Take

-boom-

A boulder was turned into bits after getting hit by a stray death energy ball.

"Oh no.", Allen sidestepped and dodged a death energy ball on time; however, another one of the said projectiles was already coming to him.

When he spotted it, he immediately sidestepped yet again and backed off in an attempt to go out of Warren's range.

After getting at a certain distance, Warren stopped casting death energy balls. If the one Allen was battling was at least as powerful as a Mage, he could've been captured or killed already!

'So I was right!', Allen looked at Warren, almost everything around him was in green fire, including the stone boar.

Along with the sinister green fire and the moonlight cascading down towards them, it made the seem quite eerie that Allen began to feel scared again.

On top of that, the necromancer-apprentice in front him was actually a bit younger than him!

Allen unconsciously gulped in fear at the sight he was seeing, 'That kid looks like he's a monster that became human.'

Allen immediately began running away from the battlefield. He didn't care if he looked like a coward, he could really die if he stayed longer.

He's just a new assassin, an assassin's strength mainly relies on his sneak attacks! But could he make a sneak attack at this point? Not just that, he's just a normal one, unlike Kate!

Hidden assassins were a bane to magic users like magicians and necromancers alike. but if it's a head-on battle, the magic users could just bombard the assassin with their spells!

"Thinking of running away?", Warren pointed his staff at the ground a bit far away from where Allen was running towards to.

When Allen was about to reach the location where the staff was pointing at, a rumble occurred and a skeleton holding a sword came out from underground and slashed at Allen.

Allen's momentum was too fast and couldn't stop, but he reacted on time and took out his dagger and blocked the incoming sword with it.

-clang-

The kid felt like his hand down to his wrist nearly became numb, almost making him drop the dagger on the ground.

The skeleton horizontally slashed with the sword, intending to cut Allen in two pieces.

Allen didn't expect such an attack in a short moment and the weapon hit his sides.

However, it didn't go through the clothes, but the sword's momentum still transfered at a side of Allen's body, making it feel numb, though, it still gave enough time for him to retreat away from the skeleton.

Allen held his numbing side and looked at Warren and at the skeleton who were coming closer to him.

'At least he deployed two spells already, I just have to know what his last spell is.', Allen thought. He read something in one of his mother's books about necromancers only having three spells, if he would know what the last spell is, it could give him a chance to be ready for Warren's future attacks.

Reality proved to be good to Allen, as Warren chanted out the third spell!

But it was also harsh, because the last spell was...

"Rise!", Warren pointed at the corpse of the stone boar. The supposedly dead stone boar's eyes except for the third eye glowed green, the beast stood up and bowed in front of the necromancer apprentice!

"Attack him.", Warren pointed at Allen.

The stone boar howled and charged at Allen.

'Inferior Temporary Revival?', Allen's mind was suddenly blank due to the scene, which almost made him get hit by an attack of the raised skeleton when he saw what kind of a spell Warren just used.

What is Inferior Temporary Revival? It's a type of necromancer spell that could temporary revive a recently dead being and retain 50% of it's original strength in ten seconds. The more powerful the being when it was alive, the longer the spell had to be chanted.

Fifty percent of the stone boar's strength? That's not even what Allen can currently go up against.

Three seconds passed and the stone boar was already upon Allen and started attacking him, coupled with the skeleton, the kid could only keep backing off until he reached edge of the grassy patch and was near the cover of trees.

***

Meanwhile, at an another location in the woods...

Kate and the figure which looked like smoke were battling each other. In head-on battles, assassins were at disadvantage, however, in their current situation, it was a tie!

"You are stronger than I thought.", the figure commented with a calm, cool voice.

Kate didn't answer and kept slashing and stabbing down with her blades. The figure dodged all of the attacks and counterattacked, however, the girl already backed off before the counterattack even started.

Afterwards, the figure threw out daggers made of smoke, but Kate already jumped away from her former location while the smoke daggers only hit the ground and dispersed.

"Luckily, you could only use flicker thrice a day.", the figure added.

"You've been watching us?", Kate rushed forward and slashed down with her dagger.

"Of course.", the figure dodged the attack. "Who wouldn't hear such a loud noise of fighting?"

"Then... what's the treasure? Obviously, you know something about it.", Kate asked as she blocked another of the figure's attack.

"I have no idea, I'm only tasked to protect Sir Warren.", the figure said.

