by Ennki Hakari
Amid this procession sat a man dressed in an impressive suit of armor, riding atop a majestic horse. The young man had immaculately combed brown hair and kept his square jaw parallel to the ground, his head on a constant pivot as he surveyed his surroundings. The man’s name was Rendol du Frivtran—the son of Duke Frivtran, one of the seven dukes of Rhoden Kingdom. He was charged with ensuring the safety of the contents of the carriage.
Even this many soldiers would have been far too few to protect a member of the nobility. However, the more men they brought with them, the slower the pace, so they’d taken the bare minimum in the interest of speed.
The procession’s mission was to get the carriage’s occupant to the Grand Duchy of Limbult as fast as possible without letting anyone find out. This was why they’d decided to avoid any major towns, and were taking alternative routes instead. They would need to be on the lookout for stray monsters and bandits this way, but it was unlikely that anyone they encountered would be able to cut through fifty of their best men.
Rendol, however, didn’t let his guard down for even a second. Of course, that didn’t mean he could slow their pace, either. They’d already been traveling for a day and a half.
A young woman looked out from the window of the carriage, catching brief glimpses of the gray sky above through gaps in the trees. Yuriarna, second princess to the Rhoden Kingdom, let out a sigh. At just sixteen years old, she already gave the appearance of a dignified noble, in spite of her youthful complexion. She ran her fingers through her light blond hair, betraying her anxiety. Next to her, her chambermaid offered her some baked sweets.
“Miss Yuriarna, maybe eating a little something might help calm you down. Are you worried about this visit to Limbult?”
The woman sitting at Yuriarna’s side was her chambermaid, Ferna, who had been with the worried young noble ever since she was a little girl. Yuriarna shook her head and turned away the treat, concern etched on her face.
“The closer we get, the tighter my heart grows. I know there’s no way they could catch up with us at this pace, but still…”
Yuriarna was practically speaking to herself at this point. She turned her attention back to the window. The sky looked like it was about to start weeping, as if the turmoil she felt inside had reached the clouds themselves. She shut her eyes.
At that very moment, screams of horror and anger began echoing from the procession’s front lines.
“We’re under attack!”
Rendol rode up beside the carriage and began issuing orders, urging his troops to mount an offensive. The whole force surged forward as one, forming a well-trained defensive line to protect the carriage.
After checking on his men, Rendol turned his gaze to the front lines, glaring at the enemy beyond. Obviously, someone had been tipped off. There was no other way to explain an ambush. They’d left the capital in secret and maintained a high pace throughout the journey.
This frustrated Rendol greatly, but he didn’t have time to worry about that right now.
It was obvious that these were no mere bandits, though he couldn’t say for sure if they were affiliated with the first or second prince. Several mages let loose with Fire Beretta attacks on his front lines.
Few bandits would have such magic at their disposal.
“They have mages! All knights with mythril shields, block the magical attacks!”
On Rendol’s command, a group of knights pulled up their shields and rushed to the front while the archers hung back and lobbed arrows at the enemy. As Rendol’s men surged forward, a volley of arrows sailed over their heads, felling the guards protecting the rear.
The soldiers grew visibly terrified at this second ambush, but Rendol ordered them to remain calm. Fortunately, they were in the middle of a forest, which forced the enemy to shoot in a straight line, limiting their range to the rear guard.
Nearly a hundred men in bandit gear appeared at the rear of the column, though the way they moved made it apparent that they all had military training.
“I want thirty men protecting the rear! Don’t let the bandits get close. The rest of you, stay close to the carriage and clear the path up front! We must protect the carriage at all costs!”
The force split in two, moving as ordered.
Considering how massively outnumbered they were, Rendol decided to send a minimal force up front to take out the mages and focus on getting the carriage away. But for some reason, the forces he’d sent to protect the rear were moving far more slowly than usual, creating a gap in the line.
A wave of frustration and anxiety washed over Rendol.
The man leading the rear ambush smiled devilishly as he watched the soldiers split. “Fire another volley into their ranks!”
A squad of archers dressed in bandit attire nocked, drew, and loosed their arrows. The arrows flew toward the knights and soldiers protecting the carriage’s rear. Though they scored some glancing blows, they failed to cause any critical injuries. However, the guards who were struck by arrows were noticeably slower now, and were having a harder time maintaining a defensive posture.
“Break through their defense and kill the princess!”
The faux bandits responded to his command in unison, launching a full-on assault against the men attempting to hold the line. The attack on the narrow forest path was intense.
The lethargic men were struck down first, one after the next—an unbecoming end for elite soldiers who’d been handpicked to guard the princess.
“Sir Kaecks, the guards aren’t moving like they should. What happened?”
A short man in priestly robes addressed the bandit-attired commanding officer. He hardly gave the impression of a holy man, however, as he gleefully watched the guards fall.
“This is the great reveal, Boran.”
