Mordecai confronts the first guard and feints while swinging his fist toward their face, causing them to raise their hands in defense. As he throws the punch, he shifts his foot to step aside just as the guard attempts to strike forward—Mordecai's other fist weaves under the guard's, delivering a hard blow to their throat.
As another guard approaches to take advantage, Mordecai lunges to provoke a reflexive attack, swatting their hand downward. He then delivers a kick through the opening, striking their solar plexus and knocking them back.
The last opponent wears a pair of gauntlets, engraved and sparkling at the knuckles, moving recklessly as they try to tackle him. This allows Mordecai to land a solid strike to their face, followed by a feint to obscure his next move—a roundhouse kick to the side of their head, knocking them out. Mordecai lets out a pained groan, clutching his side as another assailant attempts to sneak behind and leap onto him. A jet of water shoots toward them, knocking them away and into some crates.
Tessa rushes over, gathers some ashes, and forms a fire sigil on the ice to melt it. Just as another guard is about to plunge a spear into Tessa's back, Marlina extends the rod and presses its tip into their chest, unleashing another wave of shock that causes them to collapse.
Once Tessa melts the ice, Natalia and Neterion ensure those down stay down before rushing to Mordecai's side. Tessa embraces Marlina, and Marlina clings to her without hesitation.
"Marlina, you're okay! I thought they couldn't get to you..." Tessa says, overwhelmed by confusion and relief upon seeing that Marlina is okay.
"I'm okay. But Chief Aurea is injured; please help her..." Marlina pleads, and Tessa spots Aurea at the bottom of the tunnel, prompting the two to hurry down to assist her.
Once the twins reach Mordecai, Natalia hugs him tightly before looking at where he's clutching, while Neterion places his hand on his shoulder.
"And where have you been? Taking a vacation?" Neterion grumbles at him.
"Good to see you, too," Mordecai jokes, but his expression shifts when his clothing reveals a wound on his side. It looks like it has been cauterized and barely healed, making him suck in through his teeth when Natalia touches it.
"Mordecai... what happened? Where have you been?"
"Not right now, let's make sure the rest are gone."
By the time they clear the area and the corpses of their captors are left in the braxl den to have their bodies taken care of, everyone is in the infirmary. They found their weapons and plenty of their supplies stashed in the sleds, making it clear that the brutes intended to loot them after they were done with them.
Tessa is resting in a chair after healing Aurea's arm and Neterion's ankle, restoring their mobility in case more trouble arises. Despite her exhaustion, deep concern and grief are evident on her face, and her body language conveys tension. Aurea sits on one of the beds, resting but remaining awake due to her head injury. Neterion keeps himself limber by kicking at the air; his stance is slightly unsteady because of his injured ankle, while Natalia manages her projectile weapons. Natalia's eye is still swollen and bruised, but she considers it trivial compared to the injuries of Aurea and Neterion, insisting that Tessa heal them first. Mordecai enters with his maps of the Colonies, laying them down on the floor while grimacing from the pain in his side, having refused treatment for the moment.
Marlina stands beside Tessa, wiping the sweat of exhaustion from her face and offering her some water. Unable to hold back, she finally asks, "What on earth happened while I was away? Where's Sir Elek?"
YOU ARE READING
Servitude: The Hydrangea Chapters
AdventureThe lifeless animated construct known only as Marlina, awakened in a world at odds from deep lingering scars of conquest, seeks a home where she can belong. With only knowing her name and that her purpose of being is to serve another, she journeys a...
