Chapter 131: Desperate Confrontation

Chapter 131 - Desperate Confrontation

His sisters screams covered the whispers of Hallowed Intuition warning him of the danger. Kai was about to dart into the building when Flynn grabbed his arm.

You cant help her dead, he whispered with gritted teeth. Surprise is our best advantage, we need to make it count.

His mind was a whirlwind of rage, worry and fear. It took most of his self-control to not punch Flynn in the face to free himself, and the remaining scraps to grasp the sense in what he was saying.

Mana Sense remained locked on the figures. Eles unmistakable presence was cornered by another one in the hallway, but she wasnt dying or injured, for now. The last figure stood a few paces back watching the scene.

Both enemies had an orange profession and an Orange race, the same as Tridel. Only, there were two Tridels this time. Boiling rage gave way to icy fury, contained just beneath the surface and ready to erupt.

There were no yellowsthank Yatei and Kahali both. That would have been a suicidal battle. Though he knew he would have tried anyway.

From their boisterous laughs, they were playing with her. His fists clenched till cracking, but that gave them time.

Linking to his ring, Kai took out one potion to improve strength and endurance, and another for mental clarity and reflexes. His muscles heated up, urging him to move, while his thoughts quickened.

Enhancing elixirs were a tricky thing. Adding an immature body to the mix, they became more trouble than they were worth. The effects would last twenty and ten minutes respectively. After that, the backlash would take hours to wear off.

Dora left better ones in her parting gift, but they were meant for the future. With his current attributes and body, they would be closer to poison.

The boost was mainly to his physical capabilities rather than his spellcasting. They put him on a timer, and he hated having to resort to them. Right now, it was a gamble he would take a thousand times to improve his chances by far less.

Kai considered offering them to Flynn too. Though it would have been better if one of them wasnt suffering the backlash when they needed to escape.

He quickly explained what waited them inside so they could devise a planor the sketch of one at least. Each moment Kai had to fight the burning itch to run inside swinging his sword.

Less than thirty seconds later, they made their move. The broken door saved them a precious moment. Broken glass littered the floor making a sneak approach impossible. Kai surged Empower and dashed inside. The first target stood at the inner door of the hallway, connecting the main room to three smaller ones.

A woman, quiver on her shoulder, bow in hand, average stature. Before she could react, he had already made it halfway through the main room. She turned wide-eyed. The amused grin froze on her face.

Somehow, she managed to knock an arrow in a blur of motion, probably a skill. A spike in Hallowed Intuition warned him. Kai jumped to the right, the shot hissed by his ear, weaker than Tridels. Aiming with his mind, he released the water blade he had prepared.

Fueled by a third of his Water mana, the condensed blade crossed the remaining distance in less than a blink. Kai targeted her center of mass to ensure a hit.

Her bow and left hand were cleanly cut through. By the time it reached her body, the spell had lost too much strength and was stopped by a leather chest piece.

The pirate looked at her hand in shock, the start of a scream on her lips, Kai swung his hand. The sword appeared halfway through the motion. The scream remained forever sealed in her throat and her head rolled on the floor.

Kai didnt get a breather, pointing a foot before him, he forced his body to invert its momentum and retreat. His skills had already warned him. A burly man charged out of the doorway screaming in rage, dark eyes bulging. He swung a scimitar where Kai had been standing.

A tinge of relief swept him. Ele was alive. If the second pirate had chosen to kill her or take her hostage, Kai wouldnt have known what to do except beg. Though his relief was short-lived.

The man began swinging wildly, faster than his eyes could follow. Kai sent four water blades at him, consuming another third of his mana, but the spells were shattered before they could reach him.

Instead of dispersing into droplets, the water turned into mist around him. Improvisation painted his face in shock and horror. Vainly trying to create distance, Kai raised his left hand as if he was preparing to cast a desperate attack.

With his guard up, the man pressed forward, unwilling to give him the chance. As the swings of the pirates scimitar were about to reach him, the shadow waiting in the corner of the room struck, covered by mist.

The man reacted quickly, still not fast enough. One of Flynns daggers plunged halfway into his lower back, the other slashed his arm.

Kai surged Empower, charging the man to prevent him from focusing on Flynn. His sword whistled through the air in a lunge.

Fucking brats! Suddenly the swings of his scimitar exploded into a whirlwind of slashes in every direction.

Despite his best efforts to parry, Kai took a bloody gash on his forearm and shoulder. The man retreated to get a wall to his back and keep them both within his field of vision. His breath had grown labored after the attack, likely his profession skill had taken a toll.

Kai dared to spare a look at Flynn. The boy had a cut along his face from the cheekbone to the chin but looked otherwise unarmed.

