by V. A. Lewis
"No choice?" I raised an eyebrow, but I already knew what he was going to say.
"We fight."
"Wait!" I put a hand out. "They outnumber us ten to one. We’ll be slaughtered!" I said in a hushed voice.
"Yes." Karna nodded, not disagreeing. "Which is why we don’t fight all of them. We just have to force our way through. Kill anyone who gets in our way, and make a break for it. Maybe they’ll stop pursuing us after a while. That’s our only chance of getting out of here."
"I—" There was no time to argue. I stared at the dozens of armed guards, all blocking our escape route. "I don’t have a weapon," I sputtered out quickly.
Karna unlatched something from his belt. He handed me a leather case with a dagger sheathed inside of it. "Here, take mine. I don’t need it. It’s permanently enchanted to be sharper than a regular blade. Just don’t lose it."
I blinked.
"But— uh, thank you."
I accepted the weapon, and drew it as Karna turned to the other two Goblins.
"You two will target the guards on the ground. Sena lost his bow, so make sure you watch his back, Ihsan," he ordered as he nocked his own bow and arrow. "I saw a few guards with rifles on the walls. I will take care of them. But we have to make a break for it— straight for the walls."
The two Goblins uttered a quiet reply, and readied their weapons; Karna turned around, and I piped up.
"What do I do?"
"You?" He looked me in the eye. "Just stay alive."
It was a simple job; something most people did quite well. But at this moment, it definitely was not going to be easy.
I nodded anyways. "Got it," I said.
"On my mark."
We all waited with bated breath for what came next. The guards by the gates stood restlessly amongst themselves, while the ones on the walls seemed bored. An archer covered his mouth to yawn—
"Mark."
We burst out of the alleyway, and an arrow went straight through a man’s skull. Another gaped in shock as the man fell from the wall, but was silenced by an arrow into his open mouth. A guard on the ground spun around—
But was felled by two arrows to the chest.
"We’re under attack!"
"The thieves? Kill them!"
"Wait, are those children—"
Chaos broke out as the guards both on the walls and by the gates went clambering for their weapons. A man holding a torch was unsheathing his sword, but I pointed a finger at him. At the flames.
A magic circle flashed in the air, and the fire from the torch burst out in a brilliant red plume. It lasted only a second, but still the man recoiled. He dropped to the ground, clutching his burnt arm and screaming in pain. I ignored it and surveyed the battlefield.
I saw Karna loosing arrows and running straight for the walls. A rifler unloaded bolts of energy at him, and he barely dodged the attacks by rolling to the side. He sidestepped more shots, spinning, drawing more arrows and nocking them into his bow. He pulled it back as a magic circle appeared in front of the arrowhead, before he fired the shot at the rifler.
The rifler tried to dodge. But Karna was accurate. The arrow slid in between the crenellations, and exploded on his chest.
I did not see what happened to the rifler since I turned away at the last second, but I assumed it was a bloody sight. Instead, I focused on the other guards at the walls. An archer aiming for Karna. He pulled an arrow out of his quiver—
And ducked as I sent bolts of magical energy and fire flying at him. He took cover behind the battlements from my volley of spells, and even when he was out of sight, I continued casting in a frenzy. It was covering fire— I had to make sure he did not peek out again.
I stopped as a shadow loomed over me, and I barely dodged as a sword swung right past my face. I tried to back up, but was knocked to the ground by a kick.
The guard raised his sword asI raised my hand. I swung the dagger weakly at him, but he easily dodged it. No—
Then, the guard slumped over. An arrow was protruding out of the back of his head. I saw a Goblin holding a bow— not Karna or Sena, but the third one— calling out to me.
"Come on. Let’s go!"
He helped pick me up, and brought me over to the walls. We ran past Sena who was stabbing a spearman to death, before we stopped. I looked up. Karna was already up there. He was alternating between loosing arrows at the guards on the walls and on the ground.
