Aethernea : Soulbound [Book 1]

Episode 152 - Last Resort

Previously:

Nelaira decides to descend into the pit where Luki and Aurel had fallen in and gives Lorafiel her luggage and her Beacon. However, she doesn't give them the diary they found in the village ruins. Lorafiel sends the other two to restrain and search her for the diary. Nelaira realizes that during the battle it was them who hindered her escape which caused Aurel, and subsequently, Laica and Luki, to fall prey to the Tainted.

Her own comrades send her flying into a pool of Ink causing her to take a bath in the creature's disgusting remains. Lorafiel explains the reason why they had turned against her. It is because she had continued to translate the diary they found, even though she was ordered not to. Lorafiel, as the hidden Overseer of the group, has been given the job of ensuring that "forbidden things forever stay in the forbidden zone". And Nelaira, due to knowing things she shouldn't know became one of the things that should forever be buried in the forbidden zone.

* * *

"YOU BASTARD!!" Her shriek almost ruptured their eardrums as she charged towards them like a splitting image of the Tainted monstrosity that had done so earlier.

Same wild abandon, same bloodshot eyes, same black liquid dripping everywhere.

With every passing second, she was looking more and more like that which she lived to kill.

Grass and Scotty looked towards Lorafiel, seeking confirmation.

"We can take the diary from her corpse." He nodded. "Whether she is dead or alive makes little difference."

Episode 152 – Last Resort

Scotty the scout nodded in confirmation and his muscular brown arms rose up as if he was molding something invisible.

Grass ran his left hand through his green crew cut while pointing towards Nelaira with his right hand. Following his signal, a fresh set of arrowheads came whizzing from his belt.

Expecting Nelaira to use a ground attack, all three of the men kept their eyes glued on her as they rose into the air. They were unable to spread their mind out due to the risk of Ink contamination, however, they had still caught subtle signs of her mana drilling into the ground.

Nelaira completely ignored Grass and Scotty, charging towards Lorafiel with no poise, her bloodshot eyes never leaving his form. She would occasionally morph ice shields to block the arrowheads, but otherwise, she paid the duo no attention.

Unlike Grass who was quick to start his offense, Scotty seemed to be weaving something more intricate for his attack still hadn't appeared.

Little did they know that their assumption was completely off the mark.

Since he was most proficient at Morph which he was using to scout, Scotty had intended to Morph the ground to stop Nelaira's approach. However, his magic had failed to activate. His nostrils flared, and his eyes bulged as he tried again to no avail.

Something... wasn't quite right...!

If his magic failed once, he would assume that it was because Nelaira already had a spell active on the part of the ground he wished to target. But failing twice...? Did she perhaps extend the radius of her mage armor?

He had no chance to ponder the issue further because, at that moment, Nelaira who was charging straight towards Lorafiel suddenly made a sharp turn.

And at that exact moment, the entire battle, too, made a sharp turn.

The entire valley started to shake, raising white snow and dust into the air. Completely concealing Nelaira and the snowy surface of the valley under white mist.