Lexa's most immediate obstacle while trying to get passed this man called Savre was the Ghost Walker Medallion which could prevent her from chanting at a certain range. To get passed this temporarily, Lexa noticed that the medallion had to be activated and wasn't on at all times. Thus, she quickly came up with the plan to use Bestial Fury to freeze the man's movements. Hopefully for long enough that she can dash passed him and get to her partner.
As Lexa's blurred form was dashing passed him, Savre was delighted when he fought off the paralyzing effect of the Bestial Fury unleashed by that damn cat. His nimble limbs worked quickly, his left hand snapping in Lexa's direction, black shrouds encasing it.
Lexa cursed her luck. While it was still impressive that her Bestial Fury worked on someone an entire rank above her, it was still not enough.
There was nothing she could about it now however and these thoughts passed in the matter of a second bedore her brain quickly calculated her next move.
In retalitation to the incoming grasping hand which was encased in a strange darkness, Lexa chose to face off againt the attack directly when she realized that his hand's were moving faster than she could flee from its range.
"You think you can escape the hands of a thief?!" Savre taunted with a sinister grin marking his face.
Lexa ignored his words and went on to chant a spell, only to find no voice being projected from her communicator. He had activated the Ghost Walker Medallion and she was definitely in range to be affected.
She didn't have the time to stress over this and had already expected this, so she quickly acted on her second option. So without delay, a ray of red light shot out of the bangle attached to her tail, the fifth and final Scorching Ray from her Crimson Iris bangle.
As the Scorching Ray threatened to strike his hand which was encased by the dark substance, Savre visibly sneered. 'Have you not learned your lesson from last time? Let me reflect your own spell back at you!!'
But to his shock, this spell he recognized from before suddenly exploded into several red chunks that splattered across his body, doing no damage but dyeing parts of him a luminescent red, including painfully in his eyes as they squinted and blinked uncontrollably as he tried to free them of the red substance.
'Teheh, who would have thought that a little game of Splat would actually be useful in battle!' Lexa cheered internally as she looked on with glittering eyes. Lexa spared the reeling Savre no second thought for now and returned to her task at hand as she finally sprinted up to the prone Andria, who looked on with an awed expression. She hadn't expected that Lexa could actually get passed these scary adults and she cried out in joy as she went in for a hug with her newly grown up partner.
"Lexa!" Andria cried out as she hugged Lexa close to her heaving chest.
Lexa felt pained with every teardrop she felt dripping onto her silver fur and hugged the girl in her hands with the best of her feline abilities. Being a cat, the hug was a little awkward. But she didn't think much of it and continued to hug her, trying to seep out all the fear and pain out of her partner so that she could share in it, and make it easier for her.
"We're going to be okay... We just need to break through this barrier and escape!" Lexa tried to make her words sound as confident as she could so that she could build up the young girl's spirit.
"Hmm." Andria nodded amidst her tears, trying to sound just as confident.
The two separated from their quick reunion and Lexa turned to look at their kidnappers, who hadn't moved in the slightest, except for Savre who had begun to form water in his hands that he used to clean out the gunk in his eyes. He struggled however, as Lexa had added a metallic quality to the magical substance that hardened it and made it difficult to remove. He only got rid of it after several seconds of serious scrubbing and after it, the area around his eyes had swollen red like he had cried his heart out.
Despite the seriousness of the situation she was in, Lexa couldn't hold back her laughter at the sight and Andria joined in between her crying. Savre growled at them furiously.
"How. Dare. You!" Savre spat through gritted teeth.
"Come on, we gotta go!" Lexa exclaimed as she turned to look at a frightened Andria, who stiffly nodded her agreement before the two took off, running towards the distance of the thistle forest. Lexa concentrated on finding where the barrier was and was preparing herself for her attempt at breaking through it.
Lexa wasn't surprised to see Andria lagging behind herself quite a bit and tried to match her speed. Behind them Savre didn't bother to run after them, only walking at a steady pace as he prepped the dark spear in his hand in a throwing motion. His eyes concentrated on the two possible victims before narrowing on the easier target, the little girl.
With his trademark nimbleness, the spear left his swung hand at great velocity, flying through the air like an arrow in Andria's direction, threatening to pierce her through her back.
However, Lexa acted swiftly, leaping and tackling Andria so that she would avoid the spear's trajectory. Only, she was shocked when she found the spear changing its course, beckoning down on Andria once again.
Gritting her teeth, Lexa used a blast of wind to push her airborne self into the trajectory of the spear. She was going to take the attack head on!
Just before the spear crashed against her Ravager Armour, Lexa activated another ability of the Crimson Iris, the Crimson Glaze spell. On activation, a red gleam shot out of the bangle on her tail before wrapping around her body entirely.
When the dark black spear struck her chest area, the Crimson Glaze held strong for several moments before shattering into several sparks of red gleams. However, the barrier had done its job, so when the spear went on to strike her Ravager Armour, the spear only managed to dig an inch or so into it before losing all momentum. The cracks formed around the wound quickly sealed up and pushed the spear out by the time Lexa landed safely on the mud beneath. Her armour had completely healed as if it had not received any damage.
