Pitter! Patter!
As usual, this land has always been raining, including the forest. The raindrops seem louder than those in the city, thanks to the trees.
Swish!
Kolin swung his half-sword as he dodged the attack from the monster in front of him. His hair is not long, but all white. Similar to the people inside the city of Lucia, he is wearing an iron chest protector, but there is no arm armor. In its place, his leg is covered with iron armor. His look is around his late thirties, but a young soul lives in his eyes.
The monster is like a tiger, but much stronger and larger. Instead of having two eyes, the monster's face was blank except for its large mouth with sharp teeth like knives. According to the record from the "Librarian" Lydia, this specific type of monster is called "Tenebrae Tigris," which means dark tiger, but most soldiers just call it a black cat. It is not rare to see them; they are quite common around the center of a purgatory.
Rawr!
After the last counterattack from Kolin, the Tenebrae Tigris dropped down on the floor. Instead of bleeding from the previous injuries, the slashes remained open. There are no bones or muscles, but an empty, purple nebulous inside its body.
The Tenebrae Tigris used his last remaining effort to jump at Kolin. However, it was blocked by Kolin's shield. The acceleration made Kolin do a back flip to avoid a deeper surface from the upper hills so as not to trip. As Kolin controlled his balance after landing, the Tenebrae Tigris jumped at Kolin again; however, because of the sea level difference between them, Kolin raised his sword, squatting down. Without any place to act, the Tenebrae Tigris jumped against the blade, cutting itself in half. The split body started to root at an incredible speed, turning into black ashes.
A soldier wearing an iron chest and arm protector came out of the woods in worry to Kolin, "There you are, Mr. Arkasa. Are you alright?"
After seeing the man, Kolin showed a sense of relief on his face, "Yes, I am. How's everyone else?" Kolin responded and asked while sheathing his sword.
"We camped about a hundred meters away from here. I can lead you back, Mr. Arkasa," the man explained respectfully.
Thick! Thuck!
Kolin and the soldier carefully walked through the forest, looking out for any potential enemy. What the soldier called Kolin, Arkasa, was not his last name but his title. Every Arkasa must lead the city of Lucia after the "Great Curse." This role has been passed down for generations, and until now, Kolin is the thirty-third Arkasa, and most people call him the strongest Arkasa who ever lived. The process of choosing an Arkasa is fully left to the previous Arkasa, and the people cannot do anything to change it. Gladly, Kolin's teacher, the previous Arkasa, and he both agreed that such a way would not work out. Therefore, when Kolin was still a warrior, his teacher established the new rule of voting for an election by the officials in the city of Lucia, and Kolin was the first Arkasa that be elected from this new system.
Pitter! Patter!
The rain continued to fall as Kolin reached the campus. They have been stuck in this forest for days since they saw that large bird. Its face is unrecognizable, with the dark gas covering all around it. The length of it with fully spread wings is around two adult men. They have never seen something like this before. It has nine purple shining tails at its end, and they are the most significant part compared to the dark clouds covering the rest of its body.
This fifty-person exploration led by Kolin is to search for the potential path back to the capital. A couple of weeks ago, another exploration team found a map of the tunnel below the old capital, known as the sewer. Although the city now no longer has that, there is still a fair amount of chance that the sewer is still connected to the capital today, according to the librarian Lydia. If her theory is true, then this sewer system might be a safe path to go back to the capital, filled with monsters. Although it is impossible to avoid those disgusting creatures inside, it is at least still better than entering from the front with millions of potential ambushes.
Normally, Arkasa does not need to lead such an exploration, but considering that the distance from the city had never been explored before, Kolin decided to join the exploration team for his people's safety. He believes he made the correct choice given their current situation.
In the beginning, this exploration went normally. Most of the creatures they fought were nothing new. Everything stuck to the plan until they saw the bird at their destination. All it did was simply wield its nine purple tails. Other members of the team took him out easily. Then, they continued on their journey to the destination. However, the distance they walked was around five times more than the distance they estimated, but none of the members realized this. Instead, they continued walking like puppets. This situation continued until they planned to camp at this point, then met a group of Tenebrae Tigris ambushing them. None of the exploration teams in the past have ever met such numbers before. Gladly, the people Kolin chose were all experienced fighting masters, including Kolin himself.
After successfully defending through the first attack, Kolin ordered a defending group of people to guard the camp, while another searching group went out to search for possible hidden threats with him. Before the last Tenebrae Tigris Kolin killed, he had already killed twenty-two of them.
