Chapter 31

Hidden in the forest, on the other side of the duke’s mansion, laid five robed individuals. All of them looking at the large estate filled with bonfires, tents, and roaming guards.

They’ve been surveying the state of affairs within the place. As they were readying themselves for their mission.

“This is it. Everyone understand the plan?”

Sir Malver Bravesoul, the chosen guide, removes his hood to better see his companions.

All four youths stood up at the ready, nodding in agreement.

“Yes, we go in, find the culprit, and arrest him for his crimes, together with any rebels colliding with them.”

Jack was the one who answered, clenching his fist in a somewhat fighting pose.

They’ve been discussing what to do during the rest of their travel. All of them can’t help but feel the rush of excitement, along with the pinching of nerves from the jitters.

For the two of them, this was the first actual mission they were taking on after being sent to that world.

“Don’t you think we should reassess this? I mean, what if those people were being used?”

Arty continued to twiddle with his fingers, unsure of what they were going to do was right. He found it rather appalling that they would need to attack unsuspecting civilians.

“There is no excuse for betraying the kingdom, no matter who they are.”

Malver was keen to dismiss the thought, throwing a serious and pious look at all four youths, seem they were all giving out that hesitant vibe.

“What about the innocent ones?”

Pedro uttered, but was quick to purse his lips when he heard the warrior hit the tilt of his sword. The two other guys in the group swiftly stood up, moving in front in a sort of defense for their much meeker companions.

Marvel nodded to them before going on ahead. It was as if they all had this secret language between them about what needs to be done.

Once alone, Jack gave Arty a good tap on the shoulder.

“Hey, don’t overthink it. Remember, these are bad people we are fighting against. People who plan on overthrowing the king and causing problems for the kingdom.”

He smiles at his friend in a reassuring manner.

“Yeah, if we defeat the boss from the start, we don’t need to fight the others.”

Marco added, throwing the same gesture.

Arty and Pedro ended up looking at each other with worried looks. The doubts in their minds were results of their own observation.

From where they were, all they could see were weak, helpless people camping out in the mansion. There were soldiers, but there were quite a few of them, roaming around the area.

But in the end, they said nothing, forced to tag along with their friends, as they began making their way to the place.

With so few scouts, and mostly all the guards gathered inside the mansion, getting close became a breeze for all five of them.

Once they were near the gate, the others got to their positions. The three main fighters stood up front while the two support went behind.

Marvel looks at Pedro, signaling him to begin. With a deep sigh, he chants, raising his staff towards the large, metallic gates.

A pentagram formed above his weapon when words began coming out of his mouth. And after a few murmurs, he takes in another breath, gathering enough amount of energy in it.

“Fire missiles.”

He says with a weak and lethargic tone, but still made quite a blast, sending sharp shards of flames straight to its target.

A ripple of wind followed the earth shaking sound it created, and the minute the smoke rose to the sky, they took that chance. All five of them charge for the entrance.

Marvel headed the group but was quick to pause after passing through, when he sense the odd and eerie sensation crawling up his skin the moment they stepped into the enemy grounds.

“Why did we stop?”

Jack hissed, having his adrenaline forced into a halt when he was already preparing to draw his sword.

Even the others were caught off guard, nearly losing their foothold from almost bumping into one another.

“Something’s not right. It’s too quiet.”

Marvel’s eyes squinted, trying to get acquainted through the fog of dirt covering them.

It was only that time everyone realize it too. The atmosphere didn’t fit well after their entry. Especially considering there were a lot of women and children there.

They were quick to form a defensive formation, protecting each other’s back while they try to make sense of what was happening.

A few moments more and the dirt finally subsided, clearing their view of the entire field. All of them ended up in a frown the minute they got a good glimpse of the surrounding.

“What’s going on?”

Pedro couldn’t help but shake, clasping tighter on his staff in fear he’d made a mistake in uttering the spell with such a lack of conviction.

“Did we do something wrong?”

Arty too was trembling because of the fright and guilt gripping onto him.

Many laid on the ground, twisting, rolling, and clawing the earth they were on. Their eyes were veiny, almost popping, their mouths foaming.

Every single person in the place seems to writhe in agony, but what truly got them worried was the purplish smoke their bodies released.

“I doubt we caused of all this.”

Jack quickly shrugs off the idea, seeing the worry and terror from his friends.

From his point of view, it looks like the people were poisoned or worst.

“Look over there!”

Marco pointed to one person who stood out among the rest.

It was a hooded individual wobbling towards them. The energy he gave off was more powerful than the others, emitting a greater amount of purplish smog that scattered throughout the place.

“Everyone, be on your guard!”

Marvel shouts, noticing the sudden change in the person’s movement.

From its upright position, it jerked to the side, then crouched, growling upon seeing their lot. Its joint seemed abnormal, bending in such an impossible manner it terrified all of them.

“Dodge!”

Jack snaps in instinct, perceiving the motion of its body.

In an instant, the hooded being dashed towards them, crawling in such a way it reminded him of those ghosts from the horror movies.

“Watch out, you guys!”

Marco screams aloud in sheer panic, glancing at their two companions who got stuck in place.

Both ended up frozen, with Pedro grabbing hold and hiding behind Arty, who shakily kept his staff upfront. They could not move from terror upon seeing how the being moved, along with the sudden weight of the tension.

Malver already had his sword out. Jack had to shift himself, while Marco nearly fell from turning around. Yet all of them seemed to act so slowly, even if they were trying to put all their strength and energy into it.

The unknown being was but meters away from the two, hands reaching out into a grab, its nails extending and becoming sharper.

Arty had stopped midway through his defensive spell, tearing up from the seeing how close the creature got in such a short amount of time. His words faltered at the last second before he can finish, and it left Pedro falling to his knees, screaming in utter fear from the sight. Both ended up with no choice but to brace themselves for what was to come.