It was all sudden. Hardy never would have expected that his captivity would be so action-packed. It was amusing for him, yet it irritates him. 'Why must my life today be always in a pickle? Can I take a break for once?' is what is going into his mind.
[Sderzhivat!] Pinta voiced out, stunning a beastkin who was about to strike her overhead with an axe, then, she pointed another one advancing towards them and,
[Ubit!]
The beastkin who was stunned lopped the head of the other who was advancing. Then, Pinta snaps her fingers towards while saying,
[Ogon!]
And the beastkin burst into flames, running in circles, screaming in pain, Hardy couldn't help but comment,
"Damn girl, that's brutal."
"…" Pinta kept silent, blatantly ignoring Hardy's comment and moves forward without further ado.
"H-hey! Wait! Damn!"
However, as they move, towards the exit, more and more beastkins with weapons tramples the floor, seeking blood as they roar with deafening noise with those who are locked in cells.
"Hardy!" Pinta hollered, "watch my back!"
"As if I'm not doing that!" Hardy quipped as he axed the incoming beastkin advancing unto him at its chest. He was almost about to be hit at his face, luckily, he dodged it by an inch before the enemy fell to the floor due to blood loss.
"Aw damn, too many ploughing beastkins!"
Then Pinta suddenly stopped her steps, in which Hardy bumped unto her, blurting,
"Now wha-"
"Gh…Even I had limits." Pinta muttered to herself, more in irritation than despair. The way out is blocked by a stone wall that was non-existent a while ago. She could brute force it, but she thinks that's not a good idea. There may by beastkins waiting to strike on the other side for all she knows. Moreover, the sheer numbers of the invaders are now getting to her nerves. Another beastkin with a catface rushed towards her with its claws in which Hardy sliced its arms before it became a problem, and not a second passed, a dogfaced beastkin tried to sneak at them behind whereas Pinta dodged just by a hair's breath, then grabs its throat, then she said,
[Ogon]
Which ignites the enemy from head to toe, whining in absolute terror and pain, hitting the cellular bars and fell down lifelessly. But both Pinta and Hardy did not linger to watch its suffering and left the area, continued running from corners to corners, hoping to score a way out.
Hardy wondered nervously if they could get out this predicament unscathed, using the brief respite, he racked out his brains for any clues, thereby asking Pinta for her tricks to formulate suggestions like,
"What rules can you use the flames?"
Pinta shakes her head, "This is not the time for questions!"
"Then how can I suggest something for us to get away here if I do not even have a slightest idea on your kit?"
Pinta thought for a while and answered, "Ogon works only if I had close contact with what I wanted to destroy."
With quick thought, Hardy replies, "Then, how did it work earlier? I saw someone burst into flames from afar with your word!"
"That's because I casted a spell first to control that person. In a sense, my mind overtakes his muscle, giving it a form of contact to it."
"I see…" Hardy nodded, so far, he could understand what Pinta is talking about.
"What if you control one to spread fire to others with a body?"
"I could do that, but then, have you thought about where we are? imagine what would happen to the air."
Hardy survey his surroundings, it was narrow enough for that plan to succeed easily, however, it was easy it to guess how long their lungs could take it, therefore,
"Well, how about covering us with water, can you do that?"
"I could, but I do not know how long I would last. It's not like I had limitless mana."
"But we can risk it right?"
Pinta glared at him with a side-glance. "You request too much of me, I don't have my staff to limit my mana or control my magic's potency." Then she eyed his axe on hand and said,
"Stretch your arms."
"Why?"
"Just do it."
Then Hardy put his axe down and did what she had told him to. Pinta clasp his hands in no time and chanted,
[In the name of Demon Lord Vladimir, let he hath the strength to cleave what is due, to cut even the flow of the unphysical.]
