+++ ???’s Perspective +++

The worried eyes of a warrior stared down into the sea below, mind occupied with the road that lies ahead, and the companions he left behind. He had always been prepared for this, and it wasn’t the first time he’d experienced this either. The world wasn’t kind to those who wished to forge their own path, this he understood.

The written creed amongst adventurers was to live life while you’re able. And the unwritten rule was to not let yourself become too attached to those whose sunrises were uncertain.

Yet when the numerous comrades shrank as the years bled out, he could not help but grow close to the ones that remained.

If it were the beginning, he would have never thought to have given up so much time just to help a friend in need.

And yet as he remains now, he couldn’t have imagined any other decision. 

“Farewells never do get easier do they?” He whispered his melancholy to the ocean tides.

“You’d think you would have think we woulda known that by now huh Donovan?” A scruffy looking man joined him on the deck of the ship, hunching the railing as he did, “Or will it be Lord Dreathmane now?”

Donovan reached into his pocket and retrieved an emerald seed wrapped in a gold leaf; a seed of a fairy tree. The relic that had long since belonged to Sylvestra, now seemed wrong in his grasp.

He had started this journey with no other choice. Yet when it finally came time to leave it behind, he couldn’t seem to let it go.

“Ha, that’s a bad joke Swift.” He laughed, the irony of his motives making him smile.

As the azure ripples of the ocean and the rocking of the ship filled in the silence between them, there were words unsaid that laid across the wooden deck. So the battle hardened scout opted to converse over that which he was still able to.

“Thinking about the kids? That’s a promising boy if I’ve ever seen one.” 

“Yeah.” Donovan agreed absentmindedly.

“It's a shame we couldn’t write more to leave behind, but I swear you were rather stingy with your stories, no?”

“I wrote as much as I could.”

“Sounds like a hunk of bull to me, you didn’t even write about that one demon in Osignin.”

Donovan took a step back from the broadside of the boat, the waves were picking up and he could see the storm on the horizon, “He shouldn’t hear that story from me.”

It would soon be time to batten down the hatches.

“He should hear it from Prisilla.”

 

+++

“What are the orders from the captain?” Rafine pulled herself together, the weight of the prophecy she had just heard bearing down on her shoulders.

Sylvestra dies here? Today?

Not if she had anything to say about it.

“We’re evacuating, it's too large to contain. If we load everyone on the carriages we should be able to outrun the surge.” Sylvestra relayed.

Two pairs of eyes looked to her, the most senior adventurer in their group. One of them belonged to a worried mother, singularly focused on saving her child, the other to an enigmatic overthinker with a prophetic book.

Just then, they heard the breaking of twigs as a muscular wolf shaped creature charged at them from the undergrowth. It had followed the scent of the wounded Sylvestra, and had been waiting for a moment to pounce.

However, with reflexes honed from years as an adventurer, Sylvestra let go of her child, drew her daggers, and sliced open the belly of the charging beast in one swift motion. As the wind whistled with the motion of her arms, the edge of her blade met no resistance. Crimson blood spewed from the corpse as the lifeless monster dropped to the ground.

Alfon stared in awe, mouth agape. Sure he had seen his mother in action before, but sometimes he forgets just how adept she is at carving flesh to pieces.

“Waterball Rapids.” The outlander mage uttered the chant of her spell, prompting the dagger wielding bladeswoman to duck.

A flurry of water bullets shot out from the tip of her wand, flying into the brush where two more creatures had hidden. Most of them missed their mark, but the ones that landed tore open sinew and shattered bone like a rock thrown at a glass bottle.

Rafine might be missing an arm, she might be missing a staff, and she is most certainly not in the best shape of her life, but despite it all she was still a Royal Mage.

And such a rank was not earned lightly. 

“Sylvestra, did you speak with Prisilla?”

Sylvestra nodded in response and picked up her child, “I saw her earlier in the central square. She was holding off a pack of Leafkin Stags there. ”

“What of Ninamoritis?”

“I sent the outlander child with some of the evacuees.”

