Finding a Reliable Training Partner 4

Kane threw himself from his horse as he rode into the pasture before the Training Grounds. Racing to the gate, he yelled at the guards to open it. They lowered the barrier and he took off running into the Training grounds.

Each person gives of a distinct heat signature to a Fierous, which Kane was, and Kane knew Kylara's signature as if it were his own. He could see the heat trail she'd left behind winding away through the vegetation. He followed it at a run.

"Don't let her be dead," He thought desperately.

Ishmael was blessedly silent. Whether he was angry or worried, Kane didn't know, but Ishmael attention was fixed ahead of them on a rapidly cooling collection of warmth.

Kane ran faster.

He broke through the trees into a clearing and froze. The clearing was filled with the purple and gray furred corpses of at least a dozen scavenger monsters.

"Keep going!" Ishmael ordered.

Kane recovered and kept running. The sounds of fighting soon reached his ears.

Boom! An explosion. Clang! Metal on metal.

Kane didn't know what to make of the sounds. Was someone protecting Kylara?

His eyes glimpsed a figure darting fast across a gap in between two trees. Kane froze. That- He couldn't have seen what he'd thought.

He slowed to a walk and peered out from behind a tree.

Kylara jumped through the air with a bared dagger clutched in her left hand. Her black cloak wiped behind her as she kicked a metal flame wolf and spun. Blue-white lightning arced from her right hand to strike another wolf between the eyes. It yelped once then dropped.

Still moving, Kylara brought her dagger down onto a third wolf who was leaping at her. A slash of energy exploded from the dagger and sliced deep into the wolf's neck. Blood sprayed as Kylara jumped back.

The first wolf was still behind her. It lunged for her, jaws wide. Kylara turned and raised her right hand. Kane was expecting more lightning. Instead chilly, white frost puffed up from the wolf's fur. Kylara stepped to the side and the wolf shattered as it crashed to the ground.

Kane finally remembered to breath. Perhaps they really would have to tie her to a bed. He had to make sure those dangerously skilled hands were secure. Ishamael agreed whole heartedly.

Kane was just about to step into the clearing, when a group of three males, dressed in adventurer's garb, stepped out from behind the trees.

Kylara, who was resting beneath a tree, looked up at them with annoyance on her face.

***

"Thanks for the help." I said breathlessly. I had felt these three males watching me as I fought the fire wolf things. That these males were only showing themselves now, meant nothing good.

A message popped up before my eyes.

System Quest: Kill those who want to kill you, Kylara. Experience to be gained 3000. STAT points to be awarded 12.

I blinked. This was my first system quest. When I had reached level 10, I had received a message asking if I would like to activate the System Quest Feature. I didn't know what they were but I trusted my system so I said yes.

However, now these quests seem great! I'd get 12 STAT points for doing something I would have to do anyway, if I wanted to live.

But- I bit my lip. I was in a bad spot.

When I hit level 10, a new display had appeared over my vision when I looked straight ahead. At the top of my vision, I now had a red bar on the left, my level in the middle, and a blue bar on the right. Along the bottom, I had yellow bar on the left and a white bar on the right. The red bar was my health, the blue bar was my magic, and the yellow bar was my stamina. I didn't know what the white bar was yet, but that wasn't the problem.

The problem that although my health appeared to be at 75%, the stamina bar was only at 50% and the magic bar was even worse at 25%.

I stood. I was trying to come up with a good plan when I realized that there were no longer three males before me. One had disappeared. The other two were smirking.

On an impulse, I spun to my right and lashed out with a Lightning Strike. The dagger which would have hit my abdominal aorta, wedged deep into my side as the male, who'd been hit with my lightning, crashed to the ground lifeless.

I cursed and jumped back. Looking at the upper left corner of my sight, I saw my health gauge slowly lowering. I hastily cast freeze on the wound to prevent myself from bleeding out. The freeze worked in stopping the bleeding but now I was in trouble.

If I moved, the ice would break causing even more damage. If I only had fire magic I could cauterize the wound.

I heard the two males laughing.

