As soon as he invoked Burn Out, Ash could feel himself weaken. A large white flame seemed to bubble right out of his skin and flowed outward. As soon as the flames appeared, the three knights who were close to him tried to back off but the flames moved out faster than they could retreat. As the flames washed over them, their armor which once protected them, turned into a personal oven. The older knight was able to quickly strip his off, but the other men were too slow and fell to the ground as the metal seared into their skin.
Seeing the horror that the two men experienced, even the older knight’s face slightly paled. “Talen, report back,” the older knight yelled and the remaining scout ran toward the horses. Ash tried to intercept him, but he soon found himself pushed back as a wall of wind assaulted him. Soon the scout was riding off at a full gallop back in the direction they had come.
“Well Lord Ash, it seems that our information about you was lacking,” the knight said with a hint of disdain in his voice. “But don’t think that you have won just yet boy.”
Just as the man finished speaking, his sword was surrounded by a dark aura. At the same time as the blade darkened, the words “Soul Scourge,” appeared above the knight’s head.
The older knight’s movements became sharper and Ash found himself having to put all of his effort into dodging the blade. At the same time his Gambler’s Gambit ran out and Ash could feel a bit of his strength leaving him, making it even harder for him to dodge the attacks. With the knight’s strength and speed coupled with his imposing aura and armor, Ash was at a complete disadvantage. To make matters worse, the mage continued to release a number of attacks from a distance.
The longer the battle drug on, the slower both Ash and the knight moved. Even if Ash had ample stamina, that didn’t help with his personal physical and metal fatigue, not to mention after days of running his stamina was reaching its limit as well and he had less than forty points left available to him.
Ash was forced to use Dark Whip. As the dark tendril rose into the air and struck down it knocked the knight back and Ash rushed forward, but the knight was ready for him. As Ash’s sword landed on the knight’s sword arm just between its plates, the knight’s sword struck him though it only cut a thin line in his chest. Even though the wound wasn’t deep, it burned and seemed to sap his strength. Multi colored dots blurred Ash’s vision but he ignored it and pushed his advantage, driving the blade of his sword deeper into the knight’s arm, forcing him to drop his sword.
Ash nearly stumbled as he forced himself to grab the knight by the breastplate and positioned his sword, thrusting it into the man’s neck. As the elder knight died, Ash turned toward the mage who was now sitting on the ground sweating profusely. “I surrender,” the mage said, raising his hands into the air.
The rules of war were simple. Once someone surrendered, you only had two choices. One you could chain them and ransom them or you could release them upon giving them a set of rules. Ash had no way to keep the man if he tried the first so he was left with only the latter.
“You are to retire from this war and you are not to speak of any of my abilities or skills to anyone. If you can agree to this then you may go free, if not, then you must sacrifice your life,” Ash said as he held himself up by will alone.
“You have my oath as a knight,” The mage said with a stiff bow. Taking one of the horses, the knight mage rode off to the west.
Ash pushed himself and climbed upon one of the horses left behind while taking the reins of another then headed back to the grove where Allice awaited. When the pain in his chest didn’t disappear, Ash decided to check his status.
[You have been affected by Soul Scourge. Any MP, HP, and SP that is used will not be recovered. Any wounds received will not heal. Time until Soul Scourge ends: 14 days.]
Ash felt like cursing but he didn’t have the strength. He hadn’t lost much HP during the fight not even 20% of his HP was gone and 10% of that he had gave up himself. The main cost was his MP. Thanks to the number of attacks at the beginning of the battle, Ash’s luck shield had flared a number of times and he had also used a number of costly abilities and now he had a little less than 100 MP left. Even worse was his SP, which he only had 32 points left.
When Ash entered the grove, Allice ran up to him. He tried to give her a smile but he started to sway in his saddle. Ash pulled some rope from his inventory that had once been used to secure things in the supply wagons and handed it to Allice. “Tie me to the saddle,” Ash said weakly. “Then we have to leave. No matter what happens, keep riding. If we get caught, we are both dead.”
