Ferns-2

Seeing her husband holding a scroll to his chest, exactly where his heartcore was. Mia's heart thumped faster as she jumped towards him without a second thought. The distance between them despite jumping, couldn't be covered in time. Mid-jump, her eyes on Vans, it was already too late. As channelling spiritual energy directly out of his heartcore into the taboo scroll. One of the reasons they were given the name, Taboos. Spiritual energy coursing through one's veins couldn't be used on it, since it was in a refined state.

However, energy straight from the heartcore was unrefined. As leaving the heartcore the pure energy obtained a percentage of impurities— depending on their aura of course. Yet impurity unlike taint shared a common rule, which was that anything was impure or tainted as long as one percent of it could be found in that entity. 

With the scroll lighting up, not requiring to be opened like the high-grade ones. A burst of silver auraed spiritual energy shot out from Vans, the wave heading in all directions— an energy blast. Violent, fast and sharp, the wave reached Mia in a matter of seconds.

However, already coming down from the jump, her hand stretched out towards the ground. The only part getting caught in the wave was a few strands of hair. Just before her hands touched down, resulting in rolling forward towards Vans.

Mia having safely avoided it, the same couldn't be said for any of the incoming spiritualists. As felling an ample number of trees, the spiritualists also faced the same fate with the waves reaching them. Most being divided up from their midsection. Others dismembering their hands and cleanly having their swords sliced through, thinking they could block it. While those also trying to counter it by twisting parts of their bodies. None quick enough to successfully achieve it ended up being mutilated in different ways possible. The wave eventually growing weaker and dissipating away after achieving its goals.

"Vans, wake up! How could you be so stupid— you just broke through and you do this!" Mia scolded the now unconscious muscular figure lying on her lap.

She hit him, slapped him, venting her anger, just having hopes of him waking up and calming her as he always did. However, despite being a Healer Type Runer, there was no knowledge of how to handle the backlash of taboo scrolls. Another reason they were banned, as they could reach the extent of instantly killing the user after their usage.

Tears welling up under her eyes, she laid her head on his chest having a single wish. A wish for her husband to wake up. "Please come back to me, Vans— please, what about Elena and Jaisal? Don't be so cruel, please don't be." She pleaded sobbing, with a stream of tears rolling down her face.

Meanwhile, a distance away in the shadows, a figure stood there beside a felled tree, staring at the two. Most of his features were well hidden, except the dark hazel eyes and moreover, the sizable head on his neck. 

In his mind, the figure contemplated on the next move to take. Everyone had fallen to the large man's attack, leaving only him. Though it was much more obvious he wouldn't have been affected anyway— taking the math into consideration.

Eventually making his decision, a weapon was drawn from behind him and with a single step forward.

*SNAP!

He stepped right on a twig, snapping it as he could only pray to the heavens that it'd go unnoticed. However, the heavens weren't in his favour, being unable to even be seen by them in the first place. As Mia's closed eyes flicked open, raising her head and looking straight at him— though to her, she could only see a dark area.

Getting off Vans, she quickly went for her sword only to be hit by a thick stench jolting her memory. 'Yannah's Daughter!' Grabbing her sword, she could see the body close by and leaning back on a tree. However, the rotting flesh had gotten worse, having nothing done to preserve the body. Looking at her, then back at Vans, Mia was stuck on what to do next. She needed someone to tell her what to do now, for none could be left behind.

*GROWL!

*GROWL!

Mia, long forgetting about and unfocused on the growling that could constantly be heard. It was now much closer than ever and was sure they would pop out the next minute or two. As expected, leaping from tree to tree, four beasts, all the same, landed in the opening caused by the energy blast.

"What happened here?." Atop one of the Saber Tooth Jaguar Beasts, its skin as dark as the night. The rider, wearing similar armour to the other three riders. 

Not being beast skins as the previous and now dead attackers. These rather wore armour forged with the cores of monsters. Their lower arm and shoulder pads with beast fur around them. Among the three, one seemed to be the leader, being the only one who had a fur cloak attached to his. Being dark and made from the fur of the very type of beasts they rode on.

Glancing around, the figure and his companions wore a surprised and puzzled look worn up their faces. 

"Did you kill my men?!" The one in the fur cloak said aloud, approaching with his growling wild beast.

"Tham, look there— that's the asset."

"Hah, Isn't she going to run off anymore, she trusts in this woman that much, hah!" One of the riders, a chiseled man with unkempt dark hair noticed the body behind her, not getting a clearer and closer view to know her actual state.

"Are you responsible for this?" The leader spoke once again, only to receive an ominous smile from her. "To call her an asset, and dare to comeback for her body after murdering her- none of you will be spared!!"

"I see, so she's dead. There's no need to waste any more time then." Tham pulled the beast they rode on back towards where they had initially come from. The other rider's following suit without any objections to his decision.

"I will strongly disagree with you on this one, Tham." Stepping out of the shadows, closer to where Vans lay, a figure about 4 feet tall could be seen. "Elton?" The leader voiced.

"This is just great, of all people to survive, it had to be the dwarf." One of the riders, a bald and muscular man commented. "It's always the dwarf. He's way too lucky nowadays." The dark haired rider added.

"Life isn't proving to be short for him." The fourth rider, having a hood up his face with only his piercing blue amber eyes visible said. Drawing the attention of the others, shocked and caught off guard by his words. 

"Hahaahaahhahah!!" The three riders broke into laughter one after the other, beginning from the bald one, eventually infecting the others. "Hah, I'll bet everything on hitting a nerve whenever Alden spoke with his mouth instead— hahahaa."