The monster came barrelling towards them. The sight of the beast so close sent a shiver down Kyle's spine. That thing could crush him to a bloody paste as if it were nothing and he was outside in front of it. Lillia however stood firm. Even without the Hero's armour she had a duty to protect others, one that seemed so far ingrained inside her that she'd give her life at the drop of a hat. More than the monster Kyle feared that she'd sacrifice her life... just like Jana. Despite his thoughts she faced the beast head on. Sparks began to ignite around the mop as she pointed it towards the beast. Only a few dozen metres away the cleaning tool suddenly flared and from its end a gush of flames spewed into the night air, lighting up the field far more than the moon above could.
Kyle was right. The fire worked immensely more than the bullets had. The beast roared shrieking in panic. It tried to avoid the flames as best it could but Lillia had locked on to it. Each lick of heat that sprang against it caused its razer like fur to smoke and crumble. In desperation it launched itself at the source but Lillia kept a steady distance retreating through nimble hops. It might have been adrenalin pumped state but to Kyle it was a beautiful picture. The moon above and meadow below as girl and beast danced with flames between them. Lillia's small armoured figure seemed fragile as her purple hair flowed in the wind, but against that was someone determined to win, to save even a single life she'd do whatever it took.
Then the flames vanished and his heart shook. The beast was covered in burns and barely hanging on to life but it was just that, still alive. The flames in his dreams had practically incinerated the creatures in a single instant. They didn't have enough firepower and Lillia who had used the tool was keeled over barely standing. Kyle could see the puffs of steam her breath released and the sweat covering her skin. For whatever reason her condition had turned for the worse and now she was in danger. The beast however was recovering and clear murderous intent ran through its eyes.
Kyle ran as fast as he could. It was his idea to use the flamethrower and though it worked, it just wasn't as effective as he thought it would be. Only a single night had passed and the image of Jana passing away was clear in his mind. That girl's words. Her wishes that never came true. She wanted to be a performer and yet how many times had she actually done it? Was that small stage in Tomph the first time? Was that all her dreams amounted to? He wouldn't let Lillia go through the same. She still had so much more to experience. He didn't know what she wanted to be, maybe she really wanted to be a Hero but if there was the chance she wanted something more, he'd make it happen. For the first time in his life he felt like doing something bigger than himself. He had a promise to keep.
He skidded to a halt in front of her and took up the fallen mop pointing it towards the oncoming monster. It was at that moment he realised. He had no idea how to use it. Though enchanted arms like the one he held were easier to use than magic, his education amounted to near nothing. To him now it really wasn't more than a cleaning tool.
"Araaa!" he screamed. In that case he would use it in the only fashion he knew how. As the monster reached out its claws he threw the device straight and true. If it had been like usual Kyle's strength wouldn't even be enough to cause it to flinch but with its fur and hide burnt the beast hesitated. Its instincts drove it to protect itself and the claw that should have raked them apart pulled back. The mop hit the ground having done no more than poke and rile the beast's anger. In the end even as Kyle tried to pick up Lillia and run he had only saved them a few seconds. However it was those few precious seconds that would make a difference.
The monster gave chase and where once again it should have killed its prey instead a spear shot towards it. So fast that neither the beast nor Kyle could react the sturdy metal rod plunged deep into the creature's neck and forced it back. Then not even a second later the honk of a powerful horn blared and with it a truck colliding straight into the already weakened monster. It didn't even have time to shriek as the sudden blow wedged the spear further inside it, finalising what would be its life.
"Damn right I killed it!" Valandus rolled down his window in celebration.
Kyle could barely register the events that just happened, within the span of a few seconds his life had almost ended more times than ever before. His heart was beating far too quickly for his liking but he couldn't let what just happened get to him. Still in his arms Lillia's breath was coming out ragged and a clear flush burdened her skin.
"Are you two insane!?" the sudden yell came from Bethial as he jumped form the back of a flatbed truck, the driver one of the sweepers. Beside him was Reina, her spear gone and what had saved them before.
"Captain, Lil-
"You could have died!" his voice overpowered Kyle's. "Not even a single day and you already try get yourself killed! Your father-,"
"Bethial!" Kyle shouted his name cutting him off. "Yell at me later. Lillia... somethings wrong with her."
The Captain quickly assessed the situation his anger calming, "Lay her down. Reina do an inspection."
