A/N some people will call alexander, Alex some will call him AL it just depends on the person
Alexander Shard pov
After Arthur and I talked we agreed to have a spar with him using mana to put us on even terms, we met the next morning in the back yard each of us with wooden swords.
"train me well Art." I joked knowing my learning speed is going to confuse him.
"let's see how good you are..... Alex why are you copying me?"
"I said train me Didn't I? also once I grasp the basics ill make my own style."
"your funeral then." He stated flatly then charged at me with a downwards stroke.
Focusing mana solely on my eyes and brain slowing my perception of time down a bit I dogged Arthurs slash by dodging the minimum amount, damm this Is harder than I thought, I jumped back and pointed the tip of the sword at Arthur.
"better to doge then block right?"
Arthur dashed towards me going for a diagonal slash from my left, I held my sword reverse grip to the side to block it but watched his feet closely for that footwork he was so proud of. low and behold he feinted, Then stamped off the ground and blinked to my right then slashed up to my bottom right, I thrust my hand down to that side and twisted my hand, My wood sword whistled through the air and barely blocked it.
I jumped back and twirled the sword in my hand, my enhanced learning speed making me memorize the weight and reach.
"you sure this is your first time with a sword?" Art said in disbelief.
"I'm just a fast learner and goes with what feels natural, well that and copying your moves as much as I can."
"weren't you trained in the weapons the twin horns uses?"
"just a bit"
both of us tensed our muscles and let mana flow through us pooling in our legs with a single thought all of the power shot through us launching us at each other, I flipped my wooden sword to reverse grip and uppercut at him flooding the mana to my arm and I heard the handle crack in my hand under the pressure.
Arthur jumped into a downwards slash coming right into the path of my sword wind whistling.
The instant our swords clashed they repelled each other for a bit as there was a contest of strength, then the mana reinforcements we were using broke, and the swords shattered sending splinters and wood chunks everywhere, we both lost our balance and fell on the ground.
"cheap ass wood" I cursed aloud.
"agreed" echoed Arthur
"ALEXANDER SHARD!!" my eyes went wide and I looked up to see Helen looking down at me.
"y-y-yes mom?" my voice shook as I answered her.
"who taught you to curse?" her voice sounded calm and warm but I knew that if I say "Adam did" he would die.
"I heard someone in the town square say it when they broke something."
she immediately stormed off to hunt him down, sorry to whoever she finds you will be remembered.
Later that day
"Guy's, I think it's time we get Art and Alex a proper mentor."
A *clang* drowned out the silence as Alice, Hellen, and Durden dropped their forks onto her plate.
"What? Reynolds! Arthur isn't even four yet! No! Besides, you said if our son was an augmenter, you'd be able to teach him!" Mother spoke with evident desperation.
"I, also, never expected our son to be this much of a prodigy in mana manipulation. Who has ever heard of awakening at the age of three?" Father responded a lot more calmly.
"But that means he'll have to leave home! He's only four, Reynolds! We can't have our baby leave home at such an early age!"
"You don't get it. When I observed his body while he meditated, I couldn't help but feel that all of this was natural to him. Alice honey, I'm holding my son back by trying to teach him something he can do in his sleep."
Thus began my Arthurs' quarrel.
Meanwhile, the twin horns were all having a sensible debate about it excluding Adam. They mostly went in circles saying that I'm too young or that we have been traveling since they took me in.
"how about we all go together to Xyrus and have them meet some mentors or get their cores tested?" Adam shot out, everyone and I mean Everyone turned around and just looked at him dumbfounded.
*silence*
They all just looked back to each other to make sure they didn't hallucinate it, then there were murmurs of "Did he just say something smart?" "no your hearing things it is Adam we're talking about."
Later on, they agreed on that plan after Reynolds said it again. Me and Art both packed our gear and I made sure I had my small hatchet on my hip. we packed our food and dried rations, I told Arthur to bring more food and water because he only packed enough for the day when it's a three-week-long trip.
Hellen and Adam went to grab the wagons and returned a few minutes later, me and Arthur hoped on the same one with the rest of the twin horns on the other, and like that we left ashber, my home for 3 and a half years since I came here.
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By nightfall, the once distant mountain range seemed to have doubled in size. I wondered how big the Grand Mountain Range would be when we reached the foot.