Then she clasps his head from its sides,
[May he hath the eyes to unveil the invisible, to glare that which is impossible to see, even that which enveloped in uncertainty. So, I bless thee, POBUZHDENIYE]
Afterwards, Hardy felt his head a little fuzzy. At the same time, red and yellowish light emerges from his arms, like it was in flames. But there is no pain. All of it was gone in an instant after a few seconds. He opens and closes his hands, turning it and examining all of its sides. He felt then something overwhelming in his arms, like he could easily uproot a grown tree with his sheer hands. He picks his axe up, sliced an arrow in two that was aimed towards him. The owner of the arrow, a wolf faced beastkin, was caught in surprise and immediately loaded another arrow in his bow. But as he about to launch another attack, he found an axe flying towards him and split his forehead in two. He fell down an instant.
Pinta commented, "Throwing your axe like that is foolish."
"I can't help it!" Hardy retorted, "It is what it came to my mind first."
Pinta snorted, "Either way, how are you feeling?"
"Oh I feel great! It's like I could feel everything to my surroundings! See them without my eyes! I could even move and hold any weapon as if extension of my arms!" He said as he picks up a sword lying around from a freshly deceased beastkin.
Pinta nodded, "It won't last forever, at most, it will be fifteen to thirty minutes. Therefore, let us not dawdle and move."
"Aye." Hardy nodded.
***
In another area inside the cell, the lionlike beastkin figure strolls leisurely while stepping on corpses along his way. Behind him was a whitish catlike beastkin, following him with every step. Different noises buzz their ears. The cries of battle were one of them, but the most thing the lionlike figure is interested is the place he just halted at. In a row or a column of cells, no matter where one looks at, a bunch of beastkins was cramped inside of it, however, all of them was pounding behind the bars like cannibals who lost their own minds with only primal instinct of hunger, desperately reaching out their unreachable prey behind their bars. The lionlike figure grit his teeth and said,
"This… This is very…" then the lionlike figure closes his eyes, "I'm sorry…"
After a pause, he turns to the catlike figure and speaks once again,
"Jina, can we still save them?"
"I…have no idea." The catlike figure replied, "I do not have the knowledge of a clear cause of their sickness, so I would not suggest anything. All I know is that, they're going to use our lost kin as a fodder for their surprise attack to the Kingdom."
"A fodder! How condescending they are!" the lionlike figure sneered and moves his eyes searchingly at the bars, then he speaks again,
"How do we unlock these cells? There are no keyholes, blowing up is not an option as we had only one of 'see-four'."
"Worry not Boss, according to our resource, there's a switch on the lower floors that will unlock all of the cells holding our kin. Alternatively, there is a power source nearby that will shut down the cells, but I do not know what it looks like."
"A switch? Power source?" The lionlike figure glances at the cells, "Is there any faster way to forcefully break their cells?"
"I believe that is not wise Boss, given how they act."
"Right… You know, it bothers me how they'd cramp them up inside those cages. Unless it was because of those…"
"Mages of the Erons."
"Right, but tsk, don't casually put words into my mouth when I'm not done thinking!"
"Ah, my apologies." Jina bows slightly,
"But dang, do these guys had special charm or mystic that unlocks these doors without them needing to unlock all of these?"
"As far as I know, only mages had access to it."
"Any mages encountered?"
"None so far."
"Well, I don't care either way, communications is a no-go when commencing the plan." The lionlike figure clicks his tongue, "Too bad we had no mages amongst our ranks, but we must work with what we have. Listen Jina, one must always adapt regarding every situation one falls to. Is that clear."
"Yes boss."
"Alright, we had no time to waste. Let's go! Jina, lead the way!"
"Yes boss." Then Jina rushes with no hesitation while her greyish coat flutters. The lionlike figure follows suit with same speed. They had no need for lights. Their eyes adjust to darkness better than humes.
In the lionlike figures mind, he cursed with determination, saying to himself,
"They tried to use our kin for their own wars huh!? Very well, I, Mors Ogtorio, will make theme taste their own poison!"