“Alright,” Rafine took a deep breath, “You two should join the evacuation for now. Alfon, take care of your mother. I'll rendezvous with Prisilla.” Rafine still wasn’t sure about the accuracy of what she had been told, but she was in no place to doubt it now.

"Helena should be at the front of the convoy, I'll meet up there as soon as I can."

“Okay. Got it!” Alfon affirmed the motion and the two of them shared a glance of knowing, whilst Sylvestra simply looked at them confused.

And then they were off.

+

“Sir, we’re under assault by a monster stampede.” Hubert relayed the grim update to his lord, “The road ahead has been occupied. The convoy force is currently fighting their way through.”

“I see.” Glyake’s eyes darkened, “How long until the heart of the horde is upon us?”

“We likely have thirty minutes at most.” Hubert whispered. That likely won’t be enough time for everyone to escape.

A lot of people will be left behind.

Glyake only hoped that his children would be able to escape.

“Papa, what’s wrong?” The worried eyes of Gabriel looked up at him. Saphira and Belserai had also sensed the danger of the situation and had huddled together in the carriage.

“Ah don’t worry. It appears there are a few more monsters than we thought so we’ll be moving to the front okay?” Glyake gave his son a bright smile, “Hubert rally the three under our command and prepare a spare horse.”

“It’s already been done my lord.” 

Glyake drew his children in close, “Gabriel, Saphira, Belserai, listen to what I have to say carefully. Scary things may happen, but I need you all to be brave. No matter what happens, you need to make it out alive okay?”

Belserai gave a solemn nod, understanding the severity of the situation. As the eldest, she knew her role quite well.

Saphira was fraught with distress, and her face reflected it. She wished she could say something, act like she wasn’t afraid, but all she could do was bottle the emotions up so they didn’t leak.

“Papa, what's going on? I thought you said there were just some more monsters. Can’t the knights defeat them all?” Gabriel, however, was having none of it.“What do you mean scary things? I don’t like scary things!” He shouted, his tiny arms flailing wildly.

Glyake didn’t say anything, for fear it would cause the child more distress. 

And so it was Belserai who took it upon herself to comfort her little brother. “Hush now Gabriel. It will be alright.” She spoke in soothing tones as her arms wrapped themselves around him. The warm embrace did wonders in calming his tantrum.

Even though it was but an illusion, Gabriel felt safe in her arms, and so he stopped.

“Hubert, take Belserai and Gabriel with you. Saphira shall ride with me.”

“Yes sir.”

+

Slash.

“Nyaaa...” Prisilla frowned to herself as she cut down another beast. Yet, despite how many times she swings her sword, there seems to be no end to this monster stampede.

The greatsword in her hand was starting to feel heavy.

“Hold them off for a sec.” Prisilla ordered one of the guards who had been fighting with her.

“Can’t do that for long.”

Prisilla ignored his concerns and tore open a door to an overturned carriage. Five people were left inside.

“Nya... One... Two... Ugh.”

But only two were alive.

“You alright nya?” She reached her hand to an old injured couple. The attire of the woman reminded Prisilla of a craftsman, and the uniform of the man was that which belonged to a sailor.

The man had been injured in the abdomen, he would need treatment.

“T-Thank you so much.” The man breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of his savior, whilst the woman bowed her head in gratitude. The two of them embraced each other, they were certain they were destined for the grave when they had been surrounded by the six legged stags.

They had accepted their deaths, but perhaps death had not accepted them yet. 

‘How nice...’ Prisilla’s expression softened at the sight.

“Oi beastwoman look out!” One of the remaining mercenaries called out to her.

“Argh.” As if to punish her wandering thoughts, a sharp pain erupted from her lower left leg. A raptor snake had snuck up on her while she wasn’t watching. To make matters worse one of the stags had readied a charge towards the three of them. The wound wasn’t deadly and she had antidotes handy, but it certainly was...

“Annoying!” A practiced cleave of her greatsword split open the skull of a leafkin stag and swung down to chop the snake in two.

“Woah. You’re incredible.” The words of the mercenary matched the thoughts of everyone who beheld the sight.

