Chapter 115: Pre-Fight Jitters

Jasmine was late.

Claire checked her pocket watch, it’d been almost three hours. Her leg bounced anxiously as she weighed her options. She’d wait until three hours before heading out. Not to escape or run away, but to storm the bandit’s hideout.

Ursa was itching to do so. She paced around the clearing like a caged animal, axe resting across her shoulders and a feral grin on her face. Gone was the more timid, cute version of Ursa. This Ursa radiated bloodlust.

Claire watched her for a moment, noting the personality change. It comforted her to know that Ursa was still a fierce warrior. Not enough for her to ease up on her watch, she heard the metal whine in her hand. Claire sighed as she cracked the glass covering it.

“Jaz… please, you’re late.” She whispered to herself. The knot in her stomach was heavy. She glanced at her sword, her armor already on. “She’s got two minutes.”

On top of the carriage, Elsie scanned the treeline. Her legs were dangling off the side, and her hands gripped the wooden frame tightly. Her breathing was shallow and quick and her heart was racing.

She was trying not to think about what came ahead. She wasn’t ready.

Ana left Lily’s side, letting her finish the prep work for the potions. Elsie needed her sister. She climbed up to join her panicking sister. She gently touched Elsie’s sweat-covered skin, causing Elsie to flinch. Ana smiled warmly at her sister, moving a stray hair out of her face.

“It’ll be okay,” Ana whispered. Her own hand was shaking as she soldiered through her nerves. “You’re strong. We’ll get through this together.

Elsie gulped. She sure as hell didn’t feel strong. She felt like a little girl panicking at the first sign of trouble. But she had to be strong as Ana’s older sister. Mom told her to.

She felt her tension ease slightly, her hand grasping Ana’s. She interlocked her fingers with her sister’s. A warmth enveloped her chest, calming her. She began to catch her breath, her heart slowly calming.

“Thank you…” Elsie whispered weakly. She squeezed Ana’s hand. “You’re right, we’ll get through this together.”

Lily worked in silence, a gleam in her eye. A small part of her was always curious about fighting. She was both anxious and excited to experience it. She had crafted unstable potions and a slingshot to fire them. A wicked smile on her face as she capped the last flask.

Claire stood the moment the clock struck the final minute. Her nerves steeled as adrenaline started to kick in. She grasped her shield and marched towards Ursa.

“Are we finally moving out?” Ursa asked with clear excitement. Her eyes glowed with intensity as Claire nodded. “Fuck yeah.”

Claire waved to the twins, watching as they hopped down from the roof. Lily was already beside her, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She had a smile rivaling Ursa’s. “Finally. Get to test these out.”

Claire blinked in confusion. She didn’t have the time or the energy to deal with that.

“Okay, our main priority is Jasmine. Then the villagers…” Claire’s voice trailed off as she spoke. It physically pained her to think about saying it. She clutched her chest, knowing she had to.

“Goddess forgive me…” She whispered a prayer, then found her voice again. “We get Jasmine, and if we can, free the villagers.”

Every member nodded. A bit of sorrow passed over the twins’ faces, while Lily and Ursa were already moving towards the treeline.

Claire took a deep breath, fingers brushing the hilt of her dagger, the one Jasmine gave her on her birthday. It rested opposite her sword, a quiet reminder of the woman she loved.

“Right. Come on, let’s get going.” She commanded the twins.

They followed her, holding tightly to each other’s hands. Claire felt a surge of confidence as they caught up to Ursa.

Ursa nodded in approval at Claire’s demeanor. Then her smile softened, followed by a chuckle. “Damn, I was looking forward to seeing you raze the battlefield… but, look over there.”

Claire glanced in Lily’s direction and froze. Jasmine was standing beside Lily, talking casually.

She threw her shield to the side and ran towards her former teacher. She collided with Jasmine in a tight embrace, her eyes watering.

“Sorry Claire…” Jasmine whispered as she slipped out of Claire’s grasp. “But I discovered something… strange.”

“A monster with the intelligence of a human. Not like a troll or a goblin? Like you had a full conversation?” Lily asked with wide eyes.

Jasmine nodded as she continued explaining everything, the controlled villagers, and the half-woman creature. Ursa tilted her head in confusion when Jasmine got to the part where it begged to be killed.

“Why didn’t you?” Ursa asked plainly. “Could have saved the villagers.”

Jasmine frowned. “Yes and no… the villagers would be saved from its magic, but surrounded by bandits. And… I don’t know. It felt wrong. Felt like I’d be killing something innocent.”

Claire exhanged a worried glance with Lily, who shook her head. Then to Ana, who did the same.

“So… it’s not because of this creature’s magic? You know, the mind controlling magic?” Elsie asked in Claire’s stead.

Jasmine gave her a sly smile. “Could be. But I’ve never seen a monster beg to be killed to save humans… plus, she acted like the villagers knew her.”

“Welp, we’ll figure this shit out after we free them,” Ursa said, slinging her axe over her shoulder. “Come on, let’s get this started.”

“Hold on, Ursa. I have to explain their leader, Reyna.”

Jasmine rubbed her chin. “The others seemed like run-of-the-mill bandits, but she’s different. She’s a former knight, turned criminal. I have a contract on her head, separate from this quest. She’s incredibly dangerous.”

Silence settled among the group.

“She will not hesitate to use the villagers as shields.” Jasmine warned.” She’ll do whatever she can to survive. That’s why I’ll be the one to fight her…”

Claire nodded. “Divide and conquer,” She whispered, remembering her lessons. “Separate their leader and take care of the rest. Think you can do it?”

Jasmine shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. She definitely outlevels me, but… she doesn’t know I’m coming. I… I’ll use your fight as a distraction, get in close and try to finish it quickly.”

A chill ran down Claire’s spine. Jasmine rarely sounded unsure. But she had to trust her. “Okay… what about the villagers?”

Lily perked up. “I have an idea for that.”

She pulled out two vials with an orange-like substance in them and handed them to Claire. “I made these after the troll fight, but they are like stun potions. Launch them at your target, and the fumes will cause their joints to lock up.”

Claire studied the vials. “Right. That’s a good idea. Lily, focus on disabling the villagers, Jasmine kill that bitch Reyna, and we’ll handle the bandits.”

Ursa let out a maniacal laugh. “Let’s fucking go already!”

She was already marching towards the fortress, and the Scarlet Seraphs raced to keep up with her. Jasmine had already disappeared, scouting ahead. Claire felt her nerves creep up, but she silenced them.

The villagers needed her. Her party members needed her.

Ana and Elsie lagged behind, still hand-in-hand.

’It’ll be okay, Elsie.’ Ana repeated in their minds. She was doing her best to anchor her sister’s racing thoughts.

’You’re right.’ Elsie admitted. ’But… I-I have to kill…’

’Yes, but like Ursa said. These are horrible, malicious women. They have it coming.’ Ana said, shocking herself. ’I know it’s different for me… but please, it could cost us our lovers…’

Elsie was quiet for a beat. Then her breath evened, and her grip tightened around Ana’s hand.

They finally made it to the clearing with their vanguard waiting for them.

The bandit fortress loomed in the distance. The cliff casts a long shadow over it.

Ursa and Claire were waiting for them at the edge of the clearing. Claire waited a moment to let them catch their breath.

“Jasmine disabled the traps leading to the entrance,” Claire spoke, confidence radiating from her voice. Her gaze bounced between the twins and Lily. “Remember our training. Protect each other. We’re here to liberate these people.”

Then she turned to Ursa with a smirk. “Ursa. Try not to go crazy.”

Ursa’s grin widened, showing off her canine teeth. “No promises.”

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