Chapter 16: An Excuse

"You're absolutely hopeless."

"Hey! That's a bit harsh. Just because you're a genius doesn't mean you can bully the less fortunate." Marc scowled at me.

I'd been trying to teach him how to use magic, or at least get mana from his core to circulate. So far my efforts had gone to waste, no matter what we tried, he just wasn't able to achieve any circulation at all.

"Okay, let's try again." I pressed my palm onto his sternum applying a little pressure. "Feel where my hand is, focus on it. I'm going to push a little mana through your chest and into your core. Ok?"

"Ok"

"This may feel a little odd."

Marc shuddered slightly as I began to pump mana out of my core and into his body. He was undoubtedly feeling to cool rush of mana flowing through his veins. "Focus on the feeling" I reassured as he grimaced. The first time I used magic, it wasn't exactly the most pleasant feeling; it felt like being dunked into an ice bath but from the inside out. I can only imagine this is what he was feeling.

"I think I'm getting it"

"Don't break your focus, keep trying to absorb and circulate the mana"

I could now feel a slight tug on the end of my hand, proving that he was in fact 'getting it'. However it wasn't enough. In order for him to be able to draw in and circulate using his core, he would need to achieve this without my assistance.

Over the next few minutes, the draw coming from Marc began to increase. It did this steadily allowing me to slowly release the training wheels I had put in place, leaving him to do it independently.

"Wiping the sweat off of my brow, I smiled to myself. He did It! He actually did it! Opening his eyes, Marc looked at me and gave me back a grin, "Proud of your student? One day I'll be an adventurer just like my dad was."

"You mean the student who has only managed to get a grasp on beginner mana absorption after months? Adventurer my ass"

"Could you compliment me even once?" he pouted at me.

"If anything all compliments should go to I, Ms. Olive. The greatest teacher to ever walk the face of the disc!...."

Before Marc could vomit at the poor taste of my bragging, "You did great Marc, I'm only joking".

Uncrossing my legs and stretching my arms above me, I used Marcs head as tool to help me get up, pushing him over backwards in the process. Now on my feet, I looked down at the boy who now lay on his back staring at the sky.

"Come on, we had really better be getting back. Neither of us want to miss dinner, especially after what happened to you last time we were late."

"Yep, Good idea. Kara nearly killed me"

"Not having the word punctual in your vocabulary probably doesn't help."

-

Making our way back out of the glade, we rejoined the road and began the trek back into town. This is when we heard a rumble in the distance getting louder. “Do you hear that?“

“Yeah I do….It’s coming from in front of us…” I perked my ears. Pushing some mana into my ears, I focused harder, “Sounds like horses…and quite a few of them” 

A few seconds after I said this, six horses rounded the corner two hundred meters ahead of us. They were running at full speed. Squinting, I could make out that one horse was in front of the rest, being ridden by a woman in lightweight leather armour and a black scarf. Trailing her, were hooded assailants, firing arrows and shouting incoherently with their weapons drawn. 

“Bandits.” I said in a cool tone.

“Oh really? No shit!” Marc said in a panic looking around,“We have to help her!” 

My calmness evaporated, “Are you stupid?!” I stared at him in shock, “Five bandits with swords, bows and spears, against two unarmed ten year olds?!” 

“So you suggest we do nothing!? She needs help!”

“YES! I SUGGEST WE DO NOTHING! ALL WE CAN DO IS NOTHING!” I screamed at him, “let's get off the road. QUICKLY!”

“No.” Marc said defiantly, stepping out further into the open. The horses were now only one hundred meters away, approaching rapidly. 

“You self-righteous imbecile!” I stepped out next to him “I hope you know we are both going to die because of your lack of brains.”

-

"At least we have an excuse for being dinner"

-

"You are unbelievable" I hissed and rolled my eyes

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-

Imbuing myself with some mana, I prepared to fight. I’d received some hand-to-hand combat training from one of the guards at work, With my high affinity for magic and quick thinking, I wasn’t too bad a fighter.

On my right, Marc had picked up a rock, not quite sure how to hold it, he shuffled his feet around awkwardly. “I bet you’re only doing this because it’s a woman in trouble.” I muttered angrily under my breath. 

Marc's ears and cheeks went a little red, turning away from me a little, avoiding the side-eye I was casting at him. “You have to be kidding me…If we survive this, I’ll kill you.”

Fifty meters.

-

That was all that separated us from the oncoming stampede. Why I agreed to stand in the middle of a road with my friend is unbeknownst to me. Facing a losing fight for a strange woman, neither of us knew, simply because Marc liked the idea of being a self-righteous hero that saved a damsel in distress. 

-

Thirty meters.

