Ash didn’t want to heed the commanders words but when he noticed the look on Allice’s face, he relented and nodded his head, albeit reluctantly. Jorin gave a weak smile then stood and excused himself and quickly left the tent, leaving him and Allice alone.
For a long time after Jorin left, Allice and Ash sat in silence. There were many things that Ash wanted to say to Allice, but he could figure out how to put it into words. No matter how many women he now had around him, sometimes he still felt like the awkward loner from his previous world. Ash started to wonder if he would ever truly get over his awkwardness.
“Master,” Allice said breaking the silence that had hung over the two.
“What did you call me?” Ash asked trying to be playful.
“Ash,” Allice said ducking her head slightly. Ash thought that she was embarrassed, though that thought quickly left him. Allice was often insecure, but she was seldom embarrassed. When Ash noticed that her shoulders were softly moving and that small dots of water were falling onto his hand he felt his heart soften. “I don’t want you to die,” Allice said, clutching his hand tightly but not daring to look into his eyes.
“Allice,” Ash whispered as he pulled her to his chest. Pain shot through his body but he ignored it. “I don’t want to die either, but we don’t always get what we want.”
“Ash,” Allice said between tears.
Ash continued to hold her until Allice wore herself out. Once she was finished crying, Ash pulled her into the bed and held her tightly while whispering calming words to her. As Allice fell asleep, Ash softly stroked her hair and stared at the ceiling. He didn’t know how much time passed but soon he saw the first streams of daylight enter through the small gap in the tent flaps. Shortly after the sun was up, Ash heard the first sounds of battle coming from outside.
As soon as the sounds of battle filled the air, Allice started to shift in her sleep, her face taking on a look of pain as silent tears leaked from her eyes. After a few moments her eyes shot open, but when she noticed that she was still in Ash’s embrace, her eyes softened and a light and warm smile graced her face. Ash pulled her close, trying to hide the pained look that threatened to sprout on his own face as he listened to the battle outside.
The day before Ash had only fought in two of the four battles, but each time the enemy attacked he had heard the sounds of the bows and the screams of those injured and dying. Now behind the thin curtain of fabric, those sounds were like a knife stabbing at his heart. A part of him knew that this war was not his fault. It was just something that came about using him as a catalyst. That knowledge did little to lessen the guilt whenever he heard the scream of a man or woman who had been fighting on the wall while he sat by doing nothing.
The fighting lasted for hours and each passing second more and more screams rang out. Ash feared that his own heart would give out from the pain before the battle ended, then he felt Allice’s warm hand on his cheek pulling him down. Suddenly his lips were sealed by hers and his ears were covered by her hands drowning out the sounds of battle. Allice kissed Ash for a long time and when she released him from her grasp, only a small lingering smile was left behind on his face.
“Thank you,” Ash said as he looked into her large eyes that seemed to stare straight through him.
“I love you,” Allice whispered softly.
“I love you too,” Ash said as he pulled her close.
When the sounds of battle started to wane, Ash held his breath. A cry suddenly rose from the fort and Ash knew that they had pushed back the enemy once again. He wanted nothing more than to get to his feet and to see the situation of the fort, but currently doing so would only result in him reopening his injuries. Ash listened intently to every sound trying to pick up any news that the passing soldiers were talking about. From what he gathered, it was the fire mage that had forced the enemy to withdraw though at great cost.
Each mage master level or above had one skill that trumped all others though it was one that could only be used once in a lifetime. By condensing all the MP in their body they could unleash a spell far greater than normal, but the cost would be their life. It was one of the reasons that mages were respected and feared. No one in their right mind would push a mage to the point of death unless they wanted to perish along with them. The best way to handle any mage was too kill them quickly before they had a chance to use their final attack.
The news hit Ash hard. The loss of one of the mages was a big hit to the defenses of the fort. Any man could fire an arrow, but mages were in short supply and Ash knew that his own life was only spared the day before because the fire mage had intervened on his behalf.
Ash didn’t know what time it was, but he hoped that it was at least midday. From the sounds of the battle, it had been fierce and it would take time for the enemy to clear the field before they could begin the next assault.
After the stress of listening to the battle, Ash started to feel weary after it ended. Soon he found his eyes growing heavy and he quietly drifted off to sleep.
Once again, Ash dreamed of something that he couldn’t put into words. It felt as if not just one, but thousands upon thousands of people were calling out to him, but he could not make out their voices. Looking in the distance, all Ash could see was darkness, but it was a hazy darkness as if something was just out of sight. He called out to the darkness but he received no reply. He felt a coldness slip into his bones and a feeling of loneliness overcame him.
Ash’s eyes shot open and he quickly looked around the tent only to find that nothing had changed. Allice had left the bed, but she was sitting close by while sewing. As he watched her, he remembered Lillanis who in a way had become like a sister to her. Ash quickly dismissed that train of thought since it left an unpleasant feeling in his chest.
