Lustrous Horizon

Chapter Four

Stella, Cecilia, and Corinne avoided the shooter from the treetop by going into an area filled with multiple buildings.

"We did it, ladies!" Corinne said with a smile on her face.

"Why was that person shooting at us?" Stella asked. She looks at the treetop and the road where she and the other two just came from. "It looks like if we cross that road, then the shooter will start shooting."

Cecilia looks at Corinne with a serious look. "How did you know the shooter was a guy?"

"Huh? What?" Corinne asked.

"The shooter? How did you know it was a guy?" Cecilia asked again but with a more serious tone.

"Oh? You know, I just assumed it was a guy."

"See, Mom?" Stella said. "Most people would assume that the shooter was a guy."

"I don't believe her," Cecilia said to her daughter and then looked at Corinne. "Look here! Coming here with you has put my daughter in danger. Now if you're not going to cooperate with me, then stay away from us."

"What? No!" Corinne shook her head. "I really don't know who was shooting at us."

Cecilia sighs. "Fine! Then help us take down that guy."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You keep the shooter's attention while I burn the tree that he's standing on."

"You can't be serious?!"

"What's the problem?" Cecilia crossed her arms and stared into Corinne's eyes.

Corinne sighs. "Fine, then! What do you want me to do?"

The plan is for Corinne to run onto the road and keep the shooter distracted while Cecilia and Stella go after the shooter. The mother will approach the shooter from one side, and the daughter will approach from another side.

Corinne walks onto the road. She glances at the shooter and scratches the back of her head. An Arrow coated in reddish Wind Midrash comes in front of her and explodes. Cecilia approaches the shooter from the southside while Stella approaches from the northside.

Cecilia makes it to the shooter's tree first. She throws a black Fire Spellbomb at the tree and explodes knocking the tree down onto the ground. Stella moves out of the way as the tree falls. A guy with blue eyes, dark blonde, red T-shirt, black shorts, and black shoes lands next to Stella.

Corinne sees this and comes running to Stella and kicks her with a Wind Kick. Stella did not see this coming, so she took the hit onto her left arm and was knocked onto the ground.

"Guy!" Corinne called out. "You go after her. I'll go after the mom!"

Cecilia's face turns to anger when she sees her daughter getting kicked by Corinne. She lunges towards Corinne and coats her left palm with her black Fire Midrash. With an open palm, Cecilia hits Corinne in the face with a Skyfire Slap.

The guy, whose name is Guy (pronounced as Gi), stands up and picks up his Bow. He readies his Bow to fire an Arrow, but Stella had already got up by now. Stella throws a Rainbow Spellbomb towards Guy at close range. It explodes into the seven colors of the rainbow.

Cecilia hits Corinne again with another Skyfire Slap which knocks her out. Stella finishes off Guy with another Rainbow Spellbomb.

Stella catches her breath. "Looks like you were right, Mom."

Cecilia smiles. "I'm always right, dear!"

Along the way back to the inn, Harold notices that he and Edgar are being followed by several men.

"Edgar," Harold whispered to his partner. "See those guys behind us?"

Edgar quickly glances behind himself and sees four muscular guys. "The four big guys? Sleeveless shirts?"

"Yeah, I believe they're following us. We left the bar a while ago and I just noticed them."

The boys are approaching the river that separates the two sections of the forest.

"So, what now?" Edgar asked.

"We walk around in a circle to make sure." Harold answered. "This is our starting point, we go north, east, south, and then west. If done correctly, we'll be back here. If those guys are still around, then we'll know that they're following us."

"You're always right about these things. So, north first?"

Harold and Edgar proceed to walk north for several minutes, then turn east for several minutes, then south for several minutes. During these walks, the boys would make casual conversation. Finally, the boys turn west and end up in the same starting point which was next to the bridge connecting the forest's east and west sections.

The boys stop at the bridge and turn around, the same four guys are still there.

"Following us, guys?" Harold asked with a smirk on his face.

The four guys still stand there and do not say anything.

"Come now! Everywhere we go, you losers go with. What's going on, huh?"

"If you guys insist on harassing us," Edgar said. "We'll have no choice but to take legal actions."

Harold leans towards his partner and whispers. "Let's not bring up the fact that we're police. We don't want to hide behind the law."

The four guys start whispering to each other and one of them steps forward and opens his mouth. "Which one of you is the Leaf Wolf?"

Harold has a confused look on his face. "And how do you guys know that moniker?"

"Is it you?" asked another one of the four guys.

"And what if I am?"

As if on cue and in sync, all four guys immediately lunge towards Edgar who is caught by surprise and does not have time to react. All four guys land on Edgar.

Harold turns to see the guys beating down on his partner. Before he gets a chance to help his partner, a Wind Claw comes at his face. He stops and sees the creature who had murdered Soleil. The creature in front of him is none other than the Lustrous Goblin. As if that weren't enough, the Iridescent Unicorn stands right next to him.