(Outdated) The King of Elements (part 2)

Chapter 87

There was a familiar roar in the forest. Dre gulped as he tightened the grip on his sword. He felt a hand clasp his tightly; looking from his hand up to the other person's, he saw Kim looking at the direction of the entrance, apprehensive.

Another deafening cry was following the roar, and the group found themselves struggling to keep balance. That cry had to have been affecting Amians only, and it didn't seem to matter if you were full-blooded or half-blooded. Michael hoped that that wasn't the case. If it was, then not only his group, but the whole school would be in danger. He had to defend them. He was the only one who was unaffected by the effects. The question was: How long did he have to defend them?

Two of the new Edge Walkers were crawling out from the thicket of forest. Michael growled in his throat. "You guys stay here and keep yourself safe. I'll try to defend you all to my last breath." He raced for them, the blade of the spear trailing behind him. The appendages reached out for him, trying to latch onto his face. Michael thrust the pole end of the spear in the ground, using it to vault over the Edge Walker. With one hand on the spear to keep balance, he reached for the handgun holstered on his hip and fired twice, sending two bullets where its spine would be. As the first one dropped, the second one towered over Sakura, who was attempting to conjure a shield with the ground. One of the appendages wrapped around her neck, hoisting her in the air while two more clasped onto her head. The two attached to her head looked to be drawing something from her as if they were leeches drinking her blood.

Blood, or life essence. Either way, I'm not having it! Michael chucked the spear at the Edge Walker, impaling it through its temples. The tentacle-like limbs released Sakura, who crashed on the ground with a strangled cry. Before the Edge Walker fell to the ground, Michael grabbed his spear on both sides of its head and wrenched it from its shoulders. He grabbed a handful of the slimy appendages and ripped the dislocated head from the pole. "Are you okay, Sakura?"

Before she was able to answer, Michael saw an Edge Walker walk out onto the path, its claws scraping the ground. Pulling his handgun free from the holster, he put a bullet between the monster's eyes, making its head snap back violently. As soon as the Edge Walker fell, Michael wished he hadn't used the firearm. He found himself surrounded by a circle of Edge Walkers. Each had a blood-red, jagged smile as they stalked Michael and his downed group.

"Sakura," Michael said, cautiously, "isn't there some kind of distress signal that you can use?"

"Y-yeah." She managed to make it to her hands and knees as she reached into the pocket of her cotton pants, pulling out a red, glass-like orb. Sakura tossed it to Michael.

As he caught it, he asked, "How long will it take for anyone to come?" She didn't answer. "Sakura? Rose? Keiko?!" He called desperately for them, but each was as unresponsive as the next. Michael was seething. He threw the orb high in the air before he stood his ground beside his group, holding his spear with a tight grip as his eyes hovered over the circle of Edge Walkers. "If you want them, you'll have to go through me." The Edge Walkers rushed at him and stopped almost immediately as Michael heard an explosion overhead, followed by a crackle, almost like a firework exploding. Without wasting time, Michael thrust his spear through one of the Edge Walker's mouths, bringing the blade upwards before he kicked it into the forest. The rest of the Edge Walkers rushed him.

Michael fought his hardest to ward off the Edge Walkers; slashing them in half, pummeling them with the blunt end of the spear, even resorting to using his firearm, but it didn't seem to even put a dent in the number of Edge Walkers there were.

The Edge Walkers continued to pounce on him. Wish a growl, he slashed one of the arms off, using its claws to slash another Edge Walker's head in halves. As he turned, another Edge Walker had slashed at his back. He cried out as he spun and thrust his spear where its heart would be. Another Edge Walker swiped him from the side, knocking him against a tree. Ignoring the excruciating pain coursing through him, he spun out of the way of the careening claws before he freed his pistol from the holster and put a bullet in its brain. He fired at the rest of them, each bullet snapping their heads back, until he was out of ammo. He unclipped the magazine and chucked it at the evolved Edge Walker absorbing, what Michael though was their essence, from Dre. It freed him with a sickening crunch as it wretched on the ground.