The Sword Mage Without A Path

Chapter 5: Saved By A Yellow Path Mage 2

The beast was sent tumbling backward, crashing into a bush and sending leaves and twigs flying everywhere.

Fred blinked, still reeling from the shock of the fight.

He was still reeling when a figure came into view in front of him, blocking the path of the recovering wolf.

Fred's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the new arrival.

She was probably around his own age, with long golden hair that fanned out behind her as she turned to face him.

She wore a white cape over simple traveling clothes that allowed for freedom of movement, and a strange pale yellow aura seemed to swirl around her body, crackling with occasional bits of lightning.

Fred's heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the strange girl, realizing for the first time that he wasn't facing an ordinary wolf.

The girl's eyes scanned over him briefly before she looked back at the recovering wolf.

"Are you injured?"

Fred was about to protest, but the pain in his side and the ringing in his ears reminded him that he was far from being in any condition to argue.

The woman turned away from him and crouched slightly, her gaze on the large animal.

"Can you stand?"

Fred struggled to his feet, wincing as he did so.

"I'm fine."

The girl turned to face him fully, her piercing gaze taking in the blood running down his arm, the dirt on his clothes, and the tree he was leaning against for support.

"You're bleeding."

"It's not serious."

"You were almost eaten."

Fred's lip curled into a sneer, but the girl only sighed.

"You're stubborn."

Fred had heard that line before, and he was ready to snap a retort at her when the wounded wolf suddenly struggled to its feet.

The girl turned back toward the creature as if she hadn't even noticed, but Fred's gaze was on her. Just as the wolf came charging toward the woman, lightning crackled around her hand.

Fred's eyes went wide.

A heartbeat later, the strange girl was gone, replaced by a flash of pale yellow light as the lightning from her fingertips struck the wolf. The monster howled in pain and rolled backward, crashing into a tangle of underbrush. Her eyes were locked onto the writhing mass of fur at her feet as she raised her hand, the air around her humming with power.

Fred's breath caught in his throat, and he turned his gaze to the tree behind him, willing himself to move.

But his thoughts were far away, a hundred miles or more in an empty void far from the forest and the girl who had just saved his life.

It was a place where he remembered the pain in his side, the sweat on his brow, the feel of steel in his hands, and the knowledge that he had faced death - and lived.

And it was a place where he compared and contrasted himself to this strange girl standing in front of him, effortlessly stopping a wolf twice her size.

His fingers twitched at his side, and for the first time since he'd made the decision to pursue the path of the sword, Fred felt something that he'd never expected to - frustration.

I've trained with this sword until my hands bled, he thought.

I've battled monsters alone in these woods and fought them off with nothing but my skill and willpower, and every one of those victories has made me stronger.

But none of that is enough to stand against this girl!

Fred's hand tightened around the hilt of his sword as he glared at the woman's back, watching as she turned toward the recovering wolf.

Maybe Axel was right.

Maybe a person without a Path is simply meant to be weak.

The thought made his chest tighten, and this time, he shook it away, hard.

No , he told himself.

Axel may think that, but I know the truth, and I know that I won't be held back by him or anyone else.

The girl turned back to face him.

"Are you really okay?"

Fred's glare never wavered as he climbed to his feet.

"I'm alive."

She smiled slightly.

"That's not what I asked."

Suddenly, the girl's face was mere inches from his, and Fred's heart pounded in his chest. A strange heat had crept up his cheeks, and when the girl turned away from him, he quickly turned his face away.

"Stand up."

Fred swallowed hard and forced himself to meet her eyes.

"That's not what I asked," she said.

Fred clenched his jaw and fought down the wave of mortification that threatened to wash over him.

The girl seemed to sense his embarrassment and turned away, brushing off the front of her tunic.

"You're a swordsman," she said, turning back to regard him.

Fred glanced down at the scratches on the blade of his sword.

"I'm training to be one."

The girl raised an eyebrow.

"Then tell me, do you know any techniques?"

"Not really,"Because I need real experience."

The girl frowned.

"Then why are you fighting monsters alone? You're definitely stubborn."

Fred's lips parted in surprise at the question.

