Chapter 322: Live or Die!

"I don’t see anything," Aylin said with her eyes narrowed.

Her tone betrayed the fact that she wasn’t actually contesting what Kaya had said but was rather hoping that maybe, just maybe, Kaya was wrong.

But Kaya wasn’t wrong. She was learning to lean quite a bit into her naturally high perception from her half-Elven parentage, and she could sense it even as the red fog over the scene and the red haze over the veil made seeing any changes difficult.

And then a ripping sound split the air. It wasn’t particularly loud but the silence that had descended upon the scene in response to such a dire situation made it especially crisp.

There was a collective gasp as they all finally saw what Kaya had sensed. There were gashes in the veil at various intervals, going on for as far as their eyes could see.

"We need to get out of here," Doran said with wide eyes and got to his feet. Ignoring the pain he was in, he helped Marianne get Dana to her feet.

"You go on ahead," Kaya said, "Aylin, Eloise... You too."

"What?" Eloise asked, "What about you?"

"I’m going to buy you some time," Kaya said.

"You can’t be serious," Aylin said with horrified eyes.

"Do you think we can outrun them? The Five-Star Beasts... The Six Star Beasts... Seven Stars...?" Kaya asked, her voice going faint towards the end.

"What can you do against them then?" Aylin asked, "They’ll break through eventually!"

"That’s why I said I’m buying you time," Kaya said, and already tired of the conversation since it headed nowhere and they were running out of time, she stretched out her hand and retrieved a wooden staff from her Storage Ring.

She hadn’t had use for Caius’s gift so far because she had Nature’s energy at her disposal. Now, for this insane undertaking—Yes, she was well aware it was insane and maybe even impossible—she needed all the help she could get.

Kaya slammed the end of the Staff into the ground and caused the Enchanting symbols etched along its length to glow almost violently bright. The entire clearing began to glow as Nature Motes appeared and spread farther than any of their eyes could see.

"Go," Aylin told Marianne, Doran, and a still-weak Dana.

"What about—?" Doran started.

"We’ll catch up with you," Eloise said and there was an earnestness in her tone that made it clear that she meant that.

With one final look of worry, Doran and Marianne helped Dana and the trio was off. Hoping strongly not to meet any more Beastly Opposition, they made their way out of the Lochxen Forest.

Meanwhile, Aylin began to retrieve vials and materials from her Storage Ring, going on her knees so she could place them on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Eloise asked.

"Trying to make something that might help," Aylin answered.

The ground broke then and strong roots began to rise, winding together to create thick constructs that began to lay over each other as though being woken into gigantic Netting.

The ground breaking up to make way for the roots made it clear that they weren’t being conjured. Kaya accepted that her Magic just wouldn’t cut it. She needed something more... primal for this.

She didn’t just call on Nature’s energy. She forced Nature itself to take action. The roof formation wasn’t happening just in front of her. It was happening along the entire length of the breaking veil.

Because their location was meant to be a segment of the Lochxen Forest, it was about Five Percent of the Lochxen Forest’s actual size. As such, its border was not too long. At least, that was what Kaya told herself so she could keep pushing.

Even though she was using Nature’s energy, the sheer magnitude of the undertaking was depleting her Mana reserves at an incredibly speedy rate.

Already, before the construction was even complete, she was well past half of her reserves. By her calculations, she might not even have enough to complete the construct.

There was still a Dome over the Lochxen Forest. The actual veil that kept the Beasts in and kept the students and unauthorized Professors out of the Forest was still in place. Only the demarcation protecting the First Years within the Forest was at risk.

In any case, if Kaya could just raise the construct to touch the Dome above, the Beasts would have no way to get through unless they broke through. Alas, she feared she might not reach that finishing point.

"I’m done!" Aylin called out then, leaping to her feet, leaving empty vials and discarded materials on the ground.

She stepped to Kaya who looked at her, hands shaking on her staff.

"Drink this," she said, holding the vial to Kaya’s lips, "It’s still ’raw’ cause I couldn’t actually refine it properly. I never thought I’d need it or I’d have had it prepared beforehand..."

Aylin spoke with regret.

Professor Arlette Louvene, during their private lessons, had taught her, that as an Alchemist whose best asset is usually their brains, it’s important to be prepared for various eventualities. Still, at the Fourth Circle, Aylin had wondered what she would need a Mana-Augmentation potion for against her Third Circle classmates.

