At the same time, in Strykewood Town,

Harold was working in his study when he learned that his wife Helen had gone with a group of guards and mages without alerting anyone of her whereabouts. Nobody knew where she had gone, and there had been no communication since.

*Bang*

"Damn it, Helen," Harold's slammed his fist into the desk in rage. "I hope you don't do anything stupid." He sighed.

*****

Meanwhile, in Ashford Town,

Alisha barked orders at her guards to notify Chester Town about the situation and get back up. However, to their surprise, the mana in the area mysteriously vanished.

She quickly instructed two of her guards to rush to Chester Town with the important news.

As the guards were about to leave, they were ambushed by a competing group. Alisha examined the chaos. Hazel and Seraphine had lured the enemy mages out of town to protect the residents.

Regardless of the circumstances, Alisha had to act quickly to avoid further casualties.

"We should try to leave Alisha," Harry shouted, as he blocked incoming attacks with his shield, slowly backing away.

Alisha and Harry pushed their way towards the town's exit as chaos erupted around them.

She fired arrows at any opponents in their way, taking cover behind Harry when needed. However, they were still a considerable distance away from the gate, and they desperately needed to find an escape.

As Alisha and Harry made their way towards the town's exit, they were met with a barrage of arrows aimed at them.

Without hesitation, Harry stepped forward and raised his shield to intercept.

As Harry lowered his shield to peek over, a blade came down hard and fast, striking it with enough force to knock him off balance.

Alisha tried to shoot the assailant from a distance, but the man deflected her arrows with his blade and staff.

"So, you really didn't die, huh?" Alisha spoke.

"Well, I can't die before meeting my family for one last time now, can I?" David replied.

"Don't worry. I will make sure to break your arms and legs and bring you back to Leah."

Alisha spurred into action as she unsheathed a small dagger from her waist and charged at David.

She began assaulting him with quick, accurate strikes. Harry followed closely behind, joining in to take down their adversary.

Alisha lunged at David with her dagger, but he was quick to defend himself with his staff.

Meanwhile, Harry charged David with his longsword, aiming to strike him down. David, however, was equally skilled with his blade and parried Harry's attacks with precision.historical

David found himself on the defensive as Alisha and Harry worked together seamlessly, forcing him to back away.

Despite his proficiency with the staff and blade, he was having difficulty keeping up with their coordination. Alisha's dagger was particularly bothersome, leaving small cuts on David's arms with her quick movement.

As Harry charged with his shield, David intercepted Alisha's dagger with his own blade. However, the hit was so powerful that David stumbled backwards, and Harry took advantage of the situation by pushing him further with his shield.

As she was about to charge forward, a volley of arrows flew towards Alisha in a straight line, aimed at her legs.

She somersaulted backwards to dodge and rolled on the ground.

Harry's heart pounded in his chest as he pushed his shield into David, hoping to keep him at bay while Alisha regained her footing.

Every moment counted, and he could feel the sweat trickling down his brow as he put all of his concentration on the task at hand.

Harry prepared his sword to surprise David, but before he could, David grabbed a man by the collar and flung him in front of Harry.

The sword struck deep into the man's shoulder, and David took advantage of the situation by thrusting his blade right into Harry's shoulder.

As Harry kicked David aside to get some space, his shield dropped to the ground, exposing him.

David charged at Harry with his blade. However, two guys raced at them from the right and caught them off guard just as he was ready to strike.

"How dare you! You used our brother as a shield."

"Let us teach you guys a lesson."

A brawl erupted, with two more men joining Harry and David in the fray.

Alisha was still evading arrows and repelling attacks from her surroundings, unable to find the right opportunity to sneak up on David.

The mages accompanying David sprang to action, darting in to assist their comrade.

These mages were competent not just in magic but also in close combat. They drove their blades into the backs of the two men who were attacking David and Harry, eliminating the threat.

David quickly rushed towards Harry.

With Harry struggling to defend himself against David's blade, an arrow found its mark and made him stumble.

More arrows rained down on him as he tried to regain his footing from the women on the rooftops who had adjusted their aim.

Despite his best efforts to utilize his sword as a shield, Harry found himself in a dangerous situation, with both David and the archers closing in on him.

Alisha's heart plummeted as she broke free from the onslaught of strikes and witnessed the horrible scene in front of her.

Harry, her companion, and friend, lay on the ground, arrows penetrating his body and blood streaming from his throat. David stepped over him, drawing his sword in a fast strike.

Harry's grip on his loosened throat as he lay on the ground, lifeless. Alisha's eyes filled with tears as she realized she had failed to protect her friend.

"Now let me see how you break my hands and legs, Alisha," David rushed towards her with his companion.

Alisha's mind raced as she sought to defend herself against the barrage of strikes coming from all sides. In the chaos, she couldn't help but think of Leah, hoping she would miraculously appear and save her.

Unfortunately, her hope was quickly shattered as she suffered the same fate as Harry, pierced by arrows and covered sword wounds. However, to Alisha's surprise, David didn't immediately kill her.

He pinned her to the ground, his weight on her back.

"Let's ensure Leah finds my gift to her liking."

*snap*

*Arghhhhh.....*