We eventually stopped to set up camp near a small cluster of boulders. It was a good spot with the rocks blocking off nearly all of the wind and a lot of scrap wood from fallen branches to use a campfire.
The one thing I detested the most about this body was how much sleep I required. Despite being asleep for most of the way, I still felt a bit heavy-eyed after being awake for a mere few hours.
After setting up a couple of tents around the fire, Helen pulled me aside and asked about the Shell on my core, I just told her that it's still there but I felt fine after she examined my core a bit she let me go.
Arthur had his spar with Adam which he lost but because Adam had hit Arthur a bit too hard and sent him skidding back a few feet Durden had decided that Adam would be skidding a few feet face first with no warning.
Arthur taught them feint step I learned from him as well which had taken me about A hour or so of constant attempts and looking closely at Art's demonstration.
A couple of weeks later the rest of the twin horns had learned the feint step and added it to their fighting styles, we started the next leg of the trip crossing the mountain range and I knew what was coming, Arthur was reading a book on mana manipulation when suddenly.
BANDITS! PREPARE TO ENGAGE!" Helen shouted as a rumble of footsteps came from our right and rear.
"Submit, O' wind and follow my will. I command and gather you around in protection. Wind Barrier!" Instantly I feel a gust of wind forming a tornado around Angela, Arthur, Alice, and me. Then the gust bent into a sphere around us.
Angela was holding out her wand, concentrating on keeping the barrier active while arrows constantly bombarded the barrier, only to get redirected to a different direction.
Alice pulled Art and me in close, trying to shield me using her body from whatever might get through. Thankfully, her efforts didn't seem to be necessary as the barrier held strong.
In a matter of seconds, the tarp covering the carriage was torn to shreds and I get a better view of the situation at hand.
We were completely surrounded, but this number of bandits there was at least 50 of them. Our current situation was survivable best, as both our path forward and our retreat back were blocked off by bandits wielding swords, spears, and other close-ranged weapons. On the mountainside to our right, there were archers positioned atop a cliff, their bows aimed at us, while only the steep edge of the mountain with the looming fog beckoned to our left.
Jasmine, Durden, and Reynolds seemed to be fine, with no visible injuries, but Helen had an unhealthy pale complexion that seemed to be a result of the arrow jutting from her right calf.
A bald man with multiple scars deforming his face and a body of a bear carrying a giant battle axe spoke out. "Look what we have here. Pretty good catch boys. Leave only the girls and the kid alive. Try not to scar them too much. Damaged goods will only sell for less," he snorted with a smirk that revealed a nearly toothless mouth.
FUCKING SLAVERS!!
I felt my body temperature drop and a cold unfeeling rage washed over me from my core, wisps of wind flew off me until I stopped them.
Being raised with the Twin horns and Arthur made me forgot what was coming and the bloodshed I'd have to stop.
I was ready to rush towards this brute, almost forgetting the fact that I was now in a four-year-old's body when my father yelled out, "There are only 5 mages and none of them seem to be conjurers! The rest are normal warriors!"
"Gather and guard my allies O' benevolent Earth; do not let them be harmed!"
[Earth Wall]
The ground rumbled as a four-meter earthen wall transmuted up from the ground curving up in front of Durden.
Using that moment, my father burst forward, raising his gauntlets in a guard position against the arrows towards the enemy archers.
Moments later, Angela finished her spell and unleashed a torrent of wind blades, aimed at the front and back of the path. That was apparently the cue as Adam and Jasmine shadowed behind the wind spell, arriving in front of our distraught enemies that were covering their vitals against the flurry of blades. Helen remained, her arrow nocked and bow drawn, imbuing the tip with mana that shined in a faint blue light.
It didn't take a genius to realize that this arrangement was ideal for protecting valuable goods or people. With two layers of protection from the conjurers and an archer mage ready to snipe anyone who managed to cross the assaults of Adam, Jasmine, and Father into the defense line, it was a standard, yet, well thought out formation.
"Warrior coming your way, Helen!" Adam shouted as he dodged the swing of a mace, delivering a precise swipe to the jugular of the unfortunate bandit. His eyes widened as he dropped his weapon, desperately trying to seal the fatal wound with his trembling hands as blood spurted out through the gaps between his fingers.
