Xain was sprinting through the streets of Moonveil, racing towards the grand fountain, but his body ached with every step. He had endured so much today, including being knocked unconscious twice. Despite the pain coursing through him, he did his best to hide his discomfort. "Why couldn't we get a steamwagon!" he exclaimed, though it was more to himself than anyone else.
"All the steamwagons have already departed for the site of the explosions." Kaden, running alongside him, replied nonchalantly. It was evident that Kaden was intentionally holding back to keep pace with Xain.
Why was he running together with Kaden, you may ask? Well, it was simple. As they were all planning to go to the fountain, Xain had suddenly remembered, "Oh crap! Those militia members are still chasing Larkin!" With that remembrance, Victoria told him and Kaden to go to the grand fountain, while she and Savik went to rescue Larkin. This decision was a strategic one, as it would serve two purposes: they would get the militia members to join them, and they would also rescue Larkin. That's why Xain and Kaden were running together to reach the grand fountain.
Xain also couldn't shake off the anxiety of possibly encountering Amara on their way to the grand fountain. Despite the explosions having ceased, he had a lingering fear that she might still be lurking in the vicinity, likely close to the fountain. *I just hope she decides to postpone my untimely demise until after we deal with the whole vampire situation,* Xain fretted while keeping up his pace. Just then, however, a explosion disrupted his thoughts, causing him to abruptly collapse onto the pavement, his face meeting the rough ground. "Ow," he grumbled, his voice muffled by the road beneath him.
"Are you alright?" Kaden questioned, showing no concern. Xain replied with a hint of sarcasm, "Yeah, totally fine. Falling face-first into the pavement is my favorite hobby." Kaden simply shrugged and shifted his attention toward the direction of the explosion, realizing it was dangerously close, just a block away. "Goddess, why now? Come on, we have to hurry up," Xain said, ready to resume their dash toward the grand fountain. Kaden took one last glance at the explosion's source before rejoining Xain.
**Back to the fight**
Zee swiftly ducked beneath a swing of Karin's weapon and closed the gap between them. However, Karin's expertise with her weapon became apparent. She reversed the weapon, executing an unexpected uppercut with the metal ball. Zee narrowly avoided the attack by stepping back just in time. Karin continued her fluid motion by reversing the weapon's momentum, directing it downward, this time with the blade. Zee skillfully parried the strike with her dagger, creating sparks as their blades clashed.
Meanwhile, Almer, still lying on the ground, took aim with his revolver, targeting Lennix. However, Lennix had no concerns about his unlife, knowing that Eirisse wouldn't allow him to be killed. Because his considerable injuries, Lennix decided to accelerate his healing by seizing Almer's hand and swiftly sinking his fangs into Almer's wrist, initiating a blood-drinking process.
Almer's pained yell echoed through the room, catching Eirisse's attention, which she found rather annoying. She once again instructed the artifact to engage Ercale in battle while she prepared to rescue her thrall from her little brother. Ercale attempted to stop her by launching a lightning bolt, but the artifact effortlessly nullified it, leaving Ercale exclaiming, "For the love of gods!" in frustration.
Eirisse couldn't help but smirk at his futile efforts before reluctantly deciding to save her thrall. However, her attention was suddenly diverted as she deftly stopped a knife hurtling toward her eye between her fingers. It was Clarissa who had removed the knife that was stabbed into her arm and was now ready to launch it at Eirisse.
Eirisse quipped, "When will you give up?" before shifting her gaze momentarily to Almer. She thought, *He can survive for a bit,* as she turned fully toward Clarissa, a sly smile gracing her lips.
Eirisse zoomed towards Clarissa, who threw the knife above herself before launching another one as Eirisse was inches away from her. The second knife missed, as Eirisse landed a powerful running knee strike to Clarissa's abdomen. Clarissa was thrown back and collided with a wall. Before hitting the wall, she threw another knife, aiming it at the first one she had previously thrown into the air.
The two knives collided in mid-air, causing the second knife to ricochet towards Eirisse's head. Eirisse anticipated this move and swiftly snatched the airborne knife. She began to taunt Clarissa, suggesting, "You have to try harder than th—"
Eirisse's words were abruptly cut off as she felt a sharp pain in her spine. She turned to see a knife embedded in there.
Eirisse pulled the knife from her spine, a perplexed expression on her face as she tried to comprehend how it had struck her. Meanwhile, Clarissa slowly rose to her feet, looking somewhat battered, but with an air of indifference about her. She nonchalantly dusted herself off and began to address Eirisse in a calm, emotionless tone.
"Mistress Eirisse, I don't require your suggestions," Clarissa stated, her words carrying a hint of condescension. "Considering you're the elder sister of Master Lennix, I have my reservations about your intelligence, particularly given your inability to grasp how you were struck by that knife." Eirisse, now a bit offended by Clarissa's words, still grappled with the mystery of the knife's impact.
Unbeknownst to Eirisse, Clarissa had calculated every aspect of their exchange. Clarissa knew she couldn't keep up with Eirisse's speed or strength, so she had to resort to trickery. The knife that Clarissa initially threw into the air was struck by the one she hurled last, and the first knife subsequently collided with the second, causing it to rebound directly into Eirisse's spine.
Eirisse, still pondering how she had been struck, was interrupted by Clarissa's emotionless voice. "Mistress Eirisse, despite what you may think, please understand that I am more than capable of keeping pace with you. Let us continue."
Eirisse released an exasperated sigh, throwing the knife into the ground. "You truly have quite the ego, don't you? It's difficult to regard you as merely a maid. I suspect there's more to you than meets the eye," she remarked, with a smirk on her face.
"You are mistaken, Mistress Eirisse. I am nothing more than a humble maid in the service of your younger brother," Clarissa replied, retrieving more knives. Eirisse's smirk widened as they prepared to clash once more.