The Lady's Mercy, Part 2

A second teleportation gate opened, and from it sprang forth Galardos and his group. Gromni, Betty and Alaiel descended from the air, and they immediately engaged the backline of the enemy riders.

As for the frontline, who were driving at full speed...

“Arcane Wall,” spoke the demigod, conjuring a barrier of solid energy right in front of them. The three riders ahead couldn’t avoid it — they slammed against it to their deaths.

The Captain and his two surviving squadmates rushed to raise defensive barriers, but only two of them materialized: his own and his lieutenant’s. The third one was countered by Alaiel, who pounced upon its caster’s throat.

A scream and a streak of blood flew to the air.

The Captain moved to reload his submachinegun, but the demigod threw a silver dagger at him. It was an unassuming weapon, one that should bounce off his magical defenses — but the barrier shattered on contact instead.

Searing pain shot through the Captain’s chest, the blade buried into his left lung.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a similar blade destroying his lieutenant’s barrier.

She tried to evade the dwarf in front of her, but the adventurer blasted her with a double-barrel shotgun, and then split her head open with an axe.

To Gromni, the two shells were in vengeance for what had been done to Milla and Jund. The axe to the face was for himself.

As for the Captain, his gun was yanked away from his hand with telekinesis by the demigod, and then he himself was lifted off his hoverbike. The vehicle smashed headlong into a tree, with Milla and the Captain safely suspended in the air.

“Greater Binding,” Galardos cast — golden chains of light shot from the air and arrested the Captain’s movement, leaving him helpless.

The man’s breath was labored under the spell’s immense pressure, with no help in the fact that it dug the dagger deeper into his lung.

In but a short moment, the ambush against his group was over and silence descended upon the battlefield.

Galardos met eyes with Milla, and he gently floated her to his side before releasing her on her feet. The binding spell from the abductors disintegrated, and just like that, Milla was free once more.

“Are you alright?” asked the demigod, checking her for injuries.

“I’m…” Milla started, not sure of what to even say.

“I’m fine,” she settled with. “They didn’t hurt me.”

She rubbed the spot where the restraints had been tightest. It hurt a little, but for the most part, she was uninjured.

Galardos glared at the Captain, his temper just short of killing him.

“I am sorry, milady...” the man forced himself to speak, blood welling on his mouth. “I have failed you.”

The demigod scoffed at him, but before he could begin an interrogation, the Captain bid his farewell.

“May you fulfill your destiny... Even if not… Through the intended path…”

Closing his eyes, he triggered his Geas spell. Galardos’ hand shot out in an attempt to counter it, but he was a beat too late. A halo of runes bloomed around the man's throat and, as he exhaled his last breath, a glittering dust escaped his lips.

“Maniacs…” Galardos murmured. Milla didn’t understand what she’d just witnessed, but the demigod knew — that sparkling dust leaving the Captain, it had been his soul, shredded beyond the power of resurrection magic to restore.

Gromni swung the blood off his axe and Alaiel wiped her lips off the top of her paw.

Milla’s knees gave in, the surge of adrenaline ebbing away.

She’d prayed to Zarielle for help and the Goddess had delivered a miracle, in the form of handing the abductors to Galardos in a silver platter. In a way, it could be said Milla herself had killed them — or at least played a major role in their deaths.

But who were they, really? And was killing them the right choice?

Alas, with most of their blood sinking into the soil, Milla might never know.

Sensing her unease, Galardos carefully knelt next to her.

“Milla, I’m sorry. I fell into their trap. I should’ve known better.”

He apologized, his voice subdued and humble. His carelessness had put her life in danger, and led her relationship with Jund to ruin. He wasn’t sure how to face her at all.

“No, don’t apologize,” Milla shook her head. “I couldn’t defend myself either. They just waltzed inside and nabbed me, like I was some stupid little girl.”

To Milla, it was her own weakness that led to this whole mess.

If she could’ve stood her ground back then and talked to them on equal grounds, then maybe there would’ve been no need for bloodshed. Yet there she was, a damsel in distress who had to be rescued by a demigod. So much for her magical talents.

