Chapter 77: Whirlwind
Chapter 77: Whirlwind
"Kssssssssssss!!!*
Seeing that Claus and the others noticed its approach, the giant snake, even bigger than the one that attacked Linfel's group back in the Field Exam, immediately pounced at their group.
*Boom!*
However, Linfel was even faster. He reached Alvin and connected with him. By using both their Magic Energies together, Linfel cast a powerful fireball at the ceiling between the Magic Beast and his group. The ceiling immediately came down, smashing against the Snake Magic Beast's head!
*sssssssssssss!!!*
The Snake screamed in pain and used the back of its body to pull its head back into the tunnel. Right after, the ceiling crumbled completely. Had the Magic Beast tried to force its way through the Falling rocks, it would definitely have been buried there.
*Brum...*
"Run!" Vera shouted to the others. Linfel didn't hold back, and the cave continued to come down. They were still at risk.
Linfel was the fastest one, controlling Alvin's body to grab Felia and Milia and pulling the two away with him. Claus and the others weren't much slower. Their Magic Energy rushed out of their bodies, and they ran for their lives, charging outside the cave.
*Brummm...*
Everyone then looked behind, seeing the cave entrance disappearing under the rubble. They weren't out of the water yet, though.
"We can't stay here for long!" Claus warned. "We need to find a safe spot without Decayed Magic Energy!"
The gray-purple mist enveloped everyone's bodies, and they could feel the Decayed Magic Energy penetrating their bodies slowly. Without thinking twice, everyone closed their Magic Energy Meridans and Channels, stopping their bodies and cores from absorbing anything from outside.
Vera looked around and tried to find a usable path. "We need to go to a higher point."
*Cough, cough, cough...*
Julius took a little longer to close his meridians and breathed some of the Decayed Magic Energy mist. "I feel dizzy..."
Without anyone noticing, Linfel let go of his connection with Alvin and floated higher in the air. If he wanted, he could go even higher, different from the Familiars. Familiars were able to float by creating a kind of invisible Magic Energy connection between their cores and the ground.
It was like they were actually standing on a pillar of Magic Energy to prevent themselves from landing on the ground. It wasn't the same as flying. Linfel, however, could truly float as high as he wished as long as he had the Magic Energy to sustain it.
Linfel never floated that high, though. After all, that was the same as saying he wasn't really a Familiar. Too bad his group wouldn't survive for long if they didn't find a way out of this place. He soon floated high enough to leave the gray-purple mist and have a good look at the surroundings. Finally, he saw an elevated hill in the distance.
He quickly came down behind Alvin and stood on Alvin's shoulder, connecting to him again. 'Alvin, do as I say,' Linfel made his voice echo inside Alvin's mind.
Alvin nodded and called the others. "Everyone, get closer to me. Falagita, Warthon, help me a little."
Falagita and Warthon didn't know what Alvin wanted. Still, they didn't know what to do, so they quickly approached. Everyone got close to each other before Alvin's Magic Energy merged with Linfel's. The Wind Element moved, creating a whirlwind around their group.
The air from above the gray-purple mist came down. Soon, an opening inside that mist was created with Alvin and Linfel's efforts. That allowed their group to finally breathe clean air again. "Falagita, Warthon, you two have Wind Affinity, so help me keep this whirlwind going. Remember, do it the same way as I am so that the clean air from above forces the Decayed Magic Energy mist away from us."
Warthon and Falagita didn't need to hear twice. Their magic energies circulated, and the whirlwind stabilized. Naturally, they also connected to their own Familiars to have access to more Magic Energy to keep their efforts longer.
"Well done, Alvin!" Claus was happy to see that.
Alvin bitterly smiled, and so did Falagita and Warthon. "This is just a temporary measure. The mists here go quite high in the air. Forcing the clean air from above to come down and clear an area utilizes a lot of Magic Energy. Even with the three of us, I doubt we can keep this going for more than five minutes."
"I thought you were good with Earth Element..." Vera couldn't help but comment, seeing Alvin manipulate the Wind Element so well.
"Does it matter now?" Alvin asked back.
"No..." Vera shook her head and looked above. Right after, she connected with Sando and accumulated their Magic Energy on her legs.
