Chapter 22 - Last of the Kastarian race

Eric started calming down after he yelled out what he stood for from the top of his lungs. His courage was made certain. Against all odds he argued against that woman who had a clear upper advantage at that specific moment. He literally could of been killed just because of an argument but he still stood his ground. Anyone can take your life but not what you believe in.

Giving this offer a short thought, he decided to agree with her. It would be amazing to have the Calidum Lutum's support against this Civil War bottled in land l.u.s.t. Although, he isn't sure that he can provide what he aims for which is very similar to what this Woman requested. Success is uncertain, but how would he know what the results will be if he doesn't at least try?! So he kept his promises and offers short due to uncertainty. "You have my word. We will make Ignis one again. At this rate, any help goes a long way. We are basically scraping to survive. Which is why we are here in the first place. We needed a place to hide. We ran from a beast like person back at Crutal Kingdom."

The Women stood in confusion, not understanding how a Fire Mage who out battled tens of her men, fail against one person. You can't find people who can outmatch the Calidum Lutum too often, they are the definition of manbeasts and the only indomitable race (well at least in this underground town). "The all powerful Electus fled a battle? What possible circ.u.mstances brought you to the point of fleeing?"

Hearing her surprise(which seems like a mood out of the ordinary for this moody woman), Eric gets a bit uncomfortable from the question she asked. I mean even if he hides it well, he got very discouraged because of failing to kill that manbeast(The King) back at Crutal Kingdom. Sighing to let out his stress, he proceeded to reply while forming improper sentences due to his stress and overall social anxiety towards new people. "Well technically i discovered my powers.. I did less than a week ago. Back at Crutal Kingdom, the manbeast... my powers had an outburst once the ill.u.s.tratio threatened to kill my companion.

I took out almost half of the Kingdom, but the manbeast... But whatever faced me, was straight up a level six Fire Wizard. Maybe even more. My shots didn't even touch him."

Eric's face was becoming massively red by the passing moment as he explained their tragedy to this fairly stunning woman. Sure he had no trouble forming sentences and push away Social anxiety(which is a shade of shyness) when he was arguing his points of view out towards her. But now? The conversation between them is a little bit friendlier.

So he simply became shy of her presence, forgetting about rage and being nervous about not saying anything stupid or not appearing weird. The Calidum Lutum men behind the woman saw it clearly but didn't react to it at all, they were a little bit nervous since even they know that he is a Fire Mage, thinking it's an Ignite thing and that he might start breathing Fire. But the woman on the other hand, had a sense of what was going on, and even though she didn't react to it so he wouldn't explode out of shyness, she did find it ridiculously adorable.

"Smooth." Replied Mogranius from a distance as he was analyzing the Calidum Lutum. Admiring them enough to invade their personal space. Until he was tossed all the way near the Cave's entrance. And the two normal people barely even reacted to it. Eric knows Mogranius enough that he got used to such nonsense while this woman couldn't care less while Mogranius seems to be leaving a permanent print above the Cave's entrance. Art is beautiful.

Although struggling just a little bit to understand Eric, this Woman furthermore became impressed by his Fire Controlling abilities. She proceeded to actually genuinely compliment(something that had very slim chances of happening). "It looks like a battle worthy of song. You will outcompete your opposition eventually, don't worry about it."

She even threw in support? Perhaps she noticed that this kid is under anxiety not only because he was talking to an attractive Woman, but also because he was quite possibly holding the burden of a Continent over his shoulders. His courage and motive is big, but burden will follow anyone no matter what. It is a terrible and beautiful part of life.

Seeing the conversation reaching an end, she felt it appropriate to finally assist these people. Living in a cave isn't easy after all(even though it provides fairly good protection from the unpredictable weather and the strong morning cold), the daily necessities makes it hard.

We don't value daily necessities before life forces us to live without them. If you can't appreciate little things, your appreciation towards anything be it big or small will fade eventually. "Follow us and we will escort you to our great underground town. Do you have more people in your little group here or is it only you and this old goof?"

