Chapter 223 Chapter223-Danger in the Night
As Howard stepped outside, he saw Skor, bloodied and staggering, approaching from a distance under the moonlight.
Howard quickened his pace but stopped a few steps away, recalling the mysterious attacks by the Lionheart Mercenaries and the eerie Wolf Cavalry.
Cautiously, he called out, "Skor?"
Skor was usually stoic, his face rarely showing emotion.
Observing him, Howard couldn't be sure if this was the same Skor who had saved him.
Skor looked at Howard, a chilling glint passing through his eyes.
Howard stepped back, gripping his spear.
If it hadn't been for Skor's previous aid, he wouldn't have risked approaching.
He had seen a murderous intent in Skor's eyes but still hesitated to attack.
"Skor, do you still know who I am?" Howard asked, scrutinizing him.
Skor's injuries were severe, the worst being a piercing wound on his left side.
After a moment's pause, Skor spoke in a cold tone, "Of course, I know who you are. Seeing you with a weapon, I thought you might have turned against us."
Howard lowered his spear and hurried to support Skor. "I want to survive, but I'm not ungrateful. What happened?"
Skor replied, "I went out to look for Tina and the captain and encountered a Night Demon. Stay in the cave; don't go out. It's dangerous outside. Haven't they returned yet?"
Howard furrowed his brow, "Let's get back to the cave first and talk."
When Howard returned, Catt, who had previously disappeared, was standing at the entrance of the cave, his back to everyone.
"Catt, have the captain and Tina come back?" Skor approached to ask.
Suddenly, Catt spun around, his hand lashing out and gripping Skor's throat tightly.
Before Howard could react, a sickening snap echoed as Skor's neck broke.
Skor was dead in Catt's hands...
Howard turned and ran. By vanishing from Catt's sight just in time, he avoided immediate danger.
Catt, after scanning the area briefly, stood motionless.
Hiding behind a tree, Howard glanced at Skor's lifeless body on the ground, mourning silently for a few seconds.
Skor...
Howard had been completely caught off guard.
If Skor hadn't approached Catt first, he would have been the one lying there.
In a way, Skor had saved his life again.
Regrettably, there was nothing he could do to save Skor, not even retrieve his body.
Howard was no match for Catt.
Surveying his desolate surroundings, Howard knew he had to make a choice: wait for Kellman and Tina or leave alone.
Unfamiliar with the area and unsure where safety lay, he realized Tina's map was still in the cave.
Surviving alone seemed a daunting task...
Sighing, Howard decided to wait a bit longer.
If Kellman and Tina didn't return by dawn, he planned to retrieve the map from the cave and head towards a safer location.
Outside the cave, the cold night air made him long for Tina's blanket.
Remembering Tina's smiling face and her gentle, caring demeanor, a glimmer of hope flickered in Howard's eyes.
He earnestly hoped she was safe.
In the depths of the forest late at night, as Howard struggled against his exhaustion and was on the brink of sleep, a bloodthirsty Night Demon suddenly emerged.
Howard sensed the danger and snapped his eyes open, finding himself face to face with the Night Demon that had stealthily approached.
The creature resembled a giant bat, with its crimson eyes blinking coldly in the darkness.
Its fangs were exposed in a gaping maw, and it exuded a sinister aura all over.
Howard could feel the fervor and bloodlust deep within it through the cold gleam in its eyes.
After a moment, the Night Demon moved rapidly, circling around Howard and stirring up fierce gusts of wind.
It seemed poised to pounce at any moment.
Howard, spear in hand, stood guard warily, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Suddenly, the Night Demon launched a fierce attack.
Howard gripped his spear tightly and faced the onslaught head-on.
Retreat was not an option; despite his lack of strength and inability to use magic, he refused to resign himself to fate.
Exerting all his might, he thrust the spear toward the Night Demon.
The Night Demon evaded the strike, and Howard swung his spear with lethal precision, his eyes filled with determination.
The Night Demon dodged swiftly, weaving through the air, seemingly searching for an advantageous angle to strike and seize Howard's throat.
However, Howard wasn't fooled by its movements.
With his extensive combat experience, he anticipated the creature's intentions.
