“Here? Ouch!” I yelped.

“I’m already showing you where to heal, you don’t need to touch the wounds.” Shadow Emery said.

“I just want to be sure it was that bad, I’m not sure which wound is worse.”

“You’re lucky you still had a few mana leaves left. Summoning me with the amount of mana you have left was a dumb idea. You should have kept your mana.”

“The fight is not over, remember, as soon as my wounds are mended I’m going back out there.”

“That is such a stupid idea. Karcie talked about how that Shadow Killer guy usually plays in duo, which means there are still one more person just as tough as him or more somewhere outside. You should stay here until the raid is over, you already did your part.”

“Look at me playing the voice of reason.” I laughed. “Reylia and Phyralia are still out there as well as Tara, Gnash and Mizuko. They might be fighting them right now! I’m not gonna be benched that easily.”

“Ever wondered why we crossed half the fortress and didn’t see Randal at all? Lavanda must have handled the other half of that duo somewhere else while we were fighting, so relax. The raid should be over soon.”

“Or maybe they got overwhelmed first by the two of them, and then the enemy found us.”

As I said that, Shadow Emery slapped me across the face. Being an illusion, her hand passed right through me without touching anything, although I did feel a flicker of sensation.

“Don’t. You. Dare suggests that Lavanda and Caryly bite the dust. If someone is capable of handling some random buffoons with wyverns, that is them. Besides, there is no way for us to win against someone who could have beat Lavanda and you know it.” Her voice wasn’t harsh, just deeper than usual.

“... sorry.” I muttered.

“It's fine, just shut up and focus on healing yourself till you don’t look like half burn. Here,” She almost touched my neck. “There is a burn mark about an inch long. Just a little bandage with a painkiller spell should do the job.”

“Got it, Tenta would you mind covering it?”

Stretching itself as much as possible, Tenta covered the burn after I applied the most basic painkiller spell I knew.

“Tenta is already nearing its max stretching capabilities. If you end up fighting, you won’t be able to count on it for support like before.”

Sitting on my lap, Hybry let out a little whine followed by a little rumble coming from his chest. The little guy let us know that if anything were to come for us, he would take care of them.

Shadow Emery and I both looked at the hydra and melted from the amount of cuteness we were seeing. Using my right hand, I gave him the best scratches he could have hoped for.

“Not fair, I can’t pet him!” Shadow Emery was on the verge of breaking into tears. As a shadow, she had no way to touch anything that wasn’t a shadow, this included Hybry. To see such an adorable monster and not be able to pet till you die. What a cruel nightmare it must have been for her.

“By the way,” I said. “I see that you kept your hair black, why?”

Sweeping her hair as if there was a lot of wind, she took a second to admire her own hair colour. “Well, I’m Shadow Emery, so that's fitting for me to have black hair.”

“... I see.” As a shadow, she had almost perfect control over her appearance. Unlike me, who needed a lot of time and mana just to switch my hair colour or chest size, she could do it faster than I could breathe.

“If you want to fight that badly, then we should be going now. Your wounds won’t get much better with your level of healing magic. Finding Karcie and the others would be a better option.”

“If you say so, then alright.” Standing up, my arm was a little painful, but I could walk and run just fine. I was right-handed, so my broken left arm wouldn’t change much to my fighting style.

The real problem was that I lost Flashbang earlier. When that bastard knocked me off his wyvern, I lost my grip on my sword. The sword was probably in the fortress somewhere. Unfortunately, finding it was not a luxury I had.

My mana level was low, but high enough to not have any headache and be able to cast a few spells if I needed it.

“Do you at least have a weapon with you? I won’t let you fight without one, right.” What a pain in the ass I could be sometimes. I had magic, why the hell did I need a weapon? I mean, weapons were useful and great, but … Magic!

With how reliable Flashbang has been as a weapon, I didn’t have any other sword on me. The dagger I usually carry for emergencies was nowhere to be found.

“Well, I just have to summon my storage and get a spare sword.”

Shadow Emery didn’t look convinced at all, she was looking at me almost exasperated. Without saying a word, she pointed at my hips where my pouches were as if I was a lost cause.

Reaching for my bottle of liquid I usually use for summoning my storage, my fingers only found broken glass and nothing close to being the liquid I was looking for. I didn’t have the means to summon my storage anymore.

