Chương 17: Rescue Party

Velion drew back his sword. A wet gurgle followed before a body hit the ground. The sounds of battle echoed everywhere around him. Steel against steel, shouts mixed with screams. A hissing sound came from behind him. Velion turned, his shield raised high before a heavy blade slammed against it, pushing him a step. He raised his blade alongside his shield before charging toward his foe. The demon tried to stop his advance with a strong blow against the shield, but it couldn't.

The shield slammed into its chest, and the sheer amount of force behind his charge sent the being crashing onto the ground. His sword followed, finding an opening in the carapace where the heart was located. It pierced straight through. A scream followed, but after a twist of his wrist, it died out along with the demon. He took in the fight around him. The colors around him changed every few moments. The blue light shifted to red, bathing everything in crimson.

A strong metallic scent reeked from everywhere around him. Two of the spearmen lay on the ground, their eyes wide open. One of them had been severed in half, while the other had a huge gash on his abdomen. The other three were facing one demon folk. He was bleeding from multiple wounds all over his body and looked ready to fall at any moment. A hearty laugh came from the other side. His gaze lingered on the fallen a moment longer before turning toward the laugh.

Velar brought his sword down on the demon's chest, shattering the carapace. The demon collapsed on his knees, his eyes wide as he stared into Velar's eyes. Velar took the demon by the throat before lifting him into the air.

"Weak bastard," he muttered before slamming its head against the tree next to him, over and over again. Four other bodies lay on the ground around him, most of them missing their heads. Velion didn't comment on the brutality, as during the last skirmish, demons had done a lot worse than this. He shook his head before looking toward Master Davos. Dozens of bodies were scattered around him, their carapaces filled with straight cuts, as if they were no stronger than straw.

His clothes were pure white, untainted by the battlefield. Master Davos was a figure every warrior strived to become—the perfect swordsman. Cutting through the battlefield without a speck of dirt touching his clothes. The swordsmanship of Lunvale. The sounds of battle coming from behind him were replaced by tired panting. The battle had ended. Master Davos turned toward them, and after giving a glance toward the battlefield, nodded.

"Take care of the bodies," he said.

"We'll take them on our way back." Velion took a deep breath and moved toward them. It pained him that they had already lost two men. Even after avoiding dozens of demon patrols all around the mountain, they had somehow come under an ambush. It didn't make sense, as Master Davos should have sensed them. After all, they were only mundane demons. He picked up the body and carried it over to a clean place. He took out a white cloth and, slowly, while trying to show the utmost respect, wrapped the body gently.

A few feet away from him, the remaining spearmen did the same. Their teeth clenched as they slowly worked. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. They were taking it better than he'd expected. Losing comrades in war was common. He'd lost enough friends over the years, and it never got any better. He only learned how to get over it faster, at least until the battle had ended.

As soon as they were done, they masked the area around the bodies with branches as best they could. It wasn't much, but with the limited time, they did what they could. Hopefully, they would be back in time to collect them. Leaving them on the battlefield wasn't the Lunvale way. They gathered around Master Davos, waiting for new orders. The man himself was the strongest among them, a captain. The second stage after awakening: a Master. Master Davos glanced toward the side where the bodies were covered and sighed.

After a few moments of silence, he turned toward the beam of light, stroking his white beard.

"Well, it seems that things are going much faster than I anticipated," he muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear. One of the spearmen stepped up.

"Are we all going to die when it ends?" The boy, in his mid-twenties, asked, his hand slightly shivering.

"I don't suppose so. Though there is still a chance of death." Velion shook his head. That wasn't really reassuring.

"Anyway, we don't really have much time. Even if the Mo…" Master Davos coughed.

"Umm… even if the buildup of mana doesn't kill us, the demons could still do so. So, let's get going." The older man strode in the direction of the mana that covered the sky. Velar chuckled and followed behind him, a bright smile on his face. Velion didn't think he had much of an option, so he followed as well. They had a mission to complete and a Lunvale heir to rescue. And no demon folk or whatever was happening in the sky could come between them.

Though he did find it helpful that Master Davos was aware of what was causing the buildup of mana. It made him feel slightly less dreadful about his future. That, and the fact that he'd seen his son again, and the boy had passed the quest. Tomorrow, or perhaps it would be delayed for a few days—since the demons had invaded the mountain—his son would awaken. Making him the fifth generation of his family to be awakened. They continued climbing up the mountain and avoided three more demon patrols.

The mountain was practically filled with them, though the further they climbed, the fewer they saw. In just a couple of hours, Lunvale men would ascend to face them, and he hoped they would be long gone by then.

"I can't wait to fight an awakened," Velar muttered.

"Are you tired of living?" Master Davos said.

"Old…" Velar muttered.

"I want a challenge. Something to make me feel alive again!" Master Davos remained silent, as did Velion. He still wasn't sure how Velar had been chosen to join Lunvale. He was impulsive and arrogant. He was the opposite of Lunvale's warrior teachings. The warriors who acted the same way were almost always the first ones to die. About an hour later, Master Davos stopped and surveyed the area in front of them. There was nothing but a mountain in his way, with a sharp incline that was impossible to climb.

On the other side of the edge was a path that led all the way down the mountain.

"We're here," he said.

"Here?" Velion questioned. The older man chuckled as he walked up to the mountain. His hand closed around the hilt of his sword as he turned toward them.

"Get ready for a fight." Velar chuckled as he moved ahead, already unsheathing the blade from his back. A two-handed giant of a weapon, it was similar to a Claymore, but bigger, and one of the sides had serrated edges on it. Master Davos motioned for them to advance, and they did. All of them stood a few feet away from him. Velion took out his blade and the shield that was strapped to his back. He strapped it around his hand and nodded toward Davos.

He motioned toward the mountain wall before he took a step toward it. His leg slipped past the rock before his whole body vanished. Illusion magic, Velion guessed. The spearmen looked shocked while Velar followed behind, vanishing into the mountain wall as well. With a shrug, Velion followed. He touched the wall with the hand that held the sword, and it passed through it. He stepped through it. The other side was pure chaos. A road wide enough for a wagon, perhaps even two, to move side by side stretched ahead.

Some distance away from him, Master Davos decapitated a demon while Velar charged toward a small group of them in the distance. He studied the situation for a few moments. An open flame stood by the edge of the road, with dozens of skewers placed around it, each holding some kind of meat. The smell of roasting meat flooded the air. A dozen or so demons sat around it, their eyes widened as they stared at Davos and Velar. It was a campsite, and the demons were preparing to eat.

They had been caught completely off guard. And so was Velion. The scent in the air soon changed to the familiar metallic one. It seemed that by the time they found the young heir, the mountain would be flooded with demon blood. And human. He tightened his grip around his sword and charged toward the campfire.