Elsword was unprepared for the chaos that unfolded around him. The enemies dodged the knights' spells and arrows just before being hit. Despite their bulky build, the monsters were surprisingly agile, with some even leaping over the defensive line to attack the unarmed trainees. The red-haired boy did all he could to defend Liam, whose wounded arm had not been treated. The enemies' constant movement made it hard to keep track of them.
The boy lost focus and glanced at a fallen comrade, a copper-haired teenager about Wyll's age. The copper-haired recruit fell to the ground like a ragdoll, as did a few knights who had turned their focus away from the battle. Whatever the enemies' spears were made of, it was an alloy strong enough to break through steel.
Limbs and heads went flying, and the blood rained over those who were still standing. Elsword caught a glimpse of one enemy spearman to his right and turned just in time to dodge the vicious swing of its weapon.
He evaded the hit but was easily pushed to the ground by the beast that resorted to biting through his sword, only making minor dents. His grip began to falter, and fear slowly devoured his mind. This monster would kill him.
"Explosive Fist!" Wyll shouted as he slammed a flaming fist over the monster's head. The flames faded quickly, but their heat was enough to melt through part of the beast's skull. It yelped in pain and swung its weapon wildly at Wyll. Luckily, it missed the blonde every time. Elsword stepped in to deflect the spear shaft, but the swing was so strong he was sent rolling back to the ground.
He hit the ground with his head and was stunned for a moment. He could only watch as the recruits around Wyll fell one by one. Some were eviscerated, others evaded the first hits but found themselves being little more than a meat shield for Wyll. Even as parts of its brain spilt along the guts and blood it drew from its victims, the monster was unstoppable. It twitched and let go of its spear, but its unfocused golden eyes set on the blonde recruit.
Wyll screamed his brother's name as the bloodied demon leapt on him. A golden blade swooped in before Elsword could think of running to help his friend. It cut the creature cleanly in half, spraying its black, gooey blood onto Wyll and other knights who could still stand despite the bite wounds on their arms and legs. The able-bodied knights rallied together as the remaining grey creatures approached them.
Elsword leapt back into action, stepping forward with four other knights to defend the injured, but he was yanked out of the way by a knight with ashen hair. It was Lowe.
"Armageddon Blade," the grey-eyed Lieutenant said, calling forth a spell that covered his weapon with a ghostly red and gold blade, extending the reach of his greatsword by three.
He slashed the remaining enemy forces in one swoop and was soon joined by Liam. The black-haired knight had a similar enchantment on his blood-stained blade. Elsword assumed he had been the one to save Wyll from death.
In this rare moment of respite, the remaining recruits and knights gathered around the two leaders. Out of their group of twenty-five, only ten remained standing. Of those, Elsword could only see Wyll as the only recruit besides himself. The red-haired boy had gotten back up, but the scent of blood and carnage froze him in place. The sun was higher up in the sky, unveiling the terrified expressions of the unarmed recruits who had been massacred. This was their first expedition. It was supposed to be only a routine where they would take turns familiarising themselves with the route and defence positions within the Tree of El.
They were barely halfway to their destination, and more than half of their unit had died. Elsword dared to hope that the unit under the Captain's command had not suffered any losses.
The buzz of the flies soon made itself present, overbearing and unstoppable. Elsword's stomach churned when he turned his attention towards the copper-haired recruit he had seen die first. His blood pooled massively under his body, spreading and mixing itself with the blood of others and the black blood of the monsters. The boy could still picture the moment his comrade's blood had begun to pour all over. It was so vivid it might as well be happening all over again. Elsword took a shaky breath in, then another, shorter, faster. Breathe out. Then, in. Out and in. In. Out. His ears rang, and the only thing he became increasingly aware of was that he had let all these people die. He could not even save Wyll on his own.
A knight stepped in front of him and crouched down to his level, putting his hands over his shoulders. It was Lowe. His usually cold grey eyes looked far more understanding.
