A Hero With/Out Time

Chapter 15: Their second chance. (Part 5)

I chose to act now and released an arrow from my bow. It's target the back of the accursed women leading them. My aim was true, however an inch from her back the arrow suddenly broke apart.

"There you are!" she laughed and span her arm towards me. A powerful ripple of wind broke through the branches in front of me. I cursed as the tree I was hiding in fell apart sending me plummeting to the ground. Ardent attacked but the four other Imperium halted his advance. A sharp snap resounded as the ground and I collided. My leg broke.

Taylor landed beside me neatly, "Rain are you okay?"

"Get us out of here," I reached for her hand and she pulled me away just as another buffet of wind cut apart the earth. Damn it. I had underestimated her. I didn't think she'd be protecting her entire body with a barrier like Ardent could.

With the barrier blocking us in we were forced out into the open. A clear and easy target. The women smirked and raised her arm. Something slammed into her back knocking her aim as a blade of wind crashed into the barrier above us instead.

"Where do you think you're looking," Ardent huffed. It had barely been even half a minute yet all around him were the unconscious bodies of the Imperium magicians. A line of blood dripped down his head. "Surrender."

The women faced him angrily, "You think I'd let you take me alive?" She began to laugh crazily. "Ardent Val Tour candidate of the future Archmage. Your death will suit my life." I could only watch on in horror as she stabbed her own chest with her hand wrenching out her heart. She held it before her like a prized possession, "Everything for the Imperium!" Still laughing she crushed it. Her body hit the earth but I doubted it was over.

"Rain, Taylor get behind me!" Ardent screamed and a sudden force pulled us his way. "That crazy witch!"

Her body started to rise while behind her a jar began to shake. It popped open releasing a thick dark cloud that sucked into her body causing it to snap wildly.

"El Fiat!" Ardent roared and something burst from his hands. It collided with her body blowing apart her top half. He huffed tiredly. "This is not optimal."

The body stepped forward with a lurch as more of the dark smoke was drawn into it. The flesh that had been destroyed began to regenerate creating a disfigured creature nowhere close to the original. It stood eight feet tall covered in red veins and rippling with pulsating muscles the colour of flesh.

Ardent cursed, "And this is why I dislike the Imperium. Crazed fanatics who meddle with forces they barely understand."

"What the hell did she do?" my mouth gaped open.

"Monstrification. She let go of her humanity. It isn't the first time I've seen this happen."

"Can you kill it?" I asked still stunned.

"The last time I was with two other Masters..., your leg is broken and we're stuck with limited space. This may go badly. I would ask you to run but the barrier will stop you and I can't have that go down just yet."

The monster finished regenerating and screamed. The high pitch squeal penetrated my ears threatening to burst them. Ardent grit his teeth and stepped forward. Rings of light began to spin around his arms and as the monster jumped towards us they sprang forward. The first two rings were smashed apart but the third, fourth and fifth bound around its body locking it to the ground.

"Dear me it really is a handful," Ardent grunted. "Get back. I'm not sure if I have enough fire power to kill it." Taylor lifted me up once more and dashed to the edge of the villager centre. Any further and we'd be pressed up against the barrier. In front of us Ardent stood calmly as circuits of magic rapidly drew themselves around him. Fire, explosions, beams of light, mounds of earth and pillars of ice assaulted the once human monstrosity. Each time it took a hit it wailed in pain only for it to quickly regenerate whatever it lost.

"Haha...," I laughed tiredly. Next time I'd have kill the damn women before she could even react. I couldn't walk and the potions I had on me had been crushed when I fell. "Taylor put me down."

"But-,"

"I'm not asking you to leave me behind. I've put too much effort in this to die now." I took out several pouches from my belt pocket. "These are explosives." I tied them to the end of an arrow and readied my bow while sitting on the ground awkwardly. "When I say, I need you to light it. Can you do that?"

"Of course," she smirked. "Just don't miss."

"Would be awkward if I did," I laughed darkly. Ardent wasn't going to be able to kill that monster. He was talented in many fields of magic and a top researcher but to my knowledge he didn't have a spell that could finish her at once or he would have used it already. No matter how fast he cast his magic the monster was healing faster and even from here I could see his stress and strain building up.

A powerful force expelled from the monster and its bindings broke apart. Ardent flinched as the monster jumped towards him.

"Now!" I yelled and Taylor lit the pouch. The arrow flew straight stabbing into the monsters flesh. What would normally kill a person outright hardly caused it notice. Then it exploded. A wave of pressurized air spread outwards lifting up the dirt and dust obscuring the area around us. Bits of decaying flesh were thrown all around the village centre. The force buffeted Ardent back but left him mostly unharmed.

He coughed and retreated towards us, "Next time tell me before you do that. I appreciate the effort but it shocked me to no end."

"Unfortunately there won't be another," I replied.

"A shame because it's not dead yet," Ardent sighed and dusted off his robe.

"I thought as much," I frowned as the dust settled. A deformed hunk of meat laid in the centre of the village. An arm and leg covered in slime burst from it as if being birthed. The head came next screaming like a newborn. The entire process was mentally scarring.

"Rain... you wouldn't happen to have anything else would you?" Taylor asked me hopefully.

I shook my head, "I'm out." I never expected that the Imperium would be capable of creating such a thing. Well it was a learning experience for me and even if I did die I just had to try again. There was just one thing, "Taylor take Ardent and get out of here. The barrier will go down regardless. I can't move and I don't want to slow you down."

"You're joking right?" she looked at me angrily.

"I really don't want to see either of you die," I smiled. It was one thing for me but for them, each time I saw them die, the memories never left. I had somehow avoided it most the time but that first time in the border forest when the Monster bit down on Taylor, crushed Marley... at the time I didn't care but now the memory haunted me.

"No!" Taylor said firmly. "I don't want to."

"Don't be stupid. I'm basically dead. The smart thing to do is leave."

"I don't want to live like that anymore!" she screamed and slapped me.

I was stunned. Maybe it was because I was taking this a little lightly, my death that is. I had forgotten that I meant something to her or at least it looked like I did. She was on the verge of tears, it was an expression that didn't suit her usual beautiful visage but one that I found quite amusing.

"I am to agree with Taylor," Ardent laughed. "I would prefer if no one died and I simply cannot leave the villages to their deaths. Not many demons are so welcoming to humans."

"Heh,"I shook my head and looked up. The human monster, the abomination of meat andflesh, it was back up standing as if nothing had changed. "I guess we'll justwait for a miracle."