The Goblin standing next to me gestured up there. "You first. I’ll boost you."
Karna was busy. There was no one to catch me if I did not make it, but I did not argue; there was no time for that. I stepped back, and jumped. The Goblin gave me a boost. I reached up for the crenellations, and pulled myself over it.
I stumbled for a bit, but managed to catch myself from falling over. The Goblin landed right after me. Dozens more guards were arriving now. I could see them closing in. Sena saw them too.
He finished off a swordsman, and immediately made a dash for the walls. Arrows and bolts of energy flew over his head, as the guards fired at him from behind. He leapt for the ramparts—
Then he dropped.
A bullet struck him mid air.
He went tumbling down the side of the walls, falling limply onto the ground. Perhaps he could have survived the single shot. But more arrows and bullets rained down on him. He was dead.
"No!" Karna screamed, putting a hand out.
My eyes bulged as I stared down at the boy for a moment. A man on horseback lowered his gun, and pointed at us.
"After those heretics! Don’t let them get away!"
Bolts of energy and arrows whizzed past our heads. I turned around, and saw the other Goblin hopping down the wall. I ran after him and paused at the ledge.
It was a ten foot drop. Enough to injure someone if they did not land properly. But I was small, and according to physics, that meant this would not hurt as much… right?
I jumped anyways. I did my best to tuck into a roll as I landed, and it barely worked.
I felt the air leave my lungs and wheezed as soon as I impacted the ground; the world spun around me for a second, the sun spinning in place as I stared blankly at it.
At least I didn’t break any bones, the inane thought crossed my mind, then it dawned on me. Wait, the sun?
I blinked as I saw the sun barely edge over the horizon. Daybreak had arrived, bringing an end to the night that brought an end to the night— to our cover of dark.
I picked myself up in a hurry, preparing to run for the trees, when I realized that Karna was not with us. "Where—"
I spun around, and saw he was still up on the walls of the city. His eyes were bridled with rage. His hands were a blur, going back and forth from his bow and quiver in a constant rhythmic motion. He was loosing arrow after arrow while dodging the flurry of projectiles being shot back at him.
What is he doing?! I wanted to scream. I cupped my hands around my mouth to call out to him, when an arrow landed on his shoulder. He stumbled, and at that moment, three bolts of energy struck him on the chest.
The impact knocked Karna backwards, and he fell off the battlements. He landed in front of me with a loud thud as I stared in shock.
"Karna, are you ok?!" It was a stupid question, yet it was the only thing I could say at that moment.
He was unresponsive. He coughed out some blood and groaned in pain, clutching at his chest. His leather armor was ruined, as if three holes were burned through it. I ignored the arrow sticking out of his shoulders, and hefted him around my back.
Ack, heavy. He weighed more than he looked. There was no way I could do a fireman’s carry with him, let alone a bridal one. Luckily, I was not alone.
The other Goblin rushed over, and took Karna by the shoulder. "I’ve got it. Just run!" he yelled at me.
I acquiesced and made a break for it. The Goblin still ran as fast as I did even while carrying Karna with him. The gates of the city opened slowly behind us, as we approached the thicket.
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We’re not going to make it. I did not know why I thought of the trees in the distance as some sort of safe space; they were still going to chase after us even when we got there. And with the sun out, it was going to be impossible to escape.
But it was a goal. And it being so close gave me strength. So I ran with all my might.
I heard the sound of horses behind me. They were getting close fast. I spun around to cast a spell== to maybe send a magic missile at them to slow them down— and out from the woods, a dozen arrows shot out.
The horse riders reeled as a few of them were dropped from the sudden projectiles. They raised their shields to cover themselves from the attack, when the first Monster emerged from behind the trees.
A large six legged scaly beast leapt out right next to me. It opened its massive maw and I thought I was going to die. I swung my dagger wildly at it, but the Monster ignored me. It ran straight for the pursuing guards and clashed into them.
