Chương 11: Chapter 10 - Night's Break

Silence fell among the small group as a cacophony of distant and discordant calls sounded out beyond the forest, following suit after whatever horrifying beast produced the bloodcurdling screech. Varrin reacted first, pulling his sword free from its sheath on his back in a whisper of steel, making it catch the orange sunset light as he took a confident step forward. His grey eyes were focused to a razor's edge. Elowen followed immediately after, summoning her Soul Attunement in a flurry of white motes.

The Sword of Aelcryth formed in her hands as frost traced intricate patterns across the ground at her feet. The already cold air around her dropped by several more degrees amidst her calm expression. Ren was much slower on the uptake. His heart pounded so hard he could feel it in his throat.' Come on...

'he told himself,' you don't get to freeze now!' He reached into his satchel and wrapped his fingers closed around the hilt of his trusty dagger, pulling it free from its small leather sheath. He swallowed, forcing his breathing to steady, and for just a heartbeat his gaze flicked to the bracelet at his wrist, the last thing tying him to a life that felt impossibly far away.' I can't afford to be scared.'

From the forest, something howled louder than the rest and Vincent sniffed the air again, inhaling another deep breath of the winter air.

"They're splitting and surrounding us, Lawrence."

"Of course they are." his companion said with a click of his tongue. The wind picked up, carrying the distant screeches closer, amplifying the terror they induced. At the same time, Lady Agatha raised her lantern higher, the flame within roaring brighter as she turned toward the church.

"Lorelle. Inside with me please."

"But—" the young Firekeeper said, hesitating.

"That's an order," Lady Agatha demanded firmly. Lorelle nodded, her fear plainly written on her quivering lips, and hurried to rush into small church behind the old Firekeeper. Right before she entered, Agatha turned back around for a moment.

"You three are welcome inside as well, where it'll be safe."

"That small church isn't about to become my coffin," Varrin responded succinctly.

"The least we can do to pay you back, Lady Agatha," Elowen said, flourishing her jade blade fancily, "is protect your church." Ren on the other hand, wanted to take Agatha up on her offer, but running away went against the resolution he made.' I'm going to need to get stronger regardless,'he thought, gripping his dagger tighter.' Now is as good of a time as ever to start...'

"I'll stay too."

"Very well," Agatha said sombrely.

"Best of luck to you all then, and may the Eternal Flame guide you to a better tomorrow." She pushed the church's wooden door open and slipped inside, it closing with a heavy thud after Lorelle passed though right behind her. Lawrence shifted his stance and angled his katana forward. The screeches and roars drew even closer to the treeline.

"We will fight any large ones," he said.

"You kids should really just focus on getting as far from here as possible."

"Oh I will be," Varrin agreed, a grim smile tugging at his lips, "but not before I see what sort of dangers these demons possess." Before the Hunter could retort the shadows at the forest's edge some two hundred metres away began to move and shapes peeled themselves free from the darkness. Twisted silhouettes crawling low as well as vaguely humanoid visages shambling upright, each one's eyes burning like embers beneath the moon.

"Damn it," Ren muttered, his grip tightening even further on the hilt of his dagger. To the point the leather began to bite into his skin. Anything to distract him from whatever was making him shake. Thick branches deeper into the forest snapped like twigs as something enormous tore through the forest, its mass forcing trees aside rather than navigating between them. The ground shuddered beneath its charge, loose stones jumping as if startled.

Ren's breath caught as he saw the first demon that burst into the clearing, noticing it was wrong in every sense of the word. Its body was a bloated, swollen mass of flesh, easily twice as wide as it should have been. Its skin stretched thin and veined, slick with a yellow-green pus that oozed freely and splattered onto the ground. At least eight pairs of arms jutted from its sides at unnatural angles—some long and sinewy, others short and bent backward, but each one's fingers were clawed or malformed.

