Chop!
"hup!"with a woodaxe and good deal of strength,Liam cleave a small log in half with a clean swing.They will be used for firewood later when they have to stop for rest again
Two day has passed since Liam's meeting with his mysterious white haired companion.And they have been traveling non-stop as Liam did before,according to his estimation they should arrive at academy in just one more day.Right now,they are stopping for a quick break to feed his horse and gathering supplies in the nearby forest.
"No need to push yourself Liam,I will do this since I have been relying on you so far."
Layla comment as she finished cleaving through a dozens of logs in few short moment.Wearing a simple shirt and shorts,her well toned body and slighly swell muscle is a impressive sight to see.They seem to pulse with youthful strength and vitality.
"It's alrite Layla,but seriously you are so powerful.I would be smashed into a pulp last time if I acted funny."Liam laugh as he thought of how tremendous her strikes must have been during that battle.
"You did acted quite funny back then though?Maybe I should make a pulp out of you now that I realize it!"Layla's smirk and snark remark quickly made Liam qulps down his words and saliva.
Layla and him both laugh heartily afterward,the atmosphere were peaceful and enjoyable.
They were no longer any where as cautious as they had been at first,these past few day of traveling together made them realize that both of them Harbour no ill intention and were actually quite enjoyable in each other's company especially so when they are both around the same age.
"Okay,time to keep mov-"Liam pause as both of them notice a odd and very unpleasant stench coming from within the woods.They stare at the direction of the smell was coming from while raising their weapon in union at the danger they sensed.
Screech!!
Soon,screech and wails of souls in agony can heard faintly from the location.But as the horrible sounds become louder and closer,the stench also got harder to bear.They both wrinkle their nose and back away from the forest,Liam got onto a tall Boulder at the back and hold his bow readily for firing.
"Layla,stay next close to me.I have a feeling these thing will not be the favorite of a melee combatant to deal with."
Laylay nodded and took her position next to the Boulder,if possible they both want to make an immediate escape right now.But the vast forest was in the way of their path,so they can only decide to fight these wailing creature off or make an escape after assessing their numbers and situation.
They didn't have to wait long,in a few second the first creature emerge from the forest in uneven but rapid steps.It has skin that were barely clinging onto it's bone and various rotten body parts.The stench and sight makes for a excellent
picture in a horror show or novel that scream of plague and death.
Liam waited as the various undead creature emerges from the forest and click his tongue in frustration.It was obviously too much for just the two of them to deal with.Even if Liam were to use every last drop of his mana on bombarding the horde,he estimate it might not even be enough to kill one third of them.
Liam also sensed that these tormented undead creature were of different race and strength.Some of them resemble B ranked monsters like forest trolls and greater direwolf with their towering ragging bodies.
There is no way Liam can take them out considering his strongest offensive spell at the moment were a Grade C spell that does nearly negligible damage to higher ranked monsters with a robust body like them even if their strength were weaken from turning into undead and most importantly …
Screech!!
Liam and Layla glance at each other for a brief moment when they heard that particular sound of screeching that is filled with hatred and agony.They can both kind of guess what sort of monstrosity was making that sound and it filled them with dread and fear.
There was only one thing in their mind right now and that was to escape as fast as possible without alerting the horde of undead.
As soon as they start making their retreat into a further back cave south-west of the horde they spot earlier.A humanoid figure slowly floated out of the forests edge.
It was covered in a ragged Grey-black cloak that looks unusable and dirty.The floating creature were about 2 Meter tall with normal human proportion, the most notable thing about it is the pair of deep and sickly yellow eyes that glow ominously under it's hood.Its exposed hand were of completely bare bone without a speck of flesh on it.
"It is a lich!!"Layla and Liam cursed as they noticed the extremely dense aura of mana and the strong sense of death and decay surrounding the being.
In this world,a lich is regarded as a Ranked A monster but its threat level can sometimes raise to the above rank of Sovereign.Ranking of the continent for monster and threats were ranked according to their danger to human race or its prosperity .
Monster is normally ranked from F ranked to A ranked .F rank being a creature a full grown normal adult can kill with ease and each rank above their threat level will increase tremendousl,but not necessarily a representation of its individual strength
This is especially so in the case with the lich,they were regarded as a race of dangerous creature with threat comparable to Sovereign ranked that can erase all life of a town whenever they passed by.