“You could have told me earlier. The liquid dissipates in the ambient mana if exposed for too long. The vial must have broken when I hit the ground, if I had known sooner we could have summoned right away!”

“Not my fault if you can’t have enough self-awareness to know that glass isn’t solid enough to handle your ass.”

“Wait, does that mean!”

Searching in my other pouch, I was on the verge of breaking down when I felt the comforting touch of the bottle I was looking for. Just to be sure everything was fine, I took the bottle out of the pouch and made sure it was fine. The dark green liquid was just as beautiful as always. Now I just had to make sure it was as delicious as always.

“I swear to the gods, no matter how many of them there are, you really used the most resistant bottle you had to protect spicy water rather than a highly concentrated liquid mana that cost more than your whole attire and Flashbang combined!”

Just had she finished talking about something, I finished my sip of acid. Hybry was almost pleading to have some, so I gave him a little too. As she just said, this was just water, so I could replenish easily, although I did a third of the bottle for later.

“Correction, a whole litre of liquid mana is about 125 gold, a hundred if I barter hard enough. I only had 250 millilitres in that bottle, the rest is at home. I did not lose a hundred gold, only 25, which is less than what Flashbang cost me.”

She sighed. “I can’t believe we are the same person. Let's just go. With the number of dead people lying around, we should be able to find you a decent sword.”

The corridors were empty. Either all the bandits were out there fighting, or they were all already dead. Both answers meant that the way was clear, so I didn’t complain. Taking the first stairs I found, they lead to the first floor with a big hole in the stone opening on the outside.

With my flare long gone, the night was still relatively bright compared to Earth. The smell of all the burning corpses around me wasn’t the best, so I aimed for where I thought my sword should be after my fall. I could hear adventurers crossing swords with bandits, the sound of the metal was difficult to miss with all the action going on.

Hiding behind rock debris, I could see hordes of bandits fighting adventurers left and right. It seemed that where I was, was one of the few safe spots around.

As Shadow Emery suggested, there were dozens of swords I could have picked up on the ground, but they were all burning hot. Thanks to Randal, I was still without a weapon to defend myself.

“No sign of anyone we know. We need to find them.” I said.

“You are still weak and in no shape to fight. Stay here and hide, it is not too dangerous and Gnash should be able to find you quickly. Hybry you stay with her. If anyone you don’t know shows up, melt them alive.”

“I won’t hide while the others are still fighting! If I find a sword, then I could search for Reylia and Mizuko.” I looked around. “Wherever they are.”

“Look, you are seriously injured with multiple wounds. The only reason you’re still moving is because Tenta is acting as bandages while making it easier for you to move. In that state, it can’t fight and won’t be able to protect you if anything was to happen.”

“Then what about you? You can’t exactly fight, either!”

“That's why I won’t. While you will be waiting patiently, I search for the others. As soon as I find someone I trust, I come back and get you. Lavanda and Randal would be the best, as they could just fly you out of here.”

“I don’t like that plan.”

“I don’t care.”

I looked around us. We were close to the middle of the fortress. With the time I spent checking my wounds, I didn’t know how much time as passed since the start of the raid.

With my magic and Hybry. Taking care of a few bandits would have been child's play, but with how chaotic the whole place was, I doubted any enemy left would be moving alone. It had been a while since Randal had toasted off the place. Corpses were still on fire and with the number of yelling around, it was hard to tell which side was winning.

A big part of the initial plan was to rely on Randal and Lavanda to clear the central open area of the fortress. With them missing, it might have been the least safe place at the moment. The adventurers, no matter their skills, were outnumbered ten to one. While we did take a lot of them out during our infiltration and even more were unable to fight due to Randal's fire attack, there were still hundreds of enemies able to fight.

“Look, I know how much you hate waiting for something to happen, I get it. But right now is not the time for that. Play with Hybry, take a minute to breathe, or get drunk on that bottle of acid, just stay here a little. If you see an opening to leave and rejoin with the others while I’m away, then fine. But please, I don’t want to see you die because you overestimated yourself.”

The way she looked at me pained me more than all the wounds on my body. I didn’t know what to do.

Standing in front of me, she took my hands into hers. I felt my shadow affinity trigger at her touch, but I didn’t understand why she was able to touch me. I didn’t bother to ask how she was doing it.

