A Hero With/Out Time

Chapter 14: Their luck. (Part 2)

There was no doubt. They were the bastards who attacked Axel. I cursed myself for not realising sooner. Horned tribe members appearing out of nowhere in a place as remote as this? If it weren't for my own situation that would be incredibly suspicious. The drinks they shared with us must have been laced with something. Why it didn't affect me I could only guess as being due to my lack of magical talent. At this rate they'd kill everyone including Taylor. I needed my bow and sword. The problem was I had left it in the carriage which was parked by the hall only a dozen metres away from them.

I grit my teeth. There was no turning back. Either I resolved it here or died. The other issue was that I had no idea which house Ardent was in. It would take too long to find him, the best way would be to interrupt their ritual and make some noise. I laid close to the ground and began to sneak my way towards the carriage. There were ten in total and the masked men stood around the villagers with watchful eyes.

"Should we get started now to rile them up a bit?" someone asked.

"How about that one," a man pointed to Taylor. "A fine specimen wouldn't you say?"

"Oh she is very nice indeed. How about we leave her for later. It would be a shame to kill her don't you think?" My heart beat rocketed in panic but their words relieved me. Their desires at least would protect her for now.

"Then how about one of the brats? Killing one of them would really get their emotions goings."

"Yeah and it'll quiet them too." The children began to scream through their muffled mouths. They hadn't drunk the alcohol and were wide awake with fear. A single scaleskin child was pulled from among them. "Anyone have a knife?" he laughed. Although they couldn't move the eyes of the villagers began to widen as if struggling to break free. "Look at that, you can practically feel the surge."

"Remember to take it slow," the women said completely business. "The more they suffer the more we can harvest."

A knife pointed towards the child's neck. I reached my bow. There was no time to make a plan. I refused to watch this any further. The arrow shot forwards and pierced the man's head striking through the side. He fell dead.

"Contact!" the women screamed just as my second arrow fired towards her. An inch from her face something knocked it aside. A barrier. "He's over there!" she pointed directly at me. Shit. I jumped away from the carriage with my sword and bow as it exploded into flames. "Chase him down!"

I released another arrow but it had the same effect, bouncing off the closest man running towards me. They must all be magicians. A spear of ice was thrown towards me. I tried to dodge it only for it to curve my way. I charged my mana in panic. A clench of pain spread through my chest, gripping my heart and threatening to make me fall. The spear of ice however veered away exploding into the ground sending shards flying.

"Where is he?" someone yelled as I managed to get behind a building.

The pain passed. That had been far too close for comfort. I really had to thank Taylor for teaching me the technique. As much as it hurt, it had saved my life multiple times now. I readied another arrow and peeked around the corner. The men had lost me but if they were anything like Ardent it wouldn't take long to find me again. Behind them the others were still preparing the ritual, now much faster. If I could get close I could probably pass their barrier but my bow wasn't strong enough to pierce through.

"Over there!" the voice called me out and I turned to see a man standing in the alley behind me.

I shot an arrow. There was a crack and it hung in the air a few inches from his head. His eyes glowed. I shot another before he could react. The arrow struck the same place breaking through but deviated into his shoulder instead. A light released from his hand. The wood around me splintered apart and I was thrown back into the open street. I was surrounded.

"Not yet!" I screamed as the mask men began to prepare their spells. A small punch found its way to my hands. My mana spasmed inside me. They're eyes lost their focus, looking at me as if I wasn't there. I could feel the vessels in my chest snap and my heart seize. Like a crippling wave it cracked through me as I concentrated all my effort into a single flame. It was the most basic of magic, surely I could do it as well. A puff of smoke wisped from my hand as darkness threatened to take me. Then it happened. Heat and a spark. I threw the bag immediately and dived away. It sparked once and then without any more warning exploded, blowing straight through the masked men's barriers. They couldn't even scream as the force blew them apart. The force pushed me further than I wanted and I rolled across the ground. By the Goddess just what did Margaret put in that thing?

I skidded to a halt. Two more down which left two others still in front of me. They were standing with their arms covering their masks, shocked at the sudden explosion. I tried to stand but reached my limit as my body forced itself to normal. The moment it did the masked men jumped back as if I had appeared from nowhere. One began to cast a spell. My body barely moved how I wanted and I was still lying in the dirt. Damn it. A bright light shot towards me.