Chapter 7: Ambushed
"I'm watching over you now
"The reaper's never far
"You did escape me somehow
"You can't escape who you are"
-'Here at the End of the World' by Orden Ogan
Without hesitation, Susie charged after Sariel, swinging her axe. He swiftly parried her attack with his sword, then projected a magical barrier to defend against a surprise attack from Kris. Repelling Susie with a quick kick, he retaliated against Kris with a backhanded strike, leaving him reeling.
Sariel stumbled as a crossbow bolt struck him in the back. He turned to face Noelle, surprised. He grinned behind his mask.
"And I thought you a coward," he said, seemingly impressed. "When did you become so courageous?"
She said nothing, but shakily reached for another bolt. Clumsily, she loaded it and prepared to take another shot, her bravery quickly leaving her. She hesitated, her hands trembling.
"The will to fight falters, does it not?" Sariel taunted, pulling the bolt from his back and throwing it to the ground. His hand began to surge with magical energy.
A barrage of fire struck him, and he turned to face his attacker. He narrowed his eyes at Ralsei, before being hit in the face by a left hook from Susie. He leered at her before unleashing a burst of magical energy that forced her back.
"You cannot evade me forever, Ralsei," he declared, pointing his sword at Ralsei. "Do not make this more difficult than it must be."
Ralsei glared at him, then wordlessly fired off another barrage of magic. Sariel deflected the projectiles with a barrier, advancing slowly.
"I do not wish to harm you, Ralsei. Do not make me strike you."
"Do you actually expect me to come with you?" Ralsei hissed. "You think I'll just let you murder my friend?"
"Again, you succumb to sentimentality. I understand the human himself is not the threat..."
"Then why are you trying to kill him?!"
"...but, he is a conduit for the demon's corruption. You have seen the danger she presents. We cannot afford to waste any more time."
"If you'd just leave us alone, we could find a better way," Kris interjected.
Sariel shot Kris a withering glare, "Stay out of this, human." He returned his focus to Ralsei, "By protecting him, you are protecting the demon. With every passing minute, the end of all things draws ever closer. We must act immediately."
Sariel projected an orb of energy in his hand. It began to crackle with electricity.
"Do not resist any longer. Come unto your maker, or I shall execute your companions where they stand."
Ralsei launched a bolt of energy at Sariel. "I'm not going with you," he stated, glaring defiantly.
"So be it."
Before Sariel could do anything, Susie charged into him, pinning him against a tree. She bared her teeth, smiling madly.
"Try anything, and I'll eat your goddamn face."
Sariel said nothing, instead opting to unleash the electric orb in his hand. Susie let out a pained scream as lightning surged through her body. Sariel chuckled to himself as he pushed her aside.
Another crossbow bolt struck him in the side. He cursed under his breath as he removed it, turning to Noelle.
"G-get away from her," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Or what?" he countered, stepping closer.
"Or I'll... I-I'll..."
"Pitiful," he sneered. "At least the hellion could muster up a threat."
Kris suddenly attacked Sariel from behind with a quick slash. Susie, having recovered, engaged as well.
"You really need to learn not to turn your back on the enemy, dumbass," she said.
"Perhaps," he replied calmly. "Though I must admit, your laughably impotent offensive encourages several bad habits."
"You're pretty confident considering what happened last time," Kris retorted, striking at Sariel between each word.
Sariel parried each of Kris' blows, while deflecting Susie's with a barrier. "My first failure in countless years. Hardly cause for alarm."
Kris and Susie continued to skirmish with Sariel, receiving support from Ralsei's healing magic. Over the course of several minutes, Sariel began to move ever so slightly slower, though his own healing spells kept him fighting. He began to attack more ruthlessly.
Forcing Susie back with a blast of energy, Sariel parried an attack from Kris and, in one swift motion, slammed him face first into a nearby tree. He fell to the ground, motionless.
"Kris!" Ralsei called out, rushing over to him.
"Oh, you're gonna pay for that!" Susie shouted, only to be sent to the ground by a punch to the face. Blocking Sariel's follow up attack, she retaliated with a kick to the chest, before scrambling to her feet and charging after him.
Ralsei helped Kris up off the ground, his hand emitting a warm golden light. "Are you alright, Kris?" he asked.
Kris struggled to focus through his hazy vision. "I... I think so," he muttered, wiping blood from his face. "Goddamn, that hurts."
"You'll be okay." The golden light enveloped Kris, and his pain began to fade.
Sariel continued to trade blows with Susie. Over time, their movements became slow and sluggish, though Sariel's healing magic allowed him to maintain an advantageous position. He was caught by surprise, however, when Kris charged into the fray, accompanied by a series of magical projectiles from Ralsei.
