Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend-Chapter 54: Killed Quite A Few Already

Raegar watched as one moment the wraiths were there; the next, they were ash. The stranger reappeared before him with a big smile. ''Who are you, boy? And why does a Tier One Mage believe he can fight that thing?'' she asked.

He gazed at the dark-skinned young woman who looked to be his age, clad in leather and metal armor decorated with knives and other weapons, which amazed him, the sturdy plates shielding her vital areas.

Her short brown hair framed a pair of wide, expressive brown eyes set in a stunning face that could've graced a magazine cover. Yet it was her bold, carefree tomboyish charm that stood out, until her smile flashed, bright and unguarded, hitting him like a quiet thunderbolt.

'She's pretty,' he thought to himself.

Raegar shook his head and answered. ''Well, I was fighting with the Tier Two, but then the Death Wraith appeared.''

The young woman nodded in understanding. ''A pack of devils my aunty has been hunting summoned them. We stopped here to buy some food after picking up their scent.''

He was just about to reply, but explosions rang out from the opposite side of the village, causing the duo to rush in its direction. While running, he summoned his daggers before casting enhancement magic.

Once they reached the scene, a group of five Devil Hunters were fighting with a few dozen devils that were playing with them as they circled. Raegar gritted his teeth before diving in and flung his daggers at two enemies that went to jump on an older woman.

The blades pierced their skulls, ending the fiends' lives within a second, just as the short-haired tomboy appeared in the center of a pack of devils before speaking. ''Edgeweaving: Dance of a Thousand Slashes!''

Raegar admired her power but realized she was growing tired, causing him to cast Hydra Blades made from fire and lightning, which turned them to plasma thanks to the amount of Aether he poured into the knives.

Seconds later, he hurled them at the towering devil locked in combat with the strongest hunter. Suddenly the fiend wheeled around, raising its guard to deflect the incoming weapons, but Raegar was quicker.

With a flick of Aether, he redirected the blades mid-flight, slashing deep into the tendons behind the creature's legs. Moments later, the Hydra Blades soared free, streaking across the battlefield like fiery comets.

They tore through weaker foes, leaving a trail of smoldering corpses in their wake. He leaped into the chaos, bounding across the battlefield with the agility of a Bramblehare, his every move a dance of death.

The battle roared with clashing steel and guttural screams echoing around him. Raegar vaulted skyward, his cloak billowing in the wind. Below him, a hulking devil snarled, its jagged claws raking the air.

With skill, he landed on its shoulders, boots slamming into its bony spine. The beast thrashed around just before he plunged the twin weapons downward, piercing through the devil's glowing, hate-filled eyes.

Blood sprayed like a geyser as the creature howled, its massive frame buckling beneath him. Before the fiend even hit the muck, Raegar's hand flashed. A dagger spun from his fingers in a perfect arc.

Across the field, another devil lunged toward a fallen hunter. The blade found its mark, burying itself hilt-deep in the creature's skull. It gagged, body shuddering, then crumpled in a heap of twitching ruin.

He kicked off the first devil's corpse and launched himself into the air once more, twisting mid-flight like a hunting hawk. A third devil loomed ahead, its maw dripping with venomous bile.

Raeger crashed onto its back, driving his knees into its spine as his remaining dagger sang a vicious arc. The weapon bit deep into the beast's neck, severing muscle and bone, and causing blood to spray everywhere.

Without waiting, he yanked the blade free, leaping clear as the devil's head lolled and its body slumped into the blood-soaked earth. Following that, he noticed three devils targeting the girl he met and sent the Hydra Blades toward them.

The bright blades sliced through the air and sliced off toward their arms as the third blocked the attack. Raegar hissed before casting Flash Step as the devil swung at her back and deflected the strike while summoning the second dagger.

Sparks flew everywhere, and he felt his arms buckle as the enemy was at the top end of Tier Two, but he twisted his wrists and sent the creature's sword into the ground just as he stabbed it in the chest.