Meanwhile, the dark spear slowly dissipated into dark smoke, vanishing into the air. It could not continue to exist without being supplied aura. By the time the entire spear had vanished, so did the remnants of the Crimson Glaze spell that surrounded Lexa.
Savre looked in anger at the series of events, not expecting the small creature to have such a strong defence.
"Wow!" Andria muttered with wide eyes.
"No time to awe at my godly abilities, let's go!" Lexa exclaimed in a rush, though she didn't forget to praise herself during the process.
Savre growled behind gritted teeth as he went to take a chase after the two, but was forcibly stopped when a gruff hand captured his shoulder. The intensity of that grab made him shudder and he wanted to cry out in pain but didn't dare as he immediately realized the man behind this motion.
"Useless!" The Beast-Eyed Killer spat before pulling the hand holding Savre's shoulder backwards roughly with a titan grip. Savre repressed a scream as he was thrown ungraciously through the air and sent tumbling several meters on the ground. That fall didn't hurt him too terribly at his level, but the shame cut him deeply. He had hardly ever been on his boss' bad side, but he was too scared to shout any grievances and simply shot up to his feet as quickly as possible in a useless attempt to save himself some grace.
The surrounding followers of the Beast-Eyed Killer looked his way with eyes filled with laughter but dared not to vocalize their enjoyment of the other's enjoyment, lest they also get on their boss' bad side as well.
"Lets see what little trick you come up with this time!!" The Beast-Eyed Killer bellowed with a smile that did not reach his eyes forming on his scarred lips. He had no doubt that his employers were watching somewhere, waiting for the right time to pick the lass up after they had dealt her some abuse. So for Savre, his second-hand man to have been so disgracefully played like a fiddle at the hand's of a four-year-old and a Magical Beast only at the Early Stage of Major Rank, was extremely disgraceful for his image and made him uncontrollably angry. He did not like looking like a bloody fool!
Lexa and Andria didn't pay much attention to the ongoing's behind them and continued their mad sprint to the barrier which was now just a few meters in front of them.
The Beast-Eyed Killer meanwhile was slowly walking towards the two and watched with glee as the two got closer to the barrier. 'Do they really think they can break through a barrier created by that man? Though I don't know the man's origins and I don't know much about runes, even I can tell that this man's rune work was far above his Stage and Rank, which seemed to be similar to my own. '
Lexa continued to charge at the barrier however, chanting a spell all the meanwhile. Andria followed behind her closely, just running as fast as her little limbs let her.
When Lexa's spell was activated, several metallic blobs started to form around the cat, nearly a dozen of them in total. They were all like a thick liquid as they began to stretch out and eventually hardened into the shape of long and thick bolts, one's you would expect to be used on a crossbow.
This was the trademark signature of the Second Stage of the 'Arrow Shattering Sky' Arts, the Duplication Stage. This stage required its user to be at the Early-Mid Stage of Major Rank and though the Art's Echo Stone had held back most information about the Stage's prospects, Lexa could garner a good imitation just from the stage's title alone. Sadly, she did not have the time to study the Echo Stone for now and could only attempt the magic with the little knowledge she had. This caused these magical bolts to consume more aura than she would like, but their strength should hopefully be more than worth it.
So without hesitation, Lexa sent the flurry of bolts rocketing through the air, wind screeching in their wake as they headed off in the general direction of the barrier, whose form remained ellusive.
BOOM!
Lexa's blurry legs screeched to a halt and Andria joined her as her feet skidded to a halt as well.
'No...' Lexa's brow furrowed in despair. 'Not even a single scratch?'
Indeed, despite the massive explosive clash, despite the incredible strength and speed behind the bolts, the barrier remained undamaged. She had failed spectacularly.
"What now?..." Andria mumbled, her cheeks reddened and puffy from all her crying as she looked deeply into her partner's eyes, searching for something... Anything.
"Kahaha!!" A burst of obnoxious laughter sounded behind the two, and Lexa begrudgingly looked over her tensed shoulder to see the boss of their kidnapper's laughing hysterically. "Now do you see how doomed you two truly are?! What's your next move, eh?! If you're done, then let me have my turn!!"
As he chanted a spell, a dark form began to coalesce around the Beast-Eyed Killer before forming around the entirety of his right arm, extending into a claw-like form, though its shape seemed fluid as it flowed like ribbons in the air.
"Let me show you the true strength of the 'Depths of the Dark' Arts!!" The Beast-Eyed Killer growled through a bright grin that reached from ear to ear, twisting his scarred features into a menacing and terrifying sight. "Feel the power of the Holy Element of Darkness!!"
Without further ado, the Beast-Eyed Killer charged forth, the wavy dark claw becoming restless and chaotic as it followed. With a giant leap, the Beast-Eyed Killer's amazing speed brought him upon the cat in a flash.
Lexa took a second to process the previous sequence before her pupils darted to her attacker's new position, shocked at his speed. She wasn't even able to see a single movement in between.
This horrified her.