"You protected who you could, and you're still in one piece," the Lieutenant told him. "Those are the most important things you can do on the battlefield."
"I didn't protect anyone," Elsword whispered, shaking his head as he felt the sting of tears again. "I was protected by everyone."
"You killed that Gargoyle when it bit your comrade. You did well by bringing a weapon with you, even if it wasn't required." The Lieutenant got back up but stood close enough to block Elsword's eyes from most of the carnage. "Come with the rest of the group, and don't look back. It won't do you any good."
He weakly nodded and rejoined Wyll and the other injured knights. Liam stood beside his brother, lending him his shoulder and almost holding his entire weight as they walked. Wyll's hands were trembling, and he looked terrified as if more monsters were going to leap out of the trees. By contrast, Liam, Lowe, and the surviving knights had far more stern, distant looks on their faces.
'Does being a knight mean that I'll have to see these things over and over again?' Elsword wondered before dismissing his own question. The only answer he could come up with scared him just as much as what he had seen. Elsword concluded that he had to have come to the wrong answer because his sister never spoke of anyone being gutted or decapitated by the monsters and evil people she fought. This terrible outcome was only the result of his weakness.
He had much to learn before aspiring to be as strong as the legendary Red-Haired Knight.
Ainchase read through a modern El Search Party training manual as he sat in the shade where the other two visitors had been. The demoness and her servant – who dared to sully the holy legacy of the Steel Crosses without a care in the world – were sparring nearby. The Celestial kept an eye on the two pieces of scum as he continued to skim through the book. He was almost two-thirds through it, and this book did not mention demons or their ilk. It was perhaps little wonder that these knights had never questioned the demoness' pupils or her strange veil. Five hundred years – nay, even two hundred years ago – they would have burnt that sinful Steel Cross and that demoness on the stake.
'They protect the El, and yet they have no plans or understanding of the biggest threat of all,' he thought as he flipped through the remaining pages. On the last sheet, he saw something interesting: a hand-written entry on demons.
The first half was written perhaps a few decades ago. The ink was fading onto the paper, and it did not look as fresh as the second half of the entry. Judging by the differences in penmanship, two different people had written this entry. The first half had nothing too special on it; if anything, it read more like a report on how the author faced a group of Glitter Panzers on his own. He described how he made a report to the Church after his battle. Thus, he learnt the name and nature of the enemy he had faced. At the very least, Ainchase had to commend the man for having a modicum of common sense.
The second half, however, was more recent and more intriguing. First, it identified the author as the daughter of the knight who authored the first note. She described facing a greater threat: a demon commander. The female knight even proposed a defence plan against such threats, crediting her father for giving her the idea in the first place. There was even a mention of more strategies and information on different types of demons in her father's journal, which she left in the care of the Captain of the El Search Party, Banthus Evans.
'It's not that bad for an ignorant human,' the Celestial thought as he flipped the page and found a graphical representation of the strategy the female knight had alluded to in words. 'Hmm, she's underestimating the demons' agility, but if the other knights are skilled enough with spells, then the casualties from those at the rear shouldn't be too high.'
The green-eyed priest heard a group of knights rush toward the gate where the two squads who had left earlier that morning had passed through. He glanced at the Steel Cross and the demoness. They, too, had noticed. He let them get ahead to where the commotion was coming from, contenting himself to follow them from behind. Should they try and run for the El, he would execute them both on the spot.
"Medics! Call for the Medics, now!" a brunette hollered from the crowd of knights that gathered around the returning troops.
Since he stood taller than most men, Ainchase had no trouble seeing why they were calling so desperately for medics. Out of the group of fifty that had left, only a few had returned. And out of the survivors, only two recruits remained. The priest focused on the youngest survivor. His aura was not like those of other humans.
