The huge animal stared at them, and Kai’s gaze carefully inspected the situation, doing his best to find a way out of this predicament.
The Obborik is the descendant of the Legendary Fenrir, a huge canine that can perfectly wield any element. Obboriks are way weaker than their ancestor, but their huge size and ability to instantly cast Inkos magic make them a formidable opponent.
This one seems to be a cub though…
A wave of regret washed over him as he recalled the information written in a book about the beast. Damn it, I should have read all of it, maybe I would have found a way out…
He clenched his fists as his teeth let out a harsh scraping sound, and he put Kana behind him as he stared at the Obborik. He inspected the creature, its muscular body hidden behind a thick layer of snow-white fur. Its hungry yellow eyes were fixated on them, ready to attack at the slightest sudden movement.
Something isn’t right! Kai recalled another piece of information that he glanced over. Isn't it supposed to be in a pack? Are we surrounded or… his gaze drifted toward a red line on the creature’s leg. It's alone…
He swallowed as he gently pulled out his wand from his back pocket, Kana following suit with an assortment of crystals that clashed softly in her fists... The beast’s ears twitched as the sound rang in its ears, taking on a fighting stance as it snarled at the two.
Kai also took a fighting position, clenching his wand tightly as his lips parted, his voice barely above a whisper “We need to restrain its movements, then either run away or hit it with all we have…”
Kana nodded, her still trembling pupils burning with determination, and she patiently waited for Kai to get her directions. Huh? Why do I feel such confidence in him? She looked at his back, which wasn’t that much bigger than hers, but at that moment it looked like an imposing mountain, blocking her from harm’s way.
He glanced at her with guilt-ridden eyes, his stomach dropping as he gritted his teeth. I knew it was dangerous, I knew it too well… Why did I let my curiosity get the better of me? His wand trembled in his hand as he tightened his grip around it.
The Obborik let out a low howl as its fur flashed brightly. “It’s casting Inkos Magic, and so quick too! How is this possible?!” Kai exclaimed in shock, pointing his wand toward the ground beneath the creature’s feet.
Still, an Obborik cub should only be able to cast a few body enchantment spells… the speed one will be tricky to deal with…
He quickly murmured a set of syllables, and the crystals on his wand grew with a fierce light, especially the finely carved, small brown crystal placed on the very tip.
“Restrain his movements!” Kai said toward Kana as the spell left his wand, the earth beneath the Obboriks’ feet instantly turning soft. Kana followed suit, her blue crystals lighting up as she finished chanting, turning the soft earth into a deep mud puddle.
The beast’s body quickly sank into the muddy earth, and it howled angrily as it was unable to quickly break itself free. Its body lit up once again, slightly growing in size as it unshackled one of its paws, and, using the dry ground as an anchor it rapidly tried to pull itself up.
“Kana, use Air Blast at my signal,” Kai ordered as his wand grew brighter once again, its two white crystals glowing with a faint light. He aimed it toward the Obborik’s face, and he used his fingers to count down, indicating to Kana to use Air Blast at the end.
He put his fifth finger down, and he and Kana shot their spells simultaneously, one aimed at the Obborik’s chin while the other was aimed just above.
The Air Blast made the animal flinch, and it dodged the attack, his gaze ending up right where Kai’s spell landed, exploding in a blinding light that lingered in the air for a few seconds.
“Now!”
Kai yelled and rushed forward before he started casting another spell, Kana following suit, each of them preparing a binding chant, hoping that it would give them enough time to escape.
“Fire prison!”
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“Water bubble!”
They cast their spells at the same time as they ran past the giant beast, their magic clashing against each other as it surrounded the Obborik, temporarily trapping him.
“Fireball, water ball, air blast, rock arrow, fire arrow, dark bind, light prism…” They cast all the beginner spells they were familiar with toward the creature, violently bombarding it with all sorts of magic as they ran toward the kingdom.
Kai fiddled with a small, star-shaped device as he unsuccessfully tried to activate it, however, he couldn’t get far before a song that made his heart drop to his stomach rang in his ears.
His head snapped backward, staring at the Obborik, whose fur glowed with a blinding light. “Magic break!?” he exclaimed as he hastened his footsteps, a cold shiver running down his spine as he felt the God of Death’s scythe tickling their backs.
