When I finally allowed myself to relax a little, she noticed an interesting figure walking down the street towards her.
Aka-32 looked as impressive as she told about herself, and maybe even more. Almost two meters tall, broad shoulders and confident step made her look like a real Amazon, whose aura of strength involuntarily made passers-by turn around.
— Aka–32!
I exclaimed, unable to contain my joy. I waved my hands, trying to shout over the noise of the street. A genuine smile spread across my face.
Aka-32 slowed her steps for a second, and a shadow of surprise flashed in her gaze. She was about to respond with the same delight, but at that moment, the wings of a barely noticeable silhouette fluttered softly on my shoulder. The little fairy Fritte, hiding in the semi darkness, spoke in a barely audible but anxious voice:
— I feel. You're being watched.
My smile faded instantly. My heart sank, as if someone had placed an invisible seal of anxiety.
And then the street changed. In the alleys, where a second ago passers-by had turned calmly, gloomy silhouettes began to appear.
People appeared as if from thin air, from the shadows, their faces hidden by eerie masks with burning red neon skulls above their heads. These demonic lights flashed closer, blocking the street step by step.
I felt a chill, for I knew those signs all too well... Coyotes.
My return to Aofeadale had not gone unnoticed. And if word of my reappearance in the shadows had reached this guild, then what awaited them was not a reunion of friends, but a battle where enemies would leave no chance.
The cordon tightened. Red neon skulls flared around like eerie torches, and every step of the adversaries echoed in my ears. His heart was racing, but his panic gave way to a cold calculation.
—If we're trapped in a cage... all we can do is fly out!
Clenching my fists, I activated a skill that I had previously only used for battle. It was as if something had shifted in the air around me: a light green glow separated from my palms, turning into a barely noticeable aura shell of my hands.
It was the [Aura Separation] skill a technique that allowed you to use your own energy as an additional impulse for movement.
The accumulated strength exploded in my legs, and in the next instant, I kicked off the ground so abruptly that even the cobblestones under my feet shifted. My body seemed to soar into the air, reaching the edge of the nearest roof.
— Hey-hey! What are you doing?!
Fritte almost fell off my shoulder, but he managed to stay on and spread his wings to balance himself.
—An interesting use of a skill my mother gave you...
With the grace of a predator, I threw myself over the parapet, and in the next moment, I was leaping from roof to roof. Each movement was accompanied by a slight flash of aura, as if my arms were a spring.
—Genius!
Fritte whispered, pressing her face against my neck and watching in awe as we broke free from the encirclement.
—You've literally turned the concentration skill into a catapult!
Shouts and curses came from below. The people with the red skulls tried to follow me, but their heavy boots got stuck in the alleys, and they couldn't keep up with my quick jumps.
The angry guild members' shouts echoed through the alleys:
—Are you stupid?! Don't let that toad go!
One of the leaders shouted, waving his hand as if it could speed up his own men.
—If Disava leaves, the boss won't be happy, and we'll all be in trouble!
Red neon skulls flashed here and there, turning the streets of Aofeadale into a trap, but the situation was becoming chaotic.
There was already panic in the crowd of hunters for my head, everyone was afraid to be the one who would "miss" the fugitive and then answer for it.
At that moment, Aka-32, who was still standing nearby, caught a movement. Her eyes darted up, she saw me, glinting with an aura, I'm notust on the roofs. And right behind me, down below, rushed whole groups of people with skulls over their heads.
— Just try it...
Aka-32 growled in a low voice, and her eyes flashed with determination. Without hesitation, Aka-32 took off. Her two-meter-tall figure raced across the pavement with the force of a hurricane.
Every step echoed in the stone, and every leap brought her closer to those who were almost on my heels.
The first hunter didn't even realize what happened; he just felt the ground give way beneath his feet as Ak-32's massive shoulder slammed into him, knocking him back against the wall.
The next hunter tried to raise his weapon, but the girl simply elbowed him in the chest, causing him to double over and crash to the ground, knocking down two of his allies in the process.
