The girl's eyes widened as she saw the headless corpse of the priest.
"What is this...! Who are you! Who are you to dare invade the temple and commit such madness!"
'This one can see me too.'
I approached the girl, my blood-soaked sword hanging loosely.
"Are you an assassin? Did you come to kill me! I am..."
"Down."
I grabbed the girl's head and pushed it down. She ended up sprawled flat on the floor. Three shadows shot up from below the railing. The figures, clad in black hoods, held crossbows.
With a tearing sound, three bolts flew through the air. They weren't aimed at me. The bolts were shot towards the girl trembling prone on the floor. I deflected the three bolts with my sword. Then, three daggers were thrown from another direction. Again, the target was the girl. I knocked the daggers away with my shield.
"Wh-what in the world..." the girl stammered.
"Stay down."
I looked at the daggers scattered on the terrace floor. A purple liquid dripped from the tips. Poisoned, it seemed. The assassins drew the same type of daggers again.
Ping!
Just then, an arrow flew in and pierced an assassin's head. I used the opening to close in on the nearest one. He swung his poisoned dagger. I easily dodged it and plunged my sword deep into his robes.
The last assassin thrust his right hand towards me.
Click. A mechanical sound came from within his sleeve, and a shuriken shot out. Block with the shield.
Pathetic tricks, but their combat prowess was weaker than the knights'.
Just as the assassin was about to throw his dagger at the girl, a shadow dropped from above and landed on him. A dagger flashed, and blood spurted from the assassin's neck.
Edith twirled her bloodied dagger.
"That wall was ridiculously high. Took some effort to climb up."
"The others?"
"There were two more. Took care of them all."
Edith sheathed her dagger and glanced at the girl huddled on the floor.
I asked, "Do you know her?"
"Hmm. Seems familiar..." Edith trailed off.
"Who are you people?" the girl asked, her face etched with fear.
'This one is the escort target.'
She can see us, but she isn't an enemy. The situation made it immediately clear. If I had been even slightly later, the girl would have been torn apart by the priest's magic arrow. Right in front of everyone in the plaza. The assassins who appeared afterwards were also clearly targeting the girl.
I looked down at the plaza below. Utter chaos had erupted due to the gruesome spectacle being broadcast live. Soldiers appearing from outside the plaza rushed towards the temple. The barred main gate had been breached.
"This is not a place for the likes of you to tread! Turn back immediately... Ack!" An arrow flew from somewhere and embedded itself beside the girl. Archers in the windows of a 2-story building near the temple were aiming this way.
I half-smiled and said, "Are you sure it's okay for us to leave? You'll die if we go."
"What is going on..."
"Long story short. No time." I deflected an incoming arrow with my shield.
"If you want to live, follow us. Or die there."
"..."
"Yes or no. Don't add useless words. Answer?"
The girl looked at the corpses sprawled on the floor. Then she looked back and forth between Edith and me, squeezed her eyes shut tight, and said, "...Alright."
[Mission Successful!]
[Special NPC 'Priasis Al Ragna' joins the party!]
[Mission type has changed.]
[Mission Type - Escape]
[Objective - Escape the city with the escort target!]
'Escape.'
The mission objective updated. As expected. I told the girl,
"Good. Crouch behind the railing. Don't come out until I say so."
The girl ducked down deep behind the railing.
I picked up the crossbow lying next to the assassin's corpse. A container full of bolts was beside it.
"Edith. Prepare for descent."
"What about you?"
"I'll keep them busy."
Taking cover behind the railing, I aimed the crossbow sights at an archer in a window. Pulling the trigger, the bolt shot out rapidly and struck the archer's torso. A hit. My first time, but it wasn't difficult. I began returning fire at archers in other buildings.
Edith took a long, thin rope from the pouch on her belt. She fashioned a loop, hooked it onto a protrusion on the railing, and let it dangle downwards. It was a sturdy rope made from processed Forest Queen sinew; it should hold a person's weight without issue.
Loading a bolt into the crossbow, I asked the girl, "Ever rappelled before?"
"What are you talking about?"
"If you don't know how, cling to me. It'll be a pain if you fall and die."
By the time I killed the third archer with the crossbow, Jaina, Aaron, and Iolka arrived. Their clothes were stained with blood in places. Jaina said urgently, "Oppa, no time! Soldiers are swarming up from below!"
"I know without you telling me. That's why we're getting ready."
I gestured towards the girl watching us with suspicious eyes and said, "Take a good look. This kid is the escort target."
"I am not a kid!"
"See? Snaps when you call her kid."
Jaina and Aaron looked at the girl and nodded. But surprise flickered in Iolka's eyes.
"This person is..."
"Doesn't matter who she is," I cut her off.
"But this is surprising. Seeing you here."
"Who are you? Do you know me?" the girl demanded.
"...We're pressed for time right now," I said.
I tossed the crossbow aside. Jaina took over my covering fire role. Her much swifter and more precise shots took down the archers in the buildings one by one.
"Listen carefully. We're descending using this rope now, heading for an escape route."
"I've scouted the path," Edith said. "The fewest soldiers are on the left. The streets are complex there, good for hiding."
"Then we head there. Any objections?"
The three shook their heads.
"Iolka, surround us with a wall of fire. Keep the enemies from approaching."
"Will do."
"Descent order is Edith, Aaron, me, Iolka, and Jaina last."
Most of the soldiers who had been in the plaza were now inside the temple. If we went back the way we came straightforwardly, we'd face numerous soldiers. The faint sound of soldiers' footsteps ascending the stairs could be heard.