*Bam!*
She stomped the ground below and rose over ten meters in the air while spinning slightly. That allowed Vera to fly above the mist and take a good look at the surroundings. Just like Linfel, she noticed an elevated hill not too far from them before landing back on the ground. "Can you guys move while keeping this opening?"
"Yes," Alvin, Falagita, and Warthon nodded. "Just don't move too fast."
Vera heard them. "That's good enough. There is an elevation in that direction. It is just a kilometer and a half away, more or less. It seems to be high enough for the mist to not reach us. Five minutes should be just enough."
"Then let's go!" Claus quickly gave the order. "Vera, you and I will take the front just in case something comes out of the mist to attack us."
"No problem." Vera joined Claus at the front.
Julius wasn't of much help, so he just stayed behind. Their group then moved as one and made their way to that elevation. Visibility was poor, but Vera would jump once in a while to confirm they were in the right direction.
While they moved, Warthon and Falagita looked at Alvin with different eyes. They were indeed helping to keep the whirlwind going, but no doubt Alvin was doing the hardest part, which was to keep the currents of air flowing in the right direction. None of the two could do that. Little did they know that it was Linfel instead that was controlling Alvin and the magic energy in their bodies.
Alvin's only contribution was that he made it as easy as possible for Linfel to control his Magic Energy. That showed his trust in the wisp.
*Awooooooooooooo!!!*
Unfortunately, their brazen movements didn't go unnoticed. Few Magic Beasts could live in such a place, but each and every single one of them was powerful. Claus wasn't wrong. Except for Magic Beasts that were too young, all others that managed to live here were definitely at level three or higher.
Linfel's Magic Energy Sense was the first one to catch the presence of the Magic Beasts. "Five concentrations of Magic Energies coming from the left side. Each one of them is at the same level as Claus, Level Three. We need to get out of the mist now!" Linfel's Sense at Level Two had a range of almost a hundred meters when unobstructed.
The mist was thick, but it couldn't block his senses, so he caught the direction of the Magic Beasts quite early.
*Bam!*
Vera jumped one more time, confirming the distance from the hill. "We are around three hundred meters away from our target."
Claus looked at everyone behind and gritted his teeth. "Alvin, Falagita, Warthon. Stop the whirlwind when I count to three. Everyone, close your Magic Energy Meridians and Channels. As soon as the whirlwind stops, we run with everything we have. We are dead meat in the midst of the Decayed Magic Energy.
We can only try to get to the hill ahead as fast as possible before the Magic Beasts reach us."
Julius was pale. "B-But, can we fight those Magic Beasts there?"
Claus didn't answer. They probably couldn't due to the difference in strength. However, at least there was a chance. In the middle of the mist, on the other hand, their chances were definitely zero. "One, two... three!"
Alvin, Falagita, and Warthon instantly stopped manipulating the Wind Element. The whirlwind disappeared, and the mist began to get close.
"Run!"
Claus only gave that order before his Brown Magic Energy exploded while connected to Gusan, his Familiar. They were the only Level Three in their group, so they took the front to try to force their way open in case anything else appeared.
Alvin, Milia, and the others followed from behind as fast as they could. At the same time, Linfel's senses were focused on the Magic Beasts. '70 meters... 50 meters... 30 meters... they are too fast...'
Linfel quickly controlled his Magic Energy and Alvin's, merging them together before accumulating Earth Element. The accumulated Magic Energy and Earth Element then entered the ground below as their group passed.
A few seconds later...
*Bang, bang, bang...*
Everyone heard the sound of something crashing. They didn't know what happened, but none of them waited to see what it was.
Linfel's senses continued to focus on the Magic Beasts. 'Seems like it worked.' A moment earlier, he used his Magic Energy to create a trap. As long as something passed above the area where he left his Magic Energy and Earth Element, it would activate and create a wall of earth, the same one Alvin liked to use.
The Magic Beasts behind were pursuing them at full speed, so they didn't have time to avoid and crashed against it. Linfel could tell that they didn't suffer any real damage, but that definitely confused their senses, forcing them to stop for a moment.
Suddenly, they began to go up. They finally reached the hill and quickly climbed. The gray-purple mist soon grew thin until everyone's heads popped out of it. They now could breath again. Now, the problem was the Magic Beasts that were pursuing them.