He looked down at the sword in his hands before meeting her gaze again.

"I can't use magic," he said.

The girl's eyes softened slightly.

"Then you must really want to get stronger."

Fred blinked in surprise at her words, but he quickly gathered his wits and shook his head.

"No," he said firmly, "I chose this path, and I won't give up because of what you think."

The girl's smile returned, and she held out her hand.

"My name is Lyra."

Fred hesitated for a moment before taking it.

"Fred Meyer,"

Lyra's eyes widened slightly as she processed what he had said.

"Meyer?"

Fred nodded.

"You're from the Meyer family?"

"Yes,"

Lyra regarded him for a moment.

"So you're the Pathless boy everyone has been talking about."

Fred crossed his arms.

"Aren't you forgetting the part where I don't take kindly to people talking about me?"

"I didn't mean it that way,"

"People always do,"

Lyra's smile vanished, and for a moment, she looked almost regretful.

"So am I really supposed to think you don't take kindly to people talking about you?"

Fred narrowed his eyes at her.

"That depends,"

Lyra chuckled.

"On whether or not you're still willing to listen to what I have to say."

Fred's gaze locked onto Lyra's own as he struggled to get a hold of his thoughts.

Something about this girl was bugging him, but he couldn't quite place it.

She was stronger than he expected, but that wasn't it.

She saved me without thinking about it, he thought.

It wasn't because she felt pity for me, either.

Lyra was powerful, that was obvious, but she didn't look down on him for being weak.

And that fact, more than anything else, surprised Fred.

"You saved me," he said at last, turning his gaze back to the fallen wolf.

Lyra tilted her head.

"You're welcome."

Fred turned his head to look at her.

"I mean it."

Lyra's expression softened.

"I know."

Fred turned his gaze to the dead wolf at his feet.

If it hadn't been for Lyra, he would have died in that fight against the wolves.

That much he knew.

And a part of him - a small, stubborn part - was starting to understand what it really meant to fight without magic.

Fred looked up at the girl, a small, crooked smile playing on his lips.

"How strong are you?"

Lyra smiled, and for the first time, Fred saw something in her eyes that reminded him of Axel.

"That depends," she said, "on what kind of enemy you have to face."

Fred's expression darkened.

"That's not an answer."

"It's an answer,"

Lyra's mouth turned up at the corners, "and maybe you'll find out sometime."

Before Fred could retort, a deep, guttural rumbling sound echoed through the woods.

Both of them turned toward the sound, and their eyes went wide as a massive shadow loomed ahead of them.

A great beast was approaching, fast.

The earth shook with each of its footsteps, and the forest seemed to breathe around it, waiting for the predator to pass.

Lyra's expression hardened as another deep thunderous sound rumbled through the trees.

"That's not a normal monster,"

She turned back to face Fred.

"What is it?"

"A Horned Bear,"

Lyra's voice was steady, but the tremor in her fingers betrayed her.

A great black-and-brown striped monster slowly revealed itself as it stepped silently behind the trees.

Fred's eyes widened as he took in the sight of it.

The creature resembled a great bear, but two immense curved horns protruded from either side of its head, and its claws were as long as a man's forearm.

Muscles bulged and strained against the thick hide as it took another step forward, sending another shockwave through the ground with every stride it took.

Fred's grip on the hilt of his sword tightened.

"A Horned Bear,"

Lyra nodded.

"And a large one, at that."

The great beast let out a deafening roar, and Fred staggered backward, the sound forcing something deep within his chest to tighten painfully.

This was much more than he'd bargained for, and a nervous sweat prickled at the small of his back as he stared at the creature's gleaming yellow eyes.

Lyra took a step forward, summoning another burst of lightning to her fingertips.

Fred moved to stand beside her.

"Don't tell me you're going to fight this thing off by yourself,"

Lyra shot him a surprised look.

"I thought you said you knew nothing about magic?"

Fred turned his gaze back to the monster.

"I know plenty,"

Lyra exhaled sharply.

Fred's fingers curled into a fist around the hilt of his sword.

"And if I end up in trouble again, I'll expect you to save me."