The battle was intense—so much so that the presence of the Drakhors hadn't even been noticed. It was then that Kirael channeled his power. The sky began to darken, as if a great storm were forming. Then, a bolt of lightning struck the tree behind the group.
Everyone present was startled. Mercenaries and adventurers stopped fighting and finally noticed the Drakhors' presence.
"They... They entered the city," one of the mercenaries muttered.
The adventurers exchanged glances, unsure if the Drakhors were enemies.
"Kill those monsters and those weakling adventurers!" the mercenary leader ordered.
Without hesitation, Thorn spread a field of flowers beneath the feet of all the mercenaries. The group laughed at the magic.
"Flowers? You don't know what war is!" a gruff mercenary shouted.
The field expanded, reaching the adventurers and surrounding the wounded who had fallen.
Prepared to attack, the mercenaries charged at the Lost Wings, but their movements became sluggish.
They felt their bodies grow heavy, an extreme fatigue overtaking them. Only a few of the stronger mercenaries could resist the effect.
For the adventurers, however, it was the opposite—the wounded began to heal, and the exhausted were filled with energy.
"The flowers…" one of the adventurers realized.
Thorn looked at him and nodded, signaling that the battlefield was now in their favor.
In mere seconds, the course of the battle had changed again. Thanks to Thorn's field of flowers, the mercenaries were under a torpor effect, while the adventurers were being healed and revitalized.
The central plaza became a war zone. Mercenaries fell; adventurers collapsed. Orzoth instructed his allies not to interfere too much while the adventurers were winning. His plan was to avoid revealing his team's full potential.
The battle was nearing its end. Only a small group of mercenaries, along with their leader and some brainwashed soldiers, remained standing. Their strength was enough to resist Thorn's debuff and still defeat the adventurers.
Despite their numbers, the adventurers halted their attack. Those left standing were the elite mercenaries. A single misstep could cost them their lives.
Kaelon, watching from a distance, noticed the adventurers' predicament. Then, he leaped, landing in front of them.
"I saw what you did in the castle," he said, charging his fists with energy. Two dragon mouths formed around his hands. "I'll give anyone who wants to surrender a chance now."
"You've gotta be kidding, kid! You think we'd be afraid of a monster like you?" the leader scoffed. "You're just a failed dragon experime—"
He couldn't finish his sentence. Kaelon had already shot forward, landing a punch to his stomach that sent him flying.
"Anyone else have something stupid to say?"
Silence... but the soldiers charged at him.
The young warrior struck back with immense force, yet they seemed unstoppable.
"Kaelon, they're under some kind of spell! Don't kill them! I think I can do something!" Orzoth shouted.
"Then hurry!"
Kaelon switched to defense. For him, it wasn't difficult.
"As long as the mercenaries don't attack me too, this is manageable..."
Luckily, the mercenaries were more concerned about their fallen leader.
"Zarlith'Kuthar, feyr drakhun, osreth nulthara!"
(Flame of Liberation, break the chains, dispel illusions!)
As the spell was cast, a cold flame hovered above the soldiers' heads, freezing them in place for a few seconds. Kaelon simply watched.
"What happened?" one soldier asked another.
"I don't know…" He looked around. "It looks like we're in a war…"
"I remember a bizarre order from Lord Darius… After that, nothing."
"You were under a mind-control spell, forced to kill dozens of civilians," Kaelon explained.
The soldiers were devastated. Deep down, they remembered what they had done but refused to believe it was real. Before long, their bodies began to suffer from the accumulated injuries they had ignored. As the spell broke, they collapsed, unable to fight any longer.
Now, without the soldiers by their side, the mercenary group was cornered. Their leader could barely stand.
"I think it's best if you surrender," Kaelon said with a smirk.
The battle's outcome was clear. Victory belonged to the people...
Or so they thought.
Kaelon felt a chill run down his spine. He noticed that the atmosphere had changed—it had grown heavier.
Orzoth saw something strange in the adventurers' eyes. By the time the Drakhors realized it, the entire population was surrounding them, their gazes cold and lifeless.
"Something's wrong, Kaelon."
"I noticed, Orzoth… They're… enchanted?"
"It seems so… I can feel the flowers trying to attack them," Thorn responded.
Then, Lady Sylren appeared on the battlefield.
"I never imagined you'd have the audacity to show up here."
Orzoth and Kaelon exchanged glances.
"Who's she?" Kaelon asked.
"She must be Lady Sylren, a general of the Order," Orzoth explained.
As she approached, the civilians and adventurers also advanced toward the group.
"We can't fight here, Kaelon… Too many innocents would die."
"I know… Damn it."
They still didn't know Lady Sylren's full combat potential, but it was clear that any battle here would result in a massacre of the hundreds of civilians under her control.
Without hesitation, Orzoth opened a portal, retreating the group to the village.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it… We were so close," Kaelon muttered in frustration.
The group gathered with Orun and Varian.
"What happened?" the young woman asked.
"Lady Sylren appeared… with hundreds of civilians under her mental control," Thorn explained.
"Typical of that creature… She's not that strong in combat, but her tactics make her incredibly difficult to deal with."
"Varian… You have history with this woman, don't you?" Orzoth asked.
She let out a sigh. "Yes, Orzoth, I know her… She nearly wiped out the elves when I was younger."
Kaelon stepped closer and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Relax, we'll get our revenge on her."
"I'm sure we will. After all, Drayk's training is almost complete, isn't it?"
Orzoth nodded in confirmation.
The thirty days were almost over.
...
Within the runes, Drayk was engulfed in flames.
At that moment, he was in the city, completing all his missions.
"These last few months have been intense."
The Young King had already reached the 45th floor.