by Michael Sisa
There was something eerie about this place.
The horses neighed as their army passed through the sea of trees. Leaves rained from above, as though it was autumn, and the ground was blanketed by dead leaves. The trees themselves looked half-withered, as though their lives had been recently sucked away from them.
Lauro summoned Stone. “Captain, this forest…”
Stone nodded. “It’s not like this when we first came here. It’s clearly dying.” His last words trailed off.
Although they were now sure that something was wrong with this forest, they were unable to pinpoint it out. Aside from the sound of hooves hitting the leaves-blanketed ground, the multiple footsteps of the warriors and the rattling carts, the forest was quiet. There were no signs of animals anywhere. Even the chirping of birds was nowhere to be found.
Lauro approached Commander Azura. “Commander, there’s something wrong about this forest.”
Azura snorted, making a steam puff out of his snout. “That’s obvious, Lauro. But we’ll be leaving it soon. See those hills beyond?”
The Commander was right. The forest was small, and it took their army only a couple of hours to pass through it. The end was in sight.
Nothing happened so far. I guess everything’s alright.
Lauro shook off the unnecessary worries within his mind.
Their army reached the hills. Upon reaching the top, they stopped for a few minutes to recuperate, then started the march again. Below the hills was another forest. This time, a large one. The trees in that forest were colossal, some of them spanning more than fifteen meters in height. Birds chirped and animal trails were seen here and there.
Lauro breathed a sigh of relief. At least, this area was normal.
They kept moving through the forest. Several hours after dusk, they stopped to recuperate.
“Pitch the tents!” Lauro ordered. “We are to camp here today!”
With trained movements, the warriors moved about and made camps. Lauro assigned several men to scout the surrounding areas and act as guards.
One of his men approached him and said, “Vice Commander, we’ve received a reply from the Main Army.”
“That’s fast.” Lauro opened the letter handed to him. After reading it, he frowned.
It seemed that a few days ago, Alexander launched a surprise attack to the Main Army, killing several hundred beastmen in the process. The human Mercenary Guild Master did it using only several elites, their numbers reaching only a few dozens.
As expected, that damn bastard would not stay put and simply let the Main Army pass through.
“They saw through the decoy, huh?” Lauro was grim.
He did not know how Alexander did it, but he somehow saw through their plan to circumvent the Valley of Witches and strike directly at the Eastern Region of the Kingdom of Lukas. Now, the Main Army’s preoccupied in dealing with sneak attacks from the humans. According to the General, it would take at least several days before they would be able to send out reinforcements for the Vanguard.
“If only that damn Alexander’s gone,” mumbled Lauro. “The Eastern Region’s as good as ours.”
He got to admit that Alexander’s a genius. In terms of strategical ability, that human surpassed Lauro by several leaps.
“Lauro!” a shout reverberated through the forest.
Looking at the source, he saw Commander Azura sitting next to a campfire, one of his four arms holding a half-emptied bottle of wine.
“Come! Drink!” Azura hiccupped. “Let’s celebrate the upcoming victory!”
Lauro almost smacked himself on the face upon seeing the Commander’s drunken face. He briskly walked towards Azura ang grabbed the bottle of wine.
“What are you doing?!” snarled Azura. He glared at Lauro, but the Vice Commander did not back down.
“I’m confiscating this,” said Lauro. He glared at the adjutants next to the Commander. “And the three of you. No drinking. Understood?!”
The adjutants were clearly crestfallen by the sudden declaration, but they conceded regardless.
“Lauro, let me empty that bottle at least!” Azura begged. “Please!”
“No!” Lauro’s head throbbed. “What are you thinking?! We’re going to battle in the next few days!”
Sometimes, he asked himself why he kept serving this drunkard. He got to admit, Azura was a monster in the battlefield, but his administrative and strategic skills were almost nil. A musclehead who would charge head-on regardless of the consequences.
Well, he did save my life back then.
Lauro sighed. He remembered that time when the Commander risked his life just to save his. It was a moment forever embedded within Lauro’s memories. Since then, he decided to wholeheartedly support the Commander despite his cantankerous personality.
Lauro raised his voice. “Listen, everyone! Whoever is caught drinking will be severely punished! I’ll make sure to report this personally to General Urkawi! Understood?!”
The warriors shivered upon the mention of the General’s name. They replied in unison, “Yes!”
“Lauro! Just one more bottle!” Azura groaned. He stood up and wobbled. “Please!”
Lauro did not reply and simply held on to the bottle of wine.
A few more days until they arrived at Blackstone Town. He had to make sure to babysit these guys until then.
As he was on his way back to the tent, he froze.
He felt a chilly sensation as a dagger pierced through his neck. He tried screaming for help, but no words came out. Blood incessantly flowed down his neck as his vision blurred.
“One down,” someone whispered through his ear. “Two to go.”
A shadow ran past him and entered the sea of trees, eventually disappearing from sight. It happened so fast that none of the beastmen were able to react.
He fell limp on the ground as his body twitched. He could no longer feel anything.
“Vice Commander!” The warriors around him finally noticed what was happening.