Three heads lined the top of its grotesque torso. All of them screamed horribly as the body barrelled straight towards Lawrence, quickly eating up the two hundred metres separating them as the Hunter stepped forward to engage it. He angled his chipped and worn blade downwards and dragged it across his own palm, resulting in a cut that was too deep to be accidental. Crimson blood poured freely from his hand, but didn't splatter onto the grass underfoot.

Instead, the blood twisted mid-air, flowing like water as it spiralled around the katana before the excess surged upward, splitting into several sharp crystalline shards that hovered above him like suspended blades of red glass. Ren's eyes widened at the macabre display as the massive demon surged closer with terrifying speed. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. CRACK!

A sound, sharp and thunderous, echoed throughout the night and pierced Ren's eardrums. One of the demon's heads exploded, sending gore and bits of bone spraying outward in a violent burst. The creature's two other heads shrieked, its charge faltering for half a heartbeat. Lawrence was already moving. He vanished in a blur of motion, his now crimson blade flashing as he closed the distance and slammed into the monster head-on. Ren barely had time to register the impact before another sound echoed behind him.

CLICK—CLACK. He turned just in time to see Vincent lowering an enormous weapon. It was a long-barrelled weapon that he had never seen the likes of before. It had intricately engraved pipes and apparatuses jutting from it, its inner mechanics exposed in brutal elegance. Smoke curled from the end of the barrel as Vincent worked the bolt with practiced ease, ejecting a case of metal before sliding another tube inside.

Now that his cloak had been discarded, a massive metallic gauntlet could now be seen encasing his entire left arm, etched with the same arcane patterns as the weapon. More movement at the tree line as even more demons poured out from the forest—lean, hunched shapes, skittering forms with too many legs, warped silhouettes dragging claws through the dirt. Just then another screech cut through the air and Ren noticed a bird-like demon shooting towards him and Varrin, its talons digging ripping up the ground as it ran.

"Have you ever been in a fight before?" the silver-haired boy asked him, keeping his sword out in front of him and his eyes trained at the approaching monster.

"Nope," Ren responded, shaking his head.

"I've never even seen a monster before. Though I have read stories about them. Have you heard of the Ballad of the Heroes?"

"The fairy tale?!" Varrin said in shock, having to fight the urge to break his stare on the demon.

"That's not— ugh." The bird-like demon began to come frighteningly close so Varrin only sighed.

"Since I'm a much better swordsman than you, just listen to what I tell you to do and follow my lead. I'll draw its attention, you strike when I create an opening. Aim for a vital point!" Ren had to absorb the instructions quickly because there was less than five metres separating them and the monster. Right before Varrin engaged, It opened the beak-like protrusion on its face, revealing several rows of sharp teeth as it let out a terrifying scream.

Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the cold evening air as he watched the bird-like demon pull back its long claws at the same time Varrin pulled back his blade. CLANG. CRACK! The demon's metallic claw connected with the silver-haired boy's sword at the same time Vincent's weapon unleashed another devastating blow elsewhere. Varrin pulled his blade forward, briefly creating sparks before the sword was ripped free.

He dug his boots into the dirt and spun, swinging his weapon in a bid to slice the bird-like demon's stomach open. However, despite how frail and thin the monster looked, it was surprisingly fast. It dodged out of the way, the tip of Varrin's blade only slicing the ends off of some displaced black feathers, before the demon continued its assault by charging at Ren.

"Ren—!" Varrin shouted. Metallic claws slashed toward him, their edges shrieking against the air. [Survival Instincts] flared, allowing Ren enough time to twist aside at the last second, barely dodging the swipe thanks to his now enhanced reflexes. But even so, pain flared across his arm as shallow cuts opened, blood welling immediately from the attack he thought he'd just escaped.'

It's fast,' he realised desperately, taking an involuntary step back as the bird-like demon shrieked and lunged again, talons tearing furrows into the dirt as it accelerated forward. Varrin moved quick enough to meet it, launching a brutal shoulder check into the monster side, sending it reeling for a moment.

"Focus, Ren!" the silver-haired boy yelled.

"I don't care if you've never fought before, you can't be losing focus!"

