as she was about to turn and help Haruki up, she picked up the voice of an arrow tearing through the air.
"Deep breath," She whispered, before slashing the arrow flying towards them from the front.
Although she had neutralized the immediate danger, Rose seemed deeply disappointed by the delay in her reaction. Clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth, she let her frustration be known.
'I've grown sloppy,' She thought, taking a deep breath.
"What's happening?!" Forcing his eye open, Haruki noticed the broken arrow that had fallen to the ground.
'Broken arrow…wait!' The sight of the broken arrow protruding from Snow's body flashed before his eyes. 'Is it the same fucking bandit?!'
"Stay down Master, these trespassers are hiding in the shadows, I wouldn't want you to get any more hurt by them," Closing her eyes, Rose drew the cleaver back. "And I'm sorry for ruining this part of the castle."
"What?" Glaring at her with a frown Haruki felt completely lost by her strange statement. "What do y-"
Dark miasma sprang up from Rose's feet and began to crawl up on her body. Watching over her, his throat grew parched from the strange aura emanating through the miasma. Whatever it was, it had him chilled to the marrow. And the only thing he knew for certain was that he wouldn't want to be on the other end of that cleaver.
"Destroy…Dragon's bane!" Swinging the cleaver, the miasma traveled to the blade and shot forward like an arrow.
The wide spectral attack slashed right through the darkness and even went through the pillars supporting that whole portion of the castle. A cacophony of agonizing screams echoed throughout the passage. But it wasn't until the spectral attack vanished from sight that the real tragedy began.
"Let's go, master," Picking Haruki up by her left arm and carrying him like luggage, Rose dashed in the opposite direction of the attack.
"What are you doing?!" Right as he asked that question, that whole portion of the passage began crumbling down in the aftermath of the attack.
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't delay or risk your life with those assassins arou-" Coming to an abrupt halt, Rose glared at something in the direction of her escape. "They put up a barrier."
Although reluctantly she let Haruki down on his feet. Placing her hand on the translucent barrier, she drew her fist back before giving it a full-blown punch. Like glass, the structure shattered and fell to the ground. Having witnessed her strength first-hand, Haruki began to reevaluate his statement about her going up against Michael.
'I knew she was strong but…' The noise from the crumbling debris brought Haruki back to his senses.
"Master!" A familiar voice called.
Turning to the voice he found it to be none other than Asuka. Rushing towards them, she noticed the bleeding graze right above his eyes. With an ever-greater sense of urgency, she dashed towards him as fast as she could.
"Take him to the barracks, I'll deal with the rest of the intruders," Rose ordered, tightening her grip on the cleaver once again.
"What intruders?!" Asuka growled, unaware of the full scope of the situation.
"It's the same people, who tried to kill me…I think at least," Mumbling that out, Haruki felt himself drifting from the severe loss of blood. "Can y-you heal me Asuka?"
Well aware of the fact that using 'healing touch' on his own might alert Rose, he had refrained from doing so despite the dire need. Grabbing Haruki's hand, Asuka pressed her lips agonizing over having to watch her master in pain.
"Too late!" Followed by the sudden voice, yet another arrow shot right through Haruki's arms. "Don't think you can escape that easily, duke ahaha!"
"Master!" Asuka cried.
"Get down!" Pushing the other two behind her, Rose stood guard against the phantom aggressor.
Howling in hurt, Haruki clenched his teeth once again. Leaving no room for hesitance, he quickly pulled out the arrow. And while Rose kept guard looking around frantically, he took a closer look at the backend of the arrow. It had green-tinted feathers, much like the one he had seen back in the forest.
"Healing touch," Throwing the arrow away, he healed himself up.
Peeking from the edge, Rose's eyes widened in surprise, but she kept her mouth shut for the time being. The sound of yet another swift arrow trailed into her ears. With a single swing from her cleaver, she shot it down, however, this time it didn't stop there. All around her, she could hear showers of arrows approaching them with great velocity.
"Frost dragon bite!" Slamming her blade to the ground, she shattered the very floor they stood on, "Stay close!"
Dropping her weapon she grabbed the other two as they fell through the ground to the floor beneath them. The pace at which everything was happening left near to no time for Asuka or Haruki to react, all the while Rose seemed to be handling it without so much as straining a muscle. Thanks to her holding the two like a pair of bags, they landed safely on the floor despite the concrete showering right above them.
"I can't fight in a closed space like this," Letting out a sigh, Rose took a deep breath. "Can I destroy the castle? It'll be easier to bury them that way."
"What?!" Taking a step away from her, Asuka glared at her in surprise.
"Deal with them, but I want at least one of those bastards alive," Lacking any better option, Haruki decided to let Rose handle the situation however she possibly could.
"Language, young duke," Opening her eyes, she smiled at the two. "Get to the barracks, I'll handle these fools."
Her eyes glinting in a fiery glow she hungered for a massacre.