Damn it. I can’t die here. The Commander. If I die, what will happen to the Commander?
“Lauro!” He heard the Commander’s wail. “Damn it! Who is it?! Show yourself!”
Lauro’s body twitched again, the light in his eyes vanished, and he faded into the black.
As though on cue, arrows started flying out of the trees, piercing the bodies of the unsuspecting beastmen.
“We’re under attack!” shouted the adjutants. “Everyone! On your guard!”
Unsheathing sounds echoed as the beastmen pulled out their weapons.
Everyone readied themselves for the incoming charge.
But it did not come.
The barrage of arrows that took several dozens of lives stopped. The forest was once again quiet, with only the chirping of ravens as background.
Moments lingered. Commander Azura shouted, “What are you doing? After them! Search the area! Comb the entire forest! I want those bastards dead!”
He was still holding the dead Vice Commander in his arms, his entire body trembling as tears flowed down. Although Lauro was stubborn, he was the reason why Commander Azura reached his current position. It was no exaggeration to say that he was the mind that moved the entire Vanguard.
The sorrow within Azura was slowly replaced by vehement rage. He wanted to catch the culprit, hang him, tear him to shreds, and feed him to the burrcats. He wanted to personally mutilate his entire body.
Azura slowly placed the dead body to the ground. He wiped off the tears in his eyes and grabbed his battle-axe.
“Oborus, Lance,” he called out two of his three adjutants. “Bring your nimblest men with you. We will find and chase those bastards.”
The two nodded and immediately gathered their nimblest men.
“Kael,” snarled Azura.
“Sir!”
“You lead the rest of the men while we chase the enemies. Do not lower your guard!”
“Understood!” Kael made a salute.
One after another, beastmen started leaving the camp, with the Commander and his two adjutants at the lead. They ran through the forest, eventually disappearing through the shadows of the trees.
Kael shouted, “You heard the Commander! Be on your guard! Be ready to move out at any time!”
They have several carts with them, and it would be impossible for the entire army to chase after the enemies. Kael knew that the decision of the Commander to gather the nimblest men to chase after the enemies was best choice at that moment. They could also choose not to give chase, but since the bastards took the life of Vice Commander Lauro, everyone in the Vanguard Army wanted to rip the ambushers’ body into shreds. Had the Commander not assigned him to oversee the rest of the army, he would have also loved to give chase to their enemy.
Several minutes passed.
Kael’s round ears twitched as he heard rustling sounds from their rear. He reflexively pulled out his scimitars, each of his four hands holding one each.
“On your guard!” he snarled.
Soon, figures emerged from the shadows of the trees. Three of them, each wearing a cloak. From the gaps of the cloak, they could see the glint of metallic armor. With their every steps, clanking sounds echoed.
Kael have fought with humans wearing full plate armors before, and he knew the drawbacks of wearing one. In exchange of defense, they forsake a great portion of their movement and agility. It was practically easier to deal with them than mercenaries wearing leather armors.
“Only three?” he smirked. He raised his voice. “Stab them through the gaps of the armor!”
On cue, the beastmen started charging at the intruders. Most of them carried axes, while some carried scimitars, longswords, and spears.
The suits of armor made a long, wailing sound. It started charging towards the beastmen, eventually colliding with them.
To Kael’s surprise, the beastmen flew to the air upon impact. The suits of armor continued charging, unscathed by the collision, growls escaping their lips.
“W-What’s happening?!”
Beastmen have inherently stronger physique than humans. Even if these three were wearing full plate armors, it should have been impossible to make those warriors fly through the air upon impact.
Kael grasped his weapons tightly. He readied himself for the upcoming battle. He needed to personally face them, otherwise, they would suffer casualties. This was what his instinct screamed at him.
But to his astonishment, the suits of armor did not engage in battle but instead continued running towards the direction of the carts. Upon reaching it, they pulled out a talisman from the pouch on their waists and stamped in onto the carts.
A few seconds after the talismans were stamped, the symbols engraved on it glowed, and the parchment burned into white flames. The flames licked the carts, quickly spreading through their entire bodies. Everything happened so fast that Kael and his men were momentarily stunned speechless by what transpired.
“T-They’re targeting the supplies!” shouted one of the warriors.
Kael realized it too. “Stop them!”
The beastmen tried stabbing the armors, but their attacks simply bounced off the metallic plates. Some made dents, while some successfully stabbed through the gaps, only to realize they were hollow inside.
The suits of armor ignored the attacks. They all focused on the carts carrying the rations, burning each of them using the talismans.
“Damn it!” Kael used the weight of his entire body and struck the suit of armor near him. His axe pierced through the chest plate. The pair of yellow eyes behind the visor of the suit of armor glared at him. It grabbed the axe and pulled it out. After a roar, it punched Kael right at the abdomen.
Kael managed to block the punch using his four arms. But to his horror, the punch carried enough strength to make him fly towards the nearby tree. He hit the trunk and splintered wood flew about. He coughed thrice as pain coursed through his entire body. He looked at his arms and realized that two of them broke after that single strike.
These suits of armors were monsters. Each of them had enough strength to rival the members of the Oni Tribe. Furthermore, they did not feel pain, making them a far more dangerous opponent.
