Seal of Light - Enlightened
Chapter 8: VII : Homeland Strangers

Mat and Rigs dashed forward to the location of the explosion.

Mat recalled the quick leaping technique to Rigs, and they practiced it occasionally on their way charging it with a bit of power from their half-lit seal, giving them a boost of distance in a matter of seconds. "What's with the monk attire Rigs?"

"Oh this, I was covering a news report for an Anime Convention. Last thing I recalled, I saved a couple of kids from a falling Light Ballast, and then, here I am, waking inside that black pillar, until you came to rescue me."

"Look Rigs, another pillar, I think we should make a brief stop and check if someone is in there."

"Alright Mat, you lead, I'll follow."

Mat pressed his back against a giant boulder and slightly peeked to the black pillar that is being guarded by a pack of shadow hounds. Rigs sat next to Mat and sneaked a quick look on the opposite side. Rigs counted as he takes another look to the direction of the black pillar. "Mat, there are two guarding ghost doggies out there."

"I noticed it too Rigs, but I need to know how to activate this seal again. We can't fight against those shadow hounds with our bare hands?"

"They won't eat us Mat, I guess, we make crappy dog food."

"Hahaha, I agree to you on that Rigs."

"Mat, you said awhile ago that your seal lit up when you were about to rescue me from the pillar, maybe it would automatically activate when you decided to do something, maybe there is a connection to our thoughts or feelings?" Rigs said while looking at his seal on his right arm.

"I really don't have a clue Rigs, I don't know when it will light up or does it even respond to my will?" Mat said while pressing his right arm where his seal is located.

"One thing is for sure, there is someone inside that pillar that needs to be saved." Rigs said as he took another look to the pillar.

"So what's the plan Mat?" Rigs said while making a crunching sound with his pressed knuckles.

"We have to move closer to the pillar. We will jump in on both directions challenging the hounds, whoever lures both will have to buy time for the extraction from the black pillar. If the hounds separated then it would be a one on one battle."

"Got it," Rigs quickly ran towards the black pillar alarming the two guarding shadow hounds. He noticed his seal lit up, with a witty grin, a whip made of light extended four meters from his clenched fist. Rigs swung his ki-whip and entangled the rear legs of the shadow hound and threw it behind him.

The shadow hound landed a bad fall in front of Mat.

"Seriously...?" The surprised Mat uttered as he moved back and posed a defensive stance.

And just before Mat makes another move, another shadow hound landed badly in front of him but it recovered quickly and leapt

"Rigs you idio..." Mat jumped backward once again and landed on his knees.

attack him.

The attacking shadow hound was about to reach Mat's face when a piercing arrow made of light struck it to its head. The hound breezed away like ashes from a burned paper.

"T-that was close..." Mat uttered while lowering his arms from a defensive pose and then wandered his sight around looking for whoever helped him.

Surprised with a sudden burning feeling as he turned his head to his right, Mat widen his eyes as he looked at the pointed tip of an arrow aiming on his forehead.

Mat slightly raised his both hands in gesture for surrender.

"State your business here human..." the female archer said.

Mat tilted his head a bit to check the person who was asking him. She was wearing a tribal-like piece of clothes, she has pointed ears, her skin looks like a fine sanded wood, and her hair was dark green in color. "She's a she-elf." He whispered.

The archer winded her bow further giving a serious threat to Mat, "What are you doing on this land?"

"I was sent here for a mission, I was instructed to rescue the captives inside these black pillars." Mat explained with his both hands still raised up with palms facing the archer.

"Instructed, by whom? And how are you going to rescue those held inside the black pillars?"

On the other side, Rigs was pressing his both hands to the solid walls of the black pillar while figuring out how to activate his seal once again to extract the captive inside it. "Darn it, Mat, how did you do it?" Mat saw something lumped mass crawling beneath the ground to Rigs' direction, it seems like it came from where the archer was standing.

"She did that? Was that a summoned thing?" Mat thought while thinking of how he can alarm his friend from this nearing danger.

A wood elemental sprouted up from the rambling ground, making an assault to Rigs.

"What is this, a swollen Groot?" Rigs said while avoiding the initial attack.

Tendrils slithered out from the elemental's body and wrapped around Rigs' body.

The other shadow hound that was thrown earlier by Rigs, recovered from his fall and ran towards Mat.

"Whoa, whoa nice doggy, nice doggy..." Mat worriedly said while anticipating the hound's attack.

