Capítulo 89: - Shadows Pull Back
Kara stood at the end of the street, eyes trained on Lia and her friends, one of whom was clutching his side in pain, the other on the ground recovering from the loss of air in his lungs.
Her eyes shifted to Ken's sleek and thin body, his back turned to her, yet his head was slightly tilted towards her, as if he was listening to what she would do.
She tore her eyes away from him, his image flooding her mind of when he pushed her out of the way, in a split second moment to capture his face, to save her own life, at the sacrifice of his own.
Or so she thought.
The two figures standing next to one another, closer to her than Lia's group, yet far enough she could only make out the faintest of outlines in her vision. One stood with his shoulder facing her, while the other didn't bother hiding his face, as his cloak did that alone without help.
One looked like a wanderer, a person who she would hardly pay much attention to, just as much as the rabble on the streets, constantly begging for coin and driving the good name of her city down.
Being a bustling midpoint between two major cities like Neverdark and the capital of the clan's territory, many people descended into poverty, several wanderers coming though, begging for food and shelter.
This man's ragged cloak and attire gave Kara the impression of a homeless man, who wandered the forests until he was eaten off by monsters. But she knew better than to lose sight of a man's power when he had just obliterated her monster, the bracelet on her wrist still stinging from the loss of the gem, having burst and destroyed itself when the creature died.
'He's dangerous, especially with his magic. I'll have to find out who he is later but -'
Just then, a thought crossed her mind. A memory of sorts from a few days back, when she was interviewing Lia on the goblin raid.
'Sorcerer.'
Her mind flashed to the man's hands, where she was disappointed to not see some type of stick, staff, or even flask. Many wizards and warlocks she had seen, even for a few moments, in battle or not, had always carried one of those three in their hands.
Vessels of power.
It had been the official name for magical artifacts and tools summoned warriors used in order to channel their magic power into the Ancestral world.
For most other summons, their magic had to be channeled and cultivated inside their own bodies, making it much easier to control. However, Wizards, Witches, and Warlocks - all three of the Wizarding class family tree - had a much more difficult time managing this, as their magic was harnessed to cause damage, not support their own bodies to cause that damage.
For this very reason, the magic that would have normally been like a second skin to the summons, for a member of the Wizarding class, that magic was like taming a wild horse.
Far too difficult for themselves to handle. Which was why most Wizards, Witches, and Warlocks used items - tools to harness and channel that magic. Something that could take the full frontal force of a wild horse like Magic and Mana and not get injured. And even if they did break or break under the pressure, they were always replaceable.
But a Sorcerer?
An unknown and fairly recently discovered summons - the first being summoned ten years ago by one the clan heads - did not need any 'Vassal of Power' to channel their magic. They were already so attuned to the Magic and Mana in the air, that it cost little to nothing for them to channel it. Making this opponent of hers, far more terrifying.
'He'll be difficult to deal with, especially with his constant magic attacks. Thankfully they have a weak body - hardly any defense. It's the other one I'm worried about…'
Thinking this, her eyes shifted to Kal, who stood next to the cloaked Sorcerer, watching her with the keen eyes of an eagle, as if she was a mouse who might bolt at any moment.
He was unknown. Illogical.
Kara could tell that the Sorcerer was Lia's summons, but this man - she had not a clue to give nor follow.
He was unknown , and that made him dangerous. Someone she couldn't calculate, find a reason to palace their at Lia's side, or find a flaw in his seemingly destructive and…
She glanced down at the bloody puddle forming at her feet, caused by the now abundant pieces of flesh that had at one point belonged to a Grockoil. The vivid image of its horns speeding in seemingly slow motion towards her body was still present in her mind.
'That man saved Ken…but why? Does he need him for something? Some plot I'm unaware of?'
She threw the thought from her mind, needing no distraction to flood her sense of awareness, keeping her eyes and mind trained on the task at hand.
Kara reached for her rune circle, a small patch of black on her left upper arm, which she slowly raised to meet her open hand.
The rune circle was cold, yet brimming with life, slowly moving under her fingers, shifting the skin and flooding her with power.
Her eyes met Lia's, filled with a feeling of carnage and anger, a feeling she wanted to exact on the girl so badly that she found herself gripping her own arm so tightly it left marks on her skin.
