(17.4) Illusions of the Past

By Aki's right hand, the cold stone gives way to a burning wooden rod.

The illusory companions speak to her but she can no longer understand them. She mustn't. Aki feels enraptured still. She needs to break free but seeing those friends again is so comforting.

So safe.

Her hand finds purchase around the rod.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Aki sees the illusory forms of her friends - of Shur smiling softly, knowingly - flicker and disappear one last time.

"I'm sorry." She tells them.

Aki's will solidifies and the fog obscuring her senses clears away.

Fremont's victorious gloating laugh is cut by a loud scream as Aki jams the smouldering end of the wooden rod deep into his left eye.

A wet pop and loud sizzling accompanies the attack. Something only Aki has the opportunity to hear for but a moment because Fremont throws her away amidst his pained howls.

She comes to a rolling stop only a few centimetres from the sharpened end of a broken market stall pole. Aki silently praises her luck for having managed to catch herself midair and adjust her would-be lethal trajectory.

Fremont's pained howls and rage turns to her once more. He bares his teeth and growls, his remaining good eye staring daggers at her. In his hand, he crushes the impromptu weapon, causing it to shatter into a mess of smouldering splinters.

Aki laughs to herself.

Even after everything she's thrown at him, he still hasn't gone down. Now, she's low on practically everything once again without an wandering Dead around to replenish from.

Yet she doesn't have the option to run either. If she tried, it would be no different than if she just sat there and did nothing.

"I… won't die here." Aki mumbles to herself as she raises her amulet and points at him.

Wielding her axe would take too much effort now. So she'd have to rely on whatever she could pull out.

Fremont charges, shifting from one great beast into another, becoming some horrifying animalistic amalgamation bearing down on the beaten girl. 

Death is certain.

Aki charges her mana, hoping to at least deal one final bit of damage. One more hit to maybe end things in a draw. Something to show she did her best regardless of how outclassed she actually was.

"Earth Shape!"

Multiple stone pillars rocket upwards, forming a barrier between a dumbfounded Aki and an equally surprised Fremont.

Not only that but several stone spears shoot from the ground at Fremont. Whether they hit or not, Aki can only guess because the stone wall blocks her view.

Phoebe runs up beside Aki, dressed in her adventurer gear and holding a shorter stone staff with a large blue gem decorating the top. She has the staff pointed upwards at the wall while in her other arm, she has several mana potions tied to the stump and is offering them to Aki.

Were she not in dire straits, Aki may have found the scene a bit comical if not also a little heroic.

Aki gratefully begins to drink all of the potions Phoebe has to offer and quickly applies all of her healing spells as soon as she has the mana to cast them.

Wiping her lips, Aki looks up at Phoebe again.

Sweat beads along her brow and she looks more scuffed up than Aki had originally noticed. Had something happened at the lord's manor? Why was Phoebe here? Is she okay? Questions raced through her head but she decided to keep it simple.

"The manor, what happened?"

"It's a long story." Phoebe says through strained grunts. It sounds as though Fremont is trying to get out of the stony prison she trapped him in without luck. "But everyone is safe and nothing is getting through the rock barrier I made from anywhere but the heavily guarded front door."

Before Aki can respond, the stone prison violently breaks apart and out marches a fiercer looking humanoid Fremont.

He cracks his neck and wipes away the stream of blood from his missing eye.

Phoebe shoots Aki a nervous look but raises her staff all the same.

"I sent the team a message earlier." Phoebe whispers urgently. "Can we hold on 'till they get here?"

"We have to."