6 The War of Salvation Part I

Neutral Territory: The Grand Encampment of the Army of Salvation, the 17th Sword Century

It had been a few months since the declaration of war began but the fighting showed no sign of stopping and in fact grew steadily at an alarming rate. The initial call to arms was answered by the greatest adventurers and the most steadfast of knights and while a few were distinguished in battle, more found themselves crippled or dead.

In the far corner of the grand encampment, a man in bloodied armor rested his tired body against a wall.

The encampment was rampant with movement as knights and soldiers ran around doing their own tasks but around Arthur, there was only silence.

He had a bloodied face and his left arm was mangled.

Arthur chuckled to himself as he remembered the battle that led to his current state.

14 Hours Ago

The brigand was in the middle of a military operation. His mission was to scout the army's route ahead and to secure waypoints for the Second Cavalry who were planning a pincer operation so they could catch the enemy's supply caravan unaware.

The brigand was terribly skilled at espionage and he seemed to be an adept at blending into his surroundings, as well as into sneaking into hostile territory and coming back unharmed. It was only natural as he had survived this long precisely because of his talent as a ranger and as a scout.

"Right now, I am approximately 30 kilometers into the demon's territory." The brigand stated as a matter of fact. "I am inside the forest of luminescence and directly behind me is a dwelling of Orcs."

The brigand picked up a map and furrowed his brows. Quite frankly he was in deep shit.

"I am surrounded on all sides and I am running low on supplies."

Arthur started to miss Artesia.

"If she were here, she could clear up a path while I clean up the stragglers."

But the fact of the matter is that Arthur was alone behind enemy lines and Artesia was fulfilling her duties as royalty.

"The Forest of Luminescence" The brigand mused to himself. "Fire is strictly an inviolable restriction in this domain."

The main reason for that statement were the endless white trees that gave the forest its distinctive name. These trees were one of the main components of explosives – white phosphor.

It was strictly banned in war but it was used to raze hard to burn elder trees as well as in mining and the main reason for it is the volatile nature of the material.

Even the act of "cutting" a white tree is considered suicidal as any friction or any contact air can lead to a spontaneous combustion that could trigger an explosion that could bring the Forest of Luminescence and its surrounding areas into kingdom come.

The safest way to gather materials from the white tree is to use frost magic to encase it in ice and to carry it to a processing center. It was a terribly arduous process but a necessary one for a few industries to prosper.

Arthur smiled wryly at the idea of spontaneously exploding because he accidentally pissed on a white tree.

Despite being a forest, the Forest of Luminescence was devoid of all life because even animals and demonic creatures knew to fear the power of a white tree.

The brigand stood up and continued his mission.

The forest was filled with many magical sights such as an eerie expanse of white trees that never seemed to end and a complete void of silence that seemed to consume sound itself.

It took a tremendous amount of willpower to withstand such a deafening silence and it was obviously taking a toll on Arthur because he had to keep his other senses up as sound is essentially an empty concept in the forest of luminescence.

"I can't even hear myself think."

Arthur maneuvered nimbly as he climbed a small hill. He had light clothes on which were perfect for scouting but his backpack was quite a burden on him. If it was just his supplies then it would be the perfect weight but the commander in charge of the operation made him carry a few books that needed to be delivered to the Second Cavalry after the mission.

The books were at least 30 kilograms and were bundled tightly together sealed with protection magic. It made one part of the backpack extremely heavy and it was a burden for Arthur as he had to wear it for a prolonged period of time.

Upon reaching a clearing, Arthur hid himself behind a tree.

"I am more or less near the East exit and if I make a mistake I might run into enemy scouts." Arthur took a short sip from his canteen. "If an advanced scouting party runs into me, I can take care of them one by one with guerilla tactics but if I run into the enemy vanguard then it's all over."

A sense of urgency and dread filled Arthur's heart but he steeled himself as he reapplied basic optical magic on his clothes.

It was a type of magic that wasn't anything special but it did reflect light which practically made him invisible. The only problem was that if someone were to take a careful look at him, they would notice the magical fluctuations and they could easily just shoot him with a crossbow and kill him on the spot.

It wasn't a completely risk-free magic but at this point anything is better than nothing – and Arthur was extremely skilled at utilizing the simplest spells and tactics that no one else would bother learning about.

Arthur continued sticking to the shadows as he inched closer and closer to the East exit of the forest of luminescence.

As he approached the middle-point between the forest and the exit, he saw signs of battle scattered throughout the small mouth of the forest's exit.

Arthur lowered his body and used his hands to feel the trampled ground.

