CHAPTER 24

HAKKEN IMMEDIATELY noticed that there was something wrong with his lady before he even heard Cira's voice, shouting at him to get his lady to safety. Just hearing the desperation in Cira's voice, Hakken knew it was an urgent order that his body moved on its own.

"Get her out of there!"

Hakken didn't waste any time. He picked up his lady and carried her out of the walls surrounding the noble's hill, into the dark forest below the hill. He ran as fat as he could that the soldiers lost sight of them.

Knowing that he couldn't leave his lady just anywhere, Hakken picked a large tree he could climb and let his lady sit on its large tree branch, fifteen feet high from the ground.

Sollel still felt weak even after putting a safe distance from the moonrite, but her strength was slowly coming back. Even though she was recovering quickly, however, she was angry at the thought that she couldn't enter the hill and save the people she cared about.

"Are you okay, my lady?" Hakken asked, worried. "Should we go back now?"

Sollel was ashamed to shake her head. She was the one eager to fight and save Grath, but here she was, weak and useless. She might be free, but right now, she felt like she was back to her prison, caged and trapped again, too weak to save herself and the others.

"Hakken, go back. You're more needed there than I." They heard Cira's voice before she landed on the same tree branch Sollel was sitting on. "I will take care of Her Highness."

Hakken held Sollel's hand and squeezed it before he jumped down from the tree and went back running for the noble's hill, his face contorting in rage and bloodlust.

Back in the tree, Cira sat in front of Sollel and looked down. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. It's my fault. I can't still find a stone that could negate the moonrite's effect on you."

"It's not your fault." Sollel took a deep breath while waiting to fully recover. "Go. I can't fight. Please save Grath for me, Cira."

"Your Highness—"

"I'll be fine here."

Cira clenched her fist, seeing Queen Sollel struggling because of those good-for-nothing humans. "I will go back, but not to fight. I will look for that damn stone and break it."

Even though she was feeling bad, Sollel couldn't help smiling at Cira, amused by her words. "Cira, even if you break the stone into pieces, its power to weaken me will never change."

"Then I'll seal it in my pouch," said Cira, gritting her teeth. "Just where the heck are they getting that stone?!"

"I have no idea." Sollel sighed and leaned on the tree trunk. "We know that we are weak to moonrite stones, but it's a rare stone, almost nonexistent, so we didn't mind. After being imprisoned—and even now—I still don't know where they get so many moonrite stones. I don't even know where humans learned about our weakness. It happened so suddenly."

Cira closed her eyes to calm herself. "I'm going, Your Highness. I have to find it and seal that stone so you could raze hell and burn those good-for-nothing nobles on the hill."

Sollel smiled at Cira and watched her jump from tree to tree to go back to the hill.

Alone, Sollel sighed and clenched her fist. She felt so useless sitting there, hiding while everyone was fighting to save Grath. I can't even save and protect the people I blessed. A queen who couldn't save her people was not a queen at all.

♕♕♕

OBSERVING THE noble's hill from a hidden place, Cira saw how vicious Hakken was in battle. He was fiercer and more merciless than their other battles. Was it because Queen Sollel was hurt? Cira thought, pressing her lips together as she watched Hakken mercilessly slaughtering the soldiers who dared to block his way.

Then Cira's gaze settled on Xeke who was on top of the gate, controlling his daggers to attack the mercenaries with Zassia's help.

Seeing that everything seemed under control, Cira used her speed and agility to slip inside the noble's hill unnoticed. Hiding in the shadows, Cira went inside the nearest building that stood out after calculating the distance where Queen Sollel felt the stone earlier. It was a grand temple. She would bet that the moonrite stone was here.

Remembering one of her discoveries about the stone even though she was still not finished analyzing it wholly which the stone would glow brightly when another moonrite stone was in the vicinity. She pulled out her sealing pouch from her satchel and took out the moonrite stone to use its glow to find the other moonrite stones.

Carefully advancing with the moonrite stone in hand, Cira followed the glow of the stone, using it as her guide inside this huge mansion while evading the humans who were roaming around. With Cira's speed and agility, it was an easy feat.