“Trust me. I’m not asking you to trust yourself to make the right decision. We both know how that not gonna stop you. What I’m asking you is to trust me. The one person in this world who understands you the best, the one person in this world who perfectly knows what you are capable of, the one person in this world that doesn’t want to see you suffer anymore.”

I unconsciously bit my lips, making them bleed. “...”

“Look at Hybry.” I did as she asked. The little hydra heads appeared over my shoulder. “Are you gonna put him in danger? In this fortress, there are hundreds of bloodthirsty people who want nothing more than to hurt you and have a big laugh while doing it. You know Hybry if there is one familiar who will stick with you to the bitter end, it is him. These people, no, these scum will torture him in front of your eyes just to make you suffer. As dangerous as Hybry acid is, he is still a baby relying on you. Don’t put Him in danger.”

“That… not fair.”

“If it makes you stay safe and alive, I don’t care.”

“...”

“I’m going. We lost enough time already. I don’t know how long it gonna take until I get back with help, so take that time to rest. The building you crashed into seems safe enough.”

I glanced at Hybry's head on my right. Without warning, he nuzzled his against mine. As he snuggled me, he ignored my tears and did his best to put my smile back where it belonged. I, I couldn’t lose him.

---

Shadow Emery

Convincing her has been easier than I thought it would be. As I expected, Hybry was her soft spot. It didn’t feel right to use him like that, but her well-being was my priority. Hybry is cute enough to heal any dark thought she might have.

I let out a sigh as she entered back inside the fortress. Not having to worry about her was all I could have asked for.

The best way to find the other was to go back to where we last fought with them, so that is what I did. Staying low, I avoided any contact with anyone and sneaked on some rooftop. There were bandit archers, but none of them thought about looking back, they never noticed me. I would have loved to pummel their head into the rock floor, however, I couldn’t touch them.

With most bandits fighting on the front line, I spotted groups of bandits transporting as much richest as they could into the dept of the fortress. It was clear they were running away, but I had no incentive to follow them. I needed to find someone I knew and go back to Emery as fast as possible.

Recognizing the area, I was able to find my way to the training ground. The place was burned to cinder, but there was one silhouette standing nearby, as if waiting for something. The black hair was different than her usual colour, but it was unmistakably Phyralia.

Leaving the eagle view of the rooftop, I landed without making any sound. Phyralia was looking with a curious eye at a pile of bones and remains of a dozen people, probably more.

There wasn’t any flesh or clothes left on the bodies. The only way to know that these had once belonged to people was the shape of the bones.

“They were really annoying, kinda serve them right, don’t you think?” Phyralia said without looking behind her. It was clear that she knew I was here long before I noticed her.

“Got a point,” I answered.

“We rescue them, heal them, and all they say is how much they hate that healer girl? I wish they were at least grateful enough to leave anything resourceful behind. If you’re wondering, the initial breath attack consumed the entire place when it started. The guy only focused his attack on us afterward.”

“Black hair fits you right, we really do look like sisters now, only the elf ears are missing on my part.” I commented.

“Well, Phyralia is the one who taught Emery the shadow clone spell. That only fitting that she uses it from time to time. Thank you.” Shadow Phyralia smiled.

I looked at her confused. “For what?”

“It has been a little while since she last summoned me. It’s refreshing to get some sunlight from time to time, or you know, moonlight.”

“I think I could understand if Emery didn’t summon me just to save her ass. I swear, that girl has so many families and still relies on me?! How many more until she’s reliably safe?”

“That's how a shadow life goes.”

“She can’t even stay awake long enough to catch a man. Barely spoke with one since she’s here. Add to set her up with one just to get things going.”

“I know what you’re talking about, shut-ins are just the worst when it comes to relationships. The guy you’re talking about, it’s a shame his convoy didn’t pass by the city again like it usually does. I wonder why? It was so sad to see her all alone, checking each day at the guild to see if he was there.”

“How should I have known? He told me his convoy would probably be passing by the city on their way back. Next time I see him, I make sure he fulfills his promise, even if he needs to walk all the way on foot!”

“So you’re sticking with this one? There isn’t a lack of decent prospects for an elf girl, you know. Dawnriver is a relatively small city compared to the capital, a bigger hunting ground could offer more choice.”

