Chapter 144
“The Escape.” Part 2
Kalysto’s stomach churned as she stepped through the portal.
Her foot stumbled and Koden rushed to catch her before she fell on the cool grass.
“Are you all right? What happened? You look pale!” the tank worried.
“My stomach," complained Rita, still on the ground after passing through the portal.
“What the hell happened to you two in there?” insisted Koden with a frown.
“There was another monster hiding in there. I thought we were going to die," answered Rita.
“But I saw the sign announcing the boss’s defeat, plus the portal opened just like the other floors! I even leveled up!”
“Good for you," muttered Kalysto, as she stood up and the strong dizziness that overwhelmed her began to subside.
“Are you all right?” He asked again, “How can I help you?
“Let me know when it’s ten minutes to take another potion, please,” answered Kalysto.
“I don’t have a watch..." the young man worried and looked at the rest of the heroes, who were still sleeping while he looked for a solution. “Rita?”
“Here," murmured the blonde, raising the hand in which she had her watch and Koden immediately approached her and helped her lean against a nearby rock while he looked at the time, taking advantage of the fact that the sun had not yet finished setting while the sky was tinged with different colors.
Then Kalysto pulled out the communication crystal.
“Caranthir, we’re already outside the tower!” And this time, unlike the previous occasions, the elf answered immediately.
“I can see the tower crumbling and some monsters fleeing, but I don’t see you.”
“Just give me a second," she murmured and then looked at Rita, but in the bad state she was in, she doubted that the cheerful blonde could help them. Then she took out a mana crystal.
And before she could summon the absorption ability, the window activated on its own.
[Does the user wish to absorb this mana crystal?]
[YES/NO]
Yes! she thought as a pitiful moan escaped from her throat.
[Congratulations! The user has acquired 3500 MP!]
“Look to the sky, and follow the pillar of fire," she warned him. But before activating her skills, she thought it would be better to wake up the other heroes. “Dispel Ezhil! Ezhil Purification!” She added in a low whisper at the last minute, worried that there might be some remnants of the poisonous smoke on them.
“Rita, your mark is gone!” The tank was surprised and immediately checked the mark the wizards had placed on his shoulder, but just like Rita’s, it disappeared before his eyes. Then they both looked at Kalysto, who immediately put a finger on her lips, asking them not to say anything about it. “Thank you," he whispered.
“Thank you, for everything really," added Rita, and Kalysto nodded her head.
“Fire blast!” She conjured and while little by little the heroes woke up and the golden light of their skills began to disappear at the same time that a huge puff of fire came out of her mouth and headed towards the sky. Less than a second later, a human-looking wizard appeared before them with a bow and a quiver full of arrows strapped to his back. His long blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail and his beautiful blue eyes were fixed on Kalysto.
“Sain..." he began to greet her as he bowed his head, but Kalysto interrupted him immediately.
No, now," she said, “How many of us can you take in one trip?
“If it were a shorter trip, I could take them all, but Solis is a long way from here. Normally, it would take a couple of days to get there on horseback. I have prepared in advance a room from which we can show up.”
“In that case,” Kalysto nodded towards the elf and then turned and looked at the rest of the group who were just starting to wake up, “Koden, bring Oscar here! Rita, Koden, Oscar and I will be the last ones! The rest, Caranthir, will take you to a safe place!” And without waiting for the response from the rest, Caranthir immediately approached the group of youngsters and cast the teleportation spell that took them to the room he had rented a few hours ago.
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As soon as they got there, Caranthir pulled out a one-liter mana potion and drank half of it in a couple of gulps before casting the spell again and returning to where the fairy champion was.
“Everything ready?” Kalytso asked as soon as he appeared before them.
“Yes, madam.”
“Then let’s waste no time and get us out of here immediately,” she ordered.
“What the hell happened to the tower?” Gideon demanded as soon as they appeared. “And who is this guy?“
“Where are we?” -Edward questioned.
“What happened?” -Gabriel asked.
“We escaped from the tower, that’s what happened," answered Kalysto and before the rest interrupted her she added, “We need to clarify some things,” she announced with a serious tone, looking each of them in the eyes and giving them to understand that she was not willing to tolerate any interruption. “Since we have escaped from the kingdom of Balsahty, what you do with your lives from now on is your problem. But I recommend that you travel north and stay as far away as you can from Balsahty and its people. I will help you to enroll in the adventurers guild so you can have a way to survive in this world, I suggest you take advantage of the opportunity but I warn you that from now on you must forget your names, you can use your maternal surnames and if you have a middle name or a nickname, use it and get used to use your new identities. It would be completely stupid if the people of Balsahty caught you for using your real names.”
