33 Risen#re

The students heaved up what meagre food they had left in their stomachs, as they collapsed.

The sound of them hurling was almost infectious as soon as one person puked the people around them began to puke and it spread like a tide to the rest.

The students had run so fast that they would believe it if someone told them that they outstripped the fastest vehicles in the universe, when they saw the collapsing ground they ran with all they had, they ran so fast and hard that the air had thinned around them.

By the end as cultivators they were completely winded, and threw up, it was a testament to their exertion.

As they turned to look back in the direction they had come from, a huge cloud of dust was taking its time to settle over the half a mile area that had collapsed, and the waterfall had been thoroughly shifted.

The edge of the camp had been pulled down and two tents were completely buried under the ruined earth.

In the silence the only sound ensued was the sound of heavy panting, until a laugh began echoing in their ears.

A laugh they all remembered from the battlefield, a laugh that made even beasts tremble in fear, and it brought them back to reality.

They all looked at the bloodied Lirian with fear but more than anything was another emotion, it was one of wonder and worship that would make even gods jealous.

His movement on the battlefield were beyond their wildest dreams, by himself Lirian had slaughtered at least 500 beasts and almost 50 mystical beasts, in doing so he single handedly lightened the pressure on the entire group, thanks to his efforts they were able to kite the beasts to the waterfall without sustaining more than a few injuries.

With the supporters help the injured were removed and treated quickly under Edith's command and they were soon able to knock creature after creature over the ledge.

But most importantly was Lirians attack on the drake, it was completely clueless until the last moment, and when they thought they were goners Lirian created another miracle.

He lit up the sky like a beacon with that thunder and he blasted a massive gaping hole through the creature, creating a thunder zone on the battlefield.

He was no cultivator yet he managed to do what even they as cultivators were unable to imagine, and last was that moment when the creature fell over, they thought he was gone but he suddenly appeared like a ray of silver light on that ledge in the drakes shadow.

His body cut up and bleeding, but he smiled like he had the most incredible experience of his life.

Lirian's laughter was infectious as the students suddenly found themselves laughing with joy, there reason for laughing was different but it all rang to the same tune.

Their laughter was for surviving in an impossible situation, while Lirian was simply ecstatic from entering such a blood pumping situation.

When Edith found Lirian, she couldn't hold back the relief that washed over her, she jumped on top of him hugging him with all the strength in her body.

She couldn't be bothered with all the blood, animal guts and filth on him, the only thing that mattered was that he was alive and she could hold him, "You promised me that you wouldn't go near the edge of the waterfall!" she whimpered in a sob as she wrapped her hands around him.

"You're the one that decided to lure all the beasts to the waterfall!" Lirian chuckled, but at the same time he surprised Edith with the intensity of his hug.

She knew that he wouldn't say it, but she could feel it at that moment, he was worried about her safety during the battle and he was relieved to have her in his arms.

"It wasn't my plan exactly," Edith complained defensively, "The credit goes to that commoner girl from your class, I believe her name is Hinata," she said generously, she was a candidate and she knew better than to claim credit that wasn't rightfully hers.

Lirians body stiffened for just an instance and his face furrowed, Edith noticed his change but in the next second it was gone like it never happened, 'I must be seeing things,' she told herself, she had an urge to kiss Lirian, but there was a layer of dried up filthy blood on his lips.

She didn't mind touching him but getting something disgusting in her mouth was a completely different thing.

Mordred came up to the two of them when he saw that they were just sitting and doing nothing else.

When Edith saw Mordred, she smiled pleasantly at him not minding his intrusion, in fact she left Lirian's embrace and gave him a small hug, before pulling back.

Mordred looked at her strangely, "Uhm what was that for?" he asked nervously casting a glance at Lirian.

"Because you went with my idiot to do something idiotic," she answered, "And also to say thank you since Lirian doesn't know how to use such words," she said with a pleasant smile, that could win the heart of any boy.

"I do know how to say such words," Lirian cried out indignantly, "You did a good job back there if you didn't catch me with that grapple, I might have been to late to kill it! You did destroy that orb didn't you?"

Edith's face cramped, it was more like Lirian was telling his subordinate that he lived up to his expectations before interrogating him.

Mordred chuckled in relief, for some reason the thought of Lirian treating him different from the usual was terrifying, so he was glad that things were the same, "Yeah, I saw your signal."

"Does this mean that I get to share credit for killing it?" he asked Lirian a little expectantly, for him this was a seriously big deal, if he got this credited to his name it would have a special meaning in his family in particular.

Edith suddenly frowned at him, thinking that he did all of this just to get the credit and her gratitude quickly diminished.

Mordred grimaced as he realised how it sounded, "Look I didn't even think it was possible for us to take down that monstrosity, but we did, come on Lirian buddy, you do know about my families traditions and what it means to slay any form of draconic creature in my family," he said trying to explain himself.

Edith raised her brows, looking at him with a curious face, "From which family do you come from?" she asked thinking of the only family that she knew that rule to exist in and her eyes suddenly widened.

"That's a little complicated," Mordred sighed, "Technically I'm nameless, but my lineage does track back to one of the ancient guardian families, and until I kill a draconic creature I can't use my full name," he explained, his words made Edith's eyes widen as she confirmed her suspicion.

Mordred looked at Lirian expectantly, "Even a shared achievement will make me one of the youngest people in millions of years to kill a draconic creature at such a young age, I'll even give you all my points for the expedition," he offered while chewing on his teeth.

"I'm a candidate the points are useless to me, I can't buy any cultivation resources with them," Lirian said in a plain tone.

Mordred grimaced and looked down with a dejected look when Lirian suddenly spoke again in an amused tone, "But it's just a draconic creature, I'll kill far greater things in the near future, so it doesn't mean much to me," Lirian shrugged.

Mordred looked at him wide-eyed, "So you're saying…" he didn't finish as he looked at Lirian with batted breath.

"I guess what I'm saying is congratulations,"

"Mordred… 'Pendragon'," Lirian said emphasizing his family name.

Mordred jumped up ecstatically and grabbed Lirian in a bear hug, he planted a joyous kiss on top of Lirians head in the heat of the moment.

Edith looked on with a stunned expression and rush in to pull Lirian away, "You're making me look like a bad girlfriend by doing that," Edith admonished Mordred as she looked at the filth in Lirians silver hair.

Mordred Pendragon chuckled nervously as he realised what he had just done, then he felt dread as he looked at Lirians murderous grin.

Mordred's actions served to remind him of how girly he looked and most importantly of how short he was, Mordred had lifted him of his feet and still managed to kiss him on top of his head.

Feeling the killing intent directed at Mordred Edith shot him a smug grin, as if saying Lirian is only hers, "You shouldn't hurt him, he did help you after all," Edith told Lirian in an attempt to calm him.

Lirian moved his hand to the katana when he suddenly discovered it was missing from its sheath, that's when he remembered that it fell when that bird hit him.

He faced Mordred and declared his punishment, "You will not be a Pendragon unless you can find my katana in all of that," Lirian said pointing at the clouds of dust that had yet to settle down.

Mordred wanted to cry as he thought of the impossible task he had been given, 'How the hell am I to find something that was at the centre of a landslide,' he stifled a cry and moved into the cloud without wasting a second, that name was far too precious to him.