Under the cover of night, and beneath the crackling of the dim fire, Lillian breathed in and out, keeping guard with her earth spears poised and ready. She glanced at the children who slept around her with a tense face. Despite the strain she felt, standing watch, she continued to stand guard.
She darted her eyes back up, heightening her senses and searching for the next deadly beast that would otherwise try to kill them. She masked her face with determination and a fierce fighting spirit in a vain attempt to ward off the jungle wildlife.
However, the trees rustled. A new invader spotted.
She sprang to action. She waved her arms and shot a rain of spears at the intruder. The sound of striking flesh filled the air, and her latest victim, a winged demonic beast, fell from the tree above.
Lillian grimaced, seeing her hands shake. "I can keep going… I have to. Otherwise, those things are hunting us could-...." She clenched her hands with frustration boiling over. "We'll get out of here. We're so close! We just have to make it over that hill!"
"
Lillian's gaze turned to the sleep-disturbed child, Jasaf.
"
Jasaf rubbed his eyes. "
"
Jasaf continued to sit and stare at the hovering spears of earth in awe, paying no mind to Lillian's words. "< Lady->"
"
"
""'
"
Lillian passed the child a confused, yet stern glare. "
"
Slowly, Lillian's gaze softened. "
Jasaf looked at Lillian and slowly nodded.
"So they were brothers…"
Lillian sighed. She gestured and commanded the spear to fly and fall into her hand. The tip of the spear shifted, with the tip becoming much blunter than its original form. And with the changes made, she kneeled and held it out to Jasaf.
"
Without hesitation, Jasaf took the spear in hand and agreed. He examined the spear, feeling the tips of the blunted weapon. With the flick of Lillian's finger, the Spear flew from the boy's hand and into his spot on the pile of hay where the other children slept. The boy quickly scurried to pick up the spear, lifting it back up in awe.
"
Jasaf turned back to Lillian.
"
Lillian patted the boy on the head. "
Jasaf shyly nodded. He slowly climbed back into the spot with the spear in hand. Slowly, he drifted off back to dreamland, under Lillian's watchful gaze.
Lillian gave out a sigh of relief and returned to stand watch over their small camp.
********
Far out of Lillian's watchful sight, several groups of the tall, goblin-like monsters moved in unison beneath the cover of darkness. Under their control, the biggest and tallest of them, who carried a sense of authority, waved its spear, issuing its orders through a series of grunts and bellows,
Its skin was a mulch green with scars of battles riddling its bare chest. His teeth protrude much more wildly than his brethren's, with ears just as sharp as his fangs. And much like his subordinate and comrade, he wore a fur leather kilt and a rusted iron helm crafted from chunks of scrap metal.
Noticing one of the large cat-like monsters pouncing, the chief stabbed the monster through the neck. The army of warriors ceased at once and watched as their leader kicked the beast off his weapon and pointed it straight to the darkness from whence it came.
His icy glare penetrated the hidden beast, sending a clear message.
Die or flee.
Their survival instinct kicked in, and the predators scurried at once.
The chief huffed and declared his orders again, and at once, his men moved in unison, leaving behind an otherwise treasured bounty of meat.
********
"
The bremwall demons began their preparations immediately, setting up tents and felling the large forest trees in their way.
Kajd lifted the fallen tree with Jala's assistant.
"
"Knowing her myself, she has a history of the unexpected. She once had to contend against an unruly group of women over Lucius's affection. Needless to say, it didn't end pretty for them. By the time she was finished with them, they were painted across the castle halls and rooms. All twenty of them"
"
Jala ignored the comment, throwing the log to the side with Kajd's help. Realizing he wouldn't answer, Kajd quickly changed the subject. "
"
"
"
"
"
Jala nodded and followed Lucius. They marched past many of the bremwall demons with Mishti, garnering a piqued interest. Eventually, they came to a secluded place behind a large rock, keeping out of sight.