Sariel quickly projected a barrier, only to have his defenses crumble as he was beset on all sides by blades and projectiles. Kris and Susie rained down blow after blow upon him, while Ralsei bombarded him with a cascade of fireballs. Noelle, meanwhile, hesitated to fire out of fear of hitting one of her friends.
Sariel attempted an overhead attack, only to have it blocked by Kris, then countered by an uppercut from Susie. The two continued to attack relentlessly, keeping him surrounded. He retaliated with a spinning sword slash, then fired off a bolt of electricity in Kris' direction. Stepping back, he assaulted Susie with a barrage of fireballs.
Seeing an opportunity, Noelle steeled herself and fired a shot in Sariel's direction, only to have it miss completely. He turned to face her, and sneered derisively. He fired a magical projectile at her, hitting her square in the chest. Crying out in pain and fear, she dropped to her knees and began to shield herself from further harm.
"Pay attention, dumbass!" Susie shouted as she buried her axe in Sariel's back. Hissing in agony, he spun around and countered with a pommel strike to the face. While she was left reeling, he began to cast a healing spell.
He was caught off guard when Kris charged toward him, delivering a thrusting attack. Kris stabbed his sword into Sariel's abdomen, then followed up with a left hook that sent him stumbling back.
"How quickly the tide turns," he said, clutching at his wound. "You are truly remarkable. It is rare for me to be bested in battle, much less forced to flee more than once."
"You don't have to fight us," Ralsei said. "Just leave us alone and no one has to die."
"Perhaps." Sariel began to step backwards. "Or, perhaps the demon will succeed in her efforts due to your inaction. Tell me, Ralsei, is that a risk you are willing to take?"
Ralsei's expression hardened, but he said nothing.
"No reply. What did I expect?" He pointed his sword at Ralsei. "I cannot allow you to doom us all. I will return for you. One way or another, you will come unto your maker." He continued his retreat, vanishing beyond the treeline.
When she was certain he was gone, Susie turned to Noelle. "Are you okay?" she asked, helping her off of the ground.
"I... I think so," Noelle replied, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Here, let me heal you..." Ralsei said, casting healing spells on his companions.
"Ralsei," Kris turned to him, "what did the Knight mean when he said 'come unto your maker'?"
Ralsei said nothing. He shifted his gaze to the ground, finding himself unable to make eye contact.
"Ralsei? Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm... fine," he lied. "It's just... It's a personal issue, Kris."
"What aren't you telling us?" Susie entered the conversation.
Ralsei hung his head, pulling his scarf over his face. "It's my own problem, not yours."
"Ralsei, whatever it is, we're willing to help you," Kris said, placing a hand on Ralsei's shoulder.
"Yeah. Just talk to us, man," Susie added.
"I... I just can't, okay?" Ralsei replied, still refusing to make eye contact. "I'm sorry, but I just can't talk about this. Maybe someday, but... not now."
Kris nodded. "Alright. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push you. I just want you to know that we're here for you, okay?"
"It's okay. And, thanks for being supportive. It means a lot to me."
Everyone fell silent for a brief moment.
"So, Noelle," Susie suddenly changed the subject, "you actually helped out this time. Nice work."
"I promised I'd do better," Noelle replied rather timidly. "I'm sorry I didn't do more..."
"Hey, it's still an improvement. Can't fault you for that."
"Everyone's gotta start somewhere," Kris added. "Just give it time and you'll build up your confidence. We're right there with you, okay?"
"Okay," Noelle replied. She seemed to feel a little better about herself.
Susie put a hand on Noelle's shoulder, looking directly into her eyes. "You'll become a fearless warrior soon enough. I'll teach you myself!"
"Just don't teach her to murder everything in her way, please," Kris said.
"Hey, I changed my ways, remember?"
"I know, but you still seem pretty... eager... when we're fighting the Knight."
"Well, that guy's bloodthirsty. I gotta make a statement against him!"
Kris ignored her, turning his focus to Noelle. "We'll teach you together."
Ralsei watched as the three conversed. His thoughts were conflicted. He wanted to tell them the truth about him. They were his friends, they deserved to know. But what would they think of him? Maybe it wouldn't change anything. Maybe they'd be mad at him for hiding the truth. Maybe they'd be repulsed by his very presence.
'They said they'd support me, though...' he told himself. 'They obviously care about me. But...
'What if they never see me the same way again?'
He sighed. While he appreciated his friends, he couldn't bring himself to tell them the truth. He just wasn't ready. He felt a pang of regret in his heart. Why did this have to be so difficult?
Why did it have to be so painful for him to face his past?