"Heavily armored infantry. Likely a knight due to the ostentatious groves on the boots."

Arthur scanned the area with his eyes and made a note of the marks left by the swords and the blood on the ground.

"Roughly 12 armored knights in combat with some sort of non-combat support unit." Arthur clicked his tongue as he realized what was happening. "Why the fuck is the Second Cavalry all the way here?"

Arthur picked himself up and dashed towards the East exit. It wouldn't be hard to find them as the signs of battle were extremely fresh but he had to be careful not to attract too much attention because unlike the knights, he isn't geared for battle and he was already reaching his limits due to his prolonged stay in the forest of luminescence.

Arthur kept running and he could feel his breath slowly burden his lungs. His legs started to whine in pain and his body ached but he kept running.

The brigand wiped his eyes with his arms as the sweat started to irritate his eyes but he didn't let up not even for a moment.

As he reached mouth of the forest, he saw Knights of the Second Cavalry standing over the bodies of dryads who were stripped naked and were covered in bruises and cuts. They weren't dead but they weren't long for the world either.

"Oh. What are you doing here scout? Did you want some too?"

Upon hearing the cocky voice, Arthur turned to the man's direction as the men around him sneered and showed lewd expressions on their frantic looking faces.

The man who spoke with Arthur was clearly their leader. He was tall and had an imposing physique. He had muscles that threatened to rip through his chainmail and he seemed to be extremely solid looking.

The worst part about his appearance however is that his manhood was exposed.

"What are you doing here? You were supposed to be at the other end of this forest killing the orcs!" Arthur was incensed. He realized what the Knight Leader was doing. He was forcing himself upon the defenseless dryad.

Arthur didn't really care about what they were doing but their dereliction of duty made his mission nearly impossible and if they were discovered by the enemy vanguard – it was obvious they would be in deep trouble.

"Well my men and I heard that there were beautiful dryad healers among the enemy ranks who were traversing the forest so we followed them in." the muscular knight laughed "It was really easy and they didn't put up much of a fight."

The knight spat and kicked the stomach of the dryad nearest to him. The dryad instantly vomited a mixture of gastric juices and blood and showed a hostile look at the muscular knight.

"I was in the middle of feeding her with my big stick but she wouldn't open her mouth." The knight leader showed a huge shit eating grind and added "I was supposed to beat her teeth out but that's when you came in."

Arthur already knew what they were trying to do. It was obvious at a glance and it wasn't something he wanted to be a part of. He scratched his head in irritation and said, "All this so you could vent your lust? Couldn't you have used the 'relief units' back in the base? They cost some money but I hear they're high quality whores."

Arthur walked towards the Knight Leader who was at least a head taller than him only stopping as he reached at least a foot away from him.

"Stop thinking with your 'big stick' and get back to work." Arthur scoffed with derision and he knew it wasn't even big by normal standards.

Sensing Arthur's mocking thoughts, the Knight Leader grew incensed but he controlled himself at the last second.

"Fine, kid. I'll just fuck a whore and think of her as the princess. That would at least make it more interesting."

The remaining 11 men guffawed seemingly unaware of their surroundings or their location.

Arthur didn't let the knight leader get in his head. It wasn't a secret that he was good friends with Artesia but he didn't need to defend her. She was a strong and powerful war mage. Even a million of these stupid knights aren't enough to make up for one of her.

"At least make it worth her while then – it isn't becoming for a gentleman to leave a lady wanting after all." Arthur simply took it in stride and threw in a sharp remark.

"I'll remember this, kid." The knight leader gestured to his party members and they re-entered the forest.

After confirming the knights' departure, Arthur finally turned his attention to the dryads. They were a mystical race of forest nymphs who were close to nature. Aside from stewardship of the forests, they were also adept healers. They were also an all-female race and each one of them was incredibly beautiful.

The dryad who got kicked in the stomach slowly raised her body to look at Arthur. Her breasts were neither too big or too small but they were just right and Arthur couldn't help but think that they'd be perfectly fitted for his hands. Of course, this was just a physiological impulse that he didn't even consider acting upon.

"Why did you save us? You could have just joined them and ravaged us like the beasts that you humans are." The dryad asked in her soft but powerful voice.

"Who said I was a human?"

"So, you aren't a human?" asked the dryad.

"I actually am a human." Chuckled Arthur in his raspy voice.

The dryad opened its eyes as if just realizing that she was being toyed with. "I normally would not even bother with someone like you but you did save us so thank you." She bowed her head in gratitude but Arthur could feel a cold aura seeping off of her. "If he had forced me to put that thing in my mouth I would have bitten it off.

