Headed by a Snake

Tycondrius rushed out from their cover towards the skirmish, with Zenon following close behind. The Centurion had grossly understated the situation. The striker line guarding the Third Seal was almost non-existent and a dozen humans lay injured or dead near the seal itself.

Four Lake Eels were attacking an injured Iron-Rank Duelist, supported by an Iron-Rank Adept and two other Bronze-Rank casters. Farther in the distance, the group's remaining ranged classes were clumped together. They had to sustain their concentrated fire against the undead swarming from the forest, or they'd all be overrun.

"Optio!!" Zenon clenched his fists as they thrummed with lightning mana, "We have to save them!!"

"I'll do something!" Tycon growled. "Support me, but keep your mana reserves high in the likelihood that something goes wrong in the near future."

The Centurion grit his teeth but nodded in agreement.

Tycon hoped for the best. However, with how often the heavens seemed to conspire against him, he would at least have a back-up plan.

His mind raced faster than his legs, analyzing the combat situation.

Even with the Duelist engaged with a single Lake Eel, Tycon did not wish to fight against the other three Iron-Rank magical beasts, all at once. If he made a single mistake, its effects could be catastrophic. An injured hand or leg would jeopardize his ability to complete the third and fourth objectives.

The Brazen Guard were unfamiliar with him... thus the effectiveness of both his offensive and defensive support skills would be greatly reduced. He wanted to save Zenon's mana. Karodin was currently useless.

The ghostly eels would be highly resistant if not immune to the illusory poison of his ⌈Vexing Gaze⌋. He could reveal his healing ability and use an ⌈Inspirational Surge⌋, hoping that the Duelist might pull through... Then he could hope to pick off a weakened eel with his ⌈Shadowfang Strike⌋...

With the Duelist's injuries... how useful would she be? Logically, the heal would be better if he saved it for himself or Zenon.

"Empty night," Tycon cursed as he skidded to a halt, "⌈Venomous Shadow⌋."

⟬ ⌈Venomous Shadow⌋. Reaction ability. A shadowy doppelganger appears behind the target, performing a single weapon attack. ⟭

His summoned shadowy doppelganger could at least provide a distraction.

A white wispy cloak appeared at Tycon's side, causing Zenon to leap to the side in surprise, taking a defensive stance. The shadow's cloak had changed from a night-black to a camouflaged snow white. The legless, floating shade stared impassionately at the Centurion, naught but darkness and two golden spheres for eyes underneath its hood.

"H-he with you, Optio?" Zenon asked.

"...Yes."

Tycon hastily observed his summoned creature. In its ethereal hands, it held a heavy, two-handed hammer. It was the first time he had seen his shadow materialize with a weapon... and it was not something that he had ever remembered using himself.

It would do.

"Give me that."

Tycon took the hammer, trading it for his crossbow, quiver, and reload tool, "Do not take offense, but do you know how to use that?"

The shadow nodded, ratcheting back the bowstring and loading a bolt with practiced ease.

While Tycon was still incredibly uncertain about how effective his doppelganger would be, it was reasonably better than nothing.

"⌈Wind Walk.⌋" Zenon quietly cast a low-rank spell to increase Tycon's speed.

With the wind pushing at his back, Tycon sprinted out from cover towards the Duelist. One of the four Lake Eels was caught completely unaware, allowing him to crash his hammer against the side of its head. It fell upon the ice and would hopefully not revive.

A crossbow bolt pierced into the creature's closed eyelid. It did not move afterward. If that was his shadow's single attack, Tycon was glad that it at least gave him peace of mind.

"S-sir Tactician!" A Bronze-Rank Acolyte shouted, "Thank the Flame you have arrived safely!!"

"Please worry about yourself, young lady," Tycon glared before dashing towards the Duelist.

The Duelist glanced over, seeing Tycon's approach, wearing a relieved grin. Skillfully, the woman sidestepped a lunge from the eel, stabbing it in the eye and holding it still. With the creature's movement limited, Tycon lifted his hammer and smashed it against the top of its head. Keeping the momentum, like chopping a log with an axe, he hammered down twice more. With a beam of light from the Adept and a few more stabs from the Duelist, the second of four eels were defeated.

"Whew! Y'took your sweet time, Tactician," The Duelist laughed, saluting with her sword before wiping the sweat off of her brow.

Tycon returned the salute, frowning, "If it wasn't obvious, I rushed here as fast as I was able."

He and the Duelist simultaneously leaped back to avoid a body slam from another eel.

"I'll hold off this one!" The Duelist shouted.

"Right," Tycon scanned the field for the fourth eel. He found it chasing one of the Bronze-Rank casters, snapping at the heels of the fatigued Healer. With only three casters left, Tycon needed to keep all of them alive to channel power into the seal. "⌈Shadowfang Strike!⌋"

With his movement increased by both Zenon's wind spell and his own movement technique, Tycon crossed the distance within seconds. However, with his Gold-Rank perception, he could tell he wouldn't be fast enough. Skidding to a halt at three rotations, he lifted his stolen hammer above his head and threw it towards the eel.

It struck true, causing the eel to roar in pain as its body took the weighted strike. The hammer exploded in a dark cloud of energy, the screen possibly enough to cover the Bronze-Rank Healer's escape.

"Fly, you fool!!!" Tycon yelled.

The warning wasn't enough. The enraged eel snatched up the hesitant Healer, its toothy maw piercing easily into the man's flesh. The creature reared up, straightening its body and allowed the human to fall down into its gullet... But a crossbow bolt pierced through its eye.

The creature fell to the ice, dead and nonmoving.

Tycon glanced back to where Zenon was. His shadow remained closeby, staring with emotionless eyes. Not taking its eyes off of the battlefield, it calmly reloaded its crossbow, again taking aim.

...Excellent shot on both accounts.