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Foreboding Storm - Chapter 104

Published at 20th of March 2022 05:14:30 PM


Chapter 104: Fighting Together

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"Twing!"

The golden sword vibrated in response, its excitement and anticipation clear from its strong reaction. 

"You have rested for long enough, I see." Smirking, she lunged towards the wild beast.

Bang!

Skyler hummed excitedly in her hand, shooting out sharp sword lights that pierced into the wild beast's skin like a knife into butter. Blood splashed and the beast roared in pain, its shriek echoing in the deserted wood. As it thrashed wildly on the ground, dust and debris went flying everywhere.

When the moonlight fell on its battered body, Princess Qamari finally saw its appearance. The wild beast was an Octopus Snake that lived within the wetlands of Eastern Reaches. As an evolved race of the Green Lined Serpent, the Octopus Snake carried venom in each of its ten tentacles, making them one of the most dangerous species in the Northwest.

Many detoxification methods and poison neutralizing herbs had no effect on its toxin, birthing a subconscious fear of its name and territory in the native civilians of the Northwest.

The years of solitude and lack of entanglement with strong opponents made the creature fearless. It instantly perceived Princess Qamari, who unexpectedly landed in its territory when she descended as food at first glance. 

"Skyler, this is a night-stalker Octopus Snake. Its' gall bladder is a remedy for cold sores. Let's take it down with one shot!" 

"Twing!"

Twirling the ringing sword in her hand, Princess Qamari dashed towards the flailing beast again. Only this time, she slashed mercilessly in a methodical manner, cutting off its various tentacles as black fluid squirted in the air.

"Ahhhhang!"

Its painful roars transformed into tormented whines that soon died off. The golden sword flew out of her hand and slashed viciously across the creature's neck, severing its head from its body.

With a dull thud, the body covered in black fluid fell on the ground, never to move again.

"Skyler, that was awesome! Did you sharpen your edge while resting? Your cuts and slashes were too clean and precise!"

"Twing!"

The golden sword made one final slash at the motionless Octopus Snake body and obediently returned to her outstretched hand. 

Princess Qamari gently caressed the sword, her eyes overflowing with deep sentiments, as she wiped it clean. Giving it a gentle pat, the golden sword shrunk in size and returned to its golden jewel-like state. She carefully inserted the tiny gold sword back into her thick silver-violet curls, held together by a white string.

"Now, let's go and see what we got here." Curiously, she approached the Octopus Snake's corpse and searched for the black gall bladder. While she was a healer herself, it never hurt to have a remedy for poisons on hand.

After excavating all the valuable materials from the corpse, Princess Qamari stored the items in her silver rafter. It was through a chance encounter on one of her herb foraging expeditions that she discovered another secret of the silver rafter. 

It had the ability to store items, both magical and non-magical.

The silver rafter could dispel any elemental magic an object possessed and shrink the size of items to 1/1000th of their original size when placed upon its surface.

At that time, Princess Qamari wasn't too thrilled about the discovery. She only used medicinal herbs and for that, she had her pouches. It was only later when she found the red Geromna Plant, a plant used to calm the nerves and facilitate meditation, that she discovered the advantages of the rafter that could shrink any item.

Satisfied with her harvest, Princess Qamari turned and moved towards the distant village.

"I need to find a clue that will lead me to the den of the strangers that chased me. Right now, the village is the only place I can begin my search."

With a destination in mind and a goal to achieve, Princess Qamari leisurely strolled through the dark woods.

Unbeknownst to her, there was a shadow standing among the dense trees, silently watching her every move.

"There is no doubt. She is definitely the woman from the mud house. So she is a magician as well?"

The figure was cloaked in black with a grotesque mask on its face, making his appearance even more ferocious and hideous than the Octopus Snake that Princess Qamari had killed.

"I wonder where she studied."

This figure was none other than Crown Prince Lail.

After leaving the mud house, he headed in the direction of the village where the black shield was built. Using the Black Spear, he easily traveled thousands of miles within half a night.

What he didn't expect, however, was the woman he met to be able to match his speed.

