Underground Chaos

Amanda is being single-minded as she rush ahead of the group. Her eyes were narrowed as she focus ahead as she lead, making swift turns and maneuvers whenever she makes a turn. She is also expending her power in the process, as if so she can reach Zeian just a bit more sooner.

Canna and the rest had trouble catching up to her as they regulated their own magic.

All living beings has magic in this world, and in Amanda's group that Oliphym met, their current group was cut above the rest when it comes to proficiency and talent.

Canna is watching Amanda's figure with worry, but she also understands and feel the same way if she was in her place. If she can help it, she'd also want to see Zeian sooner. Although it was not long, what was important for Amanda also became important for Canna, and she is sure this goes the same for the rest of the group.

Canna wanted to talk to Amanda, but in their state, she just couldn't bring herself to do so. The group remained silent and just exerted effort in reaching their destination.

When they reached the end of the tunnel, they seemed to have thought that they are under an ancient ruined-cathedral that was buried under the ground. They came to a stop as they observe the chaos unfold.

Purple flames lit the place and the first thing they saw was the chaos happening in front of them. They saw hideous creatures crawling on fours, and some walking on two legs, pull themselves out of a dark pond, and even more kept coming out of it.

"Sister Amanda!" a familiar voice reached her ear as she looked towards her side.

It was Dune, and following her was Oliphym as they approach her.  They looked more tired and she noticed also Oliphym's bleeding hand. They looked like they just got away from a fight. Amanda was glad to see they are safe. But her gaze also wandered on them as if to look for something.

"Are you alright? Big brother, what happened to your hand? Where are Zeian and Wisteria? "

"I'll be fine, more importantly-" Oliphym looked at Dune. Though he felt his bleeding hand turn numb, he had already wrapped it with cloth to even lessen the bleeding.

"Big sister, the kids are there in that pond! Zeian and Wisteria are there too! Those people tried to capture us too but we got away." Dune explained as she pointed her hands towards the chaos ahead of them.

"We have to be careful. These people are also against some woman they call witch. She seemed to have colluded with them before, but anyway, she is the one holding the kids, and she is the one summoning those monsters out of that bloody pond!" Oliphym followed, trying to inform Amanda as brief as he could.

"Big sis! We cannot get involved in that fight. We better go around it and get the children out!" Canna advised as the rest of the group also got prepared.

"Let's do it!" Amanda agreed as the group moved around as quiet as possible. As they got closer some water creatures started to head their direction as well.

Amanda slayed the first that attacked them, and the group got engaged into the fight as they got closer to the pond.

The robed leader was also with his subordinates as they also fight their way towards the traitor. This is the worse thing he had handled so far. He is so not pleased with that woman turning back on her words. He swore to kill her before this gets more out of hand. He finally noticed Amanda's group and he got more furious, but the horde of water creatures was in between them, so he exerted more effort. "Damn iiittt!!"

Its when they got closer, Amanda finally noticed the person behind the horde they are facing. She felt she recognised her but she wasn't certain.

CLANG!

Amanda heard a sword clash near her, so she turned her head and noticed a person holding a pair of scimitar tried attacked her, but she saw Canna blocked it for her. "Big sis! Go!"

Canna shouted as she wield her thin sword and clashed with the robed leader. Amanda nodded I return as she moved forward, making her way towards the pond.

"Don't get in my way! It's all your fault this messed up!!" the robed leader shouted. He is so mad and angry things aren't going his way.

Canna grit her teeth as she parried his sword strikes and slashed his body. His emotion left him with so many openings she managed to catch him off guard. The robed leader was surprised as he jumped away, but his robe was torn half it came off.

Canna's eyes widened and her expression became more heavy as her glare became for ferocious, gripping her sword firmly as she saw her opponent's appearance. "Hunter Chariot! It was the Zhou Empire after all!"

"Haha! I never expected someone from this rundown place would recognize me. Have we met?" Hunter smiled but his eyes was even more impatient due to the fact their origin was discovered. He wasn't wounded heavily as he had an armor under his clothes, showing his affiliation to the Zhou Empire.

Canna was even more annoyed at his attitude as she deliver more sword strikes at him without replying.

The rest of the group got closer but they were met with more resistance and hindrances from the monsters crawling out of the pond that seemed endless.

"We can't get near the kids! That person is controlling these monsters!" Dune shouted as she pointed at Halle who is on the higher ground, then with her earth magic, she blasted a water creature away with force.

Amanda nodded without a word as she glared at Halle, who is watching her summons overwhelm the people from Zhou Empire in disguise. Without a second thought, she made a sprint and jumped as her sword glowed with magic before she delivered her strike, but it was met with an invisible resistance from Halle's magic barrier.

"Who are you!? Why are you attacking me!? I am the city lord!" Halle declared as she finally looked and noticed Amanda and her group.

Her enemy being the city Lord was the last thing Amanda wanted to hear today, but she didn't backed down as she stepped back and delivered a more heavier strike as she shouted. "You're kidnapping the children!"

"You're wrong! I'm saving them! Are you with the pair!?" Halle refuted as her barrier blocked Amanda and countered, sending a one-directional shock wave at Amanda.

"Save your breath!" Amanda shouted back while being sent flying but landed without harm not far away from Halle, and sent her own magic at her barrier in form of light swords.

"Haha! We'll see!" Halle's hideous smile appeared on her face as she also sent out similar magic against Amanda in form of purple fiery swords in larger numbers, almost raining with swords in a large area, making Amanda in a passive state while dodging and parrying the purple swords away.

---------

"They are here! Apprehend these intruders!" a shout was heard from behind them. It was the city guards, and they are pouring in from one of the wider tunnels that leads into the place. With the captain at the lead, he charged along with the other guards in a cone-formation and joined the ongoing clash.

Not long, another two silhouettes of people become visible from the tunnel where the City Guards came from.

A figure of a woman and a man.

The man's shadow seemed to raise his hand and suddenly, his figure vanished, but suddenly the ground trembled like an earthquake as an strong gust of wind blasted outwards in the middle of the chaos while making the ground sink in. Some robed people and water creatures got caught up with it and was sent flying, but more of them were sent to their graves with their body either mutilated, or crushed completely.

"Tch! This is getting out of hand! gather around! We're pulling out!" the man called Hunter Chariot shouted to his subordinates as he parried Canna's attacks and jumped away. He pulled two things from his sleeve with both hands.

"A parting gift!" he threw the object towards Canna while he crushed the other object in his other hand. His figure and his subordinates' suddenly blurred and disappeared from their place without a sound.

Canna's eyes widened as she saw the object that was thrown towards her-

BOOM!

A huge explosion happened as it engulfed Canna and some water creatures and city guards nearby while it shook the ground with great intensity.

"NOOO!!" A panicked voice reach Amanda's ears from behind as she also felt the explosion. Worried about Zeian, her eyes looked away and search where it came from.

She saw a broken magic-arm and a crumbling pillar of earth.

In her eyes, she witnessed some familiar purple swords embedded in Oliphym's chest and lower abdomen, and Dune was close behind him, not sure from Amanda's eyes if Dune also got caught with it, but because of Oliphym's falling weight, Dune got caught up with him and they both fell into the swirling pond.