Philosopher's Stone

05

Leatrix huffed, "did he just fucking swallow the Philosopher's Stone?!"

The momentum of the fight drastically dropped, as the fighters as well as Warwick had no clue on what line of action to take next.

It took some moments for Leatrix to get it together, "Kael!" She called out, sending a straight line kick to Warwick's face, manipulating her magic to make her foot ten times heavier.

The white-haired boy looked in her direction in recognition of his name, "grab the boy and board the ship!" She cried out, placing one foot on the back of Warwick's head, keeping him pinned to the ground.

"Bitch." The captain cursed under his breath, struggling to move against the strong pull emanating from her single foot.

"Understood," Kael responded, turning towards Leo, who was swarmed with pirates and invaders.

"No, you don't!"

"You think we'd let you pass us by kid?!"

The two pirates who had earlier led Leo to the battleground, emerged from the shadows, raising swords over their heads, wanting to take the glory for wiping out the enemy's vanguard.

"Don't get in my way," Kael said all while walking forward, as though he did not even see them as a threat.

Through the opening they created, he spread his arms abroad, and then conjured an ice needle in each palm. His aloof approach aggravated the men into attacking blindly, aiming for his small neck.

"Kid, don't underestimate us!" A loud cry from the shorter of the two signaled his buddy to swing at the same time, not caring that they were going after someone so young.

However, their blades never even came in touch with the young boy, talk less of causing any damage. Instead, they both found themselves falling onto the shaky deck, a transparent icy needle, sticking out from their chests.

"Get him!" One of the larger men charged, swinging a long hammer with spikes sticking out at Kael, trying to keep him away. The youngster hissed under his breath, then leaped onto the handle of the weapon, using his size and agility to his advantage.

Leo on the other hand was caught up between two sides, the pirates who would definitely rip him up afterward and retrieve the stone. And the invaders, led by Leatrix, whose intentions he still wasn't sure of.

"Wait for a second fellas..." Leo said with his palms in the air, trying to signal he meant no harm.

He looked around him but saw no way out, enemies and the people who he assumed were dangerous flocked to each of his sides, eager to get their hands on him.

'No escaping this one, I'm going to die because of this fucking stone!' he curled his fingers into a fist, unaware that some strange symbols suddenly appeared on the back of his dark red glowing palms.

The men closest to him who noticed it tried to alert the others of the strange change in Leo's hands. But, right before they could, a smallish figure broke right through the crowd, hooking his right arm around Leo's waist as he fled!

Leo blinked twice and looked at the kid who was effortlessly lifting him, despite being on the shorter side.

"Don't fall off, you'll die," Kael said to Leo, puzzling the young man over what he meant by fall off.

Unannounced, the young boy tossed Leo over his shoulder, making it easier for him to run forward, jumping over and kicking the pirates that tried to block his way!

"What the hell is going on here?!" A panicked Leo cried out, as Kael reached the forecastle deck, which was less crowded.

From that vantage, Leo could see the deep blue sea and a large ship close by which the invaders had come through. He was so fixated on the sights, that he failed to realize the sea was getting closer by the second.

Why?

Because Kael was approaching the ship's bowsprit, and by the look of things he had no intention of stopping.

"Hey, kid, you're getting pretty frickin close to the water," Leo remarked in a shaky tone, struggling against the boy's tight grip on his lower back.

'This kid's grip strength is something else.' he remarked, wavering between the lines of being afraid or being impressed.

Fortunately, Kael suddenly stopped walking backward, Leo heaved a sigh of relief, glad that he had come to his senses. Or so he thought.

"Yer lil game ends right here." The familiar voice of the husky dark-skinned man announced, his heavy footsteps making the entire bowsprit shake.

"Hey, hey, I'm still here!" Leo flapped his arms around and kicked the air, resembling a child throwing a tantrum.

"Geev us back dee lad n' I wount steek my claw into the middle of yer head!" He roared in a loud voice, sending chills down Leo's spine.

His mind flashed back to the dead woman's body he found at the last cabin and the claw wedged deep in her face. A gasp escaped his lips as he came to a sudden realization.

"Don't tell me, he..."

Kael stole a glance at the sea from the corner of his eye, the waves were rough due to the unsettling fight happening on the main deck. The gathering and deploying of Mana to cast spells was messing with the environment.

"What kind of magic do you use?" Kael whispered to Leo's hearing alone.

"The I don't want to die kind!" Leo retorted, getting a bad feeling over the way Kael discreetly took slow steps backward. He had a gut feeling that there was something wrong in this kid's head.

And he was definitely right to trust his instinct.

"Die!" The buff beast man lunged forward with his sharp claws and enlarged fists, in response Kael did the unthinkable to avoid the fast incoming claw aimed at his face.

He tossed Leo overboard, into the cold unforgiving sea, having waves that rocked the entire ship!

"You crazy bastard!" Leo panicked, falling to his demise with outstretched hands.

"If only I could reach..." He gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes shut, waiting to be overwhelmed by freezing sea water, flooding up his nostrils and mouth ultimately suffocating him to death.

"Light feet!" Kael's voice chanted, as his arm wrapped itself around Leo's lower abdomen. A petrified Leo opened his eyes, only to witness something he never knew was possible.

All while carrying an adult male, Kael was running across the raging sea barefooted! The sea upon contact with his feet would turn to solid ice, making for the perfect getaway.

"Amazing," Leo muttered under his breath enthralled by his speed and confidence in his ability.

Just as they were getting closer to their destination, a violent wave sprung up from no freaking where heading straight for the duo.

"Turn back! We're gonna die!" Leo cried, Kael nodded, tightening his grip around his hostage's abdomen, prepping them for the next line of action.

Picking up the pace, taking advantage of the wind behind him, he bent his knees and then jumped right into the middle of the moving violent mass of water!

"You suicidal..."

"Ice glissade," Kael whispered, shutting Leo up as his feet landed on the water, turning it into ice. Still taking advantage of the wind, he slid one leg back and then lunged forward, giving his body the added boost to glide down the raging wave, as though it were a slide!

"Holy..." Leo was once again left at a loss for words when a backlash from the stopped wave almost threw them off course.

Fortunately, he was with the level-headed Kael who didn't hesitate to kick the water, turning it into a large block of ice. Which he effortlessly smashed with the sole of his feet, shattering it into smaller fragments.

Knitting his brows against each other, he cursed, "don't get in my way!" and then jumped into another wave, repeating the same chant, gliding down the turbulent mass of water.

A determined look in his eyes to carry out his mission no matter what lengths he'd have to go through.

As Kael interchanged between running on water and gliding waves, dragging the older man like a rag doll, allowing his feet to dip in the salty sea.

Leo could help but cry out in defeat, "Just what the fuck is going on here?!"