Fighting! and… finally (part 2)

---Seina POV---

"Surely—"

"Cough! K-KILL HER!!!"

I don't even have time to celebrate. The brat interrupts us!

It looks like he's healed enough to talk again, though his throat now sports a nasty black-and-red bruise. There's a lot of blood on his clothes and, unfortunately, all over the floor.

'Heh. You deserve it—eh, no, don't be mean. Even if it's true.'

Also, I don't mean to offend you, fellow healer, but I could have healed a wound like that a hundred times in the same amount of time.

... Since when do I have a rivalry with other healers? That's probably a toxic trait I should get rid of. But let's shelve that for now.

Before any of Lance's men can reach us, I clench my left fist. I force him to his knees, pinning him down with his own inner darkness. Uh, it feels a bit more uncomfortable than I remember from the other day. This guy feels so... fragile? But I suppose I shouldn't compare a human to those ugly monsters. At least he looks human. I can't tell for sure.

"Please stop, I don't want to hurt you!" Let's give it a try.

... Of course, they don't listen. They draw their weapons and charge. Swords, daggers, even a guy with a battle axe. But mostly, they carry ugly, oversized knives that look like they were forged to butcher a bear.

No wands, no gauntlets, no magic, no firearms? They say the strongest people in the world use close-range weapons, but I don't think that style suits these guys. Do they want to go unnoticed by disguising even their style or something like that? Or are they really that slow despite their tough appearance? Well, who cares.

I lack the charisma to talk them down. I won't even try.

Violence it is, then.

I don't know anything about strategy either, so I have no idea what they are trying to do. But approaching me one at a time from both sides? Clearly a mistake. I move my free hand like a conductor leading an orchestra, sending them crashing into the walls, the ceiling, and the floorboards as they charge.

... That was kind of funny, but I should focus.

After I knock out four of them, the rest get a bit smarter. One thug hurls his knife at me, while another lunges with the clear intention of tackling me to the ground.

I don't even look. I snatch the flying blade out of the air, spin on my heel to dodge the incoming idiot, and use my own momentum to stab him right in the back. The blade must have pierced a lung. As he screams in pain, a wet, uncontrollable cough bubbles up from his chest.

Oh, uh... that... that was, huh? Oh! I have to move—no time, block!

I parry a heavy longsword with my forearm, coating my skin in a dense layer of darkness just in time. The impact still takes me by surprise! And it's a massive guy! The sheer kinetic force travels up my arm, rattling my teeth as my shoes skid across the varnished floorboards.

I slide backward a few feet until I bump right into the sisters, causing the short-haired one to fall flat on her butt.

Okay, enough. I know my mind isn't the quickest to react, but my adrenaline is pumping now. I will tear them to pieces first and deal with the wounded later.

I don't bother using the tavern's natural shadows this time. I conjure my own. The magic feels more than happy to obey, snapping out to wrap a tight grip around the skull of the guy charging me for a second strike. I whip his heavy body directly into the floorboards. Another one down.

'To the left.'

The guy who threw the knife earlier enters my peripheral vision, raising a heavy metal stool to smash over my head. I don't need to do anything complicated. Thank you for leaving yourself wide open. 

Before he can bring the stool down, I drive my fist with all my might right into his solar plexus. He drops the stool, writhes on the ground for a second, and passes out.

'In front.'

Fireball! I prepare to dodge, but a sudden realization stops me. The sisters are right behind me! 

Instincts take over.

I shoot a dense burst of darkness straight at the flames.

When the two spells collide, something strange happens. The fire freezes in midair and turns black. No, that's not right. The outline of the fireball darkens, devouring the warm light from the lamps and casting sharp, unnatural shadows against the wooden walls. For a second, the room's color palette is completely altered. Then, it transforms into a swirling, completely black flame. Wow!

But I don't get much time to admire the phenomenon. Without any intervention on my part, the black fireball launches itself right back at its caster.

BOOM!

A great shockwave sends two guys flying into the tavern wall! 

I immediately smell the scent of burned cotton fabric

One slumps to the floor, limbs splayed out, completely unconscious. The other crashes right through a thick window, riding a shower of shattered glass outside. I guess he'll land in the park. Or the pond, if he's lucky.