Allice was white faced, but she did as she was told. She also used a long piece of rope to tie to Ash’s horses bridle so that she could lead the other horse. Ash had trouble keeping his wits and soon noticed that they were thundering across the open plains. He could see Allice’s back and every now and then he would notice her looking back at him with a worried glance.
Ash didn’t know how long they rode, but the next thing he noticed was he was laying down on the cold ground, yet his whole body felt hot. Turning his head slightly, he noticed that Allice was sitting beside him with a rag in her hand using it to wipe his forehead. When she noticed that his eyes were open, small tears began to run down her face. “Master its ok…Everything is ok.” Allice kept saying the same words over and over. Ash tried to reassure her, but his mouth was dry and each time he tried to speak, it came out raspy and incoherent.
When she saw him trying to speak, she took a long drink from her canteen and then bent down, placing her lips firmly on his. Instantly Ash felt the cool water fill his mouth. As the cool water hit his throat, he instantly felt better but Allice didn’t pull back, instead her tongue flickered inside his mouth for a few moments.
When Allice pulled back, her cheeks were slightly flushed. She took two more drinks from the canteen and repeated the process. Each time her lips touched his, she got slightly more daring and the kiss lasted for a bit longer. At first Ash wanted to push her back, but his limbs moved weakly and he didn’t have enough strength to push her away. After the third time, Ash found that his arms were no longer trying to push her away and instead he was silently hoping that she would draw closer.
After Allice had given him water, she moved a little away from Ash. Ash tried to watch her, but she was quickly out of sight. Soon his eyes grew heavy again and Ash quickly drifted back off to sleep only to be woken again a short while later by Allice who held a large wooden bowl.
Allice helped Ash sit up, but his strength was so weak he was forced to lean on her shoulder to stay upright. She handed him the bowl which was of a watery brown substance. Ash tried to lift the spoon but his hands shook so bad that by the time it reached his mouth there was nothing left to eat. Seeing this, Allice took the bowl and spoon from his and fed him by her own hand. After he ate, Allice helped him lay back down. A few seconds after laying down, he felt something warm press up against his body. Opening his eyes, he found Allice looking up at him with warm eyes. He tried to smile and Allice blushed. It was then he noticed that feeling of her bare skin on his. He tried to speak, but he was still too weak so he was forced to give up. Trying to ignore the feel of her skin on his Ash closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
8-5
As the days passed, Ash’s strength didn’t return, instead he seemed to get weaker as each day his stamina would slowly decrease. By the seventh day his stamina was down to 22 points. His HP was also slowly decreasing due to the wound that was still bleeding and open on his chest. Luckily He had an abundant amount of HP so he didn’t feel as if his life was in danger.
As the days passed and Ash got weaker, Allice got more worried. At first he could eat and drink on his own, if with great effort but now he couldn’t even sit up without having trouble breathing.
Each morning Allice would get Ash into the saddle then they would ride for a full day. Allice looked for any sign of a fort, but she had no clue where they were. On the eighth day she did see a small village at
the edge of the plains. She quickly changed direction and headed for the small settlement.
The village didn’t have an inn, but when they learned who Ash was, the village chief invited them to his house. Ash was given the spare room. The village didn’t have a true healer, but the chief’s wife knew a little bit about herb lore.
With a warm and soft bed, Ash felt much more comfortable, but nothing they tried could help him regain his stamina. Ash kept his eyes on his status as he lay awake on the bed while Allice worried over him.
Each day Allice would feed and give him water by mouth. The enthusiasm from the first day had long since left her lips. She never left his side and seemed to have no problem cleaning up after him. Ash felt embarrassed more than once over the passing week, but there was little he could do about it. When allice wasn’t caring for him she would talk to him, even though he couldn’t respond.
