<h4>Chapter 38: To Ashes</h4>


    "The hell is that?" Alex shouted. Rina seemed frozen in ce. I used fallen grace and threw myself off the tree.


    "Kai, wait!" Alex''s voice was already behind me as I rolled as soon as I touched the ground to soften my fall and dashed towards the screams. The forest roof blocked my sight for a short moment. I considered myself lucky as whatever that bright thing was exploded, burning off most of the leaves. I ran towards it as ash rained around me.


    Soon, I heard Erik''s voice. "Stay behind me! We''re retreating!" I burst out of the treeline to see them hunched down behind his tower shield. I stopped in my tracks as I saw it. The source of that screech.


    It was a giant, ming bird. "A phoenix?"


    "Kai, run!" Rina''s voice sounded from behind me. "You stand no chance against that thing!"


    Both her and Alex also came out from the woods. Rina was already out of breath while Alex seemed ready to fight.


    "Who are they?" Erik asked in surprise. Before we could say anything, the creature let out another ear-piercing screech. Its eyes focused on Rina. I felt something change around us as the forest suddenly caught on fire.


    "What the hell?" Alex shouted as she pulled her friend away from the burning trees. "It''s blocking our path!"


    I nodded; the entire forest was on fire. There was no way we''d get through it alive. Even if Alina healed us in the process, we were hours away from the vige. Her mana would never be enough.


    "We have to fight it." Rina shouted. I could barely hear her voice from the roaring fire. "You guys, be ready to support us."


    Erik and the others hesitated. They clearly were scared. The phoenix''s mes roared as it soared above us. With every p of its wings, the air around us grew hotter. We had to do something before the heat killed us.


    "Look out." Samantha shouted as the creature reared its head. I felt the magic around it change. At the same time, Rina grabbed my arm and pulled me away. Momentster, a fireball exploded where I stood before.


    "It can shoot fire?" Alina screamed. I coughed as the smoke of the burning grass made my eyes water and my throat itch. "We have to do something quickly. Samantha, shoot the thing already!" I shouted. She flinched and hooked an arrow.


    "I''ll enhance your shots." Rina shouted as a blue glow appeared around Samantha''s arrow. As soon as she released it, it flew straight to the creature and hit its wing. The phoenix screeched and wailed. The mes around us roared and the smoke got thicker. Soon, even breathing was going to be difficult.


    "Kai, use the chain to try and bring it down." Alex shouted. "If you can hook it around its neck or feet, we can pull it down." I nodded, it made sense. I took the chain out from my inventory and ran closer to it.


    "Erik, be ready to pull when I tell you to." I shouted. He nodded as he blocked another fireball with his shield. I smelt some burned skin as I ran past him. The shield was zing, it must have been burning the skin on his hands. Yet, he persevered to keep Alina and Samantha safe.


    I used Fallen Grace and leapt high up in the air. Throwing the chain, I felt some of Rina''s magic around it. With her guidance, the chain wrapped itself around the phoenix''s chest and hooked itself. The creature screeched and pped its wings in an attempt to get away. As soon as Inded, I threw the other end of the chain towards Erik. "Pull!"


    Alex and Vincent also lined up by the pdin and we pulled the chain. Despite our efforts, the creature showed no sign of defeat. It only pped its wings harder. I felt my feet slowly leave the ground.


    Another enhanced arrow struck the creature, then another. I felt a tingling sensation in the back of my mind that was quickly followed by a lighting strike that hit the creature.


    "It''s working!" Samantha shouted. It really was working. My feet touched the ground again as our collective strength lowered the creature to the ground. Eventually, it couldn''t fly at all anymore and fell on the ground with a thud. As soon as it did, the grass around it caught on fire.


    I let go of the chain and and summoned my scythe. Erik and the others also summoned their weapons as we dashed towards the creature.


    Waves of fire spread from it as Samantha''s arrows barely hit the creature. Erik was the only one who could get any closer to it as his shield was barely enough to keep him safe from the worst of the mes. Right behind him was Vincent. Rina was casting a spell way in the back and Alex seemed to be waiting for that to finish. Joshua stood to the side – his throwing daggers were doing a fair bit of damage to the creature.


    Erik shouted something as soon as he was in range to hit the creature. His longsword let out a golden shine as he cut through the phoenix''s ming feathers with ease.


    "Kai, Alex, go!" Rina''s voice sounded as her magic formed a blue shield around me and Alex. The heat of the mes disappeared. A smile appeared on my face as I dashed forward.


    Joshua''s surprised scream shattered my smile. He pointed towards the creature''s left side. "It''s healing!" His words hit me like a truck. I nced at the points where Samantha''s arrows had hit the creature. There were no wounds. Erik''s shes had disappeared. The only wounds that had remained were from Alex''s sword.


    "Get back!" I shouted as the creature spread its wings wide. A wave of heat hit us. Rina''s shield blocked the heat wave for me and Alex, but the others seemed to have trouble breathing. "I can''t breathe!" Rina suddenly shouted. Her face was red, she was panting, holding her throat.


    "You didn''t cast it for yourself?" Alex shouted as she rushed to her friend''s side. "Idiot!"


    Alina''s healing spell touched Rina, allowing her to breathe a bit better and getting rid of her slight burns. I looked around; it was as if we had entered hell. Everything was burning – Trees, bushes, even the dry ground itself.


    I heard the creature move. As I moved my head to look at it, fear grasped my heart. Its gaze was focused on Erik as it leapt into the air and dove right towards him. Its sharp talons reflected the light of the fires around us as they aimed for the pdin.


    "Look out!" I shouted as I rammed Erik with all my – and Fallen Grace''s – strength. My bash threw Erik out of the way of the creature''s talons, but I wasn''t fast enough to get myself out of the way.


    I felt the sharp talons burrow into my skin as it grabbed my right shoulder and arm. Before anyone could react, the creature had already lifted me off the ground. I screamed, trying to free myself but all that did was cause its sharp talons dig deeper into my flesh.


    "Kai!" Alex shouted. Samantha shot an arrow, but the creature didn''t even flinch as its mes burnt the arrow before it even reached it. I held on to the creature''s leg with my left arm, to lessen the weight on my shoulder and looked down as the ming bird carried me high into the air. I could only hope it wouldn''t let go, we were too high up in the air.


    I thought of trying to cut off its leg but decided otherwise. Even if I decided to that, I''d have to wait until it flew low enough for me to survive the fall. At least I was protected from its mes until Rina''s spell wore off. We flew north, past the summit where we fought the oversized eagle. Just looking down was enough to make my head spin.


    The phoenix didn''t fly for too long, though the distance we''d covered in this short time was incredible. I could see several ruins in the forest below. My shoulder and arms hurt with each beat of its wings, so I was grateful when I started to slow down.


    Unfortunately for me, the ce it had chosen tond was a ratherrge and deep crater. Before my feet touched the ground, it dropped me. I fell on the ash covered ground with a thud. As soon as I did, I used Soul''s Respite.


    I heard the creature alsond with a loud thud. As I got up on one knee, our gazes met. I felt the heat of its mes. Rina''s spell was slowly wearing off.


    I pushed myself to stand up and summoned my scythe. The creature spread its wings wide. I clenched my teeth as it reared back its head. The next heat wave destroyed Rina''s spell. Taken aback by the intense heat, I stepped covered nose and mouth with my arm. My eyes were burning from the heat. I blinked a few times, only to see a fireball approaching me.