Chapter 61

The young man raised his hands in a non-threatening manner, not moving a muscle as Astrid reached into her bag, gripping a talisman in her hand. Although he didn’t seem like he wanted to attack her, the last few days had taught her to be cautious of everyone, even a fellow Guild recruit.

While she was waiting to see his intentions, Marali was already surging forward, her beak open to bite the young man. Before Astrid could say a word to stop her, the swan was nearly upon the foreigner.

Just when she thought Marali would hurt him, a hand composed of black sand emerged from the ground beneath his feet. As quick as lightning, it had wrapped around the Swan’s neck, stopping Marali from moving an inch.

The hand became an arm, then an entire figure rose from the ground, a twelve-foot-tall humanoid creature made of sand and dirt. Marali struggled to free herself, snapping at the monster made of earth, and crawling at it with her sharp claws on the ends of her webbed feet. But the creature was physically stronger than the Swan.

“Marali!” Astrid screamed, hauling out a talisman. Quicker than she could channel mana into the item, the young man in front of her vanished in white mist, reappearing beside her, his hand already yanking the item from her grip and his sword placed lightly against her neck.

“Not the friendliest pair, are you?” He said, staring her in the eye, before looking at the monster still holding the swan in place.

“How about we start again, with introductions this time?” The man said, removing the blade from Astrid’s neck and nodding to the creature behind him. The earth monster removed its hand, sinking back beneath the ground once the swan was free.

“Marali, behave!” Astrid said, placing a hand against her own neck, where the cold steel had rested a moment before. The swan shook her ruffled feathers, shooting the young man an angry look as she stalked back to stand next to her again.

The young man lightly tossed her back her magical talisman, then took a large step away to give her some space.

“Introductions?” He prompted, looking at the pair.

“Astrid. This is Marali. I’m here for the Guild test.” She said, placing the item back in her bag and stepping next to the swan, running her hand down her feathers soothingly.

“Wil. I saw you at the start, flying overhead.” He said, nodding his head in greeting.

“Same, I spotted you on the ground with the other foreigners.” She said, a hint of distaste on tinging her tone.

“Is that why you attacked me? You don’t like foreigners?” Wil asked, looking at her in confusion.

“No. I’m sorry about that, the past few days have been hard. We’ve been attacked by robbers and giant, fire breathing snakes!”

“Giant snakes?” Wil said, and he got a contemplative look on his face before he lit up with understanding.

“Wyrms?” He whispered.

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life.” Astrid responded, shaking her head at the question.

“If it was a Wyrm, I’m surprised you escaped. They’re supposed to be at Demigod Rank.” Wil said, turning away from her and walking towards a large rock next to the water. He settled on top of it, crossing his legs as he closed his eyes.

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you!” She hissed, turning away from him to find a place to rest. It had been a long day, and although she didn’t trust the young man, she and Marali could take turns resting while keeping a wary eye on him.

“Don’t worry, I’m not disappointed!” Wil called out to her, a grin on his face.

“Jerk.” Astrid whispered. Walking to the far corner of the cavern, she avoided the water for now, wary of the young man’s advice that there was something defending the flower within.

She had plans to retrieve the Midnight Desert Rose. She didn’t need it for its healing properties herself, but she knew the Guild would be very interested in it. The young man may have been lying to keep her from getting it, but why wouldn’t he have snatched it already if it wasn’t guarded?

Planning to take a closer look after she had rested for a few hours, she found a secluded spot as far as possible from Wil. Settling against the stone wall, Marali curled into her, guarding her while she rested. Her last conscious thoughts were about the strange young man she had just met, his cold eyes warming as they looked at her.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Distant shouting woke her up. Alert Marali was already standing next to her, the swan’s wings spread wide in a protective stance. The man, Wil, was nowhere to be seen.

Startled, Astrid leapt to her feet, her heart racing as the shouts got closer. She had no idea how long she had been asleep, but the sunlight coming through the ceiling above had shifted, leaving the Midnight Desert Rose shaded, the shaft of light striking the clear waters instead.

On guard, Astrid reached into her bag, ready to draw out an item, when a half dozen figures emerged from the cavern entrance.

It was the group that had been pursuing her, led by the hooded man. They had left their mounts outside, and they were talking loudly as the entered the cave, not even bothering to conceal their movements.

Aside from the hooded man, Astrid didn’t recognize any of the others. The battle had been confusing, with their attack coming from above, shielded by the blinding sun. She had only got a good look at a few of them, prior to their deaths.

“Well, well, well. Fancy meeting you here!” An older man shouted from the front of the group, smiling wide as he spotted her immediately.

“You’re going to pay for what you did to my cousin, you bitch!” A young man cursed from the rear, he was about to step forward, his face flushed with anger, when he was held back by the hooded man.

“There’ll be plenty of time for that later, unless you make the right choice, Miss.” The hooded man said, before lifting his hood from his face. He was one of the ugliest men Astrid had ever seen. Scars crisscrossed his face, red and inflamed. He was also missing an eye, the gaping hole weeping pus.

Gagging at the sight, Astrid turned her gaze away from him, unwilling look.

“I know, I’m nothing to look at. I’m not so pretty as you.” The man grinned as he leered.

Astrid didn’t hesitate, drawing one of her mother’s talismans to throw, when the ugly man raised his hand. The ground beneath her feet erupted, a geyser of earth that completely covered her and Marali, pinning them to the ground until only their heads were exposed.

She felt the mana the man had used as soon as he cast his spell. A rank 6, his companions were all Rank 4 or 5s. Their strength, combined with their experience, meant that Astrid would have little chance to escape with her own Rank 5 strength.

“Now, normally, this would be the part where I tell you to stop struggling, to hand over everything you own, and we’ll let you live. But that was before you killed some of my people.” The ugly man growled, his leer changing to rage instantly.

Walking forward, the group gathered around her, looking down as she struggled helplessly to escape. Kneeling, the ugly man put his face right next to hers, before grabbing her silver hair roughly in his grip. Astrid winced in pain as he yanked her head to face him.

“So, what’s going to happen to you is not going to be pleasant. We’re going to rob you, no doubt about it. Then we’re going to have some fun…” He whispered, leaning forward, his sour breath in her face.

Astrid let out a helpless whimper of fear, as Marali thrashed against her bonds, the Swan nearly buried beneath the ground.

“This is going to be…” The man was cut off as a figure appeared next to him, the sword in its hands already swinging. Barely dodging the blade, the ugly man leaped backwards as his companions drew their weapons.

“Fun.” Wil said coldly, his eyes narrowed as his mana surged around him. Astrid could barely see him through the dust and swirling blue mana that surrounded him.

“Who the hell are you! This doesn’t concern you at all, so piss off!” The older man in the front of the group yelled, before he slashed with his two-handed sword. The mana coating the blade split the air, making a crescent moon that flew towards Wil.

The attack slammed into a barrier of mana that surrounded Wil, creating a spray of sparks, and shattering the attack into pieces that gouged the ground on impact.

Wil took a step forward, disappearing from sight again, as Astrid watched him in awe.