"Going down first," Edith grabbed the rope on the railing and began rappelling down. Soldiers remaining in the plaza noticed the rope and rushed towards the bottom.
[Blaze!]
Fwoosh!
Flames erupted from Iolka's fingertips, blocking the soldiers in the plaza. With her other hand, Iolka pointed towards the terrace entrance. This time, flames shot up in a straight line, blocking the entrance. Two soldiers emerging from the garden were engulfed in flames and burned to a crisp.
"Mage! Kill the mage first!" Arrows flew from beyond the wall of fire. I kicked the large table on the terrace sideways, using it as cover. Arrows thudded into the table.
Next was Aaron. He took a short breath and went down the rope. Below, pandemonium had broken out. People scrambled to escape the plaza amidst the sudden fire and carnage. Good. Fewer unnecessary obstacles are better. Edith, who went down first, defended the landing zone, swinging daggers and shooting her bow. Aaron soon joined her defense.
I beckoned to the girl. "My turn next. Come on."
"Me?"
"Who else?" I chuckled softly and picked up the girl. "Hold on tight. Don't let go."
"Ah, alright."
The distance to the ground was about 15 meters. A difficult height for an untrained civilian to descend. The five of us had learned this method through the obstacle course in the training ground. Including Iolka, the mage.
I gripped my leather glove tightly and grabbed the rope. The girl clung to me with frightened eyes. I kicked off the railing once, using the momentum to descend.
Ping!
An arrow flew from somewhere, passing through a few strands of the girl's silver hair.
"Mmph!" The girl let out a choked scream and hugged me tighter.
Gripping the rope with my right hand and holding the girl with my left, I rappelled down quickly. Just before hitting the ground, I kicked off the adjacent wall to reduce speed. Landed safely.
"We're down. Let go."
The girl scrambled away from me. I scanned the vicinity. Most civilians had cleared out, and soldiers were pouring in from the surroundings. Though we put up a wall of fire, it couldn't cover all directions.
I yelled upwards, "Hurry!"
A soldier charged at me, letting out a strange shriek, swinging his sword. I parried it with my own sword, then pierced his heart. Nearby, Edith and Aaron were fighting hard. I joined the line, dealing with the charging soldiers one by one.
['Aaron (★★)' has been afflicted with Bleeding status. Health decreases periodically.]
['Aaron (★★)' has been afflicted with Poison status. Health decreases periodically.]
Hero status change messages, visible only to me, popped up.
'...'
Not the time yet. I ignored them and swung my sword.
After a moment, Iolka rappelled down, followed quickly by Jaina who almost seemed to jump down.
"Phew, thought my hands would peel off," Iolka and Jaina threw off the gloves they were wearing, which they had taken from the assassins' corpses.
With this, the target was secured, and the party members were safe. Now, just escaping the field should grant the clear status.
Soldiers poured out like a flood from the far side of the plaza and the temple entrance. I looked at the girl and said, "Run towards the left street. If you don't want to die."
The girl started running frantically. We formed a circular formation around her as we ran alongside.
A pursuing soldier from behind shouted, "Don't let them escape! Pursue the witch and her followers!"
"W-Witch?" the girl gasped.
"Seems like you," I commented.
"That can't be..." The girl's face turned deathly pale.
A group of soldiers emerged from the passage leading to the left side of the plaza. A knight clad in heavy armor raised his halberd high.
"You shall not pass... Gak!" Jaina's arrow pierced a gap in the knight's armor. I slammed my shield into the staggering knight's head. Edith sliced deep into his nape as she ran past.
"Kill them!"
"Kill them!"
Soldiers blocking the main road appeared. At least 30 by rough count. If we got delayed by these guys, we'd soon be surrounded by the soldiers behind us.
"This way," Edith veered sideways. A labyrinth of winding alleyways lay there. We followed Edith inside.
"The route?"
"Scouted it from the rooftops. Follow this, and we should reach the outskirts of the city."
Soldiers rushed to the alley entrance. Iolka gestured, and a section of a half-collapsed wall crumbled, blocking the entrance. The soldiers roared outside, but they wouldn't be able to get through for a while.
After walking through the narrow passage for some time, we came upon a small clearing. Edith glanced back at the girl, then sat down on a brick. "Let's rest for a bit."
I nodded. The girl was panting heavily. As soon as the word 'rest' was spoken, she collapsed onto the dirt ground.
"How could this..." the girl muttered to herself, her face filled with confusion.
I took out a potion and took a swig. Even without injuries, the potion itself had a stamina recovery effect. A slight surge of energy flowed through my body.
"Rest for 5 minutes, then move."
The passage blocked by Iolka wouldn't hold for long. This place would soon be discovered too. Getting surrounded in an alleyway was harder to escape than being trapped on the main road.
"..."
The original plan was to rest here, then break out onto the street and push through to the exit in one go. Even if surrounded during that process, if Iolka charged her fire magic to the third stage, she could temporarily breach any encirclement. Then we just needed to lead the target to the escape route. Doing so would grant the 'clear' judgment for the escort mission. Through training, even Iolka had reached the point where she wouldn't faint after using her maximum charge magic.
"Aaron."
"Yes."
"Your wound?"
"...You noticed." Aaron lowered his head. A dagger was lodged in Aaron's side. The blood seeping out was purplish. It seemed he was hit by one of the assassins occasionally mixed among the soldiers.
'Poison.' A status effect that couldn't be cured by a Lower Health Potion.