Chapter 180 - Unexpected Turn

Seeing this obscene movement from the husk, Lucas felt his heart skip a heart as his focus was halted for a single moment--regaining his attention just in time as the husk made itself clear to the eye; it was larger than the ones he saw previously. Definitely more muscular, it seemed slightly taller, having a completely bald head covered in gashes and tears.

It roared out to Lucas, spitting saliva that was deflected by the present winds before it leaped once more towards the feminine male. 

"Luft: Bore!"

Opting for a basic spell, he launched a condensed ball of air straight through the forehead of the aggressive husk, boring from the front of its head and out of the back as it landed face-first into the dirt, instantly falling motionless. 

Good; it seems their bodies are fragile enough for basic magecraft still, Lucas thought. 

The start of the squabble with the initial husk drew in those lurking within the depths of the forest, drawing Lucas' full attention as their rapid footsteps snapped through the fallen limbs of cedar, snarling and roaring out as their violent sclera illuminated under the shadows of the oak. 

"It doesn't matter how many of you come."

Lucas swiped his hand through the air before launching another wind spell that cut apart two of the approaching rotten bodies into a dozen pieces. 

As he cleared the number of husks he was sure existed at this boundary, another half-dozen poured in, some crawling on all-fours like wild animals--coming at him as if sharing a plain goal of taking down the hazel-haired boy. 

They seem set on me now...Did the creator of these husks recognize my presence? This is becoming a real nuisance, Lucas sighed. 

With the way the husks approached in varying speeds, they came in no more than pairs of two--making it child's play for any average mage--Lucas recognized this. The problem he held in his mind was balancing his mana reserves--the true number of husks was still an unknown variable, and continuous combat could draw in more. 

I need to end this quickly and change my approach, Lucas resolved. 

Unleashing another well-timed Unified Wind against the last of these aggressive husks, he sank into the treeline, taking himself off of the trail as he suppressed his mana signature. 

After obscuring his presence within the wild depths of the verdant, he could hear more husks fall onto the trail--snarling as they tried to locate the young mage. 

I'm glad I got out of there when I did, Lucas thought. 

There was hardly a spot of visible ground; tall, unkempt blades of grass stood almost as tall as him--whether it was a good or bad thing, he couldn't decide on. Taking each step slowly, he had to narrow his gaze in order to see past the abrasive foliage, parting the green as he could see it in the distance, past the trees---the man-made structures, walls, even a carriage. 

"Lemasdale…"

Remarking in a whisper, the relief he felt at the sight of the town was brief at most; the walls that stood around the town were charred, broken, and torn apart--securing nothing any longer. 

Crimson coated not only the walls but the stone path that left to the front gate--the corpses of the guards that likely protected that gate were mutilated beyond recognition--all of which was seen with sight reinforcement by Lucas. 

Before he took a step to leave the boundary of the forest, he halted himself as he noticed husks patrolling the outskirts of the desecrated town. 

Opting to wait for them to pass by, something caught the feminine mage's emerald eye. At first he believed it was just a husk within the carriage, but he could clearly see it now: a frightened child was hidden inside of the stationary coach, covering their mouth as they shook helplessly. 

The very fact that they were still alive was a miracle to Lucas, in such a precarious situation--it was simply an impossibility to expect a child to make a proper decision. As much as Lucas wanted to handle things the optimal, safe way--at least until he was rendezvoused with his companions--the sight of the child made it impossible to keep himself hidden. 

...I'll save them, but I'll do it my way. I'll do it smart, Lucas thought. 

Silently, he cast a self-buffing spell; "Boreas: Drifting Wind."--the spell held no unique form, only shaping a gentle wind around the form of Lucas. 

Using this, the winds will silence any noises made by my body and anyone I keep close to myself, Lucas thought. 

Waiting for the opportune moment of the husks either being at the far-end of their patrol or having their backs turned to him, Lucas sprinted towards the abandoned carriage with speed guided by his wind reinforcement--reaching the carriage, not more than a second after parting his heel from the soil. 

