"…Guess who?" Anaphol repeated the words. His hand still on his own neck.
He did not believe he had ever met such a person. Or maybe he has.
Shaking his head, he responded to Zanlo's words, "I have never met one who could do that!"
Zanlo hearing the response just smiled. He went on to say, "Forget that, look up again."
Naph rather than following the suggestion, chose to scream, "Cata!"
He teleported for an instant into the kaleidoscopic space with his ride and Bulwark. And came back out again at the exact same spot.
Inhaling air, he looked around confused. "Why? Why? Why am I back here?" He did not look behind but he could smell the blood in the air.
Right behind him was a half corpse of another Streno knight. One that was not part of the seven who survived Astref's attack.
Only the legs and the grey coat remained behind as the human was disintegrated caught in the teleportation. Naph turned slightly spotting the legs, 'that's wrong? Last time even a close quarter teleport did not just kill someone.'
"Huh! Now that is weird." Zanlo spoke.
"Tell me what happens when you teleport, boy?" he continued.
Astref teased, "Hey! I was the last one who spoke. Why did you not reply me?"
Clicking his tongue, Naph pulled his ride away from near to Rhide and went in a direction opposite of the just turned Streno knights. They were pursuing him but now each one had chosen to act faster like a small understanding passed through them.
He wanted to maintain distance from anyone and keep everyone in his sight. Yet, he did not expect this plan to work faithfully.
'Zanlo can read, Astref is an unknown just as much as those knights. How should I-' He was thinking when Astref spoke in, "You are thinking too much! Go with your instinct and I know your instinct is telling you to roll over." His words as melodic as honey.
Astref landed back down on the ground from his floating position. Drawing a mace and a short sword from the air, he said, "Now, I have all the understanding. Let's end you."
Without skipping a beat, Naph kept his eyes on Astref and thought 'ca' with forced intent and directed at Astref. He stopped it as a word from cata.
A space made of several colors descended on top of Astref and shattered. Astref too jumped back.
The falling shards missed him.
But Naph was already thinking with intent the syllable 'ta' as part of the word cata. This moment his intent driven at Zanlo.
Zanlo without missing a beat instinctively ducked down and face planted himself. He began glowing a mist red colour while the kaleidoscopic space descended with its full furiosity and warped the space with Zanlo's back caught in it.
Yet, both survived.
Zanlo was hurt and Astref rushed to him and so did a dagger thrown at the man by Naph.
'I don't have chances to miss!' His dagger spun in the air. Before it could reach, Astref parried it to the side at an approaching Streno knight completely out of Anaphol's sight.
"Another-"
"Still alive," spoke the Streno knight as she also parried it away.
Astref's hand was way above Zanlo's back when a glow from his hand transformed into a misshapen erratic blob formed an dropped down on Zanlo's back. His back began healing instantly and Astref however turned back to facing Naph.
"Good, good. Now I won't have any sympathies for you." Astref smiled wide.
Naph however felt drained. 'That… is not… good.' Even his thoughts were sluggish.
That's when he saw Astref taking out a book in the middle of the crossroad. And he turned its pages.
Naph did not have moments to spare and investigate what was it that Astref was doing. However, he saw it.
Astref plucking pages off his book and smashing it against his head. And then, the page was scrunched, still he did not throw them but put them back into his pocket.
Naph pushed his ride to the right side of the fountain. While Streno knights split into two to encircle him, he ran into the first group faster because they were coming to him and he was going to them.
Stopping wasn't what he wanted to do, but he prayed within him. 'Come on, Bulwark! Give me a loud jolt!' She did not give one.
The Streno knights were right upon him. From front and back both.
Naph did pull the same trick on the ones in front of him. He thought of 'ta' with intent driven at the Streno knights with him thinking his 'ta' is part of the ending of cata.
Two warped inwards caught by the warping varied coloured space. The other two in front jumped to the side and Naph pushed his ride into the warped space.
Before his created warped space could end or touch him or his ride, he thought plainly of the word 'cata'. A semi-transparent kaleidoscopic space fell or rather formed around him for an instant.
As another kaleidoscopic space warped the two Streno knights caught, Naph was inside the consequence of his morning's action. The space he semi-summoned resonated with the warping space and also began warping.
He felt the pull of being led into a singular point with three more Streno knights caught with it.
Right then, Naph screamed through distorted mouth, "Cata!"
He did not vanish this time like the last one, however another kaleidoscopic space formed around him. One that was more tighter and fitting him.
The three spaces reacted to each other's presence and shattered like broken glass. Each flying at the Streno knights caught in it.
None spared by the thrice compounded effect. Naph head landed right down on the floor, his hands free from holding on the ride's handle and his dagger.
He jumped back up quickly, and searched around him. Every direction crystal embedded itself into the knights except his ride that was a few feet away from him.
He ran to it, and so did recently healed Zanlo.