"Everyone. Be on the lookout. Make sure your senses are heightened." Warned Kristopher. Arnum concentrated on the cave and Clara… she was worried about what was next to come. Everyone in this group was focused on getting through his alive. No one knew how things would go. Not a single person wanted to feel the embrace of death. This could prove to be much worse than what they ever imagined. If anything, they needed to be at their best.
They could only hope to survive this by having groups of two. Arnum would look up. "Everyone. Get in groups of two. We need someone to have a partner to protect. When we get in the cave, we won't be able to take care of everyone at the same time, so if we split up, then we'll have someone to help the other person. I don't care who you are grouped up with. Kris, you group up with Clara." Arnum said as he gripped the shoulder of a mage. They turned around and pulled down their hood. It was a female mage wearing a green cloak. Her eyes a cool blue and hair that was as lush as a field of grass. She seemed timid than most people, but Arnum saw something in her, and it was the same thing that Kristopher saw in Arnum. He smiled. "My name is Arnum. What's yours?"
She hesitated for a moment, but after looking at Arnum's gentle red eyes and taking a look at his long black hair. It used to be short, but he hadn't bothered to cut it since he got into this new world. She looked at him in the eyes and said, "Luna." She smiled and stood beside Arnum. With everyone in groups, they went back in formation, this time together with their partners next to them. Luna explained to Arnum of the magic she could cast. She could use a wide manner of magic but it was primarily enhancement magic. She said she was adept with healing magic as well. Arnum could smell something in the air. It didn't have a smell. He figured out that only natural mana had no distinct smell, anything else created by humans, elves, lizardmen, etc., had a smell to it. He figured that out after smelling the mana emitted from Camille and Karl and comparing it to the mana he took from the ground beneath him, noticing the distinct lack of anything he could assign a smell to. While he could not understand why he could smell mana without a smell, he was still noticing something different about this. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something felt wrong.
"Everyone! Grab your weapons!" Ordered Arnum. With a single breath, he drew his blade and everyone followed suit. The guards would surround the rest of the party. Arnum took the same position, and readied themselves. He knew what that feeling was in the air: it was an attack. A large group of wolves began to surround the party, their fangs already extended. Clara stood there in fear, unsure of what to do. The images of the wolves attacking her sent waves of fear, striking through even her very soul. Arnum looked back. He figured she would be scared about what happened, but he did not expect anything like this. He regained his focus on the wolves and he charged them and with one swing he killed two of the wolves. He turned and saw that the rest of them were killed in just a few seconds. It seemed that he too had been reminded of the ones he fought before, and so he forgot that he had to protect Luna. He quickly returned to her and he went on to smell the air again. The presence he got before was gone. It seemed that if there was a mass collection of an evil presence, then it would be reflected by having the air having traces of that presence. He was learning more of the world, bit by bit as he lived in it.
"Press on, everyone. We must get to the entrance of the cave and get rid of the Black Beasts before sunrise. If we don't then we lose our advantage." Arnum said as he sheathed his sword. The team would begin their advance shortly after. There was the occasional attack of more wolves but they were quickly killed off without trouble. In just under half an hour, they finally met at the entrance to the cave. They could see the torches that lit up the halls of the cave. Arnum could smell something else in the air. As they slowly walked into the cave, they noticed multiple passage ways. There were four ways to go and many of the guards and mages discussed splitting up. Arnum disagreed in a heartbeat. "No. Give me a second to feel this out." He said. He would sniff the air once again, and each passage had a different scent coming out of it. The one that had the strongest scent was the right-most one. It had a much more powerful presence to it as well that he could not bother ignoring. The party then went through the passageway way, putting out the torches one by one. As they got closer to the end, it got harder to breathe, and the air got heavier. It took a bit of effort to let out a breath and release it. It did not feel as natural anymore. But, it did not impede their movements. Arnum felt himself having a harder time than the rest, especially the mages. Because they had been accustomed to training themselves in harsh environments, they had an easier time handling the situation.