A low growl rang in his ears, and he heard the air split behind him as the Obborik dashed toward them in a mad sprint. He grabbed Kanna and rolled sideways on the ground, barely dodging its sharp teeth by a hair’s breadth.
It landed in front of them, fresh blood trickling down its skin, seeping onto the cold ground, spots of its once-white fur were now scorched black. Its chest heaved heavily as it stared at the two with a deathly, angry glare.
Kai’s heart threatened to jump out of his chest as he held Kana’s hand, her blood rushing madly through her veins. His pupils trembled, looking at the giant Obborik blocking their path, he could only be reminded of the day he died.
He closed his eyes, images flashing in his mind, the faces of his unwavering, ruthless attacker as his attempts at self-defense were thwarted by his trained blade. It’s the exact thing again…
He felt a sudden pain in his hand, his eyes snapped open, and he turned toward Kana, her frightened expression piercing his heart like a rain of ten thousand arrows.
No, it’s different this time…
He tightened his grip on her hand as images of his current life flashed in his mind, his smiling parents, his soon-to-be teacher, Kana’s parents, and Kana herself, who trembled in his embrace.
“Do you still have mana?” he asked as his grip tightened around the wand.
She nodded lightly and answered after a few seconds. “I have very little mana left, maybe enough for a few Air Blasts, what about you?”
“Don’t worry, we won’t be fighting it,” he replied as he raised his wand to the sky, the crystals on it shining brightly before it unleashed a blinding light, making the Obborik turn away for a brief second.
Kana let out a startled gasp as she found herself in Kai’s arms, and he cast body-enhancing magic continuously as his speed gradually increased, running away from the dazed beast. “What are you doing?!” She asked as she put her arms around his neck, afraid of falling down.
“I’m going back to the flat path. If people are regularly walking through the forest, at least one of them must be strong enough to defeat it.” He said, gasping for air as his mana continuously depleted in order to maintain the speed enchantment.
“You’re not going to last!” Her desperate voice rang in his ears, his trembling hands slowly becoming steadier as he regulated his breathing, and he replied simply: “I have to.”
The Obborik’s heavy footsteps echoed behind as it gave chase, its wounded leg and body slowing the beast down significantly. Its leg is wounded, paired with the small wounds we gave it, and with the fact that it must also not have a lot of mana and stamina left… We have a chance!
A slight amount of hope appeared on his flushed red face, and sweat dripped on Kana’s body as large amounts of energy left his body with every passing second.
Kai ran through the forest skillfully, barely dodging the thick vines and roots slithering on the ground, his clothes tearing up as he ran through the bushes and tall, spiky grass.
Kana endured silently, protecting Kai’s body with her back, her beautiful clothes ripping apart as she took the worst of the blows.
She placed her hand on his chest, near his mana core, and began transferring the mana from her body onto his, helping him last a few more minutes, gradually winning distance over the Obborik.
Finally, he arrived at the path, and stepped on it without hesitation,
Unfortunately, their meager amount of mana still paled in comparison to the cub, who slowly caught up to them, a few dozen meters separating them from its claws.
Kai gritted his teeth, and he winced in pain as he forcefully absorbed the mana in his surroundings, a sharp pain spread all over his mana veins as the unrefined mana fueled his speed enchantment, barely managing to halt the speed at which the beast approached.
Kana immediately noticed this happening, and her eyes broke into tears as she brought her face closer to his hot body. “Stop! You’ll kill yourself!” she pleaded, her tears mixing with their sweat as they ran down her cheeks.
He remained silent, his constricted pupils staring straight ahead, his ragged breath transforming into vapor as he painfully exhaled. His mind became lighter due to the small amounts of oxygen in his blood.
Must… hold… on…
His muscles tore apart under the undefined mana’s violent barrage, and his mana veins showed signs of cracking. His vision blurred as he kept running, enduring the searing pain.
He let out a silent sigh of relief when he saw a small wall made out of poorly cut wood and an entrance that lacked any doors. He collapsed in front of it, falling on top of Kana as his body relaxed, his consciousness fading away as muffled voices rang in his ears.