The Wandering Witch VOL. 1 - The Prelude Arc (COMPLETED)

6.5| A Public Execution II

    She was alone once again and this time, two deadly enemies were standing in front of her. But instead of worrying about her own safety, Chell felt more concerned for the thief.

    She knew that she could not do anything to help him right now, not with two hunters keeping her occupied. The best that she could manage in her current situation was to quickly defeat them both and hope that Noct would be able to survive long enough for her to get to him. The thought made her slightly worried. She remembered the conversation they had within the cell hours before, where the thief had accused her of everything that happened. She knew he was wrong, but also partly right. If he died, then a part of the blame would surely fall on her. Chell did not want that.

    I need to hurry.

    Right now, she did her best to control her breathing as she trained her eyes back at the tattooed hunter, narrowing them slightly. She ignored the throbbing pain in her wounded arm and clasped the skull more tightly in her grip. She could still feel it providing her mana, stabilizing her. It was waiting for her call for awakening, quiet and powerful. Ready to serve her at any notice.

    "Finally, we can have this dance just by ourselves." The tattooed hunter cooed, smirking. He raised his sword and flicked the blood that had been stained on the metal at the alley wall. A few ways behind him, Ildan, the indigo-haired hunter, shook his head, but readied his own sword. He muttered something under his breath that Chell could not quite catch.

    "Little girl, do make me entertained," the tattooed hunter said, grinning sinisterly. The evil glint in his eyes were still there, still hungry for blood. Her blood. "I would hate it if you died too quickly, you know."

    She did not answer. The hunter did not wait for her to give one. He sauntered forward again, cackling aloud. He slashed with his blades, twisting them both in a quick, deadly arc. Chell, who this time was on her guard, breathed in for a slight moment. Then, she readied herself for what she was about to do. Seconds before the blades hit, she called out to the catalyst, to the skull held within her hand.

   Chell felt it immediately—the influx of mana pulsing from the hollow bone. This time, it was not simply stabilizing her. It was feeding her more power, a seemingly inexhaustible amount of mana beyond compare. The skull instantly glowed a dull color of white, elevating itself up into the air and taking its place above Chell's shoulder. This time, as she gave another breath out, she felt her senses sharpen. She was more aware of all that was happening around her now.

    Before the blades could hit their mark, a wall of hard ice materialized from the ground to protect her. The hunter's blade clashed onto the hardened surface, breaking immediately into two and rendering his weapon useless.

    "What in—?" he gasped, backing away instantly. His expression was etched with wide surprise as he held out the remains of his right blade, which merely consisted now of a hilt and a broken, jagged blade. Nothing but a useless weapon. "But this... This was the highest grade of steel in the market!"

    Kshk!

    Another wall of ice protectively rose up beside Chell as a second blade attempted to strike her. She turned to see Ildan click his tongue in indignation and pull his weapon away. He had tried to strike while she wasn't paying attention, although it had failed. He grit his teeth. "The ice is...!"

    "Aaargh!" The tattooed hunter screamed in fury as he raised his other blade, quickly surging forward. Chell promptly raised her hand in response. Three icicles materialized from thin air above her head, each one an arm long. Their pointed ends glinted sharply, emanating a thin veil of cold vapor. She brought her hand down. The icicles heeded her command and sailed towards the hunter, moving so quickly that he didn't have any time to react and dodge away. One stabbed deep into the shoulder that carried his remaining weapon, while the other two missed intentionally, zipping by close enough to qnick him. The hunter howled in pain, dropping his sword. Although it was not a mortal wound, it was painful enough. Chell had made sure not to kill him.