The stone bullet exploded. Dozens of head-sized chunks flew everywhere. The armor clad warriors nimbly avoided the projectiles, some casting barriers, while some even broke the shards with their fists. Garret pressed himself closer to the wall. Stray pieces crushed themselves against the sturdy building.
He peeked over the side of his defense to observe more of the scene. If he were to jump in, whose side would he be on? Considering the knights were under the direct command of Athen Caldor and along with the possibility that Aisha Weaver or Yurfray could have something to do with the attack, his loyalties leaned towards the knights.
However, the man claimed to be Yeran, a childhood friend. There was no way this was Yeran, Garret saw his demise with his own two eyes. The possibility occurred to him they shared the same name, yet, he knew this wasn't the case. Other than the fact that Yeran was an uncommon name and it stemmed from the elven race, the man seemed to have trouble as he said the name.
Another thought popped into his mind. If Garret was able to take the two nobles away from the knights and the masked man, perhaps they'd be willing to provide him with information. Compared to the dubious masked man and the two Yurfrays' obvious issues with the knights, Garret was a clear improvement over both of those options.
Garret curved his fingers awaiting any opening.
The cloaked man placed his hands on the ground and a pillar of earth shot out. One out of the five was caught. He flew into the air but rather than being thrown a few hundred feet away and out of combat, he twisted and shot gusts of air from his hands, steadying himself and landing safely down.
The paper holder threw open his arms and released a bolt of lightning. "Yeran" retaliated with his own, casting no spells. They clashed and fizzled out. The cloaked man was a lightning user, the same as Garret.
Two knights with single white stripes across their chests moved to capture the Yurfrays during the collision of magic. The boy kicked up a spear, grabbed onto it, and swung in a wide arc. One stepped back while the other ducked low and reached for him.
"[Greater Lightning Bolt]!" the masked man assisted the boy.
"[Thunderous Roar]!"
The knight who stepped back unleashed his voice and a normal spell, disrupting Yeran's imposter's aim.
"Captain!" he yelled.
The one with the colored helm whirled a paralyze spell.
"[Mud Wall]." the imposter shielded himself with a pile of wet earth. "[Frost Blast]!" the wall turned into solid ice, "[Shattering Fist]!"
It shattered and hundreds of sharp fragments launched themselves at the knights. The two Yurfrays backed away and threw up a barrier as the knight charging them was also forced to stop by the combined attack.
The knight in the air, the one most vulnerable shouted, "[Whistling Blast]" and launched powerful concentrated air breaths through the openings in his helmet. However, the smaller shards still found their way to him but failed to penetrate deep enough into his armor to cause any injury.
"Help!" someone screamed.
Garret scoured the area for any civilians. He found none. He realized the voices were coming from all over the city. The sound of clinking chains initially had him suspect the armored men in front of him, however, he realized it couldn't be made simply from five knights.
Guards were mobilizing. Something other than this fight was occurring. Luckily, since it was so early in the morning, he didn't have to worry about random citizens getting caught up in, at least, the battle he was spectating. The noble's area was separated from usual housings and were on unimportant streets, meaning that most people would never have known this arrest and battle took place at all. It was true that nobles were "neighbors" but they lived far enough away that minor disruption wouldn't catch their attention.
The only notable places nearby the houses of the nobles were the warehouses which held multiple goods from the merchant guild and other various organizations.
"Halt!" the captain of the five shouted. "Why are you attacking us?"
Yeran didn't respond. He glanced over to the nobles, then behind himself, and then to the paper holding knight's hand. To Garret's surprise, he held another one, something different from the order to investigate an Aisha Yurfray.
Suddenly, the masked man threw his hands around his head and began to scream. His fingers latched onto the sides of his cranium and dug themselves deeper. His veins enlarged around the arms and the neck. Lightning arced from his whole body.
"Subdue him!" the captain ordered. "Bring him in for questioning!"
Instantly breaking off with one foot, the paper holding knight and one of the white stripes charged.
"AARRGGHH!"
The yellow arcs of lights discharging from his body shot out at the knights as if they were still under some control. With a wave of their swords they deflected and absorbed the bolts.
As the paper holder reached for the masked man, he ducked. Sweeping the knight's leg from under him, Yeran grabbed hold of one arm and swung the knight over his shoulder while also performing a side flip. He released a bolt of lightning, blindsiding the white stripe. It hit him square in the chest and he was thrown away.
The captain, while his comrades were pursuing the name stealer, chose to go after the Yurfrays.
Understanding that this was his only chance, Garret cast an earth pillar, blocking the leader's path. Garret broke from his hiding place and sent mana to his legs. Just like what happened with the imposter, electricity emitted from both legs and propelled him forward at greater speeds.
He dashed by the surprised wind knight who tended to his damaged armor and shouldered the other white stripe out of the way.
"[Dimensional Slash]!"
Out of nowhere, a rip in reality appeared before Garret along with a sharp edge of steel. He stopped in time. Choosing not to linger on the close encounter, he jumped towards the two Yurfrays, who were just as surprised as the two other knights, and grabbed their arms.
