True Colors

KABOOM!

The detonating fireball flung scorching crimson tongues across the corridor. The transparent glass set in the center of the reinforced door was blasted pitch-black, reducing everything on the far side to a vague, distorted silhouette.

Having barely dived clear of the explosion, Bennett pushed himself up from one knee and raised his head. Where empty air had been only moments earlier, an old man now stood. Clad in the elaborate robes of a high-ranking magic user, his weathered face twisted into a venomous sneer. It was Fredrik—the master of Nora, the mage Bennett had put down like a dog.

Their standoff lasted only a fraction of a second. Bennett snapped Shooting Star up and squeezed the trigger.

Thud-thud!

The bolts came to an abrupt, unnatural halt inches from Fredrik's nose. Bennett's brow furrowed in sharp surprise. An impossibly clear pane of sorcerous glass separated them, and his twin bolts remained trapped, embedded into its surface.

"Hup—!"

Taking advantage of the distraction Bennett had bought, Rose closed the distance. Pivoting on her heel to channel maximum centrifugal force, she hurled the full weight of her momentum into the tip ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of her longsword.

SCREEECH!

The blade gouged deep, tearing into the barrier with the sound of rending metal, yet the glass wall stubbornly held.

"What is this thing?!"

Realizing the barrier was far from ordinary, Rose sprang backward in alarm. While she recovered her footing, Fredrik swept his staff from behind the partition, chanting with practiced speed.

BOOM!

A roaring geyser of flame erupted directly beneath Rose's feet, forcing her to fling herself sideways in a frantic tumble. Seizing the opening, Fredrik began weaving his next incantation.

Bennett read the battlefield instantly and brought Shooting Star back on target.

Thwack! Thwack!

A continuous stream of bolts struck true, pounding the identical fracture line. Strained past its limit, the magical glass finally shattered, raining crystalline shards across the stone tiles. The trailing bolts streaked straight for the mage's throat, but Fredrik was already prepared.

"Shield."

A translucent dome shimmered into existence, deflecting the volley with dull metallic pings. Recognizing that single-shot fire wouldn't punch through a dedicated barrier, Bennett immediately engaged full-auto. The crossbow rattled violently in his hands as he raked the dome with fire, yet while Fredrik's barrier rippled and groaned under the onslaught, it deflected every single bolt.

Clack-clack-clack!

The drum magazine emptied in seconds. Bennett had poured dozens of rounds downrange in under ten seconds, but the reinforced defense of an elite mage held against every one.

This isn't good.

Rose lunged forward again, refusing to waste the opportunity, but Fredrik's cold glare had already snapped to her.

"Magic Punch. Entangle."

A cascade of rapid, low-tier spells fired in seamless succession. Though neither was lethal on its own, they were specifically chosen to break a charging knight's stride.

WHAM! Crack!

An invisible impact slammed square into Rose's breastplate, followed immediately by thick, thorny vines erupting from the floorboards to bind her greaves. Jagged shards of frost spiked upward to pierce the soles of her boots, and a blinding flare flashed before her visor, stealing her vision.

Fredrik's timing was masterclass. Each minor spell detonated at the precise moment Rose prepared to swing, advance, or reposition. It was a textbook harassment chain, prioritizing disruption and suppression over brute force.

Yet Rose pressed forward with such furious, reckless aggression that Fredrik momentarily lost track of Bennett.

Clack.

Bennett used that blind spot to slap a fresh magazine into Shooting Star. Though identical in silhouette to the others, this magazine featured a sharp, knurled ridge along its baseplate. It was loaded not with mass-produced scavenged munitions, but with custom Dwarven armor-piercing bolts.

THUNG!

A dull, heavy boom rang out, starkly distinct from the twang of standard bolts.

Distracted by the swordswoman pressing at his throat, Fredrik reacted a fraction of a second too late, frantically swinging his staff. A howling vortex of pressurized wind exploded outward, flinging loose debris and discarded laboratory tools into the air. Yet even against that violent gale, Bennett's bolt held its trajectory dead-true.

CRACK!

The bolt punched into the shield. Spiderweb fissures radiated outward across the magical dome from the point of impact.

"You... you little bastard?!"

For the first time, naked panic cracked Fredrik's smug composure.

"Damn it all!"

Fredrik desperately channeled mana to reinforce his crumbling barrier, shifting his footing so that Rose's armored frame stood directly between himself and Bennett. Bennett adjusted his angle instantly, matching the mage's pivot as he squeezed the trigger.

