Exploration and explosions

"It is pretty weird. Why nobody is here?"

I looked at Minerva searching the village.

"Entire village and nobody is here. Their clothes and all belongings are still here. But even animals are gone. Do you have any idea?"

Why do you think I would have an answer?

"I don't know. But is weird. It is not possible for farmers to left their homes like this. There is no blood, right?"

"Yes. That makes it weirder. If there were any damage to buildings or blood I would have said monster attack."

"No."

I had a bad feeling about this.

"Even if monsters attacked there would be half eaten corspes."

She massaged her forehead.

"I thought this would be an easy mission."

"What we are going to? Mission was only explore and report. We can just return."

She seemed to be considering that idea as well.

"No. I am not going to do things half-assed. I will find out what happened here."

"You are the boss."

I yawned. Depite my nonchalant words I didn't liked it. It almost felt like the time I faced against… No, I don't want to think about it.

"I will use a witch trick."

I looked. Even though I knew the basics of magic I still wanted to learn more.She got one of villagers clothes. She drew a circle using several different symbols. I wanted to ask several questions but I kept my mouth shut. She were concentrating. She pulled incense and candles. After burning them and clothes she sat down cross-legged. While she sat down, eyes closed I watched her back. From my understanding of witchcraft it required both magic power control and mental focus even more than other magic types. It also with some exceptions took time. I someone watched her train for hours. Since that was the case any interruption could cause damage to casters psyche. I looked around. If I stopped anything I would kill it without hesitation. After around thirty minutes of boring watching Minerva seemed to be in discomfort. While I saw her like this before this time something seemed to be different. I felt some dark force enter her mind.

"No!"

This wasn't like anything I seen her done before. I closed my eyes and thought about her mark in her shoulder. I tried to connect to her mind even though I knew that was dangerous. When I finally focused on fully I could feel a dark energy tormenting her. I tried to create a barrier for her. After what felt like hours I manage to create a barrier using my magical and mental force. After creating a bubble around her mind I slowly pushed dark force out.

(You gained passive skill Mental Barrier.)

I opened my eyes. At the same time Minerva's body came loose and her back hit the ground. Since she were already sitting it wasn't a big problem.

"Minerva. Answer me. Are you okay? What's my name?"

Minerva opened her eyes. Her hair sticked to her face due sweat.

"What was that. I felt a heavy force clouding my mind. It was like getting trapped in my own mind."

She looked like she were confused. I grabbed water from bag and dragged it to her. After drinking and sitting for several minutes she talked:

"Did you helped me? I heard that some familiars can do that."

"Yeah, I tried something."

"Thank you. I tried to search for villagers here using their connection to their clothes. I tracked down to a certain part but when I tried to go further that energy tried to took control of me. If it weren't for you I probably would have succumbed to it."

"I am not going to let my contracter to some energy. But what now? Are we returning?"

"No. We are going."

"Minerva. I have a bad feeling about it. It was strong enough to overpower you."

"Just because I opened my mind to search. You don't need to worry about it. I know where we can find those villagers."

"We can return and call other adventurers."

"Those villagers could die before they get here."

"For a demon summoning witch you are way to kind hearted."

She jumped to her horse.

"I know."

Where Minerva took us were in deep inside the forest.

"Is it normal that this forest is this thick?"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. Villagers need wood. They gather mushrooms and berries. Parts of forest this close to a village shouldn't be this thick. There are no signs of human made deforestation."

"I don't know."

Minerva need to get off the horse. Forest was so thick that horse couldn't walk properly. After tying horse the a tree and writing a symbol to find it easier easier we started to travel on foot. Minerva didn't stop complaining.

"You are the one that wanted this."

"It is easy for you say! You are just sitting on my shoulder."

"You are the boss. You should be one doing all the dirty work."

"Isn't it should be opposite?"

"No. Also."

I jumped and conforted whatever was trying to jump her. I turned to my original form. I collied with it on air and both of us fell to ground. I fired magic missiles back to back. It fell to ground, dead.

"What is that?"

Dog-like creature turned to dust as soon as it died.

"I don't know but we are returning."

"What?"

"Minerva!"

I said with a stern voice. I raised my broken wristblade.

"This creature feels like the Stain who did this to me."

"Stain?"

"Yes. Now we are leaving. If you refuse I will knock you out and carry you on my back."

"What about villa…"

"They are already dead."

I cut her sharply.

"But I still felt their soul. I tracked them."

I sighed as I felt them surround us.

"Prepare to fight."

I raised my claws. Minerva too raised her staff. What around us looked like farm animals like cattle, sheep, dogs and chickens but only superficially. They looked like they been covered with black mud and disfigured. Even if they were animals in the past they were no longer what they used to be. We fought them but they seemed to be endless.

"Hey, Minerva! I think I have an idea about what happened to village."

"What!" She said as she smacked one with her staff.

"They became these." I nearly spat out what I meant to say while my claws hit one of them.

"How! Demonic corruption?"

"No." I lifted and tossed a sheep like monster to a chicken like one.

"Whatever this is it is not demonic." It felt like Stain that nearly killed me only more weaker. Despite meeting Stain in Hell I never thought it as a demon. Why? Because it wasn't a demon. I felt it. That thing was different. One ox like monster charged to me and I was sent flying. I hit a tree and stopped.

"Nox!" Minerva called to me.

"Worry about yourself!" A human worrying about a demon. Don't mock with me. With Fury my body became hot. I jumped at a tree then oxs back. I violently clawed its back until it fell. I deactivated it. I couldn't eat those due corpses turning to dust. If I speeded my metabolism up I would starve fast.

(Skill Arcane Magic became level 3.)

(Skill Magic Circulation became level3.)

I felt my magic pathways getting bigger. My magic power increased in an instant. I opened my palm. What I needed was a stronger magic. Rather than focusing my magic power on my finger tip I spreaded it in my palm. I loaded it and…

"Magic Cannon!"

A big ball of red energy was fired from my palm. It destroyed several monsters and cut down a tree. Falling tree also hit and destroyed several monsters.

"Arghh!"

I grunted. It had a nasty recoil. My right shoulder hurt.

"Minerva! We need to regroup! We will be overrun if we keep this!"

I reached my arm to her.

"Haste!" She casted Haste on both of us and we started to back away while still fighting.

"Did all the animals in the village turned?" She asked to me.

"Do I look like I know? I backhanded a cat. While we were trying to escape we seemed to go deeper in the forest.

"Wait, this one!" She tried to stop me.

"I know." I didn't stop. I crushed the head of human like monster. "They are already gone, Minerva."

She looked around. I also saw what she saw. After animals now humans came.

"What even is this!" Even a demon and a witch didn't know what the fuck was happening here.

"How is your magical power?"

" I still have plenty left." Seemed to be creatures corrupted by that black mud got stronger. Even normal villagers could punch enough to hurt me. I looked at the Minerva. She panted. While my crest increased her magical prowess same couldn't be said for physical capabilities. All this running around in a thick forest where all kind of thorns and bushes blocked our way she got exhausted quickly.

"Minerva! Lend me some of your power! Just like I did during ritual!"

I held her hand while my other hand was stretched out to our followers. I closed my eyes and focused on her and crest on her shoulder. I felt that her magical power passing to me. It felt warm. At the same time a huge energy ball slowly formed at my palm.

"More. More. More!"

(Skill Magic Circulation became level 4.)

It became bigger than me. At the same time it became that big I released it. It reached to what used to be humans and exploded. Explosion and recoil caused both of us to fly. As I was flying I grabbed and hugged her. As I hit the ground I was glad that I managed to shield her.