No one bothered speaking. This was much more serious than anyone could possibly imagine. It meant that everyone was on edge and they had no idea how to deal with it. Arnum's assumption that there was someone intelligent and powerful was controlling the beasts of the forest. In a short while, the group made their way to a large room in the cave. Torches were lit all of a sudden, illuminating the room, revealing it to be some sort of stadium. In the far back, a man sat in a chair with skills formed along the back of it. He was pale, almost too pale. He wore a black coat, and his hair was long and silver. His eyes were an intense, blood red. Only one thing was for certain, especially after he crushed the skull ornament on the armrest of his chair and jumped down from the top of the stadium's walls. He landed on his feet, and a grin was plastered on his face. There was this fierce look in his eye. Arnum could tell what this man was just from a glance.
"Vampire…" He said in shock. Everyone brought out their weapons and prepared for the worst. A knife was pulled from the sheath on the vampire's hip.
"Whew~"
"Was not expecting this. Not a bit. Here I thought I'd have to go out to kill some of you. But here you are! Right here for the taking! Believe you me, I did not want to dull this bad boy any more than it is. Guess I gotta do what I gotta do. Let's dance, pigs!" He said. Like lightning, he appeared in front of Arnum, his eyes staring into his soul. Arnum blocked the swing directed to his neck. He pushed the Vampire away. He had no idea how he blocked that attack, but he was relieved to have been able to. Arnum looked back at Luna, the way his eyes stared into hers, she knew what he wanted. She casted a spell, and Arnum felt empowered. He dashed for the Vampire, and swung his sword. He felt much faster and stronger than before. This felt good, and his confidence was boosted. The vampire blocked the swing, but that smile he had had vanished. He showed his teeth, revealing his fangs. "Damn. Feisty little pig aren't you? The hell's your name?"
"Arnum. Yours?"
"Been a while since I've had to tell people my name. But I guess since you won't be getting outta this place, I'll tell ya. My name is Diavel."
Arnum retreated, and went for another swing, placing more power into this one than the last. Diavel couldn't keep up with the suddenness of the swing and the speed of it. A cut stretched across his arm. Blood gushed out of it. Arnum swung once more, opening another wound, this time in Diavel's leg. He groaned, and leapt backwards. He grit his teeth and looked at his wounds, which already healed. He smirked. It had been a while since he had been in a fight, so he forgot what it was like to feel pain. Seeing the wounds close so quickly made him want to get back into the fight. He swung furiously, and Arnum could only block two of them. Multiple cuts had made their way through the armor, but were shallow enough to not bust through the leather armor that was underneath. Arnum stepped back and tried to get a grip on the situation.
"I ain't letting this go on longer than it needs to! I'm ending your miserable life, you damned pig!"
For a moment, he thought he was about to die just then, but somehow he didn't die. Something stopped it, and it was the body of his teacher. His eyes widened, he saw blood gush out, and he looked to see that their left arm was completely cut off.
The severed limb fell to the ground, in a puddle of blood that only became bigger as it continued to flow out. Kristopher was kicked in the stomach, and he was sent flying at such speed that the wall he was sent into had crumbled, leaving a massive hole in it. Arnum watched in horror as the vampire looked down to the arm, picked it up, and began to devour it. Flesh peeled from the bone, blood ran down his face as he dined in the piece of human that he probably hadn't eaten in days. After leaving shreds of flesh on the bone, he tossed it away. He noticeably bulked up. His muscle mass grew in his arms, chest and legs. Diavel tilted his head, and cracked it. He decided to stretch out his legs and arms as everyone behind Arnum found themselves completely powerless to do anything. The vampire dropped his coat, revealing his black sleeveless shirt he wore underneath. He grabbed the shirt and tore it off. It did not take long for him to get into a stance. He flipped the dagger around and ran for Arnum, who struggled to hold a stance in the face of the empowered enemy. He dropped to the ground and sent an elbow into the vampire's stomach.
It didn't even faze him.
He grabbed the boy by the neck and threw him into the wall. Arnum groaned, and dropped to the ground. He was once again grabbed by the neck and pulled up along the wall. "Stand up. You wanna fight? Then get on your damn feat and swing your damn sword!" He said letting Arnum regain strength in his legs. Something felt horribly wrong. Did eating that arm give him strength? He stabbed his sword into the ground. He let out a heavy breath. Whatever was in the air was still taking a toll on him.