''Too slow, hunter!'' the devil exclaimed.

Raegar grinned before casting Lightningfire Blast into its body, causing the enemy to explode just as the Hydra Blades finished off the remaining devils as he dismissed them while collapsing on a nearby bench.

''Need to catch my breath and gather some Aether,'' he muttered while summoning his daggers and storing them away.

While sitting there, the brown-skinned girl approached with an exhausted smile but still held out her hand to introduce herself. ''I'm Rhenya Belmont, the up-and-coming strongest Devil Hunter.''

''Raegar Blackwood,'' he replied while taking it.

The young woman collapsed on the bench next to him as she asked, while wiping sweat off her forehead. ''It seems like your magic is perfect for hunting these horrible creatures.''

When Raegar heard this, he started laughing before revealing it. ''I've killed quite a few already. My grandmother said I could take part in the Devil Hunting classes in the academy.''

Her eyes widened in surprise but were interrupted by the woman approaching him with a friendly expression. ''Thank you for the help, young man. We didn't expect them to be so many. Lucky little Rhen found you in the village.''

''I was just defending it from the Wraiths,'' he said, a wry chuckle escaping his lips. ''But Rhenya bailed me out when the Tier Three showed up. I'm not ready to tangle with those yet, need to climb a few tiers or boost my level to fog first, and that's still out of reach.''

The woman let out a warm laugh, then tousled his hair with a casual grin. ''Name's Tanya Belmont, Inquisitor with the Devil Hunter Order. I hear you're headed to the academy, like Rhenya. Got one in mind yet?''

''Drakenwood, but I still have to take the entrance test. My grandfather is coming to collect me when it's time,'' he answered politely, which made the two smile.

''Are you a noble Raegar?'' the girl asked while cleaning her sword.

Before he could answer, Tanya spoke with a knowing smile. ''The Blackwood Family is a count family in the southern part of the empire, and if I remember correctly, the white hair and red eyes are features from the great Vaelthorne Family, which includes the Lion of Dawnfire.''

Raegar's eyes went wide as his hand dropped to the hilt of his dagger, which made Tanya giggle. ''Don't worry boy, I'm a friend of the empire and met many of you Vaelthornes over the years.''

He relaxed before changing the subject. ''Are there still devils in Bloodfang? I killed a group a few weeks ago, but haven't come across any since.''

''I believe so,'' the older woman answered while joining them on the bench. ''People are reporting sightings of them around Dreadshade City and in several villages near the forest.''

Raegar looked concerned, but Rhenya commented in a confident voice. ''My Edgeweaving will destroy any devil we come across.''

''Not if it's a captain Rhen, you must be careful,'' she warned. ''They are beings full of evil and would do anything to trick you into not killing them.''

''Edgeweaving?'' he questioned in a curious tone.

The young woman looked at him with a big smile. ''It's a Belmont Family skill. It allows me to cut through anything I believe I can, but it takes a toll on my body if I use it too much,'' she said while yawning, which proved her point.

''By the way Raegar, what were those flying blades you were using?'' Tanya asked, with sparkling brown eyes.

''A spell of my design, Hydra Blades,'' he replied, conjuring a shimmering blade of water and wind that split into two, each glistening stream weaving through the air.

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Rhenya watched it with a big smile, but the older woman commented with wide eyes. ''You're the Tetraarch Mage that awoke in the southern part of the empire?''

''Yes,'' he answered, before dismissing the blade.

Tanya's smile grew wide as she ruffled his hair. ''You caused chaos in the empire but vanished soon after, so everyone forgot about the rarest mage of our time.''

Raegar shrugged with a smile. ''Yes, Grandfather whisked me off before the nobles could swamp me,'' he revealed.

''That's a solid piece of work,'' the older woman remarked, nodding approvingly. ''By the time you take your entrance test, the surrounding buzz should settle. News from the east is flooding in fast.''

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