CHAPTER 1013: CALLED OUT

Renard blasted forward like a thunderbolt torn loose from the heavens.

The ground split beneath his feet as arcs of wild lightning lashed in every direction scorching bark, tearing through branches, and leaving jagged black scars across the soil under him.

Every step he took was swallowed by the next surge, until his body became a streak of living lightning tearing through the forest.

Bolts of the lightning also snapped into the sky above, painting jagged veins of light.

Jan’s eyes narrowed as the shockwave of that reckless charge washed over him.

He clenched his jaw, the raw pressure alone raising the hairs on his arms.

Renard wasn’t holding back in the slightest. He was like a cannon that shot himself straight toward Arty and the others.

Jan’s gut twisted. He knew he couldn’t intercept that storm in time without tearing himself apart.

"Tch..." He ground his teeth, forcing his hand down from his weapon. "I can only hope that Esther, Annette, and Arty are able to handle him without killing him. But can they? Hahh..."

The words were half trust and half resignation.

He knew the three had the strength to meet Renard’s madness head on but he didn’t know if they would be able to stop themselves from beating him too badly.

His gaze darted ahead, catching movement. The other noble, the girl.

She hadn’t moved from her place yet her intent was clear.

Jan’s eyes sharpened as he pushed off, deciding to take her down quickly, without harm if possible.

Just subdue her before she could make a bigger mess.

But then the sky itself broke. A great eagle with wide wings appeared and its shadow blotting the canopy, erupted upward with a shrill cry.

Wind tore through the clearing as it circled once and Jan’s eyes caught the figure astride its back.

The girl was smirking, her gloves glowing, her hair whipped by the wind.

She was riding the beast as if born to it.

"Ahh... damn it." Jan’s mutter slipped through clenched teeth.

Subduing her cleanly was no longer an option. She had height, speed, and fury on her side.

Ilvera leaned low over the eagle, eyes locked only on Arty. Her grin stretched wider as the beast’s wings hammered the air, carrying her straight after Renard. She was also eager to dive into the chaos he had unleashed.

Jan cursed louder this time and spun back toward Hund. "Don’t kill that kid, Hund!" he barked.

Hund glanced at him between ringing clashes of steel, lips curled with a wolf’s humor. "Of course not!"

No more time. Jan’s boots tore into the earth as he turned and sprinting after the trail of lightning and the shadow of wings, every muscle tight with urgency.

Their problem was not just Renard now. Ilvera had joined the hunt, and both were streaking straight toward Arty.

—

Arty’s heart hammered in her chest, but her face showed none of it.

The storm of lightning charging at her, tearing trees apart in its wake, every bolt screaming with feral energy.

But she stepped out from the underbrush with measured grace, her expression sharp.

The forest seemed to bend with the pressure Renard exuded, branches whipping and snapping.

But she stood firm. Her clothes flaring with the wild wind Renard’s arrival pushed at her.

"Arty, you think you can handle him again?" Annette asked with a voice tight with concern. Her eyes darted toward the sky where the eagle wheeled.

Arty’s gaze never left the streak of lightning barreling straight toward her.

"Of course." The words came clipped and hard.

Annette let out a snort, almost a laugh, shaking her head at her own foolishness.

"What am I thinking? Of course you can. But remember, Arty, we can’t kill them. The problem will be bigger later if we do."

"I don’t promise," Arty replied coldly, her eyes narrowing at the chaotic figure of Renard.

"You have to," Esther cut in, her tone sharp, the kind of tone that tolerated no argument. Her hand tightened on her staff. "Maybe break one of their limbs, but don’t kill him. Understand?"

Arty gave a small shrug, as if the matter were trivial. "Alright."

Esther exhaled through her nose, relieved enough to turn her eyes back to the skies.

"Good. You go now. We’ll take care of the girl riding that bird."

Arty inclined her head once in acknowledgment, then stepped forward.

The bushes rustled behind her as she left their cover, walking into the storm’s path with a calm deliberate air. Every line of her body radiated collected focus even as the ground at her feet trembled from the pounding approach of Renard’s charge.

Renard, little more than a streak of searing white-blue light, closed in fast.

His eyes locked onto her with no hesitation or recognition of the risk he brought with him.

Arty’s own gaze hardened.

Her hand rose, fingers curling as faint motes of energy coiled at her side.

Behind her, Annette whispered under her breath, voice meant only for Esther, "She looks too calm."

Esther didn’t answer. Her eyes were locked on the eagle above.

The massive bird was circling lower, Ilvera leaning forward on its back, her grin was wide and annoying.

Esther’s jaw tightened. "We’ll see if that bird can still fly after I put a firebolt through its wing."

Esther planted her feet firmly in the soil, her staff humming as she channeled her Magic energy.

With a sharp movement of her hands, she pointed her staff upward and a bolt of flame streaked towards the bird.

The eagle twisted with a powerful beat of its wings, Ilvera guiding it smoothly out of harm’s way.

Esther didn’t pause. One firebolt became two, then three, then five, each launched in rapid succession like sparks from a forge.

"Haha! Aim better, you idiot!" Ilvera’s mocking laughter echoed as her eagle weaved through the air, dodging each shot with practiced grace.

She leaned forward, riding the rush of wind, utterly confident in her dominance from above.

But then heat licked at her back. A wave of searing warmth rolled over her.

Ilvera’s grin faltered as she twisted in her saddle. Her eyes widened.

The scattered firebolts hadn’t vanished into the air. They were converging, drawn together in midair, fusing into a single sphere of roaring flame. The air was trembling around it.

Esther’s lips curled into a sharp grin. Her staff raised high, the fireball blazing at her command.

"You’re just a kid," she called, her voice cutting through the storm. "And you called me an idiot? Where’s your manners!"

—