"Hmph.", she snorted in dissatisfaction.

***

Back at Allen and Warren...

The clouds on the sky started to block the moon, making everything darker.

A few seconds have passed, Allen could now feel exhaustion from all the dodging and the blocking he did. 

However, he was also near at the trees, now that the moon is hiding behind the clouds again, if he could at least hide in the darkness of the trees, coupled with the plan he had in mind, he wouldn't be seen by Warren.

When Allen finally reached the shrubs on the foot of the trees, he purposely slowed down a bit so the skeleton and revived stone boar, whose duration would almost be over, could at least catch up to him.

Afterwards, he sped up again and went into the darkness with the stone boar and the skeleton. 

A few seconds later just after the stone boar's duration ended...

"Gahh...", a painful shout echoed.

Warren smiled and immediately approached the location of the sound. When he was a few steps away from the trees, a shadow jumped from the top of the trees and aimed its dagger on Warren's head. The shadow is none other than Allen!

Warren widened his eyes in surprise... but he grinned afterwards.

When Allen was about a meter away from Warren, a green, clear shield suddenly showed up around the latter and the former's dagger only hit the shield!

-clang-

The attack only produced a clanging sound, after which, Allen flew away due to the force and his dagger broke into pieces!

-bang-

Allen hit a tree with his back, because of the strong force of him hitting the three, blood seeped out from the corner of his mouth and he laid flat to the ground on his stomach. His body was only fragile, if he wasn't wearing the enchanted black clothes, the bones on his back might have broke.

He struggled to sit up on his knees, he managed to lift his head up at Warren's location before he was repulsed away, however, the necromancer-apprentice wasn't there anymore.

After which, green smoke appeared around him, Allen felt that his energy was being taken away by the smoke.

"I'm not an assassin, but what you just did is probably one of the oldest tricks in the book.", Warren's voice came from behind him. "And if you're wondering why do I have more than three spells, my master gave enchanted my staff."

Just after the weakening spell ended, Warren aimed the top half of his staff and bashed it at Allen's back!

The clothes absorbed the staff's physical attack; however, an invisible repulsive force came from the staff and launched Allen back towards on the middle of the grassy patch.

His body landed and afterwards rolled on the ground. He felt that he broke some his bones now.

When Allen stopped rolling, he tried to sit up again, his stomach facing the ground, but failed due to the pain and fatigue. Half a minute later, he could hear Warren's footsteps getting closer and closer until he could feel the butt of the staff at the back of his skull.

"Killers like you... deserves to die!", Warren lifted u8p the staff, as he was about to stab it at Allen's head, he felt an unexplainable pain on his chest.

Warren backed off from Allen and grasped his chest, "M-master?" He had a worried look on his eyes and he looked to the direction where the Crescent Town was.

"No! Master no!!! It can't be!", Warren ignored Allen and ran back towards the direction of the town.

Afterwards, Allen grasped for breath as he tried to get hold onto something, until he did.

He felt that he was holding a small rock. He almost passed out many times due to his injuries.

Suddenly, the rock that he was holding at sank to the ground.

-bzzt-

An electrical sound could then be heard in the surroundings, and the rock that Allen just sunk glowed! It was followed by some other ones in the surrounding area, the glow then connected the rocks to reach other, forming an array with the kid on the middle of it.

***

A few minutes later...

Warren ran out of the woods and ran to the direction of the Crescent Town, however, before he could even see the town, a figure in black smoke appeared behind him and pulled him back slowly.

It was none other than Warren's companion.

"Let go of me! I want to go to master!", Warren said as he resisted the pull of the figure.

"I felt it too... there's nothing we can do now. We won't be able to change anything.", the figure replied. The figure was an independent creation of Warren's master, if his master died, it would've felt it too.

"But he's also your master! We need to save him!", Warren griefly shouted.

"And my task is just to protect you.", the figure calmly said.

"But..."

"No, or else you're the one who will die!"

Seeing that he can't do anything, tears flowed down his eyes and he let himself be carried away by the figure.

"I'm going to kill them! I'm going to kill them! I swear..." As tears fell down from Warren's face as he glanced at the woods with bloodshot eyes. The figure didn't stop Warren from being too noisy so as to vent the latter's anger.

Those were Warren's last words before he left the vicinity of the town with the figure.