I peek through the broken window frame... Well, he was lucky. He landed in the pond. I doubt these are decent people, but they are still acting under a noble's orders. They probably had no choice but to attack us, right? Maybe? Because of that, I don't want to kill them or hurt them. 

Um, much.

... Only three left. They aren't moving.

Actually, that was kind of fun. Oh, the guy I forced to his knees earlier just fainted. Uh, I just realized I've been fighting this whole time without ever letting him go. 

I guess I'm really not made for fighting, huh? Whatever.

Across the room, Lance groans, gathering magic into his hands to point at us. I don't feel any danger from him at all. I plan to just wait and see what he tries to do, but a towering shadow suddenly looms up behind his remaining men.

WHACK!

The newcomer smashes a thick log of chopped firewood right into a henchman's shoulder. The impact interrupts Lance's spell and sends the goon crashing to the floor. The remaining two thugs snap their attention to the new threat, but before I can even step in to help, the man takes them out. 

He dodges a clumsy sword swing, buries his fist into one guy's stomach, and clocks the final thug square in the jaw.

With the threat cleared, the newcomer lets out a low breath and relaxes his posture. Up close, his sheer presence is overwhelming. 

He's massive! Easily towering over six feet, with broad shoulders that strain the coarse fabric of his worn grey shirt. Silver streaks catch the light in his tied-back hair and short, neatly trimmed beard, giving his stern face a seasoned, weathered edge. 

He carries with him a faint scent of the outdoors, damp earth, and a campfire... Plus something else I'm not sure what it is, but it feels familiar.

But what instantly steals my attention is the long, faded cheetah tail flicking behind him, its spots slightly bleached by the sun.

Wow, this guy is awesome! He's almost as tall as my dad. But a second later, he raises his thick fist, clearly intending to pummel Lance into the floorboards as well. I have to stop him. Beating up a minion is one thing, but assaulting a nobleman can lead to a massive headache. A headache I would very much like to avoid.

Before the man can strike, I send a pulse of magic to knock the whimpering Lance unconscious, just like I did with that old doctor a few days ago. At the same time, I drag his limp body toward me with a shadow. Just in case.

Oh... he really is a mess of blood right now. Not so brave without your guard dogs, are you?

"Sorry, but wait, sir. This guy is a noble. If you hit him, he might give you far more trouble than he's worth. Please, let me handle this."

Oh... well, good job, me. He is an older man, so maybe I should speak to him with respect. I remember what I thought yesterday about older people, but I should give them the benefit of the doubt and all that. Yet, I can't even remember the last time I had to formally address someone like that, but I managed to do it automatically. 

Thanks for the manners, Mom.

"He doesn't matter, as long as you girls are all right," the man grunts in a deep voice.

"Uncle Dom!" The sisters say in unison.

Mh?

Oh, good, they know him. That's, uh, fine, I think. 

Wait... am I feeling... jealous? Wow, I guess I am. Just a little. 

After years of isolation, I finally make friends! Two of them, even! But the second I see them talking so familiarly with someone else... I don't know. I suddenly feel an ache of loneliness in my chest, making me want to just slip away and leave.

... Luckily, my desperate need for social interaction heavily outweighs my depressing thoughts right now. So, I stand quietly and wait for them.

While the sisters rush over to talk to the man, I take a moment to figure out what to do next. My mind drifts back to what just happened. I hesitated after I stabbed that guy in the back. I just stood there, shocked, right in the middle of a fight like a complete idiot.

But... I wasn't upset about the stabbing itself. I was upset by what my mind whispered to me right after the blade sank in.

'I missed. His neck was beyond my reach. He's still alive.'

... Well. It seems my combat instincts are tethered to something a little more sinister. I need to visit the church later. 

Knowing me, I might forget again, but I should at least try to talk to Nicole about this.

Anyway, Lance is going to wake up sooner rather than later. That old doctor didn't stay unconscious for too long, either. How can I tie him up?

An idea pops into my head. I wrap his hands and feet in shadowy tendrils, continuously adding more and more magic to the bindings. Then, I compress the darkness until it physically hardens... I've seen Nicole do a similar trick with little balls of light. If you compress mana densely enough, even intangible elements like light and shadow can become solid matter. Normally, the resulting material is quite brittle, but looking at these dark, heavy cuffs, I feel like I don't have to worry about them breaking. 

