A spear flashes at Nahl from the side. I reach out and pull him out of the way, choosing to preserve my flow because they have much more energy available than we do, which means I need all I have to put a quick end to this with Idali.

Speaking of which, Rowland finally notices that she charged ahead so he steps back to defend my front. To be fair, only a few seconds have passed since she left even though I've experienced much more than that and Idali is already fifteen meters away.

I reach out with my hand to send half my flow after her, which is about thirty portions at this point. I'm very much aware that it won't be enough on its own but I can't use any more if we're to have any hope of survival once the deed is done.

Soldiers close in on our small group of four so I further accelerate my perceptions to rearrange our formation. I extend my left leg out behind Uhla's back and snatch Rowland's collar.

I kick her forward without any pity and pull him back at the same time before throwing him to the left, forcing to exchange places. The two stumble but manage to recover in time to block enemy attacks.

Now able to trust my flanks are protected and able to react if Uhla gets in trouble, I turn my attention back to Idali. She made it through before the guards' ranks closed but three high born officers step out of the swirling barrier to block her way.

The one in the middle wields a sword covered in flames, I grin at the man because he's the one who helpfully obliterated soldiers for us a moment ago. He doesn't notice as his attention is fully on Idali because she has an intense golden glow around her and is taking a low stance.

I refrain from making a move because it feels like she has an idea and my sundering construct still hasn't run out of energy yet. Idali's right leg starts twisting at the thigh, causing her knee and foot to shift.

It makes me grimace because I can imagine how much strain it puts on her flesh to do this. I can't keep watching or even help yet because guards are now closing in on us from all sides.

One comes out of almost nowhere with a damn scythe and launches an overhead blow at Uhla, threatening to pierce through her skull. Meanwhile, four others attack Rowland and Nahl with spears.

I grab my broadsword's hilt and swing it just past Uhla's head to parry the sharp blade. The scythe smashes into the ground right past the ex-Semplar who froze, unable to figure out how to parry that weapon.

I immediately spin on my left heel to kick Rowland back with my right leg, allowing him to just barely avoid a javelin which impacts my cuirass and flings away, almost impaling Nahl from behind.

With this temporarily settled, I peer through the soldiers' ranks towards Idali who apparently blocked a few flaming projectiles with the Vuskyt spear because there are holes bursting with flames in the ground around her.

There is a dead Noble near her as well as an injured one fleeing with a hole in his left shoulder. The cut in weapon's handle tells me she likely blocked a swing supported by an armor-piercing construct.

That's a mistake on my part because she followed my instructions but, thankfully, Vuskyt is much more difficult to cut than steel so she got off easy. Idali suddenly starts turning on the spot, stunning me.

I quickly realize that her thigh is slowly unwinding. A moment later, her body flickers and she rushes half a dozen meters forward within a split-second to reach the high born holding a burning sword.

The man, far from being able to launch an intercepting slash, barely manages to bring it down before her spear finds his chest and easily runs him through thanks to my sundering construct.

The high born crumbles in half over her spear but she pitilessly launches his body at the swirling golden barrier I strongly suspect is made of blood. I notice a flicker in the Countess' defense and hurriedly use slight kinetic force to pinch Idali.

She swiftly leaps back, just in time to avoid a volley of air-needles that continue towards us. The one with the scythe, who is in leather armor but has the brown skin of a farmer spending his days outside, picks that moment to slash out at Uhla.

I thrust out with my broadsword above Uhla's shoulder and send a couple portions of flow to jerk the attacker towards it. The man's eyes widen but he fails to react in time to avoid my blade piercing through his right eye-socket to reach his brain.

His scythe's blade impacts the back of my cuirass without doing any damage while Uhla groans from being squeezed between us. I move the body to the right, intercepting the golden projectiles flying right at us while also reinforcing Uhla's defensive construct.

A handful make it through and impact her, shattering on my construct but also destroying it and her armor. As the dead peasant falls backward, I notice that both he and Uhla are covered in a thin layer of blood.

That explains how these needles could make it through with enough power to break the defensive construct but it spells trouble because I might not be able to block these things with my cuirass, not without using my own blood.

Rowland and Nahl's backs hit my flanks almost at the same time as they are pressured into retreat by the soldiers. I grunt and almost throw them back into the melee but they return to it by themselves.

“Idali, leap over!” I bellow.

She immediately drops to one knee with her right thigh twisting once more. I can't see her expression but I can imagine the agony involved in twirling one's flesh as she is.

I hear Rowland and Nahl's weapons shred through two opponents so I glance to my sides to make sure I have enough time. I catch Rowland picking up an even larger sword, a claymore, and Nahl kick a shield up with his foot.

The low born ex-Templar agilely slides his left arm in the straps and throws a backhanded slap with it, directly knocking out a charging spear-woman. Satisfied, I focus my entire attention on Idali.

Because of the distance, it takes me as much time to shape the flow as it would to do so close to me without my perception construct. Still, I manage to wrap an air-shield with a kinetic component around her hard leather armor before she launches.

