Chapter 18: The Chase
The sudden appearance of the dwarf, Somme, whom they hadn't seen for nearly a week, left Rhodes utterly surprised.
He hurried forward to support the blood-soaked dwarf. "What are you doing here?"
Somme gasped for breath. "I... I ran into demons," he said, pointing into the depths of the swamp. "They have countless magical beasts with them, and they're closing in on you two."
After being so easily defeated by Serie, Somme had decided he wanted to adventure with the pair. He had been following them from a distance ever since. His plan had been to get stronger, then reveal himself at the perfect moment and formally ask to join their party.
But plans rarely go as expected.
When he saw Rhodes and Serie enter the Swamp of Death, he had followed without a second thought. But he had no detection magic and couldn't avoid the magical beasts. He had blundered right into a horde of them. He had been lucky; the demons in the area had all their attention focused on Rhodes—or more specifically, on Serie—which had allowed him to fight his way out. And then he had run right into them.
Time was short. Somme didn't have a chance to explain in detail, so he gave them a quick summary. But even that brief delay was enough for the surrounding pack of beasts to make their move.
Serie's golden eyes instantly grew grave. "They're here."
"Can you still fight?" Rhodes asked Somme. The dwarf was gasping for air and covered in blood, a terrifying sight. But on closer inspection, most of the blood was from the beasts, not his own.
"I can," Somme said, taking a long, deep breath to steady himself.
"Serie, do you know any healing magic?"
Serie shook her head. "Impossible. Only those who can interpret the holy scripture can use healing magic."
Rhodes slapped his forehead. He had completely forgotten about that. It seemed he would have to add 'interpreting the holy scripture' to his list of goals.
"We have to fight our way out," Serie said, her voice low and serious. The beasts were now less than twenty meters away. The surrounding bushes began to shake violently, and dozens of pairs of crimson eyes lit up in the darkness.
"Go!" The situation was urgent. Serie didn't have time to think. She grabbed Rhodes's hand. "Keep up!" The last part was directed at Somme.
Serie raised her hand and unleashed a wide-area light spell. This time it wasn't her usual rain of light arrows, but something more akin to a pillar of light. The pillar materialized in the air above the pack of beasts in front of them and then slammed down, unleashing a blinding white light and a deafening explosion.
"So powerful!"
When the light faded, a vacuum tens of meters wide had been carved out in front of them. Everything within it, whether plant or beast, had been reduced to ash.
Before Rhodes even had a chance to process what he had seen, Serie was pulling him forward. The fact that she was so tense, and had even used a spell he had never seen before, made it clear just how dangerous the situation was.
The dust from the explosion hadn't even settled before Serie was dragging Rhodes into the newly created corridor. He could feel the scorching heat from the ground beneath his feet. Somme followed close behind, swinging his battle-axe, using its explosive enchantment to blow away the beasts that were pursuing them from the rear.
"You take the right!" Rhodes shouted to Serie.
Three crocodile-like magical beasts were charging at them, while several more were closing in from the other side.
Without turning her head, Serie flicked her wrist, sending three light arrows flying. The three beasts on the right were pierced through the head in mid-air, their bodies crashing heavily to the ground. Rhodes lacked Serie's precise control, so he simply unleashed a wide-area arrow rain, which was enough to deal with the beasts on the left.
"Stay close to me!" Serie warned again. She was already holding his hand tightly, but if he couldn't keep up and fell behind, she wasn't confident she could save him.
I knew we should have taken the long way around. But it was too late for regrets now.
"How do magical beasts usually hunt their prey?" Rhodes suddenly asked. The out-of-place question took Serie by surprise, but she answered anyway. "Mostly by sight and scent."
"Then I have an idea."
Rhodes began to cast a spell as he ran. He snatched a branch from a nearby tree and cast a water and fire spell simultaneously. His fire spell couldn't create flames from nothing; it needed a medium, some kind of tinder. But for some reason he didn't understand, he could create water out of thin air.
By casting both spells at once, a thick white mist erupted from his hands. It was like setting off several smoke bombs at once, and in a matter of seconds, it had enveloped an area tens of meters wide.
The roars of the magical beasts immediately became confused. Deprived of their most important sense, and relying only on smell, the already unintelligent beasts were unable to get their bearings. Many of them crashed into each other and started fighting amongst themselves.
"Brilliant!" Somme grinned, his face full of admiration. He then suddenly spun around, swinging his axe. "Watch your back!"
A lurking giant serpent-fiend was cleaved in two by the axe, its foul-smelling blood spraying everywhere. Somme quickly dodged out of the way. The blood of these serpent-fiends was venomous. He had been careful to avoid it when he had been fighting them earlier.
"You created this as well?" Serie asked, her voice filled with disbelief as she felt the confusion of the surrounding beasts.
"Yes. You've seen the white smoke that's produced when I douse a fire with water, haven't you?"
Serie nodded. She had, of course, seen him extinguish their campfires during their travels together. There had been a few times when he had stood there, staring blankly at the extinguished fire, and she had wondered what he was thinking. Now she knew. He had been trying to create this spell.
"Don't get caught up in the fight!" Serie shouted at Somme, who, seeing that the beasts were blinded, looked ready to go on a killing spree. The three of them were close enough to still see each other in the dense fog, but if they separated, they would be as lost as the beasts.
She raised her hands again, and a brilliant halo of light expanded outwards from her. The beasts that came into contact with the halo screamed and collapsed. Then she cast another spell, this time a plant-based one. Her hands glowed green, and countless thorny vines erupted from the ground, forming a barrier behind them. The beasts crashed into the thorns, howling in pain.
In all their time together, it was the first time Rhodes had seen Serie use plant magic. No wonder she rarely used it. Compared to her deadly light-attribute spells, her plant magic seemed to be more suited for a supporting role.