CHAPTER 50 -ALLIANCE- Part II

 

ESTHER GILLESPIE

 

   There, I thought. Seeing as I already imprisoned this unknown girl in my “water prison” spell. She shouldn’t be able to get out, none of the Espions couldn’t and it will be like that when I get promoted as a reward for stopping this terrorist threat. 

 

   To hell with that thinking, I need to check up on Katie. 

 

   Running towards the box that was conjured with an earth affinity, I called for my weapon as an act to destroy the box. Katie’s cries for help stopped echoing through the box a long time ago, the aura she possessed was still there, it was faint but it was still there. She was alive. 

 

   Pulling back my sword, imbuing it with fire and earth elements before striking it with the box. Nothing… there was no damage from my sword or anything, I tried again but this time with water and wind elements. Again nothing, not a single stretch in sight but only the dirtiness that it was from my battle earlier. 

 

   I grew desperate that I started to unleash more mana with each attack I did for results of hope, yet each turn, each time that I took to strike it in any way possible, the result was the same. Null. 

 

   Dammit… “I need the others, maybe with our power we can destroy this together. W-we are Vassals after all…” 

 

   Activating my senses spell over the council castle, searching for the auras of the other Vassals. Oh wait… they were fighting the other two intruders that came with this girl. I had hoped for something that was going to be impossible, since that girl defeated Jay with ease. It’s been lingering on my mind. How can such a girl like her defeat the most powerful Vassal alone with raw power? Her aura and mana didn’t register to me since I’d thought she didn’t have enough mana but I was wrong. Her mana and aura far surpassed that of a human’s capability.

 

   Something deep down told me to run as far as I could while I had time to, instinctively I turned slowly to where she had been. Where I had generated the prison spell, that is when I knew why my heart and soul told me to run. It was because there was no way for me to win. 

 

   A strong sense of mana surrounded the water prison, it wasn’t coming from the atmosphere, it came directly from her. What is this force? 

 

   The sizzling sound of the water being evaporated along with the steam it released. A sudden red color was in the middle of the circle prison, then the heat began to be felt as it got even hotter. I felt that my boots had been stitched directly on the ground as I tried to step away from the range. Crap. 

 

   I need to activate my ring phase before anything else, I told myself as I was already enchanting a defensive spell in front of me so that I could use my first–no second ring phase. 

 

   The ground erupted with a wall made out of vines and dirt, now I can use my phase. 

 

   “Second ring phase: Water Queen Valkyrie” 

 

   The armor that the multi-colored eye girl made for us Vassals’ was covered by the affinity of water,  my sword too was covered by the water phase making it more durable and stronger than any other sword. With this I can save Katie from those flames. 

 

   Without a second thought, I rushed to where Katie was without looking back to the strange mana force being used back there. Rescuing Katie was my top priority right now, after we need to group up with the others and make up a plan to take everyone out of here. We were given these powers to save those who needed it, to make peace to those who only know war and suffering, it was an opportunity given to us. 

 

   “Cut open,” I muttered, slashing down to the box which created a more powerful force than before. However this time there was a result, it had opened with the slash and now I was able to enter and rescue my comrade. 

 

   I yelled for Katie, her figure was already distorted by the flame’s damage. She was on the brink of death in such little time I had to heal her. Healing magic is something she specializes in, which brings me to think that she used her healing spells till’ she was out of mana… or until the flames extinguished themselves. 

 

   Her breathing was light. I need to hurry. 

 

   As I took Katie on my back and carried her out the box, when I set foot outside the box it started to dismantle itself. But I didn’t turn back. I continued to walk towards the castle. 

 

   In front of me were two people, no, calling them people when they are not is wrong, they were monsters. 

 

   Why are they here? Where are the others? I searched behind them where the castle lay, inside I could barely tell what was going on but the three prone bodies that were in my sight confirmed to me the nightmare it was. 

 

   What now? Do I need to fight them? While having to protect Katie might be a one-sided battle, if maybe I leave Katie behind and run with all the mana I have left I can make it to the kingdom of Londorwin within a few hours.

 

   No, again. I still had power and mana, the best is to fight while the Espions make it here, with them just maybe we can make it and defeat them. 

 

   “Oh, Someissoa and Froghyrith, you both seemed to have finished your battle, am I correct?”  