Who the fuck are you two? The man snarled, his beady eyes flashed between them with hate, a hand holding the wound on his back. Im going to teach you why children shouldnt play with adults, and rip you limb from limb.

The raider attacked again, the stab Flynn dealt didnt slow him down yet. Their rushed plan hadnt gotten much farther. Running outside was out of the question, the chance of coming across more raiders was too high.

Reaching the same conclusion, they retreated to opposite ends of the room. No matter who the pirate chose to attack, he would leave his back exposed to the other. At least, that was the idea.

Shit, how can he be that fast?

The bald raider chose Kai, probably wary he might cast more spells. Empower flooded his body with strength and speed far exceeding his attributes, the boosting potions pushing him a step higher than he ever reached. Even then, he was forced into a defensive position, each second brushing with death. Hallowed Intuition warnings were too hard to interpret amidst the frenetic battle.

Rapid metallic clanks filled the room. Kai had to thank Elijahs teachings once more. If there was something he was good at, it was holding out against a stronger opponent. Even if he was fighting a losing battle.

I cant, Kai took out a hemostatic balm for himself. Help me with this.

Flynn downed the healing remedy without arguing, and started to apply the salve on the worst bleeding wounds. Kai was limping towards the hallway before he was done.

Wait, Im not finished.

Kai continued to hobble forward with Flynn fussing over him. Eles presence still shone to Mana Sense. She was alive, but he couldnt tell more. His mind refused to focus, his thoughts moving at a crawl.

The first boosting potion must have run out.

Ele, he tried calling. The raiders hadnt had time to plunder the inner rooms yet. Guided by his skill, they reached his bedroom. The door was shut.

Ele, its me, Kai raised his voice and hid his fear. We need to go.

There was no response. The glowing figure inside didnt move, huddled in a corner. Flynn easily picked the newly minted lock, and the door opened a crack. The bed had been pushed to block the way.

Weve come to take you home, Kai forced his tone to remain even and reassuring.

The figure stood up, she took one step, looking hesitant to come any closer.

Little brother? Her words were weak and filled with disbelief.

Yeah, its me, his voice cracked, tears swelling in his eyes. Only Improvisation kept his words coherent. Are you okay?

I yes, Im fine.

The bed was pushed aside, allowing him to squeeze through.

Dried tears on her cheeks, a cracked lip and several swelling bruises, but no bleeding wounds. Ele stood before him, alive. A weight lifted off his chest, Kai took the first true breath since he had been kidnapped by the rebels.

Ele looked at him like she was seeing the great spirits. Then she rushed toward him. They both hung on each other with desperation and relief.

Im ssorry, I

Youre safe now. Everythings going to be fine, Improvisation made his words soothing.

Among some sobbing, she told him what happened.

People werent too worried about the initial fires since they were confined to the outskirts and the enforcers seemed to have them contained. She came to his lab looking for him and had just discovered his disappearance when the raid started.

She was hiding inside the lab with Jomei when the pirates arrived. The guard had gone to face them, but

Im so sorry, I should have helped him instead I

You made the only possible decision, Kai tried to calm her. If you tried to fight them, youd both be dead.

The two raiders had been more interested in whatever valuables they could find than her. They took their time beating her up demanding to know where the money was hidden. Thank the spirits Kai had interrupted them before it was too late.

Flynn cleared his throat, standing by the door. I think we should go now.

They cautiously approached the broken entrance. Ele didnt flinch at the sight of the two corpses, but she retched when they came upon Jomeis.

Kai limped over to close his eyes. He didnt dare imagine how his twin brother, Jiro, would feel.

Im sorry I couldnt save you too.

He could barely focus enough to sweep their surroundings with Mana Sense, but he couldnt detect any human presence.

When his sister noticed his unsteady walk, she clung to him like a clam to a rock. Kai could tell she focused on helping him to not think about what happened. He only opposed when she tried to pick him up.

Wary of their surroundings, they made their way out of town. Flynn led the way, while Kai listened closely to Hallowed Intuition for any spike in danger.

The wind carried the echoes of explosion and battle near the docks. The streets around them were surprisingly clear. Though the signs of destruction were everywhere, with more than one building still burning fiercely.

Someone is coming, Kai stopped them. His heart skipped a beat when the presence headed straight for them, then he noticed Hallowed Intuition wasnt reacting.

Moui appeared before them, eyes filled with worry. What happened? Are you wounded?

This time Kai didnt get to choose whether he wanted to be picked up. His eyes drifted towards the sparks of bright flames near the sea, wondering what was happening there.

Numerous notifications blinked at the edge of his vision. His eyes closed before he could pay attention to them, the toil of the hardest day of his life caught up to him.