"What's so funny?" I demanded.

The male on the right smirked evilly and held up two fingers. "Two way split." He said.

"And you're easy prey," the other one added.

While I grimace at them, the male on the right rushed forward. He was blindingly fast. Too late, I raised my hand to cast Crush when a dark shaped appeared before me. I recognized Kane broad back and shaggy black hair. The other male's sword his Kane's with a clang.

Kane blocked him then kicked him in the chest. I wanted to see Kane fight but I needed to focus on the third male. As the male swung his sword at Kane's side, I cast my waiting crush on him. The male crumpled into the ground as I increased the gravity on his body. Blood fountained from his broken body.

I swayed as I felt the loss of that magic. Crush was my most powerful attack but it was already level 10. As the levels of the Skill went up, the more powerful it became and the more magic it required to use it. I would have used it at a lower level but I didn't know how.

A warning message appeared before my eyes.

WARNING: Magic levels at 8%. Magic Exhaustion will occur if Kylara doesn't not rest soon.

I grimaced and swore.

Blood sprayed as Kane detached the head of the male he'd been fighting. Then he turned to me. Flicking the blood off his sword, he sheathed it.

He grabbed me and pulled me into his chest. I was too tired to fight him and it had been a long time since anyone had hugged me like this. I melted and, as another wave of exhaustion hit me, my knees went limp.

"I've got you, Kylara." Kane said picking me up. He turned and slowly started carrying me back the way I'd come.

My eyelids grew heavy as Kane's long absent scent of musk, campfire smoke, and cedar filled my nose and mouth. Soon I was asleep.

***

Kane grimaced. He was surrounded. The three adventurers had come out of nowhere and with Kylara in his arms, he couldn't fight.

"Just give us the half-breed." The female adventurer said. She fingered her sword hilt as she spoke.

Kane couldn't do that, they'd kill Kylara. They'd kill her as soon as he put her down. His jaw clenched.

"Give me control." Ishmael said, "I can protect her and kill them all." Kane didn't trust him, but he had no choice. He could only do one or the other, not both.

Reluctantly, Kane lowered his mental barriers and allowed Ishmael to push him out of his body.

Ishmael grinned at the female, "No." If Ishmael hadn't met Kylara first, he might be interested in such a female.

Her angular face twisted in anger. "Get him." She shouted. She and the other two leapt forwards toward him.

The air grew hot around Ishmael and then starting three feet away from him, a circle of blue flames shot outward.

The adventurers screamed as their bodies were incinerated.

"Good now, give me back my body." Kane thought.

"It's our body." Ishmael said softly. He grinned wickedly down at Kylara and slowly walked to a tree. Placing her down under, he knelt. His hands made quick work of the button on her strange dress. Kane started yelling at him. Ishmael ignored him.

The dress opened and Ishmael frowned at the shirt and breeches underneath. Even Kane fell silent. She looked- really good. Ishmael's mouth quirked up in a smile as he began reaching for Kylara's shirt.

Kane railed at him but was powerless to stop Ishmael.

"Kane, what do you think you are doing?" A cold, clipped voice asked from behind him.

Ishmael lowered his hand and turned to face High Lord Volanti, "My name is Ishmael." He said, "I was just taking a closer look at the goods."

High Lord Volanti blinked in surprise, "You are Kane's partner?"

Ishmael smirked and the High Lord swallowed.

"I should tell you now, your Lordship, this half-breed is mine. No one else can have her until I am done with her." Ishmael said hotly. His blue eyes burned like the heart of flame.

High Lord Volanti's face became carefully blank, "That is a conversation you will have to have with her guardian, Mr. Goldleaf. He will be here on Friday. For now, I will be taking her back. I suggest you give Kane his body back."

Ishmael snorted, "This is the first time he has given me control. The weakling needs to see how to train properly."

High Lord Volanti smiled coolly and dismounted. Ishmael watched him with barely contained fury as the High Lord stooped and picked up Kylara.

"We will talk more after everything is settled." High Lord Volanti said as he passed Ishmael. Ishmael nodded and walked off through the trees.