With indifference, Lucius gazes at Jala. He stood, silent, gazing from his left to his right until he finally gave a long sigh.
Jala raised his brow. "Did something happen?"
"Surely, you've noticed," Lucius said. "The smokes rising above the trees… There's another group setting camp nearby. And I can't sense any of my scouts anymore."
"Do you think we're dealing with another tribe, just like the savage tribe?"
"I can't say. It may be from a monster, but that's all the more reason we need to talk." Lucius looked in the direction of their camp. "I fear that whatever is out there will be too dangerous for anyone else here to deal with, so I want to scout ahead with someone else. To see what's going on. And if you see Lillian, try to help her too."
"Are you sure you should entrust this to me?"
"Yes. If you want your so-called vengeance, that is."
Jala bowed slightly. "As you wish."
"Good."
"By the way, did you have anyone in mind I should bring?"
"One of your old village allies, perhaps. Kajd maybe. He seems to hold himself well enough under pressure, not to mention that his child is with Lillian. But you must leave tonight. We can't afford to waste any more time."
"Understood."
********
At the break of the dawning light, Lillian prepared the children and threw Fayelynn's undead mother on her back. With all their supplies secured, they resumed their journey.
They traverse thick muds, cut past bushes, and climb over roots and rocks that laid in their path. And with a keen eye glued to outside the barrier, Lillian kept guard, ready to defend at a moment's notice in the increasingly humid jungle.
Eventually, their path steepened, and Lillian tripped, practically out of breath. She slowly climbed to her knees, but stopped, trying to catch her breath. After taking a moment for herself, she noticed the concerned gaze of the children around her.
"
Lillian chuckled and patted Fayelynn on the head. "
Lillian pushed herself forward, slowly climbing up the steep boulder until finally coming across a wall of rock and steeper mounds of dirt and boulders they'd climbed earlier.
Conjuring forth her magic, Lillian created and reshaped stone into planks, putting much more concentration into their shape. Finished, she thrust her arm, commanding the stone planks to stab into the stone wall, creating a stairway up.
Leading the way, she urged the children to follow.
Despite their initial hesitation, they followed her order. Carefully climbing up the stairs with Lillian watching as she led the way up.
"We're almost there. If we can make it up this hill, we could potentially reunite with Lucius and the others."
Slowly, they reached the top of the steep path. One by one, the children made it to the top. But as Lillian glanced up, she felt her blood run cold. She stood in complete disbelief, shocked to see an army of tall, green, monstrous warriors.
"I-it's those tall goblins again…"
They all stood at attention in rows, holding spears and wearing paint on their green faces. Some wore pieces of rusted scrap armor with leather kilts that were as raw as skin from flesh.
Slowly, from the crowd of the green army, the largest of them pushed to the front. His eyes, as red as the blood, glared at Lillian with a vengeance. Suddenly, he slammed the butt of his spear to the ground, with the rest slowly following his lead.
A harsh melody thuds and cracks filled the air, becoming inescapable to Lillian and the children. And with deep, resolute voices, they chanted.
"Orc! Orc! Orc! Orc! Orc! Orc! Orc! Orc! Orc! Orc! Orc! Orc! Orc! Orc! Orc! Orc!"
The chief, Prideful, jumped down to the edge of Lilian's barrier. Without hesitation, he fearlessly plunged his hands through, burning his very skin. All the while, his army, with vigorous loyalty, continued their chants as he instantly broke through.
Finally inside, the chief roared with pain as his skin blistered and sizzled from the experience.
"D-damn it!" Lillian shot stone spears at the behemoth. To her shock, it caught the first, dodged the second, and shattered the third.
Hsi darted his locked eyes and, like a berserker drunk in rage, charged at Lillian.
Jasaf, mustering some courage, stepped up with his gifted spear, only to be pushed to the side by Lillian. "
The burnt chief rammed Lillian, sending them flying over the edge along with the undead women Lillian carried, who fell straight to the ground below.
