Reapers -- The First Familiar (Reapers Chronicles Book II)

9 - Dungeons

“Go on without me!” Amyr shouted in the midst of the chaos.

I didn’t know if it was just me or did he just sound a bit too melodramatic? I thought I saw him laughing to himself. And for some reason, he seemed to be enjoying it.

Yeah. That did sound like some overused movie line.

With no time to humor him, I dodged a Cataclyst that swerved too close to the side of my face. I dropped on all fours and used my leg to swipe the enemy’s feet off the ground. With a yelp, the familiar fell on his back. Too bad he got dirt all over his blindingly white robes.

I didn’t wait for him to get back up. There was no time as I had to roll away when another female familiar tried to bash my head with her Cataclyst.

Dirt rained over me as her monstrous fist hit the ground. Angrily, she charged, reaching me before I could even blink. Just as the familiar raised her Cataclyst to strike me again, Mei suddenly appeared behind her. The Asian girl clawed on the enemy’s back, her long needle-like talons digging deep into the flesh.

Blotches of red seeped out of the woman’s white robe. As the enemy staggered back, desperately trying to stop the gush of blood from her back, Mei ran to me and looped her free arm around mine. She dragged me closer to the castle entrance, shoving her way through the several battles currently occurring in our way.

To my left, the Elementals—Antoinette and Louise—were back to back with Alexis as they rallied a large gang of familiars in white robes toward the mazes in the courtyard garden. The loud vibrating noise made me flinch as Alexis’ undulated blade clashed with the other familiars’ weapons. Though they were clearly outnumbered, his fighting technique was more than enough to distract and hold back the enemies.

There were three consecutive explosives around the left wing of the castle right as I caught a glimpse of Byron Flynn leaping from the roof near that area. Not so careful with playing fire, hadn’t he? Meanwhile, Amyr looked like he just began to get serious when two familiars blocked his way as he was about to draught to us.

To sum it all up, it was a total mayhem.

“Master Vincent is in the eighth level dungeons,” Mei told me, pivoting with one foot to kick an approaching enemy right in the stomach. The enemy flew a good five yards before slamming on the wall. “If we go now, we will make it in time.”

“But what about them?” I couldn’t tear my eyes off the others—the friends who risked their own lives to help me rescue Vincent.

With her round dark eyes focused on the open doorway, Mei erased all traces of emotion on her usually cheerful face and shook her head.

“They all know what they are risking before coming here,” she said, unblinking. “We should not waste their efforts.”

With a hesitant nod, I followed her to the entrance. Five familiars caught us in an ambush. All of them wore black coats and ties so they looked more like bodyguards than Reapers. In less than a second, they had already surrounded us. Left without a choice but to fight, I started toward them, ready to summon my Cataclyst when Mei placed a hand over my shoulder, forcing me to stop.

Gently, she shook her head. “You should go.”

“No,” I objected. “I can’t leave you yet. Not like this.”

All she could give me was a vulnerable smile—that smile that radiated of trust and grief at the same time.

“If…,” Mei cleared her throat. “When you see Master Vladimir, please tell him to come with us. That we need him.”