There was brief silence that followed after the demon attacked Rum.
"NOOO!" Cedric roared as he slashed, cutting off the demons hand.
Nolan finally got close enough and he jumped, putting all his strength into that one strike. He knew it wasn't going to be enough he tried something and it worked.
The sword engulfed in flames he carved a clean arc across its neck, and then landed gracefully on the floor.
A second later, the demon's head fell to the ground and soon its body followed.
[+100 Exp Obtained!]
[+60 Exp Obtained for Berserk State!]
[Exp: 250/400]
But Nolan wasn't focused on how many Exp he had gotten from killing the demon.
A tense, deafening silence took over the battlefield, save for the sound of footsteps and talks from other members approaching.
Rum was now on his knees, looking down. His eyes were red and his mouth was stained with the blood that seeped out.
Liana went down on her knees as well, looking at him.
Rum slowly raised his head to see who it was, but his vision was so blurry and dimming that he couldn't see anything.
Liana watched as his head raised slowly and with a final helpless closing of his eyes, the dropped back down.
He had finally died.
Cedric swallowed hard as he pulled his cap further downwards, covering his eyes as his jaw clenched.
Kayra stood with her hands covering her mouth, eyes glimmering.
Finn couldn't even look at the scenery, shaking his head.
The rest of the team members arrived at the scene, all drawn by Cedric's shout in tge me quiet night.
Alexander stopped in his tracks immediately he saw the blood. His soul almost left his body and he clenched his chest.
It was his first time actually seeing a dead body that wasn't in the cemetery. It brought back bad memories. "Was this how brother was?" he muttered to himself.
Liana remained there, the color draining from her face. She felt completely hollow inside, as if nothing was happening around her.
Despite how everyone seemed to be grieving over Rum, Nolan stood there, empty. He didn't feel anything. No—he couldn't feel anything.
He just stared with his usual expressionless eyes. He tried—really tried to see if he could feel it. The sadness, grief, but… he couldn't.
Those were all feelings he had forgotten. To say, Rum wasn't even that close to, so it was futile trying to feel.
At the end… somethings remained the same. Rum was always destined to die.
He walked over to Liana and extended a hand to touch her shoulder, but after a few seconds of hesitating, he pulled them back. "Liana, I think we should withdraw for tonight," Nolan suggested, his voice low.
Liana did not say a word. She just stood up and pulled down her cap, avoiding eye contact with anyone. "Alright, everyone… you… you all did well tonight," she started, trying to sound normal, though her voice cracked every now and then.
"That's… that's one life lost on… on my w-watch. I-I won't let it be… in vain. Let's go back to the…" her voice cracked even more. "the guild and get some rest. Good job."
"It's okay Liana. Let's just go back. Don't force yourself," Cedric said to her.
She swallowed hard and nodded.
Cedric walked over to the body and slowly removed the clawed arm from Rum, lifting the lifeless body.
They decided to walk back to the guild and it was filled with a tense silence that was only broken by huffs from the horses they brought along.
Nolan suggested they should not follow the city, but go around, even if it was a longer path.
Soon, they reached the guild gates and the guards quickly opened the massive gates, keeping their heads down until the team passed, because of the corpse they came with.
The wasn't as busy as usual since almost everyone was dispatched, but the few who were around, gathered and made a simple path for them to follow, heads down.
They had only taken a few steps into the courtyard when the main doors of the nearest tower burst open.
Sylvia stood there, her face a mask of shock and urgency. Behind her, the hulking form of Klaus, her second-in-command, emerged, his usual stoic expression hardened into grim lines.
Sylvia's eyes scanned the group, instantly taking in the blood, the downcast faces, and the body in Cedric's arms. Her gaze finally landed on Liana, who was walking like a ghost, her eyes hidden.
"By the gods," Sylvia whispered, her voice tight.
She didn't hesitate. She strode forward and stopped in front of Cedric. They had used Rum's own coat to cover him.
Opening the coat to see his face, Sylvia quickly looked away. It was the same friendly guy from yesterday. Death really didn't care who it took next.
She then closed it and walked past Cedric and Nolan, and went straight to Liana. She didn't ask what happened. She simply placed a firm hand on Liana's shoulder.
Liana flinched, her hollow eyes flickering up to meet Sylvia's.
"Klaus," Sylvia said, her voice low and commanding, not taking her eyes off Liana. "Help Cedric. Take him to the infirmary. See that he's... prepared properly."
Klaus gave a sharp, silent nod. He moved to Cedric's side. "I'll take him from here," he rumbled, his voice surprisingly gentle.
He carefully took Rum's body from Cedric, cradling the fallen recruit.
Cedric, his own strength and composure finally spent, simply nodded, his shoulders slumping in exhaustion and grief.
Sylvia, meanwhile, gently turned Liana away from the scene. "Come with me," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument.
It was less like an order from a superior and more like the guidance of a friend seeing someone on the verge of breaking.
Liana offered no resistance. She let Sylvia lead her away, the two figures disappearing into the shadow of the tower, leaving the rest of the team standing in the cold, silent courtyard with the weight of their first loss.
Nolan remained there, still void of emotion when h felt like eyes were on him. When he turned to the side, a shadow quickly disappeared behind a tower.