Claire tightened the straps on her leather gauntlets, her eyes scanning the faces of the warriors gathered around her. They were a mix of seasoned veterans and younger fighters, some barely older than Sam. Their expressions ranged from grim determination to barely concealed fear. She couldn’t blame them. What they were about to do wasn’t the kind of fight anyone prepared for, and the demons pressing closer to the village weren’t ordinary foes. They were ruthless, savage, and unrelenting.
Caross stood beside her, his large hands resting on the hilt of his sword. He looked calm, but Claire knew him too well. Beneath that calm exterior, he was wound as tight as a spring. He didn’t like the idea of splitting up the family like this, not with the demons breathing down their necks. But they had no choice. If Sam and Isonorai’s team could create the barrier at the narrow passage, that would buy them some time. Meanwhile, it was up to them to make sure the roads leading to the village were lined with traps—explosives provided by the village elder.
The explosives were old, dusty, and looked unreliable at best, but they were all they had. The village elder had handed them over with a weary sigh, muttering about how they hadn’t been used since the last great war, and he couldn’t guarantee they’d work as expected. But if they did work, they could thin out the demon numbers significantly before they even reached the village. It was a risk they had to take.
“Alright,” Claire said, her voice steady as she addressed the group. “We all know the plan. We need to set these traps along the main roads leading to the village. There are only a few roads the demons can use, and if we can take out even a small portion of their forces, it’ll give us the advantage.”
Caross nodded beside her, stepping forward. “We’ll be splitting into three teams,” he said. “Each team will take a different road. Set the explosives where they can do the most damage. We’re not looking to collapse the roads entirely—we still need to be able to get through if we have to retreat. But we want the demons to feel it when they try to come through.”
The warriors nodded, though some of the younger ones exchanged uneasy glances. Claire saw the doubt flicker in their eyes, and she understood it. She felt it too, deep down. But there was no room for hesitation now. Not when the survival of the village was at stake.
“You two,” Claire said, pointing to a pair of young warriors standing at the back. “You’ll be with me. We’re taking the southern road. The terrain there is rocky, so it should give us an advantage when setting the traps. The rest of you, follow Caross. We’ll meet back at the village when the job’s done.”
With a final nod, the group split up. Claire led her small team down the narrow southern road, the weight of the explosives in her pack digging into her shoulders with each step. The air was cool, but she could feel the tension building in her chest. Every crunch of gravel beneath their boots sounded too loud, too exposed. She kept her eyes on the trees that lined the road, half-expecting a demon to lunge out at them at any moment.
One of the young warriors—barely more than a boy, really—spoke up as they walked. “Do you think... do you think these explosives will work?”
Claire glanced at him, her face unreadable. “They’ll work,” she said, though she wasn’t entirely sure herself. “And if they don’t, we’ll improvise. That’s what warriors do.”
The boy nodded, his lips pressed into a tight line, but Claire could see the fear in his eyes. She wished she could offer him more reassurance, but the truth was, none of them knew what would happen once the demons came in force. All they could do was prepare and hope for the best.
When they reached a sharp bend in the road, Claire motioned for the group to stop. “Here,” she said, dropping to one knee and pulling one of the explosives from her pack. It was a crude device—nothing more than a bundle of old powder wrapped in cloth with a short fuse sticking out of it—but it would have to do.
She handed the explosive to the boy. “Dig a hole there,” she instructed, pointing to a spot just off the road where the ground was soft. “Bury it deep enough that it won’t be noticed, but not so deep that it won’t go off.”
The boy swallowed hard but nodded, dropping to his knees to dig. The other warrior, a girl who couldn’t have been more than eighteen, knelt beside him, helping to hide the explosive in the dirt. Claire stood guard, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, her eyes scanning the surrounding trees. She didn’t trust the quiet. Not out here. Not with demons on the loose.
As they worked, the girl glanced up at Claire, her brow furrowed. “Why do you think the demons are attacking us now? What do they want?”
