Kaeya caught the movement from the corner of his eye. His sword was already drawn, meeting the twin daggers with a sharp, resonant clang that shuddered through the clearing.
The woman behind the blades grinned, her teeth flashing in the dappled light.
What the fuck her again?
"I do hope you've taken good care of your bowels," Elsa said, sweet as poisoned honey. "I'd so love to open them for you."
The stalemate broke as kaeya jumped backwards increasing distance between them.
The timing of the attack and her strike were too close that means, There is someone else here as well.
That suspicion was confirmed a second later. Above him, a large spike of ice dropped from the canopy like a divine hammer.
Kaeya reacted instantly, swinging his sword upward. Wind magic surged along the blade. With a crackling burst, the spike shattered mid-air, shards scattering under the force of the slash.
A flicker of moment caught Kaeya's attention and from the forest a man clad in black cloak emerged.
Another one?! Just great, It would even be too awkward if i don't say anything now, dammit!
"A half-elf?" the man said, surprised. "Now that's rare. I've never hunted one before. Guess your kill's going to look good on my record."
Kaeya's sword remained raised. "How charming," he muttered dryly.
Elsa snapped, her voice still too polite for the words she said. "His insides are mine. You just stay out of my way and support me."
They're not even coordinated. That's something. He's the mage—if I take him out first, Elsa'll be easier to deal with.
Akra.
A glow surged through his limbs as Yang magic coursed through him. Kaeya's body tightened, speed increasing in a blink. He shot forward toward the mage before they could properly respond.
The man raised an arm, clearly ready for him.
"You think you can just rush me?"
"El Huma!"
Dozens of ice spears formed in the air and launched toward Kaeya. He dodged low, weaving through them, cutting down the ones too close to evade.
Fuck, I really should've trained that weird ability more. Would've made this so much easier... Also, I need a better name for it. "Weird ability" is giving me a headache, FUCK! Seriously, why does this guy look like every annoying bastard rolled into one?Alright Stop fucking thinking about useless stuff and focus... Why am i swearing so much anyways? Ok STOP!
He closed in, now only a few meters away.
A quick glance behind him—no sign of Elsa.
"Take this, you arrogant little shit!"
The mage unleashed a wide-range wind spell—Ul Fura. Blades of air screamed toward Kaeya, slicing the terrain apart.
Kaeya leapt sideways, twisting mid-air, and launched his own attack in response.
"Ul Goa!"
A massive fireball burst from his hand, roaring toward the mage, who blocked it with a quickly-raised wall of earth. The flames scattered along its surface, leaving scorched cracks.
Kaeya landed hard—and instantly sensed her.
Her dagger aimed straight for his stomach, already mid-swing.
He moved just in time, dodging to the side, her blade missing by inches.
Thanks, Akra… and maybe this stupid body's stamina too.
Using the momentum, Kaeya pivoted, raising his sword high in a clean arc, angling for her neck. She was close—too close.
Now was his chance.
However it didn't go as expected, Elsa's dagger came up just in time, intercepting his blade mid-swing. The strike still sent her flying back, her boots dragging a line across the dirt before she slammed into the ground. But she landed in a crouch, breathless—but grinning.
"Ohh... That one hurt," she giggled, licking the blood from the corner of her mouth. "You're stronger than last time. That makes this so much more exciting."
She's fucking creepy!
He didn't have the time, patience or guts for her freakish tendencies. The moment her heels found solid ground again, he was already moving. Ice spears rained down toward him, just like before—too many to slice, too wide to ignore.
He ducked behind the tree she had used earlier to ambush him, the cold spikes thudding into the earth behind him with wet, icy cracks. He didn't stop. His boots hit the ground hard, feet pushing through forest debris as he weaved through the trees, closing the distance between him and Elsa.
She knew. he could see it in the way her stance shifted. She was ready, waiting for him like a spider with trembling threads. Her dagger spun in her hand, that wide, insane smile never leaving her face.
"I love how you move," she said sweetly. "Don't disappoint me, okay?"
Never thought i would hear that phrase from a girl, heck even a guy, that would be gay though.
Kaeya laughed internally at his own joke.
He dropped low and slammed his hand into the dirt. Sharp, jagged spikes burst upward beneath her feet. Elsa jumped backward with feline grace, the tips grazing her coat—but missing flesh.
"Tch... Damn," Kaeya muttered.
He launched forward with everything he had, pouring his full momentum into a wide arc of his sword. Elsa raised her dagger again—but she was too late. The blade slipped past her block and cut deep into her side.
Blood sprayed out in a wide arc, warm and too thick, splashing across Kaeya's arm. The sound she made wasn't a scream.
It was a gasp... followed by a breathy laugh.
"Oooohhh... That was deep," Elsa whispered, voice shuddering in sick delight.
Kaeya's jaw clenched. "Too much fucking blood," he hissed under his breath. The warmth coating his arm was revolting. Even if he was ready to kill for survival it still wasn't a sight he could warm up too.
He didn't waste the opening. He yanked his sword free and kicked her hard in the ribs. She brought up her arms to block, but the impact still launched her backward like a ragdoll. She slammed into a thick tree trunk with a dull crack, and it wasn't clear what snapped first—her bones or the bark.
The mage—Near—watched from a short distance, stunned silent. The same smugness he wore before was gone, replaced by disbelief.
