(very old) the Seals of Elements (discontinued for now)

[Chapter 28]

---Hunter---

It took all my self-control to not burst into laughter.
The looks on their faces were too funny.
Cinder looked absolutely mortified and Kenji just had his mouth hanging open.
"Are we interrupting something?" I just couldn't help myself. I just had to make the quip.
And it paid off. Both went beet red.
"No!" Cinder shouted, summoning a fireball and threw it towards me.
It was a sloppy throw.
I just knocked it to the side with Shadow-Cleaver.
"How did you find us?" Kenji asked, finally having regained control over his tongue.
"Your girlfriend should be more careful with her jewelry. A tracking spell was all we needed." I quipped.
"She is not my girlfriend. I barely even know her. All I know is that she is the daughter of Nox Caligo. And she shows it by messing everything up." He shot back.
He had grabbed his bow, but he couldn't reach his arrows.
He dashed to the side in an attempt to grab them, while Cinder sent out a barrage of fireballs towards Jade and Ayra.

"Oh no, you won't." I said.
I pointed Shadow-Cleaver toward the quiver and sent a stream of electricity through the blade.
Tendrils of lightning shot out of the tip, hitting the quiver.
With a loud thunderclap, it exploded.
Seeing his ammo destroyed, Kenji made a run for it.
I looked over to Jade and saw that she was handling herself fine.

I dashed after Kenji out of the shack.
I stepped outside but didn't see him.
Then I heard some sound above me.
I looked up and saw him trying to climb the side of a building.
"Taking it to the roof? I don't think so."
I flicked my wrist and the wind started to pick up.
I started to make circular movements with my hands, manipulating the air around me.
Then I lashed out both hands as if I was throwing something.
A tremendous gust of wind hit Kenji in the back, knocking him down.
I walked over to him as he laid on the ground.
Then the world around me started to spin and change.
Not this time Kenji.
I gripped Shadow-Cleaver a little tighter and blinked a couple of times.
The spinning stopped and the illusion fell away.
I then took out one of the charm-cuffs that Jade had given me.
They were enchanted to block the use of magic.
She had taken them from the armory when she went to collect the Shadow-blossom.
I silently thanked her for it.
You keep amazing me. I thought.
Kenji thrashed, kicked, and tried to get away, but I was stronger than him.
"You are going to pay for this." He spat.
I shook my head. "I'm not. It's over Kenji."
When I said that he realized the same and gave up.
I pulled him onto his feet and started walking back to the shack.
But then a loud explosion sounded and the shack exploded.
Small pieces of debris rained down as the shack collapsed.
"Jade! No!" I shouted letting go of Kenji.
I dug into the debris.
At the same time, I realized that Kenji had collapsed onto his knees and kept whispering Ayra's name.
But I ignored him and kept removing rubble.
Then I saw movement.
I ran over to the spot and grabbed the wood, pulling it away.
There beneath was Ayra.
Apart from a couple of scratches and burn marks, she was fine.
I pulled her out while asking, "Where is Jade.
Ayra shook her head, catching her bearings.
"She was standing fairly close to me."
Then I saw a bright blue glow coming from under the debris.
The same kind of glow that Jade's Healing magic had.
I ran over to the spot and pushed my magic into the air around me, forcing it under the pieces of wood.
With a grunt of effort, I used my Air magic to remove the rubble and saw Jade.
She was unconscious but she was breathing.
Her entire body was glowing, meaning that she was seriously hurt.
Still holding up the debris I nodded to Ayra, who moved forward and picked up Jade.
Laying the rubble down I quickly was by Ayra's side.
"What happened?" I asked
"the air started to shimmer and Cinder stepped through, but before she did she blew up the building with the biggest ball of fire I have ever seen. Jade shielded me with her magic, but she took the full hit."
I took Jade in my arms, bridal style.
"We need to get her back to the palace. I think that her Healing magic saved her, but I don't think that she will have enough. My guess is that one of her parents may have Healing magic, so that's our best bet.
"What are we going to do with Kenji?"
"We'll deal with him later. I first have to make sure that Jade survives."
I looked over to the place where Kenji was sitting.
"If she doesn't survive this, it is your fault." I shouted at him.
Ayra grabbed my shoulder. "Hunter..."
But I shook myself loose. "We are wasting time." I stood up and started walking, holding Jade in my arms, while Ayra took care of Kenji.
Thirteen minutes later we came across some city guards.
After explaining what happened, they offered to escort us to the palace.
One offered to hold Jade, but I wasn't going to let her go.
The glowing of her body started to dim, and her breathing started to get unregulated.
We were slowly running out of time.
How am I going to explain this to her parents? I thought.
They didn't want me to bring her into danger, and here I am, bringing in her daughter at the brink of death.