Miron and Faddim

"Kalgar!" I screamed in our language, ignoring the humans who chased me, I ran towards him not minding the fireballs and spear tips that shave my skin.

"You maniac!" He shouted. "What are you doing?!"

"This is the forest of the forged!" I answered.

His eyes widened. "Damn…" He whispered as he gulped.

"Get Ivy and Iris!" I commanded, turning to get to Illgar who is probably having the time of his life.

"Illgar! Let's leave!"

"NO.ILLGAR.STAY."

Ugh, this is why he does not bring you out.

"This is the forest of the forged! Do you want to go through that again?"

He stayed silent. Then ran towards me, holding me in his arms as he jumped towards Kalgar atop a tall tree.

Iris and Ivy was there, leaning on a tree. Iris is sleeping on Ivy's shoulder, covered with mortal wounds. I started preparing for departure while Kalgar and Illar repelled the chasing humans and the attacks from below.

After a while, a ball of air surrounded us, shielding us from physical and magic attacks. Until an axe appeared inside, held by a huge man in huge armor. It penetrated my magic… What strength…

Then, with all my mana, I launched my ball upwards at the speed of sound, leaving the humans at the forest.

With the disappearance of the group, the humans grouped themselves.

"Casualties?" A man wielding a huge axe asked.

"More than half of us, Sire Miron." a mage bowed.

"Hmmm trivial, and the otherworlders?"

"Two got eaten, one turned to an undead, and the last one got beheaded."

"Ignorant bastards." He snarled. "Go, split and continue the search for the heart."

"Shouldn't we just retreat, Sire?" The mage refuted. "It's almost night and…"

"And?"

"The Forged wakes up at night…"

"Forged?!" Miron growled, drawing his face closer to the mage. "I.Will.Cut.Them.Up."

"O-okay, sire."

"Split up!" He shouted, pointing his axe at the sky. Then, without even waiting for a minute, the remaining soldiers grouped themselves before splitting up.

Until one of the trees seemingly melted and a dark creature, adoring a long horn and glowing undersides emerged from them, snarling at the alerted humans. Its sharp tail and four devious claws glowing under the shade of the trees.

Miron leapt forward, slashing down his great axe with all his force, culling down the head of the creature by its long neck, splashing the molten metals circulating inside it.

"Sire! What strength!" One golden armored knight exclaimed.

"But of course, these creatures are no match for me." He boasted while cutting down another Forged that emerged from another tree.

The Forged's numbers rose exponentially. And eventually, Miron retreated towards the front of the shieldbearers who surrounded the spearmen that peeked their lances between the shields and the mages that constantly casted different elements, forming a wall of thorns.

Suddenly, a Forged multiple times bigger than the other ones came out of a tree. It's two long horns shone under the setting sun. "That won't protect you, humans." A thin voice of a male came from him.

Taken aback, Miron asked, "May I ask your name?"

"It is Faddim, human." The creature spoke

"Are you their King?" Miron spoke.

"I am, and are you the same?"

Miron laughed, "I am but a Knight, not a King… But I slay Kings and bathe in their golden blood," He growled, sliding his axe along his neck.

Faddim slowly approached Miron and his company, the humans barely reaching the creature's neck.

"Human, I blossom in carnage, like a flower in the dawn, " the King growled.

As the forest fell into complete darkness, the knights could see a glow coming from the King. It grew brighter with each passing second as the forest grew darker. The light lit up the King's immediate surroundings. The knights standing behind the shieldbearers were left in pitch black.

Miron charged, holding his axe in the air as he leapt, aiming for the King's head. Faddim suddenly glowed, releasing a wave of flames that pushed Miron away, slamming him to a tree.

"If you want to live, leave now, human." Faddim growled. "The forest heart does not desire more bloodshed."

The remaining Forged closed in on the knights in the darkness. All the knights could see was the glow of their eyes; hundreds of lights that make their way through the trees.

Miron's face twisted. His grip tightened around the shaft of the axe and charged at Faddim once again, "DO YOU TAKE ME FOR A COWARD?!" he screamed as he flew out of the darkness.2

"Survival is not cowardice, human."

As Miron neared Faddim, something in his right hand sparked. The head knight could feel power flow through his arm. He took a deep breath, raising the axe in his left high above his head. He disappeared.

He began to heat up once more. This time, his tail moves into an upright position. It seemed to harden into a steel spike.

Miron appeared behind Faddim. Both hands were on his axe now. As he swung his axe down at Faddim's neck, lightning crackled into existence, sparking against the blade.

Faddim roared and huge spikes came out from the ground towards Miron, together with the king lashing out his tail. The cackling of lightning that surrounded the knight strengthened before he disappeared again.

The King grumbled before raising his claws and waving them at the sky, creating thousands of metal balls.

Miron appeared again but this time, he stood in front of his men, his other hand on his axe and the other surrounded by lightning that formed a fang. Faddim roared, making the thousands of metal balls suddenly fly towards the humans.

Miron screamed and held his lightning-imbued hands on his axe, lighting up the axe with a blue luster as lightning coiled around it like snakes.

The metal balls penetrated the shields, slowly killing and cleaning the screaming humans up like waves that smoothened the sand. Meanwhile, the smaller forged approached them, the humans put up a petty struggle but to no avail, their bodies would slowly melt from the inside by the forged's venom

The thunder around Miron grew stronger, imitating the roars of mighty beasts as Miron watched his men die.

Miron heaved his axe at Faddir and a huge, sharp wave of lightning followed. Then, Miron leapt forward, his axe raised above his shoulder

"[Pestiima]!" Miron casted, creating a thick layer of fire that surrounded his axe.

"I shall honor you, human." Faddir spoke. Before raising his two claws now exponentially bigger than what it was and coiling his tail that adorned a spike four times bigger than Miron.

Faddir received the wave of lightning with his body, cutting up his abdomen, pouring out molten metal as lightning coursed on his steel body.

The king then moved, penetrating Miron's body with his tail and claws, putting an end to the knight's futile fight.

After an hour, the forged ate the humans to the point that even I would wonder where they went.

Then, Faddir went to the biggest tree in the center of the huge forest.

There, he entered a huge arch that led him to a long hallway. The hallway's walls were filled with veins of ores, glistening leaves and flowers, vines and branches that are akin to thick metal wires and roots as thick as a person.

"The demihumans?" A child's voice resonated from inside the long halls below the tree.

Hearing the voice, Faddir lowered himself then replied, "They escaped, My Lord."

"Unfortunate." The voice came out again. Faddir stared straight while slowly walked along the luminous hallway.

"I have encountered them in the past." Faddir replied, slowly entering the chamber at the end of the hallway.

"Oh? Who are they?" Asked a child with a gray body, fleeting like smoke.

"Demon Lord Abies' subordinates."

"I see, good job Faddim." The child remarked as he picked up a leaf that became a sharp blade as he touched it.