"If you think that this is over, that I have nothing left, you're wrong! I'll let you beg for your life as a last bit mercy - the only bit you will be getting. So go on! Beg!"
Kara couldn't keep the insanity out of her voice as it scraped the very bellows of her throat, coming out in some hoarse sound, as if she had lost her voice, yet was still trying to yell.
Lia said nothing, her gaze cold and unmoving. Her face was glazed over in some unreadable expression, before she glanced at the ground, contemplating something Kara couldn't tell.
Finally, Lia raised her sword, pointing the tip towards Kara in a threatening pose.
"I'd rather bleed."
The tone of her voice left little for Kara to imagine, as her eyes grew wide with anger, her face scrunching from the emotion taking control over her. Even her eyebrows twitched, as Kara huddled over, clutching her stomach.
She wanted to punch something, kick, scream, throw a tantrum like a little girl, but she kept quiet. She kept it inside, refusing to let such an unruly side of her show.
"Fine…"
Her voice was level with the ground, deep and echoing across the empty street, as the moon slowly illuminated her features, painting the image of her body against the destroyed tavern behind her.
A shadow pulled itself from the ground, its figure round and buff, before stretching out to form the shape of a man whose facial features were hidden behind a demon-like mask. Its smile was sinister, and the two thick and twisting teeth that seemed to pull itself from the bottom jaw to where it sat above the upper lip seemed like it could tear through your very flesh.
The figure was all black as if it was made of the very shadows itself. Only the red and white of its marks was distinct, but Lia had a feeling that would do nothing to help her if this figure turned out to be what she thought it was.
She didn't need to think any farther, as Cain confirmed it with just one look.
'Shinobi. The ancient assassin.'
'I take it you know of this…thing?'
Lia asked, as her face scrunched up in caution. Neither one of them - Lia or Kara - made any sudden movements, as they stared at each other from across the street.
'No. Not entirely. This man isn't - or might I say wasn't part of our world. They suddenly started appearing in droves some centuries ago. Something about ancient legends turned from fiction and history to reality.'
'Any way I can beat him?'
'Yeah. Don't lose sight of him.'
Lia instinctively gulped down a mouthful of her own saliva when she heard those words.
'I take it he's fast then.'
His next words were anything but reassuring.
'To put it into perspective, if that man decided to use his speed against you, you'd lose an arm or two before you realized what had happened.'
His voice grew dim as the weight of the situation clearly weighed heavily on him.
'But by then you'd be dead.'
Lia brought her sword closer to her body, trying to prevent the tip from shaking, showing her fear. The dark and star lit sky seemingly no longer as welcoming as it had been before, as the shadows only painted a much harsher picture to look at.
"Great."
She mumbled to herself.
"Kara has the advantage."
Lia didn't make any sudden movement, watching the wisps of shadows pull from the assassin's cloak silently, waiting for any twitch in his stature that would tell her when he was about to move.
'Don't Lia.'
Cain's sounded serious, as if worry had overcome him.
'But-'
'No.'
Cain's stern voice crushed any chance of a fight Lia could have put up before it ever began.
'That man is strong. He's a Rank C, but even so, he's a class 6 assassin. His speed will be too much for you.'
'Then…'
She was about to ask what she could do if she couldn't fight him, until her eyes instinctively landed on two men standing not so far away, silently watching Kara with keen eyes.
Her summons.
Together, Lia and Cain spoke as one, as if the same words were passing from his mind to hers.
"Use the power for which has been given."
She waited a minute, her eyes never leaving Kal's figure, as he stood watching silently. It made him look somewhat terrifying.
The Sorcerer, his hunched figure covered by the long and tattered robes, approached Lia, leaving Kal standing alone, the only thing between her and Kara. He reached out to Lia with careful and shaking hands, as if he was afraid of hurting her with his touch, or rather as if she was some holy object too precious to touch.
His fingers drifted around her body, though never making contact with her skin, his hands hovered over the long scar across her back. Cain had done as much as he could internally to heal the wound, but its bloody trace of pain was still there, causing Lia to wince ever so slightly from time to time.
