The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 235: At the mansion (1)

Chapter 235: At the mansion (1)

Hex rushed through the sky, braving against the onslaught of turbulent winds.

Flex Step - Eight Step!

Hex pushed his limits. Each consecutive step was shorter than the one preceding it. But Hex didn’t stop. The increasing amount of destruction urged him to reach the Temple at his quickest speed. But an equally important reason was the group behind him.

Ella’s shriek, reminiscent of a Heartless creature, pierced through the howls and roars. Hex glanced over his shoulders. The look on Ella’s deranged face...priceless. The beautiful face reminded him of pictures of hags seen in books at the cloister...only Ella’s eyes held more madness than the figures in the pictures.

Woosh!

Hex’s ear twitched. Despite the deafening noises around him, he heard the faint sound of something sliding toward him. Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw an object coming straight at him.

Flex Step - Ninth Step!

He used his technique to dodge behind a building. The object didn’t adjust its trajectory. With a thud, Hex landed on the ground. Before he straightened his body, the wall behind him shattered. The object - Hex could see it from near now - was a wooden stake. Its head looked stumped.

Despite going through a thick wall, the stake hit the ground with enough power to put a crack in the bricked pavement.

Hex retrieved a Disaster crystal from his pouch. His scavenger instinct helped him pick a few up when he left the Temple. The bodies, burst open by the old man, eased the collecting of the crystals.

With the building in the line of both parties, he readied the medium-sized tool. Unlike the others, Hex relied on his sensory abilities toward energies. The three in his pursuit reached the other side of the building.

’One...’

’...Two...’

’...Three!’

At the final count, the three people appeared above the building. They looked down. But instead of seeing Hex, they saw a hollow tool lit up. Ella’s face distorted. She wanted to scream. But the explosion rumbled the loudest.

Hex didn’t wait to see the result. Wiping the trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth, he threw the bag on his back and ran. This time he didn’t use the Flex Step. No, he ran in giant strides. His second blessing surpassed the technique when he didn’t need to worry about noise or drawing attention.

The tiles shattered under his feet. But each step covered tens of meters. He reached the gate in seconds. It took great willpower to remain calm when he passed the gate.

The fog was long gone. As were the buildings and even portions of the wall. In fact, the gate opening dwarfed compared to the gap in the wall.

Hex rushed through the Temple district. Giant caters filled the floor. Smouldering embers, puddles of water, and tears - it looked like a predatory bird clawed around - lay scattered all around.

Looking up, he noticed the shrunk phantom of the Hawk. It still flew. But it missed a claw. He didn’t see the arrow-shaped phantom nor the halberd in the sky. The Duke missed a horn and rainbow-colored cloth slithered around his body. His bulging pectoral muscles and steaming nostrils gave his predicament away. He was being constricted.

A bit farther, he saw the Gatekeeper and the old man who came with the ship. Hex couldn’t follow their movement. All he saw were bright flames that disappeared as quickly as they appeared, followed by steam. A lot of steam. Even sound couldn’t keep up with their speed. The cracks and sizzles only spread after the steam disappeared.

The Temple district lay in waste. Nothing, except the Temple stood. And even the Temple looked as if it could collapse anytime.

Hex didn’t stop at the Temple. Elena’s innocent face flashed before him but he shook his head. Even if he tried, there was nothing he could do to save her. Even with all the treasures and artifacts he wouldn’t survive against the King. He just knew that.

’I hope you survive all this chaos. I hope you won’t hate me for what I am about to do. And I certainly hope that I survive this too!’

With a wry smile, he rushed past the Temple. Soon, he reached the graveyard but he didn’t stop. The archway at the front had collapsed. The grave seemed to have split in three.

Hex didn’t see the Hawks. But he sensed a team on the other side. They still battled. To his dismay, he didn’t sense their opponent. That could mean only one thing.

’A Calamity? Weren’t things bad enough?’

Hex suppressed the urge to join them. Old Gargoyle was with them and Hex trusted Althea’s ability. It didn’t mean he believed she could best a Calamity but her ability to lead and keep her team safe, surpassed anything he had seen. She was a natural leader. Not something Hex could claim to be. He was like a lonely rat. Scurrying, surviving, and biting others in the shadows.

’Finally.’

His target came in sight. Like the other buildings, the mansion collapsed. But that didn’t halt his steps. The thing he needed, was not above ground.

He reached the rubble and wondered whether he would need a dustrag first. But sometimes, especially when nothing seemed to work out, a little luck appeared. The stair leading to the place with the Frost Dragon lay free of rubble and dirt.

’That’s what I am talking about.’

A silver lining was all that was needed. Even if that line was a spiral. And even if that spiral went downward. And what did it matter if the downward place was filled with darkness?

With a last glance at the battle in the sky - he was happy and worried to see the Gatekeeper pushed back to the Temple - he rushed along the stairs.

Soon, the noise disappeared. Only his steps echoed. But once he passed the floor below, he heard another noise. A noise of a battle.

Confused, he stepped on the floor - the one just above the floor with the crystal - and froze. Literally. Ice crystals wrapped around his ankles.

’What the hell is this now?’