Chapter 78: At the Frontlines (V) Power

Kilian was dragged by the arm, the hand holding him was the commander himself, and the tight fingers gripped deep into his skin.

Kilian's appearance was completely covered in mud and dirt from the evening before, it was cake don his clothes, and his face and hair no longer had a clean golden look to them.

Other knights looked at him with disdain as he was dragged down past many of the tents to the outpost, though some had raised their pitying gazes, their mouths shut closed at the appearance of the commander with him.

"This young Lord wishes to show us the big spiders in the forest, who wish to come with us."

The small jovial tone ended in laughter and several knights just smiled and joined them as they left the outpost, moving over the plain towards the edge of the forest.

Kilian tried to breathe easily, of all the situations he had been in this one was the one where he most needed his strange powers.

He clenched his teeth and started concentrating on feeling the strange power around him like it was a small thin thread combining everything in nature.

The small thread was slowly absorbed by his body, and he felt the tingling sensation at his insides.

'It is not enough.' He sighed as his arm was pulled and his body thrown onto the forest floor.

"So, where are these creatures you spoke of?"

A condescending smile was filling the face of the commander, and Kilian struggled to get on his feet, his legs were still sore from overexerting them during the night before.

None of the knights were surveying the forest around them, and they had barely gone far inside of the tree line.

A scorching dark area was next to them, and Kilian realized it was where the blood from the spider he had sliced had fallen.

He thought back to his travels back to the capital after he had rescued his mother.

There had been areas that had been completely scorched or as if the plant life had suddenly died and withered in an instant.

'Is the blood poisonous?' He thought back on the strange creature with many eyes and legs and a giant body that was more agile than it looked.

'Not surprised if they are.'

A sharp pain hit his shoulder, and a knight next to him hit him with the blunt side of a sword.

"Allow me to get rid of this trash, Commander."

Kilian recognized the man who spoke as the one who had been assigned to train him and the other commoners.

"Are you sure you have not been lazying around too much to swing that thing?"

Kilian simply retorted with a smirk while raising his tired arm to point at the short sword the man had hit him with.

"What…"

The next words were cut off as the commander raised his hand without speaking.

Another short sword was thrown at Kilian's feet.

"Pick it up." The words were full of malice, and Kilian could guess what they were planning.

'Probably some absurd story about me deserting or attacking them.'

Kilian tightened his knuckles and his body was still absorbing the small power around him.

If only he could gather enough, but it was hard to concentrate when he had to keep an eye on these oafs.

His head was feeling pressure and he looked at the rubbish trainer who had now turned against him.

He then felt it, a surging feeling in his insides and his blue eyes stared intently into the other man's eyes.

The only thing Kilian had on his mind was.

"Tear.."

It had been a whisper...

"What," the man stepped closer with a mocking smile

"Tear him apart."

The man didn't respond but came at him with a raised sword.

"Just die worthless Heathgrave."

The rest of the knights and commander had circled them, and Kilian could not step back or avoid the attack.

"Tear."

Kilian felt an almost burning pain in his eyes, as the power accumulated in his body was released all at once, a colorless power that pushed back at the incoming attacker.

The incoming blade was instantly deflected sending it deep into the chest of one of the spectators, and in a fraction of a second the attacking knight was flung backward, his armor ripped open like a can.

The sound of metal falling to the ground rang through the forest, and it then instantly became silent.

There was no sound of laughter, and nobody was moving.

"Commander…what was that."

Red was slowly finding its way out of the cracks of the metal bundle on the ground, and Kilian's head had a sudden splitting headache.

'I used too much force at once.'

He cursed to himself, knowing he still had many more to deal with, and in confusion, picked up the short sword at his feet.

'Two are down.'

He smiled staring at the commander, who was staring back almost afraid to look away.

"You, you are a witch, you are magicless..that was not magic. No incantation.."

The man was now mumbling loudly, trying to convince himself as to what had happened, when one of the other knights charged at Kilian, no longer stunned by what had happened.

'I guess they have trained for battle after all.' He thought, but he was relieved, that his power had finally worked.

'I will get out of this too.'

He confidently thought, seeing as the incoming threats looked slow and sluggish in the world around him.

His senses were sharp and he evaded the attack, moving towards the weakness in their circle where a knight had been pieced by a sword and fallen.

Kilian turned away from the knights and set off, all that his legs could manage.

He ran til his muscles were screaming for him to stop, knowing that if he did the many heavy footsteps behind would instantly catch up with him.

His head was hurting and the power he had accumulated had all been expelled from his body during his attack.

'I need to gather it again, this is so inefficient.'

He had initially been happy finding this latent power within, that was not magic, but something different, but it had proven to be difficult to use, and he had been defenseless in many situations.

His steps became more sluggish and the ground hit him in the face as his leg suddenly gave in.

He breathed in and got on his feet turning to face his pursuers, who didn't stop as he had, and a sword entered his sight.

He threw himself aside landing on the ground again.

'No saving these clothes' he thought, finding it amusing he could think of it in this situation, but he no longer had to wait.

He had at first heard it but now he could see it.

The movement of the forest as if it had come to life.

Many shadows moved closer between the trees, and Kilian looked up to see the horror that had been engraved on the faces of his pursuers.

'They are here.'