The dryad made a cutting gesture with her fingers and smiled to herself. "If he had forced it inside of me, my lower mouth would have bitten it off too."

Now what everyone needs to remember about Arthur is that he isn't shaken by most things but as someone uneducated about the ways of the world, he was surprised. "Teeth?"

The dryad looked at the brigand and sighed. "Why do you humans assume that we would have the same physiological features as you? Just because we look like humans? In the first place the term demihuman is degrading as we are not based off of you, we were based off of the image of the Gods!"

Feeling a long lecture coming, Arthur shook his head and raised his two arms in surrender. "Okay, I was just curious. I'm sorry."

Feeling pressed for time, Arthur's usual coldness returned to his eyes. "Regardless of your ability to defend yourselves, I still saved you. I made a few more enemies so I think you owe me even just a little. Let's even the scales. Just tell me about the locale. Here's a map. Mark areas of interest and areas of danger."

Arthur unfurled the worn-out map and laid it in front of the still-naked dryad. Her fellow people were checking on one another and tending to their wounds.

'As expected of a medical unit' Arthur mused to himself. 'They were on the brink of death a few moments ago but now they're good as new.'

The dryads were extremely adept at healing magic and if the humans had that kind of power on their side, they would be able to lead an unstoppable march razing all in their path.

Arthur shook his head at the thought.

The dryad looked at Arthur seemingly deciding to think whether or not the handsome but cold looking man is someone worth trusting. Of course, the correct answer was no as their species were in a war of attrition and while humans are generally weak, there are a few exceptional ones among them. This one is special even among the special humans.

"You." The dryad gestured to Arthur. "Why don't you leave the humans and come with us? The Empress would treat you well. A talent like you will be well-compensated."

The dryad shrugged "And the Empress is a beauty herself. Wouldn't you want to work under her instead of a smelly old man?"

Arthur shook his head. "I can't. I have someone special to me back home. I cannot leave her and I have a mission. The creature you call Empress is a creature of darkness. She is the demon queen."

Arthur stared at the dryad's eyes and continued, "...and I must slay her myself."

The dryad looked at Arthur as if he was stupid. "What manner of thinking do humans possess? What sin did her majesty commit? She has never left her domain and despite all of that power she has never led a charge or attack against you lot."

Arthur scoffed and countered, "What is your empress called?"

The dryad looked at Arthur and smiled. "This lowly one cannot utter her name. I am not worthy." She chuckled at his tense jaw and added, "no one is."

Arthur pulled the dryad in closer and when their noses were just about to touch, he stopped. He cupped her chin with his fingers and raised her line of sight to meet his eyes.

The dryad felt her heart pumping blood faster than normal. Her cheeks felt hot and her body felt electricity running through her veins. Her breath sped up and her eyes were starting to shake.

'This is no charm magic. This man is just that charming! But I can't turn away. I can't disobey.' The dryad licked her lips that felt dry and wanting.

Arthur looked into her eyes with intensity and said with gravitas "Your Demon Queen is called Alagarasi and she..."

The dryad could feel Arthur's grip on her face slowly tightening with each word.

"killed"

The dryad started to feel pain as Arthur's face contorted in anger.

"the love"

The dryad felt that her life was in danger but any movement could set the lunatic in front of her off.

"of my life..."

Arthur gently pushed the dryad back as he let her face go.

Silence permeated the east entrance of the forest of luminescence. The pin dropping at this very moment could possibly make the people present deaf as the silence was too sudden and it felt obtrusive.

How could it not be? How would you feel if your God's name was laid out in the open with such contempt and coldness that could cause even a seasoned killer to shake in fear?

The dryads are naturally close to nature and they could feel minute changes in the atmosphere, specifically where emotions and magic power are concerned.

"Who are you?" the dryad asked. Her charmed state completely obliterated by the fear she was experiencing. Staring into Arthur's cold and lifeless eyes felt like staring into an abyss. Stare too long and it could consume her very soul – at least that's how the dryad felt.

"I am the one who would slay a God – your false ruler will face the sharp end of my blade and if I cannot punish her on behalf of the heavens then I will punish her on behalf of my lover whose name she has stolen."

In one quick motion, Arthur threw one of his knives at the neck of one of the dryads who were being treated.

"Wai-!"

The knife was too swift and too violent. It pierced the neck of the nearby dryad without any resistance.

"Now look at the map and mark out any areas of interest or danger." Arthur stared into the dryad's eyes. "I will not ask again."