"Did anyone else who was with me go back to the camp before me?" Kolin asked the soldier leading him back.
"Yes, sir. Most of them came back, some with injuries. Except…"
"Except who?" Kolin asked before the soldier could finish.
"Except for Alice," the soldier responded worryingly.
Before the search group led by Kolin went out, the plan was to stay in a group of three, with Kolin alone to balance out battle power and protect more people. Even so, one of them is most likely not going to make it back.
"What about the other two people who went with her?" Kolin asked again, hiding his worries.
"Kevin and Copper ran back in great fear, then they started yelling things like 'Don't kill me!' However, even after they got back, it did not get any better. Around ten minutes or so, they passed away, " the soldier explained calmly as they finally reached back to the camp.
Kolin looked around to check out everyone's situation. After making sure they were okay and organized, he turned to the soldier who guided him and ordered, "Thank you. Now, I am going to find five people to form another search team for Alice. If I didn't make it back, then all of you need to retreat to the city and tell what happened to Sir Sandoval.
The soldier first hesitated and asked, "Of course, sir. I am not questioning your ability, but wouldn't it be better and safer to let both soldiers and you take a break to have more strength?"
"We do not have time for that. The more we break, the higher the chance of Alice dying," Kolin explained as he went to the area where the other soldiers were staying.
The soldier stood in his place and looked at Kolin's back as he walked away. Suddenly, Kolin stopped and turned his head around.
"Wait, I've never seen you before, and I also don't remember picking you up before we got out of the city…" Kolin mumbled as he slowly reached his hand near his sword.
"Sir, what are you talking about? My name is Sherlock, the manager you chose before we go," the soldier responded, smiling.
"Right, Sherlock…Well, thank you again for bringing me back," Kolin said as he walked away with a red pedal on the floor.
No matter what, Kolin believed that he must try to save every possible life, no matter the chances. The demons from the "Great Curse" aren't like some sadists who enjoy torturing other people. Instead, their nature is to kill, kill as much as possible. They do not have any kind of thinking or consciousness other than the instinct to kill in the most efficient way possible, to kill until nothing else to kill. Considering so and the situation of the two soldiers who ran back, Alice is most likely not going to survive.
No! I cannot give up! You can't know until you see it…Kolin continuously reminded himself in his mind. Before I see her body, I must believe she is alive.
Kolin entered the area where the soldiers were resting. He looked around again. Most of them are doing fine, while some of them have minor injuries. After seeing Kolin coming, the soldiers all stood up and walked towards him.
"Mr. Arkasa, are there any new orders?" One of them stepped out and asked Kolin.
"Yes, I need five people to come with me to search for Alice. She has not come back," Kolin announced, quickly glancing at everyone's faces.
Some people are willing to go, while some people are tired as a sense of timidity passes through their eyes.
"It is voluntary, which means you do not have to come with me," Kolin added after he sighed.
Kolin wanted to say something else, but he could not. After all, they are all tired, and not everyone is willing to risk their life to try to save someone who is most likely dead. Although every soldier pledged their loyalty in following orders, and Kolin knew they would follow his order if he asked, he just could not. Since he was a child, he just did not know how to give orders. In his view, that is no different than forcing people to do something. After becoming the Arkasa, all the people who were needed were volunteers from their "Iron Hand," the only army in the city of Lucia. He thought that such an act would eventually kill everyone's voluntary will, and soon there would be no people to volunteer.
"I am willing to go with you, Mr. Arkasa!" a young man from the crowd shouted as he walked forward.
"Me too, Mr. Arkasa!" another young man echoed as a couple more people expressed the same will.
In the end, Kolin gathered a total of eight people, including himself.
I guess I shouldn't underestimate my soldiers… Kolin smiled lightly as he ridiculed himself in his head.
They soon walked near the fringe of the camp. Before they leave, a couple of other soldiers come along to see off their family members. Some of them in this new search group are siblings, while some are husbands and wives.
"Kal-el!" One female soldier exclaimed worriedly as she walked to the man in the searching group named Kal-el.
"Promise me you will make it back…"
"I promise you, darling," the man named Kal-el responded softly after hugging her.
Wanting to save the missing soldier named Alice, Kolin soon departed from the camp with other volunteer soldiers. Compared to the guards in the city, their armor is almost entirely covered with rust due to the time and the unceasing rain they had outside. However, there is no other choice.