—Get out of the way!
She shouted, swinging her fist with such force that she knocked down an entire group like pins. Her movements were quick, almost rough, but that was her strength pure, unstoppable.
Every time one of the guild members tried to intercept me or block me, he just ended up under my feet, knocked down like a broken toy.
I glanced back from above and almost lost my balance in surprise: the Aka-32 was literally paving a corridor for me, sweeping away everyone who was trying to catch up.
Fritte, clutching her hair, screamed.
—Ha! That's what I understand, an Amazon friend! They'll regret coming to us a hundred times over!
I jumped over another roof, pausing for a second to catch my breath and take a quick look down.
The red skulls were still flashing below, the guildsmen not giving up, and the sound of their footsteps echoed through the narrow alleys. I quickly summoned the message menu and typed a line:
[Disava to Ака-32]: I need to shake off the tail. Can you help?
The response came almost instantly, short and sharp, like a punch to the jaw:
[Aka-32 to Disava]: No problem. You'll owe me.
The corners of my lips twitched in a nervous smile. Aka-32 was always straightforward, and that was my salvation.
Down among the guildsmen, my friend looked like a real mountain in human form. The two-meter-tall Amazon was rushing forward without the slightest hesitation.
— Who the fuck is she?
One of the guildsmen howled, rising from the mud.
—Kick me in the legs! Don't let her pass!
But it was useless. The Ak-32 acted like a heavyweight boxer in the ring: straight punches, hooks, and uppercuts, and each of her blows knocked her opponents down, breaking their formation.
Meanwhile, I was getting further away from the city on the rooftops. My lungs were burning, but the [Aura Separation] skill helped me keep jumping, so I didn't stop. Soon, we'd be out of the city.
I took a moment to open the chat and send a short message:
[Disava to Ака-32]: I'm breaking away. I'll meet you at the road leading to Mount Adalaza.
The answer did not come immediately. But a powerful rumble came from below, as the Aka-32, like an enraged beast, cut through the last barriers.
I paused at the edge of the roof and looked back. Where a moment ago there had been a continuous stream of pursuers, chaos now reigned: the fallen bodies of guildsmen, fragments of weapons, and the footsteps of an approaching giant.
Fritte, barely able to hold on to my shoulder, burst out laughing:
—She's just kneading them!" It's like they're not mercenaries, but straw men!
After a few minutes, when we finally left Aofeadale, everything finally fell silent.
Only the night wind ruffled the grass, and the distant lights of the city shimmered behind me like stars on the ground. I leaned against a tree trunk, catching my breath, and exhaled in relief.
My heart was still racing from the adrenaline, but the air was silent.
Suddenly, a tall figure appeared over the hill, and Aka-32 ran up to me, her cheeks flushed and her hair slightly disheveled, but her eyes were filled with excitement.
—I've finally found you, my friend!
She shouted happily, and picked me up, spinning me around as if I were a light child. I squeaked in fright, and then couldn't help but laugh as I felt Ak-32's strong arms tossing me in the air.
—Hey, be careful!
I protested, but for the first time in a long while, a genuine smile appeared on my face. After setting me down, the giantess leaned down so that our eyes met.
—So what's next?" Where are we going?
Aka-32 asked curiously, adjusting her weapon belt. I looked ahead, where the dark bulk of Mount Adalaza loomed over the horizon, more like a monstrous stone beehive. A sense of excitement filled my chest.
—I'm going to level up. Mount Adalazah is a great opportunity. There are plenty of monsters and rare materials. Aka-32 raised her eyebrows and chuckled contentedly.
—So it's an adventure? That's our kind of thing!
Without waiting for any further words, she opened the interface and sent me a notification. A system message immediately appeared on the screen:
[Friend request from player: Aka-32]
I blinked at him, then grinned.
—So you've decided not only to go with me, but to formalize it?
—Of course, girlfriends should stick together. Together, we can handle anything.