Mercury, too, had no sense of the true purpose of the attack; but she knew her danger. She let Kanda take her hand, let him pull her to safer ground. For a second, in her face, instead of the controlled and demanding priestess there was the girl playing with forces too powerful for her.

The moment passed quickly, seen only by Kanda. Her dagger flashed, ready for the next to reach her. Coated with a strong poison, it would weaken her foe alongside any damage it did. As if to prove its strength, one fell to her.

Her head turned sharply back towards Cortana and John, but there would be no way to reach them without exposing herself and Kanda as well. And if more were coming...

"We need to reach somewhere we can defend," she told Kanda in a low voice. Higher ground, or at least somewhere to afford some protection.