“He’s a knight in shiny armour with a good personality, by Emery's standards, that about as good as it could get. She watched way too many movies and shit. Also, pretty sure he’s handsome for a half-lizard, half-dragon.”

“Never thought Emery, of all people, would be into that, especially since she comes from another world.”

“As I said, if there’s fantasy stuff around, then she's all in for it. And what is more fantasy than marrying a dragon.”

“Emery never spoke about wanting a relationship before, let alone marriage.”

“Again, she doesn’t think that far. I’m the mastermind here.”

“You’re sure you aren’t the one who read too many books and those movies you talked about? These are some pervert thoughts that you have.”

“Me a pervert? Emery is far more perverted than I could ever be!”

“You say that, but Hybry is somewhat of a dragon. Maybe she already got a man!”

We both started laughing.

“I wouldn’t worry about that. He’s still young and if she needs that kind of … affection, I’m sure Tenta would gladly help her.”

We burst out laughing again.

“Hahahaha, I wish Phyralia would finally get a familiar, but enough of these loner girls, why are you here again? I don’t presume you’re just here for small talk.” Shadow Phyralia asked with difficulty to contain her laugh.

“Emery is too injured to fight, so I’m looking for the others, including the real Phyralia. Where is she?”

“With Tara, they are on their way to regroup with Reylia. She summoned me to guard and keep an eye on the prisoners.”

I tilted my head. “Prisoners?”

She pointed toward the wall where we were attacked earlier. The area all around was covered with traces of black burn marks everywhere. Only the zone we defended was looking normal. With her back against the wall, Karcie was looking at me, half curious, half afraid. She had her hand webbed up, probably to be sure she wouldn’t try anything funny.

Beside her was a person stuck in a web cocoon. Emery did capture the bandit captain, so it must have been him. He had indeed been inside our shield during the attack.

“Wait, guard?” I looked at Shadow Phyralia with a curious eye. “How is a shadow supposed to guard someone? You can’t even touch them!”

With a smug on her face, she dipped her foot into the ground as it entered her shadow. When she flicked it, Phyralia's shadow bow came out of it and she caught it. Despite being an entity made only of magic and shadow, she held the tangible bow as if she were a real person. Just to prove it was usable, she created a black arrow in her free hand.

“Not fair! Phyry never told Emery how to manipulate items made of shadow! I can barely interact with shadows, teach me how you do it!” I yelled at her as she spun the arrow between her fingers to show her superiority.

“Maybe one day I will. For now, let's get to Emery. Healer girl right there should be able to patch her up to the point she could fight.”

I sighed, “Roger, Roger,”

Walking until I stood in front of Karcie, she looked away, as if scared she’d done something wrong.

“Can you stand up?” I asked. If she wasn’t able to walk on her own, getting her to Emery would have been a very long and bothersome crawl. Unlike last time, Emery wasn’t around for a free princess carry.

Using the wall as support, she stood up with slight difficulty because of her tied hands. She moved her legs until she was sure she would be able to walk, and then she stood there waiting for instruction. It was crazy how a little show of despair turned her into an obedient girl. It was hard to believe that she was a money-hungry bitch not long ago.

“Great, Healer can walk!” Shadow Phyralia said.

“What do we do about the cocoon? Can’t exactly bring him with us.” The guy in the cocoon reacted to my word. He unsuccessfully tried to giggle out of the multiple layers of web around him.

“You know what, I’m tired of it. Emery's safety takes priority over him, so let's leave him there for now and return later. Who knows, maybe he will be alive by then.” Hearing her words, the guy moved around, clearly not wanting to be abandoned to fate.

“How annoying,” Not able to handle it myself, I signalled Karcie to do something about it.

Her staff was beside her, but it would have been a little too difficult to use with tied-up hands. Instead, she kicked the cocoon in the stomach. The result was a painful noise that was silenced by the web. Knowing the thing wasn’t to stop, Karcie kicked him in the face until he didn’t move anymore.

With the web and actual power of the kicks, I doubted he died from that so we left him here for now, without any healing.

Leaving by the rooftop would have been the faster way to leave, but Karcie was far from having the necessary climbing abilities. With that in mind, we left the training ground using the tunnel we used earlier to get in.

Knowing Emery's location, getting to her wouldn’t have taken long.

“ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR” At least that was what I thought until we heard the screeching roar of a wyvern. It did not sound like Randal at all.

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