Closing the distance faster than the old mage could track, Bennett emptied the entire drum magazine at point-blank range. The first barrier shattered into motes of light, and the secondary ward behind it shredded like wet paper.

Having broken through the vines, Rose surged in, swinging her longsword with two hands.

Clang! Crash!

Realizing his defenses were gone, Fredrik abandoned restraint to prepare a fatal blow. Even if it drained his life force, he was determined to eradicate at least one of his attackers.

"Electric Spear!"

BZZZZT!

With an ear-splitting crack of displaced air, brilliant yellow lightning flared into being. A lance forged of pure, crackling current formed directly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠above Fredrik's head.

"I will take you down with me, you cur!!!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Fredrik's bloodshot eyes locked onto Bennett. Bennett attempted to trigger Flash Sprint once more, but his daily charges were already spent. He reached for his system interface to dump every unassigned stat point into Agility, but the lightning was faster.

A blinding flash consumed Bennett's world.

A concussive blast blew the breath from his lungs and turned his ears to static. The sheer kinetic shock hurled him backward across the chamber, sending him crashing violently into the masonry before crumpling to the floor. Crackling tendrils of yellow current clung to his flesh, burning relentlessly through his nerves.

Ugh...

White-hot agony tore through his body, but Bennett refused to close his eyes. And because he kept them open, he saw it.

Rose, charging at full sprint, cleaved the mage's head cleanly from his shoulders.

"Guh... *gack*!"

Fredrik made a pathetic, disbelieving swipe with his staff, but it was nothing more than a dying spasm. The staff tumbled from limp fingers, clattering against the stones as his outstretched arms seized and froze.

Thud.

Fredrik fell spread-eagled across the ground, dead.

Crackle.

Even with the caster deceased, residual lightning continued to lash at Bennett's chest. Clenching his teeth, he tore off his charred leather armor and hurled it across the room. The yellow arcs persisted over the scorched hide, a testament to the depth of Fredrik's dying malice.

Balduin saved my life.

The custom armor he had pried out of the dwarven blacksmith before entering the dungeon had absorbed the brunt of the lethal arc. Though the exposed portions of his skin were blistered and raw, the fact that he was still breathing was nothing short of miraculous.

Coughing up a mouthful of clotted blood, Bennett retrieved a healing potion from his pouch. He was just about to unstopper the vial when a sudden premonition gripped him.

Whoosh!

A pale blur flashed at the edge of his vision. Even through his battered, trembling frame, his instincts fired instantly.

Despite the sudden ambush, his eyes locked onto his attacker. But his injured body could not match his mind's command. Realizing an outright dodge was impossible, Bennett threw up Shooting Star to parry.

CLANG!

The heavy impact swept him off his feet, sending him rolling roughly across the stone tiles.

Bennett tried to scramble upright, but his electrocuted muscles seized and refused to obey. He searched for the potion, but the glass vial had shattered against the stones during his fall. When he reached into his vest for a second draught, a flash of steel shattered it in his grip before it ever reached his lips.

"*Cough!*"

"Oh my, I'm so sorry." Rose pushed up the visor of her helm. "I really meant to send you off without any pain, but it seems my aim was slightly off."

She wore her trademark cheerful smile, but her pale blue eyes were cold and drenched in murderous intent.

Slice.

Bennett twisted his torso, but couldn't avoid the blade entirely. A fresh, shallow gouge opened across his shoulder, soaking his tunic in dark crimson.

"...I can't say I understand what's happening here."

"Well, it was rather sudden, wasn't it?"

"Is this because you tried to poach Kyle?"

"Oh? You knew about that? Well, that makes this conversation so much faster!"

Swish.

Another cut scored his forearm.

"Honestly, I didn't want to take things this far. I felt a little guilty about it, you know? Stealing away a comrade like that. But then..." Rose's brow furrowed. "I remembered who you were."

"..."

"Your name sounded so familiar from the start. I let it slide at first, but then it hit me all at once." Rose closed the distance by half a pace. "I was explicitly warned never to get tangled up with you. That anyone who makes an enemy of you ends up in an early grave."

Bennett said nothing. He only ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠watched her with an unblinking, level stare.

Expecting no answer, Rose gave a light, airy shrug. "The person who told me said that while there are plenty of mercenaries stronger than you in this city, there's no one they'd hate having as an enemy more than you."

"..."

"Of course, I think they were exaggerating quite a bit... but still, caution never hurts, does it? You seem far too handy with a crossbow. I wouldn't want to get sniped in the back like that dead mage over there."

