assistirfilmes Chapter 27: Do You Want to Live Forever?
Chapter 27: Do You Want to Live Forever?
A soft wind set the trees to swaying, their branches rubbing against each other with a soft rustle. The long shadows they cast melded into one singular mass as twilight's last glow began to fade.
Sharath remained motionless, hiding behind a thick tree trunk and peeking around its side as she waited. Despite the onset of night, the forest remained eerily quiet. Aside from the wind, the only other sounds that reached her were those of insects and a few nocturnal birds that warbled and hooted softly above her—which ones, she wasn't sure. Merethe would probably know.
Her eyes briefly flicked toward the dark pool where her sister hid. Despite being unable to see the [Ranger], Sharath knew she was there.
She willed herself to stillness, focusing on the task at hand. She didn't have to wait long. The birds fell silent as a distant sound of clanking reached her ears, followed by footsteps. A group of eight men stepped into the clearing before her, the light of their torches glinting off of their breastplates and carving out a small island of visibility among the darkness.
With a final nod to the shadows, she stumbled into the clearing. Her mussed up hair hung about her shoulders, bits of leaves, twigs, and even a bit of dirt stuck within. One of the ragged old cloaks that her sister hoarded compulsively hung about her figure in similar disarray. A look of frightened panic completed the picture of a harried woman fleeing from danger.
Sharath emerged on the opposite side of the clearing from the patrol, just as they'd planned. Before she could even make a sound, however, one of the patrol members spotted her. At a word, the entire eight-man team snapped to attention.
"Who goes there?"
Torches were held aloft as the men peered forward, beginning to make out her form in the dimness. Sharath turned toward them, her eyes wide. "Oh, thank the gods! Help me, please!"
The patrol exchanged glances. But rather than approach, they began to bunch together and close their ranks, quickly retrieving tall red and gold shields from their backs. One of them, probably the leader, called out in a clipped voice. "State your name and intentions."
The tone felt vaguely reminiscent of her childhood trainer. For a moment, Sharath almost felt compelled to respond. But [Single-Minded] quickly stamped that urge down. "I-I need help! My sister... please, come quickly!"
Sharath suspected that staying to talk would only lead to more questions and suspicion. Because of that, she made a quick decision to turn on her heel and disappear into the forest, hoping to draw them away from their patrol route a little further. It would be a good test of their discipline and how they responded to unforeseen situations.
Unfortunately, the answer was rather well. They continued to tighten their formation, eyes darting about to find threats as the men began to form a defensive wall and coordinate a shuffle out of the clearing. Worse, she saw the leader begin to reach for a horn at his hip.
"Fuck," Sharath swore. It seemed that they were a bit more cautious than she'd given them credit for. It was good information, to be sure. But it also meant that they'd lost some of their advantage. There would be no surprising them now. Worse, the men were still close enough to other patrols to call for reinforcements, and if they did... well, there were only so many risks they were willing to take.
Sharath whispered quietly to herself, trusting her sister to pick up the words. "Alright. Plan B. We test them and get out. Make sure the leader doesn't call for backup."
She spun and disappeared into the shadows, flitting between them with incredible speed. She closed the distance between her and the patrol in seconds, drawing her daggers on the way in. An arrow whistled by her ear and slammed into the leader's shield as he ducked down, damaging it but failing to pierce through. Sharath lunged to try and take advantage of the confusion, her blade aiming for the gap, but the strike met only hardened shields and the cold eyes of experienced men.
Meanwhile, the patrol moved continuously as they repositioned, filled in gaps, and covered for their wounded. They seemed to adapt to her changes in tactics more quickly than expected. It felt like every time she tried to duck low or exploit a vulnerability, another soldier was there to intercept her.
It wasn't until they reached the edge of the trees that she realized they had been retreating. Under the cover of the forest, her sister's arrows were at more of a disadvantage. Several shafts curved slightly around the trees, finding their marks with more difficulty than before. Instead of crippling shots, these hits simply splintered shields and put pressure on the enemy. Still, the pace of the battle was shifting. She noticed that wherever her sister's arrows landed, the men were increasingly forced to react to the incoming projectiles rather than Sharath, giving her a window to act.
Once in the trees, Sharath peeled back and signaled to her sister. A [Volley] of arrows rained down, dozens of shafts splitting the air as the skill caused them to duplicate. The assault forced the soldiers to duck down and angle their shields skyward to defend against it. Taking advantage of the distraction, Sharath darted around a nearby tree, scrambling up its rough surface. She swung silently onto a branch, looking down on their defense from afar.
As the [Volley]ended, the soldiers straightened slightly, scanning the surrounding area for the [Rogue]. Sharath just smiled. Without line of sight, she could feel their barrage of taunt skills lose their grip on her mind and movements. Now, it was time to see how they'd react to someone getting behind their formation. Assuming they didn't look up, of course.
Crouching, she moved stealthily along the branch before stepping off, knives flashing in the darkness. She landed silently behind their line, slashing the back of one man's leg and kicking out another to send them tumbling to the ground. The patrol scattered, spreading out to either side and facing her renewed threat. They didn't yell or flee but fought with the same strict discipline they'd displayed throughout the battle. Only the occasional short cry of a command could be heard through the sounds of battle. The lack of warcries felt almost eerie to her.
Sharath picked a disoriented-looking man who was still standing and charged, her knives a blur. He interposed his shield between himself and her strikes, forgetting all offense in his effort to defend. She landed several cuts, sending him staggering back. When isolated like this, these level one soldiers were easier to deal with—but the way they moved as a unit and their skills made them harder to defeat than she had expected.
Just as she was debating about how to press her advantage, she heard another horn call, much closer this time. It was coming from the direction of the town. Reinforcements were almost here.
"Shit," she muttered. "Merethe! Do we have what we need?"
She was ready to end this. Fighting these eight soldiers wasn't too hard, but facing sixteen without killing anyone would be impossible. Especially without taking some bigger risks than she was comfortable with. Flashing between soldiers, she kept them off balance, preventing them from regrouping.
"Yes! Let's go—ah!" Merethe yelled back.
Sharath glanced over to see her sister retreating into the clearing, a wall of shields emerging from the forest to hem her in. Eight new soldiers stepped forward from the shadows and began pursuing Merethe. The clearing was becoming a maze of enemies, horns, and movement, and Sharath realized time was running out.
"Well, fuck," Sharath hissed, dashing toward her sister. She needed to get them out of here, and fast. But three soldiers from the original patrol re-formed a shield wall to block her.
This time, holding back wasn't an option. Activating [Backstab], she vaulted over the wall, her hand finding purchase on a shield's top edge. A nebulous force pushed back against her, but she slipped through it with [Shadow Stream]. Sharath landed behind the trio in a blink, turning to plunge her dagger into the neck of the soldier at the center. Blood spurted from his jugular as he fell.
The man gurgled behind her as she darted toward Merethe. She really had hoped to get through this without killing anyone. But she'd be damned if she let them touch her sister.