Chapter 90: Gears in Motion
"Demons weren't spotted?" I asked in surprise after Victoria finished speaking. "Then what about the reports that claim they did?"
She shrugged. "I don't know." She glanced at the Kestler brothers who were sitting on the couch. "My people have checked the places and none of them could confirm what the reports said. All they claid to have seen was an increase of wildlife. Rampaging beasts, signs that creatures of legend have started to wake up." She glanced at as her lips ford a smile. "Such as that phoenix you killed."
I flinched. The phoenix Vixia had defeated was indeed a creature of legend, but it hadn't just woken up – it was simply cursed by an Ereth god, Rohir.
"What do you think is happening?" Vincent chid in. "If its not demons, does that an we have another enemy?"
Victoria shook her head and fiddled with her long, maroon hair. "I don't think it's as simple as that," She replied. "I think there's sothing else going on behind the scenes. Sothing the Ereth aren't telling us." Her ominous words left a bad taste my mouth. She was right – sothing felt off.
I took a deep breath. "You're right." I glanced at Vincent and Joshua. "I'll head to Stonepatch Village now – Rina and Alex might be in danger. I want to make sure they're fine. I'll probably be back before the next match. If I'm not..." I hesitated. "I'll be back." I finally said. I was not going to die. Not now, not after everything I'd been through.
"Be careful." Vincent warned after a mont's hesitation. "Things may have changed – the path might be more dangerous."
I nodded. Any number of rampaging beasts could have taken over areas along the road. Even the skies could be filled with danger.
"What about Erik?" Victoria suddenly asked. I paused. How much did I want to tell her? How much did I trust her?
"We had an argunt," I said after a mont's hesitation. "So, I'd appreciate if you could keep an eye on him. I don't think he wants to see for a while." I looked at my hands. I sowhat regretted using my flas against the young paladin.
"What happened?" Joshua asked, leaning forward. I could see the glimr of curiosity in his eyes.
"It's nothing," I said with a sigh. "Nothing but a misunderstanding." I shook my head. While our argunt – no, our fight – troubled greatly, I didn't have ti to worry about it now. I had to focus on those who might be in danger.
I pushed myself up and glanced at Victoria. "Can I count on you to keep the girls safe while I'm gone?" I asked. While our relationship consisted of threatening each other, I knew she cared about Vincent and Joshua. She wouldn't let anything happen to their friends, especially since they're innocent.
"Of course. Try to co back alive." She said with a faint smile. I chuckled, then motioned to the door.
"Kai, hang on." Vincent shot up and hurried after . "Let co with you to the city gates."
"Sure," I said, sowhat confused. Did he want to talk about sothing in private?
After bidding farewell to Victoria and Joshua, we left the room. As we made our way to the city gates, Vincent remained silent. Only once we were out of the city – and out of the view of Ereth guards did he finally speak.
"Thanks, Kai." He said with a low voice. "Victoria told us about what you did. She said she'd never have contacted us if you hadn't forced her hand."
I smiled. "Anyone would have done the sa. I'm glad you three have found each other." I glanced at the sky. The sun had set; it was already dark out. "I have to hurry if I'm to make it back in ti Vincent. Take care of the others for , would you?" I asked as I summoned my wings.
"You take care of yourself," He said with a faint smile. "We'll be fine."
I laughed. "See you in two days."
With those words, I leapt into the air. As my massive wings carried to the sky, I adjusted my bearing. With my wings beating with a steady rhythm, I soared through the sky.
Soon, I felt the exhaustion set in as my muscles started to burn and my body to ache. I focused – could I do it again? Suddenly, a burst of magic spread through my body. My wings, seemingly caught on fire, left a trail of embers behind them. As Fallen Grace enhanced my body even further, I felt the wind hitting my face strengthen. With anger burning within my heart and worry filling my mind, I flew towards Stonepatch Village.
Hours passed. I could hear nothing but the blowing wind and the rhythmic beat of my wings. I glanced at my hands – was I strong enough to take on anything that was powerful enough to threaten Rina and Alex?
I couldn't answer that with a yes. With a sigh, I summoned my interface and glanced at my status panel.
'Kai Friseal – Level 80 Soul Keeper | Exp: 65000/70000 - - Souls 100/100 889- - Mana:1940
Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death's Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul's Respite Lv. 5 | Explorer | Crystal Sage
STR: 10 – CON: 10 – DEX: 100 – INT: 100 – WIS: 91'
I glanced down, where more text could be seen.
'Skill points available: 60 – New skills unlocked'
I hadn't given any skill points to any new skills in a very long while. It was mostly due to all these new skills being mostly useless – I didn't need a mass heal that required to stand still as I cast it. Sa for this 'Ritual of the Night' thing. Summoning darkness that blinded too wasn't very sensible in the thick of battle.
I scoured the list, hoping to find at least sothing useful. I needed more power. Long minutes passed as I looked in vain. Eventually, I gave up. I probably had to wait for level 100 before anything useful popped up. That was when my power would grow significantly.
A sudden pain cut through my mind. I let out a shout as I barely managed to stay in the air. It felt as if sothing had cut into my arm. The pain disappeared as soon as it appeared – I almost thought I was hallucinating.
But this was no hallucination – that pain was real. But I wasn't the one it belonged to.
"Asher!" I shouted into his mind. "What the hell happened?"
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