Chapter 78：Ring of fire (2/2)

After harvesting the crystals, we made our way back to Slyvia. But before we could congregate, a sudden creaking noise caught our attention. Gary and I jumped back as a falling tree came crashing down inches in front of us. We were separated from the rest of the group.

Before we could hurdle the fallen tree, it spontaneously lit ablaze. The fire spread to adjacent fallen trees which apparently made a full circle around Gary and me.

”Slyvia the whistle!” Martha snapped.

”I…it's broken.” Slyvia cried with horror.

”Just go back and get help!” Gary ordered.

Gary hadn't ordered the group to return to the academy for help merely because of a small forest fire. Instead, there were three people that stood in front of us with high level beast equipment. They were covered head to toe in armour, each brandishing a different weapon. One had a sword in his hand while the other was spinning a chain with a blunt weight at the tip and the third one donned a pair of daggers.

They all had one thing in common: their faces were completely covered by a red mask with two slits for eyes. They were clearly the perpetrators of the fire and wanted to separate Gary and me from the rest of the group.

We didn't bother telling the group as it would only serve to worry them or worse yet, lose precious time trying to break us free instead of retrieving help from the academy.

”Do you think it's the dark guild?” Gary asked.

I scanned them with my Dragon eyes but they didn't show signs of being infected by the shadow plague.

”Whoever they are, they're strong.”

The man with the sword began the assault with a leaping overhead strike. I lifted my left arm to block while readying my right arm to rip his stomach open with the black tipped claws, but as the sword made contact with the gauntlet, I felt little resistance as it sliced through the defensive layer. I quickly lowered my left arm, twisted my body to the right to avoid the rest of the swordsman's strike, and used my shoulder to knock him off balance. I used the opportunity to put some distance between us.

The fact that his blade managed to slice through my gauntlet meant one thing: his blade was a higher tier. This was bad.