Marelucis: Prophecies of the Six Saviors

7

And before I could jump out of my seat to intervene, the man had already swung his fist down hard in the girl's direction.

A loud yelp sounded throughout the tavern, but it was the man's, not the girl's. His fist was closed in hers, trembling. The navy-blue haired bartender girl was as still as a wall, but her actions were swift, like a snake eyeing its prey before it strikes. She slammed his fist down on the counter and looked him dead in the eye, expressing little to no emotion yet possessing an aura of great menace. To say that this girl's strength was extraordinary would be an understatement.

"I said I would appreciate it very much if you would keep your voices down."

The man trembled under both her words and strength. Despite being drunk, the man was conscious enough to pacify his actions. That, or the immense pain in his hand was so unbearable that he was forced to consciousness. Fortunately, she let go of his hand and he stumbled back onto one of the bar's wooden chairs. His other drunk opponent had scuttled off to the other side of the tavern to sit in one of the booth tables, rapidly downing a few more shots in a cold sweat whilst muttering something about his "financial problems being enough of a stress on his mentality".

"S-sorry," the first man mumbled.

The girl smiled ever so slightly.

"Apology accepted, sir."

The air had become so tense that it felt as if the silence would continue indefinitely. However, shortly after the little drunkard fiasco had ended, everyone in the tavern returned back to their respective corners and conversations. The large man who had just been humiliated trudged by our table. He reeked of alcohol and lord knows what else. I was certain he didn't keep good care of his personal hygiene, and would have worried very much for anyone else who objected to this conclusion.

Suddenly, the blonde haired girl from Eve's restaurant the day before sped out from the tavern's kitchen door, behind the counter. She gently pulled at the navy blue haired girl's arm and whispered in a tone of suppressed agitation. After listening intently, I could make out their quickly exchanged words.

"Sarah, we must head out immediately. They're here."

The blonde girl glanced over at us, her facial expression twisted and disgruntled. When she realized our eyes were ready to greet hers, her shoulders squared and she apprehensively averted her gaze.

"I understand, Dorothy."

Sarah had her arms crossed loosely in front of her chest, and she answered without making any eye contact whatsoever. Then, she gently held the latter's hand and swiftly strode into the kitchen. Sir Mark stood up abruptly, his red cape fluttering due to his actions.

"Nate, Kent; proceed to the back exit. This is an initiation of the plan we spoke of the night prior."

"Aye, sir," Nathaniel said, a smirk faintly visible on his lips. Kent nodded and followed closely behind Nathaniel. Then, Sir Mark turned to Jack and me.

"You two, follow me."

I nodded nervously.

"O-ok."

My eyes darted towards Nathaniel and Kent, both of whom had just hopped over the counter and into the kitchen. I didn't like the thought of not being within one of their presences, and took note of the stiffness building up quickly in my limbs. Jack glanced over at me, at which I attempted to recompose myself and strode closer behind Sir Mark with my head bent low.

What we saw once we stepped out of the inn was not what anyone would have expected. Crowds of people ran frantically towards the doors of shops and buildings to find a safe haven, shouting and screaming. Several market stalls and the chairs and tables of outdoor restaurants were knocked clean over. On the left half of the street, the roofs of a few houses were caught on fire. On the right half of street, rain pelted stone houses and blew away clothing lines. This chaos was beyond surreal; it was impossible. But it was happening right before our very eyes.
Suddenly, a large explosion sounded from the back of the inn, and very soon after, Kent and Nathaniel came running out from the alley connected to it. They coughed but quickly tried to catch their breaths.

"We... Lost them..." Kent huffed.

"The girls?" Mark asked.

Kent nodded.

"A quarter of your men as well as a town executive have been slaughtered, Mark," Nathaniel said grimly. His usual amber eyes had converted to a blue-green color once again. Sir Mark's lips pursed and his face drained of color.
My blood ran cold. Even Sir Mark isn't aware of what's going on, but we've already gained ourselves casualties? This was sorcery that could have only been caused by the hands of the corrupted mages.

"They're ransacking the town in search of me..." I said breathlessly.

The boys turned towards me. Kent opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Mark's hasty orders.

"Slight change of plans. We will continue to stay as we are in these two groups. Nate and Kent; you two assist the townspeople in seeking shelter. Wendy, Jack, and I will search for the girls."

"Got it," the two boys said in unison.

Then, Kent raised his arms out in front of him, and a bright yellow light in the form of a rod appeared between his hands. Within seconds, the light flashed and disappeared altogether, leaving behind a spotless, shining, silver sword. He glanced at me one last time before rapidly running off with Nathaniel, who was already equipped with two daggers in the side pockets attached to his belt leather belt. I watched as they ran, and my heart dropped into the deepest pit of despair possible.

They would be in danger because of me. People have already died because of me.

"Wendy."

I spun around. Jack stared at me and placed a hand on my shoulder. My brown irises moved along with the movement of his hand, and when my sight fell, I realized my eyes were glazed over with tears.

"It's not your fault."

I quickly wiped at my eyes and nodded without giving a solid response.

"Orpheus, look! I've found her!"

The three of us that were left turned our heads toward the sound of a cheerful, feminine voice. A girl around our age range levitated above one of the undamaged houses on the street. She had extremely long, jet-black hair with streaks of dark purple stained into it. A black Victorian dress wrapped snugly around her small frame, flowing long and elegantly in the back, and stopping right above her knees in the front. The dress's neckline was wide, exposing the girl's sharp collarbones and pale shoulders. Two short, thin, satin sleeves wrapped around the sides of her upper arms, and large white frills and orchid purple floral embroideries and ribbons decorated it. The girl also wore black boots with silver buckles that stopped halfway up the shins.

Her smile was radiant and shining with exuberance, despite her choice of clothing and the chaos that surrounded her. Her orchid purple irises were large and almost doll-like along with her nearly white, pale skin. She landed elegantly on the roof of a brick building, and giggled, holding a hand to shield her mouth. She narrowed her eyes in amusement and stared directly into my fear-stricken ones.

"Now since I've found you, I get to be the one to kill you!"