 

   Shit, not another one to worry about. 

 

   The crackling fire, the footsteps that continued to where we were. She escaped? This girl was here and now I have to think of a plan. Around the girl was a bright fire like a bonfire in the night sky, the cape she had too was in flames but it looked alive with a will of its own. 

 

   “Bunch of freaks…” I said in a lower voice, seeing as they both defeated Vassals that were stronger than Espions in many ways and still stood here without any injuries whatsoever. “Now, now, that is not how you speak to your seniors.” It was the flame girl who said it, but one of her guards unsheathed his sword but was stopped by the girl. 

 

   I have no other choice but to use a binding spell and escape. 

 

   “Water Binding” 

 

   A water emitted from the ground rose where the three ‘freaks’ were, the two in front of me dodge instantly while the flaming girl took the spell. 

 

   The tower of water covered her body so that only her silhouette was visible in a dark tone. Now’s my chance to make a run for it, I told myself, grabbing and holding tight to Katie’s damaged body. “I'm sorry if it hurts but your survival is my priority right now,” I whispered to her like she was listening to me.

 

   At that moment, the spell was broken with a single movement of her hand. 

 

   Are you serious… just how stupidly strong is she?! 

 

   Not only that but her body spell hasn’t gone away, her flames still shine and her mana levels have been the same since she used that weird little illusion against Jay—At least that’s what I think I saw there.

 

   Calling upon a water-type cocoon, I placed Katie’s body so that in case things got out of hand and sent things flying she wouldn’t have to get hurt anymore. 

 

   Once more I called my weapon, a blue blade with a hint of yellow on the bottom of the blade. The downside being that this weapon is suited for my second ring phase much less without it, the dwarf monarch’s said that they would look for a blacksmith that is capable of making such a weapon that fits perfectly with my ring phase.

 

   The blonde haired girl held out her hand and said something that I could not hear from my own distance. When she stopped, a boulder size fireball detached itself from her at a high speed. 

 

   She might be stronger than the Espions when it comes to magical powers, but her physical strength must be weak enough that I could end it instantly. 

 

   Flickering in behind the fire spell, I bolted forward, cocking my sword to where it would cleanly slash the girl’s head. 

 

   Being just a few steps away from the green eyed girl I felt a sense of something grabbing my right foot, with force to counter my dash it pulled me back that when it let go I was headed straight to the tree that was burnt by the terrorist girl. 

 

   My head was first to make contact with the tree, an echoing pain resided over my head as I held it down with both hands. The extruding pain was so intense that I could feel the world spin out of control, my sight turning to the ground and then the sky suddenly falling into darkness.

 

COLTER HART

 

   The cold wind hit my face while walking towards school, it was already winter, huh? I would’ve not felt this coldness if I just accepted the ride my mother proposed to me earlier, however, I needed time to clear my mind from things that have happened. 

 

   “I need some caffeine in my system right now…” The time for the school entrance was little to no time of closing, I would be late if I’d get something off the way. Though it might concern my parents about it, I could just make something up like the latency of the bus or something related to traffic. 

 

   Setting foot inside a coffee shop, ordering my usual item from here. “Galaxy coffee” was the name of it, many years it’s been here and my first time getting something here was a while now. Four years I think? 

 

   Still, their coffee still hasn’t lost its taste after changing owners many times. Taking a sip of my double shot espresso with a hint of vanilla at the end, it was lively here with it being a weekday and… after what was announced. 

 

   The citizens of this country still are like this coffee shop, lively without any other worries aside from economic stuff. Lives of adults sure is complicated and more stressful than that of a youngster. Just hopefully it stays like this for a while more, even during the middle of the storm and after the storm. 

 

   I scoffed at myself, what was I saying? I had no right to criticize the lives of others when I knew nothing of. I’m still young and still have a life ahead of me with prosperity or how other people put it. I was still a kid, a teenager, my selfish and rash decisions caused misfortune to those who were there. 

 

   My phone rang at the moment that made me conscious of reality. An alarm? I questioned then did not when I remembered why I had it in the first place. Running out in a flash from the coffee shop without having time to savor my double shot espresso with a hint of vanilla. 

 

   “Dammit! I’m thirty minutes late!”