Cira didn't encounter any trouble and reached a large high-ceiling room in the center of the temple safely.

Looking around the dark large room, her elven eyes immediately adjusted to the darkness, and it settled on a statue at the center of the room. The statue of the King of Treterra—King Maximilian Treterra.

And the statue was holding a moonrite stone.

Cira grinned in triumph and was about to climb the statue when she felt a killing aura behind her.

With a speed that could rival lightning, Cira jumped to the other side of the room. And when her feet landed on the floor, a large black war hammer with a long handle slammed on the place where she was earlier.

Cira shivered, seeing how the floor shattered into tiny pieces on impact. If not for my speed, it would've been me.

Cira looked at the man holding the war hammer like it didn't weigh tons. The man was wearing an impressive black plate armor and Cira was intimidated. With one look, she immediately knew that she was no match for him.

Cira subtly stepped back while looking for an escape. She knew she'd die if she stayed there. Damn it! Cira glanced at the moonrite stone on the statue. I was so close! I need to seal that—

Faster than her elf's eyes could see, the man in black full plate armor moved and appeared in front of her, shocking Cira, but she was still fast enough to react and jump away, avoiding his war hammer again. But the man didn't let her escape. He followed her movement, chasing her with his war hammer, and even though he was wearing a full plate armor, he was too fast, keeping up with Cira's movements until the side of his war hammer hit Cira, sending her flying in the air before Cira's back slammed on the room's thick wall.

Cira vomited blood at the impact, her rib broke, but she quickly got up and moved when she saw the war hammer about to plummet her to the floor.

Cira barely escaped, and the pressure of the war hammer slammed her body on the wall again. Blood dripped from Cira's mouth, but she still stood. With her internal wounds, Cira's movement slowed down that when the man's war hammer was about to pulverize her, it was too late to move.

I'm sorry, Your Highness. Cira winced at the pain her body was enduring as she waited for her demise, but before she could be pulverized by the war hammer, someone appeared in front of her, out of thin air, and blocked the war hammer with only his dagger.

"X-Xeke..."

Unbeknownst to Cira, when she left to go to Sollel, Xeke put one of his daggers on her arrow's quiver, in case of emergency.

Xeke gritted his teeth as his hands holding the dagger blocking the war hammer trembled. It was too heavy, but his dagger was an arcane weapon. "Go!" he hissed at Cira. "Hakken already got Grath. Go!"

Cira didn't need to be told twice. With her body burning in pain, she stood and moved to escape, but the man with a war hammer didn't let her. He withdrew from clashing with Xeke's dagger and threw his war hammer at the escaping Cira.

But when it came to speed, no one could beat Xeke. He appeared before Cira and blocked the war hammer, used his five daggers to break the large glass window for Cira's escape, and then willed his five daggers to make a staircase for Cira.

"Go!"

Cira nodded and, in a weak and pained state, she jumped, her foot landing on the dagger. She staggered, but Xeke's dagger was there to support her. From behind her, he could hear clashing of steel, but she didn't turn around to see how Xeke was doing. She focused all her attention on escaping because she knew, if she failed to escape, she would be a burden to Xeke. And being a burden was nothing something Cira enjoyed.

Before Cira's feet touched the ground, the smell of blood filled her nostrils, making her crunch her nose. Dead soldiers were everywhere, and blood was scattered on the ground. Hakken must have been very furious.

Seeing Cira nearly falling to the ground, Zassia helped her up and followed Hakken who was also helping Grath.

"X-Xeke..." Cira murmured as she vomited a mouthful of blood. "H-he's still fighting..."

"He'll be fine." Hakken spoke sternly as they left the noble's hill to meet up with Sollel in the forest.

♕♕♕

WHEN CIRA LEFT, Sollel kept on trying to enter the noble's hill, but everyone she neared it, she immediately felt dizzy, and her strength drained in an instant. She wanted so bad to burn every human on that hill, but because of that damn stone, she couldn't even protect the people closed to her.

Sollel spent her time worrying, she had no choice but to wait. If only she could use her flame from where she was standing, but her flame had a limit when it comes to distance. And without seeing the battlefield, she might end up hurting the people she wanted to protect.

