The Chronicles Of New Havens

Meanwhile, Shirley had her hands full facing against two guards. Although there was one less on her side compared to Benedict, she severely lacked experience. She was a recruit for the Quinvoren Army and had never participated in a battle before. In fact, this was her second time, the first being less than an hour ago! Therefore, she was facing an uphill fight against these two guards as they pincered her. She grimaced and tried to distance herself but the two firmly stuck to her sides. Wielding their swords, they dashed to simultaneously cut her down!

Shirley swung her halberd in her hands, gaining fearsome momentum, before unleashing it in a massive arc at one of them. The guard ducked, allowing the blade to slice the air above him. The accompanying gust of wind was enough to tell how deadly the strike was. The girl was fl.u.s.tered as she turned the sweep into a thrust! Her opponent rolled out of the way as it nicked his leg. With Shirley focused on one of them, the second guard charged up. Shirley did not forget it was a two on one but multitasking in a fight was far more difficult than it seemed! She instinctively swung her halberd in a reverse sweep behind her, but she miscalculated!

The halberd was a poleaxe type weapon, which meant that its lethality was restricted to a certain distance away from the user. At that range, it was a devastating weapon in the hands of an expert. However, within that range, it paled! Shirley swung, trying to catch the second guard, but she overestimated her speed. The halberd was heavy! Swinging it so freely required build up. The guard landed in her critical safety net and sneered. Sword light flashed as Shirley's hairs stood on end. It was dangerous! Though she instinctively tried to dodge, the speed was too fast. The sword traced up her c.h.e.s.t and tore apart her uniform. Blood trickled out of her wounds. Had her reaction been a split second slower, it would have chopped her b.r.e.a.s.ts straight off! She shuddered and felt relieved she was not more well-endowed!

Both Benedict and Shirley struggled to survive, though in reality, less than thirty seconds had passed. That was how fast paced a battle was! As a result of their fight, the captain and guards near the entrance stormed over to support! The corridor was tight as these ten soldiers raced down. The threat of facing so many enemies bore down on Benedict and Shirley and they could not help but sweat. Even though they made a plan, all their hopes rested on Freon. The two nervously looked to Freon, who was hidden around a corner, for any sign. Any longer meant death for them all!

Freon let out a deep breath as the last wisps of Magical Energy drained from his Core. He felt overwhelmingly weak, but his eyes shone in a determined light. Without wasting any time, he motioned to Benedict and Shirley. The two nodded and ran away instantly down the corridor, leaving fifteen confused guards in a huddle. Freon gave them no time to think as he pointed his wand forward! The magical circles whizzed into life as his bright fireball rapidly shrunk in size. On his command, he launched the fist-sized fireball into the crowd at blinding speeds. Before anyone could see it, it detonated in an explosion, engulfing the corridor in a powerful shockwave. Tremors spread throughout the corridor violently before the dust began to settle.

Benedict and Shirley were stupefied at the sight before them. The explosion itself was not very big and it did not look imposing. In fact, it looked weaker than Freon's previous fireball! However, the effect was much more exaggerated. Though no one was killed in the explosion, all the guards were unconscious, suffering from a variety of wounds. Why was that so? The fireball Freon used did not focus on purely destructive power, but on a powerful concussive shockwave! The originally weak shockwave was amplified by the tight stone corridor, raising its power by several times over! When the guards were blasted from several angles at close range, it was like being in the center of a violent storm! They could not stop from being knocked unconscious!

The two looked at Freon with newfound respect, but their mood plummeted upon seeing Freon collapse. Rushing over to help him to his feet, they were surprised to see how pale he had become. Sure enough, a powerful spell like that did not come with harsh repercussions! Freon felt o.b.s.c.e.n.ely weakened now that his Core was empty of Magical Energy such that standing up was too hard. To cast that spell, Freon had underestimated how much Magical Energy was required. He even had to expend his own World Energy, or lifeforce, to fuel his magic. It was extraordinarily risky to use World Energy in Arcania. He had used less than a fraction of it, yet it sapped his physical strength so deeply! The slightest miscalculation meant death!

Freon had mixed feelings about the result, but he knew this was not the time to ponder. Shirley supported him up while Benedict searched for the key on the captain's body. The knight heaved a sigh of relief upon finding it and the trio hurried towards the entrance. Unlocking the door, they were immediately bathed in a shower of daylight. Breathing in the fresh air, they felt rejuvenated. Before the three could celebrate, a few squadrons of soldiers rushed up to them with worried expressions.

"Are you three fine? Do you know what happened inside the prison?" the captain asked.

"That…" Benedict was startled.

"An explosion happened, and we were hit badly. We're headed to the infirmary!" Freon quickly explained.

The captain believed them. After all, the three of them were in a wretched state. Benedict and Shirley were both bloody, with the latter's uniform being torn to o.b.s.c.e.n.e shreds. Freon's skin was practically snow white with how pale he was. Moreover, the three of them were wearing guard uniforms… There was no reason to doubt their words!

"I understand," the captain said. "Go get patched up. We'll take things over here."

The three then hobbled out of sight. They had successfully escaped the prison!