Claire kept her gaze on the road ahead. “Revenge,” she said quietly. “They’re here for Sam. But that doesn’t mean they won’t tear apart everything else in their path.”
The girl’s eyes widened, and she exchanged a glance with the boy beside her. “Sam? What did he do?”
“It’s not what he did,” Claire said, her voice hardening. “It’s what we all did. Years ago, we killed their commander. Sam was only a baby, but he... he killed more demons that day than anyone else. They’ve never forgotten.”
The girl’s hands froze in the dirt, and for a moment, the only sound was the wind rustling through the trees. “And now they’re back for him,” she whispered.
Claire nodded. “But they’ll have to get through us first.”
With the explosive buried and the trap set, they moved farther down the road, repeating the process every few hundred yards. The tension in the air grew thicker with each step, and Claire’s heart pounded louder in her ears. She couldn’t shake the feeling that time was running out. Every second they spent here, the demons were getting closer. And soon, the fighting would start again.
By the time they reached the end of the southern road, Claire’s body was aching from the effort, and her pack was considerably lighter. They had set all the explosives they had, and now it was just a matter of getting back to the village before the demons arrived.
“Let’s move,” Claire said, motioning for the others to follow. They turned back toward the village, their pace quickening. The boy stumbled slightly, his breathing heavy, but he didn’t complain. They all knew what was at stake.
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As they neared the village, Claire could see the faint outline of the barrier rising in the distance. Sam and Isonorai’s team had done their part. Now it was up to them to make sure the demons didn’t reach it before it was finished.
They had set the traps. Now all they could do was wait—and hope the demons walked right into them.
When they arrived at the village, Caross and his group were already there, looking equally worn but determined. He caught Claire’s eye and gave a brief nod. “It’s done,” he said simply. “Now we see if it works.”
Claire wiped the sweat from her brow and adjusted her gauntlets. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
she stood near the village entrance, the cool night air brushing against her skin as she scanned the horizon for any movement. The silence was unnerving, broken only by the occasional shuffle of a foot or the crack of a branch in the wind. The village was still, and despite the traps they had set along the roads, Claire felt a deep unease settling in her gut.
Caross walked up to her, his face grim. He was a big man, broad-shouldered and tall, but tonight even he looked worn, his eyes shadowed with fatigue. "They're coming," he said, his voice low. "It’s only a matter of time now."
Claire nodded. “How are the warriors?”
“They’re ready. Or at least, as ready as they’ll ever be,” Caross replied, his gaze shifting toward the village square where the rest of their makeshift forces were gathered. The village warriors stood in small groups, sharpening weapons, checking armor, and casting nervous glances toward the forest beyond the village. A handful of the village’s magic users were near the center, murmuring among themselves, their hands twitching with nervous energy.
“They’re scared,” Claire said quietly, watching them. “We all are.”
Caross sighed, running a hand through his greying hair. “We don’t have a choice, Claire. We fight or we die.”
She turned to him, her eyes hard. “I know. But these aren’t trained soldiers. They’re farmers, blacksmiths, tailors—people who’ve never seen real combat.”
“They’ll see it soon enough.”
The village elder approached, his old staff clacking against the ground as he walked. His face was worn and weathered, like the bark of an ancient tree, but his eyes were sharp. “The traps are set,” he said in his raspy voice. “If they come down those roads, they’ll feel it. Let’s hope the old powder holds.”
“It’ll have to,” Claire replied, her voice firm despite the uncertainty in her mind. She wasn’t sure if the explosives, with all their age, would function the way they needed them to. But they didn’t have time for doubts.
The elder nodded, looking toward the darkened forest in the distance. "We’ve done what we can. Now, we wait."
They didn’t have to wait long.
It started with a distant rumble, barely perceptible at first but growing louder with each passing second. The ground vibrated beneath their feet, and then, from the shadows of the trees, the first demons appeared.
The sky seemed to darken as they emerged, their black forms moving like a flood of nightmares over the land. Red eyes glinted in the moonlight, and the demons moved with a terrible, predatory grace, their claws scraping against the earth. At their center, massive figures loomed, commanding the smaller demons with growls and roars that echoed across the village.
