Lana and Greysen immediately readied themselves when they heard Cenric's warning. Greysen held his greatsword in his hands in front of himself in a typical dueling stance. Lana stood up. With a few hand gestures, she controlled her breathing and invoked a spell via prayer.
[Shield]
Sturdy, Steadfast,
Protecting, Nurturing, Dispelling,
Making the world invulnerable.
[Protection]
A wall of light appeared and enclosed the space where Edward, Elise, Gino, and Yu lay. It curved around them into a dome.
"This wall of light will protect you from the corrupted wolves and will also purify the air so that you won't be affected by the miasma," Lana said.
Elise gazed at Lana and the dome of light with admiration. The views of magic were totally new to her and she was easily amazed by any spell that she saw.
Edward nodded at Lana gratefully. He knew that they were not able to defend themselves against the full assault of the wolves. Lana's actions touched him somewhat. She was not obligated to cast a protective barrier over them, but she did it out of the goodness in her heart.
"Cenric, how many?" Greysen asked. His eyes were brimming with anticipation.
"About twenty, give or take. Lana, how many more prayers can you invoke?" Cenric asked, his hand on the handle of his sword.
"I have enough energy for three mid-ranked magics," she replied with confidence.
One mid-ranked magic was equivalent to about five low-ranked magics. The effects of mid magics were more than enough to deal with the wolves. However, it was better to be conservative, lest they were met with stronger monsters later on.
"Good, just use one of your support magic to stall the wolves. We will deal with the rest," Cenric said.
He neither felt threatened nor eager to fight off the wolves. To him, it was just another one of his duties that he needed to fulfill.
Greysen, on the other hand, was itching for a fight. After being cooped up for so many days at the fort, he was dispatched on a mission to investigate the Ulfvidr Forest for instances of abnormal energy.
The wolves obviously showed signs of corruption, but where was the source? They were tracking the trail of corruption left behind by the wolves when they ran into Yu and Elise.
Lana held her fingers together into a triangle and was ready to invoke the spell. The spell that she decided to cast against the wolves was a mid-ranked magic that affects a group of opponents.
The pack of wolves circled their prey, but they were out of sight. It seemed as if they were watching for any signs of weakness. They were also waiting for their prey to slip up.
Noticing that their prey was ready for them, the wolves decided to distract the humans. A few black blurs flashed past the group. However, none of them approached within the range of attack of the knights.
The knights held their position. They were not fazed by the actions of the wolves. They were also waiting for the prime opportunity to strike.
Elise and Gino watched the scene with bated breath. They had witnessed the ferocity of the wolves beforehand. Although they knew that the trio in front were knights with fighting experience, they could not help but be concerned that they will be overwhelmed by the sheer number of wolves. After all, Cenric did mention that there were about twenty wolves.
Edward was the calmest among his children. He watched the expressions of the knights. They were calm and composed, without a hint of nervousness. They did not appear to be overconfident as well. Edward was assured after his observation.
Suddenly, several wolves pounced in small groups at individual knights to isolate them and to divide the fighting power of the humans. Cenric who was closer to Lana swiftly defended her while she invoked a protection spell on herself.
Several of the wolves jumped towards Edward and his children. They tried to enter past the barrier of light. However, when they tried to bite the barrier, they were burnt instead.
The light barrier was made of light element. One of the common effects of light magic was to purify corrupted creatures. Therefore, the corrupted wolves were burnt by the light and could not approach the four within the barrier.
They snapped at the barrier one last time before giving up. Elise was relieved when she saw the wolves leaving them alone.
Greysen swung his greatsword at the wolves. However, due to the weight of his sword that was almost six and a half feet long, his speed was slow compared to the wolves. They nimbly avoided his sword.
He cursed. These wolves had increased agility due to corruption. Cenric fared better compared to Greysen. He managed to injure and maim several of the wolves.
The bodies of knights were much stronger and faster than ordinary people. It was of course, due to their training, but the main reason was that their bodies were blessed with magic energy.
The three of them seemed to be in a pinch. In fact, they were only putting on a show, for they wanted to lure more of the wolves out into the open. If they showed superior strength right from the start, the wolves might be more inclined to escape.
Their strategy worked. The other wolves lurking in the shadows joined in the fray. Seeing the majority of the wolves, Lana invoked her mid-ranked magic.
[Stun]
Bright, Brilliant,
Bewildering, Befuddling, Bedazzling,
Halting the world into a standstill.
