For some reason, I couldn't upload my odt document and had to copy paste this chapter on FF directly. If there's any mistakes, let me know and I'll try to fix 'em as best as I can.
Enjoy the next chapter!
Chapter 14
Fire & Ice
"That's a bit of a harsh welcome, don't you think?"
A pair of eyes narrowed.
Kiara and Botan stared at the unknown Myth standing near the stairs above them. The sharp icicles surrounding us moved closer. The room got colder.
I stood still as a statue, breathing as little as possible in the hope of going unnoticed. I could see the others being on guard. Their knees were bent, their body slightly hunched over. If I moved recklessly, hell would break loose. I wouldn't survive.
"It's what you trespassers deserve. I won't repeat myself." The ice user replied to the words Botan had carelessly thrown around. "Leave."
If it was entirely up to me, I would've followed her orders and run the hell out of there. I was terrified, and the icicles getting closer weren't calming me down. Neither did Botan scoffing at the woman's threat.
"There's no need to be this hostile, sheesh." She shook her head as she put a hand on her hips, a small smirk forming on her lips. Despite the devil may care attitude, Botan's eyes were honed, scanning for any movement in the room.
"Can we at least get a name? I would kinda like to know who's threatening me." The Phoenix decided to join the conversation, crossing her arms with defiance as she scowled at the ice user.
I didn't join in. Looking at the ice user's eyes, I could see the fury swirling in them. I wasn't willing to test the water by adding my own two cents.
Without further warnings, the woman lifted her left hand forward. The icicles blurred, zooming towards us. I shut my eyes as my body tensed, awaiting the incoming pain as a pathetic whine escaped my throat.
Before I could find out what being impaled felt like, my ears caught the roaring of something, followed by a loud sizzling noise. Most noticeably, the freezing temperature had been replaced by a sudden wave of heat.
The pain never came. I chose to open my eyes.
Instead of ice filling my vision, fire was. A dome of flames surrounded us, eating away at the ice that had consumed the mansion. Steam formed, only to dissipate as quickly as it appeared. The intense heat clung to my skin while licks of flames hugged my legs, making me recoil by instinct. However, my nerves didn't scream or flare up. The fire almost seemed…comforting, protective of me.
I glanced at the lioness beside me, who seemed to gawk at the flames around her with awe and curiosity. The fire that was guarding us came from one direction, my eyes following the trail.
Kiara stood in the middle of the dome, the fire enveloping her form. Her hair shone brighter than usual, embers flying off of it. Her eyes were set ablaze, zeroed in on the ice user near the stairs.
The woman in question clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"A Phoenix…of all creatures to invade my home."
"And you wouldn't be the first Elf I fought." Kiara shot back, opening one of her palms forward.
In an instant, the fire protecting us rushed back toward their master. The flames swirled around Kiara's open hand, pulled in at the center as if they were sucked in by a vortex. Slowly, the element in her hand morphed into a hilt, floating above her palm. Carefully, she reached out with her other hand to grab the object, her fingers circling the hilt despite it being made of fire.
Kiara swiftly slashed the space in front of her with the hilt. Flames burst forward as light and heat overwhelmed the mansion. I tried shielding my face with both my arms, tears getting in the way of my vision. The oppressive heat didn't cause any damage to Botan and I, but it was hot enough to steal the air from my lungs. Soon enough, the light faded alongside the heat, allowing me to witness what had happened.
It blazed intensively. The flames that shaped the blade began yellow, only to shift into a blue hue at the tip. It began wide and imposing, and ended narrow.
Kiara held a sword made of fire with her right hand, pointing at the Elf with the tip of it. The fire whisking away from the weapon cascaded down her arm. Her figure was embraced by a radiant glow as fire danced around her.
Her eyes were alight with fiery determination.
Living with Kiara every day sometimes made me forget that she was a Myth. Unlike Gura and Botan, Kiara doesn't have any external traits that would make her easily identifiable as a Myth.
But looking at her now, it was impossible to miss it.
Takanashi Kiara was a Phoenix.
The sound of ice crackling reached my ears, making me turn away from the mesmerizing sight of Kiara. The Elf was now standing on a surface made of ice that floated in the air, unbound by gravity as its user peered down at Kiara. Ice soon started taking over the mansion once more, covering the walls and floor. The flames coming out of Kiara never allowed it to reach us, however.
