Chapter 115

“The Ambush.” Part 5.

The corpse of the commander who had thanked her for her help less than half an hour ago lay sprawled on the ground, half-crushed by the Cyclops. As did those of half of the knights who had been protecting the left side of the carriage so far.

Kalysto dodged the sword of her enemy and leapt over his arm, climbing up to his shoulder where she lunged at that ugly face, burying her two elongated daggers in the single eye of the huge creature. The sound of the heavy sword shattering what was left of the carriage echoed in her ears and her heart shrank with fear for the group of teenagers she hoped had made it out of the carriage in time.

But as worried as she was for them, she couldn’t afford to be distracted. So Kalysto pulled out one of the daggers she had just buried in the Cyclops’ eye, and buried it again, this time a little further to the right. Blood spurted from the new wound, obstructing her vision.

The cyclops grunted and swung his hand at her, knocking her off him. The former waitress’ body slammed into another monster’s and bounced off the remains of the temple’s elegant carriage.

Shit, I didn’t see that coming! She scolded herself.

This time, it was her turn to grunt as she tried to turn around. The aching muscles in her body protested against the movement and an unexpected pain spread through her back and legs.

She didn’t even have time to stay on the ground to mourn her injuries.

A pack of wolves pounced on her as Kalysto caught a glimpse of the remains of the wizard-priest who had glared at her only two minutes ago, strewn on the ground.

A surge of pity swept over her, but it lasted little more than half a second.

“Sense of mana!” She whispered quickly, trying to locate among all the monsters and corpses around her if there were any humans still alive.

She found three to her left just before the first two wolves got to where she was and started biting her leg.

“Mana manipulation! Tundra!” She cast, making sure to leave a small circle around the two knights and the wounded mage. However, she was able to freeze with satisfaction the bodies of all the surrounding enemies. Even the thick saliva of the wolves whose sharp fangs were less than a centimeter from her legs.

A strong dizziness seized her as the familiar notifications flashed to her left and her stomach churned.

[Warning! The user has less than 10 MP left. Please wait a few minutes before attempting to use any skills again or your health will be severely affected].

Kalysto took a deep breath, forcing herself to enjoy the small moment of peace despite the strong nausea she felt.

[You have gained 1000 experience points!] x15.

A pitiful groan escaped her lips, and she took out a small vial of holy water with trembling hands and drank it, praying to whatever divinity could hear that she wouldn’t pour it on herself and have to wait another ten minutes before taking the next potion. As soon as she finished, she put the empty vial in her purple inventory and struggled to get up as the usual itch invaded every corner of her body.

She had barely managed to steady herself after placing her left hand on one of the frozen bodies when the mighty roar the cyclops let out, mixed with a stunned battle cry, paralyzed her.

What the hell? She thought, as her breathing became heavier and heavier, making it difficult to breathe.

A pair of notifications, one blue and one violet, appeared to her left.

[Warning! User has been affected by the fear ability and will not be able to move for the next two minutes.]

What?

Fear seized her as she felt that she was completely unprotected, even though she was still in the midst of the frozen bodies of her enemies that could serve as a temporary defense.

But that didn’t matter.

Not when memories of her nasty stepfather began to invade her mind. And she once again felt as helpless, small and unprotected as she did then.

The blurry memory of her mother, of her trembling body lying on the kitchen floor as her disgusting stepfather brought his filthy hands close to her churned her insides and chilled her blood.

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<> Growled a familiar voice in her head that sent a shiver of terror up and down her spine. Right after a small surge of comforting warmth.

Shit! Kalysto thought, recognizing it immediately.

<> Insisted that voice she hadn’t heard in weeks and had come to miss and fear at the same time.

It was ironic how the familiar sound brought her both comfort and caution mixed with insecurity.

It’s not your body, it’s mine! Kalysto rebutted.

<> Persephone scoffed, her voice full of the singular confidence that had always characterized her.

Kalysto closed her eyes for a few seconds and took a deep breath, trying hard to ignore her words as she gave herself some courage now that she knew she wasn’t alone.