'He is probably a Rubenian', Ainchase surmised, 'But even for a Rubenian, this boy is exceptional…'
Even if he was injured, the imposing Captain merely took bandages from the incoming medics and wrapped them hastily but efficiently around the deep claw gashes on his arms.
"Listen up, lads!" the Captain, Banthus Evans, hollered. "I want every Sub-Lieutenant who has mastered second-class spells with me and Lowe right now! The rest, remain on high alert and defend the fort with your life. It's all hands on deck, or we're toast."
A unified 'yes, sir' echoed as every knight began to get in position. All the Sub-Lieutenants who filled the prerequisites and were not injured formed a group of three. Curiously, the red-haired boy had not moved from Banthus' side, making him the unofficial fifth member of the group. He looked reluctant to leave but was also terrified of staying. Judging by how bloodied his uniform was, it was easy to tell he had probably seen things no child his age should be exposed to.
'And yet, he chose this life. Is it because of his naivete, or is it his destiny?'
The Steel Cross approached the group as if it were the most natural thing to do and offered his help to bolster their numbers. Banthus readily agreed and told the boy to go and help the healers with the injured. Ainchase stepped forward, too, fuelled by both his curiosity about the boy and his duty to keep a tight leash on his two assassination targets.
"I have a bad feeling, Captain! I need to know what those monsters are up to!" The boy protested.
"Lad, those monsters are demons. They're up to no good, and we all know it. But trust me when I say you still need to train to get what it takes to accompany us. You'll get there. I'm sure of it, but not today."
"But—"
"These are direct orders," Banthus Evans coldly countered. "Your comrades here need you more than we need you."
The boy's gaze sank, but before he walked away on his own, Ainchase stepped in.
"Ah, don't be so strict, Mr. Captain. The boy wants to go. If the strongest Steel Cross and I accompany you, does he really have anything to fear?" Ainchase said with a reassuring smile and a short demonstration of his power. He formed a single blade from pure mana, being extremely careful to only imbue the bare minimum of his heavenly power into it. He did not wish to alert the demons about what he was.
Banthus' blue gaze narrowed. "I didn't know priests were so willing to put children at risk in battle."
"Oh, but there's no risk, I assure you. Being stubborn against a member of the Church is not in your best interest, is it?"
Banthus did not answer; he merely clicked his tongue and muttered an insult at him, saying something about the clergy always being unreasonable. Ainchase did not let his friendly smile falter as Lowe took out a teleportation scroll and cast a portal spell. According to the Captain, it would take them as close as possible without interfering with the magical barriers that protected the Tree of El.
The portal opened, and the group stepped in, their weapons ready.
The Tree of El was within sight, though its grandeur was eclipsed by the surrounding trees and a horde of Glitter soldiers rushing through every corner of the path. Ainchase furrowed his brow at their formation. Though the grey-skinned, lizard-like demons were not known for their wits, their barbaric attacks followed basic strategies, mostly centred around ambushes. Surprisingly, these Glitters were scrambling to defend themselves from something they had no idea how to attack.
Their numbers were thinning fast, and it was quite evident why. A fireball and a gale of wind scorched a dozen Glitters, giving the soldiers an opening to charge and deal with the thick wave of enemies. The Steel Cross and the demoness charged in first. Her gloves transformed into metallic gauntlets she used to slice cleanly through the demons, unfortunate enough not to notice her before she cut their necks almost to the point of decapitating them. A burst of gunfire echoed through the forest, and six Glitters fell dead. The knights of the El Search Party pressed forward. First was the black-haired Sub-Lieutenant with blue eyes. He deflected the overwhelming strike from his opponent to make it lose its balance before pivoting in a circle. The spell he cast was inaudible due to the chaos of the battlefield. Still, the Celestial could feel the mana particles electrify the air.
The power of his strike charged up, leaving a trail of fiery energy that burned through a dozen enemies, charring their flesh and armour where the blade hit them as the Sub-Lieutenant spun five times, thinning the enemy's rear guard to only a dozen soldiers that his comrades and the demoness had no trouble killing without using any magic at all. Ainchase glanced at the boy by his side. He had not moved; his eyes were wide with fear, and he clenched his wooden sword with shaky fists.
