These monsters were unreal, their reflexes unmatched, and seeing the unforgiving vast numbers of the army created a deadly atmosphere of doom. Kaia knew that she should have argued back. Go against Eugene’s wishes and stay near his side as his bodyguard. But he assigned her a mission she couldn’t refuse. She was to stay and protect his son: Quinton, as he stood on the roofs across from her shooting arrows and keeping the archers in line. The ones sharing the same roof as her and Quin were skilled and she needn’t worry about keeping them focused. Each of their arrows were used with precise accuracy. Kaia made sure that she spent no more than three arrows on each target, whether it was used to kill or disarm if their vital spots were armored.<br/><br/>This was still a losing battle. Every creature she took down was quickly replaced. Kaia wanted to move now and be by Eugene to fight alongside him. She fought against the dread that built within her for that would only lead to panic and tempt her to waste arrows. But fear found a tight grip around her when she tried to shoot the throat of an enemy who gripped a soldiers head in between his arms. She watched as the creature casually shifted its body weight from one leg to the other, her arrow moving a hairs length past the neck. The creature’s head turned to her, it snapped the soldier’s neck. They were fast.<br/><br/>Kaia swore under her breath as she aimed an arrow at the creature, the tension in the bow begging her to release. She wouldn’t let the arrow fly though, her instinct told her that the creature was baiting her to use what precious arrows were left. Other soldiers came along and attacked the creature before she could decide to shoot. Useless. Her arrows were useless against these enemies. She had a clear shot but this was all a trap. The creature would dodge again or use her arrow to kill a fellow soldier. Silently praying for the soldier’s victory she turned away from them and looked for a new target. Self-loathing wedged into her heart.<br/><br/>Kaia caught a glimpse of Eugene still in the same position but the number of archers around him were growing less. What looked to be an elf stood nearby causing the most destructive damage with his fire magic. Something Kaia was nearly impressed by but the smoke from the burning bodies stung her eyes and made sighting targets difficult. But it was a small price if it meant blasting these creatures to oblivion the mage can do what he wants. The enemies had little armor, possibly making them vulnerable to the scorching heat. She just hoped that he doesn’t burn their own comrades. Still, seeing Eugene alive allowed Kaia to turn her attention back to the battlefield.<br/><br/>Pools of black and red blood oozed across the field as the enemy continued to ferociously cut their way into the middle ranks. They were gaining too much ground too fast. In the corner of her eye Kaia saw two creatures throw their spears simultaneous aimed for her and Quin. Lowering her bow she jumped and tackled Quin to the side. She was a head shorter than him, the spear meant to pierce his heart, grazed her cheek instead. Staying low she touched her cheek seeing the blood on her fingertips. That was too close. Her heart pounding, Kaia got up and looked down at Quin. He was deathly pale and his black curly hair was soaked with sweat, clinging to his forehead. Immense fear spoke volumes in his wide grey eyes, even though he fought to catch his breath and remain calm before Kaia. He looked to be a good few years older than her but that didn’t change the fact that he was still younger than her and that they might die here. “Move a few roofs back, quickly,” Kaia ordered Quin, her voice utterly calm. “I’ll be right behind you.”<br/><br/>Knowing that he would comply, Kaia turned away from Quin without waiting for an answer. Pulling out three arrows from her light quiver, she notched an arrow in place, the others waiting in her palm as Kaia surveyed the field once more. If they were to die here, she was going to try and prolong the lives of her comrades with her arrows. To increase the chances that there would be one less creature for the world to worry about.<br/><br/>She could no longer count on shooting an enemy from the side. Their reflexes were quick. They could react to an arrow just by sighting it from the corner of their eyes. She needed a target whose back was completely to her. Her emerald eyes spied a dwarf being knocked back by a fast assailant. The dwarf’s armor did a fine job in handling the blow but if the dwarf were to stand any chance against the creature, the dwarf had to be faster.<br/><br/>Kaia felt the tension of her bow build then release as she sent her arrows off one after the other in three swift movements. The first arrow whistled through the hand that held the short crooked blade meant to cut down on the dwarf’s head. The second pierced deeply into the creatures back, and the third entered the neck before the creature could even begin to scream. Kaia watched as the creature fell without resistance and saw how the dwarf she saved looked toward her. Kaia only nodded before she turned away and ran across the roof to catch up to Quin.