Early next morning, Sora spurred his horse toward the water elves' lake.
Tabasa read by the window; spotting Sora, she tilted her head, wand-waved summoning familiar Sheffield. Window-leapt, Tabasa book-in-lap Yunlong-mounted. Per orders, Yunlong air-trailed Sora.
Duskfall, day-long ride: Lagudorian Lake neared.
Sudden arrow whistled roadside woods.
Ever-vigilant Sora reined sharp; horse halted. Arrow ground-sank forehooves. Sora waist-drew Delphlink: "Who? Show!"
Silence; arrows peppered on. Four-five black-armored magic puppets axed, sworded from woods—Sora besieged.
Sora flipped dismount; arrows horse-plunged, beast pain-neighed, wild-bolted dying—puppets bowled. Sora horse-shadowed, Delphlink-whirled fray-joined.
Sword chest-slashed puppet: solid-black armor blade-sunk easy, bisected. Puppet form-lost, crumbled stones.
Sora sword-danced, puppet-melee pierced.
Distant arrows rained; Sora puppet-shielded, shafts thunked foes.
Melee puppets thinned; bush-volleyed dozen-plus.
"Delph—gale." Sora yelled.
"On it."
Sword blue-glowed; left-right swipe.
Fierce gust sword-burst, arrow-trajectories warped—all Sora-right missed.
Sora bush-charged; six-seven archer-puppets hid.
Sora close-quarters: sword culled archers sequential. Beheaded? Stone-crumble.
Archers slaughtered swift.
No humans showed; Sora sword-alert held.
"Sharp Ace Go." [Ice Pick]
Familiar voice; one-meter ice lance tree-crown Sora-side pierced.
Figure canopy-dropped, air-glared: "You!!"
Sora up-looked.
Tabasa Yunlong-straddled, man-tall wand-gripped, glasses-down indifferent.
Sora gaze-dropped, foe-pursued.
Slender black-haired woman, forehead odd-symbol.
Woman Sora-vigilant, hurled three purple-glow stones.
Stones air-morphed: sword-axed puppets grounded, Sora-path blocked.
Sora sword-met unstoppable—but snared awhile.
"Tabasa—grab her." Sora shouted.
Tabasa expression-ticked, staff-swung: sharp wind blades assailed.
Woman backward-tossed yellow-glow stone: ground-wall erupted, blades blocked.
"Really after me? Think your mother—Charlotte." Woman raged.
Tabasa attack-halted, face shadowed.
Sora puppet-cleared, delay-closed, sword-slashed foe.
Woman skilled: back-leapt, evaded.
"Yiya Feier Albrook." Sora sword-miss, quick-chanted. Fist-sized crimson fireball straight-lined foe.
Woman fireball-faced, blue-glow stone hurled: stone-shattered, water-ball countered Sora-fire.
"Boom" "Sizzle"—steam blanketed; Sora vision-fogged.
Woman cyan-glow stones tossed: dozen wind blades steam-slashed Sora-ward.
Sora sense-loosed, mist-surged spots: sword swung met.
Delphlink wind blades slashed, sequential-absorbed.
Too-many simultaneous: Sora dodged—three clipped: left hand, chest, left leg narrow-long wounds, blood trickled.
Air-chill sank steam; Sora face grim, one-hand sword foe-faced.
Woman hands-splayed: ten-finger eight red-glow stones.
"One fireball, three big, five—Gundaruff, survive?" Woman sneered, hands-waved: eight fire-magicstone-infused fireballs Sora-chained.
Senses slowed: stones air-disintegrated, horror-flames freed.
Fist-to-head-sized five fireballs dodge-angles covered, Sora-roared.
"Wind blade." Sora sword-swung: prior-absorbed blade out-sent, air-sliced fireballs detonated. Blast-flames body-hit, burn-waves pained.
Air-loft, Tabasa grim-faced, wand-clutched tight, quick-chanted.
Person-sized big fireball tripled post: top one, left-right two—pinning Sora character-form. No escape.
"Hayata Walter Walter Gelfin." [Water Shock]
Sora's usable tier-two water: Delphlink wand-acted, magic-guided. Half-human cross-section torrent blade-spat, three big fireballs collided.
"Boom" "Sizzle"—heat-scattered, steam billowed. One water versus three fire: torrent failed pierce, evaporated. Sora goal met: water-heat-soaked, big fireballs slowed. Delphlink prior wind blades drained too.
"Absorb fire, Delph."
"Full throttle."
Sora sword-thrusted flames-mid: Delphlink blazed, surrounding fire sword-hilt-sucked. Flame balls eye-visibly shrank; Sora pressure-braced, slow-retreated.
"Over, Gundaruff." Woman yelled: four-meter crimson pyroblast fronted. Heat grass-dried instant.
Controlled, terror-pyroblast Sora-pressed.
"Ice Storm!!"
Over-shout: Tabasa wand-down-waved.
Wand-gusted cold wind icicle-mixed, pyroblast-fell.
Icicles, chill pyroblast-base shook not: ripples surfaced, ice fire-melted.
Tier-three wind-water combo pyroblast-weakened, slowed.
Sora seized: three big fireball energies sucked; Delphlink sword red-flickered, limit-maxed. Residual flames dispelled, Sora two-hand raised Delphlink.
"Sever—fire sword."
"Primed, partner."
Facing down-pressing flame colossus, Sora overhead-slashed.
Crimson five-meter crescent sword-burst, pyroblast pierced.
Flame-sword slash pyroblast-bisected, woman-grazed, rear-trees ignited.
Pyroblast cleaved: heat dissipated, Tabasa [Ice Wind Snow] pressure-slow-extinguished.
Sora woman-glared furious.
Anticipated ambush—not foe's weird powers near-defeating him.
"Philosopher's Stones near-spent. Earth puppets, walls; wind blades; fire fireballs, bigs, pyroblast." Sora two-hand Delphlink, slow-advanced.
"Hmph—without her, dead now. Next—your life." Woman slow-backpedaled.
"No running." Sora leopard-surged.
Woman back-without-look blue stone-tossed.
"Boom"—shatter-magician water-rush Sora-hard-hit.
Impact Sora-pursuit-halted, side-dodged avoided.
Woman robust-agile, tree-quick, Sora-sight vanished.
Sora direction-stared beat, waist-Delphlink sheathed.
"Tabasa—thanks this time. Grateful."
Tabasa slow-head-shook.
"Woman called you Charlotte—know her?" Sora Tabasa-stared asked.
Tabasa silent-looked.
"Can't say? Fine—no force. Yunlong carry? Horse arrow-dead."
Tabasa nodded, familiar-ear whispered.
Yunlong slow-descended, Sora-side halted.
Sora vaulted Yunlong-back, Tabasa-straddled fore.
"Lagudorian Lake ahead." Sora Tabasa-near ear-whispered.
Tabasa ears twitched faint, blush base-neck stained.
Tabasa leaned, Yunlong-destined. Wings-beat ascended, duo quick lake-shore halted.