[Confound]
A bright light shone from her hands and enveloped her surroundings. The wolves were blinded and stunned by the magic. They were immobilized where they stood.
Cenric and Greysen were not affected by the effects of the magic because they had immunity. However, other creatures, the wolves and human spectators were immobilized.
"Now!" Cenric roared.
Greysen and Cenric quickly killed as many corrupted wolves as they can. The magic lasted only for a few seconds. Soon, the wolves were able to move again albeit slower. By then, many of them were killed.
More wolves emerged from the shadows and behind the thick clump of trees. Greysen got into his stance to prepare to use one of the eradication skills.
He gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands. Magic energy coursed through his muscles. He took a step forward with his greatsword lifted overhead. An emblem that was carved onto the blade glowed. Within a few moments, the blade of the slowed was bathed in light.
{Splitting Heavens}!
He spun and swung his sword horizontally. A wide arc of powerful slashing force was emitted from his sword. It slashed through everything in its path. The wolves were split apart. Their blood and bits of flesh and bone splashed. Trees were felled in a fan-shaped direction away from Greysen.
Greysen smirked. It had worked just like he wanted.
Just then, a long howl sounded. A wolf larger than the others appeared.
"Looks like the boss is here," Greysen commented.
The other surviving wolves gathered around the lead wolf. The alpha looked almost twice the size of the others. Its fur looked tougher and sharper. The miasma was surrounding it was thicker. It had almost obscured the alpha from view.
Its crimson eyes gleamed from behind the black cloud of miasma. A low growl came from its throat.
Then, the black miasma spread and engulfed the surrounding air. Small plants that came in contact with it wilted and turned black.
The knights held their distance. Coming in contact with the miasma was not very detrimental to humans, but it still had minor adverse effects if exposed long enough.
The wolves within the miasma twitched. They became more savage and bloodthirsty. They pounced at the knights with increased ferocity.
"What the-- What's with the sudden power up?" Greysen complained as he fended off the wolves. Their speed had increased further.
The miasma surrounding the alpha split and formed apparitions of wolves. They moved even faster than the others and attacked Greysen.
Greysen retaliated by using his eradication skill again. The apparitions split apart but joined back together right after. Greysen widened his eyes.
"Lana!" Cenric shouted.
Lana began invoking the prayer for another spell.
Cenric looked at the swift and ferocious wolves. Their numbers were half of the original but their strength was doubled. Especially the apparitions. Those were tricky to deal with.
He had to reduce their numbers first. He gathered his magic energy throughout his body and spread it to his surroundings. The emblem on his sword, identical to that of Greysen's, glowed.
{Threads of Air}
Cenric's perception increased by several folds. He could sense the minute movements of the wolves. He poured magic energy into his muscles and moved to eradicate the beasts. He accurately sensed the trajectory and predicted the path of the wolves. With that, it looked as if the wolves willingly pounced onto his sword, to their deaths.
The living wolves were felled in a dance of death.
[Smite]!
Lana finished her prayer and cast the spell on the apparitions. Light burst from underneath them and shone brightly. The apparitions wriggled before they were incinerated by the purifying light.
The alpha, enraged by the actions of the humans, charged forwards. Greysen who was anticipating its move blocked it with a huge overhead slash.
Both Cenric and Greysen clashed against the alpha. They cornered it. Instead of giving up, the miasma collected around itself and began to split again.
Seeing that, Lana cast [Protection] around the alpha. A dome of light surrounded it. The miasma failed to spread and was incinerated by the light surrounding it. The alpha snarled.
Greysen activated his eradication skill and delivered a swift blow to the alpha. It was rent into two and fell with two thuds.
The battle was over.
The bodies of dead corrupted wolves surrounded them. Cenric looked around to make sure that the threat was over. Sensing no threat, he sheathed his sword. Greysen swung his greatsword over his shoulder and exhaled.
"Everyone okay?" Cenric asked.
"Not even a scratch," Greysen said smugly.
Lana nodded.
Elise and Gino looked at the knights with awe. Their coordination and efficiency were like art itself. The wolves never did stand a chance against them.
Although they had effortlessly defeated the wolves, there was something that was out of their expectations too. Lana had only planned to use one mid-ranked magic, but she ended up using two in order to deal with the miasmatic apparitions.
All in all, it went well.
Lana went to Edward and family and canceled the protection.
"It is dangerous in the forest. There should be other corrupted beasts other than the wolves. You should follow us," she said after a pause.
"Wait, Lana are you serious? It's easy for us to defend ourselves, but being chaperones makes it difficult," Greysen rejected her suggestion.