“Don’t be so harsh on yourself. They got Gromni too, and if I hadn’t pulled a fast one on them, they would’ve killed me just now. I don’t know who these people were, but they were dangerous. Even for me.”

Milla nodded quietly, biting her lip in frustration.

Then, before she knew it, tears started flowing down her eyes.

Deep inside, Milla hadn’t internalized the gravity of her situation before.

But now that people had died for her sake, their bodies torn and mangled across the forest, the reality of her problems truly dawned on her. She was in on a fight for her life, and it was a fight she never asked for. The only fault of hers was being in the wrong place at the wrong time, since the very day she was born.

It was so unfair to her.

So frustrating.

She couldn’t help but cry.

As for Galardos, the sight of her in such misery struck a chord in him.

He’d long grown jaded to the horrors of war, of death, of loss. But somehow, when it came to Milla crying in front of him, he actually cared this time. He felt bad for her and wanted to comfort her however he could.

Thus he took a step forward, and although unsure if he was doing it right, he carefully took her into his arms.

Milla accepted the gesture, pressing her face onto his chest.

And then she wept, letting out all the emotions she had bottled up until now.

--------------------------------------------------

A FEW MINUTES LATER, Milla started collecting herself. Partly because she’d let it all out, but mostly because the demigod was petting her head so damn hard. His glove was scratching against her scalp and it made her itchy, yet the man was blissfully ignorant of this.

It was endearing, somehow. There was the demigod, pouring his heart and soul into soothing her, yet Milla couldn’t help but laugh at how much he sucked at it.

“Pffft…!” a chuckle escaped her.

Galardos, ever the gentleman, didn’t spy on her mind using telepathy and mistook her laugh for a whimper. So he rubbed her head a bit harder, grinding a tough piece of leather against her skull.

Milla winced and laughed harder this time, pushing the demigod away.

“I’m fine! I’m fine already, I’m sorry…” Milla said, struggling to hide her grin.

“Um. Are you sure?” asked Galardos in confusion.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Thank you,” she replied with a genuine smile. “For everything.”

Galardos scratched his head, failing to understand what she was thinking. The girl was bawling her eyes out just a minute ago, but now she was all smiles. It was truly mysterious how, even after all these years, women remained as strange a species as ever.

Yet as Galardos remained in the dark, his friend Gromni walked over to them.

“Ehem… Galardos, my friend,” he said, looking reluctant but urgent.

“What is it?” replied the demigod, seeing the dwarf was struggling to find the words.

“How do I put this? The kidnappers are all dead, so there’s that. But the Missy here wasn’t their only captive.”

Galardos raised an eyebrow at the latter part.

“Wait. My father!?” Milla flinched, fearing Jund had been captured after all.

“No, not him,” Gromni clarified. “I asked Alaiel to check ‘er out, but I figured I’d come tell to ya. There’s a dead girl over there, but she ain’t human. Some kind of fairy, I think, but I can’t tell what kind.”

Now Galardos was properly intrigued. A fairy? Just what in the world were these people doing, capturing not only Milla but some other girl too?

“MASTER!!”

Alaiel’s voice erupted in his head, thick with dread and urgency. She wasn’t one to panic easily, so whatever it was, something must’ve gone catastrophically wrong.

Galardos drew his sword and rushed over, scanning the area for hostiles.

Nothing looked out of the ordinary as Alaiel stood next to the body of a young girl, but when Galardos took a proper look at her… it took his everything not to scream.

The corpse looked fresh, without obvious injuries on her — except for a number of stumps conspicuously bleeding behind her back.

Six of them, specifically... neatly lined up where three pairs of wings ought to be.

“See?” asked Gromni, catching up to them. “She's some kind of fairy or dryad.”

He tried to share his insights with his friend, but when he saw Galardos’ petrified expression, Gromni himself grew unsettled.

“This is no fairy, Gromni…” the demigod spoke, his forehead damp with cold sweat.

“It can’t be. Is this an angel? Galardos, did the bastards kill an angel?” the dwarf's eyes widened, a vein bulging on his temple.

Milla got the chills as she walked over, her heart sinking further as the demigod slowly shook his head with great and terrible foreboding.

“It’s a Seraph. These demons killed a Seraph.”