And that she wasn’t there, still trapped in her own personal hell.

Stop bullshitting, this is my body! She assured her, with a conviction that wasn’t quite true.

And Persephone knew it.

She knew her too well for not knowing it.

And Kalysto could almost feel her darkness rejoicing inside her.

The thunderous sound of the carriage finishing being completely destroyed brought her back to reality as her vision cleared, noting with annoyance the nasty tattoo on her left hand which Milo and the court mages had insisted on putting on all the heroes before they left the palace for the giant monster-filled tower that sprouted from the earth just as the second prophecy had warned.

‘A tracking mark to keep you from getting lost inside a territory you don’t know.’ They had been told with a kind smile by the court mages, as if they truly believed they were doing them a great favor.

But Kalysto knew that this was nothing but lies.

What they really wanted was to prevent the heroes from escaping, just as the other four they had yet to find had done.

And it bothered her to see yet another tattoo on her body.

At least the queen’s one is pretty. She lamented, comparing the delicacy of the elaborate gold-colored tattoo that almost looked like it was done with henna, against the dark mark on the back of her hand.

A surge of anger washed over her.

How dare they mark us as if we were cattle! She snarled to herself, certain that the large, elaborate ‘M’ on the mark had little to do with King Medhas and more to do with Marquis Milo de Riva. I’m not some damned animal that will jump and roll in the mud every time he gives me a damned order!

“Come on Kalysto concentrate!“ She whispered, trying to use anger as a trigger.

<> Persephone began to plead, but her voice trailed off the moment the familiar coldness of her ability began to envelop her, and four signs, two blue and two violet appeared to her left.

[The passive skill Mental Defense has been activated.]

[The passive skill Pain Resistance has been activated.]

When the hell did it deactivate? Kalysto thought, as the pain that had seized her after the fall disappeared completely. She was sure she had been keeping it active the whole time to prevent Persephone from taking control of her body again.

But she didn't have time to worry about that.

The thick horns of a four-meter tall minotaur protruded above the bodies she had frozen, and the beast's black eyes were fixed on her.

Where did it come from? She thought, as she pulled a small mana crystal from her inventory and the minotaur raised its huge mace and smashed it into one of the frozen corpses, forcing its way to her.

[Does the user wish to absorb this mana crystal?]

[YES/NO]

Yes! she thought.

[Congratulations! The user has acquired 5000 MP!]

Shit! I was hoping it would be less than 4000 MP! Now I'll have to rush to spend it! She worried.

Immediately, with her left hand which was still touching the one of the statues using it as a support, she whispered:

Ice manipulation! Mana manipulation! -But the enemy's skin was too thick to be easily pierced. Ice manipulation! Mana manipulation! -She conjured again, and this time poured a large amount of mana, forcing the ice to transform into huge, hard spikes that pierced the minotaur's thick legs.

The beast roared in pain as a strong dizziness seized her and Kalysto had to use her other hand to steady herself and avoid falling face-first into the hard ground.

[Warning! The user has less than 10 MP left. Please wait a few minutes before attempting to use any skills again or your health will be severely affected].

Bile rose in her throat and her vision became blurry as her body was pushed to the side violently.

“Hey, get up!” growled a voice she didn't recognize. and as soon as she managed to open her eyes and focus her sight she looked at her savior. “Those things will be back soon and I can't do it without you!”

Unlike what she thought, it wasn't Rita who came to help her, but Oscar.

Not far from there, Milo attacked the monsters that were still near the second chariot, calming down when he saw that the mages of the allied kingdom together with the knights and the duke's people had almost finished exterminating the monsters that were blocking their advance in the front.

It was when he thought he heard Darla's annoying voice from inside the first carriage that he became aware of the presence of the temple knights who were supposed to be protecting the rear.

Along with some priests who had begun to heal some wounded and give them potions, using the carriage and a large ice barrier behind it as protective barriers.

“If the knights of the temple are here, who, in the name of the goddess, is protecting the heroes?” He asked the other fire mage next to him.

But Milo got no answer.