by Michael Sisa
“Are you alright?!” Faith asked despite knowing the answer. She almost wailed when she saw the horrible state the man was in. His lips were half-sewn, and his face was filled with numerous deep cuts that revealed the flesh underneath. His fingers were crushed and bent to the opposite direction, and his innards were protruding out his half-open belly.
There was absolute silence as everyone tried to digest the current situation they were in. Whoever did such a thing to the man before them was no less than a demon.
“B-Bandits… they… attacked… our… caravan…,” said the man. Tears uncontrollably dripped down his face. “They killed… my friends. My wife. My daughter. My son.”
Rage overflowed from the knights upon hearing the story. Faith looked at Lancelot.
“Do it. It doesn’t matter if you deplete your mana. If we let him die without doing anything, we are no different from the monsters that did these,” said Lancelot.
Faith nodded. She bit her lips then started chanting her magic. The survivor’s body was instantly enveloped in a bright light, and the wounds that covered his body started to close on their own.
“It’s impossible to heal this overnight. What I can do right now is prevent him from dying,” said Faith. Beads of sweat started forming on her forehead. “Let’s take him to the camp. It’s better for me to get help from the other priests in our group.”
Chapter 14: Against the Bandits
Night quickly passed. Dawn came and everyone once again started moving out. The sky was clear, and birds chirped as the group traversed the rocky path that circumvented the deep ravine. Surrounding them from both sides were tall cliffs that overlooked the entirety of the mountains itself.
“How’s he?” said Lancelot. He rode his mount as he led the group forward.
“He’ll be fine in a day or two. We’ve literally depleted our mana that night just to save him,” said Faith. She rode beside Lancelot, and behind them were knights lined up in formation. “I was able to ask him a few questions before he lost consciousness.”
Movements were heard behind the shrubberies, and the archers immediately pointed their bows at it. Eventually, a deer appeared. It quickly scampered away in fright. They lowered their weapons as they once again resumed their journey.
“The bandits seemed to be led by a man called Viper. According to the man we’ve saved, the man uses a strange form of magic that enables him to transfigure his body at will,” said Faith. She paused then stared at Lancelot. “Commander… the description matches that person.”
“You mean that guy that was formerly the Instructor of the Royal Guards?” Lancelot smirked. “If it’s really him, then that’s enough reason for the Kingdom to send out men to subjugate the bandits in this area.”
Faith did not reply after that remark. Her mind was in turmoil. If Viper, the previous Instructor of the Royal Guards, was really their opponent, then things would not end well if their groups clashed. That man was not only strong. He was clever. Devilishly clever.
Suddenly, flocks of birds flew out of the forest. A rumbling sound echoed. The ground shook.
“Above! From above!”
They all looked up towards the cliffs, and their faces turned pallid from what they saw: numerous boulders were cruising down their direction at a tremendous speed, each of them large enough to crush a dozen soldiers in a single strike.
Lancelot turned his gaze to their front. He gnashed his teeth in utter fury. “Full speed! Forward!”
Immediately, the knights moved in unison. They charged forth despite the boulders that were cruising down their direction. Some of them were hit, their bodies crushed into paste. Blood splattered everywhere as the ground continued to roar and rumble. The sounds of hooves striking the ground echoed amidst the sound of flesh being crushed and torn.
A gigantic boulder approached Lancelot’s direction, and he knew that it was impossible to avoid. He pulled out the large slab of metal he fondly called his partner. With a ferocious roar, he slashed at the boulder with vehement ferocity, immediately splitting it into two.
“Damn it,” he said. How many had died already? And it seemed that the boulders raining down from above were not going to stop anytime soon. “Forward! Move!”
Boulders after boulders, deaths after deaths, the Knights of Tesma kept moving forth. Eventually, the barrage stopped, and the group halted in their tracks. Lancelot glared at the top of the cliffs.
“Commander, are you alright?” asked one of the knights.