Alice was holding us firmly in her bosom as she tried to shield my eyes from the scenes of gore happening around us. Fortunately for me, she wasn't looking down at me so she didn't realize that I could see fairly clearly.
Meanwhile, a scruffy, middle-aged man wielding a machete lunged towards Angela, hoping to disrupt the spell. Although the wind blade spell didn't seem all too powerful, it provided a painful distraction that was keeping us on equal footing, despite our lack of numbers.
I reached my hand out of the barrier and pushed him back with a wind blast and before I could make a Wind Blade to kill him, it was already over.
The fierce sound of snapping bones came only after the arrow had done its job. Helen's shot had carried a force powerful enough to pierce through the armored chest of the machete-wielding bandit and lift him up and back a dozen meters, nailing him into the ground.
I took a brief moment to take a mental note: wise men shouldn't dare harm me or they will piss off Helen, and end up like that guy.
Helen's eyes narrowed as she nocked and drew another arrow. Focusing, I could faintly see the mana gathering into her right eye as she shut her left. Soon, another reinforced arrow streaked through, followed by a sharp hiss, ignoring drag entirely as it closed in on another enemy fighter.
This man vaguely looked like a smaller Durden, except more muscular and more angular of a face. His brows furrowing in concentration, his giant sword, which was his height, had somehow reached the arrow in time, generating a sound of a bullet hitting metal. The enemy fighter slid back, but wasn't harmed the same couldn't be said for his sword, a second arrow pierced through his forehead. It was a grim sight, seeing the light drain from his eyes.
Jasmine was engaged in a duel against an augmenter, whose weapon was a long chain whip. It looked like Jasmine was at a disadvantage since the range of her two daggers was lacking. She was doing all she could to dodge the erratic movements of the whip.
By now, it was evident the enemy had realized how much she was struggling as he jeered while licking his lips. "I'll make sure to treat you really well before we sell you off as a slave, little missy. Don't worry, by the time I'm done training you, you'll be begging to stay with me," he hissed, followed by another lick of his lips.
the mere thought of that pissed me off, I condensed a wind blade and launched it at his groin, A shrill screech came from the man as his manhood had been "relocated" to the ground. to which Jasmin slit his throat. (A/N THAT'S WHAT YOU GET YOU NASTY LIL SHIT)
Focusing on Durden, I watched his left hand that was directed towards the earth wall as he maintained a constant flow of mana to keep it from collapsing. He formed a narrow slit in the middle of the wall to gain vision of my father and the archers scattering, trying to run away.
"Take heed, Mother Earth, and answer my call. Pierce my enemies. Let none of them live."
[Rupture Spike]
After a brief delay, a dozen spikes began shooting up from the ground at the bandit archers. While a few managed to dodge, many of the bandits were impaled, their screams only lasting a couple of moments before dying.
I looked back to see Alice holding her wand, She still dealing with that problem I guess.
Adam was engaged with a dual-sworded augmenter. His fighting style reminded me of a snake, with his flexible maneuvers and sudden attacks.
He should be considered one of the rare elemental augmenters with a water-attribute style.
Reinforcing the shaft of his spear to be flexible, his attacks were a mirage of quick thrusts and fluid swipes. The battle looked to be in his favor; the dual wielder had wounds that were profusely bleeding as he desperately tried to parry the onslaught of attacks.
A thundering crash shifted my attention away from Adam's battle. My father had been knocked down against the debris of what was now left of the [Earth Wall] spell and was struggling to pick himself up as blood dribbled down from the side of his lips.
"Dad!!" "Honey!" Arthur his mom ran to his father.
he rushed out of the wind barrier, kneeling in front of his Father, allice following immediately behind. I could see the panic written on her face as she nervously contemplated what she could do.
I knew why she wasn't healing him, but it's not my place to say.
"Cough! Alice, listen to me. Don't worry about me. If you use a healing spell right now, they'll realize what you are and try that much harder to capture you. They'll be willing to sacrifice a lot more if they know!" he stressed, his voice in a low whisper.
After a brief, trembling hesitation, Alice took out her wand and began chanting.
Reynolds turned to Art after giving up trying to persuade his wife.