The sounds of people moving outside were still present, but there were no sounds of battle which allowed Ash to relax. With little to do, Ash checked his status to see if anything was wrong. His MP had mostly recovered though it was only slightly above half. His Stamina was also recovering though at a slightly slower pace than usual. His HP seemed to be the main problem. Below his HP stat there was a small red word, “injured.” His HP had been reduced to only 512/1400 and it didn’t seem to be recovering very fast. Ash had learned long ago that some wounds needed advanced healing and even then it could take a long time for them to be recovered. Ash had not only received a great wound, he also had bones broken. The bones had been repaired, but healing wasn’t some mystical force that could heal everything. There was always a cost and that cost was taken from the body of the person being healed. Most the time the cost was in the form of stamina so as long as the healer had the MP, Ash could almost always be healed, but with the number of people injured, how could they spend so much just for one soldier. It was amazing that they would do as much as they had when it would make more sense to heal many soldiers for what it cost for them to knit his bones back together.
Shortly after looking at his status, one of the priests entered Ash’s tent and bowed. “Lord Hawkwing, I am just about to go off duty so I thought I would check on your state before retiring,” the man said politely.
“I am fine,” Ash said, thinking it odd that he was just thinking about this when the priest showed up. “If you still have the strength to heal, it should be put to better use on someone who can still fight today.”
The priest gave a light chuckle but seemed to ignore Ash’s words as he moved forward. He placed his hand on Ash’s chest and closed his eyes. “The wound on your side is mostly closed, but the wound on your shoulder is quite bad. The sword had cut through your clavicle and severed three ribs. If it had moved an inch deeper it would have reached your heart and not even the best healer would have been able to help you.” A warm light engulfed Ash and the pain lessened. When the healer was finished, Ash could move his arm without much pain. On the downside, his stamina was so low that he was still unable to strain himself without fear of passing out. “I think with this, you sh
ould be good enough. Though you still need plenty of rest and some food, otherwise you won’t completely recover,” the priest said before excusing himself.
As soon as the priest left and before Ash could say anything, Allice sat down her needle and thread and left the tent only to return shortly after carrying another bowl of pottage. Ash once again reached for the bowl, but just like before his hand was swatted away as Allice demanded to feed him.
Once he was finished eating, Allice checked his bandages and smiled when she noticed that only a long thin silvery scar was left behind. Ash tried to hold back a laugh as her soft fingers traced the scar as it ran down his chest. She looked up at Ash with slightly moist eyes. “Does it hurt?”
“Not anymore,” Ash said moving his arm freely. “I should be well enough to fight again soon.
At this, Allice’s eyes started to tear up and she leaned against his chest, her fingernails biting into his skin. Before he could say anything to console her, shouting filled the air and once again Ash knew that the enemy had returned. He tried to sit up and reach for his sword but his stamina had been almost completely depleted during the healing. Small multicolored lights dotted his vision and his head started to spin. Without any choice, Ash leaned back onto the bed, once again forced to only listen to the battle.
The fighting lasted for untold hours and the whole time Ash drank stamina recovery potions waiting for the call to arms, but it never came. Soon the light started to fade from the sky and the horn sounding retreat filled the air. Upon hearing the horn, Ash let out a deep breath and he suddenly felt weak as if he had been holding it in the entire battle. Ash got to his feet, though Allice quickly protested and tried to push him back into the bed.
“I am fine now,” Ash said letting his hand rest gently on her head. “I want to see how things are going for myself.”
Hearing his words, Allice’s face paled but she didn’t say anything. In truth what could she say? She knew that Ash treated her nicely, but in the end she was his slave.
As soon as Ash exited the tent, his heart felt as if a hand had reached out and took hold of it squeezing it till it nearly burst. A large area near the back of the fort had been cleared and upon it lay the bodies of countless soldiers ready to be burned at the pyre. Along the ground, numerous cots lay with even more soldiers waiting treatment.
Ash’s eyes quickly scanned the area until he found commander Jorin walking among the wounded, his own arm and right eye wrapped in bandages. Quickening his pace, Ash quickly approached the commander who smiled upon seeing him. “Good to see you back among the living,” Jorin said with a hearty laugh.
“So we made it another day,” Ash said, though there was no happiness in his voice.
“That we did,” Jorin agreed in a dark voice. “Walk with me for a bit lad.”
Jorin led Ash back to the command building and quickly ushered him inside and shut the door. The commander slumped in his chair and pulled out a bottle from one of the drawers and poured a glass, sliding it over to Ash before taking a long draw straight from the bottle.
“Bad day?” Ash asked, already knowing the answer to the question.
“Depends on how you look at it,” Jorin replied after taking another deep drink. “I am still alive so it could have been worse. You know Captain Matthew fell during the last battle. Saw it myself. The young fool rushed forward, pushing one of the large ladders that had been placed on the wall over the side taking him along with it. As soon as he hit the ground, he started unleashing every skill he had killing near a hundred soldiers by my guess, but he still fell to the sheer number of the bastards.”
“Well don’t count yourself too lucky, there is still tomorrow,” Ash said weakly.