I could only stare uselessly at the two Myths. Tension was at an all-time high and intentions were clear.
I took a step back.
Icicles appeared behind the ice user, blasting towards Kiara.
Each icicles impaling the floor sent a burst of wind that pushed me back from the arena, making me fall on my back. Debris and smoke covered the mansion as the onslaught of ice projectiles continued raining down on the Phoenix.
The blurry silhouette of Kiara inside the smoke jumped towards the floating Elf, dodging all projectiles. Kiara, sword drawn back with both hands, swung her blade at the other Myth as she landed on the floating platform. A shield of ice met the blade of flame, sending shock waves across the room. Despite the two elements meeting, the ice didn't melt from Kiara's sword, blocking it from cutting down the Elf in two.
Before the Phoenix could counter, two walls of ice formed on each side of her, flying in her direction at high speed. She sprung off the ice platform before the walls crushed her, high above the Elf. Not letting the pressure up, the ice user rose both hands towards Kiara, multitude of sharp icicles forming above the Phoenix.
Kiara shifted her body at the apex of her jump, her legs facing the ceiling of icicles. The colors shifted in my sight for an instant before fire erupted from Kiara's heels, launching her like a bullet at the Elf thanks to the recoil and melting the incoming attack above her. The platform that the ice user stood on exploded into pieces as Kiara struck it.
Smoke and dust was all I could see, before two figures jumped away in opposite direction. Both Myth landed on the ground at the same time, their eyes locked on one another. Kiara gripped her weapon tighter. The ice user generated more projectiles around her.
I couldn't look away from the battle. I was still on the floor, my legs too weak to budge. My mouth refused to close, no matter how much I ordered it to.
The scene in front of me looked impossible, and yet, it was real. Each move and action was followed by another almost instantaneously, leaving no time for hesitation or my own thoughts.
Their will spoke louder than any words.
Ice projectiles shot towards the Phoenix. Kiara dodged. She ducked, she spun, she jumped. Every single bullet of ice threatening to take her down was thwarted by inhumane reflexes. With each successful dodge, she closed the distance between her and the Elf. The wave of ice attack never stopped, the ice user constantly reloading her arsenal.
The Elf slightly narrowed her eyes. A flash of irritation. She swept her hand horizontally, sending all the ammunition at the Phoenix at once. Kiara rushed towards the wall of projectiles.
In one slash of her sword, every single one of them burned away. Kiara's momentum directed her at the Elf, preparing another strike. The ice user prepared another shield made of ice.
The sound of metal bursting rang off beside me, the shield shattering in front of the Elf. Her eyebrows rose up in surprise, as did mine. She had no time to question, side-stepping just in time for Kiara's blade to graze her.
"Sorry, I was feeling a little left out. You don't mind if I crash in, right?" Someone said next to me. I turned around to see Botan with a playful grin gracing her face. A trail of smoke was rising next to her. Following it, my eyes bulged out when I saw what the Lioness was holding.
A firearm. Precisely, a sniper rifle. It rested in her hands, the muzzle slightly hazy as smoke came off of it. She had been the one to shoot the ice shield.
Getting on one knee, Botan raised the fire arm towards the Elf, resting the butt of it between her shoulder and chest. Another shot echoed, my head snapping at Botan's target.
The Elf barely had time to hurl a debris of ice at the oncoming bullet, the two objects crashing into each other, before dodging another attack from Kiara.
Before, Kiara was constantly on the defensive, running around as she was trying to get a hit in. The ice user had the control of the battlefield. Now, with Botan sniping at a distance, it was creating openings for Kiara to go on the offensive. The pacing of the fight had completely changed.
Another shot, another opening, and another blow from Kiara. All the ice user could do was evade, but with every loop of this pattern, Kiara's weapons edged closer.
Botan fired again, the bullet grazing the Elf's cheek this time, earning a vicious glare burning with rage. Before Kiara could use the opportunity to land a strike, wind abruptly rose between the two, forcing Kiara back. The glacial wind grew stronger, picking up ice and debris in its surrounding. Every object and item in its vicinity was pulled toward the Elf as the wind spun around her.
