Despite the dents on his full plate sustained from his war hammer hitting him a few times in the teleportation trail, he felt like he was likely the luckiest Holy Order member that was teleported. He was transported in a town in the Wolfenhil continent called Waterwend. He was in a daze right after, but tried to collect himself immediately and noticed through his helmet that the townsfolk were looking at him with worry. Some seemed concerned for his wellbeing, while others seemed afraid.
That was understandable seeing that he just appeared out of nowhere. He removed his helm and politely smiled to show them that he's of no threat. He could tell that they became visibly at ease after that, and that gave him the chance to ask for information and explain his situation. However, he still felt a heavy atmosphere around the town.
That was how he found out where he was, which is incidentally not that far from the holy cities of Sacred Tide and Demon's Sorrow. Places of the Faith where his order has strong influence. It would probably take him a week on foot to reach either of them, a couple of days if he had a horse. He could also go to the city of Dalurung instead, and from there he could either rent a horse to Demon's Sorrow, or rent a ship and go to his hometown, the city of Woldden.
He felt confident with his options. He thought that among those who were teleported, he's probably the one nearest to a holy city and can notify the Holy Order of what happened to their punitive force in Aynara. He had no idea at this time that his situation would go from good to worst.
It was nearing the hour of the wolf, so he decided to go to an inn. He was always good at saving money, and fortunately, he didn't lose his pouch during the teleportation. He can have a good meal and even have two pints of ale tonight before retiring to his rented room. That was the plan anyway.
The innkeep gave him a pint while the sausage and potato meal that he ordered is being prepared when a group of townsfolk approached him. "Milord, we know that you were just teleported here but you're a knight, are you?" asked one of them.
"I am, you may call me Sir Paul, and I'm of the Order of the Holy Trinity," He responded, "How may I be of service?"
"They've taken eight of our girls, sir knight, can you get them back?" asked a farmer named Kurt.
"Taken? by whom?" He asked.
"Why demons, milord. They've been using the cover of night to sneak into our town and abduct maidens" responded the farmer.
His right hand went from holding his ale to holding his chin. "So they're after maidens huh?," They're probably performing a rite of some sort. "When were they taken?"
Kurt responded, "Five of the girls were taken four days ago, while the first three were..."
"The first three were taken no longer than two weeks ago milord knight," said a carpenter to help Kurt, "Our local hunters said they were taken to a den at the foot of the Sandbitter Mountains. They knew from the screams coming from that cave"
"Aye, milord. They're little goblin-like devilish little creatures. They may seem like children, but they come with numbers and are very hostile. They're also very tricksy." a miller called Roul added.
He thought of going to one of the holy cities first and asking for reinforcements. Even just another paladin and an acolyte would be ideal when it comes to cleansing a den. But it could take him more than two weeks to come back with them, depending on his luck on travel. "Are you aware of other kinds of demons around the area?" He asked the townsfolk.
"No, milord," responded Kurt. "Our hunters, they only reported seeing them little 'uns. There's about twenty-five or thirty of 'em in that den, says them."
He scratched his chin again. Curious... A demonic rite is the only reason he could think of on why imps would abduct girls. They've never been reported to be interested in women in lustful ways. Goblins, on the other hand, have been known to kidnap women from towns and villages. But they do not discriminate between maids and adults who have lost their maidenhead. They will take women and breed with them whatever their age may be. This made him wonder if the townsfolk mistook goblins for imps, but that's improbable since their appearances are too different.
Goblins are green, and imps, the smallest and weakest type of demon, are as red as blood.
It also made him a bit uneasy that there are only reports of imps. They are typically accompanied by more powerful kinds of demons who use them as foot soldiers. Regardless, eight young girls have been abducted and need rescuing. I suppose we can count the absence of more powerful demons as a stroke of good luck.
"Very well, I'll see it done on the morrow. On the hour of the bat." He told the townsfolk who looked confused,
"Why on the hour of the bat, sir knight?" asked the townsfolk.
"It may seem safer to do it in the morning, but because they have hostages inside the den, we can't smoke or flood them out. And I don't want to fight them all inside their cave. I'll have to wait for them to come out at nighttime." he replied.
