Chương 26: A Stormy Battle [Ardark Arc]

In her old world, Amberlin's friends had told her that there was a rabbit on the moon. But no matter how she strained her eyes, she never could manage to catch a glimpse of it. She remembered her brother mentioning that he would fix it for her in the game he was making. She never got to the part in the game where you got to see the moon—the view was always looking down on the character from above. But now that she was living in Kalimor for real, she could look up whenever she wanted.

And the moon really did have a rabbit on it, clear as clear can be. It was adorable, the outline etched into the lunar surface unmistakable, she loved looking at it, and hoped one day to find the part of the world that let you go there. None of this was relevant right now because it was coming out of a new moon, and the sky was bucketing down with rain. A flash of lightning lit up the heavy blanket of dark storm clouds. Havlo poked his head out of the carriage.

"La... Amberlin, are you certain you wouldn't rather be riding in here?"

"It's fine," she said.

"You stay dry. I'm the one who's been hired as a caravan guard." It wasn't that she'd forgotten to add Havlo's name to the roster. She just didn't think it was right for her as his master to put him in the line of danger until he got some more training behind him. It was all right for her because she was immortal.

"I should be out there with you," he said. It was sweet of him to offer, but she didn't really mind the rain. Her happiest memories as a child were of splashing around in the puddles at the local park. She'd always called for her brother to join her, but Tashido never did like the mud. The carriage door opened and Havlo hopped out, taking up a position by her side.

"They aren't going to pay us extra for this, you know," she said, hiding her smile beneath her hood.

"Then perhaps you should go on break and let me take over for a while," he replied. They both stubbornly continued to walk alongside the carriage, their waterproof cloaks pulled tight while the sky above raged like the gods conducting a war. She remembered hearing a theory that crime went down whenever it rained. Criminals didn't like soggy boots, it seemed. If that's the case, maybe it was all right to let Havlo get his feet wet. Just for a while—they'd have to stop for the night soon anyway.

The animals needed their rest. Another flash of lightning painted a tree across the clouds. It was followed by several more in quick succession. The rolling thunder rattled the carriage doors. The horses whinnied nervously. The caravan stretched out in both directions ahead and behind them, lit by the spells of their adventurer escorts. Some of the animals were more skittish than others, and she saw the drivers reaching out with a gentle hand to reassure their frightened wards.

Amberlin looked up at the sky again, murmuring to herself.

"This storm's weird." At that moment a thunderous crack went off at the same time that a streak of light broke through the cloud cover. It could have been a meteor, but something about it didn't look quite right. She grabbed Havlo by the arm and pointed to where the streak had fallen behind a hill.

"You saw that, right?"

"Yeah..." he said, furrowing his brow. She tagged him on the shoulder.

"You wanted to take over my shift? You got it. I'm going to check out what that was." Without waiting for a reply, she ran off toward the hill. There was a lot of woodland in between, but she didn't think it would be too much of a problem. Havlo and the caravan should be safe while she was gone. No bandits were going to be out in this weather.

Princess May-Lynn's exhausted wings struggled to keep up the pace. She'd never flown this far before, but she dared not ask to stop if it meant making land through the storm clouds below. She pushed mana out behind her the way her tutor had taught, using it to add extra speed on what her wings could achieve on their own. Even with that boost, she was shamefully slow for a dragonkin. Her bodyguard Marina was close at hand, cruising farther up for the clearer view of the dark skies around them.

It was a moonless night—a new moon, technically—so she'd be relying on her [Infravision] to spot any trouble before it approached. If life was fair, then this should also mean that trouble would have a hard time finding them.

"Your Highness!" Marina called down to her.

"You must stay closer to the clouds!"

"I am!" she shouted back. The truth was, the storm clouds frightened her. Getting too close made her scales tingle, and she was afraid of picking up a charge. It was even worse to fly through them. The one time she tried it, her entire body felt like a conduit for a wild and unpredictable current. The electricity should flow harmlessly along the surface of her scales and get discharged from her tail. But she could still feel it, and she hated the sensation.

