"Urkkk?"
The Sentinel's face distorts in opaque fury, the edge of its comrade's axe smashing into the side of its head.
"Liaz! Fire!" I scream as I return to the ground, dashing around the beast in a circle.
Scooping up the second axe, I slam it into the back of one of the Sentinel's knees. There's a loud Clang. The Sentinel's armor plating is too thick. Thunderous vibrations shake the axe, sending it clattering from my hands. However, I swung hard enough that the hit managed to knock the Sentinel off balance.
It swings a massive arm behind to knock me away, but its weight carries it forward and over its own feet. I can't hesitate for a moment. As it begins falling forward, I jump back as far as I can.
A ball of fire collides with the falling monster, erupting into a mini explosion on contact. The Sentinel begins falling in the opposite direction. I leap up, swinging my remaining axe down with all my might. The blade barely carves into the top of the Sentinel's head. I follow the momentum, pushing the axe with all my might.
"Just go down alreadyyyy!"
The crash that follows obscures my screams. The Sentinel lands flat on its back, creating another large crater in the ballroom floor. Adrenaline surges through my veins, and at last, I feel the blade pierce through the monster's skull. Unable to remove the axe, I decide to retreat instead quickly.
Gasping for breath, I climb out. It looks dead enough. Examining the unmoving Sentinel, something bothers me. There's no blood coming from the wound we worked so hard to inflict.
"IV!" Liaz carries an unconscious Glimmer in his arms towards me. "I think Glimmer got hurt pretty bad! What do we do?"
He looks fine as far as I can tell. Some minor scraps and bruises are all that remain of his earlier injuries. I silently thank Celestria for lending me her powers even in her weakened state. We would all have died without it.
"Glimmer's fine," I reassure Liaz with a smile. "A few days of rest and he'll be just fine."
"Thank Abell." Liaz sighs in relief. "I still can't believe he rushed out here like that. Without any magic, too. What was he thinking?"
A shadow suddenly encompasses Liaz and Glimmer. The Sentinel somehow managed to stand back up, pulling the axe free from its head. I noticed it too late. All I can do is shove the two of them aside.
"I…V..?"
Ah. It got me, the bastard.
"Kahk-"
Blood spills out of my mouth. The pressure in my left shoulder disappears, followed by a wet squishing sound. My vision is shaky, but still, I look at where the Sentinel's axe had landed. My right arm is gone! Nothing's left but a stub. Blood pours from the wound and onto the shattered floor.
"Nooooo!"
I grit my teeth. The Sentinel's assault continues with a fist into my ribs. It feels like my entire body is folding in on itself. Everything shifts to black, there's a loud snap, and now I'm stuck in the wall again. Curse it all, I think, not again.
My eyes desperately search the room. Glimmer remains motionless on the ground while Liaz dips and dodges the Sentinel's flurry of blows and axe swings. I... can't keep them open anymore. No. Come on. Get up. You said you would fight to protect everyone. You said you wouldn't watch anyone you care about die again! Gods damn it all, Ironvine, move!
"Don't move. We might be able to save your arm, but we have to kill that abomination first. Mara, I'm leaving his care to you until then."
"Y-yes, sir! Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself?"
Through my closing eyes, I see the silhouette of a large man and a young girl standing over me. The man quickly gives an order to the girl before dashing away. The girl raises her hands over me, a white light engulfing them both.
"He could have at least answered. Idiot…"
"W-ho are you?"
My question comes out as more of a croak, but I can feel the bleeding from my arm beginning to slow. The girl, lost in her own world, jumps slightly at my question.
"W-wha?! Y-you don't know who we are?"
I focus all my strength on the girl's silhouette. The fog begins to lift, and my vision starts to come back. She's a small, dark skinned human girl with long, ridiculously curly white hair flowing down her back and covering her left eye. Her right eye is clearly visible and strikingly red in color. What surprises me most is the all-white serpent-scale armor encasing everything but her head. The matching helmet has been cast off beside her as she heals me.
"T-t-t-the White Knights of Ardent?!" I scream at the top of my lungs, stumbling backwards.
"Hey! Don't move! I haven't stopped the bleeding yet!"
