The flood shifted right before everyone’s eyes. The current of water halted completely and stopped its relentless assault on the ice walls. It was as if everyone was frozen in time for a good few seconds and it immediately struck the minds of the people present.
“Huh?”
Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire
“What…?”
“Am I seeing things right?”
“The water! It stopped!!”
Isla ignored all the yells and noises around her and focused all her mind on the task at hand as it required all her effort to pull it off. As her hands moved away from one another, the water started magically splitting in half from the middle.
The cut moved through the flood, splitting it in real-time as the mercenaries watched with their jaws dropped to the ground. It was simply a sight they could’ve never even imagined in their wildest dreams. However, it was happening right now and it was as real as it could get.
As the water split in half, the current slowly resumed as the water changed direction completely, moving around the settlement walls.
Isla’s face frowned as she felt immense pressure on her entire body as she controlled the water and guided it away from the settlement. The pain she felt in her arms was immense, and the amount of mana she was using was making her dizzy.
‘I can’t stop yet…’ She clenched her teeth and forced that pain to the back of her mind.
“She’s changing the water current!”
“What am I even seeing?!”
“How is this possible?!”
As the water slowly swept away, the tension on the ice walls lessened greatly. All the strong currents cut through a different path, circling around the settlement and going down the path to the lake.
“… Build the walls at an angle to keep the water moving in the same current!” Isla yelled.
“Huh?”
“Move! I can’t hold this for long.” She replied.
The mercenaries snapped out of their daze and realized what was happening. It was obvious how horrifying this feat was and the girl that was pulling it off was struggling to keep it going. They had to help her.
So, without wasting time, they immediately went to work and started casting the ice walls adjacent to the water. This simple change made the biggest difference as the ice walls were now simply guiding the water rather than resisting it which makes the task way easier and far less damaging to the ice.
Meanwhile, Isla’s hands started shaking as beads of sweat fell down her forehead. Her pale skin grew even paler, and she could barely feel her arms anymore. It was a horrible feeling. But, for the sake of her goal, she held on for as long as she could possibly do.
“Hurry…” She muttered under her breath. “I need… to find… Arthur…”
All her mind was thinking of was Arthur and how she would need to find him. She knew that he would be fine since he knew how to handle all kinds of situations, but she couldn’t stop herself from feeling very uneasy for some reason. It was a game, and Arthur wouldn’t die even if he got killed inside the game.
There was really no threat to his life or his well being and she was bound to see him tomorrow. However, even when she knew, and even when she knew how strong he was… Isla just couldn’t feel any less worried.
A voice in her head was telling her that something was going really wrong. That Arthur might be in great trouble. That was why she wanted to reach him as soon as possible and fix everything.
‘Wait for me, Arthur.’
***
Far away in the distance, the mercenary squad was moving down east to the Akora River. That was when Arthur suddenly stopped and looked up as if he heard something. His eyes focused on the sky above him as he stood there like a statue.
“Hm?”
“Is everything ok, Arthur?” Deka noticed that very quickly and called for him.
“…”
“Hey, Arthur.” She called again when he didn’t respond.
“Uh…” That was when he snapped out of it and looked at her. “What is it?”
“Why did you suddenly stop? Is everything ok?”
“… Yeah, everything is good.” Arthur nodded with a quiet tone. ‘What was that feeling? I swear I heard someone calling for me. Maybe I’m just imagining things.’ He mused.
Shaking those thoughts away, Arthur followed after Deka as they continued moving at a steady pace. They had been walking for almost two hours non-stop. The weather was getting harsher and harsher and the group was getting really exhausted.
Their conditions were already bad enough as they are and yet they had to make a very long trip on foot in deadly weather. It was not particularly a good situation. But, nobody complained as they tried to keep their energy and focus on taking the next step.
No monster attacked them during the entire trip. Even the noises they heard in the distance were far enough that they didn’t have to worry about being found.
‘We have been walking for so long, and the day is nearing its end.’ Arthur thought to himself as he put his hands in his pockets. ‘Is it even possible to make it there by midnight?’
Arthur knew that with time, the group would need a break. They have been walking for so long, and they weren’t even supposed to be doing that. They needed to rest and recover from their injuries.
“Agh… My back…”
“I can’t feel my legs anymore…”
Their occasional complaints were very worrying for Deka as she kept encouraging them to continue moving. She didn’t know what else she could do.
‘They’re reaching their limit… We need a break.’ The woman thought to herself with a sigh.
“Ok, everyone. We will take a small break in ten minutes. We need to drink some water and recover.” She declared loudly.
“What?”
“We can still move, Deka…”
“We can’t stop now. Monsters might smell our traces.”
The group naturally complained as they didn’t want to hinder their progress. They must reach the River before midnight or they would be in deep trouble. The environment of the first floor at night was simply not a place where humans should be.
“Look at yourselves, you can barely walk anymore. If we take a break now then we will be able to hurry later on.” Deka retorted. “Don’t object.”
“…”
Immediately, all the mercenaries went silent, unable to reply to her argument. Deep down, they desperately needed that break so it was pointless to complain.
‘Her arguments are surprisingly sharp and hard to counter.’ Arthur laughed to himself. ‘I wonder what a conversation between her and Isla would sound li-‘
Reaching that thought, Arthur’s face froze for a moment before a weird glint flashed across his eyes. He was reminded of something very annoying and the bitter taste came back to his mouth.
Looking down, he sucked a deep breath. Even though his mind had been focused on this trip, he still didn’t forget about Isla and what happened.
“The things I do to myself…” He muttered.
A//N: Thank you all for the gifts, golden tickets, and PS. Let’s keep it up!