Sulphur & Lightning Chapter 34: 033 - The Price of Life

Read chapter 34 of Sulphur & Lightning by anaugustauthor on NovelPedia.

Though he had never killed a fellow person before, he had no lack of experience hunting, as it was how he generally subsisted. He knew the cruel sounds and sensations involved when flesh was rended and bone shattered and when the life of a victim left them in crimson streams. In other times, those sensations were gratifying as they cemented his place at the very top of the food chain. This time, though, the expected sensations didn’t make their appearance, and the sound that followed surprised all involved parties. It wasn’t the butcher-like sounds of sharp objects tearing through flesh but the sound of crystal breaking like glass. Elijah, who had closed his eyes in the last moment in regret of what he had to do now, had them open in shock. What he was met with wasn’t the stone skin or soft flesh of his opponent but a grand wall of ice. The sounds of footfalls reached him from a little beyond, and he saw a pair standing there. They hadn’t been there earlier. The first was familiar. About his age and with cleanly cut short hair, the leader of the Jan Zaki servant group that had accosted him days ago was on one knee, panting. It seemed it was he who had summoned this ice wall. A layer of frost entered the young Lycan’s own expression at this; he hadn’t expected that someone like him would be able to use such power. In Reigina, those who could manifest elements in a crystalline structure were considered premier talents. It was an incredibly advanced exercise to stack the particles in such a lattice, and this level of ability meant that their potential in the numerous fields of sorcery had little to no bounds. For example, they could better utilise the limited memory of a single array by arranging the elements in this lattice. Despite the full analysis, Elijah’s eyes didn’t linger long. He turned to the servant’s companion, a youth decked in a black and obviously expensive kaftan with the symbol of the red lion that he had grown to hate since his return to the province. “Forgive the interruption,” the youth said with a small bow. “I am of the Dari clan, third.” Elijah regarded the intruder whom Chaina had once called a lackey inquiringly before suddenly bowing respectfully. “Nothing of the sort, young master.” This one’s far more dangerous. He was looking directly at him—and still couldn’t trust that he was truly there. The man in front of him felt more like a shadow than a person, much less a noble. His limited experience of nobles and their servants showed him that it was their tendency to impose themselves onto their surroundings. Whether it was the forcefulness of Jan Zaki or the obstructive eccentricity of Chaina, it was difficult to meet them and not be moved by their presence. This one, on the other hand… Come to think of it, he hadn’t sensed the pair until after one had used that ice ability. This lack of presence was something he found harder to deal with than any ability he had ever faced. As expected, the depth of a great clan could not be sounded out by his insignificant self. The wall of ice was now dissolving, and his opponent was now recovering from what she thought would be her final charge. She fell to the floor like a load of luggage. Elijah did not stop the servant from reaching for his teammate and checking on her, but his questioning gaze did not relent. “My apologies, once more,” Busa said. “My servant issued a challenge without my knowledge or consent… Although it has cost you severely, I can only sincerely plead that you forgive her impetuousness and my own carelessness in this matter.” The Lycan’s head tilted up in thought for a moment, but then he shrugged indifferently. It was rather impossible for him to disagree with them anyway; they had already broken one rule by interfering in an honour duel, so there was nothing stopping them from going further. It was clearly better that he accepted their apology seemingly on his own terms rather than push them to the wall and face their retaliation. If it did ind