Even if she had poached Kyle, Bennett had harbored no intention of pursuing petty vengeance. But none of that mattered now.

A passing comment she had made while looting Nora's corpse echoed in his mind:

'Bennett-nim, aren't you hiding anything on you?'

It had sounded like a harmless jest at the time, but there had been a subtle, abrasive edge buried underneath. Looking back, her latent malice had slipped out even then.

"And since you were convenient enough to take that spell head-on, how could I pass up such an opportunity? Don't worry, I'll put that repeating crossbow to good use."

So that's why she didn't warn me about the fireball.

The polished point of her longsword thrust forward, aiming straight for his throat. Bennett was not defenseless; in the brief moments she had spent gloating, he had dumped his unassigned stat points into Agility.

Yet just as he raised Shooting Star to put a bolt through her throat, he hesitated. A figure had thrown itself between them.

What?!

CLANG!

Though his posture was unsteady from his frantic dash, Kyle intercepted Rose's blade, using his own armored body to shield Bennett from harm.

Forced back several steps, Rose scowled in open disbelief. "Kyle?"

"Lady Rose, there is no need to go this far."

"Kyle, move out of the way. Right now."

"Stand down while there is still time. There is no reason for us to shed bloo—"

"I said GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

Her playful composure vanished without a trace. Shrieking in fury, Rose charged. Kyle gritted his teeth, meeting her assault with frantic, desperate swordplay.

Blades clashed in a blinding exchange of sparks and screeching steel. While Rose's technical fencing held an edge over Kyle's, her expression grew increasingly frustrated. Kyle was taking shallow cuts and bruising blows, willingly bleeding just to keep Bennett covered.

Short of cutting Kyle down entirely, she couldn't lay a finger on Bennett.

"Stop making this complicated and move!"

"I will not!"

Biting her lip until it bled, Rose prepared to resort to her final trump card—

Thung. Thwung.

A familiar mechanical thud echoed, followed immediately by sharp, burning bursts of agony in her joints.

"Ah—?!"

Her legs buckled involuntarily, dropping her to her knees. Panicked, she looked down. Twin bolts protruded from her knee joints, and two more were buried deep into her pauldrons.

They were the very same custom Dwarven bolts Bennett had used to shatter the mage's magical barrier—projectiles engineered with enough penetrative power to pierce mundane plate armor with ease.

Seeing her completely neutralized, Kyle raised his blade to strike—

"Hold!"

Kyle froze at Bennett's command. Seeing Bennett stagger forward with cold, deliberate steps, Rose blurted out in sheer desperation:

"If you kill me, things will only become far worse for you!"

"...And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Remember what I told you before? About the fallen nobles gathering their strength? That's . And every member of our Union..."

Rose widened her eyes. Inscribed faintly across her sky-blue irises was an intricate, microscopic magic circle.

"...has a special spell branded into their eyes. A curse that transmits the final image seen before death directly back to headquarters." The corners of her lips curled up as she tapped her breastplate. "If I die? Your faces will be transmitted to the Union's leadership. And then? The Union will deploy death squads to hunt you down until nothing is left of you."

"..."

"Do you understand now? Do you understand what kind of trouble you'll bring upon yourselves?"

Flushed with outrage, Kyle gripped his hilt to finish her, but Bennett raised a hand to stop him.

"Bennett-nim? Why?"

Rose, who had tensed for the strike, let out a shaky breath of relief. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"...There's no need for us to make things tiresome for each other. Let's make a deal. I swear to keep quiet about everything that happened here if you let me go. If you don't trust me—"

Her smiling monologue died in her throat.

Shooting Star was leveled steadily between her eyes.

"W-Wait! Did you not hear a word I just said?! If you kill me, you die too!"

"A certain piece of advice suddenly comes to mind."

"Wh-What advice?"

"The counsel you offered right after we finished off the mage."

Despite her terror, Rose tilted her head in utter bewilderment.

"I'll be sure to search you thoroughly," Bennett said coldly. "Right down to your underwear."

"...!"

Whether the prospect of being stripped bare was more humiliating than death itself, Rose's face twisted in mortified horror.

THWACK!

"Urk."

A bolt punched clean between her brows. Her glazed eyes stared vacantly at Bennett as her torso slumped forward, collapsing into the cold stone floor.

"Haaah."

A deep, electric wave of vitality washed through Bennett's bloodstream. His lips trembled faintly from the sheer adrenaline, but Kyle, standing beside him, simply looked on with quiet concern, assuming his party leader was shaking from exhaustion.