V2Ch116 New Stranger

I watched the stranger walk over Arvest's rifle and stand on top of it.

"Levistas conterioas."

He spoke aloud those strange words and something amazing happened. The rifle began to float with him still balanced on top of it. It was like a miracle. It was like... No... It couldn't be, could it?

Magic?

Could this stranger control magic? Is that what he used to kill my comrades?

The stranger hardly waited at all before he zipped off toward the black tentacled god.

Is he going to fight that thing? If he is protecting us, why kill his own people? I must be missing something.

*BOOM!*

A loud bang and a bright flash from behind caught my attention. I saw the god emerging from a cloud of smoke. I watched as the stranger made some odd motions and made a circle appear before him. I couldn't hear what he said but I could hear him say something aloud. The circle summoned forth a massive fireball and it launched at the god.

*BOOM*

It was louder than the last time. The stranger had to be using magic. It's the only thing I can think of.

I pushed Arvest's arm off of me and scrounged up some more ammo for my gun. I wasn't about to go anywhere unarmed. I picked up my rifle and found it was broken. Cut in half from whatever spell the stranger used. I looked around and saw a bayonet sticking out from under another body. The body was heavy, but the prize would be worth it. Sure enough, this rifle was in great shape.

*BOOM BOOM*

The god and the stranger were getting closer. I hid behind a tree that was not cut down by the stranger's spell. Footsteps caught my attention. A soldier was coming this way. He leaned up against the tree, next to me.

"What happened here? What's going on?"

"That... god and the evil stranger are fighting. The god seems intent on destroying us while the stranger... I don't know what he wants. He is the one that killed these men and cut down these trees with magic."

"Magic? That can't be."

The soldier pulled out an extendable eyepiece.

"That "god" has a person inside of it. A male in a cloak. I can't tell what race but likely beast-man. The stranger... THAT'S HIM!"

"Him?"

"Yes. I've been..."

*BOOM* *CRACK*

"Magic? That was fire and lightning? And he was the one to summon it! This is amazing! This person is the one who showed us how to make guns. I've been looking for him ever since he first showed up. I knew he was different. I don't know if he is from another tribe on the outskirts but, he is our savior!"

"Did you hear what I said? He killed these people around us. They are dead because of him."

He looked at me with a somber look. Like I was dashing his dreams.

"That... that must be some kind of mistake. What reason would he have to kill us? We're the same race."

"I saw it happen. I would have been dead if my friend hadn't..."

"Well. Whatever the reason, he is fighting that thing for us now."

*SHEEEEEEEEEE* *WHAM*

One of the god's tentacles slammed down near us.

*SHEEEEEEEEE* *WHAAM*

Another one, even closer.

"HAHAHAHAHA! COME N' GET ME, USER!"

The stranger yelled out as he surfed through the trees, dodging left and right as the tentacles came down, one after the other in pursuit.

*SHEEEEEEEEE* *WHAAAM*

"We need to get out of here. The next one might come down on us, too!"

Almost as I said it...

*SHEEEEEEEE*

The sound of something massive rushing through the air was the signal for what was to come. I moved as fast as I could.

*WHAAAAM*

The sheer force of the impact sent some trees flying. I was mere feet from the tentacle. The surface wasn't anything like I was expecting. It was writhing as if it was made up of many smaller tentacles or worms made of shadows. It didn't look solid at all.

Before I could continue my examination, the limb had lifted itself into the air. It continued chasing the stranger on the far side of the city's edge.

"Hey. Let's see if we can help him. Maybe he can show us how to use magic and we can fight that evil god together."

I looked at the person in front of me.

"Are you insane? If he doesn't kill you, the god certainly will."

"Are you on the side of that god?"

"What? No. He could destroy our city. I have family down there."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. It wasn't like anything I had felt up to this point. It got more and more violent as time went on. I could only brace myself on a nearby tree stump.

I looked out toward Anura Alpha. The surface was beginning to bow up. Like something was pushing out from the inside.

Was this some kind of distraction? Was the city below already demolished and lifeless?

Is my family... dead?

"LOOK AT THAT! He is using magic on a scale I have never heard of! I believe it is a land-based spell that retrieves and can throw chunks of land."

"How do you know all this stuff? Wasn't all mana consumed, preventing the use of magic?"

"Of course it was. I just know these things because magic used to be studied and learned from books. I happen to have some of these books and know what some spells look like. I want nothing more from my life than to be able to cast magic myself."

"Impossible."

"Is it?"

He pointed at the stranger.

"If he can do it, why can't I?"

The ground gave one last violent shift before a massive cracking could be heard. I happened to hit my chin on the tree stump. It hurt a lot. I felt around my mouth. I could taste blood.

"LOOK!"

I lifted my gaze to something I never thought I would see in life. The entire surface of Anura Alpha was floating in the air. The first layer of the city was exposed below. Several large chunks were breaking away and falling onto buildings.

There was no way that people were not dying.

"Look at that. If he was here to save us, he wouldn't use magic that was so careless. People are dying! Our people!"

"Casualties of war. Collateral damage. War is never pretty."

That was when I knew we were too different to agree on anything. This male is inanuran. He only sees his goal and does not care about anything else.

"Do whatever you want. I'm not staying around here."

I told him.

"What? Where are you going?"

"Both of those monsters need to be stopped."

I ran toward the fight. Even if I end up being just a small pebble on the road to them, I need to do something.

I can't go home and say I ran away.