Chapter 115: Chapter 115

TRISTAN:

F*ck these rogues! How the hell did they find us?

“Hold on tight,” at roared to Dahlia on my back. She must probably still be surprised for she said nothing although her grip against my neck had tightened.

Was this Samalah’s doing? I made sure I stayed close to Dahlia as much as I could to mask her scent, but since two of us were now both Shadow wolves, the masking magic I used must not have been enough…

As expected, the rogues will have a hard time following us, but those flying skeletal dragons won’t!

I swerved away from one just in time as its bony talons swooped down from a nearby tree.

The flying thing was average in size, possibly just around the size of a baobab tree. However, its wingspan was several meters in length.

I can’t even imagine how it was flying with just its bones, but I guess the glowing spirit stone placed in its heart would answer for that.

“W-What is that thing,” Dahlia finally shouted as she recovered from her initial shock.

“Dragon bones. The one flying it must be a magic wielder,” I said to my mate.

“Samalah – we need to go back for her!”

“No,” I growled. “She could take care of herself!”

“But -”

“No buts! She knows what to do… I won’t be surprised if she was even the one who called them over,” I said despite of myself.

“What?”

Just then, the second flying dragon bone appeared, its spirit stone emitting a dark green hue. I dodged more closely into the bushes just to shake them all off and buy us some time.

“Dahlia, listen. I’ll be using my magic to hide us. Don’t make any sound. If you have to say something, use a mind link, alright?”

“B-But I can’t… I don’t know how…”

“You will know. You are my mate! You can do this. I trust you!”

As soon as I said that, I released it – the full power of my spirit stone. I felt the magic of my rune burning against Arthur’s head, and I channeled it to hide us from our pursuers.

Tendrils of black smoke coiled all around us. I felt Dahlia’s hand clutch around my fur more tightly than ever as she looked around the black, magical flame that started to consume us, enveloping us thoroughly as we ran.

‘Don’t be afraid, Dahlia,’ I said through our mind-link. ‘These flames won’t hurt you. They are flames of invisibility. It will mask our presence and our scent.’

‘Y-Yes,’ I heard Dahlly faintly answer through our shared connection.

Despite becoming hidden from plain sight, I must still be very careful. The rogues that manned those flying dragon bones looked like they were sharp hunters. They would still be able to locate us through the sounds of our feet and our breathing.

I tried to be as quiet as I could as I maneuver through the forest. However, as expected, this is a forest, and dried twigs and leaves that crack under the weight of my feet were inevitable. I could sense the dragon bones swoop down towards the direction I was trudging.

‘No, Naskan!’

At the same moment I heard Dahlia’s scream in my mind, something solid seemed to come in between the flesh of my back.

Darn it! They were using arrows!

‘Dahlia, stay low. No matter what happens, don’t let go of me. I’ll take you somewhere safe, I promise...’

Just then, I felt another sharp pain at my rear paw. I struggled not to yell in order not to give our location away from our pursuers.

‘Naskan… Naskan, are you alright?’

I didn’t answer Dahlia. Instead, I ran doubly faster.

I have to lose them. I had to get my mate out of here!

In the distance up ahead, I saw an uneven terrain with large, stony structures.

Suddenly, I had an idea. I just hoped it would work…

‘Dahlia, I will take our camouflage away for a moment. Don’t let go of me, you hear?’

‘Yes!’

Despite the growing numbness in my back and thigh, I ran ahead while shedding away the flames of invisibility I set up for a moment.

“Got you,” I heard a booming shout from above us. I clenched my teeth, hoping to the Goddess that this would work!

The dragon bones immediately hovered above us, casting fierce shadows in our midst. I can feel Dahlia’s hands clutching at my back very tightly.

‘Trust me, Dahlly. Don’t let go!’

I ran into the uneven, sandy ground underneath the stony structures as sleekly as I could. One of the stupid dragon bone wielders tried to swoop down, sending his skeletal pet into a shattering crash as they collided with the enormous jagged stones on top of us.

That’s one down, and one more to go!

Another arrow swerved past behind me as I sprinted. It only missed me by some inches.

‘Dahlly, are you alright,’ I asked my mate from behind.

‘Yes, don’t worry about me. Keep running,’ she said.

My temples were starting to throb, and Arthur’s body was starting to feel heavier and heavier. Darn those poisoned arrows! I must lose this last monster and get Dahlly to safety as soon as I could!

‘Naskan, what’s happening? Are you alright?’

I tried to run further, but I could feel my muscles beginning to stiffen as more and more arrows are hurled towards us.

I cannot run anymore. I must turn around to face them…

‘Dahlia, I’ll let you down. Please take cover… I’ll distract it while you run.’

‘No! Don’t leave me, Naskan!’

‘I’m sorry… Please run. I’ll come find you, I promise.’

I turned around to face the enemy. I lowered Dahlia from my back, but she wounded her arms even tighter.

‘Dahlly, run,’ I screamed in my head.

‘No! You said you are my mate, right? You said it pained you to be separated with me. Then, don’t leave me again!’

I had no time to argue. There was still a hunter rogue on top of a dragon bone that was aiming an arrow at us. I barred my fangs at him, ready to collide with him and his skeletal pet.

At the rate that our blasted foe was flying, Dahlia won’t make it out of here unscathed even if I hurl her away for her own safety. The only thing left was for me to do was to crush these enemies head on without injuring my mate…

‘Moon Goddess, keep my Dahlia safe,’ I prayed fervently in my heart as the flying beast and its pilot rogue came closer.

I thought it was definitely the end as I poised myself to leap as they attacked, but something totally outrageous took place.

A beam of intense red and orange light shot out from behind me, melting the dragon bones as well as its exposed rune stone in an intense and rapid rate.

I could only guess where it came from… Seeing part of Dahlia’s outstretched hand and feeling traces of the red ruby’s magic could only mean that she was able to use magic on her own just now.

I wanted to ask her how she did it. Did her memories return as she channeled the power of the red ruby? Can she remember who I was now?

I wanted to ask her, but I couldn’t. At that exact moment, I felt my heart palpitate rapidly before it finally stopped, the poison in the arrows overtaking my body completely…