"With me!" he yelled.
They responded with unnatural compliance and followed him.
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The masked man stood in absolute shock. The appearance of Garret had seemed to be an absolute surprise to all parties involved. Each knight, excluding the captain and those recoiling from recent attacks, watched in dazed confusion as Garret led the Dylan and Millicent away.
Ryker, the captain, chased after them. Following this display, the man in black chased after the captain. Symond, the only other knight without any form of damage so far, pointed and opened his hand. Massive tendrils sprouted from the palm and grasped onto their masked enemy.
"[Shock]!"
Reacting quickly, the mysterious man sent waves of electricity back, using the tendrils as the connecting points. Symond Reeled from the abrupt pain and released his ability. He struggled to move his fingers as they continued to uncontrollably shake.
Silently, the masked man allowed a powerful bolt of lightning to flow towards the captain. The knight leader sensed the attack and defended himself with a small barrier covering his hand.
The man dressed in black lunged at Ryker and mounted him. Pulling from his side a short sword he channeled his lightning affinity through it causing the blade to grow serrations made of electricity. He attempted to end the captain's life and thrust it at his chest.
Ryker urgently took hold of the blade with his protected hands and pushed back. Despite the strength of the captain, the sword inched closer and closer.
The air affinity knight launched an air blast from his fist directly hitting the man on the back. He tumbled off of Ryker, rolling back onto his feet. All of the momentarily out of combat knights rose from the ground and faced him. Oddly defiant and refusing to run away, the man clasped both hands together.
"[Surge]!"
He released his grasp and a mighty wave of electricity came forth. They all hid behind barriers, however, the spell destroyed two out of the five, one being that of the paper holder's. He lept at the opportunity while the others were still slightly stunned by the disorientation of the spell.
Serrations appeared on the blade and tore through the weaker neck armor like butter. The knight who held the official orders fell to the ground, clutching at his throat. The man plucked the paper out of his hand and retreated as the other knights unleashed far more vicious spells at him.
The masked man looked at the paper which read, “Investigation of warehouses” and on the list included those of the merchant guild’s.
"Start healing right away!" Ryker commanded.
The knight who bore the similar white striped armor as Symond went on both knees and began the healing process. Ryker sent Symond to find the masked man and the air knight to chase after Garret and the Yurfrays. Watching as the wounds around his ally's neck closed slowly, he cursed his order to capture the cloaked man.
"If only I had given the order to kill him." he muttered to himself.
"Not your fault captain," the healer said, "Information is most important right now." sweat appeared on his brow as he intensified his healing. "Still, we can't let them get away or this story to leak. We should've came at night."
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The knight leader sighed and put his fist to his head. His eyes flashed opened and he screamed, "Who's there?" from the corner of his eye, he spotted a shadow disappearing. Unwilling to let another enemy or witness escape, he unleashed a devastating fireball.
The side of the building was completely destroyed and laying on the ground, clothes burned, but still alive, was a man working for the merchant’s guild. Garret’s father. Ryker approached and dragged him away.
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We ended up spending the entire day watching battles take place in the arena. Nothing too spectacular.
Luckily, although it’s a little rude of me to say, I didn’t encounter Mr. Rune once at all today. I saw him refereeing the matches but he never paid any attention to me. If my existence became as insignificant to him as an ant’s, I don’t really think I’d mind… maybe just a little bit.
Walking down the hall, I exchange a few words with Harneth. Apparently she noticed me during my last visit to the library. She thought it was odd that I chose to avoid her… was it that easy to tell?
“Where are Iris and Elis?” She asks.
“Elis went to the park and Iris went to the post office.” Iris wanted to check if she had gotten the return letter from her sister yet. It’s unfortunate that mine lives so far away when compared to hers. The roads aren’t the greatest either.
“Oh, so you guys do things on your own.”
I nod. As much as I’d like to do more things together, like having all three of us read a book then discuss it afterwards, it wouldn’t really be possible. I’m sure if I asked Iris and Elis they wouldn’t mind but Elis might have a hard time focusing. It’d be unfair to them if I only I got to do what I wanted.
An idea strikes me. Maybe, just maybe…
“W-what kind of book were you reading H-Harneth?” If it’s even possible that Harneth is interested in books, I should try making another friend. Possibly… if she’s okay with it. I’m probably one of the most controversial ones to become friends with right now.
“Hmmm.” she rubs her chin in contemplation. “It was a book about a soldier in the military and his experience with war. He was jealous of adventurers because they killed monsters while he had to kill men and those of other intelligent races.”
“O-oh.” that sounds dark. I don’t know if I’d enjoy it. But it’s probably isn’t a bad book. There’s almost no way a book or a story could be completely bad. Every story has something that makes it special.
“What were you so interested in yesterday Ellar?”
“M-me?” I ask, surprised.
She nods, “Yes you.”
I wasn’t expecting this at all. If I told her about it, would she think it’s just a story as well? If she does, then it probably is nothing more than a madman’s writing… Does that diminish the worth of his other stories?
