“Don’t be a fool!” Jazai hissed his exasperation. “I won’t leave you and besides, you wouldn’t last long enough for it to matter.”
As much as he wanted to refute that, he had to admit his friend was right. He might be able to hold the beast off for a minute or two, and that was assuming Koli and Salvo did not jump in.
“And…” Asla began and clenched her teeth. “And it is our mission to bring the box back. I would rather die fighting to protect it than return in disgrace.”
The boys looked at her, surprised by the fierce determination that grew in her eyes. Jazai sighed and nodded. “I guess we’re committed, and we all know how this will probably end, huh?” His friends simply nodded as they once again positioned themselves in preparation to fight. The diviner held his free hand up and ran through cantrips in his mind. “Well, all right then.”
Salvo looked at the three young Magi who stood ready for battle, then at Koli, who smiled in genuine delight. “Marvelous,” the man remarked as he prepared to free the monster.
“Whatever.” His partner walked to a standing tree and leaned against it with his arms folded. “It works out for me. We get some new majestics and our box. Make it quick so we can get out of here.”
“That’s not up to me,” Koli remarked as he snapped his fingers and the runes around the monster’s neck faded. “It is up to him.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The beast roared to life. It hammered its fists into the ground before it launched itself high, its target the trio of young Magi below.
“Scatter!” Devol shouted, and they raced out of the way in different directions as the giant landed. He was almost upended by the shockwave of the impact. It swung an arm toward Asla, who was able to leap over it, but the massive arm battered two trees behind her, destroyed them, and scattered splinters and dust around her to blind her briefly. It reared in preparation for another strike.
A moment before it swung, Jazai blinked next to her, caught hold of her shirt, and blinked away before the massive fist connected. They appeared near their friend and the diviner scrambled to his feet and pointed at their adversary. “Chains!” he shouted and deep-blue chains of Mana wound around the titan’s arms and neck in an attempt to keep it in check.
From behind them, Salvo laughed loudly. “Is that all you got?”
The monster uttered a belligerent growl, flexed its muscles, and snapped the restraints.
“What the hell?” the boy muttered. “I don’t sense an Anima from it. How did it break my cantrip?”
“I’ll say it is a safe bet that it isn’t normal,” the swordsman responded and prepared to strike when the monster made another assault. The expected attack did not come, however. The giant sagged, its knuckles dug into the dirt and grass, and it began to twitch.
“What did you do?” The question was asked by Devol and Salvo at the same time. The young diviner shook his head. He hadn’t done anything but use the chains cantrip, and Koli didn’t respond. He simply narrowed his eyes at the creature. The giant took a rather shaky step forward and its skin had become noticeably paler. Its bulging muscles began to shrink and wither along with its entire body. Finally, it fell and the two groups stared at a large black wound in its back. A figure in a black cloak holding a kama stood behind it.
“Mr. Lebatt!” Devol shouted when he recognized him.
“Vaust?” Jazai asked and gaped at the mark on the giant’s back that spread rapidly along its entire body. “What are you doing here?”
“I believe that gentleman was the one who was tailing me earlier.” Koli bit his lip. “It appears he is affiliated with the children.”
“Yeah, I could have guessed,” Salvo grumbled and pushed away from the tree. “Well, now we have to retrieve the mask and the box.”
“It won’t be an issue. I’ll take care of it,” his partner offered.
“Fine, then I’ll take care of the new guy and the brats,” he stated, which drew a chuckle from Koli.
“Quite confident, aren’t you?” He patted his violet hair before he placed his hands in his pants pocket and approached the slain giant.
“Hurry up,” his partner instructed and smiled as he spun the wand in his hand. “I get to play now.”
Vaust saw the violet-haired man approach and pointed his kama at him. “Halt, or I’ll kill you as well.”
“I have no doubt,” the man said with an easy smile and stopped only a few yards away from the mori. “You have made short work of our pet. I’m impressed.”
“Why are you here?” the Templar asked and let his Anima seep through the area as a warning sign to the two thieves.
“It was requested of us,” Koli answered. “I cannot divulge by who.”
“Perhaps not right now,” he retorted and revealed an air of menace and command that Devol had not seen in him before. “But I can make you talk. I merely wonder how many appendages it will take.”
“Oh, that is quite violent of you.” The man closed his eyes for a moment and violet Mana covered his form. “I must say, I approve.”
Vaust leapt at him with his kama raised to arc in almost a blur at his adversary. He covered the distance in less than a second and to Devol, it felt like it was almost instant. Before the kama struck its target, however, Koli vanished in a flash of violet light. He reappeared beside the monster, which had now almost melted into bone and viscera. He reached down hastily and took the mask it had once worn before he turned and looked at the young swordsman.
“Devol!” Vaust called and Asla and Jazai prepared to fight. Instead of attacking, the man disappeared again, blinked behind him, and yanked the box from his belt. He spun and swung his sword. It
