Securely in my father’s grasp, I heaved in deep breaths as my body, battered for the second time in a single night, complained incessantly.

Willing the pain to a corner of my mind, I pushed myself out of my Father’s grasp and grabbed Sia, who was grimacing in pain with a large cut that stretched from her left shoulder to mid-side. A cut she had gotten as she grabbed me and turned away from the blow once my punch failed to stop the blow of the blade glow the weaponmaster had unleashed.

A corner of my mind marveled at how I was really an unkillable cockroach before I realized that the room was blurring between blue, black, and normal.

Looking at myself, I saw blue dots forming a river that was flowing to all my wounds, which were slowly healing.

Looking at Sia, I saw the cut being cocooned by a layer of blue and the bleeding slowly stopped.

Fascinated, I spent all of a second understanding this before the reality of the situation hit me in the face again.

For behind us was the door and behind it came the sound of rapid footsteps.

Callum Drayke stood between us and the enemies and spoke calmly, “Alina, Leonidas, James, Frizelda, and Bridgette - Take Casimir and the children away while I handle these fools.”

Saying so, Callum Drayke unleashed his aura even further, and the room shook as a tornado of warforce swept every portion in front of him into pieces.

Lady Alina snarled at her husband before she spun away and headed toward the doors and smashing them apart with a thrust of her spear, She ran straight into a forest of swords and arrows.

Dancing amidst them, she cut her way through the ranks of soldiers - who fell like wheat - inexhaustibly.

Meanwhile, Sir Leonidas kept pace with her and cleared the corridor as efficiently as a harvester.

They opened a path for us to follow, and with Frizelda and the hulking female, Bridgette, guarding us, we followed.

Only to stop in despair as even more soldiers streamed into the corridors in front of us.

Pausing, Sir Leonidas stopped as his eyes glittered.

Twirling his sword in his hands, he pointed it with purpose at someone.

My mother.

Lady Alina grunted in displeasure before saying, “Now? You want to settle things now?”

Shaking his head helplessly, Sir Leonidas spoke. “Callum won’t last long against those three weaponmasters. He needs you.”

Grounding her teeth in frustration, my mother looked at us before staring straight at Sir Leonidas.

“Go. Take Frizelda and Bridgette. They will slow us down while escaping, wounded as they are.” Sir Leonidas said.

“What about him?” Asked my mother as she jerked her head towards King Casimir.

“I will join you in the fight that we just left behind. I might not beat a weaponmaster the way I am now, but a gold rank like those bastards won’t be able to take me down so easily,” said the King with a brilliant smile.

Grinning at the King, my mother laughed, “I was thinking someone castrated you, seeing how meek you were all this time. Now that’s the man I knew. Casimir, Just keep yourself alive. We’ll take care of all of them.”

Saying so and turning back toward the King’s former chambers, my mother hefted her spear over her shoulder before walking slowly and then breaking into a run and launching the spear like the deadly projectile it was.

A moment later, a cry of agony came, and looking, we saw the Hastam Lord impaled by the spear and pinned to the wall.

Spreading her hands in front of her, Alina Drayke summoned two punchblade gauntlets that fitted her perfectly and flexed them before charging into three gold ranks by herself.

Casimir Von Leon took a long look at Leonidas before softly saying, “Take care... brother.” And then turned and followed my mother into battle, along with Frizelda and Bridgette.

Sir Leonidas nodded and took a deep breath in, and then a round shield with the emblem of a lion appeared in his hands.

Looking fondly at it, He placed his sword over the shield which had an indent that fitted the sword perfectly before his warforce armor flowed and formed perfect hoplite armor before looking at Sir James who nodded and summoned an additional dagger that he crossed in front of him.

Grinning wildly, he looked at us before spitting out, “Lesson whatever number it is - your mission? Survive. Bonus mission? Take down as few as you can to survive.”

I thought I heard him wrong, but Sia heard it too.

“Take down as few as you can to survive?” we questioned.

“Yes.” the teacher replied curtly before advancing like a mobile fortress.

A fortress that was incredibly fast.

Meanwhile, like a bolt fired from an artillery piece, Sir James slipped and flashed between the soldiers, opening a narrow path through which me and Sia ran.

Sia was in front of me with her shield, blocking off the blows.

I was knocking away the weapons that threatened her from the sides, but I wished I had a longer weapon.

Weapon.

Bal.

My dagger.

I had picked up my finite stone from my room - thanks to Ares - after I was rescued, but I forgot I had it.

Summoning my dagger, I knocked away the blades coming our way, only to almost stop in astonishment as the dagger sliced through the weapons like a knife through butter.

Ecstatic, I mentally thanked Sia again and then focussed every part of my mind on survival.

Which was hard.

Because my body was giving out.

Soon, we found ourselves in a familiar room.

The prison.

We had made our way to the prison but I couldn’t move anymore and our line of advance reversed as Sir James and Sir Leonidas took guard at the door.

Panting, I fell to the ground.

Sia parried a spear and then blocked two arrows before she noticed I had fallen behind her.

Yelling out, she pirouetted and smacked away a spear that was threatening to end my life before shouting, “Faustus is down, help!”

“James, stall them!” Shouted Sir Leonidas as he grabbed me and pulled me to safety.

Nodding grimly, Sir James blockaded the door with his body and the daggers, weapons ill suited for defence, began faltering as the number of enemies began increasing and the bladeglows dimmed.

Slamming his hand on a part of the wall, a mechanism moved - opening a passage that we had never known about.

“Inside,” Sir Leonidas roared.

Gritting my teeth, I pulled in strength from Bal knows where and struggled to my feet before stumbling into the passage.

Inside, a mechanism was beside me and the passage was wide enough for two people to pass - side by side.

Next, Sia squeezed in before Sir Leonidas and Sir James led a fighting retreat back to the mechanism.

“Get in!” Yelled Sir James.

“You first!” shouted Sir Leonidas, “I need t-”

His sentence was left unfinished as Sir James, in one smooth motion, grabbed him and threw him inside the passage before one of the daggers in his hand blazed forth a bladeglow that hit the mechanism and sent the wall crashing down - back into its original state.

Sealing Sir James outside with the enemies.

As the wall fell, Sia and I cried out in horror, “Teacher!”

Only for Sir James' voice to drift inside, “I’ll be back to take the 63 silvers you have and as for you, you lion-eyed bastard, you owe me a barrel of the finest wine! No, at least two barrels!”

Choking, me and Sia looked at each other and then at our devil teacher who himself was blinking his eyes rapidly as they moistened.

Then we moved deeper inside the passage.