CHAPTER 7
A DEADLY ADVANCEMENT AND RETRIEVAL
(Looking into Frey's eyes)
As we came out of the cave, a wind of blistering cold hit my face. I pulled my dark Seraphis on closer to my face in an attempt to warm myself. My dark Anakarune shook in the wind as it once again blew in a terrible gust. The wind seemed deadly, not just in a metaphorical kind of way, but there was a small level of death that the wind was carrying.
"Something is in the air Schyth," I said
"It is indeed something of great evil and power, it reeks of death." Schyth said, also sensing the death in the wind.
Schyth broke into a dead run straight forward into the now overwhelming darkness.
"What's wrong" I asked, concerned.
"Something is in front of us, be careful." He shouted back fighting against the wind.
A red glow suddenly flashed in front of us, about 5 meters away. Fear suddenly grasped my body and I was unable to move from the spot. A red flash appeared and pain struck me. I stood up trying to understand what was happening, but before I could figure it out, the red eyes were in right in front of me. Instinct took hold and overwhelmed the fear, in a twirling movement I spun my Thorns and shoved the thing away.
"What is that thing?" I asked in panic.
"Magicians corrupted by power and resorted to the use of the dark arts. They have completely forgotten their past lives and are now no better then beasts. The only way to free them is to kill them." He replied quickly.
A simple chant created a blinding streak of light that allowed me to look at my surroundings. There were a lot of them, about 50, and all has a red, evil glow to their eyes, Schyth was correct, they were no longer humans. I summoned a bow of light, it illuminated whatever darkness was left and brought fear into the corrupted magicians. I pulled the bow back and shot an arrow of pure light to the heart of the beast.
It was a terrible screech of pain. Unhumanlike, a noise no human could have made. The sound of it brought me to my knees and had me desperately trying to cover my ears with my Seraphis. A final burst of energy and the beast was destroyed. The others snapped out of their confusion and fear, and one by one, rose.
One of them extended a claw like hand towards me. I felt an invisible force grasp me, and I was lifted off the ground, I couldn't move my arms or my legs, I was in a cocoon. This was an impossible task for normal humans for this task would have depleted them of their mana and left them gasping for air.
"Grasp of the Demon…" Said the thing that was holding me, "interesting don't you think? It holds my opponents captive, and I could kill them by doing this!" He said as he slowly closed his palm.
"IAAAAAAAAAAAAA" pain surged through me. It felt as if my own life force were being squeezed out. The pain drained all the reserves I had left in my body, and as I slipped into the dark void I said, "Schyth…"
It was impossible for to know how long I was inside the darkness, but I woke up to rising on Schyth's back.
"Wahh!" I shouted in surprise. I pulled my arms away from him and fell to the ground.
Schyth stood above me, grinning. It might have just been me, but I was sure I could see a blush on his face.
"You're a smart one," He said. "Don't worry, they're gone. I killed some, most ran away." He added after a while.
"What happened?" I asked drowsily.
"Nothing much really, a couple of 'ahhs' and another couple of 'gahhs' is about it." he smiled. "Oh by the way, we are in ElNath now, I have to see Arec about my job, you want to come? You can talk to that other mage person." He said smiling.
He continued walking as calm as ever, the incident with the "things" doesn't even seem to bother him. I was sure I was beginning to fall for him. I walked faster to catch up with him.
ElNath was still quiet , but that's what seems weird, ElNath wasn't usually quiet, not a time like this, usually there would be people everywhere, people buying things, selling things, and other such trifles. But now… emptiness. We walked quickly to the humongous house that the four instructors lived in. with Schyth's haste, we reached there quickly. When we went in, we were quite genuinely shocked.
Zombies, things that were once humans, but affected by the darkness that once polluted ElNath became Undead. They were littered all over the floor, and more were still attacking. The four instructors beat down one by one but as time passed they started to look tired.
I shot a Holy Arrow towards a zombie that was about to kill Arec and quickly shot another one at one that was trying to kill me. Schyth was also attacking, but his stars were glowing with a faint white light, but it was tainted… with darkness.
He threw the stars behind me and I heard a groan as a zombie fell to the ground.
"Watch out hmm?" he said with a quick smile.