"Art, listen carefully. After the healing spell activates, they're going to try to capture your mother at all costs. After I'm healed enough, I'm going to engage the leader and try to buy more time. I think I can beat him, but not if I have to worry about protecting you guys. Take your mother back down the road and don't stop; Adam will open up a path for you."
"No dad! I'm staying with you. I can fight! You saw me! I can help!"
"LISTEN TO ME, ARTHUR LEYWIN!" Reynolds agonizingly roared. This was the first time hearing his voice like this; the kind of voice that one would only use for desperate measures.
"I know you can fight! That's why I'm entrusting your mother to you. Protect her and protect the baby inside her. I'll catch up to you after this is over."
"I was planning on telling you when we arrived in Xyrus, but..." Not finishing his sentence, father just looked at me sheepishly; still pale from the blow he received from the bald, axe-wielding boss.
"Okay, I'll protect Mom."
"Atta boy. That's my son."
Alice finished her chant at this time and both she and my father glowed in a bright golden-white light.
"Sonova- One of them's a healer! Don't let her get away!" the leader roared.
I quickly grabbed my Alice and Arthurs arm with both hands and tugged at her to move while reinforcing myself with mana.
We reached the area Adam and the dual-wielder were battling a dozen meters down the road.
"Art, AL, hurry down, I got him!" Adam barked as he kept his opponent at bay.
The dual-wielder was obviously frustrated by the inability to neither reach me, Alice, or Art because of Adam. We hurried down the slope when I heard a faint *wizz* sound to our left. Acting on instinct, I jumped up, bringing my wooden sword up and reinforcing my whole body I Pushed out a third of my mana pool as a turbulent wind launching the arrow back and hitting him in the knee.
"What the- Ugh!"
...Was all I heard from the assailant before he was promptly impaled and sent flying by an arrow fired by Helen.
"GO!" she exclaimed, nocking in another arrow and firing it at the leader of the bandits to support my father.
That was weird.
Currently, Jasmine, Adam, and my father, along with Helen, were each fighting a mage.
Wasn't there four?
"Damien! Forget the plan, don't let them live!" The leader barked out.
Who was he commanding?
"... respond to my call and wash all to oblivion!" a faint voice finished chanting.
[Water Cannon]
From the mountainside, one of the scattered "archers" had his hands brought together, aimed at us three. there he is.
"Shit!" Arthur shouted
I didn't have much time to react as a huge sphere of pressurized water, at least six meters in diameter, shot towards us, increasing in size as it neared.
WHY IS IT TWICE AS BIG AS THE NORMAL ONE
To my immediate right was my Alice, and to my left was Arthur, behind us of course, was the edge of the mountain. Even if I could dodge this, Alice wouldn't be able to and she'd be forced off the ledge of the mountain.
"Dammit!" I let out a roar unfit for a four-year-old!
Looking back I saw Arthur who pushed his mother out of the way get hit by the water cannon
then I saw Arthurs Knife go flying and drag the fucking mage down with the crazy bastard.
The mage let out a shrill howl of pain followed by a string of curses indicated that the mage wasn't dead.
I spotted Durden as he was desperately conjuring a spell in order to save Arthur, but I knew it was too late; the spell had knocked him too far away.
I jumped off the cliff amplifying my voice with mana I roared out.
"I'LL SAVE ARTHUR AND MAKE IT BACK I SWEAR!!!!"
I then redirected all the mana to propel me to Arthur, a massive tempest of mana launched me towards him, And I grabbed ahold of him.
I then emptied my mana core blasting a whirlwind of wind out slowing us as much as I could.
Then a force like an invisible hand ripped me off Arthur and took floated him away from me.
"Thank you child I will care for your brother you have my word."
"thanks, SIlva, take care of him." I shot back with a teasing tone when I said her name.
"How did you know my na-" but before Silvia could finish.
"Alexander you shall come with me." A powerful voice boomed in my head with the same tone of superiority Boreas had, And then I was pulled to a different section of the forest as I saw Arthur disappear into the distance as my vision faded to black into unconsciousness.
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A/N this took to long and you can see why as this is more than twice as long as i normally do.
Also yall have fun with this i might not have another chapter tomorrow because working all this out took till 3 am for me and its gonna be a good chapter next