Chapter 39: Chapter 3
In the night sky, above the city of Faltra.
Falco flew over the city, the night sky obscuring its body. He carried a pouch in his claws nearly twice his size. Normally, he would be unable to carry something this heavy, but his master had fed him a strengthening potion, so it wasn’t a problem.
He looked down, surveying the city and looking for the locations his master had previously ordered. Spotting his first target, he flew to stand above the spot and used his beak to pick up one of the bags and throw them, causing them to burst against the roofs or the ground. A colorless mist began to spread, before all hell broke loose.
“Die!” Random crazed 1.
“Motherfucker!” Random crazed 2.
“Die all of you!” Random crazed 3.
In a matter of seconds, all the people who came into contact with the fog began to turn red eyes, before furiously attacking anyone in front of them. People started killing each other as Falco flew towards the next destination. He flew to all the places where he saw a large number of people gathered and spread the fog, driving people crazy.
.....
Athos had created this alchemical powder using parts of a monster called a two-faced monkey. He looked like a 1,50-meter white monkey when he was calm, but when he was angry, his size doubled, as well as his physical strength and he would attack anything he saw in front of him, even others of his kind. It was a weak monster on its own, but a headache to deal with when grouped together.
In less than 30 minutes, pandemonium broke out in the city of Faltra. Parents killed their children, children killed their brothers, while the crazed invaded the homes of those still healthy and killed entire families. Flames began to rise throughout the city as bodies piled up everywhere.
The crazed ones ignored the borders imposed by the gangs, while the bandits and guards temporarily stopped their fight and tried desperately to stop their advance. The only place that was not hit was the prime area of the city. Falco had deliberately left this area untouched on his master’s orders. Athos wanted the pleasure of terrorizing the Baron.
The guard post was in the prime area and the guards reacted, blocking the streets and barricading them, preventing the maddened from advancing. The situation was temporarily brought under control, but that was not enough to calm the baron’s temper. Most of the city’s wealthy merchants had gathered outside the gate, seeking protection from the personal guard, but the baron forbade anyone to enter.
He watched in despair from the balcony of his mansion, watching the city burn and hearing the screams of pain despite the distance from the conflict. He felt despair and confusion fill his mind, fear causing his bladder to loosen and he almost pissed himself in his pants. But the worst came later.
BOOOMMM!!!!
An explosion occurred at one of the blockages, sending guards and maddened into the air. The windows of the surrounding houses were shattered by the shock wave, and the earth shook as if an earthquake had struck.
Black smoke rose from the explosion site, while the sounds suddenly stopped. Whether the baron, the guards or the merchants, they all watched in shock as their first line of defense was shattered.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps was heard through the smoke. Despite the curses, screams of pain and sounds of destruction, the sound of footsteps echoed audibly among the survivors. Two bright red lights appeared through the smoke, and soon a silhouette became visible.
The figure came out of the smoke with slow steps, as if enjoying the show. He was dressed in black plate armor, with red flames shooting out of the slits in the armor every time he moved. In his left hand he carried a red shield with a circular blade on the edge, and in his right hand a silvery sword, stained with so much blood that the blade was almost unrecognizable.
He swung his sword in a simple motion, but it generated a gust of wind that swept away all the smoke and debris from the place, making a clear path between him and the mansion. Like prey in front of a predator, people could only shiver in silence before the black knight for fear that the slightest sound would draw his attention to themselves.
An awkward silence hung over the place, until one of the men in front of the gate couldn’t take the pressure any longer and started screaming.
“Open the gate and let me in!! Open this shit up!!” He began to scream desperately as he clung to the gates.
As if the man’s cry of despair was a sign, people snapped out of their stupor and began to run wildly towards the gates, running over each other in an attempt to get a second faster.
The black knight also began to walk slowly, each step he took echoing through the place and only serving to increase the panic.
“Stop him!!! Don’t let him near the gates!!!” The baron shouted orders to his personal guards from the second-floor balcony, completely terrified. He ran inside the mansion, going for his hidden trump card.
The personal guard leader who was next to him nodded. He jumped from the second floor balcony and ordered his subordinates. “All guards, in their positions! We can’t allow him to approach the mansion!”
The guards hesitated for a moment, but still followed their orders. Archers climbed onto the roof and positioned themselves, while guards armed with shields came out of the gates, pushing people out of the way. They positioned themselves with shield bearers in front and swordsmen and spearmen behind.
Their numbers added up to more than 50, but they didn’t feel confident.
The merchants took their cue and ran inside the mansion, but the guards weren’t free to worry about them.
All their focus was on the knight who was slowly approaching them. As if sensing that the guards’ preparations were ready, he began to accelerate, his steps slowly turning into a run, until he moved so fast that the guards had trouble keeping up with his movements.
His footsteps left fiery footprints wherever he passed, as the captain measured the growing distance between them.
50 meters-
The archers stretched their bowstrings to the limit, just waiting for their superior’s order.
40 meters-
The knight raised his shield in front of his body, ready to charge. The shield caught fire, while a blade of wind formed on the edge of the shield’s edge before it began to spin at high speed, sucking the flames into a spiral of fire.
30 meters-
“Body of bronze!” The front-line guards yelled in unison, activating the skill in preparation for impact.
20 meters-
“Shoot!” The captain shouted and the archers fired arrows at the knight with different skills. Unfortunately for the guards, the spiral created by the fire spiral generated a vacuum of wind that distorted the direction of the arrows, leaving the knight unharmed.
10 meters-
“Maximum Drilling!” The personal guard leader activated the ability from behind the first line, holding a bluish spear, ready to stab the knight as soon as he came into range.
“Hold on tight!” The shield bearers gulped and clutched their shields tightly, seeing what appeared to be a spiraling flame meteor approaching them.
1 meter-
“Meteor Charge!” The knight gave a guttural cry, activating an ability mixed with magic. The flames and spiraling wind blade built up in the center of the shield, causing an explosion upon impact.
An explosion happened just as the shields collided, sending half of the front line flying in the shock wave, along with the spear-wielding guards behind them. Burnt bodies were sent flying before crashing hard against the stone floor, as people screamed in terror as their line of defense was run over without resistance.
The knight didn’t stop immediately and walked a few more meters before turning to see the trail of destruction behind him. He sneered at the fallen guards and the terrified guards still standing.
“Weak. You are all weak-” The knight started to mock them, but a pillar of white light descended from the sky, completely swallowing his figure.