Charles followed the trail of blood, walking at a steady pace. Not that he wanted to walk—his stamina was spent, leaving him incapable of running another step.
So, he trudged forward, using the time to recover what little strength he could.
Soon, however, he realized haste wasn’t necessary. The night was so still that the screams of Ruth’s victims carried far. All he had to do was follow the sound to locate her.
Assured of this, he relaxed, moving at a deliberate pace while closing in on the battlefield.
Yet as he advanced toward the port, the clashing forces were also shifting—straight toward him.
A woman’s shriek erupted from the intersection ahead. A tall silhouette staggered backward.
Charles froze, sharpening his gaze—then blinked in surprise.
Were Amazon Fisheries Company the ones fighting Xanathar’s Guild?
Uncertain, he watched as a burly man swung a heavy hammer, lunging forward. The weapon crashed into the woman’s skull with a sickening—
Her head burst like a melon. The body crumpled, lifeless.
Witnessing the kill firsthand sent Charles’s blood roaring, his pulse spiking.
This... this was real murder.
His heart hammered. Then, the brute slowly turned—and locked eyes with him.
Only then did Charles notice the man’s one-eyed visage, twisted with battle fury. Instinctively, he retreated half a step, dropping into a fighting stance, gaze wary.
Across from him, One-Eyed tightened his grip on the heavy hammer, muscles coiling. His lone eye scrutinized the newcomer.
White hair. Young. Handsome. Cheap clothes. Clutching a spellbook...
The description matched. This was the mage hired by the Zhentarim!
Damn those Zhentarim—always causing trouble at the worst possible moment!
He already knew tonight’s chaos had been primed by the Zhentarim as revenge against Xanathar’s Guild. So clearly, this mage was here to attack them!
Better eliminate him first!
With that thought, he growled low: "Stay back! Go support the commander—this one’s beyond you lot!"
As a Level 4 Warrior, he’d fought in large-scale guild wars across other districts alongside the guild’s elite. He’d seen mages in action before—hell, he’d even crushed a few beneath his heavy hammer!
Sure, those were large battles with plenty of backup, but that experience had stripped away any mystique around the mage class. At the very least, he wouldn’t cower just because of some fancy title!
More importantly, he knew ordinary people were useless against a mage. They’d only get in the way. This fight was his alone.
Across from him, Charles heard distant screams—Ruth was close. Retreat wasn’t an option.
His brow furrowed. Trouble. But he didn’t hesitate. Raising his hand, a circular magic ring materialized midair as an invisible surge of energy lanced out—
One-Eyed twisted aside, dodging the Eldritch Blast with a jerk of his head. Then his leg muscles coiled, propelling him forward like an enraged bear!
Charles backpedaled two steps and fired another Eldritch Blast, but One-Eyed bounded sideways, evading effortlessly before charging again—heavy hammer aimed straight for his chest—
No time to think. Charles crossed his arms defensively and spat the incantation: "Shield!"
Both spells consumed two spell slots, yet while Mage Armor provided protection equivalent to chainmail for eight hours, Shield compressed all that energy into a mere six seconds!
One could only imagine how formidable its defensive power became in that instant!
An invisible barrier materialized, blocking the Heavy Hammer’s impact. The Blade Ward sigil shattered, and Armor of Agathys retaliated—a surge of biting cold traveled up the heavy hammer, frosting One-Eyed’s arms white as a corpse’s!
Yet despite this, the sheer force of the blow still sent Charles stumbling back several steps before he regained his footing.
Still too weak... Even as a spellcaster, his frail physique remained a crippling disadvantage.
Catching his breath, Charles wasted no time. Clutching his spellbook, he drained its remaining charge and unleashed Thunderwave—
The deafening detonation echoed across the entire port district. The concussive blast hurled One-Eyed backward, sending him tumbling across the ground before he finally skidded to a stop.
Charles exhaled, wiping fresh sweat from his brow. Truthfully, despite the Heavy Hammer’s devastating momentum, the layered protections had left him unscathed.
He quickly renewed Blade Ward, False Life, and Armor of Agathys, depleting his remaining spell slots—but he remained calm. A few minutes of stalling would let his spell slots replenish naturally.
Ahead, One-Eyed rose again, gripping his heavy hammer. Though his arms were frostbitten and the Thunderwave had flung him brutally, the Level 4 Warrior shrugged it off like nothing, flashing a taunting grin: "Running low on Mana already?"
Charles smirked. "More than enough to handle you."
He maintained his guarded stance, mentally tracking the time and his recovering Spell Slots.
"Let’s test that," One-Eyed growled, crouching like a stalking tiger while pressing the psychological assault. "Mages aren’t invincible. I’ve crushed a dozen like you—snapped their bones, squeezed out the marrow—"
Then—a distant scream cut through the night:
"LOOK OUT! THAT MONSTER’S HEADING YOUR WAY!"
One-Eyed whirled, face draining of color. "WHAT?!"
There it was—the hulking monster, its grotesque form studded with Agony-twisted faces, charging straight at him like a waking nightmare.
Pure terror seized him.
How?! It was supposed to be lured toward the Amazons! Why is it coming for ME?!