The Adventurer’s Academy

The tension crackled in the air as Mr. Harlan and his guards faced off against Alea, Maria, Rin, and the other adventurers.

Alea could feel the gravity of the situation pressing down on them all.

Harlan's voice cut through the silence, sharp and commanding.

"Hand over the book," he demanded, his tone brooking no argument. "That's all I want. It's meaningless to you anyway. Just hand it over." 

But Alea stood her ground, her jaw set with determination.

"Not until you tell us what's going on," she countered, her voice trembling slightly with defiance. "You're obviously hiding something. What is it?" 

Harlan's expression darkened at her refusal.

Like. I. Said," he sneered, his patience wearing thin. "That book is none of your concern. Now, give it to me."

Alea hesitated, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.

The weight of Harlan's threat hung heavy in the air, and for a moment, she wavered, considering the consequences of her defiance.

But before she could relent, Maria stepped forward, her stance unwavering.

"No one is handing anything over until you explain yourself, Harlan," she declared, her voice steady and resolute. "I hadn't thought so initially but, clearly, there's something at play here we all aren't aware of. With how many of us have died so far, you owe us all an explanation." 

Alea could see how Maria's words swayed both the adventurers and the workers. Some had lost lifelong friends for the sake of this railroad project. And, apparently, there was a hidden objective underneath it all. 

It didn't seem like they were going to tolerate being in the dark any longer. 

But, Harlan remained unmoved by their demands for transparency.

With a cold glint in his eyes, he issued a chilling ultimatum, his voice cutting through the charged atmosphere like a blade.

"If you won't hand over the book willingly, then we'll take it by force," he declared, his tone laced with menace.

In an instant, the air crackled with tension as Harlan's guards surged forward, their gleaming armor a stark contrast to the grim looks etched on their faces.

These were the ones. The knights Alea saw protecting that woman's car. 

Her heart pounded in her chest as she braced herself for the impending clash, her hands trembling with a mixture of fear and adrenaline.

But before the guards could reach her, Maria sprang into action.

Her movements were fluid and precise as she intercepted them.

With a flurry of strikes and parries, she deflected their blows. Alea's heart skipped a beat watching the Rank S adventurer at work right in front of her. 

Cara and Rin quickly joined the fray, their martial prowess adding to the chaos of battle as they fought side by side with Maria, their movements coordinated and precise.

Cara used her greatsword to sweep one guard's legs out from under him, using the flat side of her blade, and then kicked him in the gut, leaving him curled up on the ground. Rin dodged multiple spear thrusts aimed at her head, ducking and weaving until she found an opening. 

She dashed in and landed a palm strike at the lady's forehead that sent her back halfway across the room. 

Rin then darted forward with lightning speed.

With a series of graceful strikes, she took the next set of enemies down, aiming to incapacitate her opponents with swift, non-lethal blows.

Sara jumped in. 

The raven-haired woman wielded her silver blade with deadly accuracy, its gleaming edge slicing through the air with a lethal grace.

She killed one guard, stabbing him in the neck with her blade. But, after seeing the others going out of their way to avoid doing that, she instead focused her strikes on disarming her opponents, aiming to incapacitate rather than kill.

It was a little frightening, however, how quickly she'd become willing to murder any who stepped in her way. 

Meanwhile, Maria continued to engage her foes with more finesse than Maria had ever seen.

Against one very unlucky individual she executed a series of rapid strikes and fluid movements that rendered the man unable to continue the fight. Alea saw some of his teeth lying by his head as well. 

As the battle raged on, the four women fought with unwavering fervor, their movements synchronized and coordinated as they worked together to overcome their foes.

Despite the overwhelming odds, they refused to relent, their commitment to their mission unwavering as they pressed on, determined to subdue their adversaries. 

Alea could see Harlan getting more and more nervous. Maybe he thought this would be an easy win. 

Together, they formed a formidable barrier against Harlan's forces, their determination unyielding in the face of overwhelming odds, but his main guards were still standing. 

The clash of steel and the thunderous roar of battle filled the air as they fought tooth and nail against the relentless onslaught of Harlan's guards.

With each blow, each strike, they pushed themselves to their limits, their determination unwavering in the face of danger.

Maybe it was just Alea's bias shining through, but throughout the fight, Maria looked better than ever, parrying and dealing out blows before her enemies even had a chance to react. 

Slowly but surely, they began to turn the tide of battle, their combined strength and determination proving to be more than a match for Harlan's hired mercenaries.

With each foe they defeated, the tide of battle shifted in their favor, until at last, only a handful of guards remained standing.

However, these were the strongest of the guards, of course. 

Judging by the look on Maria's face, taking them down wasn't going to be easy. 

"Don't hold anything back," Maria advised the others. "These men are different." 

They all stood before one another, hesitant to make the first move.

Until, suddenly, they all saw Harlan turning to the side, his jaw dropping to the floor. 

"M-My lady, what are you...?" 

Alea turned around. 

There she was. 

The woman in that car that Alea had seen in the limo, standing right in front of everyone here, in the flesh. 

But, she wasn't anything like Alea had thought when she'd seen her from a distance. 

No, one thing became very clear. She wasn't human at all.