The battle was even for the most part. Caldain, with his Guardian and two Warriors, held the front line well against what seemed to be a group of three Warriors and two Bowmen, though from the looks of it one of them was a Ranger.

The difference was subtle, but one relied on solely firing the bow as his main weapon, a DPS, while the other used the mobility and range to fire on the move and provide utility. One was a damage dealer, the other dabbled in buffs and ailments.

Caldain’s own Ranger and Rogue worked in unison, though they achieved little on the sidelines. The Rogue ran at an angle, and though he could dodge the arrows with ease, he made little distance forward. His Ranger kept the other side on their toes, as well. Running head-on against two arrows with little to no cover was a death sentence. The best that both sides could do was keep each other busy.

If I was the Rogue, I would run behind the enemy frontline, and have the Bowmen risk hitting their own men.

Still, what could Kara do, right now? Striking from behind was a no brainer, but with that group at her heel, she might only bring more trouble than it’s worth; that’s assuming Caldains crew won’t cut her down then, thinking she was the enemy.

No, Kara thought, glancing behind her. Those people had the look of vultures. They would strike whoever was vulnerable, her or Caldain’s group once they tire.

She fell back on using the Ents--that would surely break the fighting. She glanced around her, heightening her perceptions of Life Force. Even though the trees were identical, all wispy and withered, her eyes saw nothing below the ground.

She frowned. She was unable to use her Notes to scout below ground, but what happened was clear. There were Ents there, below most trunks. The issue was, they were all dead.

Whatever’s destroying this land, we’re getting closer to it. Even the Ents are perishing.

Was the boss an Ent monster, or was it a Death attributed monster? That monster type was the only one able to show these signs.

Kara started running forward, sword ready in hand.

She glanced behind her, smiling wide once she saw the party jog after her.

She tried her best to remain unseen as she crossed the open field. If she could get the first strike into their backs, this fight would end quickly. She was able to escape the eyes of her foes, expect Caldain’s own crew gave her away. They stared for a few moments, surprise on their face.

The men she was supposed to ambush began to turn around, and in a fit of pure instincts, Kara released the sword as her arms pumped backward. Now unarmed, the sword flew behind her with her Life Force, so that when one of the men turned around, they only saw a kid running towards them.

And a party of bloodthirsty Warriors following at the heel.

When they heard hear nearing, one of the men momentarily broke off from the melee to deal with Kara. The other men, noticing they were about to be flanked by a different party, began to fall back towards the side.

Fortunately, Caldain did not make it easy. He manuaved, keeping them in between him and the upcoming party. He was quick enough to also push aggressively, taking advantage of the numbers advantage. With his technique and hulk of a Guardian, the other party quickly began to be pushed back.

The man who turned around needed to finish Kara quickly.

“Please help!” she yelled, glancing behind her quickly. She did not slow down, but sped up as she neared the opposing Warrior. She enchanted her legs with Life Force, spending a couple of dozen points to increase their durability. She couldn't spend too much, however, or the aura would have shown to the naked eye.

“Get behind me!” he said, and then brought his sword up.

She nodded, and expectedly, when she neared the man lunged forward, stabbing towards her.

Kara then did something she had not done ever since she was a child: she jumped down, sliding under the man’s legs. Her enchanted legs did not take damage as it dragged against the ground. Kara then bounced up, and stepped to the side, reaching behind her without a pause.

Fourth Movement: Amplification

Complete Penetration!

You have dealt 62 damage!

You have dealt Devastating Bleeding Damage!

The sword that had traveled behind her had pierced the man’s neck to the hilt. It costed her 12% Equanimity to power up the Kinetic Energy forward, but the results were worth it. It struck him so hard that his lower body went forward while his upper went back.

The man topped backward, and with a smooth gesture, Kara yanked the blade out and placed it into the side of one of his friends. The man turned back with shock, in disbelief over the 40 damage that was dealt with him with the Significant Bleed damage.

