Chapter 36. Unexpected visitors.
Erza lifted one eyebrow as she pulled the blanket up to cover herself as Gavin got dressed. Did he just…. Command me to stay behind? She didn't know whether to be shocked, or angry that he dared to act all macho towards her. "Excuse me?" Her words were quiet and cold as he put his shoes on. The kind of quiet fury that came before the storm.
Her mana flared in the small tent; dark brown hues of color distorted the air as she simmered in her anger. Yeah, she settled on anger.
Gavin froze as he felt a sense of fear and trepidation go up his spine. The air pressure in the tent thickened. The very air shimmered from Erza's mana. The hair on his arms stood on end and he had a sudden urge to run, far away at those words. Oh shit.
Gavin turned to see Erza's eyes glowing brown with the red rim around the edges as she glared at him, one eyebrow lifted, hair disheveled. That took all the bluster out of him as he tried to explain. "I have a strong feeling about whose these people are, or more importantly what they are. They are dangerous." His words came out in a squeak as he took a step back from Erza.
Erza threw off the blanket as she reached for her jeans, her hair fell forward as she bent over. "All the more reason I'm coming with you." She replied as she started to get dressed amidst his protests. "And no arguing from you." She said darkly and shot him a ball shriveling glare. Traces of their time together still leaked down her legs that she ignored as she pulled her jeans on and grabbed her shirt.
Gavin sighed and knew better than to argue as he watched her get dressed. "Alright fine but let me do the talking." His words were almost panicked as his Soul Sense showed the energies of the two beings that arrived suddenly in camp. They were vibrant silhouettes, visible through the tent. One tall, the other short.
Their energy was a bright white energy that stung Gavin's eyes until he ended the Soul Sense. When the skill faded Gavin could no longer see their faded forms through the tent and everything snapped back into regular focus.
He led the way outside the tent with Erza right behind him. Erza gasped as she saw the two beings inside the camp. Both wore a metallic armor and had wings. One was blonde, the other a dark brunette. Their armor reflected the sun's rays in a blinding fashion.
The dark-haired woman walked forward with a playful smile on her face. "Heya Gavin!" She bounced around on the balls of her feet as she grinned at him.
Aria, Lyla, and Erza all stood there dumbfounded at the sight of the Valkyries. "Astrid, Kara." Gavin greeted them coldly as he kept his crimson eyes trained on them.
"Oh, don't give us that greeting wolf." Astrid said coldly as she eyed everyone in the camp. She tucked her white wings into her back and regarded everyone with a stare that said she was here on business.
"Yeah, yeah. We are here on like, an important mission." Kara said as she laughed. She flounced around the camp inspecting random things.
"What are they?" Erza was the first one to respond as her eyes narrowed on the newcomers as her eyes glowed brown and crimson hues. Her mana was restricted, sealed back still as she studied the situation.
"Oh? He hasn't told you yet?" Kara grinned as she leaned in to invade Erza's personal space in a way that Gavin didn't care for. "We grew very close in a certain dungeon." Her voice dripped low, sultry, suggestive.
Erza's eyes narrowed as she kept her anger in check but glanced over to see the look on Gavin's face. His face was a mixture of pale fear, and righteous indignation. Erza didn't take the bait as she refused to rise to anger. She closed the distance between them and smirked at Kara. "I highly doubt you meant it in such a suggestive way. Now I suggest you explain what you are, and what you want."
Aria and Lyla picked up on the cold quiet anger that Erza was barely keeping contained. Having grown up as sisters, the three of them were close enough to almost be able to read each other's thoughts. Both of them stepped forward, their eyes glowing with mana and the promise of a fight.
Gavin paled as he noticed all three girls were stepping forward and refused to back down. He loved his girl, but he doubted Erza would be able to do much more than scratch the Valkyrie's armor. His eyes glowed a deep red as he shifted into his were-wolf form. His shift came in an explosion of mana and power that sent a wind rippling through the camp.
"Enough!" Gavin's roar stopped all movement in the camp and caused Astrid to flare her mana in response. Hues of brilliant white mana countered the wild crimson energy from Gavin.
He stepped forward to stand between Kara and the girls as he gripped her arm in a firm grip without digging his claws in. "You need to back off. Now!" He snarled as he flashed his canines at her.
For once, Kara didn't have a smile or jubilant smile on her face as she regarded Gavin's threatening posture and commanding tone. "I like you wolf but touch me like that again and I'll wear you like a fur coat."
Alert! Hostile intent detected. Recommend activating Overdrive immediately!
Gavin reacted from the pure instinct he gained from the dungeon and activated the Overdrive skill. He felt the increase in his stats and power surged through his body.
