Zeke’s body still aches despite practicing with his new Recovery skill. Worse yet, his head felt like it was splitting at the seams, ready to explode at any moment.
Yet he urged himself to keep up with Mikella’s frantic dash towards the screaming Clara.
He can’t even imagine the pain of anything happening to Clara. While only two days passed for him, he couldn’t help but worry incessantly for the delightful little girl. So he clearly can’t imagine what Mikella might be going through now.
When they arrived, they saw Clara running within the vast treasure room, cleverly using the piles of gold coins still lying around as cover.
But it was all for naught as a few… scratch that, many Arthurian Knights ran after her. It was a crazy amount of knights that came out into the treasure room. What stumped him was how they seem to come out of the very same cavern they went through–the one where the lava bridge was at.
But he put those thoughts aside as he saw Clara jumping across the piles of gold, only to stumble and scrape across the gold piles to the floor. His heart ached when she looked back in fear, realizing that not only did her short legs stumbled and ended up hurting herself in the process…
But the amount of knights wielding many, many sharp weapons aiming for her.
Zeke didn’t even have to think. A barrier was conjured right around Mikella. He didn’t even realize that his barrier changed form once again.
He knew that a simple rectangle barrier wouldn’t be enough to completely protect Clara. What if those knights were crazy enough to scuttle around like roaches and go around the barrier? Once he knew the futility of making a barrier like that, his mind worked into overdrive.
His only intention is to protect Clara at all costs, and the barrier responded to his intense emotions.
The barrier became a perfect dome surrounding Clara, the shimmering turquoise light protecting her from any danger as the knights came in and tried to strike the child down. But it was to no avail.
The barrier stood taut, not a single weapon even managing to make it crack, much less break in to reach Clara. Even more surprising, Zeke felt his barrier withstand it all.
It was strange, as he didn’t really have such a feeling before. But he knew that this was the first time he fully intended to drop everything else in the vicinity, focusing primarily on Clara. And somehow, that special barrier he made contained… his will?
He wasn’t sure exactly, but it certainly contained a piece of him unlike most of the barriers he made. He wondered if his Mana Perception leveling up had its hand dipped into this phenomenon.
The knights seemed confused, not realizing why they couldn’t strike the child anymore despite finally reaching her. Some even looked frustrated, continuously striking the barrier with its greatsword.
Despite his best efforts, as more knights followed the first’s frustrating example, Zeke gritted his teeth as he felt his dome barrier slowly breaking.
But thankfully Mikella rushed in like a comet to the center of the mess.
And like a powerful meteor falling from the sky, the impact it left behind decimated the crowded knights apart. Them trying to huddle together like pigeons to specks of bread certainly didn’t help them as multiple pieces of armor flew about everywhere.
But Mikella wasn’t done. Zeke studied her every movement up to this point to try and keep up with her fighting style to better ensure his barriers, but that was becoming harder to do as she kept getting stronger.
She was just too fast. Her sword was a blur, and one swift movement that Zeke could pick up took down three knights at once. Another blur in the span of a single second, another set of knights were taken out.
But what was truly frightening from all this was the expression on her face.
She was furious.
Like a mother beast protecting her young against the predators who dared to act against her kin. A storm of unbridled rage and steel demolishing every knight she came across.
All the while, Zeke approached the barrier while still staring at the chaos ensuing across. Only a few knights remained trying to go after the barrier without remorse, but they were soon demolished from another swipe of Mikella’s sword.
That wasn’t all. She was so mad, she brought her spears and axes from her pack, and just chucked them right at the knights coming to her instead. She just kept slamming against the knights with her sword and doing what she could to deliver as much damage as possible to the other knights. It was getting ridiculous to watch.
But it was also mesmerizing. Her movements were sharp and agile, way more than before. He recalled her Acrobatics improving earlier, so that meant her movements were sharper and stronger than before.