That's why, against Marina's advice, they were flying above the clouds instead of inside them. Her trusted bodyguard had wanted to take advantage of the cover the clouds provided, but no amount of cajoling could get May-Lynn to give in.

"How much farther to Ardark?" she called up.

"I'm running low on mana." Marina stared up at the stars for a moment.

"Actually I think we may have overshot it."

"Are you kidding me?" The words came out sounding whinier than she'd intended. She owed her life to Marina, who'd shown unflappable loyalty in these darkest of times.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. With this storm, I can't check on the landmarks without leaving you alone, so I can only rely on the stars. But they're in constant motion and can be used as a rough guide and nothing more. I will need to dip below to check."

"Do as you must," she consented, though it made her anxious to be separated from her bodyguard. She didn't have many people left in her life. Not after the coup at the palace. Marina flew fearlessly down into the storm. May-Lynn hovered in place. It was senseless to continue her flight, for if they'd overshot their destination, then she'd only be putting more distance between them. And it was a relief to give her wings a chance to rest.

While she waited for Marina, she realized that she'd be faced with another predicament once they did get to Ardark. Unless she wanted to wait out the storm—unlikely given her current state—she would have to fly through the clouds to make land. The clouds directly beneath her flashed with lightning, and the crack of thunder almost deafened her. Yet another reason to hate storms. As the smell of ozone wafted across her nose, she glanced anxiously around. Why was Marina taking so long?

She started spinning nervously, trying to see if Marina had popped up someplace else. That was when she spotted someone rising up from the clouds about a hundred yards away. She was about to call out when she realized that this person was too big to be Marina. Their scales glistened silver in the starlight, something not possible with Marina's deep blue. And when their gaze landed on her, they pointed and let out a shout that sounded decidedly male.

May-Lynn wasted no time in speeding away, burning mana for the extra boost. She glanced back to see four more assassins had popped up in answer to the first one's call. They were gaining on her fast, their speed making her lose any hope of getting away. She was already pushing all the mana she could out behind her. She spun in midair until she was facing the lead assassin and focused her mana into a spell. A [Firebolt] elevated to Tier 2 shot toward him.

He didn't even bother to dodge, and he didn't need to, as her spell splattered harmlessly against his [Shield]. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. There was only one choice left to her if she didn't want to die. May-Lynn steeled her nerves and dived down into the clouds. An unpleasant buzz tickled at her scales. She ignored it as best she could while zigging and zagging at random, trying to shake the assassins off her tail.

She could hear them firing off their spells, and see the bright tunnels their [Fireballs] cut through the clouds. She didn't know how they were able to follow her through this dense soup, but the fact that they could meant that they were highly trained. A [Fireball] exploded near her wing and sent a burning pain down her body. She was fire-resistant, so the damage was minimal and she could still fly on.

But the pain had made her cry out, and the assassins must have used that to home in on her, as their spells were passing much closer now, and she could hear the [Air Strikes] whooshing close by. Something struck her from below and sent her into a spin. Only she wasn't spinning alone. It was the lead assassin, and he had her in his iron grip. No matter how she squirmed, she couldn't break free, and she felt a terrifying flux of mana building up in the space between them.

Before he could unleash his spell, something else struck the both of them, and it was the assassin's turn to cry out in pain. A third person had joined their aerial tussle. The newcomer was behind the assassin, their arms locked around his neck, and they were close enough that she could make out their features with her innate [Infravision]. It was Marina! Marina had returned to save her! The assassin decided to release the spell he'd been preparing, and the [Force Bolt] manifested right in front of May-Lynn's face.

But Marina was able to get a [Force Wall] up just in time, though it lost some effectiveness from overlapping with the [Force Bolt]. The result was that instead of having her head taken clean off, it only felt like she'd been kicked in the chin.

"Get to the ground and hide in the forest!" Marina screamed and knocked her down with an [Air Strike] just in time to avoid an incoming [Fireball]. The [Fireball] went on to strike Marina and the assassin, engulfing both in flames as they disappeared from view.