"I had enough of you two." She growled from inside the wind domain, clenching her fist. The wind turned violent and sharp, gaining speed as the cold threatened to freeze my limbs off.
Kiara held her weapon close to her chest in response, the blade facing the ceiling. Flames formed in a circle, surrounding her as they started to rotate. Kiara lifted her blade upward, causing the fire to increase in size, violently spinning around Kiara.
My jaw was on the floor. In front of me was a sight I'd never forget.
Two tornadoes faced each other. One made of ice, the other made of fire.
Waves of cold and heat kept slamming into me as the two tornadoes fought for dominance. My body trembled and shivered, confused at the mix of the two elements. I couldn't move, completely paralyzed at the astounding scene.
With no warnings, the two tornadoes expanded, clashing together.
A thundering boom threatened to render me deaf, vibrating the entire mansion and my core. I didn't have time to yell in pain, as light and colors blurred and smeared my sight, before my body was assaulted with a discomforting sense of inertia.
Then, I felt an impact on my chest, the feeling moving to the rest of my body soon enough. Darkness was threatening to take over. My limbs struggled to move, feeling heavy and disconnected.
Nausea overpowered everything. I couldn't form a thought. Everything felt like static.
I inhaled. Light invaded my eyesight. Images started to form again, allowing me to see.
I inhaled again. Something started ringing in my ear. I didn't know what it was, but it progressively kept getting louder.
I inhaled once more. My body felt a cold surface, my hands twitching to grasp at anything.
Each breath I took reconnected one of my sense, and each one was painful. It was akin to overloading someone's brain with too much information. I had no way to refuse or accept it, and I was struggling to move.
Soon, I managed to get on all fours, shaking as I focused on my breathing. The ringing faded, and my vision got clearer. My mind was slowly booting back up again.
I was in the mansion, on the ground. I got blasted away by…whatever happened when the two tornadoes collided. Smoke and dust permeated the place, making it hard to see. Somehow, I made it on my knees, making sure I didn't keel over.
Looking around, I could see Botan at the other side of the mansion. She seemed to be doing better than I was, looking around for something. Her eyes found mine, a slight shock shown in her face, before being overtaken by relief.
I finally got up from the floor, my entire being feeling heavy. A sharp pain assaulted my chest, causing my breath to itch. I gritted my teeth as I placed a hand on my torso and applied a bit of pressure. I jolted again, grunting as I moved my hand away. I probably cracked something when I landed earlier.
"I'll take care of you two one by one." The voice of the Elf echoed. A giant wall of ice rose up, blocking access to most of the mansion. I looked where Botan was, only for my eyes to meet more ice.
She had separated me from the others.
I looked upward to see the ice user floating on a piece of ice, looking down at the ground with contempt. That is, until her eyes met with mine. One eyebrow went up, before scoffing at the sight of me, waving her hand in complete dismissal. Before confusion settled in my mind, the ice wall in front of me suddenly cracked.
I took a step back.
The ice continued to shatter and break, forming a humanoid shape. I didn't have time to theorize what it was.
The ice exploded, sending me tumbling on my back once more. I sluggishly got up as I peeked at what happened, still backing away from whatever this was.
A knight built and shaped out of ice twice my height stood in front of me, unmoving.
It was carved precisely, meticulously crafted. Despite it looking faithful to a real piece of armor, it felt alien to witness. Something that wasn't supposed to exist, and yet still did.
A pale liquid was visible from underneath the ice, forming an exoskeleton of sort.
Two red dots appeared under its helmet, the liquid bubbling with acute energy. It looked down my way, making a noise akin to metal and ice twisting.
It rose both hands in front of itself, bending its knees. In an instant, two swords made of ice formed in its hands. Its sights never moved away from me.
I glanced behind me. There was only one exit. An opened door that lead deeper in the mansion. I looked back at the knight made of ice.
It took a step.
I made a decision and ran toward the door, the pain and fatigue forgotten. The sound of its footstep followed behind me.
I couldn't fight this thing on my own. I was powerless. So I ran, deeper inside the mansion.
Alone.
"I can't, ah, do this…"
The pain in my chest from the tornadoes clashing flared up with more intensity as I swung my arms side to side, running as fast as I could. Turns out, adrenaline wasn't eternal.
My vision was fuzzy, the details of the mansion melting in indescribable sights.
