Death.
It was everywhere.
Ashes rained from the sky like snow, turning the green grass to a grayish white.
This had happened recently, Valia guessed. Fires still burned in some of the houses, eating away at the remaining wooden infrastructure.
There were bodies everywhere, some torn to shreds and others burnt inside their homes. Not a single living soul. How barbaric, Valia thought. Even the children?
She looked at the ground, squinting slightly. "Hmmm…," she said, brushing her fingertips against the grass. The clay beneath the grass was slightly visible, and had small indents from a boot. "I've got footprints," she said, alerting her crew.
Valia stepped forward slowly, following the path. Her companions joined her, following a few steps behind her as she tracked. "They were heavy. At least, the armor they wore was heavy. The trail leads this way."
"That village would've been ripe for a raid. Who the hell are these guys? They've taken all our quarry," said Alon.
"I'm hungry! And I want my damn money," Guron mumbled. "You promised us food two days ago. I'm fuckin' tired, Valia."
She ignored him. "We're not far behind now. Likely just a few more hours."
"I don't think we should keep following. Not anymore. You said it yourself: they're wearing heavy armor. That sounds like an enemy I wouldn't want to confront," Alon continued, trying to keep up with the quick pace Valia had set. If she slowed for even a moment, they would fall behind.
"Good thing we won't be confronting them. I'm sure they pillaged a good amount from those villagers. Any raider or soldier would be insane not to. We'll steal however much we can carry."
"Can we at least stop…just for a moment?" Guron huffed. "We've been running since yesterday. My knees can't…take much more!"
Guron was the oldest out of all of them, already showing signs of white hair. Most of his teeth had fallen out, except for what he called his 'four chompers.' The only reason Valia still kept him around was for his ears, which were just as keen as always. He could hear little animals scampering from a kilometer away.
Valia shook her head. "We don't stop. We need to catch up, and fast. Will you let me know when you hear them?"
Guron sighed. "Aye."
For a moment the only noise was the soft padding of footsteps in the thick grass.
Alon spoke up. "Valia, you don't mean to do anything…rash, do you?"
"Describe rash," she said, keeping her eyes forward.
"Maybe…every decision you've made since…."
"Since Quoros died," Guron butted in.
"We all knew of the love you two shared," Alon said carefully. "I just…I think you're being reckless with these plans now."
"I've always been reckless," Valia growled. "Quoros was the only one I listened to for ideas. And his ideas were always safer. Less 'rash' as you say. But look where that got him. Besides, I'm already over it. I was never destined for love anyway."
For another hour, they ran in silence, crossing over hills, valleys, and small streams. They passed towering trees that Valia longed to climb. But there was no time for that.
"Wait," Guron said, coming to a halt.
"I told you we aren't stopping," Valia said, turning around. "Let's go."
"It's not that," he said between heavy breaths. "I hear them."
"They're nearby?"
Guron paused. Then he pointed. "That way. Look, there's a clearing up ahead. Agh…there's a lot of them. No…they're fighting."
"Let's check it out," Valia said, taking off in the direction Guron had pointed.
They ran, reaching the edge of the forest after a moment. A massive clearing stretched out in front of them, and in the distance was the Capitol city of House Leandis, protected by its massive, looming walls.
The scene in front of her made Valia stop in her tracks.
Guron was right. There was fighting. A group of horsemen surrounded and slashed at a small squad of armored soldiers.
"Those," Valia said quietly. "The armored ones. They were the ones we were tracking." Her eyes moved to the House flag that the other soldiers carried. "Looks like House Leandis got to them first."
*******
"Cut them down!" Balian ordered, pushing Athena behind him protectively. One of the monsters charged toward him, wielding a massive double-sided axe.
Balian raised his sword horizontally in an attempt to block the creature's attack. The brunt force of his enemy's swing sent him stumbling backward. How could it wield such a large weapon?
What was this thing? Not since he was a boy had Balian faced an enemy this much stronger than him. Yet it left him feeling excited. It had durability, that was for sure. Maybe it was even invincible? No, nothing was invincible.
He regained his balance in a moment, but the creature was already on top of him.
Balian blocked another two attacks. His enemy was slower than him; the heavy armor was weighing them down. They were also missing an arm from the initial onslaught. Balian would use that to his advantage.
Charging forward, Balian ducked under the swinging axe, its edge just barely grazing his helmet. Once he was clear, Balian stood, bringing his blade up with him. His eyes moved to the gap in the armor, as he had trained himself to do in his twenty years of practice. That was where the enemy was weak. There was always a gap at the joints.
Right beneath the shoulder.
Balian swung the sword, cutting off their only remaining arm. The monster's axe fell to the ground, its hand still grasped around the handle.
The creature was silent. No cries of pain, not even a grunt. And there was no blood gushing from either of its wounds. It was still standing too, turning toward Balian.
In a burst of speed, the creature slammed its armored body into him, sending Balian sprawling.
He turned over, reaching his hand out for his sword, which he had lost grip on. He stretched, pushing forward with one leg. Just a little further….
Balian heard Athena yelp, just before an armored boot came into contact with his ribcage. He coughed, rolling to his back.
The monster was above him, its red eyes peering into his. It lowered itself toward him silently. That was when he realized the creature wasn't breathing. No blood, no breath. Were they even alive?
"What are you?" Balian asked, trying to push himself away.
A sword protruded through the creature's throat. It spun around, pulling the sword out of the hands of its attacker. One of Balian's men stood behind it, now weaponless.
Seizing the chance, Balian rolled away, scrambling over to the monster's axe. It was a behemoth, weighing at least a hundred kilograms. Both blades were made of a dark material, unlike anything he'd ever laid eyes on before. The creature's arm was still attached, an armored hand clutching the handle. Putting his boot on the arm, Balian wrenched the handle out of its grasp.
He heard a scream and watched as the creature stomped on the soldier's head, crushing it to bits.
That man saved me, Balian thought guiltily.
The creature turned to Athena, who was kneeling on the ground, mumbling under her breath. Was she praying?
Balian stepped forward, hoisting the axe to his shoulder. One swing. That was all he needed. That was all he had the strength for.
So he swung.
In that moment, he felt doubt. That he wasn't strong enough. That the poor woman would be torn to shreds just like his other soldiers. That everything would be his fault.
Balian brought the axe down as hard as he could. The blade made contact at the shoulder, sliding at an angle. The creature's upper body split apart, and it fell to its knees.
Letting go of the handle, he let the axe fall to the ground, which it smacked with a heavy thump.
The creature began to evaporate, particle by particle. A moment later, only the creature's armor remained.
Balian looked around. The fighting had slowed to a halt. There were still four living creatures that he could spot, but each had been incapacitated. The soldiers gathered around them.
"Leave those ones alive!" he called out. "We'll be taking them as prisoners."
"You killed him."
"Huh?" Balian asked, looking at Athena. "Of course I did."
"Interesting," she said quietly. "To use the weapon of the enemy on itself. Your blades could do no harm to them. Only his own axe could."
"What the hell are they?" He asked. "Did they tell you when you were captured?"
"I never thought to ask," Athena replied. "Because I already know what they are. Creatures of Hell."