The Protector and the Peacemaker

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

(Porter)

"Tick, get back here!" Porter yelled as he chased the little tailed boy through the woods. Tick was light on his feet, though, and by the time Porter caught up with him they were already back at the wagon train.

The Caravan was in chaos. Humans and Mythics alike cried out in pain and fear while fireballs and lightning bolts flashed through the air as the slave traders threw spells. In the center of it all was Gwinn. His longsword sliced through the air in graceful patterns, cutting down anyone who got too close to him. A small pile of bodies had already begun to build around his paws, but he was obviously struggling. There were too many slave traders for him to handle all at once, and it wouldn't be long before their sheer numbers overwhelmed him. If he was going to get out of there alive, Porter was going to have to help him.

Ahead of him, Tick skidded to a stop when a slave trader spotted them. The large man snapped his fingers, conjuring a fireball in his hand, and threw it at the little boy.

"Tick!" Porter yelled. He jumped, tackling Tick while simultaneously summoning his Kalion armor. The fireball bounced harmlessly off his back, and when he scrambled back to his feet Porter shot a powerful gust of wind at the slave trader, throwing him back into another wagon.

"Stay close to me," Porter said, pulling Tick up off the ground. This was the last place he wanted Tick to be, but he knew that trying to send him away would be a waste of time. The best he could do was keep a close eye on him until this was all over.

"Where'd you get that?" Tick asked, his eyes going wide when he saw Porter's armor.

Twenty feet away, an arrow whizzed through the air, slicing into Gwinn's arm. He yowled and clamped his hand over the wound, blood turning his white fur scarlet, and barely managed to swing his sword in time to fend off another slave trader. Porter's grip tightened around Flicker, and he turned to the nearest cage. It was the one with the bee-lady inside it.

"I'm going to let you out," Porter decided, jogging over to the door. Without waiting for a reply, he raised Flicker and brought it down on the cage's lock. The lock shattered under the strength of his armor, and he swung the door open before moving on to the next cage. He did this two more times before he came to the cage with the green skinned man.

"Let me out!" the man demanded. "Hurry!"

"The cat over there needs our help," Porter said. "Will you fight with him?"

"Yes," the man agreed, clenching his fist in rage. "Those men took my daughter from me and sold her. I want revenge. Let me out!"

Porter obliged and broke the lock, freeing him. He didn't even have time to open the door before the green skinned man had jumped out and ran towards the fray. The other captives Porter had released took this as their encouragement, and charged after him.

"Come on," Porter told Tick. "Let's get some more of them out."

"Porter, look!" Tick exclaimed, and pointed just as a flash of lightning zigzagged through the crowd and struck Gwinn in the chest ,throwing him onto his back.

"No!" Porter shouted, and abandoned the cages to rush to his aid. He raised Flicker to attack, but when the slavers turned to look at him, he realized he'd made a mistake. There were too many of them, and as one they rained a barrage of fire, lightning, ice, and other spells at him. The magic couldn't pierce his armor, but the force was enough to stop him in his tracks, and he was thrown onto his back. He rolled over to get up just in time to see another fireball zip over his head—