Suddenly.
"[Home of Protection - Shield Dome]"
A large translucent dome appeared around Hielgan and prevented any more fire bolts from hitting him, seeing this Hielgan quickly shuffled his left foot backward and then planted his greatsword in the ground to regain his balance.
"Sorry it took us a while to find this place," Sarai came up to Hielgan and touched his shoulder. "We have your back now!"
Hielgan looked back and saw Rocky murmuring an incantation to herself.
"[Druid Arts - Aura Fruit]"
Rocky pointed her hands forward and the ground at Hielgan's feet suddenly opened up and a small shoot sprouted from it and grew into a stem reaching till his knees then produced one fruit.
"What's this?"
"Take a bite from it." Rocky urged him.
Hielgan turned to look at her and Rocky smiled and nodded at him. Hielgan plucked the fruit from the miniature tree and bit down on it deeply.
As Hielgan chewed on the fruit its flavor changed from a sweet and savory to a dry and sour taste.
He spits it out.
"Just one bite," Rocky stated.
Hielgan nodded at her in disdain due to her lack of clarity, however, Hielgan could feel his strength returning to him.
Bossie's dreadful laughter suddenly filled the cave once more, she and her sorceresses had halted their barrage of fire bolts and began to cheer.
'Does she think that I am dead?' Hielgan gritted his teeth. 'She's in for a rude awakening.'
Hielgan pulled the greatsword from the ground and held it in both hands.
"[Sever - Iron Cutter], [Sever - Iron Shaper] and [Edge of Motion]!" Hielgan triggered three abilities consecutively and then swung his greatsword across the air around him.
When the dust and smoke had cleared Bossie and her company of hags shut their mouths abruptly.
"You! How are you alive?" Bossie's question was immediately answered as Sarai's dome was revealed after the dust had cleared.
"The elves!"
Bossie noticed that Hielgan had regained most of his strength, in her condition she knew it was wise to take a step back before he unleashed his barrage of assaults on them.
"Let me handle this…"
Hielgan slowly walked outside Sarai's [Home of Protection] and then looked down at his hands, he took a deep breath, and as he exhaled an orange aura erupted from his body.
"[Dracolgan - Draconian Rage]!"
The burst of aura began to spew from his body to the area surrounding Hielgan, Sarai and Rocky were protected by the [Home of Protection] but the sorceresses were feeling his full wrath.
'Father told me that the Dracolgan Arts were created by my grandfather during his time in the Royal Army.' Hielgan recalled. 'I have never used any of them in a real fight before, I only have a few minutes.'
Hielgan glared at the sorceresses and instantly moved to their location, his greatsword swung across the faces of the sorceresses, but before they could blink, their heads fell to the ground in that split second.
Bossie seemed to have seen this and had already taken a step back earlier to avoid Hielgan's attack.
"I don't need magic to lop his head off his shoulders." Bossie pointed her dagger at Shaemus' throat.
Hielgan took a step forward.
Bossie could tell from his aura that he was no longer in full control of his body, her hand trembled as she tried to maintain her composure, but she had no intention of dying even at the cost of an elf.
"Why won't you stop!" Bossie pressed harder with the dagger on Shaemus' throat.
The dagger suddenly crumbled as the pieces fell to the ground, Hielgan had blinked towards the two and grabbed the dagger before she could stab Shaemus.
Bossie let Shaemus loose but Hielgan's hand quickly grabbed hers before she could escape.
"Where do you think you are going?"
Hielgan raised his greatsword to strike Bossie down, but she immediately burst into a cloud of smoke as the greatsword came down. The cloud whirled away from Hielgan and stopped in the distance, Bossie appeared from the cloud with her left arm missing.
The greatsword had missed Bossie but not her arm, Hielgan tossed it to the side and began to walk towards her.
"What are yooou?!!"
Bossie shrieked in terror, but her voice grew louder and turned into a sonic boom, the sonic burst created cracks in the cave walls and ceiling, as well as pushed Hielgan back a few steps and extinguished his flaring.
"I won't let you get awaaay!!"
Bossie screamed once more and the sonic boom from her shrieks shattered the cracks in the ceiling and walls of the cave, and the cave walls and ceiling began to fall apart. Bossie turned back into a cloud of smoke and vanished from everyone's sight leaving them for dead as the cave began to collapse.
Hielgan regained his senses and now that the sorceresses had been defeated, it was time for him and everyone to escape before the cave buried them alive.
"Hielgan, over here!" It was Shaemus that called out to him.
During Hielgan's final assault on the sorceresses, Sarai and Rocky had managed to rescue and free Shaemus. The large mortal now towered over the two that it was hard for Hielgan to understand how the sorceresses had managed to capture him in the first place.
Hielgan ran towards the group as Sarai waved her staff in midair, it appeared to him that she was weaving a magic circle, but a translucent dome suddenly appeared around the three.
'In this situation? What for?'
Regardless of what Sarai was planning Hielgan ran across the cave dodging falling rocks as he rushed towards the group and jumped into the dome, exhausted from the earlier fight.
"[The laws of deities dictate mortal destiny, but we break free from our binds of fate as we transcend time and eternity - Dome of Teleportation]!"
The dome gave off a bright glow and before the cave could collapse on the group, they were moved instantly away from the cave and appeared back in their camp on the outskirts of Quaria.
Hielgan signed in relief.
That night Sarai cast a protective barrier around the camp and healed everyone's injuries, as they sat silently around the campfire Shaemus cleared his throat and began to address the group on why the sorceresses had been after him.
"I was born in a coven where my mother was the high-ranking sorceress, and I grew up in that coven not learning much since my destiny was not to become a full-fledged sorcerer, but a sacrifice for my mother to gain greater power."
Shaemus explained how he was to be sacrificed on his thirteenth birthday but was unintentionally spared when a group of adventurers broke into the coven's hideout and slain the sorcerers for practicing such dark arts in the region.
"With nowhere to go, I found myself in Rasoc where I earned my keep for a while before sailing for Iziria to escape my past." Shaemus sighed. "I thought I had escaped... I did not mean to bring this upon you, especially at such a time."
For Hielgan it explained much, it was no wonder Shaemus had been edgy throughout their encounter.
"Sorry I couldn't finish them off."
"Without you, I would not be alive this day," Shaemus clutched his chest. "Bossie will not come at me anytime soon, but until that time comes I will make sure to be ready for them."
Dawn came quickly, no one managed to get some sleep that night, after such a troublesome experience they consoled each other with past stories and humorous tales.
Later that day after walking for several miles together, the group came upon a junction with a signpost that indicated the directions of the towns in the region, to the left was Tusoc and Quaria was located to the right of the sign.
"I suppose this is it," Hielgan gave a low sigh, It was very uncharacteristic of him to feel a longing for others.
"Ay, it is. I wish to see you again soon lad." Shaemus' goodbye was brief, but he could hear the sincerity in his voice.
"We can not thank you enough Hielgan, you saved Rocky and Shaemus, both of who are my precious friends," Sarai stated thankfully. "Maybe next time you will save me."
Sarai smiled at Hielgan.
"Maybe I will need the saving," Hielgan replied comically.
They all laughed warmly as they said their farewells for a time, Rocky came up close and kissed Hielgan's cheek before leaving with Shaemus and Sarai.