Standoff II

Cedric narrowed his eyes, recalling the strange voice that had come from the sword.

Gather the remaining shards, huh…

Shards of what, exactly?

Is there something in the volcano?

He glanced around the area toward the uninvited Shlanks, numbering around fifteen, approaching opposite the Red Wolves.

Well, it might be a safe place to hide.

Though, it is called the Volcano of Disasters for a reason…

But really, what choice do I have…

His gaze shifted to his injured friend. Even if he did have an undeniable fighting spirit, Cedric thought they’d be at a disadvantage fighting together.

He tried to calm his racing mind as the two approaching groups grew closer. He had no idea why the Shlanks were there, whereas the Red Wolves had certainly been invited by Mel’s father and his cohorts. He thought that it didn’t make sense, as Elem had mentioned the assumed plan would be to pit the groups against each other only after giving the sword over.

Ah… in that case…

His eyes grew wide with realization, just as five figures emerged from within the forest, running in a hurry. One by one, they stopped in their tracks upon noticing the ongoing spectacle.

“Ah! Cedric, Quentle! Wha—huh? What is this?”

Kaolo led the pack of boys, who had clearly stumbled onto the scene unawares. Berd, Farum, Geraint, and Jorge’s faces froze at the sight of the armed groups, one after the other realizing the danger they were in, before staring back and forth between Cedric and Mel.

“Guys! What the…” Quentle stammered in disbelief, grimacing as his gashed legs shook.

“You guys… you came after us?” Cedric asked, dumbfounded.

“Ah… well…” Farum stumbled through an attempt to explain despite his panic, Mel’s bow grasped firmly in his hands.

“Mel… you even… schemed this far?” Cedric’s voice quivered with anger. Mel regarded the bewildered boys briefly and silently stared Cedric down, waiting.

“Would he… really go that far, though?” Quentle whispered, earning Cedric’s inquisitive gaze.

Cedric couldn’t fathom that Mel would use the boys as hostages, but he did seem completely unsurprised that they were there. It was clear that he had either planned this directly or was expecting it to happen. Thinking back to his insistence on the boys joining, he was even more convinced.

But… wait.

He thought about the part that bothered him the most.

It’s not just that he gathered all eight of the top-ranked students…

The way he separated the groups…

And going as far as bringing Geraint and Jorge…

Even though we’d never spent much time with them.

And doing so the day after they supported me during the Heir discussion…

Also, that bandit…

Fighting defensively, going for my legs…

Mel…

He couldn’t be…

“Haha… you’re soft, after all, Mel.” Cedric smirked deviously, to which Mel furrowed his brow inquisitively.

“We’ll settle this later on, traitor.” With haste he grabbed Quentle’s shoulders and threw him in the direction of Kaolo and the others.

“Whoa—oy!” Quentle cried out.

“Take care of Quentle, you guys!” Cedric said with a certain authority. Without waiting for a response, he dashed away from the bandits, and made a beeline for the incoming Shlanks.

Surprised, the red-clad men began an all-out sprint to meet him.

If this doesn’t work, it could get ugly for me.

Well, I better treat it like that’s what I’m expecting, then!

As some of the men reared their spears back, Cedric raised his new sword, and roared out a war cry. Despite his shaking voice, it propelled him ahead, into the face of the enemy.

The spears soared at him from a short distance away. The eight deadly projectiles wouldn’t allow much room to dodge. As he hastily calculated which of them he’d have to receive in order to dodge the most fatal blows, six of the spears were suddenly snatched out of midair.

Six ropes had whipped by from his left, gripping onto the spears, and throwing them harmlessly into the ground. Cedric managed to duck under the remaining two, retaining his explosive momentum.

He glanced over to find just what he had been hoping for. The bandits were reeling in their ropes, two for each of them.

Knew it.

Even you aren’t horrid enough to let your friends die, Mel.

Full of confidence, Cedric stopped in his tracks, and raced in the opposite direction. The Shlanks continued to pursue him despite his course, which would send them running directly into the charging Red Wolves—who bared their swords in anticipation.

Cedric gripped his newly acquired sword, the object of everyone’s attention, that unknown power continuing to course through him. He focused his arms on executing one last strike and swept the sword across the ground, kicking up a storm of dirt and grass in his wake.

Shielding his own eyes from the cloud of debris, he rolled violently to his right. The two groups stampeded by him, clashing together in the dirt cloud. He bounced up and began to run in the direction the Shlanks had come from. He glanced back as he ran, the gazes of several Shlanks meeting his as the dirt cloud began to withdraw.

Just then, he caught sight of something flying over his head. A white clod passed over him and landed in the middle of the chaotic collision of troops.

With a pop, the object burst open, erupting into a sharp white cloud of smoke. The smoke filled the area in seconds, clouding the surroundings.

Cedric didn’t even have to think. He took advantage of the confusion while the two groups continued to scuffle in the chaos, bursting into a full sprint.

He glanced briefly over to where Quentle and Mel should have been. He couldn’t make out individual faces, only the outlines of several people backing away. He clenched his fist, offering a silent prayer of support for his friends, but did not slow down.

He ran until he’d exited the range of the smoke screen, but did not slow except to glance into the trees in which he’d spotted someone earlier.

The girl, whose body was mostly hidden behind a large tree, looked upon him with desperation. The hood over her head failed to hide her stunning chestnut hair that was far too long to be stowed away like this. He recognized her in an instant, confirming his previous assumption.

With a quick smile, Cedric nodded in her direction. Even without the small bit of white powder residing on her hand he’d understood that she was the one who had helped him escape. Even though she was surely there to support Mel, he thought that she might have also come to support the soft side of Mel that couldn’t allow his friends to come to harm.

I’ll do my best to support that wish of yours, too… Selmy.