With that, he received his meal and went upstairs after eating. While he was climbing the stairs, he heard other people requesting aid on other matters. But they're much more trivial than the case of abducted maidens. While he was eating, the innkeep also told him that if he could retrieve the sign of the inn that the imps stole, he could get a free boarding for a night the next time he's in town.
Walking on the hall towards his room, a couple of strumpets gave him an interested look, but as soon as they noticed the sigil of the Holy Order on his armor, they averted their gaze and gave him a slight bow. Was it because his order does a lot of good for women of the night? Or they mistrust a man who has no sexual desires?
It may seem ironic, but the Holy Order of The Trinity who values chastity and celibacy to the point that all of its male members are required to become eunuchs, and the females to be maidens, is the order responsible for convincing the crown of Wolfenhil to make strumpets legitimate workers.
That ended decades of them being persecuted, but not everyone was happy about it. Because being legitimate workers means that they will now have to pay taxes to the crown, as well as being required to go to a cleric for examinations of sexual diseases at their own expense.
He fell asleep with these thoughts. The next day, he made his preparations. He asked two male peasants to accompany him in the quest to save the abducted girls, and they were understandably very reluctant. He assured them, however, that they would have no need to fight. He only needs them to carry equipment that he might need in case the fight with the imps becomes more troublesome than he expects.
They set out of the village at the beginning of the hour of the snake with only one pony. He thought of asking for another pony and a horse, but worried that the demons might hear them. For this quest, they will have to catch the imps by surprise. The sky was cloudy, but it didn't feel like rain would come any time soon. Though the clouds looked ominous. The two peasants, Dan and Hillock, looked afraid, but they still marched on with him, and that earned them his respect. They are brave... He thought.
It was already the middle of the hour of the bat when they reached a mile away from the base of Sandbitter mountains where it was said that the imp den is located.
He whispered to the peasants. "Put out the torches. From this point onwards, we'll be taking steps necessary to make sure the demons do not notice our approach"
To their right lies a thick forest and they were mindful of always being at least half a mile away from it, for all manner of dark creatures could be hiding there at night. To their left and front was a wide grassland area, though the grass is short and dark, as if half of their lives have been sucked out from within them.
"Both of you, hold on to the saddle, I'll take the reins and guide us through the dark," he told the peasants quietly. "do not light the torches unless absolutely necessary."
He then paused momentarily, released his mana and visualized them gathering into his eyes. He chanted quietly... May the light of the Mother Ea light my path, and the fire of the Father Actuar reveal demonic designs:
Rivet Scan
It's a stronger variant of the Scan spell wherein the caster merges the spell onto their eyes instead of casting it on a general direction. With Rivet Scan, he'll be able to see brightly even on pitch black nights like this. He adjusted the mana on his eyes so that the spell would only allow him to see brightly within a half-mile distance, and by specifically saying demonic designs instead of the more general and conventional wicked designs at the end of the chant, he adjusted the spell to only highlight demonic creatures.
That way, he can save mana, and even if the imps that they're hunting are inside the den or behind cover, he'll be able to see them because the spell will highlight demonic creatures in his eyes with a bright yellow hue.
They walked another half a mile distance toward the mountains, and that's when his eyes registered the imps, slowly marching towards the direction of Waterwend. Most likely to get more girls, or maybe hunt in another town. He counted twenty... No, twenty-two. The hunters estimated their numbers to be around thirty. So they left a few to guard their den. This might be a challenge.
They were marching three in a row, with one furthest at the back. Might be their leader he thought. Some of them had short swords in their hands, and at least four had bows. Some had clubs and knives. Their equipment was poor, but not a reason to underestimate them.
"Stay here and stay low," he whispered to Dan and Hillock "keep silent and care to not let the pony panic", he then pulled his war hammer from his back and carried it tightly with two hands as he carefully approached the party of imps.
They may be demons and are considered magical creatures, but there's very little magic in them. They're the lowest kind of demons, and they can't even see more than ten meters in the dark. That's why they make use of torches. Their ears are sharp, however, so he was very careful not to make any sound as he approached. For this quest, he chose to leave his full plate armor at the inn and decided to only wear his shirt with chainmail inside, leather tunics, and boots. It was the right decision.