So, she waited and waited, and she finally saw Hakken, helping Grath to walk, and Zassia helping Cira—

Cira... Sollel's eyes widened when she saw Cira's estate. Her lips trembled and her rage exploded together with her flame, devouring the forest they were in.

"C-Cira..." and it felt like she was seeing her past all over again, as Cira tried to walk towards her with Zassia's help, Sollel remembered Gatria walking towards her, in the same state as Cira, looking so pale and weak, Gatria's hand reaching out to her before they were shackled by humans.

"Y-your Highness..." Cira's voice snapped Sollel out from her reveries. "S-Sorry... I— I couldn't g-get the stone."

Sollel shook her head and wrapped her arm around Cira, supporting her. "It's okay. Spread your essence all over your body and try healing yourself. I'm here now. I'll burn anyone who'll hurt you."

Cira smiled before she finally lost consciousness.

"We have to go," said Hakken who took Cira from Sollel to carry her. "Grath said he can walk. We have to get out of here."

Sollel looked around. "Where's Xeke?"

"He'll be fine." Hakken was already walking. "Come on. Let's go."

Sollel, Zassia and Grath followed Hakken out of the forest and into the barren land again, leaving Xeke behind on the noble's hill.

♕♕♕

THE RELIEF Xeke felt when Cira escaped made him smile that he felt like he was the one who escaped. Shaking his head, he focused his attention on his enemy. He could teleport himself to the forest outside nobles hill since he left a dagger there just in case, but if he disappeared, the man hes fighting might follow Cira and the others.

I need to buy some time.

Xeke was used to travelling alone. It was actually his first time travelling with companions and he had a good time. It was fun and he wanted that fun to continue.

Xeke hissed and grunted when the war hammers weight doubled while he was blocking it with his dagger. His hand trembled while he was being pushed down by the hammer. One wrong movement and he will be pulverized.

Damn it! Xeke hissed and disappeared to escape the hammers weight, then reappeared behind the wielder of the war hammer and willed his remaining daggers to attack the man from above.

The man in black full plate armor easily dodged it with speed and called his war hammer back to his hand.

Xeke clicked his tongue in annoyance and willed his dagger to float around him.

With his hands controlling the daggers, Xeke clocked the war hammers attack with his five daggers, blocking it midair and then with his hand commanding the rest of his daggers, it flew rapidly towards his enemy, clashing and penetrating his enemys full plate armor.

The man in black full plate armor was stunned to see the dagger penetrating his armor and blocking his war hammers attacks. To think that a simple, short dagger could block his war hammer weighing half a ton, and their speed was also almost identical.

Kar Drue called his war hammer back to his hand and stared at his enemy and his daggers floating around him. That dagger is interesting. Let me see it up close.

Xeke readied for another attack when he saw the man raised his war hammer, but instead of throwing the hammer at him and attacking him, the man slammed the face of the hammer on the floor, causing it to crack. And just when Xeke was wondering what the man was doing, he felt a formidable pressure thickening the air around him and pulling him and his daggers towards the hammer.

Xeke gritted his teeth and stood his ground, but he couldnt escape the formidable air sucking him towards the hammer. He teleported everywhere in the room to escape the pressure, but the overpowering forced coming from the hammer was still pulling him wherever he went.

Damn it! Theres only one way to escape this.

Xeke clenched his jaw and in a heartbeat, he vanished into thin air, together with his daggers and reappeared outside the nobles hill, in the forest, surrounded by fire.

Xekes lips parted in shock and amazement at his bad luck. What the hell...

♕♕♕

WHEN Kar Drue saw his enemy disappeared into thin air and his presence disappeared together with him, he immediately assumed that the man had escaped, together with his dagger. Kar sighed before he let go of his hammer to take off his armors helmet, showing his brown long hair, reaching his shoulder and his hazel golden eyes.

Looking at the broken glass window, he remembered the daggers that blocked his war hammer again.

No weapon could block his war hammer, definitely not a small harmless looking dagger.

Is it an arcane weapon? With that thought, Kar Drue looked at his war hammer. It was an arcane weapon that only he, the descendant of Sappher, could wield.



CECELIB | C.C.