KINETIC

Another 3 days went by and in that time not a single person came anywhere near the village. It was something Leo considered odd, but according to Clay that was actually normal for a village.

Leo had been practicing with the Wind Bullet skill, as well as trying to create new skills using the same method. He achieved success after two days of trying different things and unlocked the skill [Wind Blade].

The inspiration for Wind Blade was the red lines of energy that the cultist used to attack him. He remembered how difficult it was to deal with those attacks so he created something similar.

Wind Blade sends out an attack in the same way but substitutes the red energy for wind. The other difference, one that Leo couldn't change, was the size of the attack.

His Wind Blades were about half the size and power of the cultists red lines. Although this was a slight disappointment, he was still happy overall with the new skills. Especially since they were each (Level 1) meaning they could get stronger.

While Leo was contemplating if there were any other ways to use wind for attacks, he heard his name being called.

"Leo! Get over here." The one calling him was Clay and he was currently standing at the carriage door. Leo got up and jogged over to the carriage, Clay gestured inside.

The little girl was awake and although she looked a bit pale, her condition had certainly improved over the days she had been unconscious. She didn't look as starved for food as before, although that was something that would take time to completely change.

She was still lying down and was having her head wiped with a cloth by Rene while the two had a conversation. Leo stepped into the carriage with the two of them "I'm glad to see you've recovered a bit. I know you're probably really tired right now but I really need to ask you some questions."

The little girl seemed startled by Leo's entrance and looked to Rene for help "Its alright, you don't have to worry about him. Just answer his questions so you can get back to resting." Rene said with a comforting smile.

The little girl seemed to calm down a bit after hearing her words, which surprised Leo. 'Why does she have so much trust in Rene so quickly. Is it because they're both women? Is she startled because I'm a man?' Leo still didn't understand the differences between the genders too well.

Yes he knew there were differences physically and mentally, but he knew nothing in terms of how they experienced and viewed life differently.

Not to mention Leo was actually bigger than most boys his age, at 16 years old he already had the physical form of a man in his 20's.

Leo sat down next to Rene and opposite the girl. He gave the girl a smile in an attempt to show that he meant no harm, and it seemed to slightly help.

"My name is Leo, what's yours?" He asked with a gentle tone. "Marie...My name is Marie." The little girl replied with a shaky voice.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Marie. Do you remember what happened to the village or the people who lived here?" He wasted no time and decided to jump right to the important questions. They had already wasted several days here and he didn't want to wait any longer than he needed to.

There were tears welling up in Marie's eyes as she thought back on the events that had transpired. Rene reached out and held Marie's hand and smiled, which once again seemed to calm her down considerably.

"I-I just wanted to get my doll... But the house was on fire and there were people everywhere. I r-ran away from my mommy and went back into the house, but there was too much fire and I got stuck inside ~Sniff~ I called for my mommy but she was grabbed by a scary man with a mask ~Sniff~. I heard them say that they were going to take everyone to the mountain... I shouldn't have run away from my mommy ~Sob~ n-now I'll n-n-never see her a-again..." Marie began crying uncontrollably.

Rene did her best to calm her down but it didn't seem to be as affective as before. Leo reach out and placed his hand over Rene and Marie's. "Im going to go look for your mom and the other villagers and my friends will take you somewhere safe. Does that sound good?" Marie nodded and slightly calmed down but she wasn't able to stop crying completely.

Leo stepped out of the carriage and called everyone to gather. Rene stayed inside the carriage with Marie for now, so she was excluded from the meeting.

"She claims the cultists who attacked the village took the villagers to 'the mountain'. Since there's only one mountain nearby, that's where we need to go." Leo explained.

"I don't understand why they kidnapped the villagers, what purpose could they possibly serve to the cult?" Clay was both curious and worried.

"I don't know, but we should try and get there as quick as possible. There's a chance we could save them if we are quick enough."

"The only issue is that not all of us can go to the mountain. We can't bring Marie with us and we can't leave her alone. We need to split up and have someone look after her." Leo explained.

"It wouldn't be a good idea to have her stay here either. I think we should send her back to the capital and I think Nila would be the best choice." Clay suggested.

"Nila? Why her?" Leo asked with a slightly confused look. "She's a noble, so she would be able to secure a place for Marie to stay quite easily. Also, it would be a good idea to report to the military about what's going on. Maybe they could send some support." Clay explained.

Leo didn't want to send Nila since she was the strongest fighter they had after himself, but he couldn't refute Clay's words. Nila really would be the best choice.

"Alright, fine...but we can't send her alone. Even with her ability, if she has someone to protect then it becomes much harder to fight if need be. I think you should go with her, Clay." Leo said.

"I agree. It would be better to have someone with me. Especially during the night when I need to rest." Nila chimed in. She seemed to have agreed to her ecort duty rather easily.

"Alright, I'll go. I'd much rather be helping you fight the cult but I understand." Clay reluctantly agreed.

"Then it's settled. You can take the carriage back to the capital, we will head to the mountain on foot. If you can get the military to head to the mountain and support us, then that would be great, but we won't be able to wait once we get there. Do your best to travel quickly." Leo said.

Everyone agreed and immediately began packing up their things. Marie wasn't too happy about Rene not traveling with her but she seemed to like Nila enough to accept the situation without complaint.

Nila and Clay got on the carriage and left towards the capital at full speed with Clay driving the carriage. If they take the most direct route it will take them about 4 days to arrive at the capital.

Leo, Rene and Cain began their journey to the mountain on foot. They estimated it would take at least five days to arrive due to their speed being limited.

All they could do was hope they weren't too late to save the villagers and stop the cult before things got any more out of hand.

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