Once he was just a little beyond ten meters from the imps, he adjusted Rivet Scan to fifty meters and gathered mana onto his legs and feet.
He took to the air, held his weapon with both hands above his head and then to the back of his neck. He then gathered the mana from his legs and diverted some into the war hammer. It immediately started emitting a white light from within, illuminating its handle all the way to the head. The sound from the ground as he leapt startled the imps, but it was too late.
THUNDERCLAP!
The sound of thunder could be heard as his magic-imbued war hammer caught three imps on the front of line. Their bodies so flattened that they looked like they fused with the ground.
Tsk... I was hoping to get at least four.
Six of them shrieked and rushed towards him with short swords and clubs, and at the corner of his eyes, he saw the ones with bows were preparing to shoot. He then released more mana and gathered them to his legs and forearms, held his war hammer in front of him and then bent his left knee and torso forward, preparing to charge:
BREAKTHROUGH!
With war hammer in front, he charged through the line of imps like a golem breaking through enemy lines with surprising speed. Some of them went flying in different directions. He achieved his goal. He knocked down the bow wielding imps at the far end of the line. He lifted his weapon above his head and one by one his stroke fell and flattened the archers to the ground. The sound of thunder could be heard each time.
Thirteen left... But many of them were still knocked down to the ground from his breakthrough charge, trying to recover. He took advantage, and his war hammer rose and fell, each time merging an imp's body with the grass and soil. This gave him a sense of pride, for the famed war hammer of House Bright, Beacon, is singing once again in Wolfenlands, protecting its people.
Dan and Hillock from the distance could only see a glowing white hammer, seemingly striking down protruding nails repeatedly from every direction.
Eight more...
He suddenly felt a sharp pain on the right side of his neck. Shit... One of the imps threw a dagger at him from the back while he was finishing those on the ground. It didn't seem to have made a mortal would, but he was still cut and bleeding.
I hope it's not poisoned...
He then swung Beacon to his right side in a wide angle. He did it with such force that when it hit the imp who threw a dagger at him, and another on the way, they got squashed instead of being sent flying.
Six more... This is bad, they started running in different directions... And he was starting to feel a hint of exhaustion and mana drain.
Three ran to the east, one to the west, but two started running directly backwards. To their den... It must be.
He decided to chase after the two. It didn't take long for him to catch up, and he didn't even need to use mana on his legs to do so. Imps can be quick, but their legs are short. An imp running on foot can be caught by an athletic man with ease, much less a trained fighter such as himself.
He swung Beacon forward and its head caught the one nearest to him. He then held his weapon forward and with a strong push, threw it toward the next imp. The imp fell to ground, and he quickly got on top of it, gathered mana into his right fist, and smashed the imp's face with one strike.
Now into the beasts' den... He picked up Beacon and slowly walked forward.
He was worried about the four that got away, but they're probably too far now. He'd be spending too much energy trying to chase and find them. He might be able to find them with Scan, but he needed to conserve mana. There might be seven more imps in the den.
He found five. Two of them have short swords, two have clubs, and the last one has an axe... And peculiar shield. It's the inn's wooden sign. They were grinning and laughing at him, the sound was like that of laughing hyenas, but rougher. They seem confident with their numbers, and I can't use Beacon in such a tight space. The den was smaller than he hoped, and he now has to resign to using his dagger and fists. But as a trained knight and a paladin of the Holy Order. He has a few tricks up his sleeve.
He caught the imps off guard by suddenly making the first move and rushing towards them unarmed. He went for the nearest one to his left, grabbed its face, gathered mana on his forehead and smashed the little demon's face with it. The imp was killed in an instant. He picked up the dead imp's club. The other imps rushed in. He stepped back two times, and then sidestepped to his left, careful about being surrounded.
Then he counter charged and bashed the nearest imp with his left shoulder. Two of them got knocked down when the one he bashed hit another imp on its way back. He approached the knocked down imps and brought the head of his wooden club down to the nearest one's head. Both the imp's head and the club shattered from the impact. He leapt on top of the other imp on the ground and imbued his right elbow with mana and brought it down to its face. Like the previous imp, this one's skull was squashed.
Two left... The one with the innkeep's sign and the other holding a short sword. With a flick of his wrist, he quickly took his dagger out of his leg holster, flung it forward, and hit the sword wielding one on its right shoulder.