“Are you going to abandon us here?” Edward was shocked.
“Didn’t you want to prove your worth a while ago?” she questioned, arching an eyebrow. And Edward nodded sheepishly.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean that...”
“Then become adventurers and prove your strength and courage for yourselves," Kalysto interrupted him. “I don’t have to carry any of you.“
“…” Edward looked down as she headed for the exit. “What will you do from now on?” He asked and Kalysto let out a long sigh before answering as she opened the door.
“What I do or don’t do with my life Edward, is, and will always be, my problem and no one else’s." then she turned and looked over her shoulder at them. “I suggest you come with us and register before I leave and decide not to pay for your guild registration. It is not free… Caranthir, we are leaving," she said, and the elf hurried after her, followed by Koden and Rita, who grabbed Oscar’s hand and pulled him with her.
After they went to a trading house where Rita, Oscar, Koden, and Kalysto took the opportunity to sell the things they had looted from the tower and get some gold, the saintess took the opportunity to sell two of the swords she had looted from the army that invaded the capital the day they arrived in Elinor to make sure she had enough money to cover everyone’s expenses.
Then they headed to the adventurer’s guild, where she paid for the registration of the rest of the heroes, along with their new IDs.
“Aren’t you going to register?” Rita asked.
“We still have to find a cheap place for you to stay for a few days while you start earning money” The blonde’s cheeks turned red and before she or Koden could object, she added. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll register later. " Then she turned to Caranthir. “Is there a place for them to sleep that is cheap and safe?” The elf watched her silently for a long moment before answering.
“I think there is a place that might fit what you are looking for," he answered. And they all walked to the entrance of an inn.
“Do you expect us to stay in this pigsty?” Gideon complained as he saw the old wooden sign and the smell of rancid beer and sweat hit his delicate nose. “The one we were in before was much better!”
“If you have a gold coin to go and pay for it, go ahead. I’m not going to stop you," Kalysto replied before entering and standing in front of the innkeeper, who was cleaning a glass tumbler with an old rag.
“How can I help you?” said the man in his forties with muscular arms.
“How much to rent a room with food included for a week?” asked the saintess.
“For how many people? Asked the man, looking at each member of the group.
“Seven.”
“Mmm...I have one room with two bunk beds that is available, otherwise I only have one room with a double bed and two rooms for one person. If you are only going to take one of the singles, I can let you have all three for two silver coins with three meals a day included.”
“I will take them," answered Kalysto and the man handed her three keys as she placed the two silver coins on the counter.
“Second floor at the back and to the right," he announced. “The lunch is served at noon and dinner at seven o’clock. Breakfast is ready at six in the morning.”
“Thank you." after walking away from the counter, Kalysto turned to the group. And hugged Rita. “I’ll see you and Koden in two weeks. If you’re going to change places, leave the reason with the innkeeper," she whispered in her ear and handed her the key to the room with the double bed.
“Again, I don’t know how I can thank you for all you have done for me. I hope you find your friend soon," she whispered.
“I imagine you and Oscar will take the opportunity to make up," she murmured mischievously, making the blonde blush.
“Kalysto!” she scolded her, but that only made the saintess laugh harder.
“Don’t forget to invite me to the wedding," she teased before approaching the tank. “See you in two weeks,” she said to Koden after handing him the key to the room with a single bed.
“I hope everything goes as you expect. And thank you for everything," he replied in a solemn voice and with a bit of awkwardness, as he scratched the back of his neck.
“Thank you for your good wishes.”
Then Kalysto turned to Edward and handed him the key to the four-person room.
“This will be the last favor I do for you. After this, never expect anything free from me again," the young man looked down, with a mixture of sadness and shame in his eyes, and just nodded his head.
“And why does Koden have a room all to himself?” Gideon complained and Emanuel nodded his head in agreement with the blond.
“Work and pay for yours if you want one," replied Kalysto reluctantly, tired of Gideon’s spoiled rich boy attitude and Emanuel’s hypocrisy, who had just stopped ignoring her and started talking to her when they reached the tower. “Goodbye,” she added, approaching the elf.
A few seconds after leaving the inn, Caranthir turned to her, waiting for her next order.
But after having used the elf as a magic cab to teleport through every city in the kingdoms of Solis, Zeer and Thaluz, and checking every adventurer’s guild office in them for the next twenty-four hours, they had not found a single trace of Alice or her grandparents.