"Marina!" she cried, her voice drowned out by another crack of thunder. She realized that she'd dropped down through the bottom of the clouds. Rolling hills covered in trees spread out below her. Feeling vulnerable, she made to land as fast as possible, dipping below the forest's sparse canopy. Once she touched the ground, she unmanifested her wings so that they wouldn't get caught in the vegetation. From here bits of the sky were still visible, and she searched the clouds for signs of Marina.

Her bodyguard was one of the greatest warriors in the Draegorian Empire, but it was five against one, and the two of them been on the run for days, since their last hideout had been compromised. They'd been on their way to a backup safe house in Ardark, where an ally was waiting for them. They should have been there by now. How did everything go so wrong? She knew the answer. Marina's focus had been split because she'd been trying to protect her. Her mana had been drained from having flown so far.

And she'd had to reapproach from an unfavorable position after having to dive down through the storm to check where they were. May-Lynn shook her head as if that would get all the doubts out. She had to have faith in Marina. Those assassins were ants compared to her bodyguard. Her attention turned back to the sky when a streak of fire emerged from the clouds. She squinted to see who it was, hoping against hope that it wasn't Marina.

But when her innate [Infravision] picked up on the heat of four other figures dipping down in pursuit, she couldn't suppress the dread spreading out from her heart. The smart thing to do would be to make her escape while all their attention was focused on Marina. She could find her own way to Ardark and meet with their ally there. But Marina wasn't just a bodyguard. She was a friend. And May-Lynn couldn't help but feel like this was all her fault. She'd already spent weeks on the run.

What good was it to keep living like this, having her friends picked off one by one? If there was a chance she could turn the tide of battle, she had to try. And if she failed, then the assassins would kill her. But then with any luck, they would let Marina live now that their job was done. She manifested her wings and floated back up past the canopy, preparing to fly to where Marina fell.

Before she could make any sort of move, she was struck by an elevated [Fireball], the blast breaking through her [Shield] and knocking her back down to the forest floor. Her broken wings unmanifested on their own. She wouldn't be able to fly again until they healed. But her troubles didn't end there, as the attacker floated down a short distance away. She ran. It was undignified for Draegorian royalty, but there was no way she stood a chance in a one-on-one battle.

All around her, trees were blasted apart by a flurry of [Firebolts] and [Fireballs] as she ducked and weaved, with nothing better to rely on than her weak [Shield] if the assassin landed a hit. The barrage ended and was replaced by the crunching of leaves beneath the assassin's feet as he'd evidently decided that there were too many obstacles in the way, and instead resorted to chasing her down.

Her heart pounded as she pushed her legs as hard as they could go, but she could hear the assassin closing in, being faster than her on the ground as he was in the air. He was a trained soldier and she was just a fallen princess. When he got closer, the assassin began firing off spells again. Now that there weren't so many trees to get in the way, the next [Fireball] exploded in front of May-Lynn, knocking her down. The [Fireball] after that hit her dead on, shattering her [Shield].

But enough of the energy was absorbed that her innate fire resistance could handle the rest. This [Fireball] hadn't been elevated like the earlier one that knocked her out of the air. Instead the assassin seemed to be going for a rapid-fire approach, as he hit her with another standard [Fireball]. She managed to get another [Shield] up in time to block it, and then the next one, but she was at her limit. She waited for the finishing spell but it didn't come.

A hesitant glance at the assassin revealed that something off to her side had caught his attention. She followed his gaze to find a woman—a human—with her hood pulled back and whose hair, despite being soaked from the heavy rain, by the [Light] of her magic shone bright like the setting sun. The woman stared the assassin down with her sharp, intelligent eyes—eyes full of confidence, eyes fiercer even than Marina's—and spoke.

"Leave the girl alone."

Amberlin had lost track of where that streak of light in the sky landed. It wasn't easy finding her way through these unfamiliar woods, and she was doing it on hard mode by attempting it at night in the rain. Under these conditions, anyone would have gotten lost. It definitely wasn't just her. She heard the blast of a fireball. It didn't sound too far away, and she started making her way in that direction.

These forests were rumored to be full of monsters, and if someone was fighting for their life, it was her duty to help. After a moment there came a series of blasts in close succession. Whoever was there sounded like they were in serious danger. She pulled back her hood so that she could see better, even as it let the rain in her eyes, and hurried as fast as her legs could carry her. The wind howled through the trees, carrying the scent of living wood under fire. When the spells stopped, she grew worried.

