Chương 7: First Encounter

The demon stood a few feet away. It took him a few seconds before he stopped and stared at the bush Kal hid behind. Moonlight illuminated most of its body and the mocking smile on its face.

"Atul nuanel tu," he said. Kal's heart raced. A carapace protruded from its chest, leaving a small gap between the carapace and flesh. Its shoulders, arms, legs, and back were all covered in carapace. Every vital point on its body was protected, leaving a few gaps that Kal could use. It wielded a long sword; it was almost as big as Kal's entire body. He was certain that it weighed more than him. Looking at the demon from such a close distance, Kal understood how outmatched he was.

His first real fight was never supposed to be against one of the noble races. And no, he couldn't count the fight against the Moonweaver as a real fight. That was closer to a game for the creature.

"What do we have here?" the demon said, speaking the common tongue in a broken accent. The words came out rough, and Kal barely understood them. He wasn't sure if he should respond or find a way to escape. Looking at the terrain around him, he saw no way out. The demon would catch him eventually. The noble races had better sight and were much faster than the average human. Was the monstrosity in front of him faster? Kal wasn't sure, but he didn't want to find out by having the sword buried in his back while he ran.

The demon studied him, its sword already drawn and resting on its shoulder. It dragged the blunt side of the sword across its carapace.

"The Lunvale boy?" he said, studying him. Kal cursed inwardly, his hand closing around the hilt of his sword. Had someone given up his location? It didn't matter at the moment. That information wouldn't help him, and anything that wouldn't help was best kept out of his head. His mind scrambled to find the best way to fight the creature. He would need to keep enough distance between them and avoid direct contact with its sword. Getting hit by the demon's sword would mean certain death.

The demon took a step toward him. Kal took a step backward, leaving the safety of the bush for the first time and exposing himself to the open air. A chuckle escaped from the demon.

"Not going to talk."

"Would it change anything?" Kal asked. The demon snorted.

"I guess not." It dragged the blunt side of the sword across its carapace. Screeeech. The sound it made set all of Kal's hairs on end. Why did it have to be this demon? If it were one of the axe-wielding ones, he wouldn't have as much of a problem. They were closer to his height and didn't look as strong as this one. They also didn't have a weapon that could split Kal in two.

"Shall we begin?" The demon said, its voice rough as it took another step toward him. The blade left his shoulder, and he held it up high with one hand, like it weighed nothing. Kal took another step backward. The only thing on his mind was that under no circumstances should he allow that sword to touch him. He unsheathed his own and held it with one hand, above his shoulder, as it would allow him to strike much faster. His right foot—the dominant one—was a step behind him while his left was in front.

The movement technique made retreating much faster. The demon kept advancing while Kal kept retreating. He appreciated it somewhat, since it would allow Kal to create enough distance between them and the two other demons. He would have enough trouble surviving against his current opponent; adding two more would be a death sentence. The demon shrugged, took a quick step toward him, and swung his blade toward Kal. Kal took a quick step back.

The blade passed through the space where he had just stood with a sharp whoosh. He gulped. That strike alone would have severed him in half. Every thought about parrying or even deflecting the sword vanished from his mind. He couldn't allow their swords to touch, much less connect. Kal took another step back, recalling every piece of advice he'd ever gotten from Carcian. But… almost nothing would work against a demon. Carcian had trained him to fight against beasts, not against a demon.

He had also sparred against his brother and a few of his father's men, but none of them wielded a sword as big as the demon's. He took a deep breath and studied the demon's reach and speed without taking his eyes off it. The demon lunged at him, raising the sword high above its head. The blade came crashing down toward Kal. It all happened so fast that Kal didn't have any time to retreat. He stepped sideways, making his body as small as possible as the blade hit the ground hard.

Earth and dust flew everywhere around him. The only thing his blade could reach was the demon's hands, which were covered in carapace. The small opening between its flesh and carapace was on the other side. So he was forced to retreat again without retaliating. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The small exchange was enough for Kal to understand what made the demons a noble race. A mundane human had no chance against them.

It also made Kal realize that the demon wasn't as fast as he'd initially thought. He still had a small chance of making it out alive. No. He is just testing me. The demon had managed to catch a fleeing rabbit. That shouldn't be possible if his speed was anything like what he had demonstrated with his attacks. The demon attacked three more times; each time Kal was forced to retreat without retaliating. The attacks made loud bangs, echoing all around them.

Kal didn't have much time before the other demons came to investigate. A plan started forming inside his head. The only way he could win was if he managed to close the distance between them. The large sword would be difficult for the demon to wield in close quarters, allowing Kal to finally retaliate. Perhaps there were better ways to handle the fight, but that was the best he could come up with on the spot. Kal stood just a step out of reach of the demon's greatsword. His footing was angled slightly to the side.

The difference was small, so he hoped that the demon wouldn't notice it. The demon raised the blade again, its shoulder rotating slightly to the right. Its weight settled on his back leg. Its arms followed its motion, and it swung the blade in a wide horizontal arc. Kal was already moving, keeping his head low as he dove for the ground. A sharp whoosh exploded above him. As soon as the swing was over, he straightened up and charged toward the demon's right side.

The demon would need a moment before it could recover from its swing. Kal didn't waste the precious time he had and thrust his sword. The blade pierced through the small opening between the carapace and flesh on the demon's shoulder. There was some resistance, but the blade still went through. He pulled his sword free as he moved to the demon's right. Its torso was exposed there, so he swung again, carving a shallow cut across its side. A small trickle of blood leaked from the demon's wounds.

Kal would have preferred to go for vital spots, but everything within reach was covered with carapace, and he would have to overextend to hit anything, leaving him exposed.

