Chương 19: War Horns

The ground beneath Carcian trembled. The footsteps of hundreds of men marching came from behind him. The colors around him kept changing due to the mana phenomenon. It was getting harder by the moment, but he managed to keep his composure. It was the first time he'd been responsible for so many lives. He knew most of the men, and in an hour or so, he would be the one ordering them to their deaths. He gripped the reins tighter, which made it easier to keep his back straight.

The sound of hooves approached from behind. Carcian glanced over his shoulder as a rider made his way through the formation. The rider slowed down as soon as he reached him.

"Liven up a bit!" Nichol said, a grin on his face. Carcian cleared his throat and put on his best smile.

"That's better!" They rode in silence for the next few minutes. Riding over the mountain path had never been more difficult, as the path was filled with stones and branches from the rockslide that followed the mana phenomenon. The sound of boots against the ground was constant, with the occasional pained neigh whenever one of the horses stepped on something they shouldn't have.

"You're worried about him?" Nichol asked, breaking the silence. Carcian just nodded, doing his best to keep the smile on his face. The men depended on him, so he had to do his best.

"He's a tough little one. He'll be fine. Besides, I don't think Naezil would allow anyone to put him in danger."

"I guess you're right," Carcian said.

"But still… I barely got through it, and I didn't have to deal with a demon folk intrusion." Nichol just nodded slightly with a smile. That was all he could do, as they couldn't talk to anyone about their Coming-of-Age. That was the hardest part. It had taken Carcian a few years after he passed the quest to learn more about it. It wasn't that he couldn't talk about it. It was mostly that the others always ignored him whenever he brought up the topic.

Now he knew better than to mention it, as the exploits could be taken away from future generations. It was the scariest and hardest thing he and every other Lunvale had gone through, but at the same time, the rewards made it worth it.

"Isn't it too early?" Nichol asked a few minutes later, his gaze scanning the men in the rear. Carcian glanced as well. The narrow mountain path only allowed three men to walk side by side, making the line much longer than it needed to be. The marching line stretched almost a hundred meters down the mountain. The light coming from the peaks was blue, almost cyan, making the long line of white and silver look almost icy-blue. The front of the line was filled with men around his age.

He knew it was his master's doing, to make him feel more comfortable giving commands. A dozen or so riders were ahead of them, while five stood close to him. He was certain there were a few Masters in the army as well, but they were hidden. The battles involving the higher-ranked forces would happen elsewhere, far away from the mundane soldiers.

"I'm not sure, but it seems whatever is happening has him worried. He's been giving me more responsibilities for the last two months, and keeps handing me positions of leadership." Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"The last rift?" Nichol asked. Carcian nodded.

"He put me in charge of the Black Division," Carcian said with a chuckle.

"All I did was follow them while they cleared the rift before I even saw anything." Nichol's eyes widened.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"What's there to say? I didn't even see them fighting." Nichol got closer to him, their horses almost touching.

"What was it like?" he whispered.

"Did they teach you anything?" Carcian's smile widened, but he didn't say anything. He wanted to talk about his experience with them, but he wasn't allowed. The Black Division was filled with awakened of higher ranks than even Masters. He hoped that someday, he would reach similar heights.

"Hey! I'll take anything!" The march continued as Carcian's thoughts spiraled. He was worried about his little brother. Would he be forced to fight against the demons? Be forced to awaken on the mountain? He shook his head. Naezil wouldn't allow that. Awakening one's core was a delicate process, best done in a prepared room filled with mana. The more mana one had available during awakening, the higher his potential would be. Assuming he didn't die during the process.

The other thing that worried him was the mana phenomenon. He was already certain that it was Naezil's doing. Possibly to protect the mountain from a powerful enemy. Would he even be able to help if Kal had gotten into something he couldn't overcome? That was the thing that kept bothering him, but at the same time, his father's absence, along with that of most of the elders, did calm him somewhat. He glanced toward the peak, at the beam of light that had changed to dark grey, almost darkening the whole mountain.

If there was a place they would go to, it would be the mana phenomenon. After the battle was over, he would ride toward the peak. Even if it wouldn't change anything, he still wanted to make sure Kal made it back alive. A rider came galloping from the front. He was quickly stopped by his bodyguards, and a few moments later, he was let through. It was one of the scouts. He waited for Carcian to catch up before riding alongside him.

"My Lord," the scout greeted him. Carcian only nodded, permitting him to speak.

"We found the demon folk," he said.

"They are camped about three hundred meters from here, on the third plateau. They are preparing for battle." Carcian nodded slightly, keeping his composure. Inwardly, he didn't feel the same. He was confident they were going to win; the Lunvale forces were one of the best in the human realm. He glanced behind him again, studying the faces in the first rows. How many of them would lose their lives?

"Numbers?" Carcian asked.

"At least two hundred, with about a dozen awakened. They could be hiding more, but even if they are, there wouldn't be too many," the scout reported. He didn't report any Masters in their midst, but Carcian was certain that there would be some. In all of the skirmishes he'd studied, there had always been at least a couple of Masters. And he was confident there would be at least that many in the battle. The forces under his command weren't as numerous, but the number of awakened warriors was much greater.

His bodyguards were Masters, He hoped there were even more hidden within the army than he'd expected. Even though his father trusted him, he wasn't naive enough to think there weren't contingencies in case he got overwhelmed. Well, he wouldn't say no to a unit from the Black Division. Those were enough to win the battle by themselves without taking any casualties. The plateau stretched in front of Carcian. His men were already advancing toward the enemy.

The cavalry was gathered around him, waiting for his order to charge. The demons on the other side of the plateau were falling into ranks. Even though they were savages, they were trained for war. Nichol was next to him, his back straight, his expressionless face betraying nothing. Carcian could see through it, though. He was nervous, and this was going to be his first real battle, or perhaps war. His hands were rubbing the reins, and his face was scrunched up on the left side.

Well, he had to give it to their master. He'd managed to make a man out of them. The demons advanced toward them, two lines of shields at the front and the rest following behind. Two units of about a dozen archers stood on the flanks. They had no cavalry, but they did have enslaved monsters. Four trolls and about two dozen direwolves stood among their ranks, ready to fight. Slave collars were visible around their necks. Carcian glanced toward Master Nicholas.

"Can you deal with that?" The older man nodded, and his horse strode toward the demons. Nichol glanced toward him and let out a nervous chuckle.

"Let's get this over with." Carcian gave the signal, and a war horn echoed across the plateau, its sound bouncing off the mountain walls surrounding them.