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038 -Through an Ocean of Leaves
🕑 Added 2025-01-25 18:24:54 +0000 UTCFar away from the Capital, nearing the border of the Imperium where the twin horns of the devil rose from beneath the earth, a small convoy of barely five individuals rode along a secluded dirt road away from one of the more active arteries of the Nation.
They wore nervousness on their faces as they did the armours covering their body. Clutching at their weapons, eyes darting all around while their ears perked, searching for foreign sounds emerging from the surrounding wilderness.
Like their riders, their mounts were jittery. Every step they took was made hesitantly but also with uncanny haste. They were now at a trot, yet the deeper they delved along this road, the quicker their cadence became.
"What was that?" one of the riders asked.
He was but a young man and his voice betrayed his inexperience. Despite being hidden behind an armour of linked steel, he couldn't hide how vulnerable he felt, almost as if he was naked among vipers.
“Relax. That’s probably only the local fauna being displaced by the demons coming down the mountains. There should be nothing to worry about,” a much older man said.
Unlike the others, whose armours were merely made of chain mail and leather, his was made of plated steel, covering every inch of his body with a helmet over his head. However, the metal was dull and dented, a far cry from all those knights surrounding the Imperial Palace. If anything, he looked more like a bum than a proper soldier, yet his temperament spoke to the contrary. He was alert to his surroundings, with one hand resting on the pummel of his sword.
Apart from the two of them, another two formed a square around a young lady. Unlike the armoured knights surrounding her, she wore lightweight leather armour under a long cloak and hood that hid most of her features. Only a few blond strands were peeking out from under the hood.
“Are you sure they won’t attack us? Why choose this secluded route as opposed to the more secure main one?” one of them nervously asked, holding tight to the reins of his horse.
“At ease, soldiers,” their commander said. “I told you all before, and I’ll repeat again. Reports from the front suggest that the few demons that breached the fortress are headed toward the Capital. There’s already a strike force headed their way. They should be able to wipe them out in short measure. Our orders were merely to reach the fortress as soon as possible with the supplies. This route allows for the most direct path by cutting through the forest instead of making a detour. This was the plan we’ve agreed on.”
“But what if the reports are wrong?” the man replied as nervous sweat slowly dripped along his skin. “What if they deviated from their path and chose to bid their times in here?”
"Isn't that why we are here?" the last said confidently and fervently. He even unsheathed his sword, twirling it in the air, yet almost lost control as it brushed against his mount's neck, cutting a bundle of hair that swiftly drifted off in the wind.
The commander manning the rear couldn't help but frown. Despite the helmet hiding his gaze, the careless man felt a chill down his back and swiftly sheathed his blade. Fortunately, the horse didn't feel any of it, as his attention seemed almost entirely focused on the forest surrounding them.
"Speaking of which, how are our supplies?" the first rider asked, turning to the woman. "We were told there is enough for the garrison at the fortress to subsist on for over a month. There are almost a thousand men there! Isn't it amazing that it can all be transported without all these cumbersome wagons?"
The woman smiled. Her golden earring shone slightly within the confines of her hood, almost as if to show appreciation. Still, the woman seemed somewhat pale, yet it wasn't from fear or nervousness but most likely due to exhaustion. The dark circles under her eyes weren't there at the start of their journey over a week ago.
“A shame there isn't more of you," the commander lamented. "Otherwise, the Imperium's logistics problems would be easily solved."
“It's never that simple," the woman said softly. Although her voice was weak, there was determination within. "In addition to being rare, Space Attribute Spirits are limited by the amount of mana one possesses. Even for someone with an above-average mana capacity, the maximum duration I can keep the storage magic active is only a bit under two weeks, and it takes so much concentration that I cannot even walk by myself. I can barely even talk. It isn't as miraculous as you think."
“Still, the amount you can store is mind-boggling," another man said. "Think about it! Food to sustain a thousand men for over a month! How much wealth is that even?"
The woman smiled again yet remained silent, concentrating on stabilizing her storage dimension. She regulated her breath and closed her eyes, pouring every bit of her concentration into it, yet was snapped out of it by a wolf howl cutting through the forest's silence. It was so fierce that it made her shiver.
"There it is again! I knew I hadn't imagined it!" the first man said, gripping his sword tightly and the stone hanging from the necklace under his armour. A dull green light peered through the mail, pulsing with renewed power as a response to his heightened emotional state.
"Keep the barrier stable, soldier!" the commander barked, eyes narrowed as he peered through the foliage in the direction from which the howl arose. "No one panics. As long as the barrier remains, no sounds or smells should be able to escape from it. They shouldn't even know we are here unless they see us with their eyes."
"Commander," one of the men whispered regardless. "This couldn't be a demon, right? We're so far from the main road; you said they shouldn't be heading this way, didn't you."
“I know what I said, soldier!” the man replied sternly, yet his eyes betrayed his concern. This howl was nothing like he had ever heard before. It was more savage, more primal. He doubted any normal wolf could ever produce such a sound. "On your guards, men! Protect the lady at all costs!"