"Wha—" My mouth dumbly hung open as I stared in shock. Then I saw more creatures run past me. Unlike the first, these were not Monsters, they were animals.
I saw horses, deers, boars, and even some smaller animals skittering about between them. They fought alongside the Monster, and attacked the horse riders and the other guards that came to support them. They were all different, yet they had one thing in common. One thing I would recognize anywhere.
The stench of death.
They were… undead. Zombies. Ghouls. Dead things that were raised back to life by magic. By Necromancy. And there was only one Necromancer I knew.
"Melas," a deep voice spoke out to me. A massive red man walked out of the woods, and up to me. The Orc placed a hand on my shoulder. "Come. While they’re distracted."
Behind him, I saw Goblins hiding behind the trees, firing a hail of arrows down at the pursuing guards. "I— where did you guys come from?" I asked stupidly.
"I heard that you went with Karna. That was a mistake, Melas. Something could’ve happened to you."
The Orc led me deep into the thicket, until the sounds of fighting were far behind us. We were safe now; I wanted to sigh in relief, but I looked at him worriedly. "Thank you. But— Karna’s hurt. You’ve got to help him."
Gerritt inclined his head to the other Goblin carrying Karna around his back. "Hrmph, I see that. We need to bring him back to the camp quickly. He will die if we don’t get him a healing potion soon."
"Soon? How soon?"
"I’m not sure. His injuries are grievous. Even if we gave him a healing potion right now, I’m not sure if he will survive." The Orc’s voice was steady. His inflections did not change. And yet he stared solemnly as one of his best men bled out.
I felt my hands going for something at my waist. I hesitated. But only for a moment. Then I reached out and pulled the potion from my belt. I held out the vial of glowing red liquid.
"How about this? If I give this potion to Karna, will he live?"
Gerritt raised an eyebrow incredulously.
"Well, yes. That’s an incredibly potent healing potion. But isn’t that for you—"
"Good," I spoke over the Orc.
I marched over to Karna who was being tended to by the Goblin that was carrying him. He was trying to stop the bleeding.
"Excuse me," I said, and uncorked the vial.
"Wait, that’s—"
I ignored him, and started to pour the healing potion onto Karna. I saw the insides of his body slowly mended together. His flesh grew anew, covering the injuries on his chest and shoulder. But I didn’t stop pouring.
I kept pouring the potion and my heart sank as I watched the liquid slowly disappear. But I never stopped until all of Karna’s wounds were gone. Because I knew if they were left half regenerated, they would very easily be torn open again, and he could bleed out. And by the time all his injuries were healed, there was only a tenth of the potion left in the vial.
I poured the remaining drops over on my face, but nothing happened. So much for that. I tossed the bottle aside, and looked back down as I heard a grunt.
"Y-you," Karna whispered. He looked barely conscious, and he struggled to speak. "You... saved me."
Thank you Captain Obvious, the stupid quip crossed my mind, and I sighed. "Yes, I did save you. But I didn’t do it for you. I just saw Sena die, and I didn't like that. So I did this because I’d feel bad if I didn’t."
He stared at me in shock. I bent over him and jabbed a finger at his face.
"However, I still saved your life. So the least you could do is stop being a jerk to me. Got it?"
Karna hesitated, but I loomed over it.
"I said: do you get it?"
"I— uh, yes."
"Good." I grinned. "Now let’s get out of here, I’m hungry."
And my stomach growled in agreement.
Chapter 33: Close-quarters Combat
When we got back, Victor was mad. He was angry. Furious.
He was all of that, and more. To say he was just ‘pissed off’, would be an understatement.
"And what made you think it was a good idea to go with them?!"
I winced, as the Dark Acolyte yelled at me; he was pacing back and forth in the command tent, as I sat on my knees in front of him.
"I-I’m sorry. But that wasn’t supposed to happen!" I protested. "Things were going well! Well— u-until…" I scratched the back of my head and trailed off.
