Elias silently wielded the Holy Sword and waited for Leo to meet him in the middle of the flower field. Leo clenched his teeth in aggravation over Elias’s utter lack of expression.
You can’t even grimace or cringe or smile before clashing blades with me?
Leo never wanted to fight his friends. Especially not Elias who he’d fought alongside for years and was proud to call his best friend.
Damn it! I’ll put an end to this meaningless fight right now! There’s nothing sadder than friends battling each other to the death!
Leo stopped running a foot in front of Elias and used the momentum to spring into the air. Elias automatically looked up and held the Holy Sword vertically in front of his face, blocking Leo’s incoming dagger with the blade.
The shriek of steel colliding thundered through the domed clearing, and jarring vibrations from the impact coursed through Leo’s arm.
While Leo had brought down his dagger with his full strength and Elias had blocked it with just one hand, Elias remained unfazed.
S-Stupid superhuman strength! Who knew our most reliable ally could become our most dangerous enemy?
Aki squeezed her eyes shut against the sparks flying from their swords as she squirmed to escape Elias’s eagle grip on her.
“Elias, let go! Please let me go!” On the verge of tears, she shoved at his chest, trying to break free.
Oddly enough, Elias never once tried to attack Aki. If anything, he appeared to be tenaciously protecting her.
…Is Elias trying to eliminate anyone who comes near Aki? Is that why he only attacked us when we came closer?
Leo pulled back his dagger and jumped several feet away from Elias. He quickly drew the magic circle with his free hand before Elias could close the distance between them.
“Chilling current of water, cut through the silence, and seal off my prey’s escape…! Dunk your head in some water and cool off, Elias!” Leo swiped his hand through the magic circle, erasing it. Several pillars of water burst from the lake behind Elias.
Fortunately, water abounded in this cavern. Why not make full use of that advantage?
The pillars combined into a giant water dragon that flew toward Elias like a flash flood. Not expecting an attack from behind, he was swept away by the water dragon and blown into the side of the rock wall.
“…Sorry, Elias.”
He might’ve landed a hit on him, but this measly spell wouldn’t even scratch his health points. Didn’t amount to more than buying a little time.
Taking the temporary opening for what it was, Leo ran over to help Aki who had fallen free of Elias’s iron grip. She had collapsed to her knees on top of the flowers.
Gruesome injuries. She’s gasping for air, and blood’s trickling from her lips.
When Leo lifted Aki into his arms she broke into a violent coughing fit that ended in her spitting up a small puddle of blood. He watched in horror.
“Aki! You…!”
Her skin has turned gray. Has she been poisoned as well? She won’t last long without an antidote!
How did things get this bad? What the hell happened to them while I was away?!
I have to withdraw somewhere out of berserker Elias’s range first or I won’t be able to heal Aki or get a grasp on this situation. Is there anywhere I can escape to?
Leo’s eyes shot to the domed rock ceiling. Darkness covered an area that likely led to the Ancient Ruins on the surface. They had fallen into the underground flower field from there. Returning to the surface seemed like the safest bet against a non-magic user.
Not even superhuman Elias can climb flat rock that’s several dozen castles tall…I hope. Resting Aki against his left arm, Leo drew a magic circle in the air in front of him with his right hand.
“Lend me your feathers, bring me to the highest place. Send me up on falcon wings!”
A sudden gust of wind swelled under Leo’s feet when he finished chanting his flight spell. He held Aki tight against his chest.
Don’t fall, Aki!
Leo jumped on top of that powerful air current. Elias rose mechanically to his feet where the water dragon had blown him against the rock wall, and swung the Holy Sword, directing his platinum wind blades at Leo. The blades curved so that they wouldn’t hit Aki.
Well, crap. You’re damn persistent! I won’t be satisfied until I punch you in the face once you regain your sanity!
Leo leapt with the air current faster than the cutting blades arrived, his thoughts focused on how he could get back at his friend rather than the dire situation he was in. Those killer blades sliced through the rock and flowers he had been standing on a second prior.
Hurry, damn it!
Answering his impatience, the current surged and pushed him and Aki up to the hole in the ceiling with the speed of an erupting volcano. The scenery shifted from the subterranean lake to the narrow confines of the dungeon’s gutters with rock walls on all sides. They zoomed through there until they reached the straight path inside the Ancient Ruins where Leo had fallen with Mina and Louis.
Supporting Aki in one arm, Leo placed his other hand on the stone floor and pulled himself up. He immediately laid Aki down on the ground, resting her head on his lap.
Scrubbing roughly at the sweat beading his forehead, he exhaled with fleeting relief.
At least I succeeded in gettin’ us outta there… Hopefully we’ll stay outta Elias’s range for a few minutes. If I’m gonna take him on, I need a couple of seconds to regroup. Should probably call for reinforcements once I heal Aki up…
Mina and Louis were still buried under rocks. They needed help, stat. But who could he ask for help? What in the world did he have to do to stop Elias in his ballistic mode?
Johann’s face cut through the panic slowing the wheels in Leo’s brain.
Johann possessed Sanctuary knowledge Leo wasn’t privy too. He might have an idea about what was screwing with Elias. Saving Elias might be possible if they knew what caused him to lose his mind.
Leo swiped his fingers through the air and chanted the messenger’s spell, crafting a magic message seeking Johann’s aid. A sphere of light formed and disappeared following Leo’s command.
Hope it can make it from this dungeon to Johann in town…
“Le…o?” Aki cracked open her bloodshot eyes.
Leo glanced down and placed his hand gingerly on her uninjured cheek. “Aki, how are you? Can you see me?”
“Yeah,” she muttered weakly, her eyes swollen from crying.
Thank the elements. She’s okay—
Filled with relief, he instinctively reached for her and pulled her into a bear hug.