Replying in a tremendously c.o.c.ky voice(very confident with himself absolutely no doubt), but also clearly putting in an attempt to flirt. "You mean the old goof you already love?"

Grabbing Mogranius' attempt and as if tossing it against the ground and stepping on it with both feet, she boldly replied with a face as stiff and serious as a plank. "No!"

Used of Mogranius' nonsense, Eric focused on the current most important matter. "There are two more of us, well 3 if you include our Horse BlackWind. The other two are my father Woldemir who is great with a Sword. And another man who is fairly a mastermind, called Stefan. He found the bravery to sacrifice all he worked for in his life to free our land." Feeling that he praised Stefan too much, he felt it fair to assure her that. "You will notice that he complains a lot though. So I hope that's not a problem, miss?"

"Call me Alia. Commander Alia." Replied the Woman with half a smile across her lips. Her eyes however seemed tired, almost reactionless to emotion. Perhaps, this situation is reminding her of her past. Perhaps she feels tired and drained out. She seems lost in her thoughts.

Ignoring that different look, convincing himself that this is some sort of personality trait for her, he proceeded to say. "Alright Commander Alia, lead the way." Afterwards he turned his attention towards Mogranius and said, "Go find my Father, Stefan and of course most importantly, BlackWind."

Mogranius simply nodded in agreement and almost started blasting Fire out of his feet, but Commander Alia stopped him.

Waving for him to stop on his track, sunk his mind into nervousness and his mind went through countless thoughts. But her order was as simple as it could get. "That won't be necessary. My men will hunt them down and bring them here, you two relax and just follow me." Seeing what her town put both of these people through, she didn't find it fair to make any of them work more after this. They need to relax.

Trying to find the words to explain the situation, his face became redder by the second and he started mumbling his sentences again even though they weren't so complex. "Oh well in that case, tell them to look... the main road to look. We made plans to meet up... Horse. No, there meet once... you know, we beat whoever threw the lava at us."

Making his social anxiety and overall shyness towards new people even worse, Commander Alia turned towards Eric, grabbed his cheeks and squeezes them like she would do to a child. With a playful tone she teased.

"Look at you. All grown up and planning battles. Adorable, simply adorable." She finished off as she squeezed her cheeks strong enough to lift him off the ground by an inch. I suppose her weakness are children, she can't resist teasing them and or playing with them.

Feeling a bit of jealousy, no doubt wanting that attention from Commander Alia all for himself and himself only, he didn't hesitate for a second to interrupt the teasing by saying. "Hey i'm adorable too."

Ignoring the nonsense she got a little bit used too by now(even though, she couldn't help but agreeing with his sentence even if it is just a little bit, to make it clear she didn't agree with him out loud). She turned to the ten foot tall Calidum Lutum guards and with a surprisingly foreign language, she fills both of the Ignite's heads with question marks, because they didn't understand a thing.

"Ta Astek yi sa garam ai er capit sada, asta ersa sadpu kempos.(This translates too "Two People can be found at the main road, bring them here alive.")."

The huge Calidum Lutum leader grunts and his two companions start walking out of the cave and search for Woldemir and Stefan once surprisingly understanding his grunting Command. Well more like they had to crawl out of the cave like a cat. The exit barely fits BlackWind through.

Feeling assured with her men's work the other three will be here in no time, she felt it appropriate to assure these two as well. "Your companions will be shortly with us, so cross that out of your list of concerns for today. Follow me too the great Underground town of Lan Zhe."

It seems like quite a walk to reach it, they have been walking for about 5 minutes and the tunnel doesn't seem to find an end. At this case, they could do more with their time instead of just staying awkwardly silent and Mogranius just drooling while looking at Commander Alia who diss comfortably bursts out that, "I will stab you to death look.", every time she catches him staring. Point is, he barely glanced anywhere else but in the back of her head and burst in emotion due to it, but Commander Alia understood it wrong.

