Nerokan Valley.
No matter how many times he had been here the place still looked unwelcoming as ever.
Even though it was midday, the valley was cast in dark and gloomy shadows, the mist making it even harder to see. Occasionally, small spots of sunlight would appear, and disappear almost instantly, making one wonder if they were going insane. Withered trees littered the valley along with sharp boulders and crevices. Auden had no idea how the decaying trees were still standing, despite the lack of sunlight.
Auden advanced warily, surveying his surroundings every few moments. He kept a relaxed hand on the hilt of his sword tucked into his belt. He would much rather not get caught off guard in the case of an attack.
It wasn't that he was afraid, or getting cold feet though he had to admit, the environment sent chills down his spine. But there was something else about the silence that was unnerving.
The last time he had visited the place in a training session with Master Dunehal, they had been swarmed by beasts, and various kinds at that. They had left unscathed since Master Dunehal did most of the work in killing the beasts which were quite usual for one of their training trips.
That old man just liked to take him to dangerous locations to tire him out with his arduous way of teaching. Either that or he was just showing off his skills to Auden under the pretext of training, though he had to admit; his master's skills were the real deal. Auden could never compare to his level, but he was sure he could at least manage to wipe out several groups of beasts on his own.
But today it was different from the hellish place he knew. Usually, there would be regular ambushes by beasts at every corner and no matter how many died, there would be more lurking in the bushes. Now, the place was quieter than a grave and there was no sound of movements apart from the wind rustling the leaves and the crackle of dead leaves under his boots.
It was common sense that places, where beasts and magic beasts gathered, had large amounts of miasma, or simply put, negative magic essence. The more mist and fog there were, the stronger the beasts or the more beasts there were.
But Auden had never in his life experienced a miasma as dense as this, yet no beast attacks at all. The fog was so thick that one could almost cut it with a knife like butter. That was how dense it was.
Everything was still as if frozen in place, even the dry wind didn't do much except make a few leaves shift a few inches. Nothing seemed to be coming for his life, and nothing seemed to be trying to kill him. Yet.
Which Auden normally would've thought to be a positive thing, if only he didn't have the spine-chilling feeling of someone watching him. It was just a feeling, but Auden trusted his gut instinct more than his observations and kept his guard up.
Every few steps, he would feel the chill creeping around his shoulder. Someone or something knew he was there. The hairs on his arms pricked up every time he shuddered from the feeling.
He wanted to finish the quest as fast as possible and find the child. With not many beasts around, the chances of finding him (or quite possibly her; Auden had forgotten to ask more details about the kid in his haste) had increased. Which was all for the better since he didn't want to see a dead person today. However, he knew better than to run in recklessly; that was how many inexperienced Adventurers died.
Auden didn't quite know where to search, so he combed every opening quickly while continuing down the large pathway sandwiched between rocky cliff faces. It was a mind-numbing process since almost everywhere seemed the same usual gloomy area lined with small shrubs and sharp boulders. But he did make some good progress. The fact that he wasn't constantly being attacked by monsters made his job far easier though it made him a little jumpy.
After a couple minutes of wandering around the twisting crevices, Auden arrived at an outcropping piece of land that hung over another pathway below.
Here, it was one of the rare places where sunlight shone down from above the tall sides of the valley, giving it a different atmosphere from the dark areas of the valley that were shrouded in mist. The creeping feeling of prying eyes had also vanished along with the shadows which was a huge relief.
But he didn't have time to dawdle around. The child he was supposed to save could possibly be getting mauled by monsters while he was wasting time. And he didn't feel like seeing a corpse today.
"All the more reason to make haste." Auden said to himself, shifting his bag under the cloak. The sweltering heat made it uncomfortable to be carrying such a heavy load. Auden wasn't usually one to lug around hefty bags since it would only be a burden during a battle, but Irvene (like the overprotective sister she was) had packed him a heap of medical supplies that he was probably never going to need.
He was also wearing some armor plates under his cloak which made it even more uncomfortable. And the fact that he had a longsword and a dagger on his belt did not help at all. "If only the whole valley was as bright as this spot..." He would be able to lessen the weight by chucking out a few items without having to keep his guard up every moment.
As he started to leave, the sudden sound of clashing metal and loud crashes broke the silence.
"How the plagues are there so many of them?" Someone cussed loudly before more clangs followed.
It took Auden a moment to realize that the noise was coming from the pathway beneath the overhanging rock.
Sudden sounds never bode well for him, and he wanted to avoid any unnecessary trouble. But curiosity overtook him and he peered over the edge, hoping he wouldn't be seen.
A fierce battle seemed to be taking place between a horde of monsters and a sole knight. The number of monsters swarming the place was inconceivable, almost around hundreds or so, as if every single beast in the valley had come out. Probably why he hadn't seen much of the beasts in the valley. They had all been trying to gang up on someone else.
Huge boars taller than half the height of a person, which Auden recognized as Spiked Boars, rushed in for an attack. As their name entailed, they had large stone tusks that protruded out their body and curved towards the front which they used to attack. They were known for their incredibly hard spikes that were hard to break and their wild charges that could skewer several men on their spikes.
They were not the only ones, as it seemed that Shade Roots were backing them from behind. Shade Roots were annoying magic beasts that could use shadow magic to turn the ground under people into thick sludge which slowed them down a considerable amount. Shade Roots were useless on their own since they had no means of attacking but coupled with another monster, they could turn into deadly support.
To top things off, a flock of cave bats swooped in to put the knight at a further disadvantage.
On the other hand, the knight was resilient. His skills were whole levels higher than impressive- No, even that would be an understatement. To be able to survive against this many beasts for so long was already no mere feat, but he was also killing beasts by the droves with each of his attacks.
