Souls Online: Mythic Ascension-Chapter 233: The Captive

Leo darted past the fire pit and tore into the side of another goblin. One of the orcs made a grab for its axe, only for Crystal to blur past it and cut deep into its arm. The orc turned to fight, but she was already behind it, her next strike catching its exposed back. novelbuddy-cσ๓

Aria’s song filtered in from the canopy. A low, haunting chime that slipped through the trees like a warning. Some of the goblins froze in place, confused. A few took stumbling steps toward the forest’s edge, lured by the sound.

The commander, hulking and mismatched in scavenged armor, finally noticed the chaos. It turned toward the fire, snarling as it lifted its massive club. Greg looked up at it, exhaled slowly, and rolled his neck.

Leo gave him a quick glance. "You want him?"

Greg didn’t respond with his words but with his actions. He stepped forward, feet steady and planted with his hands raised in a fighter’s guard. The commander came in swinging. Greg sidestepped just enough to avoid the full force, then punished the opening with a clean left hook to the ribs, followed by a sharp elbow to the throat.

[-294]

The commander staggered. Greg didn’t chase. He stayed patient, letting the creature come again. It roared, swung wider this time, and Greg shrunk his body into his compact form as he ducked low under it. His shoulder slammed into the orc’s gut, lifting it briefly off the ground before driving it into the dirt with a heavy thud. The orc grunted and tried to rise again, but Greg kept his weight centered and his stance tight.

Nearby, Leo was already in motion. He dashed around the fire pit, slashing at another goblin trying to flee behind the tents. The goblin never saw the strike coming. Claws raked across its chest in a brutal arc.

[-211]

[Critical Hit!]

The second goblin turned to run. That was when the air changed.

From high above, Aria let out a sharp, piercing cry. The sound compressed into a focused ball that shimmered for a brief second before launching downward. It struck the goblin in the back, exploding on contact with a burst of wind. The goblin was thrown off its feet and slammed into the side of a tent, where it crumpled and stayed down.

Penny stayed exactly where she had been, Mourning Howl raised in the air like a flag. Her knuckles were tight around the handle, and her posture stiff. She watched the battle unfold with wide eyes, not daring to move until the chaos had passed.

Crystal moved with quiet precision. Her blindfolded head tilted slightly as she listened, her blade already finding the next target. One goblin fell with a clean strike, another barely made it two steps before she silenced it as well.

The commander bellowed again, trying to rise once more. Greg stepped in, took its arm, and twisted it behind its back. With practiced force, he drove the orc’s face into the dirt.

Silence followed.

Only the fire crackled now, steady and low.

Leo turned in place, scanning the campsite. "Clear?"

Greg stayed crouched beside the commander’s limp as Crystal cleaving her blade down on its neck, ending its life with a single slash

[-375!]

[Fatal Blow!]

. "It’s over."

Aria dropped lightly into the clearing beside them, her wings folding against her back. "The edge of the woods is quiet. No signs of movement."

Penny lowered the Mourning Howl slowly. Her voice came out shaky. "So. That’s what an actual fight looks like."

Leo gave her a glance, then nodded toward the far side of the camp. "There’s still one more thing."

He stepped past the fire, heading toward the crude cage they had seen from the ridge.

The others followed, the air still heavy with the remnants of violence.

The group gathered slowly around the cage, their steps cautious on the bloodied ground. The structure was a crude thing, bent branches lashed together with strips of hide. The wood was splintered in places and the lashings frayed, as if the cage had been broken and rebuilt more than once.

Inside, curled tightly against the corner, was an elf.

They were thin. Starved, more like. Bones pressed sharply against skin, and their long limbs seemed too fragile for the body they belonged to. Pale hair clung to their face in tangled strands, hiding bruised cheeks and dried blood around their temple. Their clothes had once been fine layers of silk and delicate cloth were now torn to ribbons. One eye was swollen shut. The other opened weakly when Leo knelt near the bars.

He didn’t speak right away. Just studied the elf for a moment, his expression unreadable.

The elf flinched but didn’t move. They looked half-conscious, half-afraid, and fully beaten. Their gaze slid over the group, not with recognition but with the hollow detachment of someone who had given up on understanding what was happening around them.

Penny stepped beside Leo, frowning. "They’re... really pretty," she said, then immediately shook her head. "Not the point. They need help."

"They’re alive," Leo said. "Barely."

Crystal crouched on the opposite side. "They’ve been here for a while. Long enough to break down."

Greg kept his distance, arms crossed and expression tight. "You think they’re one of the villagers?"

Aria stood a few steps back, watching silently. The way her eyes narrowed slightly said she was asking the same question.

Leo reached for the cage. The bindings were knotted tight, but not expertly. He slipped a claw underneath one of the lashes and sliced it free. The cage groaned slightly as it shifted, but didn’t collapse.

Inside, the elf stirred again, but only enough to raise their head. Their lips parted like they wanted to speak, but no sound came out.

Leo studied the elf a moment longer, then turned his head toward Penny.

"Go check the tents," he said. "Loot anything that looks important. Use your skill while you’re at it. We need everything we can get out of this."

Penny hesitated, her eyes still on the elf. "But they look like they’re about to snap in half."

"They will still be here when you get back," Leo said firmly. "Let us handle this."

She let out a soft sigh and gave the elf one last glance before turning toward the remains of the camp. As she moved, the Mourning Howl shifted lightly over her shoulder and a faint shimmer passed over her eyes. She whispered a short command under her breath, activating her Dismantlement skill.

Her eyes glowed briefly as outlines lit up across the camp. Fallen monsters, discarded armor, bones, even the ruined cooking spit by the fire began to highlight weak points and hidden seams. She crouched beside one of the goblin corpses and touched a spot just under its ribcage. The body twitched faintly as a small sack of beastbone fragments and a tangled string of metal charms separated from the corpse and dropped neatly into her bag.

Back at the cage, Crystal stepped closer and raised a hand. A chill gathered in the air as mana flowed from her palm, drawing moisture from around them. A small sphere of cold water formed and hovered just above her hand. With careful control, she guided it forward.

"Here," she said quietly, her voice steady. "Drink this. Slowly."

The elf’s one good eye blinked sluggishly. They reached forward with fingers that trembled from weakness, brushing against the floating sphere. They brought it to their lips in short, faltering motions and drank.

Some of the tension in their body loosened, though they still seemed barely aware of what was happening around them.

"They’re dehydrated," Crystal said softly. "But conscious."

Leo nodded his head with silent gratitude. However he couldn’t shake the questions nagging him from the corner of his mind: Where had this elf come from? And why was it here?

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