Arnum saw him stepping back, and he returned into the stance he was in before. "This doesn't make any sense. This is going by so goddamn fast. Wasn't I just able to overpower him with the buffs I got from Luna? But Kristopher… he didn't even say anything. He just went in and got himself mortally wounded." He saw two mages run over to heal the wound up as best they could. Without that arm, they couldn't put it back on his body. Arnum looked at Diavel in the eyes. Something about his vision was changing. He started seeing black, and he saw only Diavel. His head started to pound and he could feel his heart beating in his ears. He shook his head and everything started going away. Arnum ran for Diavel, still empowered by Luna's magic, he and the vampire crossed blades. The two moved across the battlefield, Arnum still struggling to keep up but it didn't stop him from going all out. Sparks came off their blades with each strike. Clara watched the two fight, her eyes having a hard time following their movements.
"Why?"
"Why?"
"Whywhywhywhywhy?" She asked herself repeatedly in her head. She couldn't understand why this was happening. Arnum was doing so well just a second ago before seeing so much happen in what felt like the blink of an eye. The girl shakily drew her knife, and tried her best to work up the courage to get into the fight. She focused all she could, but to no avail. She couldn't give herself the confidence, the strength, the resolve… it was all in vain as she watched the fight unfold before her. She looked back to the mage that she had as her partner. "Hey! Use your magic on me!" She demanded. The mage was unsure of if he needed to, but he nodded and began to speak the incantation. As he did so, she watched the battle.
As the battle stretched out, the smile on the monster's face showed itself.
Arnum felt himself slipping. His vision became blurry once again, shifting colors only to drown out to black. Something was bringing itself out, and he was falling in. The boy broke off and started to pant vigorously. "C'mon, kid! Fight some more! Fight like hell! Fight like you have a family back home prayin' for ya! Hell, I think that after you die, I'll pay them a visit, and bring your head as a gift!" Yelled Diavel. Arnum's eyes widened, and he only felt that making him slip even more. The taunting, the laughing, that goddamned smile of his. It had made him angry, and all he could see was black now. But something filled his vision with light. The darkness cleared, and Clara had blocked a swing from the vampire with her dagger. Her eyes wide and filled with determination. Arnum could not believe it. When did she…
He looked over to see a mage standing by Luna's side, Arnum felt a boost in power all of a sudden, and he watched her cross blades with Diavel. The two would dance across the field, with rapid swings and sparks flying off in every direction.
Arnum took this opportunity to run for Kristopher. With his speed buff, he brought him to the guards that watched the battle. The remaining mages would help with treating Kristopher, and one healed the wounds that Arnum had suffered. It was a relief that he appreciated greatly. Arnum then ran for Diavel. With Clara finally in the fight… something felt different.
ーーーーーーーーーーーー
Clara saw Arnum being berated by that vampire. He was yelling something fierce, trying to get a reaction from him. The female was still having trouble with getting the courage to fight. It was right then, at the point where he felt like Arnum was about to lose it, she was reminded of something her father always said: "Clara. When someone comes around and fights to protect you and the people you care about and the people he cares about… do not think for a second that they will fail. If they have something to protect, then what is stopping you from doing the same thing? If that person is sticking up for you so that you can live, then it only makes sense that you should do the same for them."
Clara still couldn't understand where it came from, but hearing those words made her feel different about the situation. Her shaking ceased, and she looked at the mage. Her eyes burned with passion and she looked over at Diavel. She kicked up the dirt, and ran for Arnum.
ーーーーーーーーーーーー
Arnum clashed with Diavel once more. Now with two fighting him at once...
His smile disappeared in an instant.
Arnum slashed in unison with Clara. The both of them together could finally keep up with the Diavel at least for a little bit. Arnum finlay recovered his strength, so he could follow with Clara.
Kristopher's eyes opened slightly. He could not move an inch, but he was finally awake. He saw the two battle together with the vampire. And a slight smile stretched across his face. "There we go… something I wanted to see. The two of them fighting to protect something… took them long enough." He thought. It made him happy to see this unfold. At least for a little bit.