Judging from the golden armor, Auden surmised that he was probably a Royal Knight, or some kind of Paladin. Either way, he could see that the person was no ordinary warrior. He was wielding a heavy greatsword in one hand and a shield in the other. However, it seemed that despite how well equipped he was, the knight was now slowly losing ground as the horde overwhelmed him with attacks on all sides.
"Lie down and die already, inhuman fiends!" He roared and wiped out several dozens with one fell swoop. But it was useless; as soon as the ones in front died, more beasts replaced their position in seconds and pressed on the attack.
His golden armor was dented and stained with blood, hopefully from the magic beasts he had killed and not his own. His shield was in the same condition, to say the least, and his movements were getting sluggish from exhaustion. Though he was immensely skilled, Auden could see that he was not going to last much longer.
Auden debated whether to intervene. Dunehal had warned him once not to get involved with knights of the higher orders since most had the backing of influential nobles and it would only bring unnecessary trouble. On the other hand, he couldn't exactly leave him on his own. It just wouldn't sit well with him if someone died because of him. This person also intrigued him, he hadn't seen anyone else that could fight this well except for his master.
'I guess a little practice won't hurt.' He thought, jumping off the cliff and into the fray. He twirled his body in mid-air and in a spinning motion, his weapon slid out of its scabbard and pierced through the head of a boar while taking down a couple of bats with it. Landing on the ground, he slashed through more boars with a roll to lessen the impact.
The knight probably hadn't been expecting reinforcements from the startled stare at him, though Auden couldn't quite see his expression through his helmet. "Who are you?" He questioned, before dodging a spiked boar that came charging out of nowhere and smashing it into the ground with his shield. Auden hoped that he would never have to fight someone like him.
"We'll talk later. We've got to get rid of these monsters before they overrun us." Auden replied, cutting through another boar's face.
Since the backs and sides were covered in spikes, the only spots he could target were the face, the undersides, or the legs and this made it a lot harder. He was careful not to stay on the ground in one spot for too long in case he got stuck in the Dreg Roots' spells. Speed was the only thing he had going for him and if that was limited, he would be doomed.
"Take out the Dreg Roots! I'll keep the boars off your back!" Auden called over. The knight hesitated for a moment before giving an understanding nod.
Unless the Dreg Roots were gone, killing the boars quickly would be difficult. He jumped through the monsters from boar to boar, slashing at every possible spot he could find. Seeing their kind getting slaughtered, the boars switched objectives to Auden and most of them came charging after him which was exactly what he wanted.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the knight barrel his way through the crowd of beasts towards the Dreg Roots in the back, shield raised in front, and slamming away everything in his path. He was a bit slow from the slushy ground made by the Dreg Roots but had enough force to kill boars with his charge. How the tables have turned.
He chanted something under his breath as he got near the Dreg Roots. A white aura of brightness covered his greatsword and a large crash of golden light fell out of the sky and erupted the moment he swung his blade, wiping out over half of the Dreg Roots, along with a considerable amount of Spike Boars that happened to get in the way.
"Holy Magic?" Auden observed, astonished. It was his turn to forget that there was a battle still raging. "He's a sorcerer knight?" Sorcerer knights were those that could use magic and had strong physiques fit for close combat. In short, they were a combination between a mage and a swordsman. Again, Auden was thankful that this person wasn't his enemy.
He turned back to keep the boars at bay, but as the ground hardened again underneath him, he knew the rest of the Dreg Roots had been wiped out. Well, he could also tell by the loud crash behind him.
With the annoying roots gone, this was the turning point of the battle. Now that he could stand on firm ground again and not hop around on boars, he was able to slice through boar necks and stomachs and bats much faster.
He dashed through the place, cutting off snouts and legs. The knight was also swinging his greatsword with much more force now, sending dozens flying with a single sweep, splattering them on the cliff wall into large red patches of mushed boar and bats.
Their numbers dwindled quickly as monsters fell left, right and center. With the combined strength of them both, it was a breeze. The few remaining beasts, seeing that they had no more chance of winning, turned tail and scampered away. Auden managed to kill a few but was too tired to chase after them.
As the silence returned, the place reassumed its gloomy atmosphere. A multitude of boar and bat corpses littered the area in the shadows along with signs of destruction. It was almost eerie how silent the place was after a battle took place just a few moments ago. The feeling of being watched slowly returned, giving Auden goosebumps.
"Are you okay?" Auden asked, turning towards the knight and sliding his sword back into its sheath. The intimidating knight had slumped a bit, leaning on his greatsword for support. At a closer look, Auden now saw that he was quite probably a of the highest order- An Imperial Knight.
A red waist-high cape fluttered from his back and Auden could see the same symbol that was engraved on a part of his armor: the golden Imperial Crest. There were also a few other symbols on his armor and shield, but Auden didn't recognize it and assumed the only credible assumption, the person had to be an Imperial Knight.
Imperial Knights were under the direct command of the King, Aldway himself. They were the shields of the Empire and if the need arises, the swords of the Imperial family. Only those with immense skill were recruited into the Imperial Army, and they were one of the strongest forces in the realm.
However, unlike many others, Auden did not revere them and only respected them for their duties. Dunehal did not view the Imperial family, or any high-up nobles in this case, in a good light. Naturally, Auden took after his mentor.
"I'm perfectly fine." The Imperial Knight said irritably. His voice was surprisingly higher than Auden had thought. He had expected someone so strong- not buff, but just strong, to have a rough voice.
The knight brushed off some blood on his shield, which did nothing except for dirtying his gauntlet, before making eye contact with Auden. "And you are?"