Lancelot nodded. “How many? How many men did we lose from that ambush?”
The knight furrowed his brows. “I’m not sure… Commander. Almost a hundred at most. It’s impossible for most of them to avoid those things… with the road as it is.”
Lancelot closed his eyes for a full second. “Tell the priests to tend to the wounded. Those that are uninjured, scout the area. Tell Gaston to assign some of his men to watch the cliffs.”
The knight respectfully bowed then left. Now that he had a careful look, Lancelot saw the hopelessness within the eyes of his soldiers. If it was a monster attack, they would have been able to fight back. But using such dirty tactics to lessen their numbers dealt great damage to the morale of his men.
“Thank God. He’s safe,” said a soft, huffing voice.
Upon turning around, Lancelot saw Faith carrying a large bundle of cloth in her arms. Upon closer inspection, he saw a familiar sleeping face.
“This child! Seriously! He’s still sleeping despite all these!” said Faith. She was half smiling, half crying. And Lancelot knew of the thoughts that were running through her mind.
Faith pleaded with her eyes. “We should get out of this forest soon, Commander. This is Viper we’re up against. That guy’s smart and diabolic. He won’t stop until he’s killed us all.”
Lancelot sighed. “I know. But what can we do? It’s still around three more days until we reach the Dry Valley.”
Lancelot looked up the cliffs. He frowned. “But something’s amiss. If it’s that guy, he won’t stop with just this. Delivering the final blow would have been perfect after that assault. But why did he stop?”
***
Night quickly came. Thankfully, there had been no further incidence after the assault. Soldiers pitched tents and priests attended to the wounded. Numerous sentries were spread out in all directions. With Gaston leading the watch, they formed a tight mesh of security.
Faith was currently healing one of the injured soldiers when a man approached her. His entire face was bandaged all over, and his frame was almost those of a skeleton—without flesh and only bones. Despite the limping gait, he approached the High Priest of the Order with a smile.
“Thank you. Thank you for saving me,” said the man.
Faith looked at the source of the voice. It took her a few seconds before she recognized the merchant they had saved before. At the very least, it was good news. The man had finally started to recover.
Faith’s dimple sunk as she smiled. “You’re welcome.” She tilted her head to the side, making her blonde hair wave in response. “Is it fine for you to be moving about? You should rest.”
”I’m fine. I’m fine. Thanks to you, guys,” said the merchant. His brown eyes twinkled against the large campfire a few steps away from them. He stared at the injured soldiers that remained lying on the mattresses laid on the ground.
Even without him asking, Faith knew the question within the man’s mind. She bit her lips. “Bandits. They ambushed our group as we were crossing the path near the cliffs. It’s a one-sided massacre. We can’t do anything against those gigantic boulders.”
The merchant fell mute after the revelation.
“What can I do?” Eventually, he smiled then said, “I can cook! That’s it! I’ll cook!”
Faith’s lips were partly opened upon the sudden declaration. She had yet to respond when the merchant added, “Where is the kitchen? Ah! There!”
Following the line of sight of the skinny man, Faith
saw some of the knights busily making their dinner. The merchant softly smiled. “Please don’t stop me from helping out. I can’t thank you guys enough. Please. Let me help you guys.”
Faith sighed then smiled. “Do as you wish.”
***
“Commander, I’ve heard that we’re dealing with that Viper?” said Gaston. He slurped down his bowl of soup. “That guy’s nasty. Even the Kingdom can’t catch him when he was still in the Capital. And now we’re here in the middle of this damn forest.”
Lancelot continued to wipe his weapon using a ragged cloth. Its edges glimmered against the blazing campfire. “As much as I would like to capture him here, I can’t. We can’t. Reporting our findings back to the Kingdom is top priority.”
The events that transpired before once again resurfaced within Lancelot’s mind. He gnashed his teeth as he tried to suppress his fury. As much as they wanted to fight back, they still had to prioritize their return to the Kingdom. It was an absolute order, and even his position as Commander cannot overrule it.
