Chapter 365: Support

All it needed was a single arrow, precisely shot in between the gaps of the beast's shells. 

Green liquid was spraying as the hole worm rolled and shrieked caused by the pain from Claurette's arrow. 

But the battle won't end just yet, as Ned hurriedly pulled the Krisalix from the ground and focused. 

It was the unknown force that pulled him out-balance. But as soon as Ned focused, he frowned for he did not sense any Mana or some kind of item attached to his body. 

Time is running, and he needed to find out what was happening to him. But time isn't just running for him. It was true to Claurette too. For whoever was putting the unknown force to Ned means that he was nearby. And if he was nearby, its next target might be Claurette. 

The beautiful male archer walked past the trees until he reached the clearing that leads to Ned. But halfway to Ned, he stopped moving. 

He raised his thin eyebrows as he looks at Ned. It seemed that he wasn't able to move just now. 

And so Ned ran toward him with the thought that whoever was behind the force that controls its target was hiding somewhere in the forest. 

"I'll thank you later when we get out of here," said Ned who approached Claurette and hurriedly held his shoulder and pulled him. 

"I—" Claurette wanted to say something, but he stopped midway after the unknown force pulled him away from Ned back to the forest. 

Ned's hand balled to a fist. To battle an unknown enemy, and a beast far stronger than him, he should be more excited. He thought that battling someone to death excites him—but, no. He was rather furious. 

Ned dashed and use the skill Detect as he approached the forest where Cluarette was being pulled. Under his display, there was no lifeforce visible. Still, Ned ran forward toward Claurette. Whoever this archer was, Ned was intended to save him just as how he saved him. No matter what Cluarette's reason was to save him, it doesn't matter to Ned. Ned was always determined to the people that saved him. 

But as though luck was mocking him, the magical beast took its time to recuperate and locked its eyes to Ned. 

Ned had to make it first to Claurette before that beast reached him. 

As Ned dashed to save Claurette, he noticed that the unknown force wasn't tagging him anymore and that made Ned think that whoever was behind the force, could only control one person at a time. 

At first, Ned assumed he was the man who called himself Tailor. But if it was the Tailor, Ned should be dead by now as he was determined to kill him. 

Ned focused. He gave everything he got on that focus, but no matter what, he couldn't find the thread that controls Claurette. It was either a high-tiered kind of magic or some sort of magical item. 

Ned leaped, and conjured Zephyr's spell and latched to Cluarette's leg, and reeled himself closer to the archer. 

As he hovered midair, the beast shot an acid attack aimed at Ned, but the acid made a sizzling sound as it hit nothing but the ground after Ned made sure to evade by pulling himself even faster and closer to Claurette. 

With the Zephyr chains getting shorter, Ned had to disperse the Flame's Worth spell. Both their body then collided after Ned wrapped him with his arms. 

Surprisingly, after the collision, as their body rolled over the ground, Claurette was able to move in which gave Ned a vague understanding as to how the unknown force might work: it was a spell that could be blocked. But still, Ned was confused as to how he could hide the Mana even with him focusing to find it. 

Ned hurriedly stood and pulled the stunned archer off the ground. 

"Thanks," Ned said. Wiping the sweat leaking off his forehead. 

"I've been looking for you—" 

"Save it." Ned adjusted the grip of his sword and spun to face the enraging hole worm. "Find a place and support me." 

Since he's already here, I'll have to use him, Ned thought. 

"How about that magic?" Cluarette ran his finger to the quiver locked behind his back. 

"I'll find him." 

Ned then ran to his right, where the edge of the forest and the wide clearing met. He had to battle three enemies: the hole worm, the mysterious person with the unknown magic (but by now, Ned have a vague idea as to who that person is), and himself (Ned would not have thought that exhaustion was his worst enemy added with him lacking Mana). 

The only way that would explain why Ned couldn't sense the enemy's Mana was that he was using another spell to hide it. This means Ned had to make sure that the unknown magic wouldn't stick to his body once again. If it was a spell like any other else, then it is highly likely that it would react with other spells as well. If it reacts with other spells, then it could be countered. Ned also had the understanding that the spell could only control one person at a time and it needed distance to control it. But when he tried using the skill Detect, Ned wasn't able to find him which even increased his suspension more.

"It wasn't the Tailor," Ned muttered under his suppressed breath as he climbed the nearest tree. Since the hole worm was already locked to him, it was an easy task to lure it. And so it followed it. "But one of his minions." 

As to how they didn't appear under his vision was that the Tailor's puppets don't have any lifeforce to them. 

Less than 400 Mana was still enough for Ned to use the Zephyr chains, but managing was also his priority. 

To counter the unknown spell, Ned conjured Flame's Worth. This time, he forced and wrapped his body. The surrounding area around Ned lit up of raging red as the magically created fire around his body danced in rhythm with the beating of his heart. He then leaped, shoot the chains to another tree, and rounded Claurette. 

Clauerette on the other hand was able to find a good spot for him to act as a shooter. He was above a tree and ready to shoot anytime he wanted to support Ned. 

Ned latched from trees to trees and circled Claurette. If his guess was right, the unknown spell the enemy was conjuring wouldn't work on him as he was wrapped in a flame. All he needed to do was to focus even harder and feel where the Mana was coming from. 

Just in case, Ned activated the skill Detect. He shot chains after chains while Claurette was shooting the hole worm behind. 

After a couple of minutes, Claurette wasn't able to move. And it was that time that Ned showed a grin and his eyes were glaring over a tree not far from Claurette. 

"There," Ned said. He then flipped midair, threw Firelances and Windlances at the beast to distract it, and proceed to the tree not far from the archer. 

A dozen meters away from where Claurette stood was a tree wrapped around with moss. The color of the tree was moldy green. As Ned approaches the tree, he could sense energy not belonging to the tree or any other lifeform. 

Ned flipped and threw himself to the highest part of the tree where a lone branch was a good spot to hide. The air around Ned whistled, he then landed on the branch and immediately withdrew the Krisalix and stabbed a part of the tree where Ned could see light coming from the moon were distorted.

A figure suddenly moved away from the path of the Krisalix leaving Ned a flying kick. 

Surprised that the figure was able to evade his attack, Ned jumped backward to evade the kick. Ned didn't wait any longer, once he landed, he dashed forward and retaliated with a kick that struck the figure over his abdomen. 

Ned's kick made a hollow sound against the figure. 

He once again leaped backward to avoid a hand trying to lock his foot. 

"Five more to go," Ned said.