Chapter 151: Violence

It's very unsettling realizing you're trapped with a violence loving man and his…family. Although, I'm still not sure what his children are doing here.

In fact, I'm not sure what any of them are doing here. Audwin is completely useless. What good is a D-rank?

"Asher…" Kaylin whispers, "What do we do?" she demands. 

I'm not quite sure actually, since pronouncing he's going to fight Serue hasn't done anything else but laugh like a maniac.

"I think we should honour him the first punch."

Kaylin doesn't have to say her piece on this, for the strained, nervous look on her face I can already tell she doesn't agree.

"Seriously? I don't think we want to do that."

"I don't want to be the one to start a fight with kids and an old lady standing around either."

This hushes her up, her eyes fall on the still comatose Aren. So far nothing we've done, from kicking to kicking really hard has worked well to wake him. He's just as much as a liability to us as the kids and the Matron.

Liability? That's it.

"Kaylin, when he attacks, aim for the Matron. I'll endanger the kids."

"Are you fucking serious!" Kaylin screams, throwing whispers to the curb, "That again? No, I'm not doing it!"

"Having a little lover spat, are we?" Serue quips before I can cement my thinking to Kaylin.

Her yelling seems to have dragged him out of his manic laughing state.

"We're not lovers." Kaylin is swift to correct.

Harsh. I wouldn't want to be with an old hag anyway.

"Is that so? Well, either way, you're both going to die in each other's arms, like family."

I scoff, "Is that why you brought your kids and Matron? To have someone's arms to die in?"

He turns his smiling gaze on me, his shoulders shudder as he fights back yet another bout of laughter.

"Good one Asher, but no. I've brought my sons here to learn what it means to be one of House Ire." He turns to look at them, "What do I always say boys?"

Nervously the two boys recite, "Every fool is a learning opportunity."

"That's right." He claps, "And here we have two fools ready to teach us a lesson about what happens when you try to climb a mountain with no limbs."

"Are you the mountain in this scenario?" He nods softly, "And I the limbless climber?" He nods again.

"Huh. Well, let's see what happens why don't we? The Deities are above, always watching, perhaps a miracle will occur?"

Unable to stifle it any further Serue laughs, "Truly! The Deities watch over us, Anera awaits your soul, Asher and Vuius yours Kaylin!"

In a blast so massive it cracks the floor beneath him, Serue, the Mayor begins to rev up with mana. Mana so thick and potent it suffocates.

I'm reminded of a singular presence like this. Maylin.

Only she was able to bring down a force of mana upon my head like this. It's clear and visible to the naked eye, so much of it brimming and now, a mere eternity of a second later I can see it being moulded.

Moulded into a spell I surely don't want to be on the receiving end of.

"Wait!" I scream desperately.

To my surprise the blast of mana stops and I can breathe again. Serue looks confused, Audwin is stricken with awe and the boys are huddled close to the Matrons long black skirt.

"Do you not want to fight? I would have thought for sure you did…since you burned down my home and tried to get at my boys."

I don't answer him, instead I lead with a card that could just as well save my hide, "Anera will not be pleased to have my soul." I pant.

He raises an eyebrow and tilts his head, "Meaning?"

"Meaning? Meaning I'm meant to live, I'm meant to be down here and exist as I please. Anera…she instructed the Synagogue to leave me be. You're a member, aren't you?"

He frowns deeply, trying to process just what I'm saying.

"So…you mean because of some Goddess that is barely present in my life, I should let you go? I should let you take my city, my people, my money and my pride?" 

Oh…was that what I was saying?

"Uh…no not necessarily."

"I have no idea what you're talking about Necromage, but even if I did, and what you say is true…the Synagogue is wholly different from me."

My lips part to offer some more bullshit explanation but it's too late for that. I sense it just a split second before it's set to strike me.

"Asher!" The floor explodes in front of me, rising to just barely shield me from the sharp gust of wind Serue sent my way.

Wincing, I hold onto my nicked arm. The hastily constructed earth wall wasn't enough to take the full brunt of Serue's attack.

Nevertheless, I'm still alive and I realize, albeit in hindsight, how foolish it was of me to try to talk my way out of this. After all, I got myself here all on my own.

"Kaylin!" I yell, my arm outstretched. 

"Watch boys!" He sends out another gust, but Kaylin makes it to my arm just in time not to be a cleanly sliced piece of gravel.

She heaves Aren over on the floor next to us, her eyes panicked.

"Concentrate! We're taking him on." Snapping my fingers, my shield soul – thankfully still reusable – takes form over us, covering all our sides.

"Keep your eyes peeled and watch just how a man of House Ire takes care of idiots!" Swinging his arm in a slash, my shield is immediately assaulted.

The continuous banging and slashing creates grooves in the ground where the Shield doesn't cover and I have to lower it down to cover all bases. 

Wind, as far as I know is a terribly adaptable element. It ought to be the same with magic, if not more so.

"Asher!" Kaylin yells again, "I can't use my magic in here!"

Fuck!

The Soul Shield over us only allows my magic in or out. She can't use her mana to influence anything on the other side of the shield.

"It's fine." I nod, looking to her and Aren, "Can you make a tunnel out of here?" 

"What?" she gasps.

"I can't fight properly with you and him here, this shield is the only think keeping him from making mincemeat out of the both of us, and I'm the only one that can use magic within it."

As I explain I can feel the soul shield begin to give; Serue's hits are just that heavy it seems.

"You have to take Aren away. I'll hold him off, get to Anselm and what's left of the Elves." I take a deep breath as I say this, "And start heading over to Frozia."

She falls silent for a moment, her eyes shifting about in her skull as she thinks.

"So, so what? You'll be right beh-"

"Kaylin! Move!" I don't let her finish, I've been on the end of several questions I can't answer today, I'm not ready for another one.

Her breath hitches but a second later she's starts moving. Using her mana to create a brand-new tunnel she hops in, dragging Aren with her all while I prepare one of the four free souls to take the place of the Soul Shield.

"Asher." She calls out to me, her voice barely above a whisper. I don't look at her. "Make it back to us."

"Are you…Are you trying to run away!" Serue screams outrage. His mana flares and I'm given a break from his assault.

"Kaylin. Move." Is all I say as I begin to prepare a counter to Serue's incoming onslaught of wind.

I can sense the pattern of his mana. Doing so I begin to adjust the Soul Shield, no longer a wide spread dome but a focused hexagonal shape wide enough to cover my body.

As suspected, the wind all around us begins to converge on Serue, in his hand, covering it and the better part of his right arm is a focused, swirling pile of wind.

And it begins to crackle. He narrows his eyes at me and pulls his fist back.

I'm panting, waiting, prepared in all I can for his attack. 

With my shield in place, standing firm as it can with most of its strength and density concentrated into its hexagonal, translucent shape. And in my centre, a boiling mass of several Death Grips ready to be let loose at Serue's limbs, sides, head, neck, all parts of him.

Consumed with anxiety, I'm unaware of when Kaylin leaves, but it doesn't matter, so long as she's gone and safe. 

Serue, his feet boosted with wind as well, launches himself at me, the vortex in his right arm cocked and ready to blast me to hell.

And then, his fist lands and just as he said, it lands with violence.