'Perhaps I misjudged him,' Ainchase thought as he exhaled. 'But it's too early to be sure one way or the other. I'll give him one more chance.'
Once the demons were cleared up, the warriors saw the source of the chaos among the enemy soldiers. It was an elven woman and a purple-haired magician who looked barely older than the red-haired boy. They were out of breath, but besides a few scratches and bruises, they were unharmed. As he took a better look at the magician's equally purple dress, Ainchase concluded she had to be Sanderian. Silk was rare anywhere in Lurensia, and enchanted silk was something only royalty could afford. The girl's dress would still have cost a fortune in Fluone, but it was something elite magicians, like the Landars, could easily afford.
'But what's a Sanderian mage doing here?' He wondered, furrowing his brow at the young magician. 'Not even the Landars have gone this far away from their native lands.'
"Rena? Is that you?" the red-haired boy asked as he approached the woman and the girl.
"Hm? Oh! Hello again!" The elf greeted the boy with a friendly wave and a smile. "Thanks for bringing your comrades with you. The two of us would've been done for without your help."
"Aw, no greeting for us?" the demoness pouted as she turned her gauntlets into ordinary gloves. "I hope you are not the kind to hold grudges even after owing us your life"
The green-eyed elf shook her head, offering the enemy a strangely friendly smile. Ainchase could understand why humans no longer killed demons on sight now, but elves acting friendly to them was unthinkable.
"It's not like that at all, Lu," she chuckled. "I'm grateful to all of you, and so are you, right?"
The name of the demon was unusual. Ainchase wondered if it was perhaps a pseudonym.
She turned towards the purple-haired mage, who still struggled to catch her breath.
"Yeah," she panted, "As if it's that big of an achievement to kill some walking frogs. Congrats, you guys."
Elsword furrowed his brow at the girl's sarcastic tone, but before he could open his mouth to argue with the girl, Banthus stepped in.
"Ranger," he called to the elf, "Did you see any demons approach the Tree of El?"
The elven woman gravely nodded. "Their commander continued alone. He'll be slowed down by the magical barriers, but we should press forward."
"Any idea what kind of demon that commander is?" the Captain asked as he crossed his arms across his chest.
"A beast-type. It has some mastery over ice, but that's all I could see before I ran into this girl here, and we found ourselves surrounded soon after."
"That's good enough intel for us," Banthus said with a resolute nod. He looked at his men, "Liam, Orpheus, you're gonna escort the mage kid back to base. Do you have a teleportation scroll with you?"
"I do," Orpheus said with a resolute glimmer in his amber eyes. "I've got enough mana to cast it and keep fighting, Captain."
The blue-eyed Captain looked at the knight by Orpheus' side. "How about you, Liam?"
"I'm afraid it's quite low," the black-haired knight sighed. "I'll stay in the base and defend the recruits."
"Your plan's smart, lads. I approve. Lowe, how's your mana?"
"I can still pack quite a few punches even with the El's interference. What about you?"
The Captain chuckled, "It's not too good, but not too bad either. If it starts going south, you cast Gigantic Slash and retreat with the rest. Got it?"
The grey-eyed Lieutenant was surprised by the Captain's request but acknowledged it.
"Alright, lads, it's showtime," Banthus Evans announced with a confident grin and a single clap of his hands.
The group split according to his orders, running in opposite directions. As they approached the Tree of El, the overwhelming energy that the El Shard exuded charged the air with the sharpness of winter nights. The demoness was the most affected, as she had to resort to piggy-back riding on the Steel Cross to keep up with the group. However, the red-haired boy kept pace and eventually outran every knight, including Lowe. The only person ahead of all of them was the elven Ranger.
