BXBX NOVEL Chapter 274 273: Gone
Jahi PoV
Crossing blades with Matilda was less of a thrilling duel and more of a tedious chore; the short human woman simply didn\'t have much real technique, instead relying on brute force and potent magic.
Each strike against my blade was easily thwarted away, while she floundered around to block my blows.
I felt no thrill fighting her, but she was simply too strong to kill off with ease.
That water magic of hers was more defensive and had insane healing capabilities, so for every blow I did land I had to watch in annoyance as the cut closed in mere moments.
Especially when she had pulled out an enchanted coin, crushing it and summoning a large sphere of water that aided her spells and enhancements.
Sighing, I redirected her jagged Zweihander to the left and head butted her, earning myself a satisfying crunch as I shattered her nose, while two gashes appeared on her cheeks from the edges of my gold tipped horns.
Staggering backwards, Matilda of Duurghaven glared at me, blood pouring from her slowly reconstructing nose.
Panting, she growled at me as I lazily stood before her, my greatsword held loosely in my hands as I began to walk forwards, intent on finishing this.
The quicker I got this over with, the quicker I could go and help Anput stymie the left flank of the castle, keeping the Westerners from trying to take this land over.
Or, I could go and aid the gate, taking Nirinia\'s place as their bulwark, especially now that Adelina was down and Nirinia was out of the fight as she protected her friend.
Either way, this short, insufferable human needed to die, and I raised my sword, only for my ears to perk up as I heard something.
The sound of a gale, between here and the gate.
Turning my head slightly, I frowned as I saw the blizzard domain that Kat had erected, before my frown deepened as I felt her anxiety between our bond.
"Hah!"
Shouting out a war cry, Matilda took my momentary distraction and charged forwards, her Zweihander coated in a deep blue as it flickered forwards, slicing towards my exposed neck.
Pivoting, I continued to ignore the Justiciar as I stared at the raging blizzard, before hefting my sword and slashing it towards Matilda\'s chest.
The short woman cried out in pain as a deep gash appeared from her shoulder down to her hip, and the healing magic that supported her did nothing to numb the pain.
Staggering back once again, the woman barely managed to block my next swing, her pained grunt and paper white face making me raise a brow.
Stabbing the sword forwards, I pierced her shoulder and almost severed her left arm, eliciting a shrill scream as she dropped to the ground.
Raising my sword one last time, I was about to behead her when I heard Leone scream Kat\'s name, and the sudden spike in emotions from the bond made me stumble forwards, my heart hammering in my chest as worry sprouted quickly inside me.
Matilda grasped her opportunity, casting a healing spell before stumbling to her feet, trying to escape.
Ignoring her for the moment, I turned towards the blizzard that began to disappear, before I felt...
I felt...
My eyes widened as I felt barely anything from the bond between Kat and I, the sudden emptiness inside me making me lurch forwards, the strength sapped from my body in an instant.
W-Where did she go?
What happened?!
Blinking, I was about to make my way towards the shrill cries of Leone when I heard Matilda laughing crazily to herself, her words stopping me in an instant.
"Haha~! They did it! Those Elven bastards did it~! Say goodbye to your little Dog eared whore, Demon~! She\'s gone for good now~! Gone, gone, gone~! Turned into little more then a plaything~! HAHAHA~!"
Turning, I appeared before the human woman and grabbed her by the face, lifting her up with ease.
Her blue eyes remained crazed, but her laughter ceased as I stared at her.
I could tell that my eyes were gold by looking into hers, and the woman gulped as I leaned forwards, our brows almost touching as I calmly whispered "Where is she? What did you do?"
Shifting my hand from the front of her head to the top, I held her there, pouring my mana directly into her body and locking it.
Fear began to creep into her eyes as she stared back at me, her sudden paralysis shaking her to the core as she desperately tried to combat my mana.
Sadly for her, the difference between us was too vast, and her pathetic core crumpled under the weight of the Light Mana surging through her veins.
Blood seeped from her orifices, and her panic grew further as she hurriedly spoke, her voice nasally and shrill as she gasped "T-T-The Sariel\'s told us to b-be a distraction so that they could c-capture and kill two people! F-From what I h-heard, t-the Dogkin that was to be captured would be used to c-create some kind of s-soldier through bre-"
My rage swelled, and before she could finish I slammed my fist against her jaw, knocking her out instantly.
Tossing her body aside, I glared at the stationary Banshee, growling "Pick her up and take her back to the Estate."
Bowing slightly, the Banshee glanced around the area before scooping the short woman up, unceremoniously tossing her over its shoulders before retreating.
Watching as it retreated, I briefly mulled over its actions, realizing that the only things remaining on this battlefield were merely chaff waiting to be cut down.
Otherwise, the Banshee would have ignored my order...
That thought was chased away by the anguished screams of Anput as she coated her body in metal, the Jackalkin charging into the opposing army as her blades swiftly killed all the Westerners before her.
As for Leone, her red skin and the appearance of horns reminded me of the encounter with Lord Pele...
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes as I searched for Kat, tugging at the bond and hoping to find something, anything between us.
All I found was... nothing.
The bond between us still existed, but it was so weak and thin that I felt my heart constrict as one singular thought entered my mind.
She was dying.
Kat was dying, somewhere far away from me; alone and scared, somewhere with no one to care for her...
That thought made me stagger forwards, and I bit my cheek as I held back tears, before I felt the cold metal of my sword besides me.
