A World With/Out Home

Chapter 27: A Growing Tale (Part 4)

Valandus and Kyle made their way through the forest mostly unhindered as the knights they did notice never came closer. Their progression however continued to slow as more and more of the Lavise knights began to appear. The closer they came to Lillia the more serious the enemy apparently were.

Valandus cursed beneath his breath. To obtain the title of knight in any of the states took years of serious training and effort yet here Lavise was throwing dozens of them into the fray. They were meant to be the cream of the crop not run of the mill soldiers. Then again, after he had seen what Kyle was capable of and knowing how strong Lillia was even without her armour, the amount suited the job.

A sudden tug pulled on Valandus' instincts as the movement of the few knights they could spy shifted dangerously. He grabbed Kyle and dived into the nearby thicket.

"What is it?" Kyle asked in a whisper.

Valandus paused as he watched their movements for another few seconds. As he had thought the knights were beginning to converge and in the distance he noticed the flicker of movement. "Looks like Melissa's cover got blown. They know where we are."

From the radiation of energy, Kyle could tell Lillia was just on the other side of the next set of trees. Her mana was fluctuating, which meant she was under some serious strain. Though she was the Hero, she was currently without her armour and ordinarily wouldn't be much stronger than a veteran knight. It was because of who Lillia was that she could hold on.

"Lillia can't hold forever," Kyle grit his teeth.

"I know," Valandus didn't let him go. "Luckily I still have this." He handed Kyle a simple button attached to nothing. "It's a distraction. Press then throw it as high as you can and when you hear the boom, we run."

Kyle nodded and took the small mechanism. He exposed himself to make sure no branches would be in the way and after pressing down on the button, threw it straight up. Nothing happened for a tentative for few seconds but then from the Cliffside an explosion resounded and with it, a new landslide broke free.

"Run!" Valandus led the way as Kyle followed.

"What was that?" Kyle asked as they threw caution to the wind.

"That was all our stuff," the driver cried. Always have a backup, that was what the Captain had taught him. This backup however hurt as all the souvenirs he had collected on the trip were blown to bits.

Even with the cascading cliff and once more rolling carriage, the knights of Lavise quickly collected themselves and found their true targets. Kyle ran behind Valandus as the trees on either side of them burst into splinters. Though the bullets failed to reach them, the shattered wood sprang like shrapnel and dug deep into their bodies. It was only through pure will and luck that they managed to break through to the clearing ahead. The sight however was not a welcoming one.

A dozen knights all firing upon a single girl who stood surrounded. A barrier of purple light the only thing that separated her from the onslaught. The area had been cleared through battle as the ground was unnaturally flat, devoid of plant life and any larger obstacle had been thrown to the rims of the now cleared forest.

"Ah fuck," Valandus skidded to a halt. Their entrance did not go unnoticed.

"Lillia!" Kyle screamed and held out his hand. The girl's eyes widened in relief and reaching out towards them, the two were pulled by a powerful force before the surrounding knight could react.