"Get back to the rear, lad!" Banthus hollered as the boy only sped up even more, subconsciously using the same energy that weakened the others to enhance his body.
"The El is in danger, Captain! You said that a demon is going for it, so, wait—" the boy yelled back, "Why are you guys the ones slacking behind?"
"Lad, we're a bit old to run as fast as someone as young as you. Our knees are hurting a bit, y'know?" the Captain chuckled.
The explanation seemed to satisfy the boy and even boosted his confidence, as he assured them he would be in charge of the team.
"Just stay close to the Ranger, will you, lad?" Banthus counselled him. "Your sword might have a decent enchantment, but it's still just a wooden sword."
"Yes, sir!"
'I knew this boy was special,' Ainchase thought with a smirk. 'My mission will be a breeze if I make this boy realise his full potential.'
Aisha Landar was not happy being escorted back to some stinky fortress when she was so close to testing new ways to recover her power. She had to reach the Tree of El and get a good chunk off the El Shard for her ritual. There had to be a way for her to escape. She figured the easiest way would be to distract the two knights who walked by her side while she recharged her mana. The one on her left looked somewhat familiar, though she could not place where she might have seen him.
'He's conceited enough to dye his hair black, huh?' she thought as she noticed the small golden roots peeking from his temples. 'I wonder why he'd dull his looks like that. He should let his hair grow, too. I bet it would curl beautifully.'
Aisha had to admit that – despite his odd choices when changing the colour of his hair and his militaristic hairstyle – the knight was handsome, especially with his sapphire blue gaze. She could not say the same thing about the orange-haired knight to her right. His high, prominent cheekbones matched poorly with his tiny, crooked nose. The freckles that polluted his face did not make his sunken amber eyes look any better.
'Orpheus and Liam. Hmm, I got a fifty-fifty shot of getting it right…' she pondered as her brow furrowed. 'Ah, if only I had listened to Yuria when she talked about Lurensian naming conventions I wouldn't be debating this! To hell with it! Orpheus should be the correct name!'
"Hey, you're Orpheus, right?" She asked the young man to her left. "Have we met before?"
"If we had, you'd know that isn't my name," he answered coldly. "Keep walking and talk less."
"Girlie, did you think that was his name because it sounds more prince-like?" the other knight guffawed. "Sorry to disappoint."
"Well, it sure seems you Lurensians don't know how to name people," the mage grumbled as she rolled her eyes.
"You're from Sander, aren't you, girlie?"
"Yeah," she proudly answered as she flicked her twin purple braids over her back. "Our beautiful hair is enough to tell, isn't it?"
"It is," Orpheus agreed. "Liam here is from Senace. You're practically neighbours, right?"
Liam clicked his tongue and threw his colleague a disapproving look.
"Aw, come on, Liam. Isn't it great to see a fellow Fluonian so far away from home?"
"I don't care where this girl is from, and I would rather have both of you shut up. The more we talk, the slower we walk. I need to make sure Wyll is doing alright."
"Was he injured that badly?" Orpheus' light-heartedness was almost completely gone now.
"It's not about his physical injuries. I don't want him to be alone for too long after what he saw."
"And you'll apologise for dragging him out at the crack of dawn to discipline him, right?"
Liam sighed. "Yeah, that too. I wish I knew how to talk some sense into him without yelling at him. It just… happens before I can think of a better way to say things."
"I've always told you to not say a thing as long as you don't feel calm." Orpheus sighed as he shrugged. "You still haven't listened."
'These guys… are they ignoring me?'
"Ahem! Well, isn't this hypocritical of you, Liam? You're talking a lot while you're forbidding me, your guest, from talking at all," the purple-haired girl countered as she emphatically put her hand over her chest. "Why am I not allowed to speak with you when I'm your guest?"
Liam barely gave her a glance. "Go ahead and talk, then."
"Well, I'm curious about you, Liam." The girl announced, "I've told you that I've seen you before, so I want to know who you are."
