Matthew kept his eyes on Asher, waiting for an answer. Asher took one last, careful survey of the area, his gaze sharp and calculating.
He assessed the enemy's numbers, then looked at his team. "That's a lot of them. We won't be able to face them head-on," he muttered under his breath before glancing at Finn. "You've got a flare gun, don't you? Hand it over."
Finn blinked, thrown off by the sudden request. "A...flare gun? Wait, how did you even know I had that with me?"
Matthew raised an eyebrow, equally surprised. "A flare gun? Where did you get that, Finn?"
Finn looked at them both, not entirely sure what was happening but reaching into his pack. "It's part of my survival kit. I always... How do you even know about it, Asher?" he demanded, shaking his head slightly as he handed over the small, bright-red device.
Asher gave him a knowing smirk. "Ever seen a survival kit before? I'm guessing Cedric helped you put it together. You probably also have some thermal blankets still from Cedric, water purification pills from Marcella... should I keep going?"
Finn stared at him, impressed yet unsettled by how accurately Asher had described his kit. "Okay, that's a little freaky. You're scary good at this, you know?"
"Damn, Asher, you could probably read someone's mind if you tried hard enough," Seraphina sighed, still astonished by his keen deduction skills.
Finn let out a nervous chuckle, reluctantly handing the flare gun over to Asher. "You really need to stop doing that," he mumbled, feeling exposed under Asher's scrutiny.
Asher took the flare gun, his expression shifting to something more serious. "We'll use this to signal the others. But we need to keep these guys in place until they can get here."
Seraphina crossed her arms, skeptical. "You think we can manage that?"
A grin spread across Finn's face, his eyes gleaming with the thrill of a challenge. "Oh, definitely. No way this is as bad as watching Jett send you to the afterlife just to clear a mission."
The group turned to Finn, their expressions quizzical as his comment about Jett's "After life?" lingered. Finn's face flushed as he realized what he'd let slip.
"Uh...ignore that," he said quickly, trying to brush it off, though the others continued to give him a mix of confused and suspicious looks.
Seraphina raised an eyebrow, her voice thick with skepticism. "Yeah... we're definitely coming back to this later." Finn let out a nervous laugh but said nothing, shifting his focus back to the task.
Asher smirked back. "Glad to see the confidence. Let's show them they picked the wrong day to mess with us."
"I've got these guys. You go on ahead," she called to Asher, her voice steady and focused as she moved through the shadows, cutting down enemies with fierce precision.
Asher gave her a nod, leaving the confused soldiers in Seraphina's capable hands. His focus shifted forward, eyes set on the remaining soldiers still scrambling, determined to keep up the pressure and give them no chance to recover.
The commander scowled at his soldiers, his voice booming with disdain. "We're losing to four kids led by an assassin? Pull yourselves together!" His massive, muscular frame towered over the others, his broad shoulders and bulging arms radiating power. He carried himself with an air of brutal confidence, certain that his strength alone could crush any challenger.
Asher, undeterred, dashed directly toward the commander, his movements swift and calculated. The commander sneered, narrowing his eyes at Asher's approach. "You're mine, you little runt," he taunted, cracking his knuckles as he prepared to intercept.
"Yeah? I'd like to see you try," Asher shot back with a smirk. With each stride, he infused his dagger with a faint aura, a reddish glow flickering along the blade.
The commander scoffed. "Hah! Impressive aura, boy, but you'll need more than that to beat me." He chuckled, watching Asher come closer, clearly confident in his own strength. 'You think because I'm big and muscular you can slip past me,' he thought smugly, angling his stance as if inviting Asher closer.
Asher weaved through the other soldiers, narrowly dodging their attacks as he kept his eyes locked on the commander. His approach was relentless, each sidestep and pivot bringing him closer to his target. When he was finally within arm's reach, the commander lunged, reaching out to grab him.
But at the last second, he caught sight of Asher's sly grin, and something flickered in the boy's eyes, a gleam of cunning. Asher's aura flared, darkening to a nearly brown hue as he poured energy into his dagger.
'This skill costs an incredible amount of MP, but...' Asher thought, his gaze steely with focus, "But it's definitely worth it."
In an instant, he activated [Phantom Step], his body flickering and becoming ethereal as he slipped through the commander's grasp as though he were a ghost.
"What...?" The commander staggered, his eyes wide in shock. 'He tricked me!' the realization hit him as he spun around, but Asher was already moving into position.
Without hesitation, Asher struck, activating [Back Stab] and [Poison Stab] in one fluid motion. His dagger sank toward the commander's exposed side, aimed with lethal precision.
But the commander snarled, activating his own skill, [Iron Skin]. His body took on a steely sheen, the muscles beneath hardening as his skin transformed into an impenetrable shield. Asher's dagger met the iron-like surface with a clang, his blade momentarily halted by the hardened defense.
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Oh no Asher's in trouble! (;ŏ_ŏ)