The sun had nearly dipped beneath the tops of the trees enveloping the collapsed town. The spectrum of light casted long shadows across the wreckage, giving the ruins a sombre and eerie atmosphere.
The faint reverberations of the hooves galloping could be heard getting close—heralding the imminent arrival of the Triskellion troops.
As the unit arrived at the ruins of what had once been a bustling and lively town, the lord of the territory could only watch in silence as the wreckage from the shattering earthquake lay before him. The magnitude of the destruction before his eyes was too immense for words to describe as the suffering of his people was plain to see.
Without wasting any time, Azrael quickly commanded one of his healers, "Sage, lead those who are injured to the synagogue and have your men tend to their wounds there." To which the woman nodded.
The duke's eyes then scan the destruction before him, noticing the people trapped under the rubble. He quickly issued another command to Magnus, the leader of the Triskellion knights.
"Magnus, spread the area and help get those who are trapped underneath the rubble." His voice was firm and precise as he was determined to make sure that no one was left behind.
Duke Azrael's right hand, named Magnus, complied with his command without a word before dispersing quickly with his own unit to secure the perimeter.
It's worse than I expected.
A frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he eyed the immense destruction before him. He was overwhelmed with frustration and despair at the sight before an impending thought suddenly flashed across his mind, "The barrier!"
The holy crystals implanted at the edge of the borders would've been shattered with such force from the earthquake!
A mixture of emotions swell inside of his chest at the prospect of a foreign invasion but nonetheless, he had to restore the barrier protecting the region as quickly as possible. With that, Duke Azrael immediately made his way along with what's left of his small-scale unit towards the borders on his stallion.
Those things would be attracted to the smell of blood. Damn it!
As he arrived with only a few of his men, Azrael was relieved to see the members of the temple in the process of casting a spell to repair the broken barrier—but that sense of peace was soon cut off by one of the believers, who was running towards them in a frantic.
"T-They’re here! Run!" The believer cried out in a sense of panic.
And here I was hoping for less work. A faint tch can be heard as the duke curses internally, his hope for no supernatural threats quickly diminished.
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The territory of Triskellion lies in an unfortunate location, caught between the Ethereal Highland that is known to be the home to magically gifted inhabitants who are capable of wielding powerful and unpredictable magic while on the other side—lies the thriving empire and capital of Eldoria.
The threat of supernatural or magical beings is always high in Triskellion, but since the sun is almost setting...
Duke Azrael's vibrant yellow gold eyes darted towards the setting sun that was slowly moving downward, spreading long shadows over the region. His eyes reflected both annoyance and concern at the speed of darkness consuming the woodland.
The Nightteeth are surely coming.
Their presence is often associated with the arrival of darkness. Their forms are often shadowy and difficult to discern—a pain to kill.
To the unsuspecting eye, the nightly creatures seem harmless and even cute with their big, glowing eyes—but that's just a ruse. The beast's insatiable desire to consume the human life force drives their relentless aggression at any smell of it.
There's a reason why they're called ‘Nightteeths’, and that's because their sharp teeth make them look even more hideous than their already macabre appearance.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
At the periphery of his vision, Duke Azrael noticed a pair of flashing eyes staring out of the darkness, not far from the region's borders.
Then there was another set of eyes, and another followed shortly after.
Before he knew it, the woods were illuminated by dozens of glowing eyes as though the Nightteeth were gathering at the edge of the woods.
"You've got to be kidding me." He scoffed in disbelief, leaping off from his horse.
The duke immediately commanded his men to their station to execute all threats on sight after urging the temple members to speed up their efforts. "Don't charge head on, stay close in formation and subdue them when they get close!"
Azrael was aware of the seriousness of the situation and was determined to ensure that his men stayed vigilant and did not risk letting their attention slip for a moment. His selfish desires needed to be contained in this situation.
There's only a small amount of us, so the only thing we can do is buy more time to have the barriers fixed.
Even a few seconds could be precious time as the Nightteeth were growing in numbers at the border of the woods, their eyes flashing ominously.
The duke turned to one of his men and issued a command to them, "Instruct the Knight Commander to hasten his efforts in aiding every survivor of the quake and bring reinforcements. We need every available hand to help mitigate the damages and hasten any rescue operations."
The soldier that was tasked with delivering the message immediately nodded in confirmation and set off on horse towards the center where Magnus was supposed to be, his pace quickening and his resolve firm with the mission of conveying the news.
The remaining unit dashed outside the borders of the barriers to confront the encroaching dark creatures that had grown in numbers. Their teeth glinted in the dark like a pack of predators as the Nightteeth smiled in gruesome satisfaction at their chance to devour any esse of life.
The Nightteeth's forms were disproportionate and gruesome, stretching their grins further than they should have been possible gave them an even more horrifying appearance in the darkness.
The last bits of light were swallowed up by nature and the cover of darkness spread over the land, signalling the Nightteeth to strike. The creatures lunged forward from the edges of the dark woods like a swarm of predators, growling and hissing as they attacked.
As if on cue, the duke nodded towards his men and they quickly conjured a spell to illuminate their surroundings.
Some of the creatures faltered at the sudden exposure of light, but others remained relentless, gripping one of the men and dragging him into the darkness, their sharp teeth glinting in the gloom.
As one of his men was dragged into the darkness, Azrael gritted his teeth and charged forward, shouting out, "Stay in formation!" His shout was punctuated by the rippling energy of light sent from his sword towards the nearest creature—a slash of energy that was as bright as lightning.
The creatures were caught off guard by this sudden burst of light and energy, which gave the duke and his men the opportunity to recover and regroup.
As the dark creatures descended in a frenzy, the unit held them back despite their vicious attacks. The creatures clawed and scratched the men of the unit but the men held their ground.
Through their fortitude and determination, they managed to defend against the dark creatures before a scream ripped through the air—followed by an unnerving crunch.
The men turned to see one of the neophytes dragged forcefully towards the darkness and then devoured within seconds. Azrael stood in silence as the attack occurred, stunned by the violent and sudden assault.
The ghastly beast then turned slowly towards them, the edges of its mouth stained with blood as the grin never left its face—almost as if mocking the knight's efforts. A sudden sense of thrill overcame the duke as he stare into the eyes of the monster, the creature knows. It's taunting him.
How long does he have to hold back?
The perimeter is too big for them to finish casting the barrier in seconds, we won't last long in this condition.
He took a deep breath to compose himself and turned towards his men, his exhaustion visible on his face but his resolve intact.
"Defend the temple members!" The duke commanded to his men as the dark creatures shifted their attention towards the group that were still casting the magical ward.
Azrael wasted no time and sliced his sword through the creatures, sending out a rippling wave of light energy that eliminated half the beasts. His pupils slightly contracted into slits at the smooth motion of it, his grip on the sword tightening as he glanced at the remains on the ground.
"Get away from here and decrease the size of the barrier!" The duke's voice was firm with authority as he made his way towards the slightly distant temple members that were separated with the main group while his men provided cover.
"Cast it around the temple, we'll give you time," he then commanded, his words punctuated with determination.
After they all had fled, a smirk appeared on Azrael's face as he turned back towards the fight. The joy of the situation more evident in his expression as he was left with his troops and the nightly creatures.
"Oh, what a joyous day it is," he muttered under his breath, the anarchic nature of the moment bringing him in full exhilaration.