"Damn!" Trazor groaned, now being toyed with by the demon wolves. Luckily, he wore armor beneath his clothes.
He tried to ignore the demon wolves biting his hands when he spotted a massive demon wolf. It must be the Alpha, now looking hungrily at him.
He sensed it was aiming for his head, given its fixed gaze.
"Oh no, shit!" he muttered, intensifying his efforts to escape. However, it was too late; the Alpha leaped, and in moments, his head would be in its jaws.
Closing his eyes, Trazor braced for his imminent death.
"Slaying Card Activate; Direct cutter!"
Suddenly, a growl echoed, a robust growl. Trazor opened his eyes to see a deck of cards lodged in the Alpha's throat.
The cards swiftly returned to a figure as the Alpha collapsed.
"Need help?" a voice asked from the approaching figure.
Trazor saw a man, seemingly his age, with an eye patch over his left eye, a long cloak, and a dagger.
"Assassination Card Activate; Death whisperer!"
In the blink of an eye, the newcomer vanished, leaving Trazor amidst the howls of the demon wolves.
Only then did Trazor realize that four steel-cards were stuck in the throats of four demon wolves. The cards flew back towards the man who had suddenly appeared.
"I'm Gaion," the man introduced himself as he helped Trazor stand.
"I can stand on my own," Trazor insisted, not fully trusting someone he just met, especially after being left alone earlier.
"Okay," Gaion said, releasing Trazor.
"Argh! What the hell!" Trazor exclaimed as he struggled to maintain balance after being let go.
"See, you can't stand on your own, so whether you like it or not... I'll help you," Gaion stated, promptly assisting Trazor and utilizing his teleportation ability.
Meanwhile, where Kayla was, she found herself falling victim to the Grobbers' clutches.
"Hey! I just said to let me go, not drop me!" Kayla shouted, now having difficulty walking properly.
Even though she couldn't move well, she managed to run despite the Grobbers closing in. Yet, the Grobbers were swift, causing Kayla to stumble and fall due to their aggressive attacks.
Kayla glanced behind and saw the Grobbers lunging at her again.
"We're going to meet, Dad!" she shouted, her face now streaked with tears and sweat as she faced her seemingly inevitable demise. Suddenly, a strong wind engulfed her.
"Air Manipulation Magic; Swirling Air!"
Feeling the sudden gust, Kayla screamed, "Waaaahh!! You wind, you jerk!" She clung to the grass and looked around, spotting a man with bird-like wings.
He unleashed a powerful blast of wind, eliminating all the Grobbers in one go.
"Wow! My savior??" Kayla perked up, releasing her grip on the grass.
The wind carried her, and she screamed, "Waaaahhh!! Savior, help me!"
"You're such a fool, aren't you?!" the savior retorted as he held Kayla. Fortunately, her weapon had a leash, preventing it from being lost.
"Sorry," Kayla apologized as she scrutinized her savior's face. He wore a blue cap, dark hair, fair skin, and had a sharp look.
"I'll take you to our camp, so don't bother asking where we're going. Just shut up, okay?" the man said, and Kayla, not wanting to press further, agreed.
Kayla noticed they were heading towards a cliff. To her surprise, a passage opened in the middle of the cliff, and water flowed down on both sides.
"This is our hideout for now; we'll leave at dawn. By the way, I'm Cair," the man said as they entered the passage. Once inside, the entrance was covered again, sealing them inside.
Kayla observed that Cair's wings disappeared upon landing, amazed.
Inside, she saw other caves and lights on the sides, indicating advanced technology—perhaps space base magic. She thought, 'They must have technology made of magic for sure.'
"Oi Kirei, guess what I found!" Cair suddenly shouted while carrying Kayla.
"What is it, aber?!" a girl appeared from a passage, wearing a brown polo with a red cross on her left shoulder. She was beautiful, and her headband suited her shoulder-length hair.
"Ooh chix?? Haha.. just joking! Is she the one who outshouted the Grobbers?" the girl teased. 'Imagine being chased by Aspobo and flown by Grobbers; let's see if you won't scream!'
"Don't be too serious, sis, hahaha! I'm Kirei, a user of Healing Magic and Paper Make Magic... nice to meet you," she said happily, looking at what Cair was holding because she was excited to have another girl around.
"I'm not a chix; I'm a hen, hahaha... just kidding. I'm Kayla, and nice to meet you, Kirei," Kayla laughed as Kirei suddenly touched her, and she instantly felt relieved, as if all her discomfort vanished.