It was weird for him to break the silence considering that he gets very nervous any time he isn't arguing with her. But if he doesn't distract her, she will stab Mogranius eventually. Breaking the silence, Eric proceeded to ask. "So Commander Alia. How did you end up here with the Calidum Lutum? I never saw someone like you before. What race are you?"

Feeling like a horse kicked her heart as soon as he heard that question, Commander Alia stops on her spot and with a rough tone she answers. "I come from another Continent. Or at least it used to be a Continent. About two hundred years ago when I first got here, i got here for a reason. Rather desperate."

Finally snapping out of his nonsense (at least for a little while) and able to put two and two together, he sprinted towards her, blocking her path with his hands raised in front of him in excitement. "Precisely two hundred years ago you say? Could it have any connection with me appearing here. I mean i teleported here after a spell gone wrong."

Although not very surprised that such luck would fall on Mogranius, she decided to agree with him and give out the final piece of information of which sheds of the strongest light on this tragedy. "It might have. Several spells went wrong after...the source died out."

Both of them not having the slightest idea what the source is, Commander Alia once noticing their lack of knowledge that would be considered basic in her Continent, she sighed in a little bit of diss satisfaction while holding her forehead and proceeded to explain this topic further. "The source that granted Teleportation Powers to Witches and Wizards in my Continent. Just like you have a source that granted and is still granting you Fire Powers, each other magic power has a source."

"Whaaa."

"Legend has it that, none of us can see them, none of us can touch them, some say its mythical. But i'm sure at your journeys you will eventually run into the sources. Point is, every continent has a source, it's just almost impossible to find it."

Now feeling a bit positive that Commander Alia has or used to have powers, he formed a little theory which he felt that he had to prove it true. Plus he wanted to sound smarter in front of her. "So meaning you accidentally teleported here as well?"

Finding it a trauma to talk about this tragedy to begin with, she felt like she has what it takes to recall this part and explain it to these two. That's all the mental energy she had left. "No. When the source died, so did my Continent. It seemed like the end of the world started. The earth greatly trembled, trees turned from rich with life to dead dark and the wind took them away in crumbled pieces, birds fell from the sky, some landing on people and killing them. Mountains literally falling down into nothingness."

"Then how did you escape such disaster."

"I made a run for it and hit the ocean.

A sudden explosion appeared on the continent. It knocked me out. And i found myself beached on another continent. Ignis.(here)."

Both Eric and Mogranius are shocked by this disaster, they were at a loss of words and didn't know how to react to it, or to this woman who was shivering uncontrollably once she started recalling this traumatic disaster, I suppose she miscalculated her mental energy. Seeing such strong individual feel weak, made the two feel even weaker. Trying his best to comfort her, trying to help her let go of this seemingly irreversible disaster that for no doubt she has been holding in her heart for 200 years. Mogranius comforts her by saying, "It must feel terrible losing an entire continent just like that. Your family, friends, everyone. I could never relate to your pain enough to know a way to comfort you properly. But i can see that the Calidum Lutum filled the empty spot of friends and family in your heart." At such a sentence uttered from his mouth, she hated him just a little bit less now. Because it sounded rather mature for a goof of his kind.

Subconsciously reaching in for a hug without even realizing it herself, she held Mogranius very tightly and uttered. "Indeed they did. But that won't change the fact that a Continent of 400,000 people died that day. I am the last of the Kastarian race."

Upon realization that she actually hugged Mogranius even though she didn't aim too, she quickly backed off and slapped him(not too hard though) and yelled. "Don't ever hug me again."

"Wow that woman can slap!" Yelled out Mogranius even more. The slap felt like nothing because his face was already boiling red, which helped form some sort of resistance from the slap. His body heat increasing stronger is how she noticed that she was hugging him. He found this sudden burst of reaction very adorable, and he knew it was just an intense reaction when one is suddenly too shy.

And it is fair to say that her heart is pounding strong in embarrassment now even though she would never admit upon it and kept a strict face with a small little blush forcibly breaking above her cheeks which was quite beyond her control.

"Shut up and follow me." She turned around and started walking forwards, so no one can see her blush.