Chapter 366: The Signal

If there were others, perhaps, they might be able to help Ned battle both the magical beast and the puppet. But Claurette alone wasn't enough to support him. Yes, he can shoot arrows accurately. But after all, he was an archer. And archers were limited as to what they could do.

Ned made a sidestep into an extension of the branch, holding the Krisalix with his right hand and securing the leather pouch on his other hand. Silver hair, wet from sweat, thwacking over on the back of his neck.

This is bad, Ned thought. He then pointed the sword to the puppet standing tall with the black jacket covering him.

With four days of rest, Ned should have been able to use Overclock. But it seemed that he overdid it last time he used it. Using it now means forcing himself into another uncertain situation. But what could he do with his current situation?

Ned defeated one puppet, but that was due to a surprise attack. But now that the surprise was foiled, the puppet was already prepared for his presence.

As the dreg of moonlight faded to nasty white over the wide plain of cold grasses and trees, Ned looked around for a place that he could make for an advantage. There was none except for the plain. He thought from there he could fight both of them while letting Claurette assist from his spot.

It was bewilderment to Ned that no other candidates were visible in the area. He and Claurette might be the last of the candidates to make their way toward the center.

Ned looked to his left and saw Claurette standing, with bow ready whenever Ned gave the cue. Meters away from him, Ned was able to notice his face frowning in worry.

It's better than alone, Ned thought and said, "I'm counting on you." He then leaped to the bottom of the tree.

For a quick moment, Ned was able to catch a glimpse of rare herbs and mushrooms shining on the ground that would sell for a hefty amount of Picca if he was back at the O'rriadt Island. But with his situation, he doesn't have the luxury of time to gather. His task was simple: defeat the puppet. If he couldn't do that, there was no place for him of being a hunter. He considered it a challenge.

Ned leaped immediately as soon as he landed on the ground. Once he made a good distance between him and the puppet, Ned made a hard turn around a tree and proceed back to plain.

Leaving the forest wasn't so easy after all, the puppet blocked his path. It must be because the puppet doesn't have a mind of his own that he tried to conjure the threads of an unknown force and hooked it to Ned but failed as it made contact with him brimming of red flame wrapping his body.

With the beast cleared of distraction, it coiled to turn to Ned and trailed him, completely ignoring Claurette who kept on shooting arrows to the beast. Not even once he missed. But Ned still wondered if why and how did he found him and for whatever reason that he was helping him.

A cold breeze was grazing Ned's face as though the Flame's Worth wasn't enough to keep him warm. As the threads of fine Mana weren't able to hook on his body, Ned retaliated with Firelances that slightly pushed the puppet back as he parried them with his ceramic hand.

Ned jumped vertically and avoided the beast ram of its head.

The ground made a cracking sound after the beast pulled its head and proceed to follow Ned who, by now, made it back to the plain of grass.

Ned's Mana lowered down to less than 300 after he conjured a Windball that cost him around 60 points of it. Feeling that the wind spell was more than enough, he released it to the worm-like beast.

The beast simply flicked its head and blocked the spell, producing a dazzling wave of dust.

Seconds after the failed attack, arrows rained down the sky, making a whistling sound that hit the back of the beast's head. It was on his nape if it had one.

Ned observed another batch of arrows after the tips made a gleamed under the shaft of the moonlight.

Now, to battle the pair, Ned must increase not just his strength but also his speed. Or he could keep on running toward the center that would give him double the advantage: clearing the first phase, and at the same time he would escape his enemies.

Form the distance between the two, Ned hoped that if he decided to choose his second plan, Claurette was able to follow him.

How about both? Ned thought. He turned around and proceed to run toward the center.

And he was right, the puppet wouldn't let him do just that so easily. The puppet appeared beside Ned, a little more he would be standing behind him.

Ned raised a hand to black the punch that was made into a hook. The sound of a hard object against flesh made Ned hissed with his ears turned red from the force.

Ned took a step behind him, unable to receive the full power of the hook.

As though synchronized, the beast slithered to Ned like a bullet and ram him with its body that threw Ned another dozen meters apart. The beast was even ignoring Claurette even after th arrows were stuck between the gaps of its shells, but wasn't deep enough to hurt it anymore, simply because of the distance.

Bruises from Ned's skin where Silk Road wasn't covering it were visible. Especially the one right over his right eye. Blood came out off of it that Ned had to wipe it for his vision to clear.

"ICE," Ned said. "How many seconds will I be able to use Overclock—"

The puppet made it clear to Ned that stopping in between fights was a bad idea. A wide arc of his right arm was enough to make Ned scowl after he was hit and once again pushed backward.

Ned shifted his weight to his other leg, stopping him from falling, and proceed to retaliate but not to the puppet but the beast. To defeat both of them, Ned had to maim the beast. Once he did, he would fight the puppet all out.

Ned jumped, just in time for ICE to inform Ned about Overclock that will last only 10 seconds.

Flame's Worth was enough for the surrounding to lit in fiery orange of light. Ned thrust forward and face the beast head-on as the latter was readying itself for an acid attack.

The puppet on the other hand dashed Ned, trying to block him once again.

Ned let out a grunt and conjured a Fireball. Flicked his hand, conjured another, flicked his hand then conjured a Firelance.

Fire spells barrages toward the puppet. The spells made a loud boom and crackled as they exploded to the puppet. Ned didn't waste any more time as he proceeds to jump to evade the acid, and landed behind the beast's thick shells.

Ned struck the shell, but the sword only bounced off as it wasn't sharp enough to even put a scrape on its shell. Instead, Ned saw arrows sticking between the gaps and so he pushed them deeper to its flesh.

The beast screeched and shook its body, throwing Ned off balance.

Ned landed on the ground, and just like the puppet once did. He swiftly proceeded to the puppet.

The puppet's cloth: a black leather jacket with long sleeves and hood, was tattered from the aftereffects of spells.

Ned ducked and swept the puppet's feet.

The puppet slanted to his right which took Ned to punch him three times in a row and ended the attack with the slash of Krisalix.

To Ned's surprise, the sword bounced off from the puppet's forearm.

Whitish ceramic were visible from the cut on the puppet's forearm as he evaded backward to avoid Ned's follow-up attack.

Ned got the rhythm, he threw himself like a bullet to the puppet with the Krisalix raised and aimed to the chest of the latter.

But as the puppet was about to block the sword, Ned instantly sensed another figure behind him. Ned abruptly pulled the sword and spun to block—

Ned was thrown far meters away after a kick landed behind his back.

His vision dimmed followed by blood leaking from the gaps of his teeth. Ned stood to face who the figure was.

It was another man in a hood. Rather, another puppet it was. Ned's eyes widened instantly after he saw Claurette bloodied and lying on the ground beside the puppet.

The new puppet reached for Claurette, grabbed him by the neck, and raised him.

But before the puppet could do whatever he wanted, Claurette, slowly, and trembly raised his bow and shoot an arrow toward the sky.

Moments later, the arrow exploded and let out a signal of wide arc in a reddish light.