"Good job, sissy. Oh, are you hungry? Let's go!" Kirei invited, remembering that dinner was ready.
"Sure, and thanks for healing me, sissy," Kayla said, leaving Cair to join Kirei, holding onto her arm.
"Oi, Kirei, aren't you going to call me?" Cair asked since Kirei didn't invite him.
"You're old; you don't need to be called. Manage yourself," Kirei replied, leading the way with Kayla.
Kayla happily entered while clinging to Kirei's arm when she unexpectedly saw something.
She quickly hid behind Kirei. "Hala! Why are you hiding?" Kirei asked, puzzled.
"Shhh... don't make noise; it's nothing... just my fancy." Kayla made an excuse, and Kirei believed her, allowing her to breathe easy.
Attempting to conceal herself, Kayla suddenly heard a whisper, causing her hair to stand on end. She glanced to her right, and there, she was met with the face she least wanted to see—the demon hunter.
"Ah he ha hu he he... What are you hiding? Nothing, right, Kirei?" Kayla said with feigned nonchalance.
"Huh? Ah, yes, just nothing," Kirei supported, nodding along with Kayla's act.
"Wait, do you two know each other?" Cair interrupted, munching on food while seated comfortably in front of the bonfire. It was only now that Kayla realized there was not just a bonfire but also lanterns around, thinking it was just lanterns earlier.
"Kinda." "Maybe," they both replied almost simultaneously, making them stare at each other as if engaged in an unintentional staring contest.
"Oh really? Then good." Gaion suddenly appeared, brandishing his deck of cards.
Feeling a bit uneasy due to the tension in the air, Kayla asked, "So, Gaion, this is Kayla. As you can see, she has a gun, so basically, she's a user of marksmanship Magic." Kirei broke the ice, introducing Kayla to the newcomer.
"And Kayla, this is Gaion. He's a user of Card caster Magic. To add some info, he is the one leading this group, the leader of Bright Wing," Kirei continued, presenting Gaion to Kayla.
"I want her full name," Gaion demanded, making Kirei give Kayla an apologetic look before complying.
"Sigh, I'm Kayla Artilla." Kayla sighed in relief as Gaion seemed satisfied with her answer.
"Daughter of the governor general and mistress of Purrifia... not bad," Gaion commented, studying Kayla. They were surprised; she seemed weighty. However, Kayla felt a twinge of sadness, remembering her parents.
"And Cair, this is Trazor, a demon hunter, and basically, a user of Slaying Magic of some sort," Kirei continued the introductions.
"I hope we get along well, brad," Cair greeted Trazor with a smile.
"Me too," Trazor agreed with Cair.
"And, Trazor, this is Cair, hailing from the Avias city. He's a user of Air Beast Magic," Kirei introduced Cair to Trazor.
"So, you are a chosen Host? Oh my! Are you my prince charming?" Kayla interjected, initially appearing enamored but later stopped as she saw someone watching.
"Excuse me—I'm a prince, Prince of Altaria, but I chose to become a hunter," Trazor inserting himself to tease her.
"Who cares!" Kayla retorted, about to approach Cair, then realized something. "A-ALTARIA?? Why didn't you clarify that you're a prince of Altaria? I could have been your knight in shining armor," Kayla teased Trazor.
"If Trazor is a prince, and Kayla is from a prestigious family, then that means... you should join our team!! The BrightWing Alliance!" Kirei exclaimed excitedly, her eyes gleaming with strategic marketing.
Trazor accepted the invitation of being a bright wing member, however, Kayla didn't accept it. But, she will join as a traveling companion.
Now, they sat peacefully around the bonfire, with Gaion sharpening his steel-type cards.
"That girl, though, she reminds me of someone," Gaion mumbled to himself, observing his companions who were now enjoying their meal.
Meanwhile, Trazor, stealing glances at the girl happily eating in front of him, whispered, "Not bad," to himself, scanning her figure until his gaze lingered a bit too long.
"Hey, pervert, stop looking at where you shouldn't," Kayla whispered to Trazor, noticing his discomfort and blushing face. She immediately figured out what had happened.
"I'm not a pervert," Trazor defended himself, and he left, not wanting to be caught.
"Ugh, he thinks he can fool me," Kayla said, returning to her meal but was interrupted when she noticed Cair in front of her, seemingly looking around and playfully winking.
"Hey, pervert!" Kayla shouted and kicked Cair.
"OUCH!" a loud scream echoed through the cave, echoing due to Cair being kicked in a sensitive area.
[TO BE CONTINUED!!!]