"There are three more approaching from behind." Lafral holds his tone as his voice comes out trembling.
Miguel is the first to prepare for combat while his gaze drops to the ground and searches for some air for his lungs.
"Sarah, Bernardo and Iris. You will be responsible for the two in front. Sebastian and Lafral give me cover." As he speaks, his gaze rises and turns toward Miriane who already holds her long sword up with both hands and eyes closed while she begins to whisper something.
"A thousand nights and a thousand days.
Infinite deaths and a single life.
Before those who threaten me.
I will use you for a single end.
And when the blood is shed.
May this act be forgiven."
When she finishes, she opens her eyes and breathes more deeply.
The white blade shines asking for blood while the golden details at its center seem too refined for such an outcome. At the tip of the handle, a rustic reddish N2 core that looks like a crystal calls for its moment of action.
"You already know what to do!" Miguel lets the words out while dropping a small first aid backpack beside Sarah and already turning toward Lafral.
"Bernardo and Iris, you go down the left, I will go down the right. Sarah, when I pass the first tree, try to hit either one of the two, and then return your aim to the cornfield." Miriane explains already taking a few steps to the side and leaving the shadow of one of the trees. When stepping onto the beginning of the slope of the hill she casts a glance to the other side and sees Iris right behind Bernardo already descending.
Then she waits a few more seconds, until they reach halfway down, when they do, she bursts forward with a start that makes Sarah look away for a moment because of such power.
At the exact moment when Bernardo and Iris pass between two trees, Miriane does the same on the other side. From her peripheral vision, Sarah realizes her moment has come.
When the first of them appears through a gap in the treetops, the first shot echoes across the entire plain below. While running toward the mercenaries, Miriane manages to see through the branches and trunks the one who is on top of a tree further ahead. He holds a long bow while turning his aim toward the top of the hill.
At that moment she makes an abrupt stop that even pulls out some low and thin plants with one of her feet. Then she turns with her brow furrowed trying to look at Sarah, but all she finds are some trees casting shadow over nothing but dry land. When she sees a slight movement behind a tree, she releases the air she had been holding until now, and already turns back to her initial objective, and with another burst she runs while holding the sword more firmly than before.
After a few meters, when she scans the scene ahead, what she sees draws a slight smile at the corner of her mouth and makes her change her running route toward the archer in the tree.
One of the mercenaries in that stretch of forest is hidden behind a thick tree while holding a curved dagger in his right hand and a small rounded shield is attached to his left. He breathes heavily while looking at the corpse of his partner fallen beside him. Blood runs from a hole where his right eye should be.
Without time to think, he turns his head toward Bernardo who, with calm steps, approaches already with visor closed and sword forward held with both hands. Through the gaps in the metal strip, he carefully observes the trunk of the tree where the mercenary is.
Iris is a few steps behind, she stares at the corpse longer than necessary while her steps, unlike Bernardo's, barely make noise.
On the other side of the hill, on the steep part, Sebastian with his heart racing more than ever, charges at full speed toward the mercenary coming through the middle. The man with a thin beard, stocky body and visible muscles, wields a double-sided axe that rests on his left shoulder. With a calm look and a slight smile, he continues walking with calm steps, even taking a moment to run his hand through his hair and throw the medium brown strands back.
Miguel, who is hidden behind a rock embedded in the hill, first observes on one side Sebastian's rush and Lafral's positioning several meters behind and above Sebastian. Then further back, another mercenary, wielding a wide scimitar, moves in a way that makes it clear his intention to attack Lafral the moment he enters range.
And lastly, on the other side of the rock, lying in wait, the third mercenary stands several meters down the hill, he holds a medium bow made of an irregular brown wood. The arrow is nocked in white tones that contrast with his dark leather and cloth garments.
Miguel takes a deep breath and places the dark green hood over his head.
He takes an arrow that has a black and flattened tip, but unlike common arrows, this one has feathers only on one side of the base. Still leaning against the rock, he nocks the arrow and points to the left in the direction where the scimitar mercenary was going, he has not yet appeared in the field of view, even so he shoots.
The arrow begins its trajectory, but it does not take long and begins to destabilize and change direction to the point of making a curve toward the mercenary who has no vision of Miguel. Even losing power, the arrow still hits directly in the man's calf who falls screaming in pain to the point of dropping his weapon.
At that moment the archer below gets distracted and loses focus for an instant, enough time for Miguel, already with another arrow nocked, this one with all feathers in place, to position himself and shoot. When the archer realizes his mistake through peripheral vision, it is already too late. He is not even allowed to scream, because the arrow is lodged through his throat. Soon the blood takes over everything inside, making him drown just like he has done to so many others.
In the next instant, a black arrow flies over Sebastian who only notices it when the mercenary in front blocks it with the blade of the axe.
The man loses his smile while his gaze focuses for a moment on Lafral, and then on his partner crawling still with the arrow in his leg.
He lets out a puff of air with puffed cheeks and grips the axe with his right hand. Then he takes a step forward at the moment Sebastian enters his range. With a movement faster and more forceful than expected from someone who uses such a weapon, he executes a horizontal strike directly toward his head.