Chapter 37: Mission E (5)

Pov Esla Frostine

I had never been in such a terrifying place before. The moment those creatures started chasing us, fear gripped me. It's a distressing feeling; I felt small. I knew that if I were alone, I wouldn't stand a chance of surviving. Those things chasing us could kill me like a twig.

After running for a few minutes, my "brother" threw me upwards into a kind of trees that connected and created a small space at the top. Upon reaching the top, I saw my "brother" launching himself with a smile at them. There was no terror in his eyes as before; there was only infinite joy.

I was still trembling. I couldn't control my body; my senses were failing me, not responding. Fear consumed me. I just wanted to close my eyes and cover my ears; I wanted to escape from reality.

Boom!

An explosion snapped me out of my trance, and I opened my eyes slightly. I saw entrails, arms, and heads rolling on the black ground. Everything in this place was black. IIt's as if this damn forest is in shades of gray and black; the trunks were black, their leaves were gray, the sky was gray, everything was wrong in this place. But I saw my "brother" killing them all with his masterful swordplay. It was mesmerizing and horrifying. His entire attire was black, but his eyes still gleamed with excitement. Despite being in the midst of all that chaos, he moved swiftly. I couldn't follow his movements; they were too fast. There was no hesitation in his eyes. It would have been amazing, but his mouth wouldn't stop moving.

"HAAHAHAHAHAHA, come on, you damn bastards, let's keep fighting."

Rolling my eyes, I sighed. "Seriously, how can you ruin the atmosphere?" If he fought silently, it would be perfect, but I guess I'm asking for too much. His voice was pure fun and excitement. It's as if he didn't care about being surrounded by all those things. They are very creepy. They always maintain their smiles, even when they stop moving.

Watching him enjoy himself in this situation, I felt a bit foolish for how scared I was just moments ago. Although I felt nauseous from the smell of the corpses, I gathered my courage.

"I can't keep being so childish. If I want to be strong like him, I need to first gather courage," trying to encourage myself and calm my pounding heart. My legs and hands still trembled a bit. Taking deep breaths, I left behind the fear of the unknown and decided to help him.

My sister always said that mana should be treated with delicacy. To make mana flow through the body, you need great concentration on the mana orb. This orb is located in the middle of the chest. Putting all my focus on that location, I made the small percentage of mana travel through my veins to my hands. It's a refreshing sensation; you literally feel like a cold liquid passing through your arms. Imagining a small projectile in my mind, around my hands, the temperature drops a bit, and a small mist forms, which condenses into a projectile made of pure ice. Now, the next step is to focus it on who you're going to cast the magic on. Looking at the monster approaching from behind my "brother," I channeled the mana and gave it a little push in its direction.

Bang!

The projectile went straight for its mana orb, which is mostly the weak point of creatures. It is even for humans and elves, basically all living beings that can use mana.

Seeing that my attack was successful, I jumped with excitement, and happiness filled my entire being. Before, I could never cast magic. For some reason, my brain would block, and I couldn't perform the next step.

I guess desperate and stressful situations push your brain to the limit. Although my mana reserves are not large at all, I could still cast 7 to 9 more projectiles.

"I can do it!"

Getting back into position, I clasped my hands to perform another attack.

Boom!

"HAAHAHAHAHAHA, this is fun."

"Shut up!" It's impossible for him to hear me, but it had to be tried.

Listening to my "brother's" laughter, I rolled my eyes. Seriously, that's embarrassing; just stop. "Why can't you fight in silence? You would look amazing," I thought with a bit of sadness.

Hearing footsteps approaching from the right, I saw a few people. It surprised me at first, but I quickly went on the defensive.

"Who are you!?"

After hearing their story, I realized that we are in the same situation. Moreover, some help for my "brother" wouldn't hurt. Although he's full of energy now, there will come a point where he feels fatigue. Considering those things keep coming, extra hands will be good.

Next to me, they threw a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. Seeing her outfit, I realized she's the team's healer. The guy who threw her was around 25 years old. An older man, about 30 years old, approached. In his hand, he pulled out a very large shield and an axe. The woman next to him took out some potions and distributed them to the rest of the group. I didn't need one since I had one on my adventurer card.

Boom! Boom!

We saw my "brother" still talking embarrassing nonsense to the human ear, and it brought us back to reality. Getting into a battle stance, we prepared to start attacking. The muscular man's woman positioned herself under the tree and pulled out a wand. Clearly, she is the group's mage. The leader stood in the front, and the two men stood behind him.

"Come on, guys, let's help the boy."

"Yes," they both said in unison. The leader charged straight with the shield in front, taking several down in his path. He grabbed the axe with his left hand and...

Slash!

With incredible strength in his arms, even veins protruded from the skin. Covering himself with the shield in his right hand, he pushed it away a bit to have more maneuverability to attack again with his axe. The blue-haired man, on the other hand, had small daggers in his hands. His speed was incredible, but not as much as my brother's. He always stabbed in the head. The man who threw his fiancée had wheat-blonde hair; he, on the other hand, carried a sword.

The woman channeled magic into her wand.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

She cast fireballs that split into smaller ones. Quickly, the place filled with flames. The darkness that always enveloped this forest shone with the flames falling on the creatures.

Looking at the makeshift group, I nodded with satisfaction. This won't be as difficult anymore.