To Sleep In The Sea Of Time

I took two steps back and ran into the darkness while Rumi completed his array and ducked.

Placing his hands on the ground while avoiding another arrow that came from a different direction.

They are obviously going for Rumi because he is the biggest and burliest.

His big sword was pretty intimidating as well.

When that arrow missed a volley came from all around but a wall of rock and soil rose so fast it launched Rumi who was on top of it in the air.

Rumi bit into his other finger while he was catapulted towards our assailants.

The others turned around surprised to find me gone and already running back where we came.

It didn't take long for the sounds of battle to reach our ears along with footsteps that came from behind.

Alia stopped and ran back as the twang of bows launched arrows in our direction.

A strong pulse of mana knocks the projectiles in another direction and her palm on the ground released spikes of earth underneath their feet.

The archers carried crossbows and wore a karate gi attire like mine but there's is grey and some wore white with scarves around their heads making them look like sand ninjas.

Soon the sand ninjas are turned into shreds of intestines, shit and blood as the one spike grows more spikes around it.

Alia sees a figure rush past her from behind and then launch themselves off of her spike towards the rest of the archers.

I planned it so that I could get the drop on them before they reloaded.

We are accustomed to the darkness where as they need time to adjust and the more time I gave them the less the chances of me coming out of this alive.

I sheath my dagger in his ear canal with the momentum of my fall sending out a pulse of mana to asses the threat.

Only one left who was cocked and ready to aim.

He fired too early out of nervousness and drew his blade but I was already within range sending Ho'thaws blade flying into his groin.

I roll and stop before reaching him.

I calmly stand and take a look around, once I confirm it's safe I make my way over to the mixed race man.

His scarf has fallen off and his brown hair was loose and tussled.

"Speak now and tell me who you are and where you come from and I promise I will kill you quickly".

"Or you can wait for... her" I pointed at the rock spikes with intestines still hanging off them.

His grunting and moaning didn't stop as he covered his groin.

"Suit yourself..." I got up leaving the dagger inside him, if I removed it he would bleed to death.

By the time I pulled Jashas dagger out and wiped the blood off on the body Alia was standing over the man with a cold and detached gaze.

She didn't say a single word, she didn't have to.

He bit his tongue but she bit her thumb.

A few hand sings later and a small fireball was made that cauterized his tongue.

She then took a step back and continued keeping watch.

All of a sudden she felt a chill on her neck, she turned only to find the runt with his blade slowly receding into it's leather sheath.

Yuit and the rest caught up with us at that moment.

"Should we go back"? Yuit asked Alia.

"No, the safest place is by my side" she said letting her gaze linger on me for only a moment longer.

We waited for what seemed like hours but it was only ten minutes.

A bloody Rumi limped towards us from the light.

"What happened"? Alia asked as she rushed over to support him.

"There was another mage, a rank one like me" Alias eyes widened at his words.

"What is a rank one mage" Yuit asked.

"Shut up"! Alia snapped her head back and said.

She didn't raise her voice but her tone was sharp enough to cut diamonds.

"Do you think it was another house"?

He nodded, "All the arrays she used are from House Karn, she got away which is worse".

Alia glanced at me once more.

"Tell me what that mage looked like" she said while standing up.

"Tall Olim and had yellow eyes" I responded, Alia turned her head to look at Rumi who shook his head.

Alia then looked at the man dying of hypothermia and walked over to him.

"Go and find me shoo slugs" she ordered while keeping her eyes on the man who looked to be in his late twenties.

"You managed to capture him alive"? Rumi asked while sitting against the wall.

Alia shook her head and pointed at my receding figure.

"Well I'll be..."

"They didn't know you would be here" she said looking at the pale man getting paler.

We came back shortly with a shoo slug in hand each.

"Yuit come here"

"You cook them".

Luckily there was shrubbery around us, I collected it and Alia sent a small fire ball into it lighting it on fire.

I tend to the fire stopping only to skin and clean the slugs.

As I did this Alia took a few steps back from the man and opened her hands to the sky.

She took long deep breaths and a small ball of mana began to condense in front of her.

Taking her blade she cut into her hand letting out a a stream of blood that flowed out of her hand and into the mana ball in front of her.

Instead of the ball changing color it began to shine brighter and brighter.

The brighter it got, the paler Alia gets.

She then slowly brought the ball of light towards the man lying on the ground.

"Hurry and remove the blade" she said to the entranced Yuit.

He did as she said but instead of bleeding out the blood seemed to stay in the body.

Slowly the wound began to close and the gash began to mend.

As he basked in the light his wounds slowly but visibly began to fade replaced by new skin.

Just being around the light made me feel warm, and it was the first time I felt that way around mana.

I soon realized I wasn't warm, my body was just metabolizing everything much faster as I bathed in the light as well.

Soon I felt hot and itchy underneath my skin.

By the time the light died everything was healed but it left heavy scarring, to the point where the member between his legs could hardly be recognized.

"Will you do that for Mage Rumi? Why didn't you do it for the others?" Yuit asked and was about to ask more when Alia slapped him across his face.

"What makes you think you are entitled to know such things"?

"Why? Why would you save such scum and not the children who follow your every command wanting only to be like you"!

"Because he has answers I need and like all your other questions they have answers, but not now" she emphasized the last two words as her eyes glowed with mana making him back down.

"Is the food ready"? she asked and I nodded handing her a stone full of meat.

She opened his mouth and shoved it down his throat with mana waking him up.

'He's a lucky man' I thought.

'Why' Ava asked.

'Death by Kobe beef... that's one way I wouldn't mind going if I had to go'.