“Hey, you in the blue! Take these two to the relay.” Prisilla barked out the command.

“Y-yes ma’am!” The female archer was grateful for the order, the path connecting to the evacuation was much safer than the flanks of the convoy.

“Lucky bugger.” The male mercenary watched the three of them run off in envy. “The hell are we supposed to do with only three people?”

“Ha... Nya...” Her hands shook as she uncorked the poison cleanser, the bitter taste of herbal medicine stung her throat on the way down. Her instincts were telling her to stop, to run.

“Help! Please!” 

“Someone save me!”

“May Talis have mercy on our souls.”

“Ah- so this is how it ends.”

But she couldn’t do that, not now.

She could hear the cries for help so clearly with her beastkin senses.

There were still more she could save.

“Sister! Brother! Hubert!” 

“Run my lord!”

“My lord, we must leave. Please give the command.”

“I-I...”

And yet, she didn’t expect to hear familiar voices, or perhaps she hoped she wouldn’t hear them.

“Hey, cat lady where you going?” Prisilla paid the two with her no mind as she dashed into the fray, carving a bloody path through the beasts as she went.

“Dammit, does she not know how to listen?” The mercenary cursed his luck for being stuck with a crazy beastwoman.

“Be grateful she’s even here.” The guard, on the other hand, was thinking the exact opposite.

+

Alfon and Sylvestra had arrived at the front of the convoy, and while they had expected to see an evacuation in progress, they were instead greeted by a blockade on the road coming from Darisport and a mass of people on the other side, huddled together awaiting rescue.

“What’s going on?” Apoplectic, Sylvestra hollered at the commanding knight in gray armor.

Unphased by her anger the guard gave her an exercised response: “You there, if you’re awaiting rescue stay with the others. If you’re a hired sword the convoy leader requires your service near the roadside.”

“Service? The only service that should be performed right now is the evacuation to Halyis!” Alfon stared at this exchanged wide eyed, he had never seen his mother quite so angry before, “Why aren’t we leaving?”

“An important carriage has been seized by a giant vinesnapper, all manpower is currently diverted to taking it down.” Still, the guard stood like an iron wall in the face of her fury, his eyes showing that he’s had the same conversation countless times already, “If you wish to leave without escort feel free, but the roads are still plagued by monsters, I doubt you’ll make it far.”

“Is that carriage so important you would put it over the lives of everyone here?” Sylvestra criticized harshly.

“Yes.” But the gray knight answered without a shred of hesitation, “it is.”

“Tch.” In the face of his cold determination Sylvestra realized there was no point in speaking reason to someone who wouldn’t listen. But without the convoy guards, the civilians and her son would be sitting ducks just waiting for the monster horde to bear down on them.

She had to talk to the convoy leader, but she also couldn’t bring her son into a battle against a giant vinesnapper. Those plant monsters were three times the size of a large treant and ten times as deadly, the moment it seized a carriage by every adventurer protocol they should have abandoned whatever and whoever was inside. 

Sylvestra gripped the hand of her child and made her way to the other side of the blockade where they were looking after the survivors. She knelt down and spoke gently to Alfon. “Alfy, be a good boy and stay here okay? Mommy will be back very soon.”

Alfon nodded to reassure his mother, and with a soft smile she covered her face with her leaf green hood and dashed away like the swift breeze.

Alfon had no intention of sitting idly by, though in this situation there was little he could do.

“Alfy.” In the midst of his contemplation a voice made him jump.

“Ah!” He snapped his head around but his emotion quickly changed to relief rather than fear, “Oh it’s just you Nina.”

“Alfy. There. Wo-” But before she could finish her sentence Alfon pulled the outlander girl into a hug.

“Wa-” Her eyes widened, Alfon had never initiated a hug with her before. She had always been the one to give it. 

She had been fine with that, it had been that way her whole life. She had just been grateful that Alfon didn’t return her affection with disgust, as so many have done.

“There you are Nina!” 

Nina could feel that behind the thoughts that Alfon usually had was a sincere desire to see her safe in this chaotic situation, and she didn’t know how to be on the receiving end of such sincerity.