Then a knight from behind suddenly came at her, slicing a part of her back. Zeke yelled, not even realizing how fast it was since his focus was on her. Even then, he had to ensure that his barrier worked for Clara, so he couldn’t protect her in time.
But Mikella just shrugged it off as she roared and literally backhanded the knight, crushing the knight’s helmet with her fist. It bled now, carmine liquid trailing down her white skin, but she didn’t even get phased as she went back to the slaughter.
Now that he thought about it, the knights usually took a while to get killed, but she was downing them one by one in a heartbeat.
He realized already that she had perfectly mastered using Hawk Eyes already. And each strike dealt to the knights didn’t just landed on the heads–she pierced the chest at a certain angle, destroying them utterly as though some underlying method to keep them alive was punctured by that very precise strike. Even some of the spears and axes she threw landed a killing blow at the knight, aiming for the center of the helmets.
Before long, everything was over. Metal parts were scattered everywhere, and the only one left standing was a woman who seemed to have just done a marathon. She was riddled with sweat, her face paling as her chest heaved drastically. Blood marred every visible part and her eyes flared at the sight, but there was also a glint of something in there that made Zeke notice something.
There was a hint of glee and joy in there. It was barely noticeable, perhaps even less than the nearly transparent mana. But he knew they were there, deep within Mikella’s sharp yellow eyes.
But the moment she turned around to find Clara, the old light of a concerned sister returned again. She dropped her sword, surprising Zeke since she usually cradled the weapon like it was her baby as she ran towards the barrier.
She didn’t even stop as she pushed her face to the barrier, almost like a mother trying to get at her child from behind a glass door. Being at the other side of the transparent barrier, it was a little comical to look at.
Where was that warrior that nearly scared the shit out of him just seconds ago? She completely vanished when Clara came into her sight. He smiled at the image.
“Clara! Sweetie, are you alright? I’m so, so, so sorry for leaving you like that!” Mikella turned to Zeke, her eyes begging. “Zeke, let me in, please!”
Zeke immediately called the barrier down. Just as well, Clara rushed to Mikella who eagerly opened her arms to embrace her fully.
“Sissy!” Clara cried out, tears and snot running down her face. “Sissy! I was so scared! It was so scary! I tried to run away when they came in, but I didn’t want to bother you while you were fighting, so I ran and ran and, and…!”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m here now,” Mikella didn’t let up on embracing her little sister, brushing her silky black hair and rubbing her back for good measure. “Sissy’s here now. Everything's gonna be alright.”
The two stayed like that for a while, Clara letting out tears and cries that could almost call the entire castle onto them. But Zeke knew better than to interrupt this as he instead called up his dome barrier to surround themselves.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
He figured the Mana spent making this perfect dome would be astronomical, but it was actually less than even a super dense barrier he could’ve made. He could tell instantly that the dome barrier could shatter to a single powerful strike compared to its regular rectangular form which could take multiple. Spreading the mana all around certainly decreased its potency, but if he kept practicing at it, he could make a powerful dome that nobody can touch. Hell, he was sure he could put it up even while he slept, which would be a blessing since it doesn’t continually drain mana unless he had to repair or add more layers to it.
Huh… now that was a thought he hadn’t tried yet.
For now, he could only be thankful that he had the power to protect Clara. Any other scene other than the two sisters reuniting would be unforgivable.
After a few minutes of trying to calm Clara down, her cries ceased as she slowly closed her eyes. Her head rested on Mikella’s comforting embrace. She didn’t sleep, she just laid there.
Zeke couldn’t imagine what this poor child had to go through. Even if she was protected by the barrier, she could still see through the glass-like wall. He wouldn’t be able to protect her mind from the trauma that might occur. Each strike on the barrier must have been powerful, because he’s always been at the other side of it, feeling those strikes for himself just by the sound and vibrations alone.
Even he would be scared to see that happening, to feel it happening so close.
So he stayed quiet, letting the sisters recover, to heal. All the while, he wanted to let his body recover as well. The battle from before was still ailing him, causing him to get a shiver every once in a while.