At first Allice talked about her family. Many times her voice would get soft when she talked about her mother. When Allice couldn’t think of what to talk about she would ramble. Once she even expressed that her dream was to become a mother.
Though Ash couldn’t speak, his mind was still working. When Allice talked about becoming a mother, she often looked at him with a warm smile and her hand often sought his. After the past week, Ash could tell that she was kind and caring and she would make a great mother.
After the fourteen days passed and the Soul Scourge dissipated, Ash started to regain his strength but it was slow. It took a full day for Ash to be able to sit up on his own. A day after that he once again could eat, drink, and speak on his own.
The first thing Ash said was his thanks to Allice. She blushed a deep red when she heard Ash’s voice, but she didn’t let go of his hand. On the third day, Ash left the bed and stretched his legs for the first time in weeks. Thanks to Allice’s care, Ash didn’t have any sores though he felt slightly weak after spending so much time in bed.
After eating a good meal and going for a long run, Ash returned to the chief’s house. The man was in his late sixties and looked worn and weathered, but he still passed the days with a caring smile on his face.
“Feeling better my lord?” the chief asked with a deep bow.
“You don’t need to bow to me,” Ash said with a warm smile. “If not for you and your wife, most likely I wouldn’t be alive at this time.”
“You are too kind my lord. From the look in your eyes though, it doesn’t seem like to intend to stay around for much longer. Am I right?”
“That you are,” Ash said with a heavy sigh. “I need to reach the nearest fort and report before my wife starts pulling out her hair,” Ash added with a sly wink.
The chief let out a coarse laugh. “Wives can be a bit hard to handle and I am sure that the lady duchess is harder than most. Make sure you bring her gifts and she might not strip too much of your hide from you next time she sees you.”
After leaving the chief, Ash found Allice sitting in the room staring out the window as the snow drifted down. “Something on your mind?” Ash asked sitting down beside her.
“Master,” Allice gasped, having not noticed his entrance. “I…I was just thinking the snow is pretty,” Allice said while blushing.
“Allice, I must once again thank you for taking care of me these past weeks,” Ash said while bowing his head slightly to Allice. “Once we return I will talk to the duchess and see if there is any way to release you from your term early. You have more than paid back your crime.”
“Nooo,” Allice said, her eyes going wide and panic evident as she jumped to her feet and waved her hands in from of her.
“I thought you would be happy to be free of that tattoo,” Ash said confused.
“If master releases me, then I won’t get to be with master anymore,” Allice said as she balled her fists tightly at her side. Suddenly her face took on a warm glow and her hands relaxed. “I love master. I want to stay with him forever.”
“Allice just because you are released from your status as a slave doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to stay at my side,” Ash said, resting his hand on Allice’s shoulder.
Allice shook her head while at the same time bringing her hand up to rest on top of Ash’s. “Master please don’t. I want…I want master to be my master always.”
Before Ash could respond, Allice covered his mouth with her own. There was a slight hesitance in her action, but it only lasted for a brief moment. Ash was shocked, but he didn’t fight back as Allice pushed him back onto the bed. When she released her kiss, she looked straight in her eyes. “I will always be masters,” she said before kissing him again.
Early the next morning, Ash and Allice rode out headed toward the closet fort. Thankfully it wasn’t even a full day’s ride away and thanks to the army using their village to help supply goods, the chief was able to give Ash directions.
The ride from the village was mostly silent but every now and then Allice would look to Ash and give a warm smile. She was happy and her face showed it without reservation. Every time Ash felt her eyes on him, he would look over and she would blush slightly, drawing a laugh out of him.
They reached the fort a little after midday. As they approached, a loud booming voice called out to them ordering them to stop. When Ash announced himself, the guards bowed and he was quickly led inside where the fort commander was summoned to talk with him.
