Lucas was brought back to reality by the sound of a horn and shouting outside, then he was slammed into the wall as the carriage suddenly changed direction.

“I have not done anything but been tossed around and injured since I arrived here,” Lucas muttered, cradling his bound shoulder. “What is going on now?”

The person called “Lady Versi” had opened the panel between the cabin and the driver and whatever she was told drained the blood from her face. If he was honest, Lucas was less concerned about her and what was going on, then he was concerned about why he wasn’t concerned. He generally thought of himself as a polite, safety and civil minded person, relatively anyway. For whatever reason though, he had less fear than anger and less interest in his own welfare than was normal.

...And he keeps drifting off into his own thoughts, Lucas shook his head to clear it. “What is going on?”

“It’s a demonic War Group.” Lady Versi replied through clenched teeth. Hearing this Terrasin paled as well making them look like a pair of ghosts, though admittedly quite pretty ones.

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“...Which is?” Lucas asked when no further information was forthcoming.

“Demons are,” Terrasin spoke hesitantly, appearing to choose her words carefully. “Mostly unintelligent, little more than beasts.”

“But not all of them are, correct?” Lucas understood the implication of her phrasing immediately.

“Correct, but the more intelligent demons generally do not work with others of their kind.” Terrasin appeared more terrified than when that other monster had ripped off the carriages roof. “War Group’s are different. Our first records of them are from nine hundred years ago, groups of highly intelligent demons working together and controlling lesser demons to fight for them.”

“They have been becoming more common over the years, but I never would have foreseen…” Lady Versi muttered.

A massive explosion sounded from behind them and the carriage rocked slightly.

“The driver has said that the majority of our escort had diverted to delay the Group.” Versi had apparently steeled her resolve, “The last few mages transferred their stamina to the carriages horses, we will have no choice but to run without stopping.”

Lucas read between the lines, their escort could apparently do little more than die when facing such a foe. Of course, all Lucas could do was run. The uneasy feeling of powerlessness was new to Lucas, and gritting his teeth in the back of the speeding carriage, he decided it was the worst feeling of all.