“That the truth,” the commander agreed. “We won’t last through another battle. Those that are too injured to fight and the noncombatants are going to be moved to the large medical tent in the back. Anyone who can still fight will have to man the wall tomorrow even if they are missing a leg or two. Even then, I will be surprised if we last more than an hour. They know they have us beat. If the sun hadn’t set when it did, they would have won the field today. Thankfully the captain had the thought of mind to build those infernal ditches. Makes it far too easy to stumble and fall. No reason for them to risk more deaths than necessary. I got to hand it to them, they had good commanders on their side.”
“So do we,” Ash said, taking a drink of the harsh liquid.
“Bah...help me finish off this blasted bottle. No reason to let those bastards drink it after they take the fort. That would just be a waste of good liquor.”
Demon's Heritage #8-10
The next morning Ash woke when Jorin lightly kicked him. Opening his eyes, Ash’s head was pounding but he pushed it aside when he remembered what the day would bring.
“It will be starting soon,” Jorin said grimly. “You should make yourself ready and send that little lass of yours to the medical tent.”
Ash quickly returned to his own tent to find Allice sitting on the bed with a worried look on her face. Ash tried to give her a warm smile but it didn’t seem to ease the tension in the air. Ash quickly strapped on his sword and walked over and grabbed Allice’s hand.
“I need you to go to the medical tent today,” Ash said as he pulled Allice to her feet. “Stay in there until the battle ends.”
“I don’t want to leave you master,” Alice said as tears steaked down her face.
A thousand things ran through Ash’s mind at that moment, but nothing seemed like the right thing to say. “I know,” was all Ash could get out before he pushed Allice away and exited the tent. His heart was beating rapidly but quickly calmed down as he ascended the stairs to the battlements.
As Ash looked over the long empty expanse between the fort and the enemy forces, he felt a calm come over him. He knew that today would be his last, but he didn’t feel the same fear that had griped him the day before. He might die but every one of the enemies that he took with him would be one less to threaten his wife and unborn child. When he thought of that, he saw it as a great bargain.
Not long after the sun had fully risen, it looked as if the entire enemy force charged at the fort. Over the past few days, they had used up almost all of their arrows and were now were forced to use what crossbows they had. The crossbows were stronger than the long bows and were even able to punch through the armor of the knights, but they took a long time to load and they had a much shorter distance. That meant that the enemy had less ground to cover before they reached the walls and even more time between strikes to reach the top.
There was slightly more than a thousand yards between the enemy and the fort. At first they only looked like small dots, but it didn’t take long before those dots to become a tide of soldiers rushing across the open ground. As soon as they were within range, Ash heard the twang of a few bows, but they were far less than before. As he used his own magic to strike at the enemy, the crossbows began to attack as well.
In moments, hundreds of enemies fell to the ground to be trampled by their comrades, but no matter how many fell, more took their place. Ash fired off his magic one after another until his MP had already been reduced by half. Seeing how quickly his MP was being reduced, Ash took out a recovery potion and quickly drank it down. Throwing the bottle aside, Ash pulled his sword from its scabbard and readied himself for those that were started to ascend the many ladders that had appeared upon the wall.
The first people to appear upon the battlements were simple soldiers that were easily cut down by Ash’s blade.
As soon as one enemy fell, they were quickly replaced by the next. Thankfully so far, none of the heavily armored knights had appeared yet. He was more than a passable fighter, but he had no skills and few abilities that allowed him to effectively deal with humans in heavy armor.
As the hours drug on, Ash’s sword arm began to slow and he could feel his stamina dropping fast. Even without using abilities, Ash knew that he couldn’t keep up for much longer and
he wasn’t the only one. With every passing moment, more enemies appeared on the wall and there were less defenders to oppose them.
After striking down another enemy, Ash went down to a knee breathing hard. He had taken a number of small wounds. None of the wounds were deep, but added together they had started to sap his strength. His clothes were ripped in many places and in many places blood freely flowed from his body. Before Ash had a chance to catch his breath, a large man wearing half plate armor and wielding a large double handed sword appeared in front of him.
Sighing, Ash pushed himself to his feet using Pounce to launch himself at the new enemy. Despite the man’s size, the large sword moved quickly to intercept Ash. At the last moment, Ash was able to move his sword in place though the strength from the strike sent Ash tumbling hard into the stone wall of the battlements almost threating to send him over. As Ash hit the stone wall, the air was knocked from his lungs and he accidently bit the tip of his tongue filling his mouth with the taste of blood and copper.
Holding his side with his left hand, Ash forced himself to his feet using his sword to help him regain his footing. The large man smirked at Ash and lifted his sword again. Without much choice, Ash used Shadow Whip, his focus on the back of the soldier. Just before the dark vine like whip struck the soldier, the man turned and moved to block it with his sword, but the Shadow Whip passed through it like water, hitting the man square on his breastplate forcing him to take three steps to the side and one step forward.
The attack had not done a lot of physical damage, but it had given Ash enough time to regain his bearings. As the knight turned back toward Ash, his eyes narrowing, Ash put all of his strength into his legs and darted forward, bringing his sword up at the same time in a diagonal slash.
Reborn: 6-10 Page 26