My lungs were burning, begging for more air.
The loud footsteps behind me were getting closer.
Despite being enormous, the knight made of magic was able to chase me down with frightening speed down the corridors. Compared to me, it didn't have to worry about things like stamina or endurance.
I made another swift turn to my right, using the wall to transfer my momentum. I couldn't afford to lose time or speed; turning corners were the sole way for me to gain an advantage in distance.
Proving my point, the ice creature abruptly tried turning the corner, only to crash into the wall, slowing it down. This was but a short break for me, because the knight was already back on its feet, building its speed back up once more.
I focused on running again, praying to whatever God or Myth that my legs would last another sprint. The corridors felt endless, having lost track of my position inside the mansion. No matter how much I wracked my brain for a solution, no relevant thought would pop.
The loud footsteps behind me were getting dangerously close.
Even if I turned another corner with perfect precision, my body wouldn't last against a giant knight made of ice. My heart was at its limit, punching my chest with enough force to come out. I couldn't feel my legs, only a vague sense of vibration coursing through my muscles as my feet stomped the ground beneath me.
I was losing speed.
Turning my head to the side, closed doors blurred by me.
There was that option…
I could head into one of those room and use whatever I find to defend myself…but the risks were alarmingly high.
If I chose poorly, I could end up in a dead end, and I doubt any door could hold up against the ice knight trailing me. Worse, I could come face to face with a locked door, which would spell problems once more.
It was a huge gamble. The reward wasn't that good either; even if I did find something to defend myself with, who's to say I would win a fight against a magical being? It was outrunning me, it could very easily overpower me. Meanwhile, the risks were all dangerously high…
The loud footsteps behind me quickened-
I picked a door at random, my hand reaching for the knob as I shoved my shoulder as hard as I could on the surface.
I mentally thanked whatever deities watching me as it swung open, barging in before slamming it shut with one motion of the arm. Before I even had time to process anything, my hands grabbed any piece of furniture to block access to the door. Chairs, table, shelves, it didn't matter what, all ended up in front of the door in a messy pile. No matter how heavy or encumbering it was to carry; my body moved with surgical precision.
Once I ran out of furniture, I stepped back with uncertainty. The tower of objects had no order - it didn't even have the shape of a tower - but it would hopefully manage to give me some time to-
The room itself shook as the door and wall in front of me cracked, threatening to burst open as a few chairs dropped to the floor.
This wouldn't hold.
I turned away and swiftly headed for the first door I saw across the room, opening and closing it behind me.
It was dark, the air was dry, and the feeling of wood kept scraping my shoulders with every breath I took. However, none of this mattered compared to the cacophony of the monster tearing down the wall and furniture obstructing it. Its footsteps rung inside my head, each one sending a stake filled with fear through my heart.
I didn't move, couldn't do it even if I wanted. I shut my eyes. I held my breath.
Please don't let it find me.
I didn't want to die.
I can't die!
Not like this…
My brain demanded oxygen. I took a swift inhale, hoping that the knight outside couldn't hear me.
So I focused…
No footsteps. No wood snapping in half. No ice crackling. Nothing.
It had left.
There was no way to confirm it other than to open the door and check for myself…an idea that I wasn't able to try out. My body was too busy quaking in terror. I hadn't even opened my eyes…
I had no idea where I was. I managed to will my hand towards the pocket of my pants, struggling to reach inside due to the shakiness of it. My fingers managed to grasp at a lighter, pulling it out slowly as to not make too much noise. I was uncertain whether the ice knight had left.
I flicked my thumb on the flint, getting sparks, but no flame. A second time, the same result. Third's time the charm, but alas, no fire came out. I was ready to break down in tears until I remembered that I also had a cellphone…with a flashlight on it.
Despite my survival being at play, I still had the capability to blush at my own stupidity. We weren't in the medieval age where flame was the only way to combat darkness.
Somehow, this little moment was enough for me to stop shaking and take a deep breath of air. Part of me was still on guard, ready to run away at a moment's notice, but terror had taken its grip off my mind.
I was still stuck in complete darkness, in an unknown space, with a creature made of magic still trying to kill me. I was way in over my head. I was nothing but a caretaker, what the hell was Enma thinking sending me in?!