If the Sorcerer had intended to heal Lia, she didn't let him as she raised a hand, slightly gesturing him to hold. He did so silently, fading back behind her, and tracing his steps back to her companions, who he helped up with a little less caution than what he showed Lia.
Slowly, Lia sheathed her blade taking slow and steady steps towards Kal, who continued to keep his head turned towards Kara.
As if setting off a spark, her movements caused the demon-faced assassin to shift in his stance, as if he was ready to blast off from that spot, and over the distance between them in seconds. However, Kara held up a hand to stop him, somewhat confused by Lia's actions, as well as her intentions.
'What is she doing…?'
Kara wondered silently to herself, her eyes glancing between the sorcerer and the Lia, finding it odd that she had shooed away her summoned warrior, even though they were about to go head first into a fight.
'Why would she…?'
She never got to finish that sentence, as Lia reached Kal soon after that thought entered her mind.
Kal didn't move, his eyes still trained on Kara's assassin, waiting for the summons to make its first move.
Lia didn't say anything as she looked over Kal's features, his face somewhat stoic and easy to draw any girl's attention. But not hers.
Lia didn't know why she was taking careful notice of Kal's face, possibly because she was worried about the chance he would lose, or the chance that he would be killed, vanishing before her eyes, never to be seen again.
After all, in all the time she had Kal within her arsenal, his image stained in her mind using Vox Aeterna or simply put - as Cain later revealed to her - Aeternus, she had never once bothered to ask what his rank was.
As if knowing that would help her now. This knowledge could have changed nothing, or it could have changed everything. She didn't know. All she knew now was that the possibility was there.
And that scared her.
"Kal…"
She didn't raise her voice, it wasn't stern, nor was it soft. It felt natural, clean, and even, like the very same voice she had heard in her head since she was a child.
He turned to her, his face still retaining the stoic expression he had shown Kara, but his eyes softened when they met hers, sending a calming feeling through Lia's body.
His eyes were a pale gray, silver if the moon light hit them just right. His jaw was firmly set, and Lia got the impression that he clenched his teeth quite often. His hair was a dull brown, borderline black, and was cut back short, but not too short.
His face had a handsome look to it, and Lia knew in her heart that there was some girl out there that had fallen for this very face.
"...I hate to ask you, even though it is the very reason you are here in the first place."
Kal said nothing, though Lia didn't expect him to. Turning to Kara, her demon Shinobi behind her blending with the shadows, she pointed.
"I need you to deal with them."
Kal looked between Kara, her summons, and Lia, his eyes steady and unwavering unlike Lia's who looked to be on the verge of tears as it was.
"I…I know you could die, get hurt, or - or even worse but… look all you have to do is say no."
She looked up at him with eyes burning with tears that she refused to let fall. She refused to make Kal feel any pity for her, and waver from his decision.
"All you have to do…is say no."
She was very careful when saying this, making sure the emphasis behind these words were made true and vivid to Kal. Though if he heard, or even understood the true meaning behind these words, he didn't show it.
His face was blank and expressionless, two dull gray eyes staring back at her with seemingly emptiness.
"So…what will you do?"
Lia asked, her break shaking with her voice. The night wasn't too cold, but from the way she shivered, any onlooker wouldn't be surprised if they looked up to see snow falling.
Kal remained silent, his eyes still lingering on Lia. They weren't frowning, nor were they wide with surprise or fear. They were just sitting there, slightly squinting, as if he felt sadness for her - pity, though for whatever reason Lia did not know, as she had brushed away the tears already forming on her eyes.
He breathed in, his lungs filling with air, and filling the silence around them with a slight noise. Rian, Lukali, Ken, Kara, even the summons were all looking at them with different emotions.
Some suspicion. Some were half closed as if begging him to accept, while others turned away as if to say not to.
But it didn't matter.
As Kal let out the air in his lungs, sighing deeply, a rush of relief flooding through him, he took one silent look at Lia, who watched him with eyes covered in tears.
She knew his next words before he even said them, as she had known from the beginning, and it felt like a flood gate for the water in her eyes, as a lonely tear fell down her cheek.
His voice came then, like an echoing drum beating through the air, deep and as clear as the winter wind biting at your skin, sending goosebumps tracing up your arms and legs.
"As you wish."
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder