The Stonehearted Knight-Chapter 436: Interlude: The war (2)

Silvera dodged the attacks from below. The incessant attacks caused her silver eagle to cry in fury. She felt her desire to claw the marshes into a mush but Silvera held her back.

’A little more, my little one. Once we reach the center, you can let loose,’ she assured her trusted partner.

Eager to kill her attackers, she flapped her wings causing storms, splitting the air in half. Silvera wanted to tease her eagle by telling her that in fact they were the attackers and the marshes were defending their homes, but feeling her burning rage, Silvera wisely held her tongue. Her Nine Lives technique didn’t ignore pain, and she knew how much it hurt to be thrown off from a hundred meters in the air, at lightning speed. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Croak!

The sound came out of sudden, suppressing the eagle’s cry and the storming winds.

’Oh shit,’ Silvera cursed. "Dodge, girl!" She shouted, steering her ally away from the center area of the marshes. Just in time too.

A long pink pillar shot through the spot she had been just a wink ago. Thick, green phlegm dripped from the side. Seeing the sight, she shivered.

’Where is Calyse?’ She cursed under her breath. The Guardian of the marshes wasn’t someone she could deal against. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Why not target the Bilewaters where another team of Templars were raiding right this moment? Why be here, making her life a nightmare?

"YOU GUYS UNDERESTIMATE US TOO MUCH!"

The voice rang through the marshes, through the sticky air, and through the sky. Even her eagle had to flap wildly, just to prevent being thrown away. Silvera felt her mind shake and for a moment she felt blank. Why was she here? Who was she, in the first place? And why was the ground so far? Wait, the ground was moving...coming toward her, wasn’t it?

Caw!

The desperate cry of her eagle brought her back to reality. She cursed again. She started to wonder if she was even worthy of being a High Templar, with the amount of curses she used.

Well, Heaven had to forgive her. Who wouldn’t curse at the sight of a giant toad appearing from the ground, staring at her with cold, unfeeling eyes.

"THEY SENT ONLY A LITTLE BIRD TO CONQUER MY LANDS?! DISRESPECT!"

There it was again. This time, having experienced it once, she guarded against it. Barely, though. As expected from the Great Toad of the marshes. A Sin-sage being. Or as He liked to refer to himself, the Toad Sage.

"We don’t expect you to be here...Oh mighty Sage."

Silvera shouted from above her eagle, hoping to calm His fury. She was already planning to flee. Punishment be damned. The High Temple wouldn’t kill her...probably. He would.

Her words didn’t work, however, as the Sage unleashed a barrage of venomous pillars of spit at her. Eww...and oh shit.

A single drop hit the wings of her eagle. With a sizzling sound, a few feathers corroded. Through her connection with her partner, she felt her pain. It hurt. A lot. The eagle’s fury was replaced by fear. Silvera sensed a similar urge to flee as she was feeling. Partners were alike, huh.

’No sign of Calyse or any other help. I guess I have to act now.’ The Sage was going berserk. He wasn’t going to allow them to escape. Such a narrow-hearted being.

She ruffled the feathers of the eagle. Her partner understood her with a single touch. She trembled, showing her defiance to follow her will.

"Girl, don’t be a moron. Not now. Go and bring that high-strung bitch here. Only she can help us escape."

Without listening to the eagle’s protest, Silvera jumped off her.

"Time to die," she screamed at the incoming tongue laced with greenish venom. Oh, how she wished she could avoid this. Life, however, was against her wishes by default. So, she embraced death. A little less of a jerk, to be honest.

She saw the tongue coming and wished to dodge it. But it was easier said than done. The moment she saw it, she lost her chance to dodge. Such was the speed and accuracy of the Sage. But she wasn’t going down without a fight.

Silver spears materialized into the air. Something she picked up from her old enemy. Just as the tongue hit, the hundreds of spears pierced through it. The tip of the tongue turned into a spiked whip. The groan from below proved the Sage felt pain. Not enough to stop, sadly.

The tongue hit square in the body, shattering each bone and sinew. She lost consciousness as she felt being pulled below. The gaping pink crater opening below was the last thing she remembered seeing.

Nine Lives Technique!

Silvera awakened after some time. She felt the liquid stick and corrode against her skin. She wouldn’t last long.

’I am inside the Sage,’ she concluded. Her body burnt and the venomous air inside itched her throat and nose.

Chains of Silver!

A giant chain materialized around her, covering her inside it. The sizzling sound didn’t put her to ease. The corrosive power of the Sage would melt her chains as well. She just delayed the inevitable.

But she wasn’t planning on giving up or waiting on help like a helpless maiden. Well, if the savior would be a golden armored Knight, she would, but in her case, if help came, it would be that sour-faced bitch.

Under her control, the chain contorted and moved like a giant python. She increased its weights and length, pushing her abilities to their limits. She felt dizzy. The lack of clean air was getting to her head. But it wasn’t the first time she was feeling choked. She fought through it.

’It’s working,’ she cheered when she sensed her surroundings shake violently. ’A little more.’

Suddenly, she felt jerked outward and before she knew it, she was flying toward the light. Clean air. That was the first thing she registered. Well, clean as it got in a marsh. She took a deep breath. A gentle reminder of how valuable life was, even if it was a bitch.

"YOU DARE...!"

The Sage wasn’t pleased. But before He could finish, He sensed something. With a start, He looked up. His senses surpassed Silvera’s but Silvera knew what attracted His attention. Sure enough, she heard the cry of her partner.

"Rain of Purification!"

Another voice echoed through the marshes. The light of the sun seemed to turn brighter and the sky became blindingly bright. The Sage sensed the danger and wished to retreat.

"Not one my watch...Sir!" Silvera shouted. Her body trembled but she burnt herself. Thousands of chains materialized around the Sage and wrapped around His giant body. They wouldn’t hold for long. But long enough.

A rain of dense light poured from the skies. The Sage croaked in fury. The waves of His anger killed Silvera once again.

Nine Lives Technique!

When she woke up once again, she felt the trusted feathers below her.

"You did well." She turned and saw Calyse sitting beside her. They were circling around the air. The croaks below were softer.

"Did He...?"

"Yes, He surrendered."

What a relief.

"Thank you," she said after hesitating for a while. Calyse smiled.

"Not bad for a sour-faced bitch, isn’t it?"

Silvera’s eyes widened as she heard Calyse’s words. Damn girl, she cursed her partner. Why did she repeat her words to her? Calyse didn’t seem angry but...damn. How embarrassing.