NOVEL WEB Chapter 128: Late
In front of the Dawnbloom Guild, carriages stood in a straight line, waiting. Rain kept pouring down with no sign of stopping.
Inside one of the carriages, Eve and Maya sat, visibly worried.
"Where did they go? It's almost been an hour already," Maya said with a mix of irritation, glancing repeatedly at her wristwatch.
"Are they in trouble?" Evelyn muttered, equally concerned. Three of the most powerful members in their guild were currently missing, and it was time to depart for Daisy Town. Any delay might cost them dearly. Every minute was valuable.
Unable to wait any longer, Evelyn moved to step outside, but was stopped by Selene, who grabbed her wrist.
"Don't go, Evelyn. We don't have time for delay. We're moving soon," Selene said firmly.
Evelyn looked at Selene, then turned to Maya, who nodded in agreement.
She then sat back down, biting her lip, her hands clasped tightly on her thighs.
'Where the hell are you guys?! We need you right now,' she thought.
Having them in the team always made her feel safe. Even though the current situation wasn't one to enjoy, their presence always lifted her morale.
Outside the carriages, Williams and Beltimore stood silently, both wearing raincoats. They, too, seemed to be waiting for the trio.
As the rain fell harder, the sound of footsteps echoed through the cold air. Mirinda then stepped down the stairs and looked at both of them.
"What are you waiting for? We need to move now. We must regroup with Prince Reid's forces at the west gate," she said.
William glanced at Beltimore, then let out a sigh.
"Alan, Bob, and Linus still haven't returned. We can't move without them," he replied.
"Tchh!" Mirinda clicked her tongue in frustration. "They're always so troublesome!" she snapped.
She went quiet for a moment, then finally spoke.
"We have no other choice. We need to move now. Just hope they somehow catch up later."
She then stepped up into one of the carriages. Beltimore followed right after. William took one last look at the road in front of him before turning around and entering the same carriage.
"We move now!" Beltimore shouted.
The carriages began moving, one by one, heading toward the west gate.
In front of the guild, Ida stood silently, watching the convoy disappear into the rainy distance.
'Please be safe, everyone,' she prayed in her heart.
---
Ping!
Bang!
At the top of the roof, we were locked in a tight battle with the three robed figures.
I had now switched to my Archer class, aiming to capitalize on the skill Aim, which boosts my accuracy by 50%. I needed to finish this quickly, it had already been almost an hour. No doubt Mirinda would scold us if we were late.
One of the enemies charged at me, slashing from the front. I was quick enough to step back and dodge. Without wasting a second, I fired multiple shots in rapid succession like a machine gun. He leaped back, then sprinted sideways. I followed, not letting up, continuing to shoot.
Suddenly, another robed figure came from behind, trying to sneak up on me.
"Not so fast!" Bob shouted, launching an Aero Slash that struck in front of the enemy, forcing him to halt.
Bob kept sending out wave after wave of crescent-shaped slashes, pushing the enemy further back and away from me. With the threat behind me handled for now, I refocused on the enemy in front.
Then I saw it, he pulled something from his pocket. Something I had seen before.
Kunai.
Damn it. What's he planning?
These kunai were always a problem. I never knew what effect they carried. It either explosions, smoke screens, or worse, summoning reinforcements. You only find out once it's already too late.
I immediately got into a ready stance.
The enemy then ran toward me, a kunai in one hand and a dagger in the other. He was fast, very fast.
I quickly shifted Indra to Blade Form, readying myself for a counter. As I prepared to use Dash Slash, he suddenly threw the kunai down at the ground and leapt upward.
What is it this time?!
Without warning, the other two enemies also jumped high into the air.
From the kunai, a thick green smoke hissed out, spreading rapidly across the rooftop where we stood.
"Damn it. Poison! Don't inhale it!" Linus warned.
But it was already too late. I was the closest to the kunai, and the smoke rushed into my nostrils before I could even react.
At first, it felt like nothing.
Then it hit.
My throat burned, as if I had swallowed molten lava. My eyes stung, and my nose began to drip like a pipewater.
---
[User: Alan is poisoned]
---
A notification popped up, but I had no time to care.
Cough. Cough. Cough.
I clutched my chest and staggered, a violent cough erupting from my lungs. Each breath felt like inhaling fire.
"Alan!" Linus shouted, his voice muffled as he covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve. He tried to step forward, but the green smoke curled toward him, forcing him to stop.
The only sound now was my wheezing, my choking, my gasping...
Then Bob charged straight into the smoke.
---
[User: Bob is poisoned]
[User: Bob is immune]
---
As I was still struggling to breathe, suddenly, someone grabbed me and pulled me up, helping me walk.
"Don't worry, Alan. I'm here."
"Bob…?"
He dragged me out of the green smoke and set me down near a chimney.
Then, right before my blurry, teary eyes, Bob's appearance shifted as his hair and gear turning blue.
"Frost Zone!"
A chilling gust of wind erupted from him, sweeping through the rooftop. Within seconds, the green smoke dispersed completely.
It seemed Bob used his Shardstorm Mage class to clear the poison cloud. Smart move, actually.
Of course, the effort made him stagger, dizzy from mana loss. He quickly downed a bottle of MP potion.
Linus ran up to me, kneeling beside me. Without a word, he helped me drink a potion filled with a glowing green liquid.
After a few painful minutes, the poison's effects slowly began to fade.