I grabbed my phone with haste to call for backup. Kiara and Botan were busy, but maybe one of their Myths could help me out if I begged hard enough. I needed help from any Myth, anyone…
I couldn't do this on my own.
Opening my cellphone, the picture of Gura appeared. My thought process paused; so did my fingers. Gura had texted me in the morning, but I didn't notice since I had my phone turned off the entire time.
The picture was from the first few days we had met. She had stolen my phone without my permission and taken a selfie with it, doing on of those cutesy idol pose with a wink. I never found the time to delete it, and it didn't bother me enough to do it anyway. I ended up using it as a profile picture for her contact when she received her own cellphone - with Enma's permission, obviously.
She had sent me three messages…
I needed to call backup…but a droning curiosity invaded my head.
I tapped a finger on the notification, the message popping up.
The first one was simply her wishing me good luck with the search, and to not cause too much problem for Kiara and Botan. The second one was her asking - demanding even - for a souvenir since I was traveling and she wasn't, and it wasn't fair and-
She was being a brat, like always. Maybe I'd take that cellphone away from her if she kept sending me stupid text like that. Like I asked to be sent in this frozen hell scape! Grumbling to myself, I was ready to tap away and get back to my life threatening situation before my eyes caught the words on the third message
"Stay safe, and come back in one piece."
I read it again.
Then I read it once more. I kept re-reading this simple message, trying to search the meaning as to why my eyes were glued on it. Instead, all I could do was read it over and over again.
I let my body slump on the floor, finally taking my sight away from the small screen in my hand to look at the darkness in front of me.
Backups wouldn't reach me, even if a Myth had teleportation magic. Enma was very clear about what help I had in my disposition, and Kiara and Botan were the only Myths that could help me out. Seeing as they had their own battles to fight, it meant I was on my own.
Ever since the start of this trip, I had felt out of place, like a teen switching school in the middle of the year. Botan and Kiara were Myths, two warriors capable of fending off any enemy no matter how tough they were. Kiara was capable of generating flames and protecting us while combating an ice user, and Botan could track down anything in the wild.
I had no combat capabilities, no sense of direction, and no magic to help me out. A single ice knight with barely any intelligence was enough to put me out of commission. Even the enemy thought I was the weak link.
So why was I sent here?
I was just a caretaker, my only battle ended up with me losing hard against Enma. Gura was shorter and smaller than me, and she could easily take me out with one attack. My knowledge wasn't about the wilds or tracking, it was about books and music, so again, why?
Was I supposed to teach the damn knight how to fold laundry and how to cook a meal in the hopes that it would leave me alone and become a caretaker of its own Myth?!
Why me?!
I didn't want to die! Not in this dusty dark space, I wanted to come back home and banter with Gura again. I wanted to cook a nice meal and talk about Kiara's past lives. I wanted to sit down after a hard day of menial chores and just read a good book. That's what a caretaker was about…right?
Reading Gura's last message again, it all solidified these feelings that I've been experiencing since I left New York. I didn't want to die. I wanted to live. I was a caretaker.
Gura and Kiara needed me to be just that: A caretaker.
I couldn't drag them down, even if I was out of my element. I'm supposed to be their support. I needed to stand up and find my way to them again. I couldn't just rely on their protection for every fight.
I needed to pull my own weight. Even if all odds were against me, even if I couldn't do much, I needed to try my best to be a good caretaker.
Now.
I immediately pressed the flashlight button on my phone to see where I was.
Food and bottles. Lots of it. Vegetables, slabs of meat, bottles of alcohol. Was I in a storage room?
Come to think of it, it was colder in this room than in any others I've been. Hell, calling it a room was generous, it was more akin to a chamber. Which meant that outside was the kitchen.
The food hadn't been touched whatsoever, but the section for alcohol was almost empty. Only a few bottle were left standing…
My hearing picked up the stomping of the ice knight returning to where I was. I needed a plan, fast.
There was no weapon or firearm here, which meant taking this thing on without some kind of surprise attack was asking for death. It was fast, strong, but lacked intelligence based on how it would turn corners earlier. It didn't even try to open the kitchen's door, simply opting for breaking down the entire wall. It also didn't bother checking in this place.
