3-17 Placate

3-17 Placate

Aedan had taken only a single step out of the bush and Aera’s glare was already drawn to his direction; a glare of bloodshot eyes. The bleeding bite wound on her shoulder was even more glaring than her eyes.

Aera got off of the mangled vampire, Claudia, and walked with even steps towards her sudden unexpected guest. “Who are you…?” she asked in a growl.

“Someone who doesn’t mean you any harm,” Aedan answered with his hands thrown up. “As for my name, you can call me Aedan.”

“Aedan… your name is nice to the ear but it is Irrelevant...” she said in a raspy voice. “Just get out of my sight.”

“I can’t do that. I have something to ask you and you need to get that wound looked at.”

“Leave me alone...” Her glare narrowed. “Or else...” she added.

“Or else what? Or else you’ll attack me? You’ll turn my face into a bloody pulp as you did to that vampire over there?”

“...Yes,” she said with a faint nod. “So… you have been watching me… Then, you should know what I’m liable to do...”

“I don’t doubt your words but there are some things that I must know. As for your wound, I can heal it for you.”

“Leave… me… alone.”

Aedan took another step forward.

“You really want to get hurt…?”

“There’s no need for violence, fair lady.”

“Fair lady… Do I even look like a lady now, let alone a fair lady...?”

“You’re suffering… I can tell. I can also help you.”

“Help me!?” Aera screamed. “You think that’s what I want!?”

“...Clearly not,” Aedan admitted.

“I don’t need your help!” she roared. Her foot kicked off the ground and she leapt into the air, her fist raised.

Aedan caught her fist as it came down. She pulled her hand back and thrust out another punch. Aedan slapped that fist away without any effort. His nonchalant demeanour only made the flames of her fury grow. She cried like a beast and launched both of her fists at him. Aedan opened his palms to block the fists but he underestimated Aera’s strength.

“What the f—!” Aedan’s curse was cut off as he was sent flying through the air. He flew over the two Fae and crashed into the trees far away from Aera.

“Oh my...” Lilian gasped. “That’s unnerving.”

“What an idiot,” Nivia muttered. “He should have listened. But as expected of a Dragon’s pride.”

“Nivia, we’re exposed,” Lilian said and pointed at Aera—

—who was staring straight at the two. “I should have known. The two of you are too stubborn to leave me alone.”

“You misunderstood, kind missy,” Lilian said. “It was not my decision nor was it hers to bother you. We have actually advised this man here to avoid you as you do not like to be disturbed.”

“You led him to me...”

“As I have said, you misunder—” Lilian didn’t get to finish her explanation when Nivia pulled her aside and Aera’s fist devastated the poor grasses where Lilian once stood.

“She doesn’t listen,” Nivia remarked.

“Neither do all of you,” Aera retorted with a shiver in her voice. “I told you all to stay away from me! And why do you all keep appearing before me!”

Lilian raised a wall of rock before her but it was easily broken through by Aera’s feral swing of her fist. Roots erupted from the soil and constricted all four of Aera’s limbs but the wrathful Apostle tore free of the restraints without difficulty. More roots erupted from the soil and vines descended from the trees and surrounded Aera from all sides. With a warcry, Aera broke free of all the constrictions and the flames of her fury burned ever greater.

Aera rushed at Lilian without a shred of hesitation to kill all too apparent in her eyes. Nivia stepped in front of Lilian and fired an arrow at Aera. The arrow bounced off of the charging Aera. Nivia clicked her tongue and quickly nocked another arrow, this time imbuing the arrow with Wind Magic. She released her fingers on the string and let the arrow fly to its mark.

Aera didn’t dodge the arrow as she didn’t presume much of the arrow. And she paid the price. The magic-imbued arrow pierced through her skin and dug into her flesh. Aera came to a stop and looked at her left shoulder that was pierced by an arrow. She plucked the arrow out of her shoulder and snapped it into halve with her grip. Coupled with the vampire’s bite wound, blood trickled down her body incessantly like a leaking rusty faucet.

But none of it was stopping Aera’s rampage. She roared and charged at the two.

“She’s seriously mad,” Nivia remarked.

“Interesting observation, Nivia,” Lilian responded.

“Oh shut up,” Nivia grumbled. She nocked another arrow and like before, she imbued it with Wind Magic. Closing one of her eyes, she fired the arrow.

In response, flames appeared and enveloped Aera’s fists. She punched the arrow aimed for her and instantly turned it into ashes.

“Fire Magic?” Nivia blurted out.

“Oh my. Now that’s different,” Lilian muttered. “That’s no Fire Magic. That’s literally her flames of fury.”

Nivia clicked her tongue again and withdrew her arrow into the quiver. She holstered her bow and drew her twin swords. “Cover me,” she said and dove right into Aera’s assault.

Aera swung her flaming fist but Nivia dodged under the hook and countered with an upper slash. Perhaps lacking the piercing power of an arrow, her slash drew only a shallow cut on Aera’s skin. Aera launched another swing but Nivia used the wind to push herself away from the attack. She also moved right back in by riding on the wind.

Aera guarded a slash with her forearm and guarded another with the other arm. She tried to grab the Elf but she was too fast for Aera, not that Aera herself was slow in her movements. Nivia was just that nimble. She could follow the Elf’s movement but that didn’t mean her body also could. Just as she found the Elf’s vulnerable moment, her movement was slowed by roots that shot out from the ground. The roots couldn’t hold her forever but it was long enough for the Elf to escape the danger.