The black-haired man disguised as a bandit, whom Boran had referred to as Kaecks, wore a sinister grin on his sharp, unshaven face, giving him the appearance of a real ruffian. However, the leather armor that protected his body, and the sword that hung from his waist, made it clear that this was not the case. Kaecks Coraio du Brutios—son of the Duke Brutios, one of the seven dukes of Rhoden—commanded this raid at his father’s behest. Duke Brutios was one of the first prince’s supporters.
Kaecks handed Boran an arrow. Boran accepted it, though it looked no different from any other arrow he’d seen.
“The arrowheads have been dipped in a very rare poison that can only be found inside a giant basilisk. Instead of simply killing their targets immediately, these arrows paralyze them.”
The priest could barely contain his excitement. “Ooh! You’ve come prepared, I see!”
“We happened across a basilisk recently, so we only had time to prepare a limited supply. However, a small breach in their defense is all we need.”
The two men turned their attention back to the battle, where the soldiers guarding the carriage were falling en masse. They watched the man leading the defense urging his men to break through the mages.
Rendol stood next to the carriage, issuing orders to the defenders under his command. He cursed as his men to the rear fell one after another, his mood growing increasingly dark. He’d never imagined his knights and soldiers could be defeated so easily.
The knights absorbed the assault from the enemy mages with their mythril shields, trying to take the offensive. All of a sudden, the mages drew back. In their place, fifty more enemies appeared to attack the over-extended soldiers.
Rendol knew it was only a matter of time until the rear guard fell. He was running out of options. “All knights, prepare your Exploding Spheres!”
On Rendol’s command, the knights sheathed their swords, each pulling a single sphere from the leather pouches on their backs while continuing to hold their shields against the magical onslaught.
The attacking soldiers’ eyes went wide. Those in the front scrambled over each other as they attempted to get away, while those behind held fast, unable to see what all the fuss was about. Th
e men crammed together in the narrow road.
“Move it, you idiot! Get outta the way!!!”
Rendol made the most of this temporary advantage as the attackers descended into chaos. “And…throw!!!”
“Blow ’em to smithereens!”
At Rendol’s command, the knights murmured a spell in unison, then hurled the magical spheres at the enemy.
The spheres arced through the air, landing in the middle of the enemy formation, where they exploded on impact. An enormous, roaring blast blew the nearest soldiers away. The remaining men broke ranks and ran, leaving the mages defenseless. Rendol saw his opening.
“Push the assault and get that carriage through! All men, to me!!!” Rendol snapped his reins, charging into the fray.
The knights deflected the mages’ fresh barrage of Fire Beretta and Rock Shot with their mythril shields and pushed into the enemy lines. Those on horseback cut down the remaining fighters, tearing a deep hole in the formation.
A stray Fire Beretta struck Rendol’s horse, sending him to the ground. His knights tumbled unceremoniously from their own horses as they tried desperately not to trample their commander. The enemy soldiers who’d survived the explosive attack rushed in to slash the throats and stomachs of the dismounted knights, killing them where they stood.
Rendol managed to pull himself up, only to discover that his leg was broken and wouldn’t support his weight.
A man with a short spear and hideous grin stabbed him in the side.
“Gwaaaaargh!”
Blood spilled from Rendol’s mouth as he screamed in pain, his hands flying to the wound. His eyelids fluttered, his vision growing cloudy as he desperately searched for the carriage he’d sworn to protect. The last thing he saw was a large man in bandit attire standing in front of the carriage, yanking the door open.
The man gripped a blood-drenched sword in one hand as his ripped the door open with the other. A young chambermaid dove out with dagger in hand, aiming for his heart. The man caught the blade on his left arm, where it buried itself deep. Enraged, he punched the chambermaid in the face with all his might.
“Stupid wench!”
Ferna was thrown back into the carriage, where she slumped, motionless.
The man pulled the dagger from his arm and threw it aside, thrusting his own blade into Ferna’s chest.
“Guwaugh!”
Her eyes rolled up, her blood staining the upholstery. The man kicked her limp body out of the carriage.
“Noooo! Fernaaaaaa!”
Yuriarna’s childhood friend had just been murdered in front of her, drenching her elaborate gown in gore. She launched herself at the man.
He smiled as he blocked the door to the carriage. Then he took his sword, still dripping with Ferna’s blood, and plunged it into the princess’ chest.
Confusion flashed across Yuriarna’s face. She looked down, and her eyes went wide as she saw the sword sticking out of her. Her expression grew pained, tears staining her cheeks, a voiceless scream on her lips. She coughed up bright red blood, slumping against the wall of the carriage as the life drained from her body, her brown eyes no longer seeing.
The man yanked the sword from her chest, wiped it clean on her dress, and returned it to its sheath. Then he reached down and carefully unclasped the necklace she wore. He took his prize with him as he exited the carriage.
The area was littered with the bodies of the princess’ guards, who were continuing to fall, one by one.
From the rear, where he’d been watching the battle unfold, Kaecks gave the order to kill the survivors. “Show ’em what bandits can do! Any valuables we find will be added to your reward!”
The soldiers, still in their disguises, cheered at this announcement. They scoured the fallen guards for weapons and other valuables.
