"Whoosh!"
The arrow fired by Tyrak darted forth, cutting through the air with a whooshing sound. Its speed was so fast, and if left to its own devices, it would really threaten Tamara's life in less than two seconds.
Tamara, though, didn't appear to be fazed. She narrowed her eyes as her chanting speed quickened. She brought her palms together, and some soil from the ground rose to form a small shield the size of a plate. The earthen shield hardened and swiftly darted up. In anything but an instant, it blocked the course of the advancing arrow.
"Bang!"
The arrow shattered the earthen shield the next moment. However, its forward momentum was also fully expended. It dropped to the ground without threatening Tamara in any way whatsoever.
"Again..."
Tyrak didn't allow the failed attempt to cloud his senses. He continued summoning arrows and shooting them at Tamara while maintaining a distance of about thirty yards from her.
He was totally suppressing her with his continuous volley of arrows. He gave her no room to retaliate, and she could only huddle up in her earthen shields while defending herself for dear life.
Eventually, after about five minutes of battle, her casting of earthen shields became almost unstable. She failed to block one arrow, and it almost grazed her cheek.
"What the hell?" She snapped and glared at Tyrak. "Do you really wish to kill me?"
Tyrak lowered his bow and glanced at her with a peculiar expression. "Didn't you say that you wouldn't show mercy? Didn't you tell me to go all out?"
"Ahh..." Tamara shouted and stamped her foot. "I'm out of mana for the moment. I can't continue sparring with you."
Tyrak's eyes flashed with excitement. "Does that imply that you're conceding defeat to me?"
Tamara glared at Tyrak but still nodded.
"Great!" Tyrak pumped his fist and returned Tamara's gaze. "According to you, do I now have the ability to threaten a peak-stage apprentice warlock with my archery skills?"
"Yes, you do," Tamara replied with an audible sigh. "With your bow skills, you can threaten some weaker peak-stage apprentice warlocks, especially those possessing combat abilities like mine. Moreover, if you could access enchanted arrows, you could battle evenly with the most powerful peak-stage apprentice warlocks in Othea. In fact, you could effortlessly end their lives."
"Enchanted arrows?" Tyrak was confused. "What are those?"
Tamara's hazel eyes shone, and she pushed a few locks of purple hair behind her ears. "In Othea, we have a unique group of warlocks called artisans. They have the ability to enchant weapons with magic spells, thereby granting them more offensive power. For instance, if you could obtain arrows enchanted with wind and fire spells, no one below the rank of an official warlock would be able to threaten you, especially considering your archery skills. First and foremost, the arrows are so fast because of the wind spells enchanted on them. Additionally, due to the fire spells, they have high damage output upon contact with the target. One such arrow can decimate all the defenses of a peak-stage apprentice before taking his life."
"That powerful!" Tyrak was surprised. "Where can I find such arrows?"
Tamara smiled a little, her hazel eyes sparkling with a strange light. "Usually, it would be close to impossible to find enchanted arrows in these primitive lands with almost no warlock inheritances. But since you're talking to a talented apprentice from the Oracle Temple, you're in luck. Divination and uncovering secrets are my specialties. I might know a few places within the Albrorian Empire where we can find some enchanted arrows..." She trailed off and glanced at Tyrak with a 'please beg me' expression.
Tyrak glared at her and scoffed. "You're not a young girl. Stop playing around. If you wish to tell me, go ahead and say your peace."
"What do you mean by saying I'm not a young girl?" Tamara pouted. "I have not yet celebrated my twentieth birthday..."
The corners of Tyrak's lips twitched. He caressed his forehead and said, "Don't change the topic! Where can we find the enchanted arrows?"
Tamara's expression turned somber. "According to my deductions, there should be a few enchanted arrows within Ellwich City."
"Ellwich City again?" Tyrak arched a brow.
"Yes, Ellwich City," Tamara confirmed. "I happened to learn that the mayor of Ellwich City has had a lot of shady dealings with an underground warlock force operating as both pirates and bandits within and off the coast of the Northern Continent. That same force previously robbed a shipment of enchanted arrows that was supposed to help the efforts to curb a beast tide in the cities around the Northern Continent's Forest of Omens. If my divinations and guesses are true, then that same force must have gifted the mayor a few enchanted arrows over the years."
"Oh!" Tyrak looked at Tamara skeptically. "And why would they gift him enchanted arrows? What could he possibly do for them that would warrant him to receive such precious weapons?"
"He's their agent in these lands," Tamara responded. "He should be the one in charge of collecting slaves and human sacrifices for them. Gifting him a few enchanted arrows is only natural."
"You warlocks even use human sacrifices." Tyrak's eyes narrowed. "You're really not good people."
Tamara shrugged. "This is a dog-eat-dog world. People will try to do everything possible, whether crooked or virtuous, to get an edge over others. That's why some underground warlock organizations utilize countless human sacrifices while casting curses, death spells, and other rituals. There's nothing much I can do to change such a status quo with my current power as an apprentice warlock."
"Is the Oracle Temple among such organizations partaking in collecting human sacrifices?"
"Nope! We have no need for human sacrifices."
Tyrak nodded. "Let's say what you say is true, and the mayor of Ellwich City really has a few enchanted arrows in his possession. How do we obtain them? For your information, I have nothing to trade for them."
"Why would you think about trading for them?" Tamara scoffed. "Even if you coughed out a million gold coins, he might not necessarily trade with you. The only way forward is to take the enchanted arrows away without his knowledge."
Tyrak frowned. "In other words, you wish to rob the mayor. Why am I not surprised?"
Tamara held Tyrak's gaze. "Think about it this way. We'll kill two birds with one stone by helping ourselves to those enchanted weapons. First and foremost, we'll weaken the mayor, and he'll have to reduce his activities of collecting the slaves for the underground force. Your homeland will be safer after that. Additionally, we'll obtain powerful cards in the form of enchanted arrows that will allow us to compete favorably when the ruin appears."
"You do have a point," Tyrak said. "But what are our chances of succeeding if we take action?"
"I would say seventy percent, give or take. The most powerful people in the mayor's household are only legend rangers and warriors. They should have no warlocks among their ranks. If we plan well, we should be able to take the weapons."
Tyrak thought for a moment and shook his head. "I can't decide now. Just give me a few days, and I'll give you an answer."
Tamara nodded. "But you better be quick. Otherwise, I'll take the weapons myself, and you won't get a share."
"You'll have an answer in at most three days," Tyrak promised.
"Great." Tamara smiled and rubbed her hands together. "Since we have finished our sparring, we should start our journey. We can resume our training after reaching Ellwich City."
"That sounds like a good plan." Tyrak's eyes gleamed with excitement. He had spent most of his last seven years slaving in the mines without ever getting an opportunity to visit a prosperous human city. As such, he was very much looking forward to arriving at Ellwich City.