Elsa was strong, heck she was among the best in the assassin guild, Even if he could beat dozens of her alone, or that's what he believed.
Kaeya didn't even look at him yet. His eyes stayed locked on Elsa's crumpled form.
"You gonna get up again?" he asked quietly, not sure if he wanted an answer.
Blood dripped from her lips as she pushed herself up on one arm, smiling wide through the pain.
"Of course... You didn't think it'd end with just that, did you?" she purred. "I haven't even made you scream yet."
Kaeya's expression barely changed.
She's enjoying every second of this, that's fucking scary. I just hope i dont lose multiple days of sleep because of this.
She was already healing. He could see the wound on her side closing.
"I hate curses," he muttered.
Behind him, Near finally found his voice. "You're insane...!"
Your turns next bud.
.
.
"El Fura!" he shouted. A hail of slicing wind blades erupted in a wide arc, carving deep into the surrounding trees.
Kaeya blurred to the side, his movements enhanced by Akra. He flipped over one gust, landed, and barely twisted out of the path of the next.
"You arrogant freak!" Near screamed. "Why won't you just fall already?!"
The ground beneath Kaeya shuddered. "Ul Goa!" Near followed up instantly, a massive fireball the size of a boulder tearing toward him.
Fine. If he wanted high-level, he'd give it to him.
"Zoltraak."
A white-hot streak of lightning erupted from Kaeya's outstretched hand, searing through the air with a sound like splitting metal. The beam met the fireball midair—then pierced through it. The explosion that followed ripped open the forest floor, sending soil and burning leaves high into the sky.
Near threw up a Huma shield just in time, but it shattered the moment the lightning struck. He stumbled back, coughing, his robes singed at the edges.
"What- What are you!?" Near muttered, eyes wide.
Sweat beading his forehead now. His mana was dwindling—Kaeya could see the signs. The ragged breathing. The desperate speed of his incantations. And yet Kaeya was barely winded.
They had been going at it for a short while now. However in a battle between mages like them that was enough time to end this with using high level spells, and that's why even Near had his reserves close to ending.
It must've looked like he had infinite mana.
Darkness suddenly spread across the clearing.
"Shamac."
Near's voice echoed eerily as shadows swirled into a thick, unnatural smoke. The world dimmed to pitch black, senses dulled.
Kaeya stilled.
A whisper of wind to his right.
He ducked low, instinct over intellect, and moved sideways. A blade slashed through where his neck had been—a near hit.
Kaeya moved without speaking, sliding through the smoke like water, then slammed his hand to the earth.
Ul Huma
Jagged ice tore upward in a sudden circle, creating a safe radius around him that blasted the Shamac mist back.
The ice shattered, but the smoke cleared with it—just enough to spot Near.
Sill charging a spell.
Kaeya blurred forward, blade crackling with a faint trace of electricity still dancing from Zoltraak. Near raised a trembling hand.
"Goa—"
Too slow.
Kaeya's sword punched through his chest with a final crack of lightning. The spell fizzled from Near's lips.
"Wha?...."
Near dropped like a puppet with cut strings.
.
.
Phew, what a mess…
Kaeya looked around the clearing, It was all destroyed. When he came back Elsa had already ran away. Now, normally he was supposed to follow after her because, who knows maybe she decided to go after Rem and Subaru next, But he was mentally exhausted. Though that was mostly an excuse to laze around.
"Any who, I have to check on Subaru and Rem now.....This is too much work, dammit."
He made his way towards the village, with his arm still wet from the water spell he had used to clean it from Elsa's blood.
Fura
He used a quick fura to dry it because it honestly felt like shit, after which he started walking towards the village.
.
.
Finally here.
Kaeya pulled his hood up as he stepped into the outskirts of the village. The streets were dim under the night sky, lanterns casting long, quiet shadows.
The walk from the forest had been uneventful. Compared to a few hours ago, it was almost calm.
The village itself seemed quiet. No signs of panic or urgency. Still, he didn't feel like striking up a conversation with a stranger, not right away. So he wandered for a while, keeping his eyes open for familiar faces—Rem's, maybe Subaru's.
They have to be around here somewhere.
Judging by the sky, it had to be around nine. Maybe later. Hard to tell without a clock, but close enough by his own measure.
He caught sight of a lone villager across the road—an older man, walking with no particular rush. Kaeya crossed over and stopped a few steps away, keeping his voice as steady as he could.
"Excuse me," he said. "I came here from Roswaal-sama's mansion. I wanted to check in—see how things turned out. Do you know anything?"
The man looked him over for a moment, then gave a short nod. "You're with them, huh? Well, they made it back. The kids all got back safe too."
Kaeya let out a quiet breath. Well that worked out fine, i guess.
"But," the man went on, "one of the folks who came back—dark hair, kind of roughed up—looked like he took a bad hit."
"Yes," Kaeya said, eyes narrowing slightly. "That sounds like him. Do you know where they're staying?"
"Follow this road down two turns, past the well. Light should still be on."
Kaeya gave a short nod in appreciation "Thanks."
Without another word, he turned and followed the direction the man had given.
I just hope he isn't in a very bad state. or a Redo would be unavoidable.....Oh shit i don't want to fight Elsa and that mage again!