I could sneak past it and rejoin with the others, but that meant possibly dragging that thing with me, adding more work on Kiara and Botan's plate. Besides, I wasn't very good at being stealthy. If that thing caught me, I'd be back to running around once more in corridors, testing my luck on a possible locked door. Considering my streak of bad luck, it wasn't something I was willing to put my life on.
Which meant I had to take it down here and then.
"Carrots don't make for a very good sword…" I mumbled lowly to myself, picking up the vegetable with one hand. There was always the option to stay hidden here and ration the food and alcohol out…!
My head snapped back towards the few bottles of alcohol that was left, all of them full of liquid that was flammable…
Kiara was fighting an ice user with her fire magic.
I didn't have fire magic on me, but I did have another type of magic on me.
The sound of the knight of ice approaching was becoming louder. Closer.
I quickly ripped apart a piece of my shirt beneath my coat. It wasn't very hard to achieve since it had holes in it thanks to the earlier blast caused by the tornadoes. With one hand, I picked up a bottle and opened it, pouring the content on the shredded piece of cloth in my hand before inserting half of the tissue inside the bottle.
A molotov, homemade. I had seen enough videos and shows where they used one in riots - even in books they would throw these around. I didn't know if it was the exact recipe for one, but it looked like a molotov so…
If it quacks…
I couldn't just throw it at this thing directly though. A direct attack wasn't very surprising. The only thing I could do was lead it in this cramped space and throw it there. The problem was how to lead a big, tall, and dangerous ice knight inside a small little chamber.
I took out the phone in my pocket, staring at it with a scowl. Could this thing even hear? It could definitely see me if it kept up with me, but I didn't check if it had any auditive capabilities…and would it really fall for a cellphone blasting sound?
It was pretty dumb, so maybe…
"Ah, fuck it!" I blurted out, swiftly opening the door of the closet. I didn't have time to over think every single possibilities. I'd have to take some risks and make assumptions. It wasn't a very safe plan, but the other option I had wasn't an appealing one.
Checking the kitchen, the knight had definitely done a number in the kitchen. Furniture broken, a big hole in the wall. This place was in complete shambles and full of debris. However, I could definitely see a few hiding spots amongst the rubbles and broken chairs.
The floor was now vibrating, which meant it was walking in this corridor very near this room…
My plan was so full of holes. So many things could go wrong, and one mistake would easily lead to me being squashed by that thing.
But I had no time to think about failure. I was on my own, and I was but a weak caretaker. This was all I could do!
I ran over the stacks of chair, crawling on my stomach to hide beneath the clutter. I was lucky that the furniture's colors blended perfectly with my coat. Now that I was hiding, one last move was needed to attract the enemy.
I thumbed through my alarms on my phone, and played one at random on loop, raising the volume to the maximum before throwing it inside the storage chamber. Right on command, the footsteps fastened their tempo, the floor vibrating more and more.
I could feel the sweat on my temple building, making sure to regulate my breathing and stay still.
One wrong move-
I almost let out a yelp of terror when a giant pillar made of ice crashed down next to me, lightly slapping a hand to cover my mouth. I carefully checked above me, making sure to not disrupt my camouflage
The knight made of ice was staring at the storage chamber, unmoving. It didn't breathe, or check its surrounding, only focusing its sight forward.
Watching it stand still like a decoration helped further prove that this thing wasn't human.
Seconds passed, but melted into what felt like hours inside of my head. Panic, anxiety, and fear were spiking, building a cocktail of emotions in my stomach that felt rotten. My body desperately wanted to tremble, to puke, to do anything but stay immobile and pray.
The alarm blared its high pitched tune, over and over…and the beast of ice did not move.
It wasn't working. It wasn't moving, it failed. I needed to leave, I needed to run no-
The knight took a step. The sudden movement made me jolt; which thankfully didn't alert it, pushing me out of my thought process. The thing headed for the small chamber, trying its best to squeeze inside.
So it was that dumb, huh?
Soon enough, it managed to get in, breaking the shelves and sending bottles and food all across the ground. Each movement it did scraped the ceiling and walls, too tall and big to move comfortably.
This was it! I stumbled away from the chairs, making a ruckus that attracted the knight. It tried to turn around to get me, but with these wide shoulders, it was a struggle and a half. It could've easily backed up like a truck instead, but like I had thought, this thing had a one track mind.