With enough time they can also do the same for big city,the thing that makes them so feared is known as curse magic and necromancy.
Each time when they manage to find a settlement with high life force,the lich will immediately cast a wide range curse spell on the place.The spell will slowly cause mutiple illness and mental problem to occurs on the people affected.
Until they are cured,they will slowly become a husk of their former selves while rotting alive from infectious diseases along with their fading sanity.In these case as soon as the people die from their condition,they will automatically be raised as a soldier of the undead army for the lich.
As such,anyone with a decent head can imagine why they are feared as much as the infamous beings on the rank of Sovereign.The disease and army of undead both have the potential to destroy a small nation given some time and heavily cripple powerful giant nations even if the lich itself isn't very powerful compared to them.
Liam and Layla went into the cave in a few minutes,Immidiately Layla slam the bottom of her staff on the ground near the entrance of the cave when they have both enter it.
Rumble!!
The entrance of the cave were immediately covered up by a wall of jagged rock that emerge from the ground.Liam stare at the process and raise an eye brow in surprise,he haven't seen Layla used any magic and didn't known she had an affinity for earth spells.
Earth affinity mage was said to be quite rare and valued for their constructing abilities,Liam can definitely tell why that is the case right now.
And this is a great boon for a critical moment like this,the thick wall made of natural earth attributes mana will hopefully cover their life force by obstructing it with it's aura of mana.
And so they waited in the dark cave for a full hour,Liam don't dare to use his flame spells just to light up the cave as that might alert the lich and it will also burn away the scarce amount of oxygen in the air from the cave,causing them to suffocate in their wait.
The sounds of rumbling from the marching army of undead and the horrendous wails from the lich made their skin crawl in dread.
When the sound slowly feels more and more distanced until it is completely gone,they both sigh in great relief.They have both never been this close to a lich before and were afraid of contracting its curses and diseases without being able to notice.
"Layla,let's slowly thin out the wall and lower it when we are sure there is nothing on the other side."Layla nodded in acknowledgment at liam's suggestion,she was thinking of the same thing.
As the wall slowly start to crumble from their side and was slowly lowered.Liam was on full alert as he point his arrow strengthen by mana with no attributes at the entrance, as his other spell was not suited for this enclosed environment.
The view of a sky tinted in orange and yellow came into view along with breezes of soft wind calmed liam and Layla's nerve somewhat.
Seeing that there was nothing in view and no presence nearby the entrance, they both walked out of the cave carefully.
"We should get going before anything else happen."Layla said as she stare at the back of the undead legion in the distance.They are so far away now that only a black mass of dots can be seen marching on the grass field.
Liam was still a bit nervous,not for their safety but for the fact that a lich and its army was in the area only a few day on a horseback away from his town.Although it seem to be marching in another direction which is a relief to him,but it still doesn't sit well with him.
Liam nodded at Layla as they start going back to their campsite hidden away in another grove.
He has decided to notify the official in the academy and his town's men of the lich's presences with a flying beast messager as soon as they arrived at their destination.
They went to retrieve liams's horse and pack up their camp in order to start their journey and away from the undead as far and fast as possible.
Entering the forest where the undead army came from,Liam trend between trees and bushes with care on his horse,Layla sit behind him quietly observing the surrounding for danger with a slighly flustered cheek.
Even though they have been traveling and riding on the same mount for days now,it is still rather embarrassing for her to be this close to a boy other than her family members.It is not that it is uncomfortable to be around him,rather it is the opposite and she was still glad to find a friend in her long journey across the lands.
Looking at the back of the boy infront of him,she was reminded of her goal coming all the way here.But if she can do anything about it,she will make sure the brown haired boy will be safe when the time come for her to go back to her home.Even if he ended up hating her for the rest of his life
Her dying home land that need desperate help and relieve,if she can only secure the future of her loved ones by doing this.She have no choice but to achieve her goal during her stay.
And thus,a tale of two younglings with the same goal and dream of a bright future with their loved ones embark on their journey ahead together in their path where it intersect.
Only time can tell what fate have instore for them in their distanced future and where they will stand at the end of it and whether they fight alongside each other in trust or stand against each other in deep hatred and regrets.