“You’re welcome to join them, Boran.” Kaecks addressed the priest, all too aware of the envious gaze the short man held as he looked out over the battlefield.
“W-well, if you insist…”
A smile broke across Boran’s face as he gleefully hurried off to search for his own spoils. Kaecks glared at his back, appalled at the crassness of this particular man of the cloth.
“Sir Kaecks, a memento from Princess Yuriarna.”
In spite of his large size, the man who’d just taken the princess’ life had approached Kaecks silently, only making his presence known when he spoke. He held the princess’ necklace in his outstretched hand.
Kaecks took it, a deranged smile gracing his lips. “Well done. It truly is unfortunate what happened to Her Highness. Still, I never would have imagined they’d bring Burst Spheres with them. We took heavy casualties.”
The necklace contained a large gem encased in a gold flower, and was further decorated by many smaller gems. It had been one of many gifts from the late queen to her two daughters. After carefully wrapping the prize in a silk cloth and tucking it into his pocket, Kaecks issued the order for his soldiers to retreat.
Just then, one of the men rummaging around for loot let out a blood-curdling cry.
“Gyaaaaugh!”
Kaecks whirled in the direction of the scream. White wolves dove from the trees lining the road, one after another, tearing the nearby men to shreds. But these weren’t just beasts in search of a meal.
They were out to kill.
The wolves ran from one man to the next, baring their fangs and biting indiscriminately.
The wolves moved nimbly in spite of their massive size. Their powerful jaws and sharp teeth made quick work of the distracted soldiers.
The mages were the first to try and fight back. They began chanting, but the wolves seemed to pick up on this and swarmed the mages in a massive pack, killing them before they could summon any spells.
The men armed with swords attempted to defend as well, but whenever they scored a direct hit on one of the wolves, it simply vanished in a puff of smoke, distracting them long enough for another wolf to take them down from behind.
Princess Yuriarna’s hunters had now become the hunted. Kaecks watched numbly as the brutal scene unfolded before him. The large man beside him put a name to the hellish demons. “Haunted wolves…”
This snapped Kaecks back to his senses. “Full retreat! All men, form back up! Supply squad, break out the shields! Burn everything else down to the ground! Let the horses go. They’ll distract the wolves!”
The soldiers didn’t need to be told twice. The supply squad took their gear from the horses, giving each one a swift slap to send it running before unpacking their massive shields. Since speed had been of the utmost priority for this mission, there were only so many shields to go around. Several soldiers had to huddle behind each one.
“Fall back! Retreeaat!”
Kaecks issued the final order, ignoring the stragglers who hadn’t made it back to their lines.
“Dammit, how many of them are there?”
There looked to be at least fifteen haunted wolves terrorizing his men, though clearly not all of them were real.
Kaecks glowered at the scene in front of him. “I’m guessing each haunted wolf can create two or three apparitions. There must be at least five of them out there.”
The men slowly retreated, grateful to escape these gods of death with their lives. As the number of men assembled behind the shield wall grew, relief washed over the group, though it didn’t approach the level of excitement they’d shown only moments ago while looting.
Fortunately, the haunted wolves only seemed interested in the soldiers surrounding the carriage. They paid no attention to the escaping men.
Once free of the forest and out of sight of the wolves, the soldiers broke into cheers. Kaecks felt the tension melt from his shoulders.
However, as he surveyed his remaining men, a wave of intense grief wracked his body. Over half of his soldiers had been lost in the ambush and subsequent wolf attack.
***
The clouds hung heavy and dark in the sky as I made my way through the oppressive
forest toward the sounds of battle.
They died down before I reached the source, however, replaced with the increasingly acute smell of blood. Soon, my own movements through the trees were the loudest sounds around me.
I stepped through a row of bushes and found a long path running through the forest. I was standing atop a three-meter-tall embankment running parallel to a path. The immediate area was littered with bodies, the scent of warm blood heavy in the air.
I could tell by the craters and scorch marks everywhere that this had been an intense battle.
Amid the mountain of bodies, I found five massive white wolves gnawing on something that had once been human, the bones making an awful snapping sound. These looked like the haunted wolves that had gotten away from us earlier. One of them was wounded where Ariane had landed a glancing blow.
The wolves looked up from their fleshy feast, detecting my presence as I stepped from the bushes. They eyed me suspiciously and started to retreat.
“Grrrowl!”
I spread my black cloak out and threw both of my hands into the air, shouting to the heavens as I returned their glare. The wolves literally jumped in surprise before turning tail and disappearing into the bushes on the far side of the path.
My attempt to scream them into submission had worked better than I thought it would, though it had also scared Ponta half to death. The poor creature started from its perch around my neck, where it had been curled like a fur scarf.
I gently patted Ponta’s fur back down as it let out little mews of consternation. I scanned my surroundings.
A large black carriage sat in the middle of all the carnage. Knights clad in magnificent armor lay dead all around it, as if they’d given their lives defending whoever was inside—likely a high-ranking noble.
Of the carriage’s four horses, two had been killed. The remaining two had been left to whinny and paw the ground in fear, unable to escape the thick harnesses that held them in place.