“F-Floating Islands.” I answer.
At this, she raises and eyebrow. “Interesting. Very interesting.” She reaches up and fingers her elven ear. “We elves have quite a few stories about those.”
“R-really?”
“Aha. We do, but I’m not sure how many of them are accurate. They’re written by the oldest of the elves you know. They’re incredibly wise but sometimes their memories and sanity leaves them.”
Ah. That’s… unfortunate. Maybe it is just a delusion or a made up story. But…
“Isn’t it weird that there are so many stories about it?” I ask.
She shrugs, “It is, just a bit. It’s possible that they could’ve simply been inspired or had one person plant the seed in their heads about the “Floating Islands” and they all decided to do their own research which lead to the same things.”
After a brief moment of silence, I speak up.
“We’re at the library.” I announce as we reach the door.
“Right. Well, it was a fun talk Ellar. I’ll see you later.” She walks off. “But don’t be afraid to sit next to me next time!”
“Ehe.” I’ll try.
I start to enter the library but I spot an unplea- an uncomfortable figure. Mr. Rune chats with Mr. Reader. He leans on the counter while asking dozens of questions about the recent new books that arrived a month or so ago.
I can come back to the library at another time. I’ve still got a few books I could read at hom- my dorm. There’s no need to accidentally bump into Mr. Rune again.
Deciding I don’t want to face him, I turn around.
“Oof!”
I collide with another person.
“Are you alright Ellar?”
“Y-yes.” I say, looking down.
“Good. Are you perhaps done with browsing the library already? You don’t seem to have any books on you and it’s only been a few minutes since school ended.”
I glance up, “M-Miss Ein!”
“Hmm? Didn’t recognize me?” She asks, tilting her head quizzically.
“N-no. It wasn’t that. I-I just didn’t… look up.”
She smiles, “Not an issue, but please don’t look down while you walk through the hallways. You’re far more likely to bump into careless people such as myself.”
Is she trying to take the blame for our collision? We haven’t really talked since the incident the night of the invasion. So many things happened at once and so many lost chances to speak with her.
“Well, I better leave. I need to grab a book for tomorrow’s lesson.” She nods and begins walking off. It’s now or never Ellar!
“M-Miss Ein!”
She looks at me startled, “Yes?”
Whoops. I didn’t mean to yell. I really need to work on controlling my voice in tense situations like these. My nerves always betray me at the worst times. Pulling my hands together and averting my own eyes from hers, I ask,
“W-would you help me again? Please.”
She laughs and I shrink back. However, her next words dispel my worries.
“As a teacher, it would be my pleasure.”
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“M-My lord!” A young soldier ran into the throne room and kneeled before King Neon of Iotorn. The very king who sent 1000 soldiers out with one of his most prominent knights, Lelia.
“What is the matter?” He asked, baffled by the uncanny behavior in one of his men, especially one of a higher ranked officer. The person was young, that much was true, but he would have to have a decent level of competency in his mental fortitude to be an officer.
“A-a monster attacked us!” The soldier blurted.
“A monster?” Neon began to wonder from where the soldier had come from. He was tattered and the gleam that should’ve been on his armor was hidden by the large amount of clinging dust. If he was a soldier from the ruins, he would’ve been given a letter of some sort to confirm it or a message would’ve been delivered through a scroll.
“Y-yes!” He hurried to answer. “You must immediately call all men to arms and stop the clearing of the ruins. If we don’t hurry, she-she’ll wreak complete havoc!”
“She?” The king sat up from his chair, “Who is she?”
The man looked around the room as if searching for any danger. “Th-the girl! The demon girl with green hair you sent us after!”
“What?” He stared at the soldier bewildered at the information. “Where is Lelia? Where are the rest of the men?”
“Dead. She killed all of them. I only survived because I was able to outrun her hounds.” He looked down shamefully.
“How many hounds did she have?” The king asked.
“The hounds? The hounds didn’t do anything other than chase after survivors for her own sick amusement. She killed almost everyone by herself…”
Neon blinked several times and looked to his aids for assistance. The court magician who had been quiet continued to stay quiet, only gaining a hard expression. Another knight, a girl with silver hair, simply stood unamused.
With her at his side, the king felt no fear. Yet, unease had settled within the deepest depths of his mind. If, and only if, the girl they were facing actually killed all the soldiers and Lelia like the frightened man before him had said, maybe his aids wouldn’t be able to subdue her.
“My king. A message has arrived from the general. The ruins have been cleared of all guardians. He wishes to know if you’d like to reactivate the link between the continents.”
“Link them.” He answered ignoring the wails of the kneeling survivor.
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Author's Note: It took me longer than expected to write the chapter and I chose not to post it yesterday because of RRL server problems and a bunch of 500 errors. I'm on break this week so hopefully I can post a few more chapters than usual.
If you guys have a specific character you want me to consider focusing on for the special chapter, please post their name below. I've already got a character in mind but if enough people wish for a different one or perhaps remind me of a more interesting one, I might change my mind.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and if you did leaving a comment or review would be very nice. Thanks for reading.