Chapter 8: Notherneil Dark Trap

Time passes for some time in snowy pine forest. Black Blade was at the edge of his sleep and going to woke up soon. He could heard some people was talking and also a familiar voice calling out for him.

."Master... Ma... Wake.. up..."

Just to that, he open his eyes to find out Emerald was sitting on the bed edge calling and shaking him to wake him up. As he open his eyes, he could hear a happy squeal from her.

"Hnnng! Finally! Master, What took you so long?!" She hugs Black Blade's frame who was lying on the bed and seemingly very confused.

"Emerald?... hmm..."

He still processin what was happenning until Emerald reminds him about the avalanche.

"What about it! How I'm still alive?! Did I lost a limb?!" he immediately remove the blanket to side just to find out his leg was fully intact.

"uh.. Master, This is all happen after we being swallowed by the avalanche."

She tell him after they got hit by the avalanche, she managed to grab on his hand and cast the wind barrier to protect them from the thick snow. She keep the wind barrier on for almost an hour and then she cast another wind spell to make a hole to get out from the thick snow.

"How deep?"

"around 15 feet or so." She replied.

"We managed to survived that so where are we?"He ask when he done analysing the surrounding and they were in a cozy wooden cabin and a fireplace lit with bonfire heat the room.

Before Emerald could reply to that, a man in a thick leather jacket and an iron hook hangs to his belt speak.

"You both were in Closenbord Village. The closest village to the Lothal border. I am the village leader, Aldred Brinon." He shakes Black Blade's hand as he smile.

"So, You found us in the avalanche and safe us."

"Pretty much like that."

Black Blade thanks him for a few times and then Aldred sit down on a chair by the bed.

"So, I have something to talk to you about."

"What was it?" Black Blade raises his eyebrow as Aldred say that.

"I have this thing and I know... You was looking for it."

he take out a sky blue crystal and show it to him. His eyes widen to the shock since that was the Notherneil Holy Crystal that they were seeking for. They stare to the crystal in silence having something weaved in their mind. Then, Alfred break the silence.

"I can give you that but in one condition."

"What is it?" Black Blade keep his attention to the middle age guy in front of him.

"There is a High Magical Beast by Code name Nanook. It was giving gravely threat to us that living here."

Black Blade look at the man and considering all the odds. He know by the title High Magical Beast alone telling him that killing that beast won't be a child play.

"You want us to get it's head of his body?"

"If you want the crystal, you know what you should do." He said and stand from the chair as he walk to the door.

"I would happily accept that."

"I thought it would take you longer to decide. well... here." He return to Black Blade and give him a map.

He leave the room and let the two discuss about it.

"So... Master. We're going to fight Nanook?" Emerald scratching her head as she feel like that was not a great idea.

"Yeah. I know it's gonna be hard but why not? It worth to try." He said casually like fighting a High magical beast is not dangerous at all.

"But master, What if this try becoming our grave call?"

Black Blade get off the bed as he chuckles.

"It won't." he said as he patted the girl's head.

"So... we're going for it?"

"Now. precisely. As I take a look to the map, the location is not that far away. It just take us like an hour of riding Bladge... Wait, where's Bladge?"

Emerald explains that the horse were were also lost in the avalanche and still not found. He sigh before recalculating the time they should take around three hours or so by walking through this thick snowy area.

They thinks for themselves and then decided to start moving right in this instant. The two starts walking on the snow silently. Black Blade was too busy thinking about how to deal with the beast while Emerald was visibly nervous about the possibility they gonna die later on.

Due to that reason, They ended up silence the whole time and they finally reaches the place marked on the map. They arrived at a giant bowl shape nest. There sleeps a giant white beast that was looks like a bigfoot. It seems to be deep in it's slumber.

After seeing the sized, Black Blade slightly doubt that they could defeat that while Emerald visibly shaking on her own feet.

"There is no in any possible way we could kill that beast." Emerald said still shaking.

"I've encounter a few Cercopithe kind of beast(monkey-like beast) and I learn that they have almost same nervous system to human so... a deep cut to it's neck could do the trick."

"Then... I leave it to you then..."

"But if something went off badly, I want you to propelled me away from that beast. You're capable with long range magic right?"

Emerald nod once and Black Blade start jumping down the open nest with his usual sword hilt and turn it into a sword. He then cast a spell.

"In the grace of wind and light, I shall bring the lights away and clear all the myriad wonders and I shall conseal one effect to the environment as the wind. Conceal." He cast conseal to turn invisible and also hide all his smell and sounds.

He step and get closer to Nanook. Emerald watching from behind and just praying that he didn't ended up dying. This is such a great gamble even for high class magician. To him who was the second lowest tier among magician... it wasn't favourable.

He get closer and infuse his sword with fire magic, Making it heat up.

"Here comes it. It's all or nothing." He raised his sword and take a deep breath. He enhance his strength with the mana.

Emerald was watching and she could feel the pressure in this situation. As black blade was about to swing his sword to the beast neck, a dark bolt hits the beast and awaken it up. Emerald quickly look at the direction where the dark bolt comes.

There stands a group of dark magician. grinning as they manage to put Black Blade in grave danger. The cold mountain wind blows the dark magician's robe as they chuckles.

"Enjoy." They laugh and start looking at Emerald.

"What have you done!!!"

"Just hope you enjoy the show." They all grin and try to run away but before they could do so.

Emerald hurl a few wind bolts and make the platform they stands on falls and slide down. She turn to Black Blade and he was not in a favourable condition. The beast where stand right in front of him. A strong blizzard start to fall the area.

"Emerald! Return to the village and get the crystal!" He shouted to Emerald.

She hesitated when she was commanded so. Looking at how hesitant she is. He say something again.

"Please! I can handle this situation myself. Trust me!"

After hearing he said so, Emerald starts to run back to the village but at the foot of the mountain, the dark magician group from earlier blocked her path.

"Where do you think you're going, Lil Missy." They all prepared dark bolt in their hand.

To be continued...