With but a nod, the remaining three men nodded, tightening the formation around the one in the middle. They grabbed their weapons. They all had swords at their waist while but two held long spears, allowing them to reach the ground without dismounting. The last—the one whose spirit powered the barrier over them—had a bow on his back. He quickly reached for it before tensioning the string. While there was no arrow nocked onto it, one appeared soon after. It seemed made of an emerald breeze, resembling a typhoon locked in a bottle. He aimed at where the howl originated from and waited.
The two other soldiers did the same.
One's wooden spear shone in a shade of silver, reflecting the few rays of sunlight. Surprisingly, instead of dispersing into its surroundings, the light clung to the metal edge. It seemed to burn, giving off a slight sizzle, almost prompting the surrounding vegetation to spark on fire, and yet, the horse under him seemed to feel none of it.
As for the last, a mass of dirt rose from the ground before being compacted into a slight parabola. It became a heavy shield in his hands, spanning almost his whole height. As for the commander, his spirit had yet to show itself, yet the simple act of drawing his sword prompted a change. The forest became tranquil, and the sounds of the few birds and insects that once surrounded them completely vanished. Such was the might spreading from his edge.
"Commander," the one with the bow whispered as he felt something strike against the barrier, yet their leader said nothing in return. He only made a slight gesture, telling them to remain in place and await further order. Despite their earlier banter and seeming lack of experience, they acted like a well-oiled machine, ready to strike any moment. Still, the woman in the middle couldn't help but become nervous.
"What's happening?" she murmured, but the space surrounding her vibrated. Shock flashed as she noticed a creature emerge from the forest.
It was bipedal yet a far cry from humanoid. Its whole body was covered in fur, like an animal, yet it stood on its hind legs while possessing two prominent frontal paws with sharp claws at the end of each digit. It walked as a man would, yet it had to lean on a nearby tree to keep its balance.
The mere act of pressing its claws onto the wooden surface allowed them to sink in, almost felling the tree like an axe. The tree was the size of their horses' legs, yet even it couldn't survive the sharpness of those claws.
As for its face, it was deformed, a mix between a wolf and a bear. In fact, this creature seemed to possess the best traits of both species, yet were badly mixed. One hand was short and stubby like a bear, yet the other was elongated like a wolf. It was a wonder the creature could even stand, much less walk.
Still, the commander didn't look down upon it. Even if he had never seen such a grotesque monster, he knew better than to underestimate it. A feeling slowly rose in his core, telling him to run. He had always heeded his instinct, yet something didn't seem right. Although dangerous, this creature alone wasn't something they couldn't deal with.
"Is there something else I'm not seeing?" he muttered so softly that none of the other four could clearly hear.
“Commander, your orders,” the man with the bow asked as he aimed at the creature’s head. His bow was fully cocked, and the arrow within was at full power. He only needed to be given the order, and the arrow would fly straight into the creature’s open maw, ripping its brain apart. However, that order never came. Instead, the commander chose the best option.
“Retreat," he said, his instincts now screaming at him. He turned to face the man sustaining the barrier as he shouted, "Head toward the fortress! We'll buy you some time. She must make it at all costs. Understood?"
The man's eyes widened, completely taken aback, as did the other two, yet they all promptly nodded. The spinning arrow disappeared from his bow as he prompted his steed forward and the young woman's.
Both horses quickly reached a gallop before the young woman could understand what was happening. She could only lean on her steed's neck, holding on for dear life as both animals flew forward, piercing through the air as they quickly left the scene.
The creature glanced in their direction yet soon lost interest. As expected, it looked upon the remaining three with a glint in its eyes, but also drool slipping through the large fangs populating its mouth. The look in its eyes was all too easy to interpret. They were prey, ready to be butchered. However, before it leapt, two more creatures appeared at its side, and then two more after that.
The three men's confidence faltered, yet they still stood their ground, hoping to grant the two who had left all the time they could. Still, hope persisted as the path for their retreat remained open. Unfortunately, even that hope was soon squashed as another two creatures appeared on the other side of the forest. While all creatures possessed their own slight differences, they were eerily similar.
Less than a moment later, these creatures leapt into action, swinging their claws and snapping their maws with all their strength. Their huge bodies moved with an uncanny swiftness, yet the commander's blade was deadly, felling beast after beast with but a single strike. However, their numbers never seemed to decrease. No matter how much they slayed, two others were there to take their places. They were but mindless drones, slaves to their hunger.
A short distance away, quickly moving away from the sounds of battle, the woman held tight to her mount, trying her best to rein in her emotions as she stabilized the dimension where the supplies were kept. Still, this was all she could do at the moment. The man kept glancing backwards, a pained expression on his face as he held tight to his bow, but fortunately, it seemed that no creature had chosen to follow them.
Yet, the last thing they heard from the three men they had travelled with were cries of anguish that pierced through the serenity of this lush ocean of leaves, then only the sound of hooves hitting the dirt as they sped away like cowards.
