Battle
The path out of the cave was a frantic scramble.
“Lane.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I've burned through a lot of mana.”
Lorentz said that as he ran beside me.
A lot of mana... yeah, no kidding.
The tunnel we were sprinting through was patchy with ice in spots, jagged pillars of frost thrusting up from the floor like frozen spears.
If he had any mana left after unleashing spells like that, that would be the real surprise.
“Take this, then.”
With those words, Lorentz unclasped the necklace from around his neck and handed it over.
A finely wrought silver chain held a gem pulsing with deep blue light.
“This is...”
“An artifact. It'll block one lethal strike.”
An artifact?
I stared at it for a split second before snapping it around my neck. No reason to turn down something this valuable.
“It'll shrug off even a fatal wound once. Keep that in mind.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Still, handing over an artifact he wasn't originally going to give? He must be expecting a brutal fight once we clear the cave.
And sure enough.
We raced down the passage and reached the entrance, choked with rubble.
“I'll clear it.”
Rush.
It was just a pile of rocks, nothing major. I unleashed a burst of Aura, shattering the debris and blasting it outward.
We emerged braced for an ambush—but instead...
Boom! Boom!!
Clang!!
...a full-scale battle was already raging.
“Those people...”
First things first: sort friend from foe.
The ones in gleaming silver armor, clean-cut knights—they had to be ours.
The masked figures clashing with them? The enemy.
...Way too obvious.
Demon Worshippers. They look the part, every damn one.
“Looks like the Royal Knights arrived as backup.”
Lorentz stepped out behind me, eyeing the fray.
“Those must be the Royal Knights, then.”
“Just a detachment, from the looks of it. But the enemy's no pushover—go help them.”
“Yes, sir. On it.”
The knights were holding their own, but Lorentz was right: there were just too many masked bastards.
And then...
Boom!! Kwang!!
...over there, in the hollow, one guy facing off against two knights solo.
That's the main threat.
Built like a big man, but with four arms.
...Reminds me of that Orc Champion.
Any relation?
Whatever. Time to move.
Boom-!
I Fleeted up the slope, sword ready, straight into the thick of it.
“Hm?”
The masked freak startled as I closed in fast.
His half-slipped mask revealed a grotesque face—twisted, inhuman.
Side effects of body modification?
Face like an orc's, too.
Up close now.
Clang!
I swung— he whipped one arm back to parry.
Like the Orc Champion, he wielded those extra limbs with eerie freedom.
No wonder he was holding two knights at bay.
Shing-
One arm blocks me; another thrusts sharp and vicious.
Fast strike, but I twisted back, evading wide.
“Hoo.”
He's strong.
Aura user, no doubt.
A four-armed Aura user? Freakish monster.
But still...
Shing-!
...we had three on our side.
The other two knights seized the opening, pressing in tight.
“Pesky flies...!”
Calls us flies?
Now it was three-on-one in a blink.
Four arms? Big deal.
You need six for that.
I hung back a beat, activating Track to read the flow as the knights engaged.
Boom-
One knight Fleeted in the slowed world, lunging straight for the midsection.
But.
The four-armed mask reacted like a true Aura user—sharp, instinctive.
No Fleet of his own, but he crossed swords preemptively, bracing for the strike.
Except.
Whoosh-
Mid-Fleet, the knight's blade arced true for the chest. Royal Knight polish—masterful Fleet control.
But.
Kwachik-!
The sword bit in, but not deep.
“Grk...!”
Guard up in the nick of time?
Damn, solid proficiency.
The masked one swung back, aiming to finish the spent knight.
Boom-
But the second knight crossed in with his own Fleet.
Closed fast, whipping a slender blade—but the enemy countered with Fleet this time, no Guard.
Four arms hammered down at blinding speed.
Clang!
The knight twisted desperately, parrying.
Fleet.
That's when I timed my own, the final push.
This is why numbers rule among Aura users.