She leaps up and forth, flying over a dozen meters in the air. That crazy bitch! Liz' excitement is contagious, I never expected Idali to go so far in trusting me with her life.

I snap a solid platform of air ahead of her so she can bounce off it to plunge back at the ground. She flips in mid-air and kicks the hardened air, presumably launching herself at the Countess hiding behind.

As the last act I can take before she leaves both my range and sight behind the barrier, I pour the rest of the energy surrounding her into the sundering construct on her spear.

“Jesssiiccaaa!” Rowland calls out in panic.

I snap to my left, finding him struggling against two men larger than he is but not as tall. One of them manages to grab his claymore and is wrestling him for it while the other is trying to tackle Rowland who is using kicks to keep him off.

These two seem to have lost their weapons so I glimpse around and find broken poleaxes on the ground. I flick my sword back and then launch it at the man holding his weapon.

The weapon spins and hacks into his shoulder, causing him to release the claymore. Rowland takes advantage to bring the chunk of metal back and smack the other with it, shattering his skull.

With that handled, I draw another weapon and turn to Nahl, finding him on the defensive with a broken sword in hand. I flick my broadsword up, release it, bring my palm back, and lastly lion strike the pommel when it levels with my target.

The broadsword flies straight and penetrates a half-dozen centimeters into a spear-man's chest, causing him to panically retreat which disrupts his comrades' rhythm which allows me to give my last weapon to Nahl.

Crack. I glimpse a metal blade on Uhla's shoulder. It didn't cut through her hard leather armor but I distinctively heard a bone break. She slowly crumbles to her knees.

I launch over her and front-kick the face of the woman who downed her before she can raise her weapon. As the soldier crumbles, I steal her blade and parry a swing from a guard before thrusting it into his throat.

I flick it out of the man, dragging a fountain of blood with it, and force it into Uhla's left hand before stepping back. She struggles to get up but does manage so I heartlessly leave her to it despite her anguished expression.

I send what remains of my energy, twenty portions, into the small interstices between each of the pavement's stones and focus entirely on the kinetic energy constantly pulsing through it with each step taking by the soldiers surrounding us.

I wait, and wait for what feels like an eternity for the swirling golden construct concealing the Countess to vanish. It turns my gut not to know if Idali made it but, eventually, the curtain starts crumbling in a wave of red blood.

I prepare to launch stones at the Countess if she didn't manage to finish the job but pause in surprise instead at what I find. Idali is kneeling in front of the Countess with her arms holding her spear up.

The air-kinetic-shield I anchored around her hard leather armor is barely coherent and about to crumble so I dismantle it and send the energy into her defensive construct. It seems the Countess put up quite a fight but...

Idali impaled the woman through the center of her chest, piercing through the sternum, and is holding her fifty centimeters above the ground. There are a half-dozen dead bodyguards and officers spread out in a semi-circle around them which explains why it took Idali so long.

I swiftly reach to the crumbling blood construct and easily shatter the Countess' link to it. I manage to seize the core and inspect it for a brief moment before it crumbles as well.

“Cease battle! This is over!” I yell over the cacophony of battle, causing many of the soldiers to pause and look back.

“Kill them all!” An officer counters while drawing her weapon to go after Idali.

“You asked for it.” I utter with a smirk. “Take cover.” I order.

Uhla, Nahl, and Rowland immediately drop to one knee as well as cover their faces. The soldiers charge. I focus on my flow and overturn the kinetic force coursing through the pavement, using my intent to reverse each and every incoming impact for a few moments in a ring that doesn't include our group.

Crkrrk, crack. The stones crack and suddenly blow up. Large fragments fly out to smash into guards while smaller chunks are propelled at such incredulous speeds they pierce through leather armor.

Our group receives a few projectiles but the majority is blocked by the poor soldiers. Crkbram. Bodies fly off, blood jerks out, bones shatter. The result is utter chaos as the injured scream for help while many of their friends flee from the onslaught, causing more and more damage with their steps.

Krk. Finally, my energy runs out and the situation calms down. The pavement in a wide ring around us has turned to rubble and there isn't a single soldier still standing within fifteen meters.

Rowland, Nahl, and Uhla are all bleeding from various nicks but they'll recover fine after a week healing. My helmet blocked the more dangerous small fragments and I avoided the couple larger ones that got flung my way.

“I have ripped the ground under your feet, continue opposing us and I will rip the flesh off your bones.” I loudly threaten despite being close to drained of flow, all I have left is a few portions to keep my body going that I likely can't use without eventually collapsing.

“Another move and I end her!” Idali adds on while waving the screaming Countess in the air.

“Aaarh! Blasphemers! You dare spill my holy blood!” She erupts.

“Ah, dammit.” I swear. “I believe I made it clear I didn't want to hear their self-serving justifications.”

Idali, as if she heard me, twists her spear in the woman's chest, causing her to let out one last scream before falling unconscious. Then, she lets the high born down on the pavement but doesn't retrieve her spear from her innards yet.

