"Tíz, you stay behind me. We're going to go out here together and try to get as little attention as possible," Lyric said, and Nix nodded.

It was serious. Why did I only find out about the ambush so recently? So I had no way to prevent it... prevent it. Slowly, Nix came up with a bad thought.

Until now, the Nix had always stayed out of the action, only acting in the background, which is why they always knew what was happening. But he had decided to give up the position on the bystander and actively participate in the game. Thus, he was part of the action. Fate, you jerk, it deprives me of the important information so that I cannot escape.

He hadn't seen himself or Lyric, so he didn't know what would happen to them. So this is how ordinary mortals feel. He bit his lip.

"Lyric, we have to be careful, I'm afraid that fate wants to punish us. I don't know what's going to happen," he said in a trembling voice. The rune demon looked at him with a serious look.

If Nix doesn't know what's happening, that's not a good sign. Damn. Lyric pulled his Karambit knives and quickly walked down the aisle they had taken before. He pressed himself against the wall and looked around the corner. The coast was clear. Carefully he went down the stairs. Nix followed him. He abruptly raised his hand and told him to stop. They pressed themselves against the wall. Lyric had perceived a foreign presence. They are here. There were two masked demons sneaking through the aisle. Lyric meant to wait and keep still.

When one of the demons ran past the corner, Lyric struck at lightning speed. With a targeted hand edge strike on the larynx, he took the air out of the opponent and at the same time the opportunity to inform his companion. With a clean cut, he severed his biceps and a calf muscle when he fought back, so that he became unable to move. Then he squeezed his carotid artery until he became unconscious.

He pulled the demon around the corner and hid him. Carefully, he went back, hoping that he hadn't been heard. He looked around the corner and saw that the aisle was empty. Where was the other attacker? Vigilantly, he ran around the corner and told the oracle to follow him. All they had to do was cross the room at the end of the corridor, then they would reach the exit.

Quickly and as quietly as possible, they walked along the aisle. Nix watched as his companion crept on and checked the environment again and again. Even though it was absolutely the wrong time, Hell, Lyric was hot. Nix reached out to see if he heard anything, but Lyric's closeness seemed to dampen it. The fact that this was now his undoing was a macabre joke of fate – this jerk.

It was quiet, then a scream echoed through his head and before he knew it, an arm had wrapped around his neck and taken it into a dangerous grip. A wrong move and the demon would break his neck. Lyric took a fighting position and looked at the opponent, whose hot breath disgustingly stroked his neck.

"Let him go if you want to keep your life," Lyric said in a cold voice.

"One movement and the weakling is dead!" he grumbled behind him. Weakling? Had he just called him a weakling? A grin spread across Nix' face. He grabbed his arm, which strangled him. With a quick movement, he tore his elbow back and drove it into his opponent's ribs. The grip loosened, then he pushed his shoulder under his armpit, fixed his arm and before he knew it, due to a sweeping movement from Nix' right shoulder to the bottom left, he flew over the oracle and crashed to the ground. Without hesitation for a second, he stood on the opponent's neck and fixed him a glare.

"Ah, ah – one movement and I'll ram your larynx into your spine," he said in a poisonous voice.

Lyric had only watched the whole thing with big eyes. The demon tried to fight back, but soon lost consciousness. Nix turned and looked at him. "Lyric, grab his cloak, I'll take the other one."

The rune demon quickly understood what he was getting at. They had to pass through enemy territory undetected – this worked best if you pretended to be the enemy.

Nix took off the cloak and the mask from the unconscious demon and put them on. Bah, that's disgusting. They just had to make it out. As Lyric moved away, he heard hundreds of voices in his head. Shit, the room is full. Lyric came back dressed up.

"Ly, the room is full of enemies and soldiers," Nix said in a serious voice.

They had no choice, they had to get through here.

"If it gets too dangerous, call a portal and flee. The border guards won't accuse you of this," Lyric replied.

He's serious. He wants me to leave him behind when things get dangerous. Forget it. Nix would never leave his partner behind. He still had an ace up his sleeve, even if he was reluctant to use it.

They had arrived at the door. Lyric grabbed Nix' hand and carefully opened the door with the other. His Karambit hung on his thumb. Shit, there's a fight out there. Soldiers of Pan's army against members of Telos and a horde of shadow animals. Where did they get those from?

The room in front of them was a large hall with numerous seating, plinths and flower pots. The walls were decorated in a bright orange and stucco decorated the ceiling and edges. In the middle was a large staircase with brown wooden steps that led upstairs and was laid out with red fabric.

In total, there were six pillars on each side, which were kept in the same style as the walls. One was already destroyed. There were about eighty fighters in the room, with some of them lying bleeding and motionless on the floor or at the edge of the room. Everywhere blades crashed against each other and blood splashed. The enemy wasn't allowed to go up the stairs, the soldiers preventing that. The problem was that more and more enemies seemed to be moving in.