-

 I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The sound of the hooves echoed in the air. I heightened my senses. The whistling of arrows, the clattering of steel, all of it painted a picture of the situation at hand. Opening my eyes, I could see the confused face of the woman, staring at the two of us. Her gaze said ‘What are you doing!?, MOVE!’ 

-

Twenty Meters.

-

I focused on the highest elemental affinities, earth and wind. Recalling an earth-based spell, I began to recite it under my breath. “Crescents tall and strong, encompassing all. I call you forewards in my aid, grant me protection and strength to stop those before me.”

-

Ten meters

-

Stomping my foot, I channelled mana from my core through my legs, causing a ripple of earth to radiate from my stomp. It made its way forward and past the woman's horse. At this point, I raised my arms, causing the road to erupt upwards In a loud crack, between her and the aggressors. Dirt and rocks flew upwards from the dry earth, sending dust along with the first two horses flying into the air. The bandits riding them arced through the air, landing on either side of me and Marc. They hit the hard floor in a sickening crash of bones snapping and breaking, and flesh splitting. Without turning to check on their condition, I casually sidestepped the lady's horse, barely moving my head enough to avoid contact with the four hundred kilo horse as It rushed past. I heard her skid to a halt behind us. 

Getting back into my fighting stance, I waited for the dust to settle. What remained behind the crescent shaped wall of earth and particles that I had conjured with my spell was unknown. I knew I hadn’t taken out any more of them, and a brief look over my shoulder confirmed that the ones that lay distorted and barely alive behind us were the spear wielders. 

“One swordsman and two archers left. Marc, grab a spear.” I whispered to my friend who stood frozen with rock in hand. 

“Now!” I hissed. 

Scrambling back to grab a weapon, Marc didn’t speak, he was terrified. I could feel his hands shaking with fear. To be completely honest, I felt the same, the adrenalin and mana coursing around my body was all that prevented it affecting me. ‘Don’t let the fear control you I thought to myself breathing heavily. 

A female voice came from behind me along with the patter of footsteps. “I won’t ask why you helped me. But just know this is going to be a tough fight.” 

She assumed a fighting stance next to me, pulling out a knife and shortsword in each hand. “Nice to meet you too” I muttered. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see long brown hair falling lightly around her shoulders, obscuring her face. She was around twenty centimetres taller than me, but from her aura, I could tell she was at least triple my age.

Our brief moment of silence was interrupted by the whistle of an arrow. It whistled through the air at an incredible speed, cutting through the dust filled atmosphere, parting it in a spiral. Before I could react, a silver blur sliced it directly in two from head to shaft, leaving the two separate parts lying on the ground on my left and right. It took a moment for me to realise what had happened.

 “Focus, I won’t save you again.”

Composing myself, I pumped more mana from my core around my body. She was right. Had she not stepped in and cut the arrow, it would be lodged between my eyes. 

Snapping back to what was in front of me, the earth wall I had created was now more visible after the arrow had passed through dispersing the dust. As I observed the surroundings in further detail, the air changed, and a cool sensation ran across me, “Do you feel that girl?” The woman asked as I felt a shift of mana in the atmosphere increase in speed, “Yes I do. Ambient mana is being drawn to the other side of the wall..” 

Eyes widening, “They’re preparing a spe—!” The words were cut off. All we could do was watch, as a cumulation of the drawn-in mana was dispersed in a large explosion shaking the very air, the impact sent out a mirage as the wall buckled under the pressure of the intense heat that was radiating outward from the epicentre of the impact. It obliterated what stood before us and engulfed the surroundings in flames. Thinking quickly, I used wind magic to protect us from the majority of the debris and fire which flew around us ricocheting off the outside of the barrier, leaving us intact at its heart.

When the blast subsided, three silhouettes strode forward from the gaping hole that remained in my protective spell which was now crumbling into dust. Swirling embers glowed around the palms of the front shadow. When they faded I released the wind spell.

“Well… well… well…” came a slow growl from the first figure, “some little rats have decided to get involved with a hunt… Unfortunately, rodents are in no way comparable to the ferocity of a wolf.” A pair of bright yellow eyes glared at me from his hood, their bloodlust piercing into my soul and sending a shiver down my spine. From his back, he slowly and menacingly unsheathed his swords, sending a dull metallic screech into the air. The blades were long and curved, serrated at the end and shining in the low evening sunlight which cast long shadows across the charred road. This feeling, as if time had almost stopped, was true terror. It shook me to my core, making my skin crawl.

The figure pulled down his hood, revealing his face. A long snout pointed at us, wiry white whiskers and a set of razor sharp teeth bared into a snarl. Rough grey fur covered his body. He was a wolf demi-human. Behind him, the two archers, one human and the other also wolfkin, notched arrows to their bows and drew them, gaze focused on us.

“I don’t think we are going to win this fight.” the lady whispered to me.

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