Ikrei P.O.V.

The ground was rumbling. I woke up not really getting my bearings. I hastily stood up and checked myself. Everything seemed to be in order. I had a slight pain in my joints but otherwise I was feeling alright.

There was nobody inside the cave. The rumbling continued so I grabbed my gear that was next to my makeshift bed. Brand new gear, pristine. This must be Freslia’s doing, she’s the only one with a temporal space ring.

I headed over to the entrance holding my blades trying to make sense of things. Looking out the cave Krigsain, Iru and Ciel were fighting dark clothed soldiers that were charging forward.

“I got one!” Screamed Krigsain.

“I got three, but who’s counting?” Iru requited.

“Focus you two.” Shouted Ciel as she fired several rounds of double blue light arrows.

A soldier with an axe that escaped the death zone created by those three came at me.

I reacted instinctively without any proper train of thought. The heavy axe came straight down to where I was. I evaded on a single side step and made a cut on the man’s forearms all the way through. The man dropped his axe.

Before he could react or evade I sliced his throat. A pinpoint attack right between the gaps in his armor. The hellish torture was paying off. I was as surprised as the dying man in front of me fell because of my swift movements.

“This damn woman!” I greeted my teeth in refusal.

I will not consciously approve of the methods being used to make me strong. You may call it petty, obtuse but I’m a human not a dog. The carrot and stick method is for animals. At least that was what I was thinking.

“Sleeping beauty is up.” Noted Iru.

“Fire the arrow!” Exclaimed Krigsain.

Ciel dutifully executed the command. The arrow lit up the night settling near a group of adepts who were fighting. It was the Malgrunian force, I could see their cloaks easily. They were getting hit with massive force. Some of them staggered back, others carried their onslaught at a single figure.

The black hair fluttering with two blades forming beautifully choreographed arcs, the blade dance.

It was Freslia slithering through their ranks as she killed them without a glance.

Before I could ask anything Iru spoke, “You have been sleep for two days. We need to leave.”

The trio surrounded me, placing my sorry ass at the center. I looked down the ridge and saw at least 40 men with their leaders. The ones who broke through Freslia’s blades and her strange powers were the ones my travel companions were fighting.

“How long has this been going on?” I blurted.

” About half an hour.” Ciel told me.

“Take cover!” Yelled Iru as he created a bluish crystalline barrier in front of us.

The soldiers were throwing orgonid charges at our position. There were several of them.

BOOOM!

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The barrier shook and crackled a little.

Likewise, several explosions were heard where Freslia was fighting.

The rumbling of the stony ground intensified. An oppressive feeling was felt in the air.

“Zigurs! Five of them!” Ciel pointed her bow and shot another soldier straight in the chest through the armor.

More explosions everywhere, dust and rocks were sent all over the place. I couldn’t make sense of my surroundings.

Crackle, crackle. The barrier made way and we were pushed back towards the entrance of the cave. Though the debris I could glean that Krigsain was smiling. He broke formation and charged at the incoming explosive charges.

I was struck with amazement.

He was slicing them up and making them burst with each precise slash of his sword. He was taking the brunt of the eruption.

He is mad, absolutely mad.

“Iru heal him! Freslia is coming! Ikrei with me!” Ciel gave orders frantically without stopping.

Her arrows started to rain on the charging soldiers.

“Krigsain and Freslia will hold them. We need to go!” She said.

Ciel pushed me towards the edge of the ridge. I could see the crevasse where Freslia had jumped down the other day.

“Shouldn’t we hide in the cave? The enemy keeps coming.” I said visibly troubled.

More charges were being thrown at Krigsain and Iru, a couple of them reached us.

The charges went off.

BOOOM!

Krigsain and Freslia continued to retreat heading towards the ridge as well.

“Get ready.” Freslia screamed.

Ciel started raining arrows again trying to target as many opponents as she could. Freslia was fending off the combined attacks of the four Zigurs she had chosen to engage. Krigsain was fighting off the remaining one while still retreating.

The clash of swords resounded throughout. Slashes, stabs, blocks and parries were traded off.

“Why can’t you kill them? Throw everything at them.” Someone ordered loudly from the enemy throng.

Through the hubris that is Freslia for fighting several Zigurs simultaneously, I was shocked. I could barely see how Freslia blocked some attacks, parried others or made a counter move. Some of the Zigur attacks couldn’t even reach her. She seemed to have some sort of localized barrier but it occurred at different locations every time. A very strange phenomenon.

Although many had fallen, there were Five Zigurs now. A step too far even for the Deathbringer considering the Malgrunians were heavily equipped. More charges came our way.

I was ready to be blown away at any moment. Seven orgonid charges came our way, at least the ones that I could count.

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

The charges erupted in all directions midair. Freslia glanced back relieved.

“How?”

Even though I couldn’t make sense of what I saw, I knew Freslia had done it. Strange powers again.

“Iru now!” Roared Freslia.

A glittering crystalline barrier materialized as Freslia and Krigsain retreated pass him at full speed. Ciel’s bow shined bright in the night as an arrow of fire materialized on it. She was sweating, whatever she was doing it strained her.

“Fire!” The volley was shot towards the sky over the frontal barrier.

The arrow split into many smaller arrows that burned everything upon contact with the surface. A wall of fire. A firewall and a magic barrier.

The combined attacks from the Zigurs crashed into them while Krigsain played meat shield for the areas not covered by the barrier. Iru wasn’t a Claimere to cover a whole area with a barrier.

“AAARGHH!”

A scream filled with pain came from the young handsome muscle mass. Iru grabbed him from the scruff of his neck and threw him injured into the crevasse, He jumped in a couple of breaths after.

Ciel jumped into the depths with her back to the forest below. She was pointing her bow at something.

Dozens of charges exploded as Freslia threw them behind her.

“I think they came from her temporal ring.” I pondered scared out of my wits.

The barrier, the firewall and the rocks trembled. The frenzied attacks from the Zigurs didn’t reach us.

Freslia grabbed me by the shoulder and pushed me back. She was throwing me into the abyss.

“Claimere! Claimere!” I shouted as I felt my body lift up from the bedrock.

Suspended midair with my eyes looking at the starry night sky I started my unwilling plunge into the depths.

A breath later, the crazy Claimere was diving headfirst towards me.

I finally got a good look at her features as the hood from her cloak was removed. I must say, she was truly beautiful and she was also truly the height of insanity.

The foolish woman was smiling. She was smiling at me, unbelievable.

“Claimere? Claim my ass!” I thought as I continued my uninterrupted fall.

I kept falling and a moment later I felt something akin to a ripple on my back. A strong feeling of suction enveloped me. I closed my eyes frightened. The feeling of being cut a thousand times traversed through my body.

A breath later I felt like water. A dissolving solution, evaporating into nothing.

“AAAHHH!!!”

I had only one last thought on my mind, Freslia.

I really dislike this woman.