Rowan POV
Rowan was utterly frozen by fear. All his years of sword training — and for what? It amounted to nothing in the face of real danger. His father’s grim face flashed in his mind.
Don’t ever give up. He recalled what his father had drilled into his mind. Alaric. Alaric’s steady eyes, how he remained calm in the face of danger. Always.
As the dagger descended toward his throat. Rowan found the energy to sidestep, adrenaline numbing his pain for the moment. He rammed his head into the man's stomach, hoping to make him stumble. It wasn’t much, but he would not surrender.
If only I had a weapon. Tears blurred his vision. Even my wooden sword would have helped.
The man simply grunted as he took the blow. Rowan felt as if he’d collided with a sack of sand. The intruder didn’t budge an inch. He seized Rowan by the shoulders and hurled him to the ground again. This time, Rowan’s head struck the ground hard, almost knocking him unconscious.
“Insolent brat. Just accept your death.” He flung the dagger, aiming for Rowan’s neck. Rowan shut his eyes, bracing for the end. A sharp clang rang out, and Rowan opened his eyes. Hmm… I’m not dead…
He spotted the back of a man with his sword drawn. The man’s red hair glowed eerily in the darkness. “Father…” He choked out a cry. He intercepted the dagger… I’m saved.
“You have got some nerve, striking my son like that,” his father growled. Rowan had never seen his father so furious before. This was not his usual irritation, no. This was raw, seething anger.
Suddenly, the intruder, so full of confidence just moments before, wore an expression of doubt. He thrust his arm, and a thick, black whip embedded with countless nails materialized out of thin air and lashed at his father.
In the blink of an eye, his father sliced through the whip with his sword, severing it cleanly. Then, he grasped the end of the whip with his other hand and yanked.
The intruder was ripped from the ground and hurtled toward Captain Farrow at tremendous speed. The vile man tried to speak, but his words were cut off as his father planted the boot of his foot into the intruder’s stomach, knocking the breath out of him and spraying blood across the ground.
The whip, still clutched in his father’s hand, tore apart from the force of the strike. The intruder was flung through the air and crashed into the far wall, landing in a heap of rubble, although still not dead.
His father released the spiked whip, and Rowan noticed that his palm was unscathed by the sharp nails.
“We aren’t supposed to kill intruders before interrogating them…” Captain Aldric Farrow thrust out his open palm, clenched it, and roared, “Ground Coffin.”
The ground beneath the intruder split open, swallowed him whole, and slammed shut with a deafening crack—all in under a second. Moments later, blood seeped through the ground where the intruder had vanished.
“...but I heard there are more of them. The count will not mind.” He turned and flashed Rowan a toothy grin. Even through the searing pain in his foot and head, a smile broke across Rowan’s face. His father had come to save him and had avenged his suffering.
***
Alaric, Fenrir and one of the door guards were crouched near a wall in the corner, observing the intruders silently. One of the door guards dashed off to alert Captain Farrow and rally more guards so that they could ambush them together as a team.
Just as Alaric had suspected, they infiltrated the count’s room after subduing the two men who guarded the Count’s study. Alaric and the others witnessed them incapacitating the two guards, but not a single sound reached their ears.
They were employing some type of skill that nullified sound.
There were four of them, including their intimidating leader. Currently, the leader and another intruder slipped inside the room while two of the intruders remained on guard. The look on Fenrir’s face was grim.
“I can handle the three intruders, but their leader, his aura is different…” he murmured. “Only the guard captain can face him.” He gestured for Alaric to retreat and find safety.
However, one of the intruders keeping watch suddenly spotted the door guard, who was growing visibly impatient.
‘Enemies…’ the intruder bellowed, and Fenrir had already lunged forward to strike the enemy. The door guard reacted slower but followed closely behind. Alaric darted to the side, keeping his distance. Unfortunately, this was not a fight he could contribute to now.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
He had no weapons or any useful skills, techniques, or abilities. Worse, he could quickly become a liability.
So, he pulled back but continued monitoring the skirmish that erupted. Fenrir effortlessly overwhelmed his target, but the door guard was swiftly taken down by his opponent. Another intruder stormed out from the room, and together, the three of them kept Fenrir engaged.
The senior sergeant was holding his ground admirably against the three intruders. And it seemed like he might secure victory given a little more time.
All that changed when suddenly, a purple orb shot out of the count’s study and almost slammed him in the chest. Fenrir managed to deflect the purple orb with the flat of his sword at the last second, but the force still hurled him off the ground and slammed him against the back wall.
He immediately sprang back up and took a defensive stance.. A white shimmer enveloped his body, his muscles bulged slightly, and his face flushed pink.
He is using some type of skill or ability. In the next second, Fenrir vanished as another purple orb smashed into the spot he had occupied just moments before.