“Jess.” The usually calm Nahl grumbles while trying to keep the wound on his chest from bleeding.

“Uhla, his wound reopened, you could have at least bandaged it.” I berate her with a smirk.

“Wh... I, no... but...” She protests but I ignore her.

“People of...” I pause in the middle of my call. “Shit, I forgot. Your Countess is the one behind the disappearances!”

“Lies!” An old man responds much too quickly. “This woman is a traitor!”

“I am Jessica Freepath, if you've heard any rumors, you are aware that I can do much worse than put down a mere few dozens of you.” I coldly utter.

The falling expressions on many of the soldiers' faces tells me that they've not only heard of me but haven't been told by their superiors who it was they were fighting.

With that settled, I pick up my weapons and signal the other three to start moving towards Idali. Some of the injured frantically crawl out of our way while others are dragged off.

Guards with spears point their weapons at us but none of them have the guts to resume the battle after I seemingly casually turned the field to a mess of rubble and blood.

“Her barrier was made of blood.” I proclaim. And it has a few tricks I don't think even Suxen knew of, it's damn cool. “It is sufficient proof, I believe, for you all to doubt they have been honest about the disappearances!”

“She is a traitor to the Kingdom! Don't listen to her!”

“Jessica Freepath put an end to the institute and brought their victims to safety in Hetlan!” A voice arises from the distance.

“Why would she attack us?!” Another asks.

“Where is my brother? Why is there so much blood?!” A third cries out.

The situation devolves into an even messier one as more and more questions arise from both soldiers as well as inhabitants in the background. Still, many weapons remain trained on us so I don't push it.

We've killed too many to be merely tolerable to them and, if they weren't scared or the Countess wasn't held hostage, they might be carving us into pieces right now. I slowly make it through defiant officers to rejoin with Idali who is still kneeling to check her thigh.

As expected, the leather is leaking red blood. She twisted her thigh to launch like a javelin as well as abruptly change direction, causing her own flesh to rip. I gather flow from the constructs I anchored to her and stop the bleeding with a blood construct.

I could do a lot better. Don't experiment. I reach out to the lazy floating masses of flow the Countess lost control of and break the link to seize it for myself, discreetly stopping the energy from sinking.

Meanwhile, the officers are desperately trying to retain control of the crowd to stop the nascent riot but there are some among their numbers also seeking answers about the blood the Countess used for her barrier which adds to the chaos.

“Jess...” Uhla worriedly speaks up with her hands on the gash in Nahl's chest.

“Just wait, Edusa's people can't be so dim to miss this opportunity.” I reassure her.

“What if...” She starts.

“We'll be gone in a moment.” I flatly interrupt her.

As I stealthily replenish my reserves with the Countess' energy, which is quickly running out because I'm not the only one who tried to recover it, I run my eyes through the crowd to spot the Countess' firm supporters.

The old man, an evident bourgeois considering his clothes, is going between officers to try to keep them on board. There are others but he seems the most prominent among civilians.

I patently ignore the debates going on, or the spears pointed at us, and grab Idali's armpit to help her stand back up. Once she has, I pat her spear to tell her to get it out and let them heal her.

“All things considered, I'm pretty sure Edusa would be thankful if we kept this one alive.” I whisper to Idali.

“She should die.” She says between grit teeth.

“Trust me, her fate at the hands of Nobility now that her crimes will be uncovered will be worse than what we have time to inflict.” I explain. “And, if I'm wrong or if she escapes, then we can always hunt her down.”

“What if...” She starts.

“They don't find out?” I ask with a smirk. “Please, there are others involved who'll soon realize their best bet is to rat on her.” I flick my chin at the old man trying to convince others to kill us with an accomplice. “Their kind is worse than wolves, they'll be eating each other alive before we make it out of the city.”

I signal my four cute little companions to get up and start moving. A group of soldiers with hatred in their eyes close ranks and extend their spears to tell us to stop but all I have to do is show the ten portions I stole from the Countess to get them to take several steps back with looks of panic.

“You can't leave!” Their officer yells at us.

“More worthy than you have tried and fallen in the attempt.” I warn.

“You can't just start a battle, make accusations, and leave!” He protests.

“Sure I can, you'll figure it out eventually and we won't be too far.” I calmly reply without stopping.

I end up moving quicker than they retreat so I push away a few spears and keep going, causing their ranks to crumble to get away from me. Idali limps after me, helped by Rowland while Uhla keeps healing Nahl.

We make our way out of the plaza before the 'loyal' forces manage to regain enough control or gather enough people to mount an actual blockade. I hear a few fights actually break out as we leave, pursued by a small group of soldiers with spears that don't pose any real threat to us.

We run into a patrol of soldiers wearing Hetlan's tabard in the street, Edusa's people. I frown because it's a pain to deal with but necessary. I wave at Rowland to tell him to go report the events and pick a narrow defensible alley to stop in the meantime.