The commander was much younger than Ash expected, only being a few years older than himself but he had the bearing of a military man. Ash quickly explained what had transpired over the past few weeks and was relieved to learn that most of the other knights had reached succor and had already reported the news of hostile forces in the area. The duchess had also responded by sending out more troops, ordering them to look for him.
Ash quickly drafted a letter explaining to Emelia that he was safe and what had happened to keep him indisposed so long, though he left out the part where he had almost lost his life fighting against the enemy knights. After sealing the letter and handing it over to a dispatch rider, Ash planned to look for the closet advance troop and meet up with them, but the fort commander had other orders. It seemed that his wife had left orders that if Ash was to be found, he would be sent to Karin fort which was the closet to the capital, though still more than five days ride away.
Sighing, Ash could only nod his head in agreement to the order. He might be the duchess’s husband, but he was not a noble. Ash wished he had known about Emelia’s order before sending the letter so that he could have complained a bit, but it was already too late. With nothing else to do, Ash was guided to a large wooden building that had been cleared out for him to use for the day. The building had two rooms, but when Ash tried to get Allice to use one as her own, she scowled at him and calmly planted herself on his bed with a wry grin.
Allice placed her hand on Ash’s chest where the wound had been until a few days before. There was no look of pain or worry on her face just a look of contentment.
Ash had been worried that by allowing her to pursue him, he would only hurt her. He had thought that it was only Allice’s feelings of guilt that pushed her to him. Ash was sure that after a few years she would put it aside and find someone better, but now looking down at that warm smile, those thoughts no longer clouded his mind. Allice was different than Emelia in many ways, but the smile she currently had on her face was much like the one Emelia had after they had been together for the first time.
“Master you aren’t going to send me away are you?” Allice asked with a twinge of fear in her voice.
“I thought about it,” Ash teased, but when he saw Allice’s eyes start to redden, he quickly shook his head. “I won’t though as long as you agree to two rules.”
“Master you are the master, I will always follow your orders,” Allice said, sticking out her chest slightly.
“No, I don’t like giving orders unless I am forced to…It feels wrong,” Ash said shaking his head. “I want you to agree to these on your own. The fir
st rule is that when we are alone, you will call me Ash.”
“I can’t.”
“Allice I won’t send you away for refusing, but we can no longer…Be together,” Ash said and Allice’s eyes went wide. “When you call me master when we are alone like this, it makes me feel as if you are being forced.”
“Yes Ma…Ash,” Allice said blushing.
Laughing Ash bent down and kissed Allice softly. “The second rule is that you promise that you will keep yourself out of danger. You have gained a few levels, but you are anything but a fighter. If you want to stay with me, then I don’t need a repeat of the other day at the grove where I was forced to give you an order. I can’t fight if I have to worry if you are safe or not.”
“I promise Mast…Ash,” Allice said, changing her words when Ash started to glare at her.
“As long as you do that then I will promise to keep you as close as I can,” Ash said as he pulled Allice tight to his side enjoying the warmth of her body.
“Love you Ash,” Allice said in a weak whisper that barely reached Ash’s ears.
Ash took a deep breath. It was not the first time she had said those words, but he felt a bit of pain each time she said them. She never looked to Ash for a response, but he still felt he should give one. Just like with Emelia, Ash wasn’t sure how he felt. He cared for Allice deeply, but he still didn’t understand what was really meant by love. He could never really ask Emelia about it.
“Allice can I ask you something without you getting mad?” Ash asked feeling slightly sheepish.
“Of course master,” Allice said smiling.
Ash knocked her lightly with his knuckles. “It is Ash…Try and remember that,” Ash said laughing slightly as Allice rubbed her head while looking up at him with pursed lips. “I was just wondering what you meant by love.”
“It is like a warmth that spreads through my entire body whenever I see master. It makes my heart beat speed up. Whenever mas…Ash looks at me, it is like the whole world is smiling down on me. It is a lot like what I felt when my mother used to hold me, but different.”
Reborn: Demon's Heritage Page 4