Liam did not reply, and Orpheus simply shook his head at her as if trying to dissuade her from questioning his comrade on the topic. Aisha would not simply drop the matter. Her curiosity needed to be sated.
"Hello? Are you ignoring me?" Aisha asked, already getting peeved at being so openly ignored.
"Yes."
A frown began to form on her face. "Well, that's very rude. Is this how a knight treats his guest?"
"Let me ask you this, girl: Why do you care so much about who I am?"
"Well, regardless of the reason, you should feel honoured about it," Aisha countered. "I'm from the Landar Family, you know? I'm a genius even among the rest of the Landar. I can recall anything I've seen, so I know for a fact that I must have seen you. I'll have you know that I don't speak to just any Senacian. In fact, I only accept commissions from the Rod—"
Liam stopped and drew his sword. Orpheus took out his weapon, and Aisha's heart skipped a beat. Were these two knights going to kill her? She put her wand up defensively, expecting the two men to strike first. Instead, Liam leapt into the forest and impaled something that groaned on the ground beneath him. It continued to gurgle and screech until the black-haired knight swung his sword at it one last time. Black blood squirted all over his face, and Orpheus finally relaxed. Aisha, however, was quite shaken up when she saw Liam's sapphire eyes stare at the monster he had killed as if it were nothing more than an insect he had squashed. He wiped his face off with his sleeve and returned to her side.
"The Rod family? Is that what you were going to say?" he asked in the same even, dispassionate tone that now sounded far more menacing with the demon's blood still running down his temples and forehead. "I'm just a peasant. I don't even have a surname. If you only deal with the royals, then we couldn't have met. Did you have any more pointless questions in mind, Landar girl?"
Aisha vigorously shook her head. She figured she should let the two knights talk among each other instead of interjecting.
"Great. Now, try to walk a little faster."
Orpheus sighed. "You're too much sometimes, you know?"
"I'm fulfilling the mission. Is that too much?"
"Don't play dumb and just own it, Liam. I get you're in a rush, but there's no need to be rude. She's a kid."
"A kid? Her entire clan clearly treats her like an adult already. I don't owe courtesy to nosy and ungrateful people like her. She should know better at her age."
Aisha frowned. 'You should also know better for a knight! You owe every damsel at least some courtesy!'
"Look, I know you hate that sorta question," Orpheus dejectedly noted before he let out a long sigh. "But if you never practise talking calmly to people you don't like, how are you gonna get any better when talking with Wyll?"
The two knights continued to banter between each other, leaving Aisha the chance she had been waiting for. Sensing the surge of mana within her, she realised that she could channel it to temporarily incapacitate the knights. Although the electricity coursing through her veins wouldn't cause them any harm, it would certainly stun them. Aisha knew that their heavy armour would conduct the electricity, effectively incapacitating them without causing lasting harm.
"Lightning Bolt", she whispered as the mana she had gathered at the tip of her hands left through her wand. A crackling bolt of lightning burst forth, searing through Liam's gambeson before arcing toward Orpheus's shoulder. It happened far too quickly for any of them to react. The shock made them tense up and shake for a moment, their eyes staring at her in disbelief before they both crumbled to the ground with their eyes closed.
The purple-haired mage put her hand over their neck and felt a steady pulse. To be sure that they were just stunned by the shock, Aisha also put her hands close to their noses. Their breathing was steady enough, so she assumed they would recover from it.
'Back to the Tree of El I go,' she thought as she searched through Orpheus's pockets and got the teleportation scroll out. After reading it, she realised the object was useless in her hands. It would only work if the caster had been to the destination before.
She threw the scroll away and charged more mana in her wand. Her teleportation spell would take her only two dozen paces forward every time she cast it. Still, it was better than walking all the way.
I decided to not upgrade the rating. I'm guessing most of the people who check this fandom on this website should be adults or close to. I will not get more graphic with my descriptions of injuries than this.