Landing inside the cart with a vault only matched by an olympian pole vaulter, Lucas fell onto the wooden floorboard without a single noise. 

At the sudden presence of the androgynous mage, the child nearly let out an instinctive scream--only stopped by Lucas' own hand covering the child's mouth. Raising a single finger to his lips, Lucas motioned as if doing a "Shh" to the child. 

Once receiving a single nod from the kid, Lucas removed his hand from their mouth. It was a young boy, likely no older than seven by the looks of things. By his clothes; a snow-white tunic and olive shorts, he didn't seem to be low-class but not some sort of noble either. 

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Lucas asked in a whisper, making sure he wasn't able to be seen from a quick glance into the carriage by a curious husk. 

The child stared at Lucas with fright still present in their shaking, cobalt irises. It took a moment for them to finally respond, "...I-I'm not hurt…"

Hearing their soft, trembling voice as tears visibly held a trail down from their eyes to their cheeks, Lucas felt his prioritized mission fall behind his inclination to save the child right in front of him. Without realizing it, he was holding a worried expression, likely doing nothing to comfort the child with such an exasperated look. 

Forcing a bright smile across his lips, Lucas reassured the child with his faux confidence--placing his hands on the tiny shoulders of the boy. 

"What's your name?"

Asking the child calmly and quietly, Lucas' smile seemed to wash away the unease the boy held in front of the mysterious visitor. 

"F...Finn."

"Finn? That's a wonderful name. I'm Lucas."

Exchanging names and becoming familiar with him, Lucas could see the rapid, frightened breathing of Finn settle down as his eyes finally stopped shaking like marbles in a jar. 

"Where are your parents, Finn?"

Asking this, Lucas sparked a saddened look from Finn as tears lined the boundary of his irises once more, sniffling as he held his hands close to his chest. It was a question Lucas didn't realize was likely hopeless in a scenario such as this. 

"I-I saw it…"

"Saw what, Finn?"

Keeping his attention on the boy, Lucas didn't ignore the looming presence of the husks, taking a brief peek past the tattered curtain veiling the innards of the carriage--still safe, for now. As his hands were kept on Finn's shoulders to keep him calm, Lucas could feel how fervently the boy's body trembled under such a flurry of confusing emotions. 

"My Mother...It got her, the gray men…"

"Gray men?..."

Lucas repeated the term to himself in a whisper, deciphering the meaning of the child's coined nickname for the husks quickly as Finn swallowed his trembling words before continuing. 

"They ate her! I-I...I saw it!"

Recalling tainted memories, the boy's voice grew louder--quickly having his mouth covered by Lucas, who began to sweat at the fear of them being discovered. Getting into a loud scuffle with the patrolling, mindless man-eaters would likely draw in those lurking within the walls of the town--at that point, Lucas feared he wouldn't be able to handle it alone. 

"Finn, calm down. The gray men are still out here; do you want them to eat you up too?"

They were harsh words, but he felt he needed to get the point across concisely for the child, who fervently shook his head in response. 

"Good. What about your dad? Is he?..."

Lucas moved his palm from the boy's lips to give him the chance to speak again. Asked further, Finn gave a slight shake of his head as he looked down, pulling his knees close to his chest as his azure irises washed over with held-back tears. 

"Father...He left me in here, he told me to "stay silent until he comes back"...I've been here since last night now. It was so dark...So scary, I'm hungry and thirsty…"

The child let out all of his hindrances at once, fiddling with his fingers as he mumbled the last half of his spiel. 

"Listen--I'm going to get you out of here, alright?"

Standing himself back up, Lucas prepared himself to figure out a plan to escort the child to safety--all the while Finn looked up at him with doubt in his eyes. 

Frankly, where is "safe" right now? His father might've had the right idea with this carriage--it seems the husks work off of sight and hearing, so they're not going to check the inside of a carriage unless instructed, I imagine, Lucas thought.