For once it was Nina whose mind was racing.

And it was Alfon who had a singular thought in his head.

“I’m really glad you’re okay.” He said.

So shocked was Nina that she didn’t even return the hug, she just stood blankly.

“Ah! Nina, are you injured after all?” Alfon quickly pulled her hood over her head, her magic was coming apart and her horns were slowly showing themselves. “What’s wrong? You feel really warm.”

“N-Nina. N-Nina. S-Some. S-stop. Feel. H-heat” She stammered incoherently and held out the object she had been carrying.

“Oh that’s my backpack! Thanks for keeping it safe.” Alfon was relieved it hadn’t been destroyed during the outbreak and quickly stuffed the book of prophecy inside. 

“Alfy.” After Alfon lessened the pressure Nina finally pulled herself together.

“What is it Nina?”

“Woman. Found.” 

“Woman? What do you mean?” Alfon questioned while fixing the straps of his backpack.

Nina pointed towards the location his mother had ran off to, the direction where the battle against the giant vinesnapper was taking place.

“Helena. There.”

+

“Sister! Brother! Hubert!” Saphira screamed as an ogre knocked the trio to the ground, the powerful arm of the beast tearing, crushing the poor horse into smithereens. 

"arrAAAAAHHH!" The monster roared in delight. 

Sensing wounded prey, wolvenhils and leafkin stags descended upon the four remaining riders.

“Run my lord!” Raphael, the largest of the knights, got off his steed and confronted the pack, whilst Calidra, a dark skinned woman from Kalsteris, charged forward to assist Hubert.

“My lord, we must leave. Please give the command.” Thalia urged Glyake to make a decision. If they didn’t move soon, they would be sitting ducks for the oncoming monster wave. The heart of the horde held much more fearsome creatures that wouldn’t let them escape with their lives.

They still had a chance of survival.

“I-I...” They had to leave, Glyake knew this. Without a fire mage they were no match for an ogre who could regenerate any damage they could possibly deal to it.

“My lord, we shall stake our lives to rescue the young Gabriel and Belserai. But please,” Thalia pleaded to her liege, “You must run.”

There are decisions you make as a lord and decisions you make as a human. His mentor and adopted father had taught him the weight of such decisions. When he was younger he had scoffed at the thought, thinking there would never be a situation which he couldn’t resolve with words or cunning. He told himself that he would never willingly place himself in a predicament of that nature.

And he laughed at the fools who would.

“Dad, we have to rescue them!” Saphira cried.

“My lord. I beg of you, please leave.” Thalia drew her blade and dismounted, intercepting a wolfvenhil that had strayed from the pack, “You must live.”

But he certainly didn’t feel like laughing now.

With quivering hands Glyake forced himself to grip the reins of his steed, cursing his powerlessness.

“Dad, what are you doing? We need to help them!” Saphira’s accusation left scars on his heart.

But before he would make a decision he would eternally regret.

“Nya, found you.”

 A whirlwind of blood and steel flew past him. The bodies of monsters sliced apart in her wake.

“One, two.”

“Wha-” Thalia stared blankly as the head of the wolvenhil she had been clashing with flew into the air like a paper doll.

“Three.”

“Talis almighty...” Raphael stood, shocked as the pack of beasts he had been holding off was slashed apart in an instant. Made into mincemeat by the steel grinder that was the sword of the beastwoman.

“Four.”

To all who bore witness to the scene, it felt as though the greatsword seemed alive. The fluid motion of the blade appeared like a river that swept away all who were unfortunate enough to be caught in its path.

“Five, six.”

They stared in awe as that crashing river of steel leaped into the air and was brought down against the ten foot tall ogre.

“Seven, eight.”

The ogre roared as its arm was sliced clean off. A shattering bellow that made your ears bleed. The cries of a wounded monster.

“Y-you’re...” Hubert had seen her visage before, but he was regretting in this moment not showing more respect towards her.

The grotesque beast suddenly appeared not nearly as frightening when the catwoman stood before it.

“Wow, eight alive nya. Looks like I made it in time.”