Dorian Valcroft stood on a high platform inside the stronghold above the battlefield. He watched the chaos unfold below with a smirk of amusement.
His sharp features were framed by jagged shadows from the flickering torchlight, and his golden eyes shone with intrigue.
He rested on the stone railing with his arms folded and his elegant noble attire barely ruffled despite the blood and destruction beneath him.
The Fire Kingdom guards scrambled in pursuit of their escaping prisoners, their shouts echoing through the stone corridors. A few dozen meters away from them, Kael and his group carved their way forward, ruthless and efficient.
Dorian chuckled. "Fascinating."
His voice dripped with mockery.
Behind him, a group of four heavily armored knights and ten well-dressed followers stood in quiet reverence. They had been watching the cat-and-mouse scene unfold for quite a while now.
A girl stepped forward, her violet eyes flickering with interest as she glanced between Dorian and the chaos below. Her armor clung tightly to her hourglass figure, a deadly mix of allure and strength.
Her name was Evelyne Crowne.
A knight and the person who knows him the best.
"What do we do, Young Master?" she asked, her tone respectful but edged with amusement.
Dorian didn't answer immediately. Instead, he smirked more broadly as he turned to face her. His hand moved without hesitation, sliding around her dainty waist and pulling her against him.
She didn't fight back the advancement.
His lips smashed against hers, heating the air between them. Evelyne returned the favor, melting into his arms like a snowflake on a hot palm while his fingers traced along the curves of her body, completely disregarding the armor.
They kissed for a few long moments, as though they had endless time.
The knights and followers standing behind them exchanged knowing glances. Some of the women flushed pink, looking away shyly, while the men simply grinned.
This was not the first time that it was happening.
When Dorian eventually broke the kiss, he trailed his fingers down to give her ass a possessive squeeze. Evelyne's smirk matched his, but her breath was still erratic.
Then, without warning, he let go of her and turned his attention back to the scene below, causing her to pout cutely.
"This," he mused, watching Kael and his team run for a bridge, "is a perfect example of the old saying... 'The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.'"
His fingers tapped against the stone railing in a lazy rhythm that barely concealed his excitement.
"I am the oriole, Evelyne," he murmured, eyes gleaming. "And soon, my prey will tire."
His entourage shifted, their eyes locked on him in awe of his genius thoughts.
Evelyne tilted her head, intrigued. "Then we wait?"
Dorian chuckled. "Of course."
He gestured toward the battlefield.
"Why should I waste my strength when the Fire Kingdom is doing all the work for me?" His smirk widened. "Let them struggle. Let them wear themselves down. And when the moment is right…"
He held out his hand, clenching his fingers into a fist.
"...I'm going to claim my prize."
In the meantime, Kael and his group ran toward the wooden bridge, their movements precise despite the relentless pursuit behind them.
Smoke curled into the night sky in the distance as the fortress burnt.
Mira turned briefly, her breath coming hard. "They're getting closer."
Sera did not respond. She was already nocking another arrow, her sharp eyes scanning their surroundings for a way out.
Kael's mind was racing. Their only way out was the bridge, but after they crossed it, they would be exposed in the open terrain.
There were neither walls, nor boulders to take cover. It would definitely result to a large scale massacre.
"Damn it." He clicked his tongue.
In the corner of his eye was the mission timer on the system.
[There are 00:42:31 left.]
He had yet to make a decision on what option to pick.
Break the Chains, Let the War Burn, or Blood for Peace. The options hovered in his mind like daggers poised at his throat.
While he wouldn't call himself a saint, he definitely wasn't someone with loose morals.
Every one of those options were doable but the most likely to happen would be to do away with the royals once and for all. He hated being stressed the most.
He glanced at the royals they had pulled along with his silver eyes. The Prince was silent but he couldn't conceal the fury in his eyes. Lady Elira had become quite timid all of a sudden due to the near death experiences she had in the past few minutes.
Kael glanced at Lord Arid and his eyes narrowed slightly. 'There's something iffy about him.' He thought.
The middle-aged man seemed to be having fun with the pursuit. In contrast, King Eldrin looked... Empty.
Kael let out a harsh sigh. "Not quite yet. We have to live first before I make my decision."
"Keep moving!" he ordered, leading the way across the bridge. Behind them, the pursuing guards did not slow down.
The Fire Kingdom soldiers were determined.
Suddenly, the air was sliced through by a sharp whistle. Something hit the bridge before Kael could even react.
BOOM!
A surge of explosive energy sent the wooden planks shattering beneath them.
"Fuck!" Kael cursed, twisting his body mid-air as the entire structure collapsed.
Mira screamed and Sera spun, trying to fire an arrow even as she fell.
The world tilted.
Kael's breath caught as gravity seized them all. They plunged right down into the gorge.
From his vantage point, Dorian laughed. The explosion had been perfectly timed.
One of his followers—an Earth mage—lowered his hands with a smug grin on his lips.
"Nice shot, don't you think?" Dorian smirked. "Now, let's see if my little mantis survives," he said, his gaze fixed on the collapsing bridge.
Evelyne chuckled beside him. "If he does?"
Dorian's grin widened. "Then we make our move."