"Greysen, we can't leave them here. We should at least lead them out of the forest," Cenric said.
Greysen's mouth straightened. He did not like the suggestion, but there were no other options. Cenric was their leader after all.
"Hold, you're injured. Let me have a look at it," Lana gestured towards Edward's arm.
She rolled up the sleeve of his shirt and examined the wound. Three large gashes extended along his arm. The blood in the wound was turning black. There were also black tendrils extending from the wound along his blood vessels.
Elise gasped.
"Why is it black?" she asked, shocked.
"It's called corruption. The corruption spreads when you are wounded by a corrupted beast. You can also get corrupted if you're exposed to the miasma for too long. Fortunately, the corruption can be cured with simple healing magic," Lana explained.
She downplayed the severity of corruption. Lana did not mention that corruption can only be cured with magic. If left alone, the corruption will spread and eventually claim the life of the person.
Edward grimaced in pain. He could feel the tendrils growing and extending along his blood vessels.
Once again, Lana cast healing magic to heal the wound. The wound was cured in several seconds.
*****
Edward and group trudged through the forest under the protection of the knights. They were grateful and felt a lot safer compared to before. Yu was still unconscious and was carried by Edward over his shoulders.
They walked for tens of minutes and stumbled upon several mutilated bodies. They were the bodies of the villagers that fled before them.
"No!" Elise exclaimed and ran towards the bodies. She went to each of them and checked for any signs of life. Alas, they were all dead.
Soft moaning came from behind a tree.
Hearing that, Elise's hope was renewed and she rushed towards the sound. As she turned around the tree, she saw a woman hugging a small body. She recognized the woman immediately.
"Aunt Lynn!" she called out and shook her.
Aunt Lynn fell onto the ground lifelessly. The small body rolled from her dead embrace. It was a little girl with dark brown hair. Her body was stained with blood.
A few bloody holes in the shape of teeth punctured the side of her left chest. Her face was as white as sheet. Most importantly, she was alive!
"Isla!" Elise carried the girl in her arms. She turned towards the Lana.
"C-could you please…?" she stammered.
Lana knelt down beside Elise and examined the little girl. She tore open Isla's tunic and exposed her white chest. She furrowed her eyebrows.
Black tendrils extended from the teeth marks. They looked like wriggly lines that were tangled and overlapped each other. They extended to her abdomen and towards the center of her chest.
Lana extended her magical energy to examine the insides of the little girl. The corruption had reached her heart. She shook her head reluctantly. They were too late.
Elise saw Lana shaking her head and pleaded further.
"It's the corruption… Can't you help her like how you helped my father?"
"We're too late. The corruption has spread to her heart. If she had been bitten on another part…" Lana's voice trailed off.
"Can't you cure the corruption from the heart?" Elise pleaded.
"The heart is the trickiest part to remove the corruption. I'm afraid she would die before I cleanse it," Lana shook her head.
Elise looked at Lana wide-eyed, crestfallen. Then, she felt a sudden movement in her arms.
Isla's body jerked and her eyes snapped open. She gasped and screamed in agony. Her body spasmed as if she was having a seizure.
"Isla! Isla, what's happening?" Elise panicked.
The black tendrils spread further under her skin. While doing so, immense pain invaded Isla's blood vessels, like searing hot iron. Her muscles twitched and spasmed uncontrollably. She gagged and gasped for air. Her eyes rolled back in her eyes, exposing the white. Black blood flowed from her wounds.
"Isla!" Elise could only try to console the dying girl and hugged her tightly.
The others could only look on helplessly. Lana felt her heart ache. Gino clenched his fists and looked away. Edward's eyelids dropped as he looked at the ground.
Cenric sighed sadly. Greysen stood expressionlessly. Nobody could guess his thoughts. He gripped the hilt of his sword, as if he wanted to end the life of the suffering girl swiftly. For some reason, he refrained from doing so.
Isla continued spasming for a few more minutes that felt like an eternity. She gagged coughed as black blood flowed from her mouth. This was accompanied by intermittent agonized screams.
Her body gradually stopped spasming. The twitching slowed down to erratic rhythms. Her body went limp. Final agonal gaspings indicated the twilight of her life. She was finally still.
Elise hugged the now dead Isla tightly to her chest. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She sobbed and cried muffled wails. She cried her heart out. All the sadness and misery from her ordeal tightened her chest. Sadly, all her cries could not untangle the tightness, no matter how hard she cried.