The Crack In Heaven [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy] Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Nothing Personal

Read chapter 50 of The Crack In Heaven [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy] by Adamus_Auguste on NovelPedia.

Chapter 50: Nothing Personal "Gag him, Tonio!" At Kael's command, Tonio dumped him and Els from his shoulders. They grunted on the pavement as the rat-man lashed at Jorgen. Though the teenager's dark eyes widened, he instantly dropped his baskets. As they clanged on dirty cobbles, he reached for something tucked behind his back, his mouth snapping open. "INTRU—MMPH" Tonio's fingers wrapped around his face, squeezing his mouth shut mid-scream, and lifting him off the ground. But half of it still echoed in the morning chill. A chill that seeped through the blankets covering Kael, into his bones. Fighting the weakness in his limbs, he clutched the wall for support, shoving himself up much faster than he thought he could. How could he not? The archers shivered on the roofs. They had heard Jorgen. "Run. Els, his baskets!" Hugging the wall, he moved toward the street. Each step made him wobble, but he clenched his jaw through the pain. He would not be discovered. Not after escaping the beggar streets. Even less because of a fool like Jorgen. Something clanged behind him. An arrow? Shit! Before he could turn, two baskets swung at the edge of his vision. Els elbowed his back, and he tumbled forward. A shoulder swept his legs, and his feet left the ground. His vision tilted violently. The turning archers were in front of him, not the entrance to Ashcoil Row, and he cracked the source of the sound: a dagger wrenched from Jorgen's hands clattered on the pavement. "Ah!" At Els' soft gasp, archers and daggers blurred. When the dagger's clatter faded, the archers fully turned. Arrows nocked, they scanned the entrance of the street. Their eyes trailed deeper, just as Tonio leapt behind the low wall of a large house. Els, who had been pushed, tumbled. Medicinal herbs, bandages, and ointments spilled out of the baskets. Tonio followed face-first, falling onto Jorgen. Kael was thrown off during the lunge, rolling on the ground until the opposite wall stopped him. He pressed his hand to his forehead as if that and a suppressed grunt would fix his swimming vision. Els sobbed nearby. That he could make out, along with Jorgen's screams drowned under Tonio's overworked breath. Not even a second to rest. Not now. "You hear me... Els?" A cough broke his whispered call. "Yes..." Els' blurry silhouette sat. His chest tightened, but he had no time to comfort her. "Don't use your truth. Check if the archers moved. Now." Her clothes rustled two steps away. Then an absence of answers. Heavy. Suffocating. Jumbled thoughts battled in Kael's mind for a plan, an idea, anything to escape if the thugs were on them. His fingers tightened on his forehead, but nothing. Tonio was too tired. At least, Jorgen still struggled beneath him, which meant he hadn't moved yet. Icy dread squeezed his gut. Without him, they were done for. "Kael. The archers..." Els' whisper sliced across his mind like a knife. "They... They turned. I don't think they saw us. My legs hurt..." Kael let out what felt like the longest breath ever. Slowly, his vision cleared. Had fear clouded it more than pain? Perhaps, but finally they were safe... Just deal with Jorgen and sleep. He stretched his blanket-wrapped arm toward Els. "Tie the bastard while he can't move. And shove something in his accursed mouth." His gaze fell on the blood smearing Els' torn pants, then his own. Though it wasn't a competition, his every limb stung much more than Els' did. He wouldn't let her use her truth to fix herself. Not with two baskets filled with medicine. "Treat yourself and check on Tonio." Els crouched to him. With a trembling hand, she untied two blankets, but didn't leave. Instead, she reached for his right cheek. Her fingers traced his pierced lips and sweaty face gently. "You?" "I'll manage. We don't have time. Go." She held his gaze for another heartbeat, then nodded as she returned to Tonio. "It's your fault, idiot." She plunged her hand beneath Tonio's chest, gripping Jorgen's forearm. With a twist, sh