Despite their overwhelming numbers, the beastmen were unable to stop the suits of armors from burning down the food supplies. Those that tried to grab them were sent flying with a punch, while the unluckier ones had their skulls crushed.
By the time the food supplies have all been burned down, the suits of armor ran towards the sea of trees, disappearing through the shadow of the night.
Chapter Twelve
Valak’s chest loudly pounded as he ran through the forest. Right now, they were being chased by those beastmen. Had he not known better, he would have mistaken those beastmen for monsters. He was sure that if those guys and the basilisks confronted each other, it would become a bloodbath. Those guys were that dangerous.
Looking at the other hunters, he realized that he was not the only one panic-stricken by now. At any moment, those guys were going to catch up to them. The mere thought of those axes cleaving them in half gave him the shivers.
I know this may seem impossible, but I want everyone to remain as calm as possible during our surprise attack. I want everyone to completely heed my instructions, no matter what.
Those words uttered by the Young Master before they commenced with the assault reverberated within his mind.
“You damn bastards! You scum! Stop hiding! Show yourselves! Where are you?!”
A loud shout echoed in the forest. Ravens flew in flocks as trees rustled.
The Young Master raised a hand, signaling everyone to stop and stay still. The footsteps of their pursuers were getting near.
Everyone held their breaths, just like the time when they were hunting in the forest around Gahelpa Village. With their keen visions developed from hunting for several decades, they could already see the silhouettes of their enemies despite the darkness of the night.
The Young Master made a fist, and on cue, everyone channeled some mana into their bows and fired their arrows. The arrows whistled past the trees and perfectly struck their targets. Azura and his adjutants successfully blocked it using their weapons, while some of the beastmen were pierced right at the forehead. Several beastmen fell limp and lifeless on the ground in an instant.
“Over there!” shouted one of the beastmen.
Commander Azura’s veins popped and he ran towards the direction of the hunters, his speed bordering the absurd.
‘Do it like we’ve practiced,’ Valak reminded himself. ‘Trust the Young Master.’
The Young Master said, “Scatter.”
On cue, the hunters dispersed into two groups. Lark remained in his position while the rest of the hunters ran towards opposite directions.
Seeing this, Azura shouted at his men, “Don’t let the other humans get away! After them!”
The beastmen also divided themselves into two groups, each being led by an adjutant. They chased after the hunters. Azura, on the other hand, continued charging at Lark.
Lark purposefully leaked out his mana, making Azura target him personally. The Commander of the Vanguard knew that this young human was probably the leader of this small private army.
Upon reaching Lark, Azura raised his battle-axe into the air and slashed at the human. The speed of his strike created a small gust of wind.
“What?” Azura was baffled for a moment. He was sure he successfully struck his target, but now he realized it was nothing but an afterimage.
He turned around and saw Lark a good distance away from him, his hand holding a scroll. He opened it and channeled his mana into the runes engraved inside.
“The lizard we’ve captured was not lying, huh?” Lark smirked. “The Commander is indeed a musclehead. With the Vice Commander dead, this army’s nothing but a stringless puppet.”
The runes in the scroll glowed, before turning into flames and eventually dispersing into
ashes. To Azura’s surprise, the sound of footsteps around them vanished entirely. He could no longer feel the presence of his men, nor those of the fleeing humans.
In this forest, there was only him and this young man.
“What did you do?” Azura frowned.
Lark shrugged. “There’s no need for you to know.”
Upon the utterance of those words, the figure of the young man slowly faded away, eventually disappearing into the night. Only his voice remained.
“You’re strong, indeed. I have no intention of using up all my mana for a musclehead like you, you see,” said Lark. “Let’s talk? I’ve heard that the United Grakas Alliance plans on invading the Eastern Region. Is there a way out of this?”
Azura snorted. This human was obviously buying enough time – but for what?
“It is a decree of the Beast King.” Azura rested his axe on his shoulder, his eyes swiveling left and right as he tried to locate the presence of the human. “His will is absolute. There’s no point in questioning it.”
There was a sigh. “There’s no point in questioning it? A typical answer of a musclehead. How disappointing.”
Azura’s non-existent brows twitched. He snarled, “This damn, puny human dares to…”
“It’s not even a year since I began implementing the new policies in my domain. I’ve been planning on making it self-sufficient within the next half a year, at the very least, you see. But if the United Grakas Alliance successfully crosses over to the Eastern Region, I’ll have no choice but to forcefully postpone my plans.” The human’s voice was ice cold. “To be frank, I have no interest in your war, whatever the reason is.”
Commander Azura still could not locate the presence. How was this possible? The magic of this human was comparable to the magic of Captain Stone.
“Human, come out!” Azura growled. “No matter what you do, there’s no stopping this war! Just like I’ve told you, the will of the Beast King is absolute! The United Grakas will reclaim the Eastern Region!”
The human momentarily paused. “Reclaim? I see. So this land once belonged to your people?”
“That’s right!” Azura grabbed his axe and swung it in the air once, creating a gust of wind. “But enough with this petty talk! Come out!”