Claire’s heart pounded in her chest as she raised her sword, the weight of it familiar in her hands but heavier now, burdened with the lives of those around her. "Get ready!" she shouted to the warriors. "Here they come!"
The first wave of demons hurtled toward the southern road. Claire’s breath caught as she watched them move, dozens of them sprinting in unison, their eyes fixed on the village walls. But just as they reached the first bend in the road, there was a deafening boom. The ground erupted in a cloud of dust and fire as the first explosive went off.
Several demons were thrown into the air, their bodies torn apart by the blast. The explosion sent shockwaves through the air, the sound of it rattling Claire’s bones. For a moment, she allowed herself a flicker of hope.
“They’re falling into the traps!” Caross shouted, his voice filled with a mixture of excitement and relief. “It’s working!”
But then, as the dust settled, more demons surged forward. The ones that had been caught in the blast were replaced by others, and these new demons moved with a terrifying speed, their massive forms dodging the remaining traps with unnatural agility. The explosions that followed were smaller, weaker, and fewer demons were taken out with each blast.
Claire’s stomach sank. The traps were thinning their numbers, but not fast enough.
"Brace yourselves!" she yelled, gripping her sword tighter as the demons drew closer. She could see their grotesque faces now, their mouths twisted into snarls, their claws gleaming in the moonlight. There was no turning back.
The first demon reached the village entrance, and Claire stepped forward to meet it head-on. Her sword swung in a wide arc, catching the creature across its chest. Black blood sprayed into the air as the demon screeched in pain, but it didn’t fall. Instead, it lashed out with its claws, catching Claire across her arm. Pain shot through her, but she gritted her teeth and slashed again, this time severing the demon’s head from its body.
The next demon was on her before she had time to catch her breath. She ducked under its swing and drove her sword into its gut, twisting the blade before pulling it free. Black blood poured over her hands, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop. Not now.
All around her, the warriors were fighting for their lives. Caross was a blur of motion, his massive sword cutting through the demons like they were nothing more than paper. But even he was beginning to slow, the weight of the battle pressing down on him.
More demons poured in, their numbers seemingly endless. The traps had bought them time, but it wasn’t enough. Claire could feel the exhaustion creeping into her bones, her muscles screaming in protest with every swing of her sword. She glanced back toward the village, where she could see Sam and Isonorai’s team still working to finish the barrier. They needed more time.
A guttural roar echoed from the trees, and Claire’s blood ran cold. The demon officers had arrived.
Massive, towering creatures, the officers were at least twice the size of the others, their bodies covered in thick, black armor-like scales. They moved with a terrifying precision, their glowing eyes scanning the battlefield as they issued commands to the lesser demons. Claire watched in horror as one of them pointed directly at her group.
“They’re targeting us,” she whispered, fear tightening her chest.
Caross cursed under his breath, his grip tightening on his sword. “We need to fall back! Now!”
But before they could retreat, one of the officers let out a thunderous roar and charged. The ground shook beneath its massive footsteps as it barreled toward them, its claws gleaming in the moonlight. Claire’s heart pounded in her chest as she braced herself for the impact.
Just as the demon officer reached them, there was a sudden, blinding light from the village behind them. Claire blinked, momentarily disoriented, but then she saw it—the barrier. Sam and Isonorai’s team had finished the barrier, and it rose up around the village like a shimmering wall of light.
The demon officer skidded to a halt, its claws scraping against the ground as it snarled in frustration. The barrier held, for now.
But Claire knew it wouldn’t hold forever.
“Back to the village!” she shouted, her voice hoarse. “We need to regroup!”
The warriors began to fall back, retreating toward the safety of the barrier as the demons pressed closer. Claire kept her sword raised, her eyes never leaving the massive form of the demon officer. It wasn’t over yet—not by a long shot.
As they reached the village entrance, Claire cast one last glance at the battlefield. The traps had done their job, but the demons were relentless. They would be back.
And when they came, they would come with everything they had.
The battle was far from over.