Chapter 114
“The Ambush.” Part 4.
[You have gained 1000 experience points!] x10
[You’ve gained 5000 experience points!]
Kalysto smiled as she ran, approaching where the other heroes were as she saw the notification sign announcing the death of the Sajhun.
“Kalysto, you’re all right!” Rita shouted, excited to see her back.
“Keep your eyes on the enemy and don’t get distracted!” She shouted back.
“I’m out of mana, anyway!” Responded Rita, as she once again performed a slash on the arm of the monster Oscar was fighting.
“Here!” Kalysto added as soon as she reached her side, pulling out a mana potion from the ones she had stolen from the corpse army a month ago. And before Rita could approach her, with the intention of hugging her, Kalysto stopped her. “Now, burn them all and use only fire creation," she added, pointing at the horde of monsters coming in their direction.
“Are you sure? But Milo said..." replied the fire mage with a frown, pausing before drinking the potion she had just received, but Kalysto interrupted her.
“I don’t give a shit what Milo said! The more you use ‘fire creation’, the faster you’ll unlock new abilities! Or do you want to wait for the fireball to reach level 10 to unlock another one when you could be using a new ability now while the other one is cooling down?”
“... You’re right." she then drank the potion and held her hands out in front of her, pointing at the approaching enemies after she finished circling the small lake of ice created by Kalysto. “Fire creation!” She conjured, and a flare of fire engulfed four monsters.
“Yes! I’m already level twelve!” Koden shouted excitedly to her left just after piercing the heart of a large brown wolf.
“Just that? But I’m already level 15," questioned Rita as the fire continued to shoot out of her hands.
"What? Damned mages who can attack several monsters at once!” Koden growled. ”... I hate you Rita!” he muttered.
“...I’m level 14," commented Oscar, to the surprise of the other three, who turned silently to look at the rogue who was acting more like a stealthy assassin, while the four knights fighting near them continued to fight.
“...Congratulations, Koden!...And...Hey...Don’t lose heart and keep trying!” Kalysto congratulated him, wanting to improve the strange atmosphere a bit as she walked to where the carriage they had traveled in was and opened the door. “Get out at once! It’s too complicated to protect you while you stay in there with your butts shaking!” She growled, as she gave a look of annoyance to Sandra who seemed about to suffocate Edward, if the poor boy moved to get away from her powerful bear hug.
“And who the hell do you think you are to give us orders? Can’t you see that we could die if we get out of here?” Sandra immediately refuted.
“Sandra is right, it’s crazy to get out of here!” Gideon joined her.
“You can go to the carriage where the saintess is, so at least if you get hurt you can be healed, but it’s much more dangerous to stay here,” then she looked Edward in the eyes. “If you want to survive in this world, the only option you have is to fight and get stronger. Don’t think that the guys who kidnapped us will shake hands to force us to fight. It’s better if you do it the easy way. But it’s your decision," Kalysto commented before turning away, leaving the door open.
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But before she could join the other three heroes and continue fighting, several knights rode by on their black horses, galloping towards the first carriage.
Kalysto saw the saintess riding behind one of the horsemen as some priests rode with the others while other priests ran after the horses. A group of temple knights escorted them to their escape and kept the monsters away from them but left the rear of the caravan unprotected. Where only a small group of knights remained, guarding the two priests who were healing the few remaining wounded.
A group of monsters rushed towards them when they saw the opening in their lines.
“Shit!” Kalysto growled at the sight, annoyed that there were too many monsters for them to escape safely, and knowing that if they didn’t take care of the enemies quickly, the rest of the heroes would die. “Get out of the carriage, now! You can follow the priests and the saintess to the first chariot, but get out of here or you’ll die!" she shouted to the ones in the vehicle and turned to her left. “Ice creation!” She conjured, creating a thick and extensive wall of ice that reached a meter before the first parked carriage, freezing all the monsters that were nearby and evading the knights and mages that were fighting them, thus leaving the way free for the boys to flee to the first carriage and be safe. “Koden, cut their heads fast! Rita, come with me! I need you in the back!”
“, shit!” Rita’s face paled, “Who thought to stop protecting the rear?” The fire mage shouted as she saw the chaos unfolding a couple of meters away among the few remaining knights who were risking their lives while the priests used their water magic to heal the wounded soldiers as fast as their skills allowed them.
But before Rita could join Kalysto, a huge four meter tall Cyclops ran to the other side of the carriage where the rest of the heroes were just starting to get out.
“Get out of there, now!” Kalysto shouted. Her face lost all color as she saw the creature above them, as the innocent youngsters had no idea of the danger they were in.
But her warning came too late.
The huge Cyclops raised his thick sword and cleaved the carriage in two, cutting Gideon’s legs, Sandra’s hand and Edward’s foot, whose screams could be heard from afar.
“Ice spear!” Kalysto shouted, trying to stop the Cyclops from attacking them again, but the huge monster moved, making its spear embed in his left shoulder and not in his neck as she had wanted. ”What are you waiting for? Koden, Oscar Gabriel, get them out of here, now! Ice daggers! Ice manipulation!” Kalysto shouted as she jumped onto what was left of the carriage roof and faced the wounded Cyclops.
And as they fought the huge monster, a horde of monsters covered the flimsy figures of the priests, mages and temple knights surrounding the remains of the last carriage, the desperate gaze of one of them met Kalysto’s, his eyes heavy with resignation at a near death, stirring her heart.
****
Far away, several miles away, a cloaked figure covered in a black cloak lay kneeling on the floor in a wide, dimly lit room. In front of him, several meters away, a sober, feminine figure sat in a comfortable chair similar to a throne, but covered in iron and bones.
“What is the first king of the demons doing?” asked the woman, full of curiosity.
A bead of sweat trickled down the other hooded figure’s forehead as he struggled to hide the slight trembling of his lips before answering.
“All the spies we have sent so far have been killed long before we could acquire any information, my lord,” he replied, knowing full well that the creature in front of him did not like to waste her time with absurd conversations.
A growl escaped from the shadowy figure’s throat before letting out a prolonged sigh filled with weariness and disappointment.
“We’ll deal with him later..." she growled with annoyance, knowing that he could become a major obstacle to her plans. What about the third one?
“According to our spies, his wife has been somewhat ill and they fear she may go into labor early, so they have settled on a colony to the south. I’ve heard that childbirth is a difficult experience for his kind," the woman smiled at his words.
“That means he’ll be too busy to realize what’s about to knock on his door," she whispered as she rose from her throne with a mischievous smile shining on her lips.
Shadows enveloped her.
Her feminine figure faded as worked muscles grew where once there were only soft curves and even the hue of her eyes turned black. Two horns grew on either side of his forehead, curling back from his head as if they were an extension of his hair. While his delicate, rounded ears became larger and more pointed.
But his dark hair, though it changed shape, thickness and length, remained as black as a raven’s wings that reflected the moonlight with a soft blue glow.
“Prepare a portal!” he commanded, his powerful voice echoing through the spacious room. “Looks like we’ll have to speed things up a bit.”