I'm not listening. In a daze, I continue back into the wall, my eyes adrift. They land upon the man who had gone to face the Goblin Sentinel. His long ears and flawless features. An elf? Just like the girl, I think her name was Mara, he wears the White Knight's signature armor.
In a single step, he clears the distance between himself and the Sentinel. It had been facing the opposite direction, targeting Liaz. The monster had no time to react. The knight brought his saber down, cleaving the monster into two separate pieces. Its magic stone hovered in midair briefly before shattering into dust.
"In… one… hit…"
Fear grips my heart. Something much, much worse than the monsters has just arrived. My eyes desperately search and land on Renald. Whisperclaw holds his broken body in her arms, staring up at another knight in white armor. She has blonde hair, tied into a messy bun on the top of her head. She looks young, probably the same age as the Mara if I had to guess.
Despite her age, the second Goblin Sentinel lies dead behind her. The girl stands over Whisperclaw, neither of them willing to look away. An uneasy tension is steadily building between them. Pain suddenly hits my shoulder. Blood splatters on the ground beside me. I stumble back down to one knee.
"See? I told you not to move! Now will you hold still so I can-"
"Ironvine!" Liaz's panicked call interrupts Mara. "Ironvine, your arm! Holy shit! Holy shit!"
He had rushed over as soon as the elf defeated the Sentinel. He places Glimmer down and almost shoves Mara out of the way to examine what's left of my arm. I force a smile, but the pain is unbearable.
"Watch it, mister! Or do you want him to die of blood loss?!" Mara snaps, squeezing her small form in front of Liaz and continuing with her healing spell. "I can't believe this! All you men are the same! Just rush in without thinking!"
"I managed to recover the primate's arm. The cut was rather clean, so it's still in one piece."
The elf announces his victorious return by tossing my bloody arm between Mara, Liaz, and me. My bottom lips quiver. I stare in utter shock.
"Master! Don't just run off like that! I was worried about you, you know?" Mara scolds the elf, picking my arm up with no hesitation.
"You worry too much. Besides, Mara…" The elf narrows his emerald eyes at his student, "... I've told you time and time again to call me by my name, Ryguseer. The most elegant name it is, too."
"That's not true!"
Liaz smacks his tail into the floor, interrupting Mara and Ryguseer's flirting.
"Who in the hells are you people?!" He shouts. "And can we save this for later?! Both my friends are about to die, and you guys are joking around like it's some game!"
"Relax, half-breed." Ryguseer smirks, a dark expression making its way onto his face. "We've handled both of the monsters, and Mara will reattach your friend's arm once she stops the bleeding."
"What about Renald then, huh, four-eyes?!"
"That's…"
I was silently looking between the two of them. At the mention of Renald, my eyes drift back towards where Whisperclaw holds him.
The blonde knight has lowered herself to her knees. She slowly reaches out a hand towards Renald.
"Don't touch him!"
Whisperclaw snarls, swiping her free claw violently at the knight's gauntlet. Tears streak down Whisperclaw's cheeks. I've never seen her like this before.
"Mara, heal the monkey's arm. We'll take them to the infirmary after." Ryguseer suddenly dashes towards the blonde knight.
"M-master?!"
Ryguseer, ignoring Mara completely, barely makes it in time. The blonde knight moves so quickly that I never see her unsheathe her saber. The blade soars toward Whisperclaw's throat, but somehow it gets deflected to the right, cutting a small slit in the bottom of her ear.
I don't know how, but Ryguseer managed to knock the blonde knight's sword off course. All I can do is stare in amazement, along with Liaz and Whisperclaw. The only one who seems to be unfazed is Mara.
"Sylla…"
"Ryguseer, get out of my way."
"I know what Sir Renald means to you, Captain, but you must control yourself."
The blonde knight, Sylla, resheaths her sword and sighs. It seems that Ryguseer's words got through to her. I wonder why he called Renald 'Sir'. Wait, did he call her 'Captain'? Huh?!
"I apologize, Seer. I lost my composure for a moment. You're right, as always." Sylla surveys the ballroom. "Restore the chim-chi's arm, then have him help heal the others. We'll reconvene in the throne room after."
"What about you, Captain?"
"I'll escort Renny and the jackal to the hospital wing."