He continued to fight constantly enveloping himself in a shroud of wind and cutting through the zombies. There was something strange with Schyth, he was an assassin, yet he was able to use techniques that only Chief bandits were able to use. I continued to watch him as a group of zombies crowded in on him leaving no room for escape.
"SCHYTHHHH" I shouted worrying for his safety.
But I soon saw that I worried over nothing, for Schyth jumped and then summoned a platform of mana on which he jumped again. He turned and flipped in the air; in his hands he held some 20 stars. Filling his shots with centrifugal force, he flung the 20 stars into the great crowd waiting below him. The stars propelled off of each other and each hit a head, piercing straight through their bodies to the ground.
"Grasp of the Demon!" He said as he landed on the ground, extending a claw like hand to me. I gasped in quick surprise. He couldn't be, he has been with me for the past few days, and he can't betray me now.
"FREY! Pay attention!" he screamed.
I looked behind and saw some 14 zombies being held back by an invisible force. They were snarling and saliva dripped from their rotten mouth. I looked back as I realized that Schyth was not aiming at me, he was just protecting me. I looked back at him as he closed his hand and the mass of zombies dropped dead, crushed like tin foils.
A purple aura surrounded Schyth and a blue aura surrounded me and the four instructors. A sinister orb started to grow around Schyth. The zombies saw it and began to run. The four instructors saw this and blocked all the exits in the building. I closed my ears knowing what would happen next.
Everywhere there were shrieks of pain ending in a slow gurgle. Everything that the orb touched immediately melted into a slimy puddle. We were protected by the auras surrounding us, but the zombies were not as lucky. They each melted down, one by one until the whole room was filled with a greenish liquid and a terrible stench.
"WHOOOO! What a workout before an advancement eh Frey?" he asked still calm and smiling. I couldn't help but smile back, he was always calm and in a good mood, though I do not completely understand his power.
"Indeed, are you going to ask for the job advancement?" I asked him.
"Yeah, I was, I'm gonna go ask them now." He replied as he walked off to the direction of Arec.
I watched as he and Arec talked, an expression of glee came to Schyth's face. I realized that something good must have happened. A few grins here and there, and then another few chuckles and Schyth pointed at me. Arec laughed and pointed to Robeira. I realized that Schyth was talking about letting ME get the 3rd job. I sighed, he was still thinking about me.
Schyth talked with Robeira and they waved me over. I walked over knowing that I was probably able to get the 3rd job, seeing the expression of great happiness on Schyth's face.
"You both have come here to ask for your 3rd job advancement. Me and Robeira are happy to give this title to you, seeing that you," Arec pointed at me, "saved my life as that zombie caught me off guard, and you," he pointed at Schyth, "saved us ALL."
Robeira and Arec chanted a quick small chant and I felt great power surge through me. It was like when I made the 2nd job advancement, except now that I fell that I am able take on ANYTHING. I felt my magical powers grow as it expanded the limits of my mana.
A few minutes later, after a few hugs and good byes, I and Schyth left the house. I asked him how he learnt the move "Grasp of the Demon" and "Assaulter" from. He just laughed it off and told me that he would tell me sooner or later.
We ran to an empty field, all that was there was a burnt down house and a roughly made grave. Schyth went to the small tomb and stuck his hand in it. He pulled out a claw, a beautiful black claw with a handsome gold dragon twirling around it.
"Isn't that in bad taste? This is a dead person's grave." I asked him.
"This was my fiancée, Hinyth's men killed her and I left this claw, and this," He stuck his hand into the grave again and pulled out a handsome green box. "They're the legendary stars of Ilbis. Sheer unmatched power." They will help me, kill Hinyth, and stop whatever is threatening the Maple World as of this moment." He walked away in the direction of Orbis. I saw a tear roll down his cheek as he walked, and I decided not to ask questions.
Author's Note: Oohh…longer chapter. Aren't you proud of Shortie? Ha ha so go THANK HIM, preferably in REVIEW FORM.
Shortie: Whoa…what's wrong with you?
Kalypto: Huh?
Shortie: You're pissed. And kind of scary.
Kalypto isn't aware that she has a very irritated look on her face.
Kalypto: I'm fine. But I shouldn't really be posting this chapter because NOBODY REVIEWED. –glares at you all-
Shortie:…-backs away from the scary girl-