Seeing that he was coming for her, Lexa chose to be cautious and sent a gust of wind that pushed Andria out of harm's way while simultaneously activating the second spell of her Crimson Iris Bangle, the Crimson Glaze. The limitations of the Crimson Glaze spell was not as stringent as its offensive counterpart, as it could be activated at any time. Its shortcomings were that it only activated for the shortest of moments, and required around a minute of time before it could be activated once more.
The Beast-Eyed Killer's dark claw came streaking down with a voracious cry, striking the red glaze that shrouded Lexa's full form. Unfortunately, the barrier could only hold a moment before it shattered at the claws great strength. Red dust glistened and scattered as it dissipated.
Lexa's eyes closed, embracing her defeat. It didn't take long before she was forced to let out a shrill cry as she was slammed against the hard floor. She was unable to avoid the claw's might. The attack coming too fast and the sheer size of the claw aided in its trap.
Lexa winced as she was held prisoner under the dark claw. It held most of her body, feeling brittle under the claws weight, only leaving her head poking out. One could feel Lexa's pain in every struggled breath and hoarse cry that escaped her lungs.
"Lexa, Nooo!!" Andria cried out as she landed from being thrown earlier. She was on her bottom as one of her hands hovered over her shaking mouth, looking on in horror at the scene in front of her.
Her horror quickly changed into one of anger though.
"Let her go, you bully!!" Andria screamed and quickly went into chanting some sort of spell as she looked on with deep hatred at her partner's capturer.
The Beast-Eyed Killer tilted an eyebrow, finding her actions rather futile and humorous. "What has the little noble girl got? What sh*tty magic did your precious daddy teach you, huh?!"
"D-don't make fun of Daddy!!" Andria screamed out upon completion of her spell, which shockingly seemed to unleash no effect to the confusion of the Beast-Eyed Killer and his followers.
This was until the Beast-Eyed Killer suddenly felt the pressure beneath his dark claws give way suddenly, almost tripping him up.
"This b*tch!!" The Beast-Eyed Killer growled with wide eyes.
Lexa was also just as shocked when she found the earth beneath her give way, sinking down and creating a small crater under her. She automatically understood her partner's plan and didn't dare waste this precious chance.
Drawing out aura to her greatest opacity, Lexa enforced her four limbs, empowering them to her limit. At the same time, she used the element of wind to lessen any wind resistance. Using all means available to her, Lexa darted as quick as she could before those dark claws could grasp her once again.
Having been blindsided by this maneuver, the Beast-Eyed Killer's reaction was delayed, actually allowing Lexa to escape the claw's grasp when he finally swiped its great length at her in an attempt to grab hold of her smaller form.
"No you bloody don't!!!" The Beast-Eyed Killer was furious with rage. Even if in his eyes, these two brats could never escape no matter how many times they slipped from their grasp, each time it did happen was a slap in the face that added onto the shame. How could he demand people's respect when he couldn't even hold a damn Magical Beast at the Major Rank prisoner? A mere beast two whole ranks below him!!
He couldn't let her escape.
"Don't underestimate me, b*tch!!!" The Beast-Eyed Killer's voice was becoming rather shrill and maddening in its pitch at this point as his jagged eyes became bloodshot in the intensity of his sheer anger. With a great thrust of his right hand, the black claw extended to a great length and morphed shape. "Nobody escapes the Abyssal Snake spell!!"
In conjunction with his screaming words, the black, coalescing darkness that had taken the form of a five-fingered claw twisted cruelly into the shape of a massive snake that extended like a rope as it chased the retreating form of the fleeing cat.
"Nooo!!" Andria cried as the dark snake bared down on Lexa, its arrival seeming inevitable.
Except, it was at this moment that a roaring, reverberating crashing sound resounded loudly, demanding the attention of everyone.
"HOW. DARE. YOU!!!!"
The Beast-Eyed Killer's eyes turned into saucers as he suddenly felt a great pressure grasp his shaggy head. The pressure was so unbearable that he couldn't hold back the visceral scream that escaped his lungs at that moment. His jagged eyes scrunched up and blood began to leak from his nose. At first, it was but a drip, but quickly it was pouring, not only from his nose but from every other orifice in his head as well.
His shrill and croaky scream only croaked to a stop when his limbs became limp and the colour in his jagged eyes dimmed. Seconds later, his large corpse was dropped unceremoniously onto the gritty earth below.
The Beast-Eyed Killer had died just like that...
All of the Beast-Eyed Killer's follower looked on in shock as a deep-rooted feeling of despair bloomed, even more so when they the person behind this savage maneuver was revealed infront of them.
Lexa tripped in her hasty retreat, unaware of all this until she had looked back from the ground, still expecting her incoming doom. Only, her eyes opened in shock at the scene before her as her countenance turned into one of great relief, a feeling of relief stronger than she had ever felt prior.
Behind her, Andria's eyes assumed the same expression, even more so than Lexa. Tears sprayed with her shaking head as she let out a large shout filled with grievance, relief, and affection.
"DAAADDDY!!!!"
"Don't worry little An, Daddy's here now." Alexander gave her a comforting smile as he stepped beyond the now broken confines of the elusive barrier.
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