Several heartbeats passed until Lyric discovered a gap. Without warning, he opened the door and ran through it, Nix in tow. He would only let him go if there was no other way. They ran along the wall, hoping not to stand out. Their opponents ignored them, but they weren't so lucky with the soldiers.

As soon as they had managed a few meters, a fireball raced towards them. Lyric activated the barrier and rendered it harmless. He looked in the direction from which the attack had come. The soldier was already in the next fight. They kept running, behind the backs of their enemies. Unnoticed, he let his Karambit glide through numerous muscles and tendons, but when those affected realized it, they were already gone.

Suddenly, a beam in front of them crashed to the ground. He tore Nix back and they hid behind a pillar. The soldiers had fallen into reserve. It didn't look good.

"Nix."

"I know. We can't just watch. Let's help."

Suddenly they heard a bright cry. They looked in the direction and saw a masked man holding a little blonde girl in his arms, a knife on her throat. Then the cry of the commander sounded, who had just beheaded several enemies with his hands, which had turned into deadly sickles.

"Nix, you're waiting here."

"Ly-"

"No arguing, your life is more important than mine."

It was like a slap in the face. Why do you say such a thing? Your life isn't worth a little less than mine.

Lyric activated the rune, which increased his speed. Then he ran off before Nix could stop him.

"Don't dare to die, you idiot," he murmured in frustration.

Pan's men held up well, but the enemy simply came without warning and had met them unprepared. He had just been able to mobilize most of his men. He had sent a messenger to his home and hoped that his family would be safe. With elegant movements, his hands and legs turned into sickles and back. He glided through bones, muscles, and sinew as if through butter. There was hope, but then he heard the bright cry and saw his daughter in the clutches of the enemy. No! Nix' prediction had come true. It was too late. He froze and looked desperately at the enemy. They would kill her, his little treasure.

When the enemy demon arrived, he suddenly saw his arm, which had pressed the knife to Ayla's neck, flying away. Then he was torn back. Two silver Karambit knives flashed in the light. The fighter caught his little daughter and pressed her to himself. A comrade had stabbed him in the back? This can't be. Wait. These weapons... that isn't the case. The cloak fluttered and he recognized the clothes as the fighter who incapacitated numerous opponents.

He whizzed through space at an incredible speed. The members of Telos now seemed to have noticed that there was a mole in their ranks and they attacked him. The stranger threw his daughter high into the air and intercepted the attacks, splintering the mask under the impact of a fist. Silver hair and black eyes – Lyric – came to light. He had disguised himself and turned the tide for them. With a reverse somersault, he caught Ayla and backed away, but he was surrounded.

"Tíz, a portal!" he shouted.

With momentum, Lyric threw his daughter across the room and her cry followed her trajectory. What the hell is he up to? Panic gripped Pan. A portal opened in the middle of the air and swallowed it.

"Pan, she's safe!" shouted the rune demon, dodging several swords that swung at him. With an elegant turn, he dived and severed several Achilles visions, causing his opponents to fall over like potato sacks. But then a short sword caught him in his right shoulder and he was brought down.

"Finish them off and save our ally," Pan shouted, and his warriors attacked.

The pain burned like a fire in his shoulder. He rolled to the side to avoid a strike from above. His Karambit disappeared into his holder and he pulled a short dagger on his calf in a flowing movement and fended off another blow. Then he kicked the opponent's leg away. He threw the dagger into the air and with a targeted kick on its handle, he sunk it in the chest of his opponent. He gasped and fell to the ground.

Lyric pressed on his bleeding shoulder. Now he would need Aleks, but he wasn't here, he had to do it himself. He activated a rune and obliterated his wound. That hurt like hell but should last for the time being. The next moment, an ax raced towards him and he knew he wouldn't be able to dodge.

Then a Khukuri hit the ax and it was deflected to the side. The smell of fir at dawn and fresh dew penetrated his nose. Damn, he should be safe. Nix had taken off the mask and the cape.

With a quick turn, Nix disarmed the opponent, and took the weapon in his grip. With a punch to the side, he cut the throat of the opponent. The curved blade intercepted another attack and with a jump Nix gave the opponent a sidekick to the head, so that he simply flew to the side and remained unconscious.

But they were surrounded. Nix felt Lyric's exhaustion due to the loss of blood and the use of his magic. For a second he reacted too late and a dagger bounced on the bangle, which maintained the camouflage spell. This got cracks and splintered. Fuck.

_____________________________

The fight is ongoing and the two are right in the middle of it.

Was it the right decision to help?

What will happen after the bangle shatters?

Your Mouse Goddess