HP: Spirit Talker

Chapter 310 The Third Test (Part 3)

A wall of blue flame hit the path of the shot, causing the leaves on the bushes to immediately curl and turn yellow, even at a considerable distance — I decided not to hold back. The Acromantulas, not very big, but somehow... I don't know, stronger and more agile, I associated them with the banal "Incarcerous", though not for the first time. I was very interested in these specimens, so I decided to take them as a trophy and study them.

As I approached the spiders, I found the first signs of alien intervention: the spiders were missing half of their eyes, and the remaining ones were pale, as if they had eyesores, but this did not prevent them from navigating perfectly, and their coloration was much darker, with a noticeable green tinge. I leaned forward to get a better look at the helicopters and the pungent poison oozing from them, and in the next moment, I rolled, placed a powerful shield behind my back, and sent "Alarte Ascendare" after the flashing object, which threw the object into the air, and if I added a little more power, the object would hang there for a while.

 Turning around, I began to weave a transfiguration spell, and at just the right moment, four objects flew into the thick wall of earth and were immediately buried up to their heads. I caught the last, largest creature with the same transfiguration spell and buried it in the wall. Now I could examine the catch.

Flexible bodies with gray skin, triangular spikes along the spine, tails with bone spikes, long and muscular paws, and powerful square muzzles, like a "mastiff," seem hypertrophied. The thick white saliva that flows copiously from the toothy mouths of the red-eyed mutants stinks very unpleasantly. The dogs themselves do not even howl, only muffled, barely audible panting and growling, and if you look closely, you can see that the animals' bodies are covered with scars, including on the throat. I wonder who intervened in this ordeal? Someone from the locals, or not? If not the locals, then who led them here by the handle?

Looking around again, I gathered all the available evidence, sealed it, looked around again, and only then moved on. It was pointless to listen, because the plants somehow muffled the sounds, not completely, but noticeably, and that's if you forget about the omnipresent fog. For the next few minutes I just walked forward along the rather narrow green corridor until I started to get anxious, and with every second I had the feeling that I had to hurry or I might not get somewhere or to something in time.

A chalice? Not funny!!! Why should I care so much? There was something else going on here, so I decided to speed up just in case and did a light jog. But the anxiety didn't let up, so in a few minutes, I was speeding forward, barely making the turns, with a cloud of paper shikigami men flying in front of me, and a shield seal activated for passive defense behind me.

My stomach felt heavy, my insides cold, my body shaking. I had to slow down, but a group of ten separated from the herd of paper talismans and immediately smeared the air with their speed, sometimes even flying through not very dense bushes.

I managed it at the very last moment: a green flash tore four amulets to shreds, the fifth split into two unequal parts, the sixth was simply discharged, the remaining four promptly unfolded the seal, immediately activating the "Garbage Shield" protocol — a wall of wind vortex, strongly drawing in all surrounding debris, i.e. matter that Avada cannot penetrate.

I wasn't watching through the link, just controlling remotely, giving commands for action, but at some point I caught an image, a frame, as from a dark corner, hidden by a shadow, a thin stream of flame flew out and hit the defense, destroying part of the protective material. I shook my head, pushing away everything unnecessary, and concentrated on getting to the breathing Fleur, who couldn't even get up from the floor — this image I also caught by accident, apparently my subconscious was helping me.

Five meters straight, turn, literally spit out two split spells to break the web of thin vines that decided to make an unscheduled dead end, turn the corner, nonverbal flash of fire to disperse a flock of pixies, a strange fog appeared behind the new corner.

With a gust of wind, I drive the possible threat upwards as I literally fly through this place, and at the same time I notice out of the corner of my eye how the fog somehow returns quickly and heavily. Pixies again, and a flash of fire, and again. Where did they get so many of them, did they buy up everything for sale in Knockturn Alley?

I had to protect myself with the Protego from the stubborn roots that shot out of the green wall, manage to get around the corner without losing any speed, release more paper people, and more, because the previous almost half of them died in a strange trap that used plant leaves: it shot them out with furious acceleration, turning my talismans into natural confetti. The powerful "Confringo" exploded, tearing to shreds the last barrier of the new web of vines and flexible branches of the bushes.

I jump out into the clearing, take a second to see for myself, and a powerful Bombarda-Reductor-Fiery Lance is sent into the dark corner where the enemy lurks. The latter spell, by the way, was developed by the Vail community and was their trump card for a long time, until another "Light", like the local Dumbledore, did not nationalize it, but simply stole it, subjugating one of the Vail with the help of "Imperius" and potions to be sure of the effect.

The story is still remembered almost ninety years later, especially since Light didn't get off so easily — he drowned in a puddle after drinking too much at a Muggle pub. Funny, isn't it? The shadow enemy successfully fends off the first two, but the third easily and casually penetrates the antimagic shield (most effective against non-spontaneous spells) and rips off his left arm almost at the shoulder.

A pitiful scream echoes through the neighborhood, and I recognize the voice of an evil man. But now, with a wound like that, he won't get far from me, and for every wound on Fleur's body, I will cut a pound of flesh from him, heal him, and cut him again.

I sink down on the grass, conscious of the scattering of metal around the girl, as if dew were covering the grass around the Frenchwoman. Three meters away, the splinters of the wooden spider are visible, but the hair clip is still in the girl's hair, the last argument at very close range. It's clear that family artifacts have some very interesting effects, but I didn't think the French could, or did, make things so well hidden.

But more on that later. Four seals were already stuck to the girl's skin, stopping the bleeding and turning the girl's tan suit and white shirt black and maroon, respectively. Her chubby cheeks were also covered with bloody lines, luckily she had saved her eyes, but her lower lip was damaged, but not too deeply.

And in general, although there were many wounds, all of them were relatively shallow, so there would be no scars... ....

— You... came... — The girl tried to smile, but the damaged face and lip caused a painful grimace — the anesthetic hadn't kicked in yet.

— We'll have time to kiss again, but now answer me quickly: have you been hit by anything other than external wounds? Curses? Jinxes, anything else? — The six diagnostic seals swirl in a blue glowing ring under my hand above the girl, and I examine the traces in her aura and energy with my eyes.

— No... the artifacts are protected... -the girl shakes her head. — It hurts... — she added quietly while fumbling around in the grass, obviously looking for her wand, which I hadn't noticed either. — My wand...

Without looking, I waved my left hand and a dozen brightly shining paper birds flew around while I continued my inspection-diagnosis. I found traces of something dark and evil, but they could be compared to the splashes from a splashed puddle — drops, crumbs from stopped curses and spells that even the most powerful energy of a young Veila, blazing with strength and health, could handle.

Without hiding a sigh of relief — nothing particularly dangerous was found, I take out more seals and pour healing elixir directly onto the paper, which is greedily absorbed, not a drop wasted.

— Now these seals are going to lick every inch of your sexy body, but don't let them get in the way, okay?

— You pervert, — Fleur smiled, but nodded in agreement, and then I hastily applied the seals to the girl's wrists, neck, throat, and stomach.