Chereads / Tales of Apocrypha / Chapter 10 - A Newer Path

Chapter 10 - A Newer Path

There were only about two hours left in the night, and Lagertha became suspicious of what might come her way. She became hopeful of what will most likely occur when she survives the next encounter with a demon king. She suspects the cursed king of Midland will send many more ancient and mysterious creatures of terror to stop her in her tracks. If Lagertha was still entirely a human, she would not be as prepared as she is now during these sleepless nights. She walked on the road, and she looked forward to coming across her one and only friend so that she can be with him.

During these dark times, she assumed that Brant may have changed his personality, and he may have forgotten all about her. Truly, it would not end well for her if Brant completely forgot about the one who used to be with him before all went astray. Lagertha kept it deep in herself that the son of King Harald did not lose his image of her. If there was anything or anyone that was going to take that chance away from her, their hearts will meet her blade. Lagertha would not forget everything that has made these events happen the way they did.

"I hope this night's over with. How many more must they send after me? How many more must my father send to take me down?" Lagertha asked. She did not know what to expect for the other nights she will have to endure as she walks her path.

Her dark road will be endless and not anything a common human would survive, but she had her sword to protect her. So far, her blade has not disappointed her and did not lead her to a darker path instead of the path she chose for herself. Lagertha walked on until she came across a few buildings and a massive gate guarding the buildings. She was coming across a village that may or may not be guarded how most cities are guarded. She was heading to the village of Gregor, a peaceful village that had archers lined up on the walls to keep away anyone that is not human.

When she arrives in the city, she will expect whether she might be welcomed or if she needs to pay the visitor's tax. Commoners who enter a well-guarded village or city will need to pay up if they are staying for a few nights. Lagertha knew she would find twice as many people in a major city with a castle being the biggest part of a kingdom. But before she could walk on the road that leads to the village's entrance, she could feel a small group of night creatures coming for her. The creatures of terror were lurking around somewhere in the dark forest that Lagertha found herself in.

It was likely that someone else was in the forest with Lagertha, but it was something she did not notice. She was not expecting anyone to be by her side in the night, yet she could sense such a strange presence. Therefore, her hand was on the hilt of her blade, and she had many opportunities to pull it out from her sheathe. Lagertha could see clearly in both the day and the night; her wolf-blood protected her and prevented her from taking critical damage from the demons. Lagertha walked on the dark path and expected the long night to be over in an hour or two.

She has already fought a demon king and all of his servants. Yet the night was merciless to be over. A few minutes later, a small group of demons was coming for her from the shadows and the trees. They all held swords and axes, and they all believed they could finish what King Malcolm could not. Lagertha pulls out her longsword and points it at the demons that approached her before the night is over.

"Before the night is over, we will finish you. We all know what you did at that castle, and you shall pay the price! King Malcolm's murder is beyond any kind of forgiveness!" One of them said.

"I did what had to be done. Your king lived and ruled in wickedness. There is no virtue in blind worship to a king of the night," Lagertha said.

"Words will never save you, huntress. You should've taken such advice that you will not see the end of these nights. Even if your power rivals the power of King Mephiles, you will be powerless against his might!" The demon said.

"If that's the case, then you will not see me fall before him. You will bask in your blood. You will taste no victory here!"

That small group of demons had their swords pulled out and became full of pride as they held onto their weapons. Like every demonic weapon, their weapons were sharp and had more powerful smiths than the ones from the earth. Lagertha held onto her blade, yet she could feel a great disturbance rushing in front of her before she could fight the demons. When she looked much closer to that group of beasts, she saw what seemed like an assassin creeping up behind them. Her people never used to be fond of assassins, and they were always terrified of those who served in secret brotherhoods.

Lagertha often saw herself as both a huntress and an assassin because of how quickly and quietly she roams around the earth. In that sudden instinct, that man uses his longsword and decapitates one demon before they could attack Lagertha. All the creatures turn and see one of their comrades die in such a violent manner. Lagertha saw him and noticed how fast he was with his sword, and she could tell that underneath all the darkness surrounding him, he is part of a royal family. This man was none other than Brant, the son of King Harald; his hatred for the night creatures was as high as Lagertha's hatred.

Then, the demons turned and saw another one of their own be sliced open with Brant's longsword. They knew the Wolf Queen was not alone on this night, but none of them desired to die in such a violent way. Without hesitation, Lagertha joins in on the fight against the demons, and she tries to not attack Brant where he stands. With each passing day and each passing month, Brant's skills with the sword increased drastically. Lagertha uses her weapon and cleaves one of them open, and she kicks that lifeless creature to the ground while going up against many more demons.

Brant looks up to the Wolf Queen and shares some familiarity with her. Yet it took him a while to understand everything. Unfortunately, he could not immediately conclude because he was in the middle of a fight to the death. Lagertha had her sword at the ready and did not hesitate to make all of them be sent back to where they came from. She hated the night creatures and despised the day her mother died by their hands, and she disowned her father ever since. But she made it clear in her mind that she is far too unprepared to go to the castle of Midland and end everything.

She joins Brant and kills the demons that try to kill both her and the man she knew so long ago. Lagertha's longsword never left her side and never flew away from her hands as she fought against her enemies. Since he no longer had a father, Brant taught himself how to swing a sword and how to be fearless against everything. A night of blood was surely upon them and never seemed to have a day where there will be no demons to plague the lands. Lagertha's blade made the blood of the night creatures splatter everywhere and made their gore stain the ground.

She vigorously fought against them until neither she nor Brant could see any of them drawing breath. The battle was much easier and less time-consuming than they thought it would be. Brant and Lagertha walk up to each other and take a long stare at one another. Unlike Brant, Lagertha wanted to inspect the man for who he truly is and see if it is him. Brant speculated Lagertha was up to something, but he did not question her nature, unlike everyone else.

"Why are you out in this ungodly hour? Don't you know how much danger you will face in the future? Are you not haunted by all the things that have happened?" Brant asked. Instead of answering his questions, Lagertha simply walked up to the young hunter and put her sword back into her scabbard.

Her mind and will were already bent on seeing Brant again and being prepared for the inevitable.