This entire event taking place was just too much for them. After seeing the sisters relax a bit more, he called out to the girl.
“Oh, Clara, I got something cool to show you.”
The girls shifted their attention to him as he approached Clara, staring at the dirt and grime she put herself through to survive.
Then he spotted the many cuts and bruises on her legs. He gritted his teeth, anger taking hold of his chest to see the little girl marred with injuries from running away. He lifted his hand, calming himself as he cast his spell.
Clara’s eyes widened as his hand started to glow with his turquoise color, but turned shocked to find that no barrier came up. Instead, her legs slowly recovered from their injuries, starting by making the cuts and the bruises disappear.
Clara kept hollering in ‘wows’ and ‘whoas’, causing both the adults to smirk at the response before finally, her legs returned to normal.
Stepping away, Zeke watched as Clara jumped up and down, twisting her ankles and knees over and over again as though she was trying to prove that all the pain she felt were still there. She smiled at him, her eyes glowing like they were bright stars in the night sky.
“That was so cool!” Clara shouted. “You healed me! Like magic!”
“Because it is magic,” Zeke chuckled, an earnest smile on his face. He stood up, looking over Clara again as he asked. “How do you feel? Do you still feel any pain?”
“Nope!” Clara made a little spin, her arms outstretched. “I’m cured, doc!”
Zeke had to really stifle his giggle from the words. Mikella, however, took full liberty and guffawed before turning to Zeke with a genuine smile. She brushed Clara’s hair as usual.
“Thanks for protecting her.”
“It’s nothing,” Zeke shrugged, trying to brush off the praise. It really was nothing. That’s his job as an adult and as a grown man.
“Still…” Mikella’s eyes grew solemn. “Thanks.”
Zeke took a moment before nodding in approval. He looked away as he felt his cheeks flushed. Even if it was obvious, being thanked for his duty felt like it was too much. Still, he understood her resolve to give proper gratitude.
He didn’t know how much time had passed after that. During that time, he had already received a notification regarding his healing skill.
> Recovery Level Up! It is now Level 2.
>
> You have gained +1 INT from your skill.
> You have gained +2 SPI from your skill.
It was easier than he expected, but at the same time it made sense. It was at Level 1, and getting it to Level 2 was easy to do if he just healed a few times. It even provided the same upgrades as Barrier Craft.
Being within his barrier, they were safe, especially after his attribute increase. But he knew that they can’t stay here for long.
The sounds from the outside were damped thanks to the dome covering them entirely. He supposed that the Mana, while completely energy based, still contained a sense of physicality as it dampened the sounds from the outside. This was also the first time he was inside of his own dome barrier, so this was new to him.
But he could also hear the sounds of metal boots hitting the ground. More were coming.
He wanted to stay, to relax and let the sisters heal, but he forced himself to stand. Just like him, Mikella also stood, holding Clara’s hand.
“We gotta move,” Zeke said, his voice harsh. He was thankful for the brief respite, but he was still a little sore at the number of knights coming after them just after defeating the boss. “Those knights from earlier felt like the trash mobs that we were supposed to handle while fighting the wyvern. Now that everything’s over, this place is probably back to throwing us knights left and right again.”
“Trash mobs?” Mikella asked. “You mean the monsters that surround the boss to distract the party?”
“Yep,” Zeke nodded, then turned to Clara. “Thanks to Clara, we didn’t have to deal with them while we fought the wyvern. I know it was scary, but you did great in keeping them away.”
Clara’s eyes widened, this time in awe. “R-Really? I did good?”
“Of course you did,” Mikella said, instantly picking up Zeke’s meaning. “Thanks to you, we were able to beat the wyvern! You’re the best!”
Clara beamed at the praise, and compared to Zeke, she took it rather well as she seemed to jitter and shake from the joy she felt.
Of course, he sent a look to Mikella stating that they will never leave Clara again to do that, even if it might help. As though she read his thoughts, she sent a glance his way to say the same.
