Chapter five: Old friends
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It was in the stories that old men told in campfires during feasts or the annual ember-moose hunts during autumn. Most large eternion-touched animals struck fear in the hearts of the common man for they could kill entire battalions of unclassed peasantry organized to hunt them once in a while. Many of the peasants died in these rare hunts but the old stories reminded the young men that it was better to be in danger once in a while than to face total annihilation in the face of that which haunted the dreams of ancient men. The monster tide.
Klay looked at the mass of rampaging mutated beings coming towards the city and his stomach twisted with the thought of the destruction that was about to come to the barony. And he was part of what caused it. He wanted to blame it on the cruelty of the baron and his men but he knew that ultimately, it was him and his friend that destroyed the dungeon and set this monster tide in motion. They had to do something.
He looked at Ed. Stunned at the sight of incoming peril, his friend remained silent.
"Hey! Edward! We need to do something! This is our fault!"
The young [Realm Keeper] snapped out of his shock and nodded back.
"No, this is just my responsibility. I dragged you into this."
"No. It was my decision to come wi—"
"There's no time to argue! Wear this and keep my mother safe! Go towards the Empire's border and wait for me there."
Ed took the crown off of his head and placed it on Klay's. A rush of invigorating sensation took Klay by surprise as his body started manifesting physical changes due to the status increase from the crown. He grew even taller and his muscles bulged out of his shirt.
"What do you mean by that, Edward?" Mertel, Ed's mother, said, "You are coming with us! Just leave this to the baron and his [Soldiers]"
"But I did this mother, I am responsible for all the blood that these monsters would spill tonight. I need to do what I can to save the city."
"I'd rather you be a criminal than die here!" said Mertel.
"That's not how I was brought up." Ed hugged his mother and ran towards the lines of [Knights] and [Soldiers] forming inside the village walls. Shadow Wing flew above him with loud determined flaps as if to mimic the unwavering footsteps of his master.
After all the mistakes and the leap of fate that they took in one night, it would all be for naught if Madam Von Mansfeld's safety was not secured, so Klay decided to heed his friend's wish.
"Let me help you get to a safe location please madame and I will do all within my power to go back and help your son after I make sure that you are not in any danger anymore."
Ed's mother hesitated but the sound of the incoming deluge of monsters forced her to nod in acquiescence. Klay scooped her up and began running parallel to the wave of destruction coming their way. He planned to circle around the monsters and continue running eastwards towards the mountain range that divided the kingdom and the neighboring empire.
Could he outrun them? It appeared so, for now. It was not easy to calculate the difference between an incoming body and yours as you ran perpendicular to it.
Nonetheless, he paid close attention to the monsters as he kept running. Some of them had glowing eyes and other body parts that casted silhouettes on the others. In the lead were horse-sized dire wolves with red eyes and jetblack feet. He could also see winged creatures with gigantic claws, some were serpentine and some were feline. All of them larger than any run of the mill wild bear. Klay wondered if the barony could survive but he hoped the people could at least flee from this rampage. Including his friend.
Right now he just had one thing to do. So he ran and activated his stealth skill [Shadow Walk], he blended into the shadows together with the person he was tasked to protect. He had always wondered why women of the kingdom were not allowed by law to inherit class seeds. Madame Von Mansfeld could have helped them if she had her own combat class, being born into a noble family and all. Maybe Ed knew the answer, he'd just ask him later.
For now, he had to run. The moons provided ample light to create thick shadows amongst the foliage and trees. Klay used these to his advantage. His dash from tree to tree while sticking to the darkest areas beat out even the fastest war steeds. And funny enough—he just realized that he didn't hear his own footsteps despite his frantic effort to get out of the way of the incoming monsters.
They were in the thick of the forest now, but from the looks of it, he wasn't fast enough to evade the horde entirely. He initially thought he could get out of the way of the catastrophe but now he knew he would barely miss the edge of the wave of monsters. Well, if they couldn't run, then they would just have to hide. He stopped and held as still as he could behind a giant balete tree, his skill making him and the madame blend into the shadows.
Could the monsters smell them? He was not sure how much his [Shadow Walk] obscured their presence. The descriptions never mentioned anything about smells, or sounds being covered by the abilities but right now he could only stay as quiet as he could to avoid being discovered.
It was then he realized how grave the barony's situation really was. The sheer amount of monsters left him dumbfounded. There were large deathworms, plaguesnakes, direwolves, and even some small hydras. These looked a lot more powerful than the measly ogres that they fought inside the dungeon.
Would Ed and the baron even be able to do anything against this incoming destruction?
