Chương 138: Chapter 129-Chosen Dance

Pushing through the doors to the ballroom, many thoughts rush through my mind. The first being, Gods, is this door heavy. Then I shift over to the impending danger that Purists pose to this Ball. Somewhere along the way, I get distracted by the thought of food. Which I probably shouldn't be doing, but I'm kind of hungry. I mean, I haven't really eaten a full meal yet. I tried to sneak some in earlier, but that's around the time Baron Colt and Seasurfer caught me. I wonder what I would have.

I think I saw some sausages and, hmm, definitely saw some ham. What was I thinking about? Penelope suddenly hooks her arm around mine.

"You're late. The music is about to start," she says with an annoyed tone.

"If the music hasn't started, then I'm just on time," I shoot back as we walk towards our designated spot.

"Did you get it?" she whispers.

"Yup. In my pocket. Oh, also there's a high likelihood that there's going to be a Purist attack really soon," I say nonchalantly.

"What?" The music swells, signalling the start of the dance. Without missing a beat, I take Penelope's hand and begin to dance. The group of nobles around also dance in step, creating an orderly display movement.

"Yeah, I have it on good authority that the Purists are going to attack soonish," I whisper.

"Who told you this, and by any chance did they give any more details?"

"Well, it was-""Careful, Vashrin. Prideborn may seem playful, but she means every word she says. Take it from me. Do not break her rules unless you have the power to deal with the consequences," Yellow says in a serious tone.

"-someone I can't tell you about, but trust me when I say they weren't lying," I say, choosing my words carefully.

"Okay. Purists, fun. Where, when, and how?" Penelope asks as I follow her steps perfectly.

"Here, now, and I have no idea."

"Very informative, Charlatan. We must warn the Palace Guard," she says as she looks around with a confused look.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't recognise those guards." The statement hangs in the air as we follow the rhythm of the music. Fuck. My gaze flicks from one guard to another. That's a lot of guards. Why didn't I realise earlier? No time for that. We need to tell someone before things get out of hand. The problem is that any sudden movements at this point might alert the Purists. From the look on Penelope's face, she's come to the same conclusion.

"What do we do?" Penelope asks as she maintains a seemingly calm demeanour.

"You have a weapon?"

"Always. Dagger on my leg."

"Good. We're going to need it. Hopper, I know you can hear me. Tell the Chieftain to go on our mark," I say under my breath. Penelope gives me a strange look.

"The Chieftain is here?"

"Yeah, I was worried something like this might happen," I say as I look for an opening.

"How did you know Purists would be at this Ball?" she asks as she subtly slips her dagger out.

"A conversation for later. I go left. You go right," I say.

"No. I go left. You go right. The left side is farther, and I'm faster," she explains.

"Fine. The moment the music ends?" I ask as I spin and dip her.

"Now would be better," she says as she disappears and then reappears on the far right side. Dagger in hand, she strikes the nearest guard in the chest, only for it to be deflected by the guard's sword. Penelope wastes no time being surprised and dodges the guard's attack. The crowd murmurs in surprise. As they're distracted by the spectacle before them, I grab a handful of pebbles and [Throw] them into the gap between the guards' visors. Pained groans echo from my side as I close the gap.

Blinded, they don't immediately react as I slam shoulder-first into the nearest guard, sending us tumbling to the ground.

"What in the Gods is happening?!" Baron Colt yells as a nearby guard goes to swing at him. At the same time, an arrow deflects the sword just out of the path of the Baron. From the skylight, I watch as Hopper and a group of Dark Elves begin to fire down at the guards, shattering the glass in the process. That looks expensive. Groaning in pain, I realise how hard armour actually is. One of the guards I blinded earlier has seemingly recovered as he goes to swing on.

A bolt of fire clashes against the guard, sending him back only an inch or two. Seeing my opportunity, I take The Chosen Blade and slash behind the knee. The guard falls to one knee right as Garus closes in and grabs the visor. A bolt of fire fills the guard's helmet, sending them screaming to the ground. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"What's happening?" Garus asks as he helps me up.

"The Palace Guards are Purists. Do me a favour and find Mateo for me," I say as I kick the guard I landed on back to the ground.

"On it," he says as he carries Marigold on his back. The guard on the ground tries to get up again.

"Stay down," I say as I pry their sword from their hands. Looking around, I watch as the ballroom descends into chaos. Hopper and the Dark Elves are firing arrows from the skylight. Nobles are running around like headless chickens. The disguised Purists are attacking anyone in sight. You know, this is closer to the parties I've been to. The doors from outside burst open as cloaked Purists are sent flying.

"You messed with me on the wrong day!" Ruby yells as vines erupt from the earth, sending them flying. Helia, on the other hand, stabs a wooden staff into the ground. The surrounding Purists are subsequently eaten by the ground. A little terrifying, but enough getting distracted.