Quicker than lightning, Kara removed his hand from her arm and with a spinning kick to his solar plexus, he was sent flying across the campsite and crashed into the only tree that was in the clearing. Gavin's body crashed through the trunk that was as thick as Erza's SUV and landed in a heap on the other side. The impact was like an explosion around them as it startled birds from the trees in the nearby forest.
The bark groaned and crunched as the tree snapped and toppled to the ground with a thunderous crash. Gavin lay in a crumpled heap, in a crater several feet deep from the impact. He coughed up blood as his vision spun.
Alert. Ten health remains. Veronica's calm warning rang through Gavin's groggy mind.
Everything hurt. He didn't know what she did, but it felt like every bone in his body was shattered. If he hadn't raised his arms at the last second to attempt blocking the strike, that attack might have killed him then and there. His lungs were on fire, and his breathing was ragged. Blood poured out from multiple sources across his body from the force of the impact and crashing through the tree.
"GAVIN!" Gavin could barely register Erza's furious cry as he struggled to lift his head. He had to stand. He had to protect her.
Tessa came running out of her tent at the thunderous noises to witness Gavin flying past her tent and through the tree. She covered her mouth with her hand as she watched him crash through the tree and into a crater on the other side.
She heard Erza's cry of alarm and turned to see Erza standing there shifted into her snow white were-cat form. Her eyes glowed brown with red around the iris edge. Aria crouched nearby with blades of wind wrapped around her red fur covered arm as she yowled in vicious anger. Lastly Lyla stood ready to pounce on the dark-haired newcomer, brown fur bristling as she flashed her fangs at her.
I don't know what's going on, but it looks like these newcomers are trouble, and of course, more women. What is it with Gavin and all these women?! Tessa stepped forward, her own eyes glowed black as the shadows stretched across the ground.
"Enough Kara. You know our mission here." Astrid's stern voice broke through the tension as the five women seemed on the edge of open war in the clearing. She didn't scream or yell, yet her voice carried weight and authority of one used to being obeyed.
Kara laughed as she turned around to face her Valkyrie sister. "Damn, I went a little overboard again, didn't I?" Her carefree attitude gritted on Erza's nerves as she summoned orbs of fire in both her palms.
"I will gut you were you stand!" Erza's snarl made Tessa freeze in her steps as brown mana exploded in the clearing. One heartbeat she was standing there in front of Aria and Lyla, and the next her fist that was covered with fire magic, slammed into the side of Kara's face. The ground where she stood was a crackled crater from the force of her leap.
The impact sent another shockwave through the clearing as Erza snarled in rage. "I swear on all the gods that you will die here!" Her voice cracked with untold fury as she slammed fist after fist against Kara's face and armor. Fire burned through the air under Erza's relentless assault.
"I suggest you stop before someone ends up dead." Astrid's voice broke through Erza's fury. She turned to see Astrid holding Gavin by the throat with a dagger pressed to him.
Her heart was still. Her fury quieted instantly as she saw his prone and bloody body. "Let him go." Her snarl carried the promise of retribution if Astrid did anything to her mate. She glanced at the one in her arms, surely, she had to be injured after all those strikes, right?
Erza felt a chill run down her spine and her blood ran cold. There wasn't a mark on Kara nor her armor. Erza poured every ounce of fury, strength and mana into her strikes. And it didn't do a damn thing.
Kara grinned at Erza, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "That was a cute attempt. Now let me show you real strength." Kara moved quicker than anyone could follow. She intended to deliver a punch to Erza's cheek, to show her the difference in their power.
A bolt of lightning from the clear sky came crashing down on the ground between them. The sound was deafening and force of the blast singed Erza's fur as the concussive blast pushed Erza back from Kara.
"I think this has gone on far enough." A deeply male voice rumbled through the clearing.
Kara immediately dropped to one knee in a reverent bow. Astrid dropped Gavin's unconscious body to the ground and followed suit.
An oppressive weight filled the clearing. Erza, Aria, Lyla, and Tessa were all forced to their knees in reverent posture as the blinding light was all consuming.
"What is going on?" Aria's voice cried out as she struggled to rise.
"I don't know, I cant see anything!" Lyla responded as she struggled.
The light finally dimmed and, in the clearing, stood a tall man with long-blonde hair. He wore a simple green T-shirt and jeans as he glanced around the clearing. "Astrid, will you heal that foolish wolf?"
Astrid nodded as she turned to Gavin. Her hands glowed white as she placed them over Gavin's unconscious form. He let out a pained groan as his wounds closed up and his body was slowly healed from within by Astrids mana and magic.
"Who are you?" Erza asked as the weight in the clearing lessoned and she was able to raise her head.
"My apologies for the treatment my disciple gave you. I am their superior. You may call me Drake." The male said with a gentle smile on his face as he admonished Kara's actions.