Lillian grasped the monster's face, attempting to push him off. Upon seeing his fist, she quickly conjured her stone mask.
POW
Lillian's mask shattered into a thousand pieces, her vision hazed, and her head spun. She quickly reoriented herself, darting her eyes at the beast clinging to her. Seeing that he was hurling his fists again, she caught his fist and outstretched her wings. With a single flap of her demonic wings, she flew high into the air, wrestling the monster in front of her.
The fist slipped from her grasp, grazing her cheeks.
"Get off me!!"
Lillian slashed the monster's back with a torrent of wing slices, scratching its back back little by little.
"How is it still alive?" Lillian clenched her teeth. "Am I really getting weaker!?"
Seeing her opponent raise his fist, she quickly shifted her attack to wave fire, burning the back of the monster. It wretched that roar in pain, and disregarding its own safety, punched Lillian again, knocking the wind from her.
Sent into a daze, Lillian and the monster fell, landing in a terrain of mud and bushes.
A sharp pain shot through her stomach, forcing her to scream out. Regaining her vision, she saw the chief piercing his spear into her stomach.
She grasped the spear, breaking it, and with all her strength, pushed the warrior away with her wind magic.
She climbed to her feet, pulling the spear from her stomach. Her hands shook seeing her blood. Gritting her teeth, she raised her hand to her wound and manifested a light of pure gold. Her wound, once fatal, healed as if it never existed. "Grr! You bastard."
Lillian conjured an army of spears and fireballs, all ready to let loose. But upon looking towards the warrior, he'd already disappeared.
"Tch!"
Lillian scanned the black and purple forest around her. Looking for any traces or patches of dark green between the oversized leaves.
The sound of rustling leaves appeared from her left. Then to her right. Each rustle paced far apart, yet sounded so close.
Losing her patience, she barraged the jungle landscape around, devastating the land around her with as much as she could, unaware that the attack only continued to shrink further and further until it was too late.
Noticing her stone spears shattering like brittle ice, a single thought invaded her mind. "I'm… I'm at my limit…"
Her holy barrier that still surrounded her dissipated in an instant. Her heart sank, and before she could react, the monstrous green warrior rushed at her with the handle of her weapon, striking her hard in the gut.
Blood forcefully ejected from Lillian's mouth. "No! I can't!" Lillian stumbled back. "I can't lose to these monsters! Not now!
Lillian, wincing from pain, attempted to manifest her holy magic, only to stumble over her knees, feeling her energy draining even faster.
Slowly, her vision became unsteady as the monster approached. Her mind drifted to the children and to Kalika.
She then caught sight of the broken half of the spear by her side. And with a renewed determination, she picked up the broken half of the spear, filling her with a wave of disgust. She sets aside the feeling, attempting to steady herself.
She glared at the beast, awaiting its next move. But to her shock, one after another, more of the monster's allies emerged from the bushes and from behind the trees, surrounding her.
They all pointed the spears at her and approached with deadly intent.
"So, is this how it really ends? Why didn't I just leave? Why can't I see her at least one more time?"
Suddenly, their chief roared. He spoke in grunts, almost as if commanding the other monsters around him. Slowly, some of the spear-wielding monsters backed away, confusing Lillian.
Amidst her distraction, the spearhead was ripped from her grasp by its leader.
He passed a knowing smile to her, all before another of his warriors knocked Lillian unconscious.
Victorious, the chief, grabbed Lillian, threw her over his shoulder, and left alongside his men.
********
Jala, along with Kajd, overlooked a hill at the edge of the jungle.
Kajd scanned the area thoroughly, finding a plethora of evidence of a struggle. "
"
Jala approached the edge and found a small stone spear that was slowly crumbling away. And upon glancing over the edge, he saw what looked to be a woman attempting to drag herself south. But with mud consuming her, she had nowhere to go.
Jala, with a rising concern, narrowed his eyes and watched as the spear fully dissolved away.
"
With a clenched fist. Jala answered with firm resolve. "