"Yes sir," Reina nodded intently and quickly kneeled beside Lillia who Kyle placed to the ground. With practiced movements she turned the girl over and undid her chest piece before tearing through her shirt to reveal her bare back. A guilty flush crossed Kyle's face as he saw Lillia's naked skin but he quickly threw away the thought focusing instead on what was happening. Reina pressed her finger onto Lillia's back causing the girl to wince. Reina's eyes closed. She was in deep concentration looking for something that couldn't be seen normally.
"Sir, I found it," her eyes opened and turned to the Captain. "Lillia's internal circuit is in disarray and her mana is looping. At this rate she could overheat and cause further complications. Permission to untangle it sir?"
"Granted," the Captain solemnly nodded.
Reina took something from her pocket and pushed it towards Lillia's face, "Bite onto this. This will hurt." Still conscious the girl nodded and closed her eyes in preparation. "Beginning procedure." With those words Lillia let out a clenched moan of pain. Her body stiffened and all at once muscles all over her body began to activate, pulsating beneath her skin.
"W-what's happening?" Kyle could only stand and watch from the sidelines.
"She's suffering from mana poisoning," Valandus answered having stepped outside.
"Isn't that what people use to create magic?" his little knowledge on the topic was proving to be a burden. What he did know was that at the moment Lillia was suffering. Reina herself had started to sweat in concentration as she moved her hands across Lillia's back almost as if she was massaging her.
Valandus continued his explanation, "You're right but it goes further than that. People, animals even, have circuits to use magic within them. Mana flows through these but the circuits can also shift when too much power is used at once. It usually takes years before something like this happens but...."
"The Hero's armour is not normal," the Captain finished in a whisper. "Thankfully she didn't try put it on. I fear what would have happened is she did."
"She'll be alright won't she?" Kyle asked apprehensively.
"Reina?"
On cue the stern women breathed out in relief, at the same time Lillia's body relaxed and her complexion immediately began returning to normal. "I've done a brief fix but I'll need more time to complete the treatment. Until then Lillia will need to be placed off-duty."
"Noted," the Captain nodded.
Lillia herself quickly recovered and as Reina reattached her armour she stood up, "Thank you."
"Just doing my duty," Reina bowed her head and stepped back.
"How are you feeling?" the Captain asked.
She took a deep breath before replying, "Well enough."
"Good, Kyle stand beside Lillia." At the Captain's command he did as he was told. "Like I was saying before," his voice rose, "are you two insane!? You could have died! Kyle I promised your father that you wouldn't fight and yet you charge in forsaking your life. With no training or experience you were practically courting death itself. And Lillia, though I said to stay with the truck, I meant to stay out of the way. If you had died-," he paused and breathed, "your life is important, we can't lose you too."
"Yes sir," Lillia replied mopingly.
"But I have to give credit where it is due," the Captain looked towards the farms. Several lights had been lit and people could be seen milling about from the sudden noises. "Had you not acted so quickly by the time Reina and I arrived the lives of those people could have been forfeit. For that, good job, you saved them." Just as Lillia began to relax again he knocked her and Kyle on the head. The two winced. "If this had been an official military duty you would both be punished. Fortunately for you we're here on other terms. Get some rest and clean yourselves. Valandus you as well. We'll handle things from here."
"Yes sir!" Lillia saluted and Kyle followed suit.
The night came to a close. Thebeast's body, or at least what remained of it, was taken in for furtherresearch. Back at the Sweeper's Campsite they were already sorting out the messcaused due to the monster's rampage. Lady Petunia was wide awake organising hercrew in an orderly fashion. Though a lot of their ammunition and resources hadbeen used, she was thankful that no one had been severely injured. Events likethese weren't rare as the creatures in the fog were attracted by the Campsite'sabundance of life. Despite the monster this time being quite powerful, with theCaptain's support they made it out relatively unharmed. Although Kyle had beenushered to rest along with Lillia he couldn't help feel respect for theSweepers as well as a sense of jealousy. They were doing work on an entirelydifferent scale than his life in Tomph could compare to. Though after what hehad just gone through, it wouldn't be hard to say that quiet life waspreferable. He had made a decision however and hearing Lillia say goodnight asshe safely climbed into the truck's loft to sleep made him feel glad. Thequestion was, how long could he keep this up before he was forced to make achange? Only time would tell.