Chapter 200: kids
A laugh split out from the direction of the forest as the warriors all hurried to get themselves prepared. Blac and the Captains barked orders, and the warriors managed to drop what they were doing and free themselves from shock so that they lifted their shields and formed a defensive wall.
Another two arrows wooshed through so fast the warriors couldn’t track them as they slammed into their metal shields and tore through them like paper. Blood gushed, and two warriors fell.
A laughing, mocking voice said, "Ahhh! See them! They are like little bunnies that don’t even know when the jaws of the predator are around them!"
Another replied, a woman this time. "They’re so scared, but see the way they hold on to their weapons. Cute of them, I’ll say."
Fear rolled among the warriors. Three of them killed, just like that? They looked towards their masters and saw that they hadn’t moved from their place. Only Alex was standing, and he was just looking towards the sound of the voice with curiosity.
Five people clad in dark green armor rode outside on horned mounts. They were like goats but far bigger, with dull yellow eyes. The five people rode them with grace as they controlled them forward with a simple tap of their legs.
The lead man stopped a few feet from the warriors and looked at them flatly. "So you are the next dead men walking we have to make sure are dead. Honestly, why are you guys so obsessed with coming here? You know you’ll die, right? Either from the monsters or from us."
Blac stepped forward and bowed. "Great warriors, can we know who you are?"
The woman snorted. She’s also the one with the bow that’s as tall as she is, but the thing is that there’s no arrow. Yet when she lifted it and pointed it at him, a gleaming metal arrow appeared. "Is this a joke? You don’t even know who we are? Why are you wasting your time on these trash, Rik? Just kill them!"
Rik, who’s apparently the leader, raised his hand until his teammate was silent, then he turned to Blac. "We are one of the patrols that stop anyone from coming here."
"But we’ve not entered the forest," Blac pointed out.
Rik shook his head. "It matters not. You have intentions of entering, no? Then we will kill you. It’s the rules. The fact that you came here at all means death, so!"
Blac swallowed. He felt their power, and if there were only one of them, then maybe he’d have the upper hand, but five? And with their enchanted tools? There’s no hope he could handle this alone. So he turned back and made eye contact with Azaroth.
Rik continued in that calm voice of his. "Who’s the leader here? To bring this many warriors here. This will be a first. Are you the one? You are also an Initiate-level."
Blac jumped back with a grimace. "No, no, no. I’m not the leader of the warriors. They are!"
He pointed backwards, and the row of warriors peeled back to reveal the leaders. Azaroth and the others were still sitting on a collapsed tent while they waited for the camp to be set up, and they were still there, blinking at the five-man patrol team.
Rik and his team froze, then they began to laugh, a full-bellied laughter that rolled between them, the only sound in the now quickly darkening surroundings.
Then the leader stopped laughing and was immediately in front of Blac, looming over him while his eyes flashed with danger in the form of a brown glow that lit up his face. "Do you take me for a fool? I know who you are now, Blac of the Shadow! So you’ve finally planned out your revolt after your bitter defeat!"
Blac looked at the man helplessly and then back at his masters and said truthfully, "But it’s the truth. They lead this warrior band."
Rik only got angrier, and the glow in his eyes sharpened, blasting out heat and light that made the temperature rise. He bit his words out as if he were chewing something hard. "Those children? They should be picking fruit or learning how the essence works! Why do you bring them to their deaths?"
"Maybe it’s part of his plans, to raise them from the monster essence he harvests here!" one of his team called out.
"At least they’ll be more interesting kills than the monsters we’ve been hunting since. Let’s take our time." The woman sounded as if she couldn’t wait to get her hands colored with blood.
Rik straightened. "You are the most powerful one here, Blac. You should have just agreed to work for the First Leader like us. Then you won’t..."
Rik continued to talk to Blac. Meanwhile, Alex walked towards Azaroth and the others as if this was the most usual thing to ever happen to them today. He crouched among them and pointed with his thumb. "Hey guys, should we kill them now? They might really hurt Blac. I care less about the bastard, but they shouldn’t touch something we’re ruling over like that!"
His voice was so loud everyone heard him. Rik was shocked into silence, and his attention focused on them like a beam. "What?"
He wasn’t the only one. His team bristled as well. Shock and confusion were displayed on their faces. Kill them? By children who were not even up to their height.
Blac breathed a sigh of relief.
"You... you kids!" Rik sputtered in anger, and his face turned even more rigid. His eyes brightened, and his whole face was now filled with light. With a roar, he took his essence pressure and slammed it at them.
Almost like a physical thing, all the warriors on the way were shoved aside and fell as the pressure brushed them away. Then, like a blanket made of metal, it unfurled above Azaroth and his team and then slammed down!