"Hold your knife closer to you. It's a secondary weapon, so use your free hand to ensure your attack lands the first time," he instructed quickly in the limited time he had before the monster recovered and screeched in fury. The two rushed at each other, and as they did Varrin's figure swirled and fractured in a stream of pink, iridescent light that burst outward in a cloud of fluttering butterflies. In a heartbeat, there were two Varrins standing side by side, identical in every detail, blades raised.

The bird-like demon hesitated for just for a second when it saw its opponent become two, quickly deciding to lunge at the first silver-haired boy With claws shrieking as they raked forward, steel met metal with a resounding clang as Varrin parried the strike, his boots digging into the ground as the impact got absorbed.

Immediately, the second Varrin moved, stepping in, his blade flashing towards the demon's exposed flank— The creature reacted instinctively, crossing its claws in front of its body to block the blow. But when the blade connected, it exploded in a blinding swarm of pink butterflies that engulfed the demon's face. It screeched in confusion, the little wings on its shoulders flaring wildly as it recoiled, its crooked beak snapping at illusions that weren't really there.

"Now!" Varrin shouted as he lunged, sword aimed straight for the creature's stomach. The demon attempted to twist out of the way at the last moment, surviving only thanks to its bestially honed instincts. The blade missed anything vital and carved a deep, ragged gash along its side instead. Blackened blood sprayed across the grass as the creature shrieked again, staggering. But Ren had already begun moving.

He slipped in behind it, heeding what Varrin had told him, and with his free hand grabbed onto one of the little wings on the monster's shoulders. Readying his dagger, he plunged it down with all his weight behind it, sinking the short blade into the back of the demon's neck. The creature collapsed instantly, legs buckling as its spinal cord severed cleanly. It fell toward the ground hard, twitching violently.

Varrin didn't hesitate as it did, his blade flashing once and causing the demon's head to leave its body in a spray of fetid blood and dark feathers, sending it tumbling across the dirt as the corpse went still. Both of them stood there for a moment, breathing hard.

"Nice work, but we're not done yet," Varrin said, chest rising and falling as he flicked his blade clean.

"Do that a couple more times, and you'll be a natural in no time!"' Once I get a sword, I've got to learn how to do that flicky thing,' Ren thought before opening his mouth to respond, but [Survival Instincts] activated, turning his blood cold. Heavy footsteps thundered behind him, each impact shaking the ground. Ren spun around just in time to see a demon that resembled a bull charging toward him, humanoid and towering at least one and a half times his height, its muscles packed dense beneath a thick hide.

Its hooves gouged the earth as it closed the distance in a blink.' Damn—' The impact came before he could finish the thought. Pain exploded throughout his side as he was sent sprawling. He landed hard, breath tearing from his lungs. Ren tried to force himself to stand up, but was stopped when a massive fist slammed into his stomach. He coughed, blood spraying from his mouth as he was launched backward again, crashing into the dirt once more. The world spun and he saw stars in his vision.

Ren scrambled to move, his boots slipping as he forced himself upright. Someone was shouting—Varrin, probably—but the words blurred together, drowned out by the ringing in his ears and the agony tearing throughout his entire body. Warmth suddenly surged through his body and he realised that [Accelerated Regeneration] had begun knitting his wounds. The pain didn't immediately vanish, but it was dulled somewhat, pulling him back from the brink of fainting just enough to function.

His torn muscles knit itself together at an accelerated pace, causing his body to itch as he took in a ragged breath.

"Come on..." he muttered, hoping the demon wasn't mid-strike as his vision steadied. It cleared just in time to see one of the Varrins twist aside as the bull-like demon's fist tore through the air he had just been in.' Get up! Varrin still needs you!' Ren told himself. He'd finally awakened, finally becoming a Blessed and gaining a Soul Power—the thing he was sure was stopping him from achieving his goals. And yet here he was, being tossed around like dead weight. He shoved the thoughts away.'

Varrin gave me a task, and I'm going to complete it.' As soon as there was an opening, he would strike at the demon's neck.