Bathump bathump
I could feel my heart thumping within my chest, adrenaline burning my muscles, rushing through my veins as I clung tightly to the dark steed.
"Hu… hu…"
I took deep breaths, taking them through my mouth to assist my nose. My body moved along with the dark steed, flexible and fluid like a liquid clinging to the edge of a container.
I was using the [Formless shadow scripture] as I rode the dark steed, pumping out maximum speed with maximum efficiency.
Reid was keeping up just fine, as a Tier-1 knight, he had the necessary training for horse riding.
I, on the other hand, was pretty new to this. I was already surprised that I could even keep up.
"Young master,... They are coming…"
Reid's voice drifted into my ears, cutting right through the wind. I didn't bother to ask him or even think about how he did that, between my focus on the [formless shadow scripture] and now the enemies that were approaching us, I had my plate full.
My right hand tightened around the shaft of my [bronze spear], my eyes locking onto the quick moving shadows that were approaching us from a distance.
'It's the moment of truth….'
I took a quick glance at the sky, the sun was completely gone, leaving behind only a crescent moon that poorly illuminated the depths of the dark forests.
'Thankfully, Reid thought to get us night-vision potions..'
I looked at my spear, there was a thin skin of purple coating the jagged blade,
'And poison….'
I knew that if Reid didn't get us poison, then there was a possibility that I would have failed the second mission objective.
There's no way I was going to wait to confirm a kill. With the looking threat that was the queen of the nightcrawlers, even if I was offered a legendary card, I'll still run right through the forest without looking back.
Hieeek!!!
The first sound entered my ears, distracting me from my thoughts and pulling my focus back to the present.
That was when I locked eyes with them. The nightcrawlers.
With six eyes that were darker than the dark depths of these forests, and eight legs coated with hairs that sensed even the slightest vibration, they were true predators just below the apex.
Yes, their description may sound familiar to you, well, that's because nightcrawlers are just overgrown spiders.
Not a few inches tall kind of overgrown, the smallest I'm seeing is at least a meter in height!
These things are terrifying for a variety of purposes; from the fact that they had night vision, poisonous mandibles and were light on the feet,
Coupled with their web which was thick and extremely sticky, and the fact that these things breed like bed bugs, they were horrifying.
And in a terrain like this where they've laid webs and traps and are actively hunting with the home ground advantage, we were really gambling with our lives here.
'What the hell was I thinking?!'
"Their weakness is their eyes, just a stab is enough."
Reid's voice pulled me in check once more and I focused on the monsters rushing for us.
Their long legs skittled around as they jumped from tree to tree, they were more like monkeys than spiders.
"Watch out for their webs, they are pretty easy to avoid." Reid added as the monsters pulled even closer. There looked to be about fifteen of them and I could see a few shadows approaching from behind.
Ten meters….
Nine…..
Eight…..
Seven...
Six...
Five...
Four….
Three....
Two...
One...
My hand moved on its own, a simple slash. Purple blood splashed into the air, followed by a loud shriek that sounded like metal scraping against metal.
The rest was a blur from then on.
Using both the formless shadow scripture and the Velthora Basic Spearmanship was tasking, especially while trying to blend with the movements of the steed.
But it was worth the hassle.
Unlike Reid who was a pro at fighting in horses— was there anything he couldn't do? —I was a novice and normally, in a situation like this, I would have been lagging behind.
But there was no way in hell I was going to lag behind in such a forest. It was called the devil's path, not the angel's road.
With every attack I made, every swing, slash or stab I gave, every second I spent in the dark embrace of the devil's path, I could feel it. A presence that sent shivers down my spine.
I could tell, it was the queen, she was watching!
I clinged to the dark steed even more, combining my moves to make them more fluid and connected, thereby increasing the efficiency of my attacks and reducing the reduction of my steed's speed as much as possible.
I could feel my mental capacity drain rapidly as I poured my focus into fighting, dodging traps and using two skills at once while steering the steed in the right direction.
"We've gotten more than half way through!!" Reid yelled but I didn't relax, instead I tensed even more.