The archer quickly turned a few inch away and released her arrow hitting directly to approaching shadow hound.

In a split second, Mat mocked the female archer by waving at her and then quick leaped away to where Rigs is. "Just in time, my seal lit up a bit."

Mat's ki-blade drew out and with a quick maneuver. He was able to cut the tendrils that were stretched between Rigs and the wood elemental.

Rigs pulled out the remaining vines that still wrapped around him. With his seal already lit once again, Rigs used his ki-whip and followed Mat who already engaged a fight with the wood elemental.

Rigs started to swing his ki-ship in every direction attacking the wood elemental. Mat was thrown up above to mid air by one of the elemental's large tendrils, Rigs rolled forward closer and with a swift move, he was able to entangle the opponent with his whip. Mat positioned himself for an attack while falling. With the elemental unable to move from Rigs' whip, Mat was freely able to slash his ki-blade down to the enemy's upper body cutting one of its arm in the process.

The wood elemental fell to the ground, its body withered and disintegrated.

Mat landed on his knees with his ki-blade still torching, "Rigs, are you allri....," just before he finished asking, an arrow landed on Rigs' left leg. Another arrow was shot and hit Mat on his chest.

Mat's ki-blade retracted and his seal's light faded. Gritting his teeth and with a shaking hands, he nervously pulled the arrow slowly from his chest. He noticed the female archer suddenly appeared behind Rigs. "Who would send amateurs to a mission? If you engage to a battle, you never let your guard down." The female archer said while preparing to shot another arrow, aiming on Rigs head. "So I've noticed that you are carriers of the seal of light, but your lack of experience to battle is very evident."

Pressing his hand against his wound, Mat tried to stand up to his feet. "You could have easily killed us if you wanted to..."

"Careful with that tongue of yours human..." The archer said while aiming her arrow to Mat.

"You can't and you wouldn't..." Mat mocked.

"You are right. There is still something I need from you." The archer said while quickly releasing her arrow towards Rigs.

"Rigs..." Mat was in shock to see his friend drop to the ground.

"Don't worry, that shot was not meant to kill him, but this 3rd shot will..."

"You couldn't afford to kill me... yet, because you need something from me right?" Mat asked.

"Trying to be smart won't save you and your friend's life, now I want you to release the captive inside this pillar."

"And then you let us go and resume our mission?"

"You may resume after as you wish, that is if you both survive your wounds from my arrow. Don't try to play tricks on me human, there will be no more warning shots."

Mat smirked and faced the direction of the black pillar, walking forward and with a few more steps away from it, his seal lit up and his left hand started to glow from within.

Mat made a quick frustrated look to the archer before placing his left hand to the wall of the pillar. His hand turned to full glow as it slowly slips in to the solid wall. Another second has passed and his full arm is inside the pillar, Mat facial reaction tells that he was able to pick the captive inside, he gently pulled it out and to his surprise, it was another elf-looking female, with the same skin texture, similar dress, but a bit older than the other who demanded him for help. She was asleep when Mat pulled her out from the pillar.

The younger female archer vanish her bow and arrow that was made of light, and quickly aided the person that Mat was carrying. The older female somehow regained her consciousness but was too weak to neither walk nor talk. "Aea..." she uttered while trying to raise her index finger pointing to the young female archer.

A rumbling sound was heard coming from afar, the female archer stood straight while carrying the rescued captive on her arms, "I will spare your lives human, a life for a life." The older female casted a quick chant and with her open palm, light granules spread out floating over Mat and Rigs.

Rigs, who was still lying unconscious to the ground, sneezed twice before trying to lift his head and pushed up to a sitting position.

"Rigs!, Rigs! Are you alright?" Mat asked while rushing to his friend. "I thought you were..."

"...dead?", "Not yet, but with that new fellow maybe both of us will." Rigs said while pointing the huge silhouette image that was approaching them.

"We should help them Princess Aea," the older woman uttered.

"I'm sorry Priestess Akasha, this is not our war, and I should return you immediately to our safe haven."

Mat and Rigs watched as the two female slowly vanished into thin air.

"Leaving the party too soon, we are just warming up?" Rigs said.

Mat noticed that the wounds he had from the arrow was gone, he checked on Rigs and was already healed too, "The older woman healed us, the younger one called her priestess." "Yeah and the younger was called princess..." Rigs said while checking his healed wound.

"Ready Rigs for another round?"

The two fist-bumped and made their offensive stance against the incoming danger.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