"You little pest!" the demon shouted as it swung the blade in another horizontal arc. This time, it was much slower, as the demon didn't have time to get into a proper stance and was forced to use its left hand. Kal had just enough time to retreat as the blade cut through the air a hair's breadth away from his chest. He pushed forward, moving around the demon's left side. He thrust his sword, piercing through the demon's armpit, but the thrust wasn't powerful enough to reach anything vital. It would still hurt.

Just as Kal was about to retreat, the blade hit the ground, and the demon's right hand came crashing toward his face. Fucck. He turned his body left to avoid a direct hit to his face. A blunt pain exploded from his shoulder, and he hit the ground hard. Before he could steady himself, the demon's shadow blocked the moonlight from reaching him. He glanced toward the demon and saw its leg rising. Kal rolled to the side as the demon hit the ground hard. He rolled again, and again, narrowly avoiding the demon's stomps.

He didn't even have time to wonder what had happened to his sword. His hand came away with nothing but dirt.

"Little bastard," the demon snarled as it stomped the ground again.

"Come here!" After a few stomps, Kal finally noticed his location. They were just a few meters away from the edge of the mountain. If… if he somehow managed to get him there, perhaps… He rolled again, and this time he jumped to his feet and walked backwards, approaching the edge. His head hurt, and his left arm was barely responsive. He couldn't allow the fight to continue. The demon charged toward him. Kal dodged to the side, but his back was still facing the wrong direction.

He needed his back to be against the edge of the mountain if he wanted it to work. Blood continued to drip onto the ground from the demon's injuries as it moved. Kal tried multiple times to change the direction they were headed, but it didn't work, as he was slowly being pushed back toward where the fight had started. Since the fight had started, no more than thirty seconds had passed. His time was running out, and at any moment the other demons would come toward him. Everything was going the wrong way.

Even if he somehow won the current fight, the demon folk would know his location, and escaping the mountain would become much more difficult. Perhaps… perhaps he should consume the wyvern core on the spot… and hope for the best. No. He didn't know how to awaken properly in perfect conditions. How could he even attempt to do it during a battle that he was losing?

"I'm gonna skin you alive, you little rat!" The next few seconds passed as Kal kept retreating. He guessed they were already back where the battle had begun. His sword should be somewhere around him, but it was too dark, and he couldn't find it. Kal moved his right arm behind his back and unsheathed his dagger. At least he still had a weapon. Not that the dagger would change anything. The demon started running toward him, its hands extended to the sides as it tried to grapple him.

Kal cursed inwardly as he, too, started running away from the demon. What else was he going to do against that? Kal quickly got behind the first tree he found. He didn't see any other options as the demon closed the distance between them.

"Stop running, little pest!" The demon really enjoyed talking, even though Kal barely understood a word it said. Whenever it moved its left arm, a grimace crossed its face. So if he wanted to survive somehow, he would have to keep to the demon's left side. As soon as the demon reached the tree, it lunged toward Kal with its right hand, trying to catch him. Kal took a step back, moving closer to the demon's left side. He held the dagger tightly in a backward grip.

He wasn't quite familiar with the grip, but it would give him more power behind his thrust. The dagger wasn't going to cut through the demon's tough skin; he could only use it to stab. The demon tried to grab him a few more times. With each failure, his anger grew. Kal kept his mind focused as he moved out of the way every time the demon tried to catch him, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The time came just a few moments later as the demon overextended its reach to grab him.

Kal took a step back before charging toward the demon's left side. He had less than a moment to strike and retreat. Kal got in position and aimed for the demon's forearm—the only place that wasn't covered in carapace. His knife descended from above, putting as much weight into the attack as he could. Just as the knife was about to pierce its flesh, the demon moved its arm slightly. The dagger slid off its carapace harmlessly, causing Kal to overextend. His heart stammered.

Before he could try to retreat, the demon's hand shot toward him, slapping Kal in the face with a backhand. The strength behind the attack dropped him to the ground. Pain exploded on his face as he tasted iron. In moments, his mouth was filled with blood. Kal gritted his teeth as he pushed himself backward with his legs. He spat a mouthful of blood. He had to create as much distance as he could.

"How did you like that, little rat?" the rough voice echoed. This time, the demon didn't waste any time and ran toward him. Kal cursed inwardly as his back hit something hard behind him. Almost everything in his body hurt, and his left hand was basically useless. He put pressure on the ground with his right hand, allowing him to stand up faster, and started running. Just as he took a step away from the demon, he felt an enormous force hit his leg.

He stumbled and fell face-first into the ground, filling his mouth with dry earth. His head rang as footsteps approached him. He raised his head slightly, which took a lot of effort, and saw a glint of moonlight against the sharp edge of his blade. It was just a few feet away from him, almost within reach. Kal clawed at the ground with his only working hand and pushed himself as much as he could. Then he pushed again, helping himself with the only leg he could feel. The demon's footsteps echoed around him.

Just as he was about to grab the handle of the sword, he felt a hand close around his leg before pressing down on it. Crushing pain erupted from his lower leg, the only one he could feel.

"Got you!" Kal gritted his teeth through the pain and shot forward with all of his strength. His fingers brushed against the hilt, and he gripped it lightly before the demon pulled him back. His face was dragged through the hard earth as small rocks cut into him. Somehow, throughout all of that, the sword remained gripped between his fingers. It was the only way he could survive. The crushing pressure on his lower leg increased as he was dragged through the hard earth.

Kal let out a painful scream and felt his body lift from the ground. Just before he found himself flying through the air, he managed to grab hold of the sword's hilt. He crashed against something hard; the wind was knocked out of his chest. He tried to breathe but couldn't as a piercing pain shot throughout his body. His vision turned white. Warmth spread through his left shoulder as the demon's thunderous footsteps echoed toward him.