Chapter 28: Sacrifice (3)
A blast of wind came right out of the magic circle. It was enough to push the two siblings away from the cold ground from where they stood. As soon as Afenos and Rain knelt on the soil, the violent whirlwind knocked them down once again.
"GAH!"
"UGH!"
The two grimaced in pain as they kissed the ground. Afenos and Rain struggled to move after that. They glared their eyes at the ogre standing in front of them, wishing to kill the monsters with their stark hands.
It was a brutal scene for me to watch as I observed them from afar. If I joined the two siblings right now, the three of us might end up losing because I meddled. All I could think was a window of opportunity that would knock on my front door, telling me about the ripe time.
'Do I have to do this? Do I have to risk my life for the sake of others?' I thought, as a mountain of regret piled up inside my brain. These thoughts appeared suddenly inside my head, taunting me to leave this place.
But after shaking my skull, I kept those trains of thoughts away from me. If I wanted to think about something, that plan must be about winning this fight.
There was no point in going to this place if I yearned to run away. It was a cowardly feat for me to even think of that circumstance when I am this close to redeeming myself.
If I want to become the ideal hero, I must overcome this trial... And stay alive.
But leaping forward was not the best option for me to do. And Rain looked like she could go against those magic spells thrown at them.
I had to wait here for now and see what the fuck would happen to those two and the ogres.
....
"We're out... matched, Rain. Just leave me behind, and... tell the villagers to... retreat....," cried Afenos, while motioning with his weak hands for Rain to leave.
His rusty sword blocked the incoming arm of the ogre, still sending a blitz of jabs in their direction. But it would not be long before that blade shatters into pieces.
A wave of ice surged behind Afenos, attacking the ogre in front of him. A block of frost formed on both appendages of the creature, obstructing its movements momentarily. That chilling touch was enough to push the monster down as the two siblings seized the upper hand.
Rain's magic was more powerful than Afenos. That girl was a mage, after all. She had enough arcane to maintain that tundra-like temperature, unlike Afenos, who could only last around a few seconds for activating that spell.
Rain did not finish with that. Using her free hand, the little girl conjured another set of spells.
Instead of covering the place with ice, Rain hurled raging flames from a different magic circle. I did not teach her anything like that. And yet Rain created fire, which was the complete opposite of the previous spell.
"[Phoenix's Sphere]!" Rain shouted, as she directed her hands at the five ogres approaching their way.
My eyes immediately expanded upon hearing the spell's name. It was the same ability that I could use upon stepping foot in this world. The skill was a complete pantomime of my magic that even packed more punches than mine.
However, that spell was not enough to take down the ten ogres, especially the monster leading them upfront. The [Phoenix Sphere] killed two ogres, freezing them to death before cracking the monsters into pieces.
There were still eight more of the creatures that Rain and Afenos needed to fight, excluding the one that could talk. Despite killing the two out from this world, those two children needed more luck to pull another one-off.
"GAH! B-Brother…"
Those two sets of spells took a toll on Rain's body. Violet hue painted her skin, which eventually reached over to her arms. The faint colour spread to her hips and her pale face, showing everyone that blood did not circulate in her body. Among those bruises that she received, the mark on Rain's hand was the most visible one yet.
I did not know how to cure it. If I had to guess, a good night's sleep would do the trick. But with this ongoing fight, taking that brief break was like reaching for the moon when huddling on the ground.
"RAIN!" Afenos shouted, but it was too late.
The ogre, who was approaching the wounded Rain, flung the puny boy to the boulder. With a blaring bang, Afenos slid down on the boulder and eventually hit the soil. Regardless of the odds faced in front of him, Afenos pushed himself and bravely kicked himself back up. All of his body parts had wounds covering his body, but Afenos had a determined look in his eyes.
Afenos was not ready to give up… How could he, when that teenager wanted to save his sister, Rain?
"D-Don't die… don't die… please, for the love of god… don't die,"
"I-I'm sorry, brother… I can't let you go alone… it's… unfair…."
Faced with danger, the two siblings cuddled each other as if it was their last. Those eight remaining ogres saw this chance as they marched their way towards the two humans.
The monster leading the pack did not move a muscle. That creature wanted to see the death of its two opponents that struggled to survive.
The ogre roared as it lifted its hands, hoping to pound them towards Afenos and Rain. Those two had no strengths left inside their bodies, as they willingly accepted death right before their eyes…
"Now…"
Like a fairy tale cut from a story, I grabbed the two siblings in both of my arms and carried them to another ground. I cared not for anything but saving the two, even with the cost of my life. I did not notice, but my speed intensified as I snatched them away from their dying faith.
"You're alright… you're all safe with me… The two of you… it's going to be alright," I stated, while gingerly placing the two siblings on the ground.
The three of us were a few feet away from the scene. I did not know why, but I grabbed them towards safety.
"A-Arthur…? You came back… Thank you… for saving my sister… and for saving me."
Rain never opened her eyes, despite all I did. But it was for the best, since she tried forcing herself and cast a spell that her body could not handle. Now was the perfect time for her to rest and for me to enter the battle.
However, a man with a bastard sword against nine epic monsters… I already knew the outcome of my battle.
"Who are you, warrior?" The ogre, whom I assumed did not have the intelligence, spoke the human tongue. The monster glued its eyes at my figure, scrutinising me and the performance I did earlier.
"I'm a knight, not a warrior. God, why do they mix those two?" I confessed, and murmured the latter part of my sentence. Believe me, some players did the same thing to me when they first saw my figure.
"That speed… How did you do it? No human can achieve such a tremendous feat?!" the monster asked, and sauntered in our direction. However, despite the appalling figure, my feet never wavered.
"You… You asked the wrong question. Why does it matter anyway? You know, less talk, more punch!" I tried and forced myself to crack a joke in the middle of this intense scene. I was a good for nothing man. So before I die, I would die while laughing my ass out.
"I am Uruk-hai, a demonic ogre that absorbs the devilish energy surrounding this place! I feel that the demons have conquered the holy sword as we speak right now! The time is coming to a greater change among the generations! I commend you, human. You might face the wrath of this newly found power," Uruk-hai, the ogre, declared while raising its arms.
I knew this event was nothing but an act to boost the morale of his gang. Just like what I had hunched, the eight remaining ogres lifted their arms in the air while shouting inhuman and inaudible voices.
"W-What is that… monster saying?" Afenos whispered, as he went to his sister's side.
"I don't know… but I think you two need to get out of here," I replied.
Afenos shook his head and answered, "What are you saying, stupid Arthur! Of course, I can still fight."
"You look more pathetic than before, Afenos. Leave this place with your sister and tell the villagers to evacuate away from this place. I will fight this Uruk monkey on my own."
"After leaving the village… Do you want to save us?... What took you so long?! WHY THE CHANGE OF HEART!? I know you saved us but… if you were here in the first place, none of this could ever happen!"