Arcadia's Ignoble Knight: The Sorceress of Ashtown

Cassidy

Caspian, whose hands were now free as the wooden tentacle had been reduced to ash, caught the female elf as she fell into his chest. The act was definitely instinctual, because a second after he realized that he was holding the elf who'd tried to kill him, he let go of her. The female dropped to the floor with a dull thud, where she lay inert and unmoving.

He then looked up to see what had caused the person trying to kill him to drop unconscious―only for his eyes to widen in shock at the person standing before him.

"Cassidy?!"

"A-are you alright, Master Caspian?" asked Cassidy, her eyes wide and unblinking. Her hands tightly gripped a rather large pan, which was dented in the middle. They were shaking. Caspian looked into her dilated pupils, and realized with a start that she was experiencing shock.

"I'm fine." Caspian gently took the pot from Cassidy's hand, set it on the ground, then returned his attention to the young maid. "And how about you? Are you okay?"

"Um, I―yes."

"You sure?"

Cassidy nodded several times in quick succession.

Knowing that was probably the best answer he would get, Caspian knelt down next to the female assassin. She was lying face down on the floor, her long ponytail of hair looking akin to segmented serpents.

Grabbing her shoulder, he turned her over so that she was lying on her back. He then removed the full-face mask that kept everything but her eyes hidden. Ridding her of the mask and gazing upon her visage, Caspian saw the face of a woman that had been attractive at one point but was now marred by a hard life. Lines and scars were visible on her coarse, brown face. Her skin reminded him of a fruit that had been out in the sun too long. He also noticed her long pointy ears, the surest sign of her species.

She also looked oddly familiar for some reason. He could have sworn he'd seen her somewhere before...

"Who is this?"

Caspian looked up at Cassidy, then back down at the elf. "I'm... not sure exactly, but I think she's working with the assassin who's been trying to kill Erica. She tried to kill me. Had it not been for you, she might have succeeded."

Just thinking about how he'd almost died sent a chill down Caspian's spine. While he'd faced death several times before in the last month, he'd never come so close to it, not even during the train battle when he and Erica had first met. It was a shocking experience, frightful even, to know how close to death he'd come.

He also still didn't know how she'd snuck into his room. He was on the four-hundredth floor. There should have been no way for someone to climb up here, which meant she must have infiltrated the tower somehow―a most unamusing prospect, to be sure.

"You mean she's an assassin?!"

"Looks like that way."

Caspian ignored the growing panic in Cassidy's voice and contemplated the situation. This must have been that other elf's partner. That much he was sure of. The other elf had used Alchemy to cast his spells, conjuring magic by transmuting compound elements of the periodic table. That elf had attacked from a distance, either by creating explosions or golems, unlike this woman.

This one had used Nature Magic, which could manipulate the elements of nature directly and was used to fuel other types of elven magic. This one had also fought with a dual-wielding style, up close and personal. The other elf, from what he'd seen, had been a long-range fighter. Besides, hadn't Erica mentioned the possibility of the elf having a partner after they had dealt with those golems? She had, which meant that this woman was likely the one who had used Nature Magic to bring those constructs, alchemical creations, to life. In which case...

... Oh, this was so not good.

"Erica!"

"H-hey! Where are you going, Master Caspian?!"

Caspian ignored Cassidy as she called out his name. He felt bad, but there wasn't any time to explain things to her.

He burst out the door and rushed into the hallway. If the elf he fought was, indeed, that other elf's partner, then it stood to reason that the one he and Erica fought on the train was going after his charge.

Damn it. I got careless.

Caspian ran for the top of Dorehan Tower. He ran to Erica, who could very well be fighting for her life even now.

Please. Please be alright.

He could only hope that he would make it in time.

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What's this? An update on Monday?! How exciting! Since this chapter is so short, I thought I'd give you guys a present. For this week only, I'm going to give you guys THREE updates. Today, Wednesday, and Friday. Isn't that exciting?

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As always, thank you for reading! ^_^