“Damn it,” said Lancelot. He grabbed the bowl on his left and instantly gulped down the leftover contents. After wiping his mouth using his hand, he stood up. “I’ll go check on the wounded. Old man, keep the tight surveillance.”
Gaston gave an affirmative nod.
But then, arrows suddenly rained down from above. Lancelot immediately tucked Gaston’s head down to the ground. Screams of pain echoed through the silence of the night as the scent of fresh blood wafted through the air.
What was happening? It was the same thought that ran through Lancelot and Gaston’s minds.
“Bandits! An attack! We are under attack!”
The sounds of metal crescendo as the knights began unsheathing their weapons from the scabbards. The volleys of arrows did not stop, and it continued to snuff out the lives of the knights one after another.
Lancelot roared, “What are you doing?! Turtle formation! Now!”
Immediately, the knights broke out of their stupor. They grabbed their shields and raised it above their heads, forming a gargantuan metallic canopy that shielded their bodies. The arrows eventually stopped, and numerous men holding scimitars emerged out of the forest.
“What happened to the surveillance team?!” said Gaston.
One after another, the bandits began their charge. The knights fought back and it quickly became a melee. Lancelot pulled out his large weapon from his back and joined the fray.
The flames from the campfires swiveled back and forth, making everyone’s shadows dance with it. The sound of metals striking metal echoed throughout the forest, and the chirpings of ravens intensified along with it.
By estimate, there were over a hundred bandits attacking their group. And the knights were sure that there were more within the forest.
“What the hell?!” said Lancelot as he decapitated one enemy after another. What surprised him was not the number of enemies they have, but the lack of strength of his men. One after another, they were being killed by the ruffians, unable to do anything but become prey to the forest demons.
There was something else amiss, but Lancelot was unable to pinpoint it. All he was left able to do was watch as his men succumbed to their deaths one after another. He himself had his hands full dealing with numerous bandits at a single time.
It was gradual, but he could feel his strength leaving his body. What was happening? It should have been easy to deal with bandits like these, but it was proving harder and harder to fight as time went by.
Lancelot roared with his entire might as he continued to cleave his enemies into two. Sweat dripped down his face as his vision started to blur. It was as though his entire body was shackled with chains, and he was left to fight using only his fingers.
At the corner of his eyes, he saw Faith fending off her attackers. Beside her was Jiablu, still sleeping despite all the commotion that was happening. On the other side, Gaston was sprawled on the ground, vomiting what appears to be blood.
“I can’t fall here. Not here. Not yet. Not yet!” roared Lancelot. His voice echoed, muffling all other sounds. Immediately, he began charging towards his enemies. He slashed, he cleaved. His muscular body kept moving on reflex, not minding the numerous wounds that had been inflicted onto it.
Arrows once again rained from above, and some of it hit Lancelot’s body. His back resembled a porcupine, with numerous projectiles lodged into it. Blood continued to drip down the ground but his body still moved to kill his enemies.
Eventually, his vision dimmed. He fell down his knees.
But for some reason, the bandits did not deliver the finishing blow.
“Magnificent~,” said a voice. Surprisingly, it came from the merchant their group had saved before. He clapped his hands in enthusiasm. A malicious grin was plastered on his bandaged face. “As expected of the infamous Lancelot. It’s been almost half an hour since you’ve been poisoned, but you’ve still killed a handful of my men. Marvelous. Indeed. Marvelous!”
The merchant removed the bandage on his face, revealing a sunken face that was almost skeletal. All the knights were now sprawled on the ground, their bodies refusing to move on their own. Their eyes widened in surprise when the merchant’s face began to transfigure into another. His brown eyes turned green and slit-like, and a spiral tattoo began forming on his cheeks. His body was still slim, but was now well toned and muscular. His brown hair turned white.
“Do you know why the Kingdom is unable to capture me? It’s because you guys are a bunch of compassionate morons,” he said.