Fleet, Guard, Rush—deploy them right, and it's a numbers game.
But three queens on a chessboard? No contest.
I blazed in with Fleet.
He was facing the front knight, back turned—felt my presence, started to pivot.
Too late. My sword was already arcing wide for his neck.
But...
Shaaak-
Scales erupted along his neck, just like the Orc Champion.
...Same deal?
No letting this slip, though.
Rush on cooldown, so I poured everything into the swing.
Hard as hell.
Thuk!
Scales pierced; blade sank into the neck.
But the scales kept it shallow.
“Grk...”
Big wound, sure—but not enough to drop a monster like him.
Then.
Whoosh.
I released the hilt, spun with the momentum.
Coated my boot in Guard, channeling the twist.
Kwachik!!
Kicked the embedded blade hard.
“Gack!”
Even a monster can't tank that.
With a hiss of escaping air, he crumpled to his knees.
“Hoo... ha...”
The guy who'd been dominating two knights solo?
One extra body, and down he went.
Numbers are king.
“You...”
Battle over.
A young knight approached me.
“I'm Lorentz's assistant.”
“Disciple of Lorentz of the Frost? You saved our hides.”
...Assistant, not disciple. Why the upgrade?
More importantly, Lorentz of the Frost?
First time hearing that moniker.
These people love their nicknames, huh.
Wonder if Rowell or Alden have any. Even mercenary hack Jeban had a flashy one—'Continuous Strike'—so probably.
Anyway...
“Let's join the others.”
“Right.”
Battle not fully done yet.
We split off to reinforce the remaining fights.
“I'll help too.”
Lock joined us, stamina recovered.
Me, a seasoned Aura user; Lock, another; plus Lorentz?
Enough to flip the tide on the struggling fronts.
“Tough bastard.”
Slash-
The last masked thug went down, throat slit. All enemies down.
Phew...
Corpses everywhere—masked ones, all freakish up close.
Multiple arms, some with spinnerets spewing silk, tails on others.
They experimented on their own bodies, too.
“You have our thanks.”
Post-battle, a knight who looked like their leader bowed to Lorentz.
“No, we owe you. Your timely arrival saved my men.”
Lorentz's subordinates lay scattered nearby, getting patched up.
Guarding the entrance when ambushed—wiped out.
Then the cave collapsed; nearby knights heard and rushed in for the fight.
“I'm Edgar, captain of the Royal Third Knights.”
“Lorentz, branch manager of Astra Trading Company.”
“Yes, Mr. Lorentz. I've heard the name.”
Guy's even more famous than I thought. Even this decorated captain's showing respect.
“And that's the Mountain Search Squad behind you?”
“Yes. Second Squad Leader Lock.”
“I'll get the full report from you later.”
“Understood.”
After that, search ops halted. Full cleanup mode.
Tons of wounded, some dead.
Most masked killed, but a few captured.
No more scouting—time to head down.
“What about me?”
“Back to the mansion.”
“Got it.”
My combat gig done, I could head home.
Glanced at Lorentz slyly, tapping the necklace.
“This...”
“Keep it. It's yours now.”
“Understood.”
Worried he'd want it back unused? Nah.
Lorentz has a big heart.
“Our losses were heavy, though. No more investigations for now.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Instead, report to them starting next time.”
“Pardon?”
He nodded toward the Mountain Search Squad.
“They took heavy hits too. Loan you out, and they share intel.”
“That easy to swing?”
When did he even negotiate that?
Still, they're a royal outfit too, right? Me just inserting myself?
I asked, but...
“Forgot whose man you are?”
“Ah.”
“The Boyds aren't short on credit for a temp slot.”
Universal Boyd family privilege.
Yeah, a noble house like that gets what it wants.
And hey, patching their gaps with talent like me? They'd beg for it.
So.
That day, back to the mansion for rest.
After, per Lorentz, I joined the Mountain Search Squad for the real mountain range probe.