Was she too late? They must be close now, if only she knew what to look for. Then there was another fireball, and she snapped her head around. Her trained musician's ears had picked up, buried beneath the explosive sound of the blast, the unmistakable cry of a girl. She could see her now, that girl—a teenager, really—just up ahead, sprawled on the ground. Two more fireballs came at her, and she valiantly defended herself with a magical shield.

The shields were too weak, and each one broke, but it had bought her the precious seconds Amberlin needed to arrive. She stopped beside the girl and saw that the attacker wasn't a monster like she'd been expecting, though some would say that a bandit was a monster under another skin. A bandit who, by the looks of it, was one of the kidnappers she'd come here to hunt. Both the bandit and the girl had horns and a tail that ended in an arrowhead.

Besides that, the girl looked completely human from what she could see, with brilliant silver hair, while the bandit had scales everywhere except his face. Her brother always loved the idea of populating his world with a wide cast of fantasy races. He would spend hours dreaming up how to make them all different and unique. But she never cared. People were people, and quest-givers were quest-givers. If you were to press her, Amberlin would say that they were lizardkin of some sort.

But what really mattered right now was that one needed her help from the other.

"Leave the girl alone," she warned the bandit. He sneered.

"Why should I listen to a lowly human?" He had his finger pointed at the girl on the ground, and shot off a fireball without hesitation. Amberlin moved swiftly to intercept the spell, stepping in front of the girl, and then with a well-aimed kick sent the fireball up into the sky, where it disappeared into the clouds.

"Impossible!" the bandit cried. Amberlin was already on the move again, dashing forward to close the gap. The bandit sent a barrage of firebolts at her, hoping to overwhelm her with so many projectiles that she couldn't deflect them all. But he was firing them off with one hand, while she had two fists to work with, and she deftly met each bolt with a punch, dispersing the energy harmlessly into the air.

The bandit, to his credit, saw that his strategy wasn't working, and he sneakily slipped a force bolt in among the firebolts, as being sneaky was what bandits did. When the force bolt met her fists, she was knocked back a short distance, but was able to maintain her facing, and the moment her feet touched the ground again, she darted forward once more.

"Impossible!" the bandit cried.

"You just said that," she snapped. This time he only sent force bolts, but they were slower to cast than firebolts, and she was making more headway after each one.

"Snuff this," he said, sharpening his claws. He swiped at her when she got close, and though she knew she wouldn't be hurt, she moved to dodge. Her intention was to take the bandit alive and bring him in for questioning, and it just wouldn't do to have him spreading rumors about her imperviousness to damage. She rolled under his guard and then raised herself up smoothly into an uppercut, her fist meeting with the bandit's chin.

Knowing that her punches could take out a rock troll, she held back quite a bit so as not to kill the man.

"Impoffibull!" The bandit stumbled back and spat out a tooth.

"Surrender now if you don't want to get hit again," she said. Instead of answering, the bandit turned and ran. She started after him until she realized that he'd risen into the air. Somehow he'd sprouted wings, and soon he was out of reach. She sent a fireball after him, but he rolled out of the way before disappearing above the canopy. It made sense to her now why Lorelark and Ardark had been having so much trouble containing the bandit problem. They weren't dealing with run-of-the-mill street thugs out here.

She returned to the girl only to find that she'd run off. Poor little thing. But at least she was safe from that bandit now. As much as she wanted to find her and bring her somewhere safe, she knew that realistically it wasn't going to happen. In the meantime she'd left Havlo out in the rain. She'd thought the caravan would be safe from bandits because of the weather, but clearly she'd misjudged how much they were deterred by the rain.

And if the rest of the bandits were of this caliber, it meant Havlo was in real danger every minute she left him on guard duty. The best thing she could do for the girl, and for everybody else, was to make sure the caravan got to Ardark safely. Once there she could file a report with the city watch so that they could send out a rescue party. Amberlin turned around, picked a likely direction, and started running.