Chereads / Across the Starbound Sea / Chapter 23 - Chapter 23: Beneath the Crimson sky

Chapter 23 - Chapter 23: Beneath the Crimson sky

On the wall surrounding the camp, the soldiers stood in a straight line, gripping their weapons tightly and staring into the dark horizon. They fired arrows tipped with oils that burned brightly, creating patches of fire across the battlefield. These fires revealed the approaching horde, a swarm of corrupted creatures. Once-beautiful mystical beings, they were now grotesque monsters, driven by nothing but endless hunger.

The creatures were terrifying to look at. Their horns were sharp and twisted, and their bodies covered with strange, glowing scars. They moved like wild animals, letting out horrible growls and screeches that echoed in the night. The soldiers kept their nerve, though some couldn't help but tighten their grips. They had faced these monsters before, but it never got easier.

Lord Darion stood on the highest part of the wall, his crimson cape flowing in the breeze. His silver hair gleamed in the glow of the burning fires. His sharp eyes watched every movement of the horde as it approached. Raising his hand, he signalled for the soldiers to stop firing their normal arrows.

"Luminite weapons ready!" Darion commanded. Soldiers immediately switched to arrows tipped with Luminite steel. These arrows weren't glowing yet, they required soldiers to channel their own Luminis into them.

Darion gave a nod. "Charge the arrows."

The soldiers closed their eyes briefly, focusing as they directed the Luminis inside their bodies into the Luminite arrowheads. The moment the energy flowed into the steel, the arrowheads glimmered faintly. This wasn't the soft, healing glow of Luminis inside the body. The energy gave them a deadly, cutting power. 

"Wait," Darion ordered, holding his hand up as the creatures drew closer. The horde was now less than half a mile away, tearing apart anything in their way, even their own kind. Finally, when the timing was perfect, Darion dropped his hand.

"Fire!"

The arrows shot through the night sky, their glowing tips cutting through the darkness. When they struck the corrupted creatures, they pierced deep, their sharpened edges cutting through the twisted flesh with deadly precision. The monsters screeched as they fell, their bodies collapsing into heaps.

But the fight wasn't over. The surviving creatures rushed to devour the fallen ones, ripping into them in a horrifying frenzy. The soldiers on the wall stayed focused, ignoring the disgusting sight. They had seen this too many times before. These monsters were no longer the mystical creatures they once were, they were abominations.

Darion's eyes shifted to the back of the horde. There, he saw fourteen larger creatures standing still, observing the chaos. Unlike the mindless swarm, these creatures seemed a little different. Their sheer presence sent a chill through the air, even from this distance. They radiated power far beyond the weaker ones, their twisted forms crackling with unnatural energy.

"They're waiting," Darion muttered to himself. "They'll make their move after the swarm thins."

The soldiers near him exchanged uneasy glances but remained silent. They trusted Lord Darion's leadership. His face grew grim as he thought of the coming fight.

"Prepare the ballistae," Darion ordered. The massive weapons, mounted along the wall, were equipped with Luminite-tipped bolts. These bolts, too, had to be charged with Luminis energy by the soldiers operating the ballistae.

The soldiers worked quickly, focusing their energy into the bolts. The faint glow of the Luminis-infused steel made the weapons look otherworldly.

Below the wall, the swarm kept surging forward. The Luminite arrows continued to cut through the horde, but for every creature that fell, more seemed to take its place. Their hunger drove them forward, unrelenting.

In the camp, Luca and his team watched the sky light up with streaks of glowing arrows. They couldn't see the battle directly, but the sound of roaring creatures and the shouts of soldiers filled the air. The ground trembled slightly under their feet, a reminder of the monstrous power growing stronger.

Finn glanced at Luca, his expression filled with concern. "What's going on out there?" he asked, his voice barely rising above the distant roars and clangs of battle.

Luca didn't answer right away. Instead, he knelt down, pressing his palm flat against the ground. A faint glow pulsed around his hand as he closed his eyes, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Finn blinked, his worry momentarily replaced by confusion. "Uh… what are you doing?" he asked, tilting his head.

Luca didn't look up. "I'm trying to feel what's happening," he muttered. His Luminis flowed into the soil, stretching out like invisible tendrils. His frown deepened, his eyes narrowing as if he could see something Finn couldn't. "The land… it's shaking, like the entire horde is one massive thing," he said, his voice quiet but tense. "But I don't know exactly what's happening. It feels… wrong."

Finn hesitated, watching Luca with a mix of unease and fascination. "It already feels bad enough to me," he muttered, clenching his fists.

Back on the wall, Lord Darion's sharp eyes caught a faint movement among the fourteen larger creatures standing at the rear of the horde. They were not attacking yet but shifting slightly, their forms pulsing with eerie, glowing energy. He turned to his second-in-command, Captain Marek.

"Marek," Darion said firmly, "you're in charge now. Watch out for the flying ones, if they're out there."

"Yes, my lord," Marek said, saluting with a determined expression.

Darion stepped back from the wall, his sharp eyes fixed on the fourteen towering creatures at the rear of the horde. He reached up and unclasped his crimson cape, letting it fall to the ground. 

With a powerful leap, he launched himself into the air, the Luminis inside him surging through his body and pushing against the ground with explosive force. He soared over the battlefield, the wind rushing past him as he sped toward the rear of the horde. The distant cries of soldiers and roars of monsters faded behind him.

Darion landed silently behind the creatures, his boots hitting the ground with barely a sound. He drew his weapon, a longsword forged from Luminite steel, the blade shimmering faintly as he channelled his energy into it. The creatures didn't notice him right away, their focus still on the chaos of the battlefield.

He stood still for a moment, assessing them. Their twisted horns sparked with energy, and the glowing scars on their bodies pulsed in a strange rhythm, as though tied to some power.

Darion gripped his sword tightly. He wasn't afraid of these creatures. He had faced worse and knew he could defeat them. But he was worried about the time it would take. These monsters were strong, and even with his skill, dispatching them wouldn't be quick. Every second he spent fighting them was a second the soldiers were at risk.

Without waiting for them to notice him, Darion moved. With a swift motion, he slashed the air, sending a blade of concentrated Luminis energy hurtling toward the nearest creature. It cut through the darkness, striking the creature with a flash of light. The beast roared in anger, turning to face him, its glowing eyes locking onto his.

The others began to move as well, spreading out to surround him. Darion raised his sword, readying for the inevitable battle.

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