There was nothing wrong with keeping the morale up, but the two adults knew by heart that they were just incredibly lucky that nothing bad happened.
“Zeke, how’s your arm?” Mikella asked, getting him to double check.
“It’s a little numb, but I can still use it,” Zeke said honestly. Despite healing himself with Recovery, he still felt sore in some places. Goes to show that his healing skill is still too weak to truly heal everything.
“Then, can I ask you to carry Clara?” Mikella asked, prompting Clara to take notice and stare at him as well. Zeke’s eyes widened at that.
“Is that really okay?” Zeke asked. While he proved that he wasn’t some gross creep to little girls, he was still surprised to hear Mikella say that.
“Yes,” Mikella nodded. “Even if she is healed, I’d feel better knowing you have her. That’s if you’re okay with it.”
“Of course I am, but… Clara, are you okay with that?”
“Yes! I’m okay,” Clara said. “I actually… umm, I still feel really tired. So, umm…”
Zeke nodded in understanding. It looked like even if he healed her injuries, that still didn’t help Clara get into a running shape. More likely they’ll land themselves in some trouble again, so it was better that Zeke carried her for safety. Now that he thought about it, being a mage and all helped him have lots of free room while Mikella had to carry weapons to fight back.
Mikella gently carried Clara over to Zeke, and Zeke carefully picked up Clara as she handed the girl to him. He made sure to carry her weight properly, helping her up all the way to reach to his shoulders to use as a piggy back.
It was an awkward process for a moment, but eventually Clara held onto his shoulders tightly with her legs, her arms latched around his neck. Mikella made sure to tell her not to strangle the poor man as Clara nodded profusely in understanding.
Meanwhile, Zeke was going through a minor self-reflection. Clara felt so… little. So tiny. Was she really ten years old? She felt like she was just newly born into the world. He never held a child before, and he could’ve sworn that ten year olds were bigger and weightier than what he was feeling now. Then again, his Strength stat was probably making that easier for him, as little as it was.
“Are you okay?” Zeke asked. “Do you feel uncomfortable? Don’t be afraid to speak up if you do.”
“It’s all good,” Clara answered from above his head. “You’re super tall! I can see really high from up here.”
Mikella smiled. “You look like a dad with Clara on you like that.”
“I’m not surprised,” Zeke shrugged, getting Clara to giggle again when he did. She was on top of them, after all. “I am old enough for a kid.”
The pleasant conversation unfortunately ended as the stomping beyond grew louder. Not even his barrier could contain the noise anymore as they saw several knights coming forward, brandishing their weapons as though they were ready to lay siege on an enemy castle.
Mikella picked up and brandished her sword, her face turning sharp and precise like before. It was like a fantasy to suddenly see her change like this.
“Guess we’re not done yet,” Mikella said, readying her stance.
“Mikella… you sure you’re okay with this? You’re going to be alone for a bit.”
Zeke asked to be sure. It’s as though after killing the boss, the knights became invigorated to fight the intruders. Now that he has Clara on his shoulders, he can’t go in and help with an axe strike like before.
“As long as you’re here, I have nothing to fear,” Mikella said, smiling to herself at the little rhyme. Even Zeke couldn’t contain his smile. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Sissy!” Clara cried out, her voice now returning with fervor. “Kick their asses!”
Zeke flinched at the little girl cursing, but Mikella easily greeted back with a wink at her, then nodded at Zeke.
Zeke opened a small hole in the dome, and in that short brief of time, Mikella flew off into the distance. He then closed the dome back up, watching the fight from beyond the dome.
For the next few minutes, she made short work of the following knights. All the while, he kept Clara company.
“Sissy looks so cool…” Clara commented, tapping Zeke’s head. “Do you think she’s cool?”
“She’s…” Zeke considered his wording for a moment, then he just threw caution to the wind. “She’s a badass, for sure.”
Clara giggled as she cheered for her big sister who just recently skewered two knights all at once with her sword like a giant metal kebab.