Chapter 45: Subdued
Gazing his eyes on the people defending the entrance, Ned noticed a one-armed old man slashing an iron sword against the ghouls, with a single slash, three ghouls bid farewell to their stinking body. It was Master Will. Seeing his Master, Ned put on a smile. But not for long. Another wave of ghoul exited the forest and screeched approaching the entrance.
Forging ahead, Ned was faced with increasingly rugged terrain. Descending the forests, Ned's path was obscured with the veil of night.
Behind him was Sir Edwin, whose approach remained steady.
With the trees blocking its view, Ned counted two dozens of ghoul ramming, leaping, and jumping towards the defenders.
On Master Will's right was Lady Zoreena, giving the ghoul a stab to its core. To his left were Toni and Naa'ri, struggling to hold two ghouls, that were trying to break their line. Coco on the other hand was throwing a strike of thunder. Not killing the mindless beast, but momentarily slowing them. Xi without a bow had no choice but to use his wind magic, with a long interval between spell and chanting, he was having a hard time. But Xi appeared to be fully recovered. Above the balcony, was where Granny Lola remained defending. With her magic, she was trying to hold a ball of fire that gave an outstanding vision that aided the party repelling the horde.
Master Will muttered, and his iron sword was engulfed with fire, that was getting bigger and bigger the longer he holds his magic. Giving a wide range of light. "Everybody! Back off!" His exhausted voice resounded the entire area. "Fragor Magma!"
The temperature reached to greatest, Ned was meters away, but he could feel waves of heat surging from his Master's magic. A deafening boom scattered the entire forest. After the boom, the sea of fire crept the ghouls. Incinerating everything on its path, the ghoul's perfectly decaying bodies were burnt to ashes in an instant. The wedge of fire remained burning, insuring the beast's survival fell to none.
Ned rushed to where his master was, he knew, through his experience, using that kind of magic will deplete his Mana almost to zero.
After the devastating magic concurred, Ned saw his master half knelt on the ground. Using his iron sword as a crutch. "Master! Ned cried.
Approaching his master, Ned gripped his shoulder, trying to pull his master to stand.
"Kid," Master Will said. Giving a faint smile to his apprentice. With what his strength left he stood, shaking his leg on the way up.
Seeing the event as he shrugged his shoulder off, Sir Edwin gave off an imposing aura. "Quite strong for an old man," he said.
Gazing the young knight, Master Will narrowed his eyes, but remained focus in an instant, that only he and the Knight noticed. Master Will smiled, sadly. "You must be Sir Edwin," Master Will said.
"Uh," he nodded.
"Ned!" Xi cried. Running to Ned in the middle of the group.
Ned loosens the bow on his back, together with the quiver, he gave it to Xi.
Fixing his gaze on the bow, Xi's pupils dilated. "This bow."
"Take it," Ned said. Lifting a smile.
"Where are the kids?" Asked Sir Edwin.
"Inside," answered Lady Zoreena.
"And your little brother?" Ned asked, looking at Toni.
"He's fine," Toni said. "Group of Handlers were here first, they brought along carriages, so I let my brother to safety first. They said they will be back to aid the remaining kids."
After Master Will invoked one of his strongest spells. The wave of ghouls stopped approaching. Even though a beast, they still fear someone stronger than them.
The group rejoiced, for they only have to wait for the carriages to arrive and let the kid ride back to the port.
They felt safe with Master Will, a Gold Level Hunter, and a relentless Hollow on their side.
Or so they thought.
Beneath the dark looming sky, the moonshine gaped herself in the cracks of clouds. Shrouding the group with nothing but a hint of light, surrounded by the cloak of night.
Above the impenetrable sky, looms a figure with might.
The Devourer showed itself. Its dark bony body hovers above the sky. Racing blue light emits outside its chest. Giving a demeanor of a blue vicious light. Not alone, at its rear was a shadow of a man, riding the dragon. With a wingspan of almost twenty meters, the people gawked, and wondered 'how in the underworld did that man tame the mighty beast.'
"Nyahahaha!" Laugh the man behind the dragon's back. "Feel the power!" The figure of the man moved, raising his hand, a dark and destructive aura burst. But it wasn't aimed towards the group of people. Instead, the spell was tossed on the Devourer`s head.
Shaking its head, the Devourer let out a scream of disobedience. Its chest composed of blue light glowed fiercer and a cruel thump quavered, resonating throughout the forest.
It stopped fighting the spell when a ferocious light emitted into its chest. It was the spell, trying to control the beast.
Enthralling the Devourer, it let out a scream, followed with a blast of a purple sphere, this time aimed towards the people at the orphanage.
"Run!" screamed Granny Lola.
Everybody, even the dozen kids inside were forced to run without a stop.
But Ned knew there was no time to escape the Devourer`s sphere of destruction. Mentally keen, Ned rapidly draws his sword. "Master!" He roared.
Facing his Master, Ned raised his sword where the fuller faced his master horizontally. "Now!" he cried once more.
Master Will knew what Ned was thinking, stabbing the iron sword on the ground. Master Will raised both his hands, open palm towards his apprentice. "Fire Tempest!" he shouts.
The spell, Fire Tempest, was a tier-four fire magic spell, that creates a cyclone of fire, devastating everything on its way. With the spell directed towards the Butterfly. The tier-four spell was absorbed.
The emerald-green sword turning to orange hot, Ned twisted his waist. With the spell inside the Butterfly about to blast. Ned waved the sword where the purple sphere almost ten meters wide approaching.
A roaring blaze stormed towards the sphere. The surrounding turned purple, then orange, then red when the two magic clashed mid-air. Waves of hot air surging in the area. Intense light blinded the people.
With the destruction ceasing, the people stared with mixed of astonishment, and fright.
Aside, from one. Clenching his jaw and gripping the end of his sword. Sir Edwin contracted its eyes to the man riding the Devourer. "Mage."