82 Chapter 82 Stella Pov 3 (2/2)

”No! That's okay! You can do it,” she quickly answered before any more of the ghostly monsters appeared.

”Are you sure?” he asked, uncertainly.

”Positive,” she squeaked. Swallowing her heart back into her chest as it pounded furiously, she watched him turn to look at the fog.

”Stella, should I try detonate instead? I could just 'splode 'em all at once, or do you like the candles instead?”

The thought of him trying to blow anything up in his current condition almost terrified her more than the wights did.

”I like the candles instead. The candles are pretty!” seeing him nod, she didn't catch all that he said next as he started lighting them up. She was counting them. He stopped at fifteen.

”I'm sorry Stella, I kept trying to get different colors but they only seem to burn green.”

”That's ok I like green. Green is a good color.” She was still watching for other shapes to appear out of the fog, but none did.

Suddenly a ring of fire appeared around them, and after mumbling something, he fell over in a deep sleep. The fire made the area immediately toasty warm, and she breathed a sigh of relief when the wights that were revealed s.h.i.+ed away from the flames. She tried to taunt a few to come closer, and got them to burn themselves up, but the rest drifted away.

Stella paced the ring of fire the entire time he was out. Nothing came to bother them, but she couldn't rest. Master Joseph was unconscious and she knew she wouldn't be able to wake him until he burnt off some of the extra mana he had acquired.

”Stella?” he asked, sitting up. She turned towards him immediately, but he seemed to be fine now.

”Yes, Master Joseph?”

”Drugs are bad. I'm hungry.”

She pulled out a piece of meat from her purse and handed it to him.

”Here you go.'

”Thanks, Stella.”

The ring of fire went away, and she watched anxiously as the fog drifted closer to them again. Master Joseph cast fire above his head, and it kept the fog further than the stones had. They continued walking, but it wasn't far before they stumbled across the frozen remains of the barbarian camp. Stella looked over the campground, with the tents still pitched and the corpses still in their blankets, and realized the fog had pulled back.

A form rose up from behind one of the tents. Stella noted the frozen exterior of the creature, and knew her blades would not be able to scratch it. As it threw the frozen body of a child larger than them into its mouth and started to chew, she hoped Master Joseph had a way to defeat this thing.

”Breath weapon! Stella the powder!” Joseph screamed.

Grabbing the as many bags of charcoal dust as she could with both hands, out of her purse, she hurled them at the mouth of the beast. Joseph created a rune just as they reached the s.p.a.ce in front of its open mouth.

BOOM!

”Did we kill it?” whispered Stella. She couldn't see anything in the ensuing cloud of crystal dust. Then as it cleared, she saw that the head and neck were gone.

”Never ask that!” said Joseph, almost angrily, as he glanced around them.

She looked around as well, wondering if they were about to be attacked.

”Why?” she asked in confusion.

”It's a bad omen.” There was no movement from the monster. ”Stella, in my last life, an online friend of mine had a saying. After playing a scary game, set in a s.p.a.ce station, it's not dead until you get experience.”

”What?” she asked, even more confused.

”Keep throwing the bags. I don't care if it can regenerate, has a second form, or an extra life. I'm killing it.”

She kept the bags flying, aiming for the spots that the rune appeared in. After 27 bags, there was only shards left. Backing away as he created a fire, she watched as he burned the thing until the ground was glowing. Shockingly, there were still crystals left.

She watched as he did something to them, then melted them using an even hotter flame. Tossing him some of the last of their meat when he asked for it, she thought maybe he was hungry after using so much magic, but instead, he threw the meat on top of the pile of ashes, and purified it. The ashes were gone. Then he burned the meat until it was nothing but ashes, but didn't stop until the ground was melted and even the ashes were gone.

The camp was gone. He chuckled softly to himself and his knees buckled. Catching him, she lowered him to the ground slowly. She checked his heart, to make sure it was still strong, and it was, so she stood over him, as he slept, and looked over the melted and burnt surroundings. No one would ever be able to tell there had been a camp here. All signs of the monster were gone. The fog was even dispersing. Her master was awesome. She finally breathed a sigh of relief. They had survived.

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