Ethan let out a shaky breath as the cloaked figure descended back into the distance. The oppressive weight that had gripped the battlefield seemed to ease, though the memory of their piercing gaze lingered like a ghostly imprint on his mind. His knees felt weak, and for a moment, he considered sitting down—but the eerie silence of the battlefield kept him on edge.
"Master… I think the reinforcements arrived. That should be a mage from the kingdom. How powerful…"
Ethan nodded absently at Lia's words, though his thoughts were elsewhere. The cloaked figure—mage or otherwise—was unlike anything he'd ever encountered.
If that was what kingdom reinforcements looked like, then the power scale he'd been imagining was woefully inaccurate. The way the air had bent under their presence, the oppressive mana suffusing the battlefield—it wasn't just power. It was dominance.
"Powerful is an understatement," Ethan murmured, his voice low. He tightened his grip on his dagger, as if the small weapon could provide any semblance of protection against a force like that. "If that's what their top mages can do… we're just ants in their shadow."
Lia nodded, though she looked more in awe than fear. "I've heard stories about kingdom mages, but seeing one in person… it's overwhelming. To close a portal like that—and to silence an entire battlefield without lifting a hand…"
Her words trailed off as she glanced back toward the clearing where the portal had been. The silence was deafening, broken only by the occasional rustle of wind against the decimated foliage.
Ethan took a deep breath, forcing his mind back to the present. The stillness unnerved him, but it also provided a brief window to retreat before the adventurers or kingdom forces spotted them. "Reinforcements or not, we need to get out of here," he said, his tone firm.
Everywhere around them insectoid corpses were strewn around and gross liquids spilled across the battlefield, soaking the shattered ground. The acidic stench of ichor was almost unbearable now.
"I don't want to explain how we managed to kill all these insectoids by ourselves. Let's get the hell out of here."
He then suddenly paused wondering if the mage who had stared at him would have noticed it too but then he shrugged and decided to let it go. Even if the person had noticed all the corpses they would only assume that it was a team effort by the rest of the guild.
Either way there wasn't much he could do about that right now, so he quickly started walking. Lia followed him and the duo soon found themselves back in the vicinity of the city gates.
The both of them let out a sigh of relief as they arrived at the familiar place without any issue.
"Master, do you think the mage saw us?" Lia asked. It looked like they had the same concern.
Ethan's lips pressed into a thin line as he considered her question. The way the cloaked figure's gaze had swept over the battlefield still sent a chill down his spine. "If they did, they didn't act on it," he replied after a moment. "We're small fish in a big ocean to someone like that. Probably not worth their time."
The city gates were not entirely untouched. It looked like some of the insectoids managed to get all the way here. But the guards at the entrance of the gate had squashed everything. Now the only thing that was left was the black ichor staining the stone walls.
A few city guards were still patrolling the area, their weapons bloodied and their armor streaked with acid burns.
As they passed through the gates, Ethan caught snippets of conversation from the guards. Words like "portal collapse" and "kingdom mage" drifted through the air, confirming what he already suspected. The cloaked figure's intervention had likely saved the city from disaster, and the guild would take credit for whatever victories came from the battle.
"Hey, you there." Someone called after him. Ethan's pulse sped up as he turned around.
One of the guards was walking toward him. "You looked like you contributed in the battle. Stick around. The guild is offering rewards for everyone who helped."
The offer of a reward sounded enticing on the surface, but the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself—or worse, be interrogated about the sheer number of insectoid corpses left in his wake.
Lia stiffened beside him, her expression betraying her nervousness. Ethan placed a calming hand on her shoulder, a silent signal to stay quiet.
"Ah, yeah," Ethan said, forcing a sheepish smile. "We, uh, did what we could. Just a couple of stray insectoids near the edge of the battle."
The guard, a broad-shouldered man with tired eyes and a soot-streaked face, squinted at Ethan, clearly scrutinizing him. "Stray insectoids, huh? Well, every bit counts."
The guard grunted, his gaze lingering on Ethan's dagger for a moment before nodding. "Well, if you helped, you should get compensated. The guild has set up a temporary station at the main square. Head there, report what you did, and you'll get your due."
Ethan nodded, feigning appreciation. "Thanks. We'll do that." The guard gave him a tired wave before heading off, leaving Ethan and Lia standing near the gate.