The grip I had on the molotov tightened as I dug out the lighter from my pocket once more. Another part of my amazing plan that I hadn't thought through was how to light the cloth. Nothing around me could be of help except the lighter I had…that had failed me in the chamber.
All I could do was try my terrible luck with it and hope for the best. I flicked the flint stone.
Sparks came out, but once again, no flame. The thing managed to finally turn around.
I was so close to my goal, I wasn't giving up now! I tried a second time.
Still no flame. The thing started shifting through the cramped space.
I didn't wanna die! I wasn't going to! I flicked it with more force.
A flame sprung to life, attaching itself to the cloth imbibed with alcohol. Before I had time to yell out a victory scream, the fire rushed inside the bottle at an abnormal speed. Panicking, I threw it with all my might towards the ice knight, who was almost done crawling out of the chamber.
In those times, when a risky plan work, characters in action books would yell out a cool one liner, or something of the like. I'm pretty sure Gura would throw one out with no shame. Kiara would probably cringe though…
I would obviously cringe at something like that as well. Plus, my head wasn't working at full capacity at the moment. So the only words I could utter out was-
"Please work!"
As the bottle made contact with ice, fire consumed the chamber.
Then, flames engulfed the entire room.
By reflex, I put my arms towards my face to block the incoming heat. I had expected the knight to shatter the remaining bottles of alcohol, creating more fire.
What I hadn't expected was that liquid to reach the bags of flours.
I also didn't know that flour was apparently more combustible and explosive than gunpowder.
My body was sent hurling towards a wall as the chamber exploded, making me scream in pain and confusion. As I collided with said wall, I lost all oxygen in my body. My back felt like it took the hit of a sledge hammer as I crumpled on the floor, bending over in pain.
Every noise sounded muffled, my eyesight felt delayed, and I had trouble breathing…but compared to the blast with the tornadoes, I still had my mind intact. The effects were dizzying, but I could manage it. As I focused on finding back the air I had lost, the pain toned down. I could hear and see properly again.
I stumbled up on my feet, trying to regain my balance. If the ribs near my chest weren't broken already, they were probably in smithereens now. I could feel patches of skin on my arms burn and itch. My back felt…it felt like shit, to be frankly honest. Despite it all, adrenaline was able to provide me with the strength to stand up.
I couldn't stop now. I had to check if my plan worked.
I slowly and carefully headed toward the blown up kitchen, expecting to see the ice knight still in good condition ready to tear my head off. It was a negative mindset to have, but with how the day had been going, I wasn't going to celebrate any fake victory.
What greeted me instead was a room full of soot, burn marks everywhere on the wall and ceiling. Lingering flames danced inside the chamber, not strong enough to set the house on fire.
There was no sight of ice anywhere. A sole puddle of water stood in the middle of the chamber…
Ice was made of water, even if it was crafted out of magic. When fire made contact with ice, ice would revert back to water, especially with how much fire I used. Which meant-
"I melted it." I uttered in disbelief.
I could only blink, inhale, and exhale. My eyes scanned every corner of the room, expecting another ice beast to lunge at me and punish me for my careless action. For all I knew, the floor was gonna crumble down and lead me to my death.
I took a gulp of oxygen. Nothing happened. No matter how many times I jinxed it or let the pessimistic side of my brain win, nothing happened.
The ice knight was gone.
I won.
"I won."
My legs decided to give out at that instant. My back screamed out in pain, as did my ribs…and yet, I didn't cry out or twitch. I did the only move that was appropriate at that moment
I sighed in relief.
Somehow, my plan full of holes and disadvantages had worked. I had defeated the enemy, reduced it to a puddle of water. I did it on my own too!
Pride bubbled up my chest, a smile creeping up my face despite my mind telling me how lucky I was for surviving the ordeal. Yet, I couldn't help but cheer at my small victory. With this fight won, my confidence rose up.
Confidence I would need, because the job wasn't done. An Elf was still running rampant inside the mansion, causing Kiara and Botan some trouble. Knowing the two, they'd be fine…but I couldn't let them deal with the enemy Myth on their own. I was sure they could win…but would it achieve our goal of gaining the trust of the Myth?
I'm just a caretaker. There wasn't much I could do.
…but I could do something.