"Penelope, heads up!" I yell as I [Throw] the guard's sword her way. Penelope catches it at the same time that three guards go to attack. In the blink of an eye, she disappears and then reappears behind the three of them. The guards fall over as the back of their armour is torn through.

"That's more like it," she says as she easily overpowers the next guard's attack. Good. Everything may seem chaotic, but so far we're in control. Danger! I sidestep as an invisible attack cuts through the pillar in front of me. What in the hells was that? Pulling up The Chosen Blade, I barely block the next invisible attack. Pain throbs through my hands as I reel from the weight behind the attack. This strength, it's like Penelope just hit me. Where is it even coming from?

Another sense of danger comes from behind me. I go to block- The force of the blow this time is nothing compared to the last hit, and I'm sent clear across the ballroom. Landing amongst the snacks. Ouch. Pulling myself off the ground, I look around for my seemingly invisible opponent. I've fought invisible fucks before, but I hate it every time.

"Hopper! A little help would be nice!" I yell as I feel another coming. This time I sidestep the attack, but who knows how long that's going to last. It suddenly got stronger earlier. It might suddenly get bigger or faster. It's better to deal with it before that happens. An arrow suddenly stabs into something in mid-air, followed by red blood. There you are! Taking a snack tray, I [Throw] it at my now visible attacker. The tray smacks hard into something, hopefully dazing them.

Closing the distance, I take The Chosen Blade and slash through something metallic. A now broken necklace clatters to the ground, revealing a hulking guard.

"Gods, I feel sorry for your mother," I [Taunt] as the brutish guard puts a wand in my face. Taking the Leech Dagger, I [Throw] it straight through the visor. Blinded, the guard barely misses me as an invisible attack rips through the place where my head was. Not letting up, I take The Chosen Blade and stab between the armour and clean into the shoulder. Using the blade as a handhold, I climb up onto the hulking guard's back. The guard swings around in confusion as they try to find me.

"Up here, bud. Oh, right. Let me help you see," I say as I rip the Leech Dagger out of the visor and stick my hand above the opening, "[Clean]!" The hulking guard claws at its face as I slide off their back, grabbing my blade on the way out. Returning my focus to my surroundings, I watch as the Emperor steps out into the middle of the floor. What's he doing?

"[Sink]," he says calmly, almost in a whisper. All of the Purists in the room, including the invisible ones, fall flat on the ground, putting the skirmish to an end. Holy shit! What kind of [Skill] is that?

"Archduke Aster, if you wouldn't mind," the Emperor says.

"Of course." The Archduke steps up and, with a single twist of his hand, every single Purist, including the ones outside the ballroom, are bound and disarmed by thick vines. Penelope suddenly appears next to me.

"You okay?" she asks.

"Just peachy," I say as I take in the number of injured guests and staff.

"By the grace of the Gods. May you be [Healed]," the Pope says. The wounds of the people are seemingly stitched together with a holy aura. Even the people who looked like they were at death's door are perfectly fine now. I wonder just what [Level] these three are. As I think that, I watch as Hopper and the Dark Elves jump down from the skylight. Chieftain Mlyver gives a deep bow.

"Apologies for my intrusion, Emperor," she says in the Imperial tongue.

"You need not worry. I am thankful for your help, Chieftain. Although I am curious about how you knew an attack would occur," he says with a hint of suspicion.

"That would be because of me. I had a gut feeling that some sort of attack may occur," I say, thinking back on the letters that I sent.

"Why did you not inform anyone of this?" the Emperor asks.

"Like I said. It was a gut feeling. Until I was sure that the attack would occur, I thought it best to keep it to myself. A mistake on my part. By the time I was certain it was too late to warn anyone," I say, leaving out some key details.

"Father, we should be more worried about how these attackers got into the Palace," Penelope says, trying to direct the attention away from me. A man with black hair and green eyes walks into the ballroom, dragging a cloaked individual behind him.

"I may have the answer to that," he says, throwing the person towards.

"Brother, I was wondering where you were," the Emperor says as vines wrap around the cloaked individual.

"I sensed an unfamiliar flow of mana nearby. I went to investigate and found this one," he says with an air of nonchalance. This must be Garrus's dad, Archduke Krait. Speaking of Garus. Looking out of the ballroom, I see him with Marigold and Mateo. Good, they're safe. I was a bit worried when I didn't see Mateo in the melee. Huh, why does Mateo look so shaken? I've never seen him like that.

"CJ," Hopper says as he pulls me back into the conversation.

"What?"

"Look."

"Look at wh-" My voice drops as the cloaked individual is uncloaked to reveal a familiar sight. Pointy ears, sheep horns, and purple eyes. A Vashrin, but not just any Vashrin.

"Auntie Nina?" I ask out of shock.