Looking to the side, I clasped the hilt and lifted it from the ground, before striding over towards Anput first.
The next few minutes are something I\'ll never be able to recall, because I simply stopped thinking entirely, relying on raw instinct and emotion to guide my body as my mind folded in on itself, shirking away from the thoughts that barraged it constantly.
What if she really did find herself at the mercy of Jillian and Ayla?
Would I be able to save her?
Would there be anything left to save?
What would they do to her if she was with them?
My only solace was the way my blade rose and fell as it severed the threads that held these pathetic humans together, their blood staining my armor and skin as I killed and killed...
~~~
Anput Pov
Again, she was taken from us.
Again, she was harmed and targeted instead of us.
Again, all I could do was worry about her before it happened.
Gritting my teeth, I held back the tears that threatened to stream from my eyes as I waded into the enemy army, ignoring the idiocy of my actions and instead distracting myself with slaughter.
My blades never dulled as I poured my mana into them, and the enemies swords, axes, maces, spears, and other weapons shattered as they struck my metal skin.
Forgoing defense, I put down each and every human in front of me without pause, my blades singing the despondent and agonizing feeling that permeated my heart as they whirled around.
I kept my limbs moving, ignoring the way my muscles burned and screamed at me to stop, the way my palms bled as I gripped the hilts of my swords in a death grip.
I tried to ignore the way my heart clenched and shattered in my chest as I killed more and more, trying to ignore the thoughts in my mind.
When Jahi joined me moments later, I felt even worse as I caught a glimpse of her stoic features, my pain doubling as I wondered how she was feeling...
Worse than me?
With us both pushing out into the field, we turned the previously forested land into a bod, puddles of blood pooling around us as the Westerners army fell under our wrath.
Sadly, with the last human falling to the ground below me, his throat cut open and spraying blood, those emotions I was trying to ignore swelled and demanded to be confronted, and I dropped to my knees as I rested my head against the flat side of my swords.
Tears poured from my eyes as I sobbed quietly, before my attention once again shifted as I smelt something over the stench of death around me.
Standing before me was someone that had the familiar dry scent of the desert, and I looked up to see a black robed, skull masked Jackalkin.
Surging to my feet, I reached forwards and grabbed the woman by her collar, dragging her towards me as I slammed my head against hers.
"WHY DIDN\'T YOU DO SOMETHING?! WHY?!"
The woman ignored me as she took a few steps back, her skull mask cracked from the force of my blow.
As for me, I ignored the blood that mixed with my tears, my eyes fixed on hers.
"I\'m oath bound to you, Begum. Not to her. Your safety is my priority."
Her flat, cold tone made my anger swell again, and I slammed my fist against her jaw, the woman not moving to avoid or defend herself.
Falling to the ground, she stared up at me, her black eyes hard.
"SO?! You think there was someone amongst these pathetic wretches that could\'ve harmed me?! There wasn\'t! You should\'ve-"
"Respectfully, the fact that she was ambushed is reason enough for me to prioritize your safety, Begum. Who knows what other tricks could\'ve been hidden amongst the enemy? I stand by my actions, and I wouldn\'t change anything at all."
Her words stung, and I grit my teeth as I turned away, grabbing my swords and storming back towards the castle, where I saw Jahi last.
If I remained with her, I would kill her.
No matter how sound her logic may be, no matter what she may say, I don\'t think I could continue to stand in her presence.
Walking back over the earthen tower that had become part of our plight, I growled again as I made my way over towards Jahi and Leone, the Demoness staring down at the weeping Vampire.
Jahi remained as stoic as before, but her golden iris\' betrayed her inner turmoil.
As for Leone, her red skin, horns, and sparking hair made it clear she wasn\'t doing fine either, and I quietly joined them, wondering what the ashen crystal floating beside her was.
Almost like she had sensed my question, Leone looked up towards us, her crimson eyes puffy and wet as she waved her hand forwards, the crystal splitting into three as a piece floated towards me.
"I... I tried to s-save her... the E-Envoy had a portal to the S-Sariel Estate, b-but before Kat could be d-dragged through the portal, I t-tried to destroy it..."
Gesturing to the crystals, Leone gave us a self deprecating smile as she said "Obviously I failed! The l-location rune f-faltered though, s-so she shouldn\'t be at the S-Sariel Estate... I t-think..."
Hearing that, I didn\'t know whether or not I should feel relieved or more anxious; if she wasn\'t there, then where was she?!
"What does that mean, Leone? Where could she have been sent?"
Jahi\'s level and even tone was frightening, and Leone looked up at her before shaking her head.
"I-I have no I-idea... I-it could be anywhere..!"
pαпdα Йᴏνê|,сòМ Leone trailed off, her sobs returning as she hung her head in shame, and for a brief moment, my eyes widened as I saw something.
Something that scared me even more than the tone.
The muscles in Jahi\'s right arm twitched, and as someone who had sparred with her quite often, I knew what that meant.
Jahi had almost lashed out and hit Leone.
That in and of itself frightened me, and I had a feeling that these upcoming days, weeks, and potentially months would be trying.
After all, with Kat gone, the rock that held us all in place was lifted away, and these days would be long...
The Dogkin woman was gone now, and we needed to grow to accept that fact, no matter how much it pained us to admit it.
We needed to come together and get through this together, and hope and pray that we could find the woman that we loved safe and sound...