The young man stopped; he folded his arms, and tapped a finger on his elbow impatiently. "Until what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"...until it wasn’t?" I said unconvincingly.
Victor snapped. "Not only could you have gotten yourself killed— which would have put me in a lot of trouble with the Infernalis— but you’ve also compromised our mission!" He took a seat, and began rubbing his temples. "If word gets out— no, when it gets out that there are Dark Crusaders in the area— the Free Cities will be on high alert. They’ll fortify their towns and their forts. We can’t proceed as planned, unless we pick up the pace…"
I felt bad; I honestly did not expect any of this to happen. But as Murphy’s Law goes: anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. I should have known better.
"S-sorry," I said softly. There was nothing else to say; I messed up, and I had to own up to my mistakes.
My apology was met with a glare from the young man. He stood up and sighed, while shaking his head. "I saved your life and this is what I get in return? Trouble? Typical..." he muttered under his breath, then stalked out of the room.
I grimaced, but he was already gone. I exhaled deeply, and turned to the other person in the room; Gerritt was standing behind me, with his hands behind his back.
"You’re not mad at me too, are you?" I asked weakly.
"Hrmph, to answer your question: no, I am not mad at you. But I’d be lying if I said what you did did not cause issues for us," the Orc answered truthfully.
"I know, I know," I said with a sigh. I slowly got to my feet. "I really am sorry too."
He nodded slowly. "Indeed. But there’s no need to be too worried. The worst thing you’ve done is force our timetable forwards."
"But that Goblin— Sena— he’s dead because of me. I got him killed for nothing."
I glumly looked down at the palm of my hands as I said that; it was stupid, but it almost felt like I killed him with my own two hands. Intuitively, I knew that was not the case— but I just felt that way.
"Don’t be foolish, Melas." Gerritt placed his massive red hand on my shoulder. "I heard about what happened. Sena made a mistake. It was because of him, the alarm was raised. Whether or not you were there would not have changed that fact. And, if you were not there, Karna would not be alive right now too. He said it himself."
"He did?" I blinked. That did not sound like him; I had expected him to blame me for his comrade’s death.
"Yes. He says it was his fault that you came along. Because he made you do it."
"Oh,"— I shuffled my feet— "but he didn’t ma
ke me do anything. I decided to go by myself.".
"Maybe. However, what is done is done. All that’s left now is to make sure we are not pursued. And we proceed with our goal."
"I guess you’re right," I relented. Then I stared at the Orc curiously. "If you don’t mind me asking: what exactly is your guys’ goal here?"
"Our goal?" Gerritt inclined his head to the side.
"Yes," I said. "Your mission. What are you guys— or the Dark Crusaders— trying to do?"
He raised an arm and began stroking his large jaw contemplatively. "If you’re asking about what… we’re specifically trying to accomplish here. Then the answer is complicated. But it’s all because of our main goal. It’s a simple one, really. It’s the reason why the Dark Crusaders were created in the first place."
"And that is?"
"We want justice," he said simply. "To spread the truth to the world. For all to see that magic is not inherently evil— that it does not go against the will of the Goddess. She gave us magic to use, not to abstain from. That the Holy Xan Empire— and those that came before them— lied to the world, simply because they were afraid of magic. Afraid of us."
"I see…"
I remembered my mom telling me something like that, from when she briefly spoke about the Shadow’s Evangelium— her group that came before the Dark Crusaders. She said that they believed that the Goddess was not the Goddess of Light, but the Goddess of Darkness.
The Goddess might have created light and life, but she also brought the night to end the day, and death to end life. Darkness was not evil, but simply a part of the world like everything else, just like Monsters and magic.
When I asked my mom if that was true, she refused to give me a definitive answer. She simply told me that that was what the Shadow’s Evangelium believed back when she used to work for them— back when they were still around. Now, listening to the way Gerrit spoke, it appeared to me that the Dark Crusaders believed in the same thing. I averted my gaze from him slightly.