Not good, I missed the head!
But it made the imp drop the sword and that allowed him to rush in. He kicked the one holding the inn sign. It was blocked, but the imp was thrown back a few meters from the force of the kick. He then grabbed the former sword wielder by the neck and smashed its body onto the wall of the cave.
The imp threw up blue blood. He grabbed its face and smashed it on the same spot on the wall to make sure that it died. He then threw the its dead body behind him like a piece of discarded paper and started walking slowly towards the last one. He pulled Beacon from his back. A tight cave may not be ideal for a huge two-handed war hammer, but for this particular situation, it's the best weapon for him.
The imp's eyes widened, visibly afraid, and it shrieked. Like a scared rat. He charged at the imp while leading with Beacon's head. The imp had nowhere else to go. It's cornered. Beacon shattered the innkeep's sign and crushed the little devil's body.
He heaved a sigh of relief. It's over... To his left, there is another passageway, a narrower one. It led him to another opening. He saw the girls. All unconscious and fully naked. A few of them had some sort of blue liquid coming out from between their legs.
Did those imps force themselves unto these girls?
Among the monsters he knows, only goblins were known to do that to human women for both fun and breeding. What's more disturbing is that two of the girls seem to be great with child. Didn't the townsfolk say they were abducted not longer than two weeks ago?
This is a matter for the Holy Order to investigate... The two pregnant ones, especially. He hurried back outside of the den and called for Dan and Hillock to help him move the girls back to the town. They tried waking them up, but they seemed to be deep in dreams. This is not good, he thought. He had not expected that they would be transporting unconscious girls. "Maybe three could fit on the pony, but what of the others?" he said.
"I'll go back to town, you and Hillock stay here to guard the girls, milord," said Dan. "I'll ride the pony, I'm a faster rider than Hillock. I'll get me some more help from the town."
"Very well," He replied, "Tell them that the den is cleared. We'll be needing a cart, and a horse would be ideal. Mayhaps bring another man, that would be great help."
"Aye milord" responded Dan. He got up on the pony and started riding back to town when all of a sudden, the earth around them started shaking, and a loud and deep roar sent shivers down their spines. "What was that?!" Hillock asked.
What indeed was that?
RIVET SCAN
The spell always activates with the last chant that the caster spoke, so this scan is still for probing demonic entities. It was his intent, nevertheless.
He focused his eyes on the direction of where the roar came. The spell didn't highlight anything. On the corner of his eyes, he saw a glimpse of light-yellow hue. It was coming from the two pregnant girls. Their wombs are being highlighted by the spell. Demons are growing inside them, but there's a more pressing matter to attend to right now.
In came another roar, and huge thuds on the ground.
"WHO... DARES DISTURB MY SLEEP?" They heard a booming voice that doubtless reached a couple miles away.
He hurried outside the den to get a better look at what this new threat was. The jagged edges of the mountains still covered most of the creature, but he could see two large eyes made of fire, as well as two horns on its head that were also aflame. It cannot be... What is this? An Overlord? But my Scan is not recognizing it!
Dan and the pony were around twenty feet from him, paralyzed in fear, and also looking at the new demonic threat before them.
"Gooo!!! Run away! Flee to the town and warn them!!" He shouted desperately to Dan.
Dan heard him and pulled the pony's reins in terror to the direction of the town. They started fleeing. However, the creature opened its mouth, a bright red light was emitting from it.
"NONE SHALL ESCAPE" said the creature with its thundering voice.
It then released a huge trail of flame from its mouth which almost burned Dan and the pony. Fortunately, they were able to escape unburnt.
This is not a demon, he thought. It's a dragon!
No wonder there were no higher demons around.
Chapter End
Author's notes:
Hour of the snake - 4-6pm
Hour of the bat - 6-8pm
Hour of the wolf - 8-10pm
Hour of the owl - 10-12am
Hour of the fox - 12-2am
Hour of the mouse - 2-4am
Hour of the bear - 4-6am
Hour of the rooster - 6-8am
Hour of the eagle - 8-10am
Hour of the bull - 10-12pm
Hour of the dragon - 12-2pm
Hour of the horse - 2-4pm