Alaric observed as the enemy leader, wearing a demonic mask, strode out of the count’s study with deliberate steps. He carried a few rolled stacks of papers tucked under his left elbow. Looks like he has accomplished his objective.
Alaric wasn’t happy, forced to become a sitting duck. He couldn’t assist any of the guards in stopping the enemy. The leader must not be allowed to escape. He clenched his fists, struggling to suppress his anger.
The enemy leader raised the index finger of his right hand, and another purple orb materialized at its tip before it shot forward toward Fenrir. The senior sergeant nimbly evaded the oncoming purple orbs but couldn’t close the distance to the leader.
Meanwhile, the three intruders supported their leader by flicking Kunais at bullet speed at Fenrir. He continued to deftly dodge both the purple orbs and the deadly projectiles.
That is a good physical-power boosting skill…however, it won’t last long.
Fortunately, it looked like the enemy leader was not taking Fenrir too seriously. He didn’t intend to kill him, just keep him occupied. The leader nodded at the other intruders and retrieved a small, intricately designed box concealed within his clothing.
Alaric sensed him channeling mana into the object, and moments later, it began glowing with a blue hue.
He released the object, and it sank into the ground. The floor started trembling, and small mounds erupted across its surface. Don’t tell me…a summoning artifact.
Humanoid figures sculpted from stone and rock burst through the ground. Chunks of stone flaked off their bodies. The pale white of their forms contrasted with the lifeless black of their eyes. Stone golems!
There were at least ten golems, with more steadily emerging. One of the golems lunged at Fenrir with a guttural groan. He sidestepped it, but another purple orb struck him in the back. Fortunately, his power-boosting skill allowed him to endure the blow with some effort.
We need reinforcements, otherwise… Just then, Alaric spotted Captain Farrow entering the fray with his sword drawn, sand swirling subtly around him.
In the blink of an eye, he cleaved two nearby golems into rubble. For the first time, Alaric felt a flicker of relief. The captain’s commanding presence was indeed reassuring as he started dispatching the stone golems with ease.
“You will not leave here alive…unless I will it, scum,” said Captain Farrow grimly to the enemy leader. The leader chuckled darkly and launched a purple orb at the captain, who effortlessly deflected it with a swift swing of his sword. However, this didn’t seem to worry the leader of the intruders at all.
He simply gestured at the decapitated golem remains, and suddenly the lifeless stone fragments began reassembling.
It looked like destroying the golems wouldn’t be that easy. Fenrir was still struggling to subdue the three intruders, who were now prioritizing escape over combat. It seemed they would reach an exit on the far side.
However, just as one of the intruders neared the doorway, a figure appeared and blocked their escape.
It was Theon, Fenrir’s friend. Just like Fenrir, Theon’s skin was flushed pink, and his muscles bulged. He was employing a similar physical power-boosting skill. The intruders attacked in unison, but Theon wove through their strikes and incapacitated them one by one.
He then joined Fenrir’s side and began battling the stone golems.
The stone golems weren’t particularly strong individually. However, their overwhelming numbers and constant regeneration made them a relentless threat. A squad of guards arrived shortly after Theon, engaging the golems in combat as well.
By now, over fifteen stone golems were obstructing the guards’ efforts to capture the intruders. The enemy leader had indeed come well-prepared.
He was currently locked in combat with Captain Farrow. The intruder’s body was shrouded in a cloak of darkness. with shadowy tendrils lashing out at the guard captain like serpents.
Captain Farrow deflected the shadowy tendrils with his blade. The air around him swirled with protective sand, shielding him from the tendrils’ onslaught. One deflected tendril smashed into the ground, shattering it.
Alaric spotted Rowan crouching in a safe corner. When they locked their gazes, Rowan crept towards Alaric. He was clutching a real sword this time, not his usual wooden one. Well…it is a life-or-death battle.
It would be challenging for a child to wield a real sword effectively. Their weight distribution and balance were vastly different. But it was still better to rely on a real weapon than a wooden one at this moment.
“Are you okay?” Alaric asked him. He had been worried about his friend for some time. The bruises on his head and body were glaringly evident. Fortunately, it seemed he had managed to survive and alert his father in time.
“Yes, I thought I wouldn’t survive today, but I managed to pull through,” he replied, attempting to mask his worry with a faint smile. “Father saved me.”
Fenrir and Theon were still locked in fierce combat with the stone golems. Captain Farrow and the enemy leader remained deadlocked in their confrontation. Suddenly, the air around Captain Farrow shifted, and brown energy began radiating from his body.
The energy expanded, towering over him, and the image of a massive beast manifested behind him. He exuded an overwhelming aura that startled the enemy leader.
However, rather than fear, the leader’s expression twisted into amusement. “So, you’re a climber?” he sneered. “Well, so am I. I was getting tired of these silly games anyway. Let’s see who’s stronger.”