Chapter 54: Strange Duo

"Ned, hold on tight!" cried Sir Edwin. Maneuvering the gryphon to increase its speed. 

Flapping its wings the gryphon took the Knight and Ned towards the port. Ned and Sir Edwin rode the gryphon after they left the Gate. Making their way across the hills going to the port—where a merchant ship was waiting for their arrival. 

Halfway above the forests, Ned sensed danger trailing them. Looking back, the dark, and bony structure of a dragon followed them in the sky. 

The Devourer, leisurely taking its time following the flying beast. Under the dark sky, its blue chest kept on shining, emitting a dangerous and exciting mass of energy. Opening its jaw, a mass of dark and purple energy formed. Firing towards the flying steed. 

Riding the Gryphon for years, Sir Edwin successfully evaded the beam of energy, emitting a blinding light that overcomes even that of the upcoming sun. 

But Sir Edwin took the victory too early, followed the first beam, was another, bigger and deadlier attack of the Devourer. Hitting the gryphon by its wing, painful growled echoed the sky. Rolling over and over, eventually, the knight gained control midair. 

"You did well," said Sir Edwin. Brushing the top of the gryphon's back, making it moan with satisfaction. 

Forcefully gripping and swaying the leather strap, the knight forced the gryphon to roll over the sky, making their head turned upside down. With Ned gripping the saddle of the flying beast and seeing the island upside down. Ned knew what the Knight planned. 

"Ned! Let go! We'll have to jump from here!" cried Sir Edwin. Letting go of the strap, he let the gravity do its job and pull him downwards. 

Ned let go of the gryphon's strap, even though he knew he had no other means to land on the ground safely.

Falling down from the sky, with the sun almost up, a streak of light made its way into the port, Ned took a glance at the port, he saw hundreds of dots going towards the port. Speculating them for ghouls. At the end of the port, he saw lights, striking the dark moving dots. A bolt of lightning strikes everywhere, making a bright light, that flashes. The rest were too dark and too far to perceive, but Ned imagined them to be survivors fighting the horde of ghouls. 

Seconds later, the view was blocked by sky-reaching trees. Missing half the battle of the port. Ned saw that the ground was almost at reach.

But instead of landing on the ground, with broken bones or maybe dying. Ned was carried by a force, making his landing smooth as possible. Wind magic, Ned wandered. 

Indeed it was wind magic, invoke by the Knight before the two of them hit the ground. 

After landing inside the deep gloomy forest. Ned and Sir Edwin ran to the town. Evading a number of ghouls trying to overrun them. Reaching the edge of the market, the two were eventually cornered by the mindless beasts. 

"Ned! I can't hold them any longer!" cried Sir Edwin. Slashing hundreds of ghouls and alghouls blocking their way while he waits for Ned who was lagging behind his back.

Hours after they left the gate, the sun almost shined up, it was dawn when they arrived at the town. The town was piled with bodies, making it a market of selectable goods exclusive only for ghouls. 

That Remedy Potion was indeed helpful, yet its effect was slower than I've expected. Inspect Ned, dashing towards the knight. 

With hundreds of ghouls trailing them, Ned and the Knight must find a way to survive and reach the port. 

Seeing an abandoned shelter, its chimney was smoking dark, made of bricks, and piped with iron walls. Ned motioned at the Knight. "Edwin! There!" Pointing at the shelter that appeared to be a blacksmith house. 

"Go! I'll hold them here!" 

Entering the blacksmith shop, Ned saw two ghouls leisurely feasting on a human body. But, it was too late for the ghouls to notice an unknown intruder, their heads plopped before they could turn there gaze towards Ned.

With the blacksmith shop cleared, Ned gazes through the gap of the window, seeing the knight defending himself from the horde coming their way. "Edwin! Now!"

With the signal, Sir Edwin raised his sword, then a cyclone of wind imbued his body. With a loud shout, he released the wind off his body. Slashing hundreds of upcoming ghouls. Leaving a huge gap between him and the more that are coming. 

Running and hiding inside the blacksmith's house, Ned and the Knight took this chance to rethink their options. 

"Impossible," said Ned, gazing his eyes on the tools that were suspended by the walls of the shop. "We can't make it through."

"What is it this time, kid?" asked Sir Edwin.  Pulling a vial of options out from his spatial inventory. 

