The Arcane Guardians Chapter 43: Chapter 39: Unwanted Aid

Read chapter 43 of The Arcane Guardians by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

Fun Fact: Sitting at a whopping size of ten million square kilometres, Surone is the largest country in the world. An urban jungle filled to the brim with technomagick, the country is characterised by its distinct purple colour of Arcani, a testament to how much magic men have imbued in the environment. Formerly a country with many provinces, the Suronian Empire finally united the country after countless civil wars. The capital, Surone City, was renamed after the brightest constellation visible at night, Sirius. ~ ~ ~ The Guardian raised a finger to her lips, although Parthena seemed disinclined to scream. Her body was shaking, however, presumably from both fear and shock. So, she covered her mouth to hide her ragged breaths. Kleopatra clutched her rifle tightly, feeling the ground rumble under the sheer weight of the Abomination’s footsteps. She felt it stop for a moment before suddenly turning in their direction. Crap. She ushered Parthena along as the girl scurried over to their next cover. Sure enough, the monster looked over the broken window a few seconds later. It groaned in apparent frustration and lumbered away from the devastated office room. “Hey. Hey, look at me!” Kleopatra whispered urgently, shaking the girl whose eyes were still glazed over. “Gaius came with you, didn’t he? Where is he?” Parthena’s lips trembled, but she remained silent. “Answer me, dammit!” Her voice grew increasingly desperate. “ Parthena! ” The Soothsayer yelped, touching her face where Kleopatra’s palm had grazed her. She whimpered as pearly tears rolled down her face. “I’m sorry,” Kleopatra muttered. “Are you awake now?” Parthena nodded meekly. “Gaius… he told us to leave,” she said. “He was supposed to hold the monster off, but… I don’t get it— I don’t understand why it’s still here.” Kleopatra’s stomach lurched, and her mouth turned dry instantly. Gaius had always been the type to risk his own life to protect others, sometimes even when it was not necessary. If the Abomination had managed to get past him, then he must have… “Don’t worry. Gaius is skilful enough to take care of himself,” Kleopatra said, more to herself than to Parthena. “Where was he?” Parthena pointed into the darkness behind them. The two girls crept out of the room and made their way deeper into the building, trying their best not to make any unnecessary sounds. Kleopatra took the lead, rifle facing forward, while her mind focused on whatever little information Parthena had told her along the way. “Keep it down, will you?” she hissed impatiently. “I’m sorry. I’m trying, I’m trying…” Parthena winced as another glass shard cracked under her feet. Kleopatra, on the other hand, was moving with enough precision and furtiveness to match even the most professional of covert operatives. Cleric Elpis Nerva had prepared her for much worse situations while she was still a Guardian trainee. Elpis was a good teacher, no doubt about that; even when she turned out to be a hyper-religious nutcase. They turned a corner, only to face yet another room. Kleopatra’s heart raced. If Parthena had described the building’s layout accurately, they should already be fairly close to the church’s main room by now. Unfortunately, there was still no sign of Gaius anywhere. Kleopatra whispered a silent prayer, hoping that Gaius was skilled enough to shake off an Abomination. The Guardian raised a closed fist, but Parthena bumped into her anyway. “Something’s wrong.” Her rifle darted around. “It’s too quiet.” “What—” Rubble crashed into Kleopatra as a scaly claw put itself through the wall beside her. Flashes of white burst out. She ducked on instinct, narrowly dodging the sharpened bones that lodged themselves in the wood just above her. Adrenaline flooded her veins as Kleopatra panted in shock, reeling internally at how close she had just got to being killed. Mustering her courage, the Guardian let loose a hailstorm of energy pulses at the red points of light still hiding in the darkness. Shrieks wer