Word of Mira's miraculous healing spread quickly. Soldiers who had been on the brink of death stood again, their weapons clutched tightly as they returned to the fight. The infirmary that was filled with people holding on to dear life, now saw warriors leaving with their weapons in hand.
When she stepped outside, her magic unconsciously stretched out, healing all those it came in contact with. Soon, she was out of energy, and the brilliant glow surrounding her faded. She collapsed onto a nearby bench, her entire body ached, even then, the sight of the soldiers she had saved filled her with a deep sense of accomplishment.
One of the orc healers approached her soon after, rushing t her side while accompanied by others. "Mira, are you okay?" She asked.
"I'm fine," Mira said, offering her a tired smile. "Just… tired."
The orc knelt beside her, her expression filled with gratitude. "You've done more than anyone could have asked. You saved countless lives today."
Mira leaned against her, as she felt even more out of energy suddenly, her exhaustion finally catching up with her. "I just… didn't want to lose anyone."
"You didn't," the orc said softly, wrapping an arm around her to help her up and towards the infirmary to rest. "Because of you, we're still standing."
Mira smiled, then finally, she lost consciousness, and those around all lent their support, bringing her to the infirmary to rest.
…
The fight continued, the coalition's army fighting fiercely against the hoard of demons that didn't seem to ever slow down. Aelyndra's presence contributed greatly, as with her magic, she cleared hue portions of the demons each time she made an attack. Soon enough, they had taken care of all the demons threatening their settlement. As for the rest, there was no need to give chase.
Apart from the crackling of fire and chatter amongst the warriors, the battlefield was silent now. There were several dead bodies scattered across the forest, a grim reminder of the price they had paid, but even then, their sacrifices would not be forgotten. As always, a team worked to retrieve these bodies back towards the goblin settlement.
Despite Lance's strategic planning and the unity of the coalition army, many lives had been lost. The goblins, orcs, and beastkin all bore the weight of their fallen comrades. Even though it was a natural outcome of war, it was no less pain to lose one of theirs.
Ruzak stood beside the bodies of his warriors, his mane swaying with the slow wind, his face though appearing almost calm, was etched with grief. "They fought well," he said, his deep voice holding firm.
Lance didn't need to console him as he mourned his people, he had dealt with a lot in such a short time after all. Lance found a quiet moment to himself. He climbed a small hill overlooking the battlefield, his sword planted in the ground beside him as his thoughts strayed.
Out of thin air, Lance felt a presence beside him, reacting through instinct without even realizing it, he drew his sword from the ground and swung it towards the intruder, but his blade was stopped before it went too far… He abandoned his sword immediately, pulling out his daggers instead, but once he got a good look at who it was, he relaxed slightly.
"Hmm? What brings you here?" Lance asked. Before him, holding his sword, was Haos. He appeared to be nonchalant and unprovoked.
"Nice reflexes, you're better than most I assure you." Haos said, tossing back Lance's sword to him. "Your people fought well against an impossible battle." He said.
Read lat𝙚st chapters at fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓ Only.
Lance returned his daggers and caught his sword in a fluid motion, returning it to its sheathe. "If you watched the entire thing, then you'd praise the dragon. Without it, we would have lost even more than we did."
"Realistic."
Even though he could tell that the man before him was far stronger than he was, Lance didn't relax his stance, despite appearing welcoming, he was at the ready to pull out his sword at any time. Haos noticed this of course and questioned his hospitality, but Lance was quick to point out how their last encounter ended with him and his people being attacked some days later.
Haos laughed it off, assuring him that his visit was nothing like that this time. He then went on to inform him about the situation in the battle against the demon lord. Surprisingly, Lance was not so shocked. Perhaps, the only part that surprised him was the fact that Cervic or Cauldrus had not been the one to kill the demon lord. He had certainly expected one of these two to be the ones.
Haos stated that he had only come to see how things were going, but he was impressed.
"Have you absorbed the beastkin too? It appears so. Perhaps, you should start making plans to do the same with the orcs as well. Yu all appear to coexist fine amongst yourselves." Haos said.
"And what would be the goal for that?"
"Who knows? I am not the one ruling over monsters in these wild lands, am I? Anyway, if you wish to grow stronger in future, you should head to any human naton and ask of me, you'll find your way." Haos said, releasing his hands from his back.
Find more adventures on Freewebnovel
"All of a sudden? What do you have to gain from me being stronger? Aren't you concerned that I will become a nuisance? Humans appear to have some animosity towards monsters after all."
Without giving a solid response, Haos opened a portal behind him, wishing Lance and his people luck in the future, and then disappearing into the portal as he left.
For Lance, the entire encounter was very strange and he couldn't make much sense of it, but Haos had completed his mission long before even communicating with Lance.
Later on, the coalition gathered to honor the fallen. A massive pyre was constructed in the center of the battlefield, and the bodies of the warriors were placed upon it. Each race performed their own rituals, but they all did it together.
As the pyre was lit, the flames rose high into the night sky, a beacon of both loss and hope.