Chapter 41: The Hunt [5]

He walks past me with a smile on his face.

“My name is Zeno,” He says casually.

“Liam,” I reply.

“Well I don’t intend to interrupt your hunt so I’ll be heading on my way here. I’d like to chat more another time,” Zeno says as he walks off, waving.

I’m wondering why he is by himself instead of being with a human. Airi said they are paired with specific people but I don’t see anyone else.

It will probably be best to ask her about him when I get back to the church. I still need to finish checking everything here… Who knows if anything is hiding around.

After clearing my head I begin to wander the streets a bit more while listening for any signs of life. Everything is silent as I continue to slowly look into each building.

I don’t even feel any eyes on me in this district… Why is it such a high priority if there isn’t anything here?

Shatter!!

Immediately I turn towards the sound of glass breaking in the distance. It is just barely noticeable but someone is running away from something.

My sword forms back in my hand, giving me a weapon just in time to fight if need be.

It is probably best to make haste since this could be a survivor in need of help. They aren’t really shouting for anyone though which is odd.

“Not everyone will call out, it’ll attract more zierel,” The woman speaks up with a calm tone in her voice.

“Some people are smart after all,” I reply quietly.

Running through the streets I can hear the person getting closer with each minute that passes. After a little bit I find myself standing in front of an alleyway with nowhere else to go.

Ahead of me I can see a short woman wearing a cloak and mask to cover her face. It is just barely possible to notice that one of her eyes is similar to a light bearers.

She lifts a knife up in her hand and begins to stare at me with a murderous look in her eyes.

“I’m not an enemy,” I say softly.

She doesn’t say anything back and before I can react… Pain jolts into my leg as I realize she sliced across the back of it.

I roll forward and quickly look back behind me with my sword ready to go. Blood is running down my leg, slowly onto the floor. The girl is still staring at me with her knife in hand.

“She is definitely faster than you,” The woman points out.

Thanks for pointing out the obvious in this situation. I just don’t know what side she’s on since she gives light bearer vibes… But she attacks without any hesitation.

I don’t really want to kill some random girl without any real justification to it whatsoever. My enemy is the zierel, not other humans or the light bearers.

Clang!!!

I manage to lift my sword in time to block her attack but she backs up and begins to rush me with a flurry of attacks.

Her speed definitely is exceeding mine without any doubt in my mind… But I’m still managing to block a lot of her attacks. Pain is gradually increasing with each second that passes by.

“If you don’t figure something out here, we’ll die,” She speaks up with concern in her voice.

I’m working on it… Just give me a few more moments to understand how she fights. Learning the attack patterns someone uses is something I did learn from Airi but she could mix it up.

Her knife slips past my sword and into my shoulder, giving me the opportunity I need to attack.

Grab!!

I use my left hand to grab onto her wrist, tightening it before swinging my right hand towards her.

Slash!!!

The sword cuts across her chest and blood is all I notice showing through the tear in her clothes. She lets go of the knife as she takes a few quick steps back.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Blood is hitting the ground from both of us, yet neither of us are done fighting.

“Compensating for my speed by holding me in place is definitely smart. I’m starting to think you aren’t impersonating a human,” She says while moving her hand up to her chest.

A small white light seals her wound shut and the blood is no longer dripping from her wound.

“I’ve been killing Zierel, of course I’m not just impersonating a human,” I reply with a bit of pain noticeable in my voice.

“Some of them can impersonate humans so I didn’t really want to take any chances,” She says with caution in her voice.

“I would’ve attacked you sooner if I was an enemy,” I respond.

“Not entirely. Zierel aren’t dumb when it comes to attacking,” She says calmly.

I pull the knife out from my shoulder and toss it on the ground, letting more blood spill out from my wounds. The pain is getting to be a bit annoying as I find my knees wanting to give out.

Thud.

They give out within moments of the feeling passing through me, but I use my sword to keep myself from falling over completely.

“Alright let me fix this a bit,” She speaks once more as she walks over.

She slowly approaches me with the white light radiating from her hand; She places it along my wounds and heals them in a couple of seconds.

“I appreciate you healing the damage you did to me,” I say with a genuine tone.

“It was dumb of me to attack without giving a chance to explain… But I don’t like taking unnecessary risks either,” She replies.

I’m running into a lot more people than I expected to see out here. Then again, the market district is kind of unique in some way or another.

This could be exactly why I got sent out here in the first place. To find the people who are fighting.

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