431: In Turn You’re Never There

As Ember held her fiery hand against the brick wall, the bricks around Ember’s hand darkened, until they turned completely black from the fire. But Ember was only charging up her spell. And it took only seconds until Beatrice saw something she did not think possible—a few bricks just at the edges of Ember’s hand turned color yet again: brown, dark red, red, orange, yellow. As if Ember was heating up metal! At the same time, Ember continued charging the fire spell in her other hand.

The fire mage’s intent was all but clear. The dead Purple Cape told Ember about the substantial number of Purple Capes located within the Inn, including a captain! A charged up, surprise attack would eliminate a considerable force in one strike. However—

“That’s not even the Inn you’re aiming at!” Beatrice reminded Ember.

“Of course not,” Ember replied unfazed while the first few drops of molten bright yellow liquid trickled down from below her hand. “Otherwise, they would’ve heard all the commotion by now.”

“But what if there’s people inside!? And that man you killed told you that they apprehended everyone that walked into the Inn! You’ll kill countless innocents!”

“‘Innocents’?”

“You know that the Wholesome Inn regulars go to the inn because there’s no depravity permitted there! This isn’t about comeuppance or revenge; you’re just going to burn them all alive because this is easier!”

“Yes, and? You have a better idea?” Ember asked as she melted a hole in the wall and raised her other hand with a charged fire attack.

“I do, actually,” Beatrice responded instantly, even surprising herself at the ease of the solution. “How long can you hold your spell prepared like that?”

“A little over a minute if I can concentrate,” Ember said, her tone changing a little. For the first time since she started her assault on the brick wall, the redhead seemed interested in what Beatrice had to say.

“That works,” Beatrice out loud. But she needed to confirm a few things first. “It’s a ranged attack? Like some fire ball?”

“Yes.”

“How fast will it travel?”

“About the speed of an arrow.”

“How long the effective range?”

“A hundred yards without even trying.”

“How big the area of impact?”

“Somewhere between ten to fifteen yards.”

“Precisely!”

“About fourteen, I didn’t measure it with a—”

But Beatrice already ran out of the alley, every second counting.

Once out of the alley, Beatrice turned and ran toward the Inn. Ember’s alertness became clearer upon a second look. What was yesterday a fun, lively street was now about as cheerful as a cemetery. Most citizens sprint-walked to get through this part without making eye contact with anyone while several figures stood out like sore thumbs because they stood exactly where they were before Beatrice and Ember went into the inn.

And the attempt of a couple to imitate a make-out session look about as inspired as sex between a married couple who hate each other and have been cheating on each other for years. Not that they could be blamed too much for this poor performance—if they had to keep it up since yesterday, it was bound to get old eventually.

“Hey guys! Looking for me!?” Beatrice shouted as she ran toward the Wholesome Inn and waved to no one in particular among the sore thumbs that were the disguised Purple Capes that stood around the general area of the entrance to the Inn. “One of your buddies was standing watch just a little behind me! I didn’t get his name, but he’s dead now!”

“What!?” Several men and beastkin jumped to attention, waking up from a daze-like watch they held up till now.

“Yep, totally dead!” Beatrice shouted as she approached the Inn. “Before he died, he said how neither he nor anyone even thought that I’d show up here and that was why Captain Gamesh left the weakest, most useless captain here ‘just in case’: Rivaldo, the half-inch captain!”

“Pfft!” a few of the disguised Purple Capes snorted. But even those that didn’t were too shocked to do anything. Their target was just running toward them—unarmed and calling for attention while insulting their captain. Do they attack her? Surround her?

Those that were not disguised Purple Capes had a much clearer idea what to do. They ran, as fast as they could, away from what was bound to turn ugly.

“Wow, so it was true, huh?” Beatrice asked and slowed down just some yards away from the entrance into the Wholesome Inn. “That dead dude told me that Rivaldo hides behind his men and lets them do all the dirty work. But he couldn’t determine whether Rivaldo was a coward because he had a tiny dick or was it that his dick grew tinier because he was such a pussy ass little bitch.”

“WHAT THE FUCK!!??” a voice thundered from behind the Inn’s door that blew out off its hinges, flew, and slammed into the opposite building, shattering into a thousand splinters.