Viper approached Lancelot. He spat on his face. “Pity. You are strong. Stronger than me. But you are dumb. Oh, Commander.”
He pulled out a knife from his pocket then stabbed it into Lancelot’s arm. The bulky man gnashed his teeth as he willed himself not to scream. He wanted to move and fight back, but his body refused to move.
“Let’s see. Hmmm~ should I kill him? Or should I negotiate with Prince Ibrahim? For sure, that moron will be willing to pay any amount to save his beloved Commander, no?” said Viper.
Viper’s eyes swiveled left and right, and it landed onto the frozen High Priest of the Order. She held a child in her arms, and her eyes were moist and pleading.
“It’s the priest from before,” said Viper. He turned to his men and chuckled. “Isn’t it funny? That priest depleted her mana in order to save me!”
Laughter from the bandits echoed.
Viper stared at Faith for a couple of seconds. “She’s my type. Take her to my mansion. I’ll make her my eleventh wife.”
Immediately, the bandits moved and took the paralyzed priest. For some reason, despite her paralyzed state, she refused to let go of the child in her arms.
“Boss, she’s not letting go of the kid,” said one of the bandits.
Viper nonchalantly replied as he began killing the paralyzed knights one after another. “Doesn’t matter. Take the kid with you. We haven’t had a child’s meat for a long time.”
“As for the rest of the knights? What are your orders, Lord?”
Viper’s eyes licked his prey. “Kill them all~”
Chapter 15: Jiablu Awakens
Jiablu had never known that sleep was so blissful, so intoxicating. He did not want to wake up. In his dreamland, he traveled through the continent with his God. They hardly exchanged words as they passed through numerous Kingdoms and Mountains, but Jiablu felt extreme contentment.
“Kiel,” said Thanatos. From atop the clouds, he gazed upon the Kingdom below. Its walls spanned great lengths and heights, and numerous cities bustled with its people. “What do you see?”
Jiablu motionlessly stood behind his God. After a second of ponder, he replied, “I see worthless humans. A Kingdom filled with maggots wriggling for survival.”
Thanatos chuckled. “My Son, is that really all you can see?”
“S-Son?!” said Jiablu. His non-existent heart almost skipped a beat after the remark. He had never felt so honored in his life
. “M-Master, pardon this servant. But that is all that I see. What else could worthless insects offer to feast the eyes of my God?”
Thanatos waved a finger, and the scenery changed. They found themselves overlooking a slum. The numerous houses haphazardly placed in all directions were ragged and torn, and the scent of rotting flesh wafted through the air. Naked children filled with coal marks ran through the streets, and the elderly idly sat as they watched.
What was his master trying to tell him? Jiablu tried to ponder with all his might. It would be no good if he was unable to meet the expectations of his creator. Such disgrace was more than worthy of eternal slumber.
“Now, what do you see?” said Thanatos. His eyes glimmered for a second. The sounds of those living in the slums intensified, and their thoughts flowed through Jiablu’s mind.
“What are we going to do? Father is dying. We can’t afford the medicine.”
“Hey, kids! Breakfast is ready!”
“I’m old. Don’t mind me. Give those to the young ones.”
“Oh, God Aquina, please cure my son.”
“Hey! Don’t take that!”
Jiablu was flustered. He still held no answer to his master’s question. He hesitantly replied, “I see weak humans. Mortal and fleeting. Their lives are so fragile that it can be snuffed out with a flick of our finger.”
Thanatos stared straight into Jiablu’s eyes. “My Son, there are no absolutes in this world. In weakness, there is strength. In despair, there is hope. In the endless loop of time, there is ephemerality.”
Jiablu did not understand, but he keenly listened regardless. “This may be hard for an undead like you to understand, but I am sure that you will find the answer to this question someday. I am sure of it. After all, you are my son, Kiel.”
Everything slowly vanished into a wisp of smoke.
And Jiablu woke up.
***
