BXBX NOVEL Chapter 387 386: Time To Leave
Kat PoV
I stared at Mirgraz in horror as she whistled through the thin bone instrument between her dark blue lips, which were upturned in an arrogant smirk.
She chuckled as the whistle shattered, her water blade still singing as she cleaved a Geri in half, and the Oni only continued to laugh and kill even as Erika and Selessei shouted out profanities towards the woman.
Evidently, they understood that the Oni had just summoned her tribe towards us, all while larger, stronger monsters slowly traversed the forest towards us, effectively trapping us here between bloodthirsty Oni and rampaging monsters.
Reaching for my pouch, I swayed under the sharp talons of a Ravenga and grabbed a mana potion, stamina potion, and scent diffuser pill, swallowing down all three in rapid succession as I prepared for what was to come.
The corpses of monsters were piling up around all of us, their blood oozing from the wounds we inflicted and seeping into the snow, painting the normally bright, shining forest a dark crimson, feeding those Bloodstones.
Deciding that it was now or never, I began to channel my mana and prepare to launch a large spell, wanting to clear myself a path to escape.
As more and more roars, howls and screeches cascaded down around us, ear piercing whistles split through the cacophony of sound, signifying the imminent arrival of the Oni\'s tribe.
The thought of dealing with a dozen or more women, all similar to Mirgraz in strength and temperament sent shivers down my spine, and I sheathed my Shatter Fang and began to trace ethereal blue runes into the air, no longer holding back as I recognized that this was a fight against time.
Monsters redoubled their efforts to kill me, their snarls becoming the only thing I could hear as they leapt and clawed at me, the horde of weaker monsters relying on their numbers to try and fell me.
Barriers blocked the stronger of the monsters from reaching me, while the Protective Fang sang out as I cut and stabbed into the weaker ones, cutting down their numbers as best I could, all while my right hand traced out the runes I needed for an Ice Spell to get me out of here.
I already had enough Wind and Water Spells layered over my body, the enhancement spells having been cast at the beginning to give me an even larger edge over the monsters; speed spells, healing cloak, sharpness enhancers...
Everything that I had in my arsenal was put on display, and I frantically finished my spell as I heard booming laughter and chatting from Mirgraz\'s side.
"What a good haul Mirgraz~! Oh, and we get three beauties to relieve ourselves with~? Damn, I knew the Chieftess picked you for a reason~! Alright girls! Let\'s get to work!"
A deep, raspy voice echoed around the clearing, and I shivered as I heard the sounds of the Oni reinforcements wading their way towards me, their blades and clubs rising and falling as they killed and massacred the monsters around me.
Finalizing the spell, I pushed my mana through my arm and activated the spell, the large Ritual Circle splitting apart into four smaller circles that all began to spray icicles over the clearing in front of me, slicing through the monsters and shattering apart upon impact, sending shards hurtling through the air and spreading the [Frost of Despoina] skill over the survivors.
I bolted forwards without a second thought, funneling my mana into my legs as I swiftly rushed out of the forest, weaving past the horde of monsters and bounding over the roots as I began my desperate escape, wind buffeting my face as I listened to the Oni behind me shout in anger.
There was no way for me to know if Erika or Selessei had the same idea, but honestly I didn\'t care either way; rather, I wanted them to be swamped there so that the Oni had targets to focus on instead of me.
After all, if I could at least lower the number of my pursuers, that was a win in my books.
My feet glided over the snow, not leaving a mark as I rushed past the horde, the monsters not knowing what to do about the breeze that brushed past them now that the scent from the Bloodstone Clearing was gone.
Should they pursue the mysterious breeze or go join the other monsters inside the bloody clearing that was filled with mortals for them to eat?
They weren\'t intelligent creatures, so the choice was obvious; continue forwards and join the fray, hoping that they would make it out alive and with some food in their belly.
Some of the flying monsters pursued me briefly, only to be shot out of the air by the remnants of my spell, which was slowly trailing behind me as it utilized the mana I had poured into it.
It would eventually dissipate into nothing, but for now it was sowing more discord amongst the monsters, and I veered off to another direction, wanting to make it harder for my pursuers.
I continued running for hours, and eventually the sun began to fall, draping the forest in darkness once more; instead of stopping, I uncorked a dark vision potion and kept running, creating more and more distance between me and that clearing.
As I ran, I tried to multitask, seeing if my bond trick would work once more; focusing myself on the remnants of the inactive Soul Bond, I dredged up memories of Jahi and tried to feel her through the link, wanting to orient myself using it once more...
Thankfully, some how, some way, the bond pulsed slightly, showing me the tether between my Mistress and I, and I turned myself slightly to the left, pointing the tether slightly more to my left since she was past the Labyrinthian.
With my direction secured once more, my journey through the forest continued forwards, and I swore to myself to never let myself fall into the position I was in earlier ever again.
I needed to get stronger; much, much stronger, and I needed to secure my place beside my loved ones side even harder when I returned, so that nothing, not even the Gods, could separate me from them again.