Stabilizing his stance, Howard thrust his spear toward the Night Demon, ready to confront whatever came next.
The Night Demon suddenly attacked from behind Howard with lightning-fast speed, catching him off guard.
However, Howard quickly adjusted and thrust his spear backward with force.
The Night Demon, disregarding its own safety, charged towards Howard, but the spear had already deeply penetrated its body, causing green blood to flow unreservedly.
With a helpless howl, the Night Demon lost its ability to resist, its body gradually weakening.
Howard, not taking any chances, thrust his spear through its head, ensuring its end.
Although victorious, Howard's injuries had worsened.
And now, he had attracted Catt's attention...
Catt was a formidable warrior.
According to Tina, he had once faced ten opponents without sustaining a single injury.
Even against Night Demons, he could take them down with a single punch, far more effortlessly than Howard, who had struggled to kill just one.
Moreover, Howard was now utterly drained of energy to fight.
When Catt charged at him, Howard didn't know what to do.
Run?
He couldn't outrun Catt, whose speed was incredibly fast.
In a moment of desperation, Howard braced himself and aimed his spear at Catt.
He had always suspected that everything he was experiencing was a false illusion or a dream.
If that were true, why fear death?
"Come on!" he shouted.
Just as they were about to clash, Catt was suddenly cleaved in two by a giant sword.
He was dead...
The one who saved Howard was Kellman, the leader of the Frostwolf Mercenaries, who had killed his own team member to save Howard.
Beside him stood Tina, tears streaming down her face.
"Catt turned out this way too? When we went out, we encountered a Night Demon, and then, inexplicably, that guard suddenly attacked me. I was caught off guard and got stabbed in the side by that damn creature," Kellman said, panting.
Perhaps accustomed to death, his face didn't show much sorrow for Catt and Skor's demise.
Seeing the Night Demon's corpse beside Howard, surprise registered on Kellman's face.
Whether or not Howard had been a magus, he certainly had the potential of a warrior.
Tina stepped forward to support the weakened Howard.
Due to the fierce battle, Howard's wounds had reopened.
Tina led him back into the cave to redress his injuries.
Kellman went outside to deal with the bodies of the Night Demon, Catt, and Skor.
It was necessary, both out of respect for his companions and to prevent the scent of blood from attracting more danger.
Throughout the night, Kellman and Tina took turns keeping watch, sparing Howard due to his injuries.
Though he felt guilty for not offering to stand guard, he knew his current condition didn't allow for any bravado.
The night passed peacefully, and Howard finally had a chance to recover.
Tina, who seemed no longer engulfed in sorrow, smiled at Howard and said, "There must be something unusual about your body. How can such severe injuries heal so quickly?"
Howard responded with a smile, not saying a word.
Kellman looked towards the rising sun in the east. "Let's set off. Once we reach Holy Light City, we'll be safe."
After a night of hardship, the team had been reduced by half, but fortunately, Howard had survived.
He asked Kellman how long it would take to reach a safe place, and Kellman informed him that at best, it would take three days.
In such a perilous region, three days seemed an eternity.
Even Howard found it challenging, let alone Aurelia. A
ll Howard could do for her now was to silently pray.
"Do Night Demons only appear at night?"
Howard had not seen any Night Demons for a long time, yet nearly everyone in the team had encountered one the previous night, suggesting that these creatures were both numerous and easily encountered.
"Yes, Night Demons only emerge at night. Encountering a few scattered ones is manageable, but if we run into a pack of Night Demons, even at the peak strength of our mercenary group, we would pay a heavy price," Kellman explained to Howard.
Tina added, "But don't worry too much. Encountering a pack of Night Demons is rare, and one or two of them can't pose a serious threat to us. So, we can be optimistic. We'll definitely survive."
"To be safe, we must find a secure place before nightfall," Kellman said gravely. "After all, it's not just the Night Demons we have to worry about at night… but also those humans who, for some reason, have gone mad."
Howard thought back to the Lionheart Mercenaries, the empire's Wolf Cavalry, and then to Catt and the guard.
In the night, aside from Night Demons, what else could have caused them to turn like that?
There must be a significant number of humans affected, so it was best to find a safe place to hide at night and not venture out.
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