Not at all.

With the idiot tied up and things calmed down, I turn my attention to the three of them... and my social anxiety immediately returns.

Should I move closer? But they seem to be talking comfortably... Maybe it's okay if I just wait here? I don't want them to think I'm ignoring them, but if I approach and interrupt, won't they get angry?

Without realizing it, I'm getting more and more nervous. Wait, we're friends, aren't we? It's all right for me to approach. 

I walk a few steps forward... but then I remember I don't even know their names yet. 

Maybe I shouldn't after all. 

I step back. I guess I'll just pretend to be part of the background decoration. Like a potted plant.

"Foxy, come here! I'll introduce you."

'F-Foxy? Like that bastard who's always jumping in your face...? Wait, who?'

Interrupting my useless thoughts, the blonde elf marches up to me, grabs my arm, and drags me to the entrance. Her sister and the man called Dom are chatting over there. Or rather, she is scolding the poor guy.

"You should be resting," the silver-haired elf says with crossed arms.

"I... I knew they'd come for you. Staying in bed is something I can't do."

"You're injured."

"I've been healed, remember? I have to..."

"Shut up. Go to sleep as soon as you can."

"Even if you say so, I don't think I can sleep. No matter how hard I try..."

"Then force yourself to sleep."

"How can I do such a thing?"

"... Choke yourself to sleep?"

"... Do you want me to die?"

The blonde elf and I just stand there waiting for them to finish. 

Strangle yourself to sleep? That sounds really dangerous... But they seem to care about each other pretty much. From her soft, small, yet firm voice, I get the feeling the silver-haired elf doesn't normally talk this much.

The girl next to me finally finds a gap to join in.

"Uncle Dom, I want you to meet Foxy. She, uh... what's your name?" She looks at me.

"M-my name is Seina. Um, nice to meet you." I avert my eyes a little to look at the unconscious bodies around us. I'm hoping that by getting down to business, I'll somehow avoid this awkward social act. Well, at least they already know my name, so we're one step closer to being real friends.

"Seina, eh? I'm Sarisa! This is my big sister, Lenna! Oh, and this is Uncle Dominic! You can call him Dom," says the blonde elf... I mean, Sarisa.

"He should be resting at home," Lenna notes.

Dominic ignores her and looks at me particularly closely.

"Ah... so your name is Seina, huh? Beautiful name. I could never forget it. Thank you for earlier," the man says in his surprisingly soft but still gravelly voice. It's hard to describe, but it's very nice. He would make an excellent storyteller.

Wait. Sarisa and Lenna? That sounds familiar... never mind.

"Don't worry, I was eating here when they arrived." Which reminds me of my unfinished food. I hope it tastes just as good cold.

"Oh, yes, this too. But I was talking about the other day."

"Er... have I seen you before?" What other day? I've been stuck at home recently. He means yesterday?

"You don't remember me, do you? I guess you were busy. It's okay. You see, I was one of the people you saved after those black monsters attacked the other day."

"Oh... oh! I'm glad you're doing well then! And, er, sorry. I think I healed a hundred or more people."

"Like I said, that's fine. But let's save the small talk for later and take out these ruffians first."

I knock out several guys, and we tie them up and drag them outside. I almost forgot about the one who flew through the window! Luckily, he collapsed as soon as he crawled out of the pond, so he won't be running away.

Wait, he could have drowned... I have to be more careful.

Anyway, let's fish him out. Just like I did with Lenna earlier, I wrap him in darkness and lift him until I bring him all the way back here. Oh, it's so easy even if he's far away! How nice.

But I don't really know what to do in this situation. I don't want to bother Nicole right now, so... I'm going to find Ilona. 

She's part of a weird group called the Dark Brotherhood, a branch of the government in charge of punishing corrupt nobles or even royalty. As unreliable as that sounds, I'll talk about it later. At least Ilona is quite nice, and she's Nicole's friend. I'm sure she'll know what to do.

Meanwhile, they keep berating Dom.

"What are we going to do if you get hurt again?"

"You can't expect me to stay in bed while you girls are here alone."

"We're not little girls. We could manage."

"No, you couldn't."

"We could."

"No."

"Yes."

I have a feeling they'll go on like this for a while...