"Black Serpent, you are a spiritual weapon. For that woman to be able to match your speed, does it mean that her silver ride is also a spiritual weapon?" Crown Prince Lail asked the Black Serpent through their spiritual link.

"Master, that silver ride isn't a spiritual weapon. It is a spiritual item. On the scale of grade level, it isn't any lower than myself, which is why its speed didn't lose out to me. However, it doesn't possess the skill to attack or defend like me. It is more of a support type item, hence why it's termed spiritual item."

"Support spiritual item? Do you mean items that can teleport locations, fly without the use of magic, and can store and carry materials of any size?"

"Yes, Master. Those are called spiritual items because they can conduct functions without the owner having to use any magic."

"Hmm..."

Crown Prince Lail's gaze turned deep as he stared in the direction the woman left. In the entire Mistland Academy, he was the only person that possessed a spiritual weapon. But in this desolate region in the middle of nowhere, he met a woman that possessed an item with a value equal to his own.

A spiritual item.

"Is she from the other six academies as well? But that can't be right. I didn't see her among the group of apprentices that showed up in the City Lord's Main Hall."

Crown Prince Lail was curious. 

This woman was far from ordinary. This was something that he realized the instant he saw her in that mud house. But on this second encounter, he discovered that his first evaluation was nothing compared to the scene before his eyes.

The confidence and grace with which she butchered the Octopus Snake was no less than a beautiful dance. He hated to admit it, but she had unintentionally attracted his attention.

"We will follow her. If she is from the six academies, she is probably here for the Magical Kilin Mission. Who knows, maybe we would need her help."

Even though he spoke the words out loud, he knew that they weren't meant for Black Serpent. They were meant for him. He was trying to justify, and failing miserably, his interest in this strange woman.

'By acting this way, am I betraying my wife?'

His heart grew heavy at the thought.

His wife was his family. He couldn't even imagine doing something that would betray her trust, let alone do it. In the entire seven realms, she was the only person that he could not afford to hurt.

Not because he loved her deeply, but because she was his wife, and to protect her from every harm, pain, and difficulty was his responsibility.

This was a conviction that he believed in and a principle that he held close to his heart.

In the past six months, this day was the only time that his firm conviction had ever shaken and his beliefs questioned.

'My wife...what do I truly feel for her? Before today, I never placed my affection elsewhere. Before today, I never felt a day would come where I might one day betray her. But if such a day does arrive, what will I do?'

"Master, are we going? There seems to be some disturbance in the distance."

The Black Serpent's urgent cry snapped him back to reality. Turning his head, Crown Prince Lail looked in the direction the woman had disappeared in. Flashes of light and the enraged cries of wild beasts resounded, filling the dark woods with an eerie atmosphere.

Without hesitation, Crown Prince Lail leaped in the air and the Black Serpent flowed beneath him. Landing lightly on its black-blue back, he pointed in the distant.

"Black Serpent, go!"

Woong!

The Black Serpent flashed, trees and flying beasts sweeping past him, as, in the blink of an eye, he landed right in the middle of the chaotic battlefield and crushed a twisting centipede with its giant body.

Crown Prince Lail jumped off the Black Serpent and pulled out his magical spear. Thunder rumbled and flashes of black light gleamed on its black-blue surface. Without further delay, he charged into the battle.

Princess Qamari was stunned by the sudden appearance of the black creature. Her heart plunged with dread as her gaze fixed on the giant beast. However, unlike what she expected, the beast didn't charge at her. It instead crushed the wild beasts surging at her.

Before she could comprehend what was happening, a figure flashed in front of her and grabbed her waist, saving her from the claws of a wild boar just before it landed on her thigh.

"The wild beasts nearby must have smelled the scent of blood. We need to work together in order to escape from this predicament alive. Understand?" Crown Prince Lail hollered at the figure in his arm, his other hand defending against the boar's attack.

"You can put me down." The cold voice was like a splash of ice water, cooling his boiling blood.

He released his hold as if electrocuted by lighting, causing her to almost fall on her back.

"Thank you. Now, let us fight together."

As if not bothered by his rude actions, the woman twirled her golden sword and fearlessly dashed into the horde of beasts.




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