Ocular to the Dying Sun

Forgive Me; part 4

“Good, the sliver is bright and clear. This is good Uran, your son is alive and well. Nearer even than we expect.” Ugnile said as he looked back to Uran whose face lessened its tension as he saw the light of the thread. “My Agulman can only last five minutes in one cast, we need to search for him in this bracket before we have to recast the spell again.”

Uran nodded, partially aware of how an Aguulman works. “Thank you Ugnile,” as he said this, the sound of an engine, discreet humming. He looked around and saw the two Festoons rising from the side of the Sunflora.

The nearest Festoon from the right is commandeered Ronata with an extra crew member under Esie, while the other is driven by Lotois with Luri along with one crew member that also belonged with Esies’. There was no time to bother with other things, Uran pointed Ugnile and Eran to Ronata, while Thera and Erizoma automatically rode on Lotois’.

“Five minutes. Follow the Agulman’s thread,” Uran said as he raised the compact where the thread of white light started. “From there we can start to search for our overboard young ones. Failure is not an option, let’s do our best to make sure they’re safe!”

Whirring the engine, Ronata and Lotois started to raise the Festoon, a five-man carrier lean hovercraft that could fly ten meters above the trees or higher depending on the magic fed within the core of the engine. The energy that needs to expand around itself solely relies on the shard energy it uses for the propeller and rudder at the back. Though it can be used to rise high and hover above the clouds, lighter than an airship, it is still dangerous to use, especially for rowdier environments or unfavorable weather.

Their goal is to hover and glide through the now Dire-eater-infested skies, just the skies, below the ground had a mixture of destroyed spots of land. Though most of those look old, there are new ones, both with a corpse of a Dire-Sprout well sliced or crushed, or mutilated in a way through magic. There are a few traces of mutilated human corpses mixed in through this chaos, and none of this is settling any person’s nerves.

Uran’s eyes didn’t stray from the thread although he could see through his peripherals what kind of environment they were passing through, even the bright lights of a fiery blaze and wind gusts used as weapons to fight against the tough exterior of the Dire-eaters. Many of the Dire-Sprouts are dauntless with their insatiable hunger for shards, but the defense of the Prime Magician could be sensed from their distance when a burst of light energy pushed several of the medium-sized Dire-eaters, even mildly shaking the Festoons.

Many of them are aware of the high concentration of magic a Prime Magician could produce, but to the extent that they couldn’t even see a glimpse of the Prime Magician’s physical body yet sense their magic brings them in awe internally. Even Uran who could not care more for such a high figure of power can attest to how amazed he is at feeling such warmth envelop him as he felt the wind through his face and his soul.

“There, the thread is thickening, we’re nearing his location,” said Ugnile who eyed the thread to their right, just in time a medium-sized Dire-eater passed through but suddenly swerve in their direction as a group of Sari-rider burst forth from left and right of the creature and attack it with their guns.

Blue and green sparks burst on the medium-sized Dire-eater’s skin, making its body quiver and sway, letting its other limbs almost hit its surrounding. Smashing nearby trees, ground, and all relevant solid objects in way of its trajectory, just like their Festoons.

In a show of instinct, Ronata had already moved their Festoon directly to the west just enough to miss the wobbling head of the panicking medium-sized Dire-eater. Wails of its pain could rock every tree’s branches around but did not affect anything else, at least that’s how it looks from a viewer’s perspective. But witnessing this in a distance with relevant concern or worry drives everyone in each Festoon, from Ronata to the last person in their group sweat in panic.

Still, Ronata and Lotois stayed true to their initiative until they both found places to land enough near ground despite the differing locations. Once the medium-sized Dire-eater land as it lay twitching while the Sari-riders hound it with more shots of their guns, their group swerved away and nearer to the thick light of the Agulman’s thread. Reaching the ground, all hands knew that they needed to move out but waited for Uran to signal them.

Seeing the thread thinning in its effect, Uran handed Ugnile the Agulman and let him cast the magic to activate it, only to be disturbed by a large silver arm of a Dire-eater. Uran had the instinct to dodge, pulling Ugnile and dragging Ronata who held the others along with.

Avoiding the now limp hand and scurrying Sari creatures that evaded the other appendages of the monster did not bother to look in their direction twice as the adrenaline surged the riders, shouting their commands and rage. Finding leverage from one of the riders, they surged forward to shoot their final shot, only to be brutally swiped by five Dire-Sprout that speedily wriggled from out of nowhere. Protecting the medium-sized Dire-eater, having the Sari and rider crushed in the sprout of blood and shrieks.

Ugnile pulled out his gun and activated the shards within it to produce blue and light blue magic from its barrel, aiming with intensity, he shot at the pointed heads of the Sprouts. The area of the creature where they perceive or see-through, and renders a few of them blind, however, this prompts them to notice their group, making them the target.

“F—,” Ugnile cursed as he pushed one of their group, and Eran bravely assisted Ronata by protecting her and pulling out her two baton-like weapons.

Diving towards them, their reflexes slowed at the surprise at the Sprouts’ attack, yet it was rendered halted by Uran, in his lean stature, bear-hugged the head of the Sprout from below. His leg stance looked tense but sturdy as he purposefully pressed onto the area he hugged and crushed it in seconds before heavily swiping its body to an oncoming other Sprout and successfully halting it with its ally.

The others rushed to a different location at the now scurrying creatures after them but found they had halted with a beam of light sliced their bodies in sections a presence stepped on the medium-sized Dire-eater and a voice of a woman spoke a spell that burned the creatures to death. None of them looked back at the awe of her prowess but Uran could feel the skin on his nape shiver in a mix of what he felt like fear but also a tinge of excitement.

He’d let the rest of them run forward, sparing the aftermath of the magic spell blast as he felt the heat of its effect. Temptation racked his brain to look around, if he did, he would have seen the same effeminate amber almond eyes that stare back at him in his youth, but that’s not something he’d easily remember just by watching a strong magician tear Dire-eater’s apart.

Not with his son and the children of his crew still in the presence of the forest in chaos could he watch languid at what possible entertainment this whole havoc of misfortune in front of them. Ugnile and Eran instinctively located where the other Festoon landed, almost on the head end of the medium-sized Dire-eater. They found their way to Lotois’ group, looking unscathed but dirtied enough.

They’ve already found Keia and Ochre, Ronata’s son, who in unison hugged their respective parents. Lotois carried his daughter with ugly tear stains on his dirty face and mustache as the girl hid under her father’s neck. While Ochre hugged Luri, his second mother, and tried his best to stay strong despite his pale disposition. There was another child in the arm of the crew member, but it was covered with the crew member’s shirt as if to hide the body.

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