The vial looked to be bluish-liquid, it was different from the one Ned took before—the Remedy Potion. The vial was smaller but still as smooth as how Ned looked at it. Blue, must be an energy potion. Ned pondered.

"Again, don't call me, kid," said Ned. "What's that?" He rolled his eyes to the vial the knight was holding. 

The knight shrugged his shoulders, he smirked then handed the other vial to Ned. "Energy potions," he said. "Enough for us to make it through the port."

"I already told you, it's impossible," reminded Ned, uncovering the vial, it responded with satisfactory sound. He then gulped it empty. Making him feel more energized and refreshed. 

[Energy level is at 100%.]

Noticed ICE. To think that I could use another Overclock with just this small amount of Energy potion. I need to get a hand on this one, that is if I leave this island, alive. Ned made a mental note. 

"Why?" asked the knight. 

"Inside the gate, the inner town was overrun by those mindless beasts," replied Ned. Moving his way into the corner, where the dead ghouls and the dead body marked the spot. 

Blood stuck to Ned's leather boots, making a footprint of blood with his sole. Iron smell oozed that surrounds the entire room. At the corner was where the window was, sunlight made its way inside the room. With the sun landing on the island, Ned saw how crystal the outside was. Bodies scattered the cobblestone ground, the flesh was half-eaten, dots and dots of flying insects buzzed alongside the lifeless bodies. Shelters made of woods, lucky enough if it was made of bricks like the one they were in now, some with mud, showing how desperate McGreedy was to divide the island with class. Outside were peasants, gravediggers, and many other low-class jobs. A contrast from the inside, where wealthy merchants roam the plaza, leisurely. 

But it doesn't matter if one was a farmer, fisher, or a wealthy merchant. What Ned saw was all the same. Mutilated bodies of peasant alongside the wealthy merchant. 

"Without my steed, it will indeed prove difficult," said Sir Edwin. Gazing his thoughts outside the hills, where the ramble of footsteps was getting louder and louder. "Killing them wad easy, but their number. Their number worries me," added the knight. 

"So what now? what's your plan Edwin," asked Ned. Confused, he walked towards the dead body of the man, his gut was wide open by the ghoul's aimless jaws. His head was intact, its built was plump, which made to Ned to the conclusion that he might have died overrun by the ghouls. Leaning at the dead man, Ned moved his head closer to it. He knitted his brows. "Last night, I saw one of a dead human turned to mindless ones after they were bitten by this ghouls."

"Must be from their core," said Sir Edwin. "For humans, especially the Hollow one's, Core were not yet formed. Which means, no Core, no space to store the Mana. But even if humans formed a core at an early age if it was weak, then overtaking their mind will be very easy. Especially if one doesn't have any Core. Formed." 

"So you're saying humans can have cores too?" Ned was surprised by these revelations. All this time he's been eating magical creature's core. He wandered. What if he ate a human core?

"Of course, normally, Cores formed at the age of ten, up to fourteen. If humans can't form a core after the age of fourteen, they will become Hollows for the rest of their life," Sir Edwin explained. 

"Master, never told me about this," Ned muttered. "What about me? Master Will said I'm different."

"Mention your Master's name again, I will make sure, I will cripple you," the knight said narrowing his eyes and gripping the handle of his sword. "He never mentioned it to you, cause at first he thought you're a Hollow. And he already told you, you're Unique. How Unique? I don't know, and I don't care. I just need the Mark, and maybe, maybe, I'm might change my mind killing your Master."

"Just to let you know, knight," Ned stood, walked, and looked the knight with an intent to kill. "Just because I'm helping you doesn't mean I already like you. Don't worry, give me time, I'll be the one to cripple you." 

The knight turned red. And laugh! "Ha! No wonder your idiot Master liked you, you're both the same, wishing for things you couldn't have. Even for a hundred years kid, you'll never be able to touch the hair of me, let alone killing me? Ha! You're such a—"

A blur aimed into his head, making the knight jumped backward. And to his instinct, he draws open his sword. 

"Looks like a hundred years was more than enough to kill you over and over again, Edwin," Ned said to the surprised knight. 

Narrowing his eyes, blood tore from his cheek. Making Ned's attack to be successful, even just a scrape. Hearing the tremble coming near. The knight focused. And sheathed his sword with the thought of complete blind. What have you created?