Then his thoughts stopped. Klay felt a chill down his spine as a malevolent presence approached his location. Gigantic wings made the wind roar around this monster as it flew towards the barony. But instead of rushing forward, it slowed down and hovered above the tree where Klay was hiding. His heart beat sped up as a panic came over him. The madame tapped him on his arm and gave him a silent nod which calmed him down. He looked up, and it took his entire will power not to tremble at the sight he beheld.
A chimaera the size of three ruck houses slowly flew overhead. It then stopped and circled the giant balete, as if it was looking for something.
Could he take it on in a fight? No. He didn't think so. Especially because there are other monsters around and he needed to protect the madam.
So it was either hide or run. He decided to stick with his specialty and kept hiding as still. as he could be while he observed the chimera. If the monster came too close, he would bolt off as fast as he could and hide the madam somewhere then lure the monsters away from her. Then he would probably just die.
For now he trusted the shadows. As more monsters passed him by; he realized that his skills most likely hid his smell too. Because all those dire wolves would have eaten him already if that wasn't the case.
But the chimera kept circling, and even hovered lower and lower. Could it sense him? But if [Shadow Walk] concealed both sound and smell on top of his visibility, then how could this monster notice him when a multitude of others could not?
Whatever happens though, he was ready to go down swinging. So he crouched—focused on the chimera and got ready to run and dodge—until a tree branch moved and slapped the monster out of the air and slammed it to the ground. Then Klay heard a booming voice from above him.
"The invaders come again," it said, "and so our vows shall be honored, wake up brothers and sisters, the sentinels' kin have need of us."
And the dark forest came alive. Tree-men? Treants? Klay knew them only as legends. Allies of the ancient champions of Eternion from a time of great war, a time long past, a time that some even thought were mere legends.
The chimera recovered and tried to stand. The goat head bleated and lightning formed out of nowhere and struck the balete tree. The part of the trunk that was struck started to catch fire but the treant waved his hand and used what could only be his own skill. A waterfall poured out of thin air and quenched the flame.
The chimera tried to fly away but vines from multiple trees tied it down and pulled it back to the ground. Then the balete treant lifted a large boulder embedded in the forest floor and pounded on all three heads of the chimera. The lion took three strikes before it fell silent, its jaw was dislocated and its skull caved in. Dark blood oozed out of all its orifices.
Klay and Madame Von Mansfeld just stood in awe as more treants encircled them and formed a barricade between them and the monsters.
Then the giant balete treant bent down and a face with dark eyes, a towering nose, and beard made of dark bark greeted him.
"Young one, come with me so that you may stay safe."
That startled Klay, he thought he was still hidden by his class skills. But the treant clearly knew exactly where he was. But then again, he did lean on the tree in his attempt to hide from the monsters so maybe it was not his skill's fault.
"Thank you. Are you a, uh, treant?"
"Indeed, young one. It appears your kind has not completely forgotten us yet. Though your kind have forgotten many of its promises, we will still uphold ours, for we owe much to your ancestors. Come, let us keep you safe for tonight, scion of champions."
More monsters came running by but the treants kept them occupied as Klay and the madam followed the giant balete treant towards whatever safe haven it promised. Did Klay trust him? Not entirely, but the treeman just swatted a chimaera out of the sky to save him and the madam so it definitely earned Klay's respect and good will.
He looked back at the sound of roars and breaking wood and exploding flesh. He was thinking of coming back to help out after he made sure that the madam was safe. The sight of a treant falling after a three-headed hydra melted his feet almost made Klay run right back and assist it but he kept walking, for he had to make sure that Ed's mother was safe first. However, the turn of events meant he would have to deviate from his friend's plan amidst this madness.
After walking through a couple of hills and across a wide shallow stream, they went even deeper into the darkwoods until they arrived at a large clearing and a massive lake. Both of Arnea's moons reflected radiant light on the clear waters that rippled in the presence of moderate winds that blew from the nearby mountain range.
Was this the safe haven that the treant mentioned? Klay wondered but kept silent. He was expecting something more magical but this would do, if the treant can stay with the madam to make sure no wild animals would approach her, then Klay could leave her here and go back to help Edward.
He was slightly disappointed though—until the treant tapped the water in a certain rhythm and the waters ... receded—and exposed a large door on the lake's floor. The door opened and glowing crystals lit a wide stairwell that led underground.
"Underground would be the safest place for you, young one," said the treant, "your dustbound mother may come with you."
Dustbound? Mother? Looks like the big fellow got the wrong idea but Klay welcomed it. Ed's blood was most likely the reason why the treants were so nice to him anyway.
And so, down they went. Beneath the bottom of the lake. The door closed behind them as they entered the stairwell and Klay heard the sound of water rush back to form the massive lake once again.
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