New World - A New Beginning

Chapter 42: Hidden Enemy

I witnessed the veil fall off the monstrosity, its features were unlike anything I had ever seen. Its T-shaped head had no eyes, yet it seemed to be able to locate every single member of the party with deadly precision. The monster was mostly humanoid, its posture slightly bent over and crooked. My eyes shifted towards its arms, one of them was shaped like a massive club that it could swing with ease, the other completely disproportionate and normal-sized.

The monster resembled a failed lab experiment, and I wasn't even sure if it was a living organism.

The team began its attack at the Fury, multicolored sparks flashing from the combined elements striking it. I read the events unfolding in front of me like an open book, understanding and adapting to the situation.

We had one fire binder, one water binder, and three wind binders, one of them being a healer.

I knew Ava and Emma could also create a subpar version of ice, so there was no need for the more complete version of it.

This left earth and lightning.

"!!"

I swerved my body as a red bolt of electricity crashed down upon my location, my eyes tracking the source.

Red energy crackled around the fury, the party watching in horror as its speed and power increased tenfold. I could tell this beast was nowhere near as powerful as the Spirit King, but I couldn't let my guard down.

"Attackers, now!" yelled Drav as flames suddenly roared around the Fury, encircling him.

A commonly used tactic amongst higher-ranked tanks was to immobilize the target, allowing the attackers to engage the crippled enemy without suffering backlash. Ice and Earth were the two elements with the most amount of control, but any element could work if used correctly.

Ava launched herself at the Fury's flank with a burst of water, spinning a lance around her as she guided the roaring current. I appeared on the opposite side, assisting the girl with my own attack. I dashed through the Fury's skinny legs, slicing through the flesh and destabilizing it.

I watched as Ava cut through the Fury's shoulder, the water burning the beast as it wailed in pain. Drav immediately taunted the enemy, regaining its attention. I noticed Emma approaching out of the corner of my eye, her eyes glowing with power as green bursts of win surrounded her.

She reached out into the wind current, the gust suddenly surrounding her arm. She appeared above the monster, landing a massive blow to its skull with the improved force of her bind.

The Fury roared, turning towards Emma.

Drav!

Where was the taunt?!

The Fury swung its mace with blinding speed, Emma receiving the brunt of the attack. I saw electricity coming into contact with the girl's body, her shrieks echoing throughout the valley.

"Emma!!" cried Ava as she dashed towards the body of her sister. My eyes locked with Drav's, my heart dropping at what was facing me.

He was smiling.

Before I could even react, the monster turned towards the other sister, realizing she was distracted. In a red flash, it appeared right behind the blue-eyed girl cradling her sister's unconscious body, its looming figure casting a dark shadow above the two adventurers.

BOOM

I struck the back of the Fury, redirecting its attention. I leaped back and closed my eyes, focusing my bind. I pictured the lightning flowing through my body, taking shape and gliding with immense power.

"Dragonbolt," I muttered, using the words to help me concentrate. A massive bolt of lightning erupted around me, taking the shape of a snake-like dragon and encircling me, awaiting my attack. I threw myself at the Fury, the dragon following the movement of my blade.

The monster bellowed, meeting my attack head-on. I brought my sword down a few mels before the collision, the dragon striking the enemy ahead of me. A massive surge of energy exploded in front of me, my instincts capitalizing on the opportunity and dashing behind the enemy.

I cut through the monster's back, attempting to execute it.

A sudden flash of steel shone next to me, Katherine launching herself at the Fury with her twin daggers, attempting to support my offensive chain of attacks.

The girl dodged multiple strikes from the beast, resembling a graceful dance as she flipped over the Fury, slashing as she landed behind it.

I looked over at Ava, the girl still holding Emma in her arms. Why hadn't she received a heal yet?

"Rom!" I yelled, trying to redirect his attention towards the dying adventurer.

No answer.

I looked over at the position the Fei was supposed to be located, my eyes quivering in disgust at the scene I witnessed.

The healer was standing still, his eyes locked with mine.

"Run," he muttered before coughing up blood, his body slowly arching forward as he slumped onto the ground. Standing above Rom's lifeless body stood Drav, the tank's battleax drenched with red goo.

What the fuck was this?

Did Drav just kill Rom?

Did our tank just turn against us?

Drav looked at me, a satisfactory grin spread across his face. I almost threw up, the pieces clicking into place.

That emblem, a picture of a phoenix, was the symbol of a family within Eloria. This guy, he had explicitly held back his last name, knowing he had to keep it a secret.

A noble family's name was shared amongst all of its members, including contracted adventurers and guards. Drav had been hired under a specific individual, a single mission had been given to him.

"Make Darck suffer."

I knew what Drav's full name was, I finally recognized that emblem that had hidden deep within my conscience.

His name was Drav Liech.

I watched as Drav ran into the cathedral, immediately turning back and smiling.

"Good luck there, Darck."

The entrance suddenly caved in, the one way out of here closed off.

We were stuck.

My mind raced as I tried to think of a way to solve the situation, but I slowly realized there was none. Katherine was nimbly evading all of the Fury's attacks, realizing I needed time to think.

I looked at Emma's condition, realizing she had little time left before her body gave in.

I scowled. Rom was losing too much blood, and with Emma about to breathe her last breath, that would leave three of us alive.

This was no time to mourn the dead, my mind accepting the reality and began working around it. If we didn't do something now, then we would all die.