It wasn't because I believed in never letting your guard down or that I wasn't tired but physically and mentally,....
No,.... It was because I could feel that with each meter forward we covered, the presence was getting closer.
"No matter what, don't stop!" Reid yelled. It was at that moment I realized that he could sense it too, he knew what was coming next and I had never been more glad to have him by my side.
His warning sank into my body like heavy rock in water, I subconsciously kicked my steed to run faster, [Formless shadow scripture] running in full throttle.
[Congratulations, you've slain a nightcrawler….]
[Congratulations, you've slain a nightcrawler.... You've gained…..]
[Congratulations….]
I totally ignored the sound of Esfyn's voice ringing in my ears, everything seemed to get drowned out and my body was totally overcome by reflex.
My right hand kept slashing, stabbing and sweeping, my left hand holding tight unto the reins of the dark steed but my eyes weren't on the road, no, it was somewhere else.
It was locked in a creature.
Its legs alone must have been two meters long each and it had eight of them, the last two at the foremost looking like the scythe of the reaper himself.
The hairs on its body are like steel needles, reflecting and yet at the same time absorbing the light of the moon, a feat that I wasn't sure was possible.
Its mandibles remained still, not like the incessant squirming of the other smaller species.
But what caught my attention the most were its eyes, six orbs of glowing crimson, different from the eight black orbs of the smaller species. They pulled me in, red and glossy, like rubies pumped full with the brightest of bloods,.... a steak contrast against the moon.
They were simply glorious.
The monster hung upside down from a thread that looked more like a thin white tree made of silk, it's limbs tucked on as it stared at me with it's malevolent gaze,
At that moment, I felt a strange tingling in my chest, it wasn't fear…
It was...
"Holy... is that...?"
—
It has been hours since the sun rose from the east, slowly rising to the peak, heading for the west.
The Frigidaire mansion, the main mansion of the Leonis family, was bustling with activity. At the outskirts of the estate, one could see reporters and various guests.
The rumors regarding the rupture had spread through not just Bellenau but the whole Verdant Empire.
These people all knew that they couldn't get on the compound and they didn't mind. They were just here to see if they could make a few connections with members of the family.
It was no news that if this Rupture was successfully cleared by the Leonis family, it's highly possible that the Marquises of the Verdant Empire will reduce by one and a new Duke will rise to position.
Hence both friends and foes were currently paying a lot of attention to House Leonis.
Carriage after carriage rode through the estate road, heading for the manor. From long distant branch families to those that were closer and well known around, everyone with the blood of Leonis and the last name still attached all came from all around the empire and a few from outside.
It was a remarkable event, one that happened very rarely.
One of the carriages stopped before the house, with most of the branch families having arrived, it was time for the main family members to begin showing up.
As the most important members of the family, it was only normal that they arrived last.
And from the size of the carriage, to the gray haired lion emblem on it, most could immediately tell that it was the main family, the marquis's wife and children.
The door opened and four people proceeded to come out. From Veronia with her long brown hair and her deep eyes, to the carbon copy but finer and younger version of her, Elyisa.
Then there was Edwinn, with neck length gray hair and blue eyes, and finally, Julien, the heir to it all and a copy of his father.
"Where's Emris?" Edwinn asked with a smirk. He knew that if Emris was at the mansion, he would be obligated to come welcome them as the final member of the family.
"I don't think he'll be arriving before dusk." Julien replied coldly but the slight bend at the corner of his lips told of his mood.
"Let's go in…" Veronia stated as she began to walk into the house.
The family of four was suddenly distracted by the sounds and murmurs coming from the other family members that were at the door to welcome them.
Julien, who hated to have the spotlight stolen from him, looked back to see who it was that dared to do such.
'It better be father, or else ...."
But to the shock of not just him but everyone else, the one approaching was none other than Emris and his butler, Reid.
Both of them rode atop dark steeds, their body covered in grime and purple liquid. They looked like a mess, yet no one could take their eyes off them.
'This bastard!....'