Unspeakable Secrets The Alchemist Series (A Dark Medieval Progression Fantasy)

Chapter 66 Fire Wolf

"I'm sorry about that," Erik said with a booming voice, "please, return to your cells before somebody truly gets hurt."

Adelia snarled her defiance, her eyes and the runes upon her skin pulsed violet as her demonic flesh seemed to grow and encroach over her more human-looking skin.

Her fangs lengthened and her tail flicked the air behind her.

"We would rather die than live as your slaves," Adelia snarled. Her voice seemed slightly distorted, as an edge of demonic power entered it.

"How dramatic," Erik said with a snort that steamed and spewed glowing orange embers into the air.

Adelia raised her dagger, the tip pointing at Erik, and spoke a word of power.

Connor suddenly felt deathly cold down to his bones as all color, what little there was, was leached out of the world.

Even Erik's fiery fur turned only shades of grey.

Erik shook himself like a wet dog and the world snapped back to normal once more as shadows broke away from his form, turning some of the canvas, wood, and rope near Erik to dust.

"Death magic?" Erik asked, "Come now. I don't think I deserve that, do you?"

Adelia growled through clenched teeth. Erik leaped at her and she darted aside with a flurry of slashes from her blades, none of which seemed to do anything.

Connor turned his eyes away from the fight. She needed help and he'd be damned if he'd stand there gawking while she did. Adelia's blades couldn't penetrate even with all her demonic strength, so him rushing into the fray seemed utterly pointless.

Instead, Connor turned his attention to the ballista lining the sides of the ship, tightly covered with canvas.

He ran to the edge of the poop deck and hopped down onto the deck below. His feet hit the slippery deck with a splash and his feet stayed under him with inhuman levels of balance and control thanks to his potion. Without slowing down, he continued running straight to a nearby ballista.

He drew one of the throwing knives from his bandoleer and cut through the ropes securing the canvas in place, ripping it all away to reveal a large ballista of wood and metal mounted on a metal disk fixed to the deck. Large, elegant runes seemed to cover every surface. Beside it was a large, long crate that could only contain one thing.

It wasn't locked and Connor all but ripped off the lid, moving as fast as he could and all too aware of the sounds of fighting and the flickers of movement out of the corner of his eye.

Sure enough, the chest was filled with dark iron metal ballista bolts the size and shape of spears. Each was inscribed with runes along the polished, dusky gray metal.

Connor grabbed one of the spear-like bolts and turned to where the fight was raging.

Adelia was faster than Erik, but her blades seemed utterly ineffective.

"Adelia! Catch!" Connor shouted above the roar of the ocean and tossed the spear toward the fight.

It vanished. Snatched out of the air in a blur as Adelia whirled to face Erik with the dark iron bolt.

Adelia swung it in an arc, catching the side of Erik's neck with the sharp tip. But, if he felt any pain from the blow, he didn't show it. And any damage she might've done was invisible beneath the smoking, steaming, inferno of fur.

Connor gripped the windlass handle of the ballista and turned it, moving as quickly as he could. Yet, even his enhanced strength took time to cock the war machine.