They exchanged blows which none of them was able to deal any meaningful damage to one another. Nivia had her blunder moments compensated by Lilian’s use of Earth and Nature Magic. Aera received only shallow cuts but her glaring wound around her shoulder was beginning to take its toll. Her movement began to slow drastically as the Elf landed a clean kick right to her jaw. She stumbled back, tripping on a pebble before falling to the ground after. It was a blunder that wouldn’t have happened had it not been for her grave wound. However, this blunder changed only a little of the battle’s tides. Planting a foot firmly to the ground, Aera retaliated with a wide hook.

Lilian reeled Nivia away from Aera’s swing using the vines she commanded through the trees.

“Ow!” Nivia cried, clutching at her cheek. A fresh red scar was apparent on her skin.

“She got you?” Lilian asked.

“No,” Nivia answered. “But the heat of her flames grazed me. It’s truly no normal flames. It felt like a blade, a searing blade.”

The flames on Aera’s fists turned violet and spread to her whole arm. The veins on her face glowed the same vibrant colour.

“Violet flames?” Lilian gasped. “What manner of Magic Art is this?”

“Damn it,” Nivia cursed. “How do we get ourselves in this situation?”

“Allow me to apologize for that,” Aedan said— from behind Aera.

The wrathful Apostle spun around to meet a palm smacking right into her face. She was quick to stick a foot behind her, preventing herself from stumbling. She countered with a straight but Aedan dove under her punch and tossed himself at her. Tackling her to the ground, the two went rolling across the soil. The violet flames turned his clothes to ashes but his skin was left unharmed.

A tinge of confusion appeared on Aera’s face but she recovered quick enough to dodge an attack from Aedan. Realizing his attack missed, he retreated a few steps away from Aera.

“Such cowardice...” Aera mocked with a scowl. “Dare to hit but don't dare to be hit.”

“And you’re just bitter that you’re too slow to match my movements.”

Her scowl deepened at Aedan’s words. The violet flames grew in response to her emotion.

“Aedan, what are you doing?” Nivia shouted. “We’re supposed to assuage her, not the opposite.”

“There’s more than one way to douse a flame than pleasant words,” Aedan replied with a smirk. “Don’t interfere. I angered her. It’s my responsibility.”

Seeing his grin, Aera’s face contorted further with anger. She rushed at Aedan with the flames burning fiercer and fiercer.

Aedan was nonchalant as usual. He battered a feral jab away and countered with a straight into her jaws. Barely fazing her, Aera retaliated with a hook of her other arm. Aedan raised his elbow and let her knuckles crack against the joint. Aedan struck his palm at her chin from below. She flinched but not enough to make her stumble. With a cry of rage and indignance, she threw wild hooks at Aedan but the Dragon-kin deflected her blow with her momentum. Neutralizing the series of her attacks, he retaliated with a palm strike into her abdomen.

Aera felt all the air within her was forced out of her lungs. Dazzled by the momentary loss of air in her body, Aedan threw a straight right at her where her ribs were. The cracking sound was a good indicator of his straight’s effectiveness. Without a stop in his consecutive successful attacks, he sent another straight to her jaws. This time, Aera was caught off guard and she stumbled back, breaking her posture.

Before she could recover, Aedan seized this window to once again tackle her to the ground. A surprise one after another, Aera couldn’t respond appropriately. Aedan quickly had Aera trapped in his grasp. He looped his arms around Aera’s and connected his fingers behind her head. To completely restrain her movements, he even wrapped his legs around her waist. At a glance, it looked like a compromising position that should only be done in private but in truth, it was a very effective method to restrict one’s movement using one’s own body.

“Let me go!!” Aera shouted into the air after struggling in futility for a while. Her strength was indeed great but in the end, levels weren’t completely irrelevant like she believed. Aedan’s level outmatched hers by many folds. Even with a power granted by a Divine, she could not break free of his hold.

A small object appeared in his hand which he took it out from his subspace storage. The object was of a small vial with a thin needle attached to one side, a syringe. Within the vial was a translucent red liquid.

“Let’s hope this works,” Aedan said and stuck the needle into Aera’s neck, injecting the liquid into her.

Feeling the prickling sensation and the strange liquid entering her body, her rage flared up and gave her enough strength to break free of Aedan’s hold. It was only possible since Aedan had also loosened his grasp. Nevertheless, he was thrown through the air and tumbled across the ground.

“What did you just do to me?!” Aera roared at the Dragon-kin.

“You’re about to find out,” Aedan answered briefly.

Not satisfied with Aedan’s response, she charged at him but halfway through, the violet flames disappeared from her arms. “W-what…?” she blurted out. “W-what’s happening…?” she said as her world began to spin. The steps she took were no longer straight.

“Thank you, Erin,” Aedan muttered under his breath.

“What did you d-do to m-me…?” Aera asked, her wobbly steps taking her everywhere except the direction she desired.

“Do you still wish to fight? Do you still desire to kill me?”

“I— I— I… I don’t…” she said. “...Why? What’s happening…?” She clutched her wound and her face showed her pain as she winced. “It hurts… It hurts so much… It didn’t hurt before...”

“Just get some rest. You’re with friends now. Let us help.”

“I have… no… friends...” were her last words before her eyelids went shut and she collapsed to the ground.

“Well, now that’s over with,” Aedan said and sighed, letting himself fall to the ground on his rear.

“What did you do?” Nivia threw the same question as she slowly approached the sleeping Aera.

“Was that some kind of magic potion that puts her to sleep?” Lilian asked.

“Let’s just say I gave her something that suppresses her power. She fell asleep because her power was what’s keeping her awake.”

“A potion to suppress one’s power...” Nivia mused. “Is that even safe?”

“It’s safe,” Aedan said.

“Have you used it before?”

“Of course. How else would I know it’s safe?”

Nivia eyed Aedan dubiously. “How many people have you used it on?”

Grinning, Aedan answered, “just one.”