A few monts later, Alpha had laid out a plan for them.
She did not waste ti on dramatics. There was no grand speech, no attempt to rally hearts or sharpen resolve with hollow words.
She was a warrior speaking to warriors, and a warrior had but one motive.
Alpha knelt in the dirt between them, traced lines with the tip of her blade, and spoke in a voice as flat and precise as the strategy itself.
Instead of engaging, they were going to split into their squads and surround the village’s north, west, and south exits, ignoring the east because of the canyon.
Next, once in position, they would watch and react...
After all, their initial goal had been to attrit their enemy — a slow bleeding of strength, morale and options.
Unfortunately, it seed the villagers had at least managed to contain the fire to one area. But that also ant there were still materials to be gained even if they acted passively.
Plus, the villagers would be weakened not only by smoke inhalation but also by the fact that the areas they could maneuver in their own village would be limited.
The next prong of the plan was to simply run away if the villagers tried to attack; engage only if they were an equal match.
Also, they were to attack with projectiles when possible.
So, that’s what they did.
Alpha went with Stacy’s group to hold the west. Diana’s group would go north. And Edith would stay stationed on the south side, where they had t up.
As Toy and Diana’s group made the long march, she couldn’t help but worry for her master, who was in the midst of those flas.
’I hope... I hope she’s okay.’
Her master left with no backup.
***
Salo gritted her teeth and dropped to her knees as her flesh crackled and popped.
Ophelia’s visage was hidden behind a wall of flas, watching Salo suffer.
’Agh!’
Salo’s outfit caught on fire, and a piece of her cheek started to slide off. Her eyes were beginning to lt, only kept solid by shapeshifting.
Another beam of wood cracked and fell toward her.
Salo dodged and rolled to the side as it crashed into the ground, but that beam’s descent caused two more to fall in its wake.
’These inhuman cultist bastards!’
Just when Salo thought she might finally escape the burning building, another zealot appeared, running through the flas. Despite his flaky skin sliding off his body, he threw his arms around Salo and began punching holes in her wing with a dagger.
"Get off of !"
Salo reached through the man’s back, through his ribs, and gripped his heart.
Quickly, she absorbed as much Aether as she could with Vitality Drain.
’These bastards!’
While her constitution improved a bit, each person was so lacking that it did little to heal her. The flesh that had fallen from her cheek reford but imdiately threatened to slide off again. She could still feel her organs being cooked alive.
Salo scread in a hoarse voice as she ripped her hand out of her victim.
"Ophelia!"
Two more people ran through the blaze and dove at Salo.
The two young n scread as their bodies burned.
"For the Goddess!"
"For the Goddess!"
Salo shoved both her hands through their chests and healed herself once again.
She scread as she shook the two off her claws:
"Quit it already!"
Yet, not only was each one so weak that they barely provided her Aether, she could feel a malignant tug at her soul as she consud more. It felt like a poison seeping into her very being.
After spinning around, Salo spotted a piece of the roof that caved in.
’Finally...’
Salo looked to her side and saw more crazy bastards running into the burning building in an attempt to keep her there longer. With no room for hesitation, she flapped her torn wings and put all of her remaining strength into a jump toward the gap, but she saw the glint of steel reflected in the opening as she shot closer.
’One of the wires!’
Salo twisted her body just in ti not to be bisected by the fine line, but the razor-sharp edge sent a thin slice across her neck.
Soon, blood began to pour down her body as she stumbled atop the building.
’Argh!’
In all of Salo’s years, she’d never faced foes who could whittle her confidence down to this degree. She’d never faced foes who’d used even more damnable tactics than herself.
She’d been facing mindless beasts for centuries, or beasts like the chaleons, who were brutal but humane.
She’d never faced intelligent savages.
The light in Salo’s eyes began to flicker as the cultists looked up at her with bows drawn — Ophelia among them, with a smirk on her face.
Ash and soot covered her face as tears soon followed.
Ophelia threw her arm forward and spoke for the first ti:
"Rot in hell, dirty bastard."
A volley of arrows shot up at her. At the sa ti, the blood loss caught up, and Salo tumbled backward into the scorching house.
Below, a pool of burning n and won waited, as if they’d known she would fall.
Her arm got sliced open by the wire during her fall, and she could feel her spine rattle as she hit the floor.
’Ah... shit.’
The burning cultists began kicking and punching her as she lay on the ground.
’This is seriously how I go?’
Salo coughed up blood as she clutched at her throat. She tried to dodge the blows, but it was simply impossible.
’Ironic, really.’
’I only die when I begin to find a reason to live for myself.’
As Salo’s vision began to fade to black, she noticed the blows coming upon her ceased.
She forced her eyes open just wide enough to watch as the heads of her attackers thumped to the floor, beheaded by an expressionless young man with pale skin and long black hair.
Mias had finally revealed himself. Though to Salo, it felt all too late.
The Reaper of Knowledge knelt next to the succubus and shoved his hand into her mouth, letting it transform into smoke.
"Drink to your content..."
Salo didn’t have much will at the mont, but she forced herself to slowly begin draining Mias, a bit of vitality returning to her at last.
More beams collapsed, but Mias knocked them aside with solid smoke, while also creating a do to hide their bodies.
Eventually, Salo healed her throat and began coughing while gasping for air. She tried to sit up, but Mias stopped her.
"I’m sorry, stay down..."
Mias had an odd look in his black eyes as he continued in a whisper:
"This is how you beat an oracle."
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