That was a mistake. His opponent, Lia, stepped forward, stabbing from the front as well.

Kara was immediately forced to dodge a diagonal strike from his friend. Kara did not have the time to pull free the blade nor the space to step back from the melee. Instead, she let the sword rest stepped forward into the middle of it, letting the blade whizz by her side by a breath.

She landed right in front of the thrust of Caldain's Warrior who had carried her--the Meathead.

Kara yanked her butt backward and bent forward, avoiding being impaled through her stomach but taking a hefty 6 damage as the Empowered sword cut her ribs.

The pain was a back thought in Kara’s head, the surprise quickly turning into an opportunity. Her left hand went down, guiding the thrust forward. It was weak, but with a pump of Life Force and a momentary increase of her strength, she was able to make him step forward with her, correcting the trajectory of the blade to strike the opponent's vulnerable spot.

She let go, hoping the momentum and one more step from him would drive the blade through, as her hands shot forward, holding the wrists of the opposing man as he attempted to swing towards her. She could not completely stop him, as the difference in strength was far too large, but it was enough to slow him down for Caldain's soldier to--

She glanced to the left slightly, finding him to be frozen, his feet stuck in the dirt.

Son of a--

Her opponent did not pause. One of his hands released themselves from Kara’s grasp, clutching them tightly. He pulled her towards him, his face livid and uncaring she was unarmed, and thrust his blade forward.

The sword went through her abdomen with little resistance, stopping only until the hilt dug into her skin.

You have taken 43 Damage!

You have taken Significant Bleed Damage!

You will take 5% MAX HP damage per second until healed.

Kara gasped, the agony a silent maelstrom, and tossed out blood against the man’s shirt. Still, he did not let go; it was his last act, and in the back of her mind, Kara understood.

If she was going down, she might as well take someone with her--it was the same for him. His death was assured with the fall of his teammates.

His muscles pulsed, the last of his Life Force pumping into his arms.

Before he could cut the rest of Kara’s body in half, a sword rammed into the side of his chest, throwing him to the side.

Too late, Kara numbly thought as she fell to her knees, clutching the blade with her hands.

Life Force poured into the wound, attempting to envelop it around the sword. It would do little but slow the bleed against such a large wound. Not only did she cover the front, but also the wound on the back. Her Life Force began quickly deplete. Already her HP was down to 52 from the initial strike, leaving the rest to go with the bleeding. Blood spurted out of her mouth as she rolled to the side, not daring to move the sword.

The earth shook as its coldness burned into her cheeks. Chaos fell above her, deaf to her ears.

The bleed damage was not the true 5%, otherwise, it would have been hopeless, with or without Life Force usage. The system assumed the blade would have left her body, but Kara kept it in to limit the bleeding.

If Caldain could…Kara desperately thought, bending her head to search for him, but it was too late. The party that has been chasing against Kara now fought against Caldain, leaving no time for him help a stranger.

I have less than a minute, Kara quickly estimated, though she did so fruitlessly.

There was no way out. She was adept with self-healing wounds, but this body simply did not have the tools for it. No one in this area should be capable of healing magic proficient of healing a wound such as this, either.

She looked up, finding the boy responsible for her death still frozen in his boots, his arms shaking.

I should not have relied on him. On anyone. Die a thousand painful deaths, bastard. I despise people like you the most.

All the plans and hopes she had placed on this body vanished in one strike, because of one fool.

Her Songs could not save her. It only impacted others, and never herself.

A sense of dread began to close around Kara. Back to that filthy body. Back to the same old pain...

It was time to leave. Dying within this body might cause her actual death.

Kara gathered her Soul together, preparing herself to leave everything. Nothing ever works out for her. She has failed in everything. The second chance she was given was seeping out of her slowly.

No! No! Not yet! I won't let it happen again!

Kara withdrew her Notes inward, looking deep inside her Dancer's Soul. It was a technique she was not familiar with, but one that had to work.

If she can't fix this body, then maybe, just maybe, he can.