The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 358: The overseeing elder

Chapter 358: The overseeing elder

"How could they escape, Carl?"

It was a rare occasion of Jonathan losing control. He seethed. The old Transformation Stage Guardian cowered under his furious gaze. The other three trembled, trying their best to hide from Jonathan’s sight – an impossible task considering their enormous sizes.

"I don’t know, Sir," Carl stammered. "We have been stationed here the entire time and didn’t budge from our place. We even took care of bodily needs right there in the corner."

’That explains the rancid smell,’ Hex lampooned. He sneaked behind the Guardians and inspected the rooms. Jonathan was too busy berating his team to take note of him.

The first room was empty without any signs of someone breaking out of it. It was the room in which the Witchkin’s leader, the one who seemed to think she was at the same level as Elize, had been imprisoned.

A soft glow of silvery light flashed on the back of Hex’s hand.

’It’s like I suspected. There are traces of Space elements still present in this room.’

The moment he laid his eyes on the empty rooms his hunch turned to conviction. He knew those Serpents were delivered to the two ladies. The purpose remained unknown. Worse, the perpetrator remained unknown.

There were only two people Hex deemed capable of pulling the wool over the eyes of an Enlightened Knight: Jonathan, and...his mother.

’Her mastery over the Veil of Death surpassess mine. And she is the only person inside this camp who knows the value of these Serpents, aside from Elize. Plus, the freed ladies are loyal followers of hers.’

His heart sank thinking about his mother like this. He had hoped her current version to be the good and innocent girl he had read about in the diaries.

’It could all have been a lie,’ a soft voice in his head whispered. Hex hoped not. But the evidence did point toward her. And him.

He looked at Jonathan. It had taken the leader of the Guardians a lot of time to calm down. Hex saw the shadow of a figure fall on the steps. Elize had arrived. Hex ignored her though.

There was still one more room to inspect. He wandered inside the second one that had held the second in command of the Witchkin residing near the City of Changing Colors.

’There are no traces of Space elements inside this room. So, the one in command escaped using Space-related abilities but she didn’t take her second in command with her,’ Hex concluded with a frown. ’Then how did that one escape?’

It was not too hard. He knew what to look for. Either it had used the Earth element and or the traits of a Lava Bat.

The lack of windows rendered the abilities to a Lava Bat almost useless. She couldn’t have flown away.

’That leaves the Earth Element.’

Hex studied the ground. His experience with the Sand Burial Monarch taught him to never dismiss the layers below the surface. Not against an Earth element user.

’There.’

After some careful inspection he noticed a slight depression in the floor. It lay inconspicuously in the corner, partially covered by the straw mattress on the floor. Few would think to check that area.

"Found anything?"

At some point Elize and Jonathan had reached an agreement of sorts and had entered the room. He had been too focused to notice their arrival. Not that it mattered.

He told and showed them what he discovered, glazing over the Space-related stuff. It would be best to let Jonathan assume he had access to some artifact that enabled him to sense Space. After all, he already knew about his Darkness affinity. Showing more than one element would gather unnecessary attention.

They followed the lead and went outside the camp.

"Where did they go?"

"Why did they escape?"

Jonathan and Elize asked simultaneously. Neither expected an answer. But this time, they received one.

"Siiiir!" A Guardian hollered as he ran towards them. He was coming from one of the watchtowers that led toward the core territory.

"Sir, it’s urgent!" He shouted. "We just received a call for help. The coach of the Elder is under attack."

The three of them glanced at each other. None spoke a word.

Giant, golden-colored wings appeared on Elize’s back. She had not used them since Hex met her the first time. He had almost forgotten she had them.

She flapped them, blasting the air behind her, and shot toward the direction the coach was supposed to be.

Jonathan was only a step behind. He stepped against the ground, causing the mud to explode. Hex slipped silently into a different layer to prevent mud splatter. Loud thuds came from the distance, each step of Jonathan leaving small craters in his trail.

"I will be leaving too," Hex said to the Guardians around him, who were still gaping at the display of power from Elize and Jonathan.

Boom!

Flex Step!

Hex jumped into the sky, performing consecutive steps in the air. His movement was far slower than the other two, causing the Guardians to lose interest in him. Just as he hoped they would. Once the distance between him and the camp was sufficient, he put more haste into his steps.

Blink Step.

His increased control over Space elements helped him create Space pockets, increasing the speed at which he could move. By now, his discomfort from using Blink Step had disappeared completely. He could utilize the Technique with ease.

Soon, he saw billowing smoke and overturned carriages. Darkness hung in the air as two figures clashed against a small group of people huddled around the only remaining coach.

By the time Hex saw them, Jonathan and Eliza had reached the coach. Hex expected the battle to finish the following moment. But to his surprise, that didn’t happen.

The moment Elize appeared near the coach, he sensed the Space split into several layers, entrapping her.

Jonathan also was in for a surprise. The last step he placed was followed by an extreme explosion from below the ground. A large mushroom-like cloud appeared. The blast was strong enough to even throw Hex back, even though he was some distance away from the core of the explosion.

Hex grimaced. This wouldn’t be as easy as he had thought.

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