Still, it was fortunate she had heeded the Professor’s lessons on emergency on-field preparations. Essentially packing along solutions and ingredients that could serve various potion requirements with a few tweaks here and there.

Still...

"Ugh!" Kaya groaned as the potion touched her lips and worked its way into her system. Twisting her stomach.

... Nothing beats a properly refined Potion.

Emergency on-field preparations almost always come with drawbacks. Like the Mana-disrupters being volatile. And the Mana-Augmentation possibly making Kaya sick for being ’Raw’.

Kaya’s body shook and her head was instantly covered in sweat but she endured. She felt her Magic scale well past the Fourth Circle and touch the Fifth. Imbuing her with stronger Mana to keep going.

A minute later and the construct hit the Dome above. Then the roots grew thicker, spawned more roots, which then grew twisting tree trunks that wrapped up with the erected wall, making it all the more sturdy.

Aylin and Eloise stared in wonder. There was something about the roots, tree trunks, and even thorns that made them seem alive. And that was because they were. With Kaya’s magic combined with Nature’s endurance, the construct would heal from damage.

A second later and the first test for the wall arrived.

*BANG!!!*

The attack came from the other side of the construct but it wasn’t right in front of them but from miles away. Yet they heard it clearly. Hell, the ground shook as violently as the construct. Still, the construct held.

Wheezing, Kaya slid her knees then. Roots were wrapped around the end of the staff where she had struck it against the ground. Nature Motes also revolved around it. The glow of its enchanting symbols had also gone from their normal color to a teeming green glow.

"Well, time to go," Eloise said then and stepped forward, helping Kaya up.

Kaya didn’t resist. She also let her staff go as Eloise swung her wand with purpose, conjuring spell circles at both their feet, and then they were off.

Aylin followed, riding strong icy winds. Not quite as speedy as Eloise but she held her own.

They caught up with Doran, Marianne, and Dana who were moving with movement spells as well, and together—with Doran’s team lagging behind quite a bit—they made their way out of the Lochxen Forest.

As they moved, Nature Motes followed.

The Nature Motes were how Kaya remained connected to her Staff which she had turned to the center of her giant Wall construct of roots, tree trunks, and thorns. Even now, her Mana was still getting sapped but she did the calculations and knew they’d make it.

She could feel the Beasts on the other side of the wall trying to break through and she believed she and the others would make it.

But then, Minutes later, they arrived at the exit of the Lochxen Forest and they weren’t alone.

There were other First Years there with varying expressions of horror.

"Dean?" Eloise called out.

Indeed, Dean was there with his team members. He was so terrified, he couldn’t muster more than a hoarse sound in his throat at Eloise’s call.

It wasn’t just Dean, Eloise noticed. Every team they had helped and sent on their way was here. All standing or sitting before the Veil.

"Why are you still here?" Eloise asked but she already had a sinking suspicion.

"We can’t get out," Doran said in a horrified whisper, confirming Eloise’s suspicions. He had his hands pressed against the sides of his head.

"What?" Aylin asked with wide eyes.

She stepped forward, saw Baler who just stared at her—his expression empty—and then arrived at the Veil to touch it. Indeed, she couldn’t get through.

"Gods," she said, "We’re locked in!"

There was a red haze on the veil but it was still see-through. Aylin saw the other side. She saw the Professors standing, even striking spells against the Veil but nothing worked.

Even worse, no sound got through the veil. Not even those of the attacks being made.

Kaya fell to the ground then.

"Kaya!" Eloise cried, going down to help her up.

"I can’t— I can’t hold them for long," Kaya said with a groan of pain, feeling more insistent attacks on the wall construct.

This had been it. Get out of the Forest and hopefully leave the threat far behind. But now, that was impossible.

In hindsight, she felt they should have realized this sooner. No one had come to help them. Even though they could see it all with the spinning discs. Even after the appearance of a literal Demon, no one had come.

Because no one could come.

"What are we going to do?" Eloise asked.

"Pray," Kaya said then.

"Gods..."

"We have to pray that Caius and Delia win," Kaya said remembering the scared expression Caius had when he asked her to get Delia away.

She had no idea how she knew but now it seemed so obvious. All of this was because of that Demon in a tailcoat.

The result of that battle would determine whether they would all live or die!