Chapter 51: Hunt
The terrible battle that shook the surroundings of Tegralle finally came to an end.
The screams and sounds of destruction already disappeared, but only Vated could contemplate the terrible sight that he created.
Millodas was already unconscious at his feet and nobody stood in his way anymore, but he didn’t feel happy about it.
He gravely underestimated Millodas and his will to protect his daughters. As a result, all the men that he slowly trained and disciplined died.
It wasn’t a small loss, but it wasn’t insurmountable either.
However, to recover from this setback, he needed Dano’s money and support.
He couldn’t fail this mission.
Therefore, immediately after neutralizing Millodas, he didn’t wait to activate his magic.
His feet began to sink and blend with the earth before his whole body slowly disappeared into the ground.
This magic didn’t have any offensive potential or usefulness in battle as it took too long and was difficult to activate, but it’s this magic that made Vated confident when he was tracking his enemies.
He was one with the earth and the earth was one with him.
This earth fusion allowed him to move at high speed but more importantly to perceive and locate the movements on the earth, like footsteps, as long as they weren’t too far away from him.
Once his magic was fully activated, Vated started heading in the direction where Idlan took the girls while fully using his senses to locate them.
However, after half an hour of intense search, the girls and their escort were still unfindable.
“This is going to be troublesome.” Grumpily muttered Vated before resuming his search.
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The intense rumbling noise was finally over but Idlan and his two companions still didn’t dare to move.
With the help of their respective mount, the two guards named Brit and Hammiel quickly reached Idlan who was struggling painfully to take the girls away.
It took them less than five minutes with their mounts to reach the underground hiding place at the outer border on the western side of the forest.
Following Idlan’s instructions, they let the mounts continue to run forward and entered the hideout together with the three unconscious girls.
It was an inconspicuous place rarely visited by anyone in the town because many strong animals chose to settle there. Millodas spent a lot of time and effort to create this little underground hideout only a few dozen feet wide, but it was worth it.
Immediately after entering, they sealed the small metal hatch that served as the entrance before finally feeling safer.
Idlan was confident that it was impossible for anyone to locate the small entrance. As long as they didn’t make too much noise, Vated would have no way to locate them even with his magic.
The entrance was totally hidden and definitely impossible to find with eyes alone. To avoid being trapped inside in case something happens, Millodas also built a long tunnel with his magic acting as an emergency exit and leading to a small clearing deeper inside the forest.
While Idlan rested near the bed where the three unconscious girls were sleeping, his two companions were turning their heads around anxiously as if they were trying to locate something.
“The noise is gone.” Finally, declared Brit.
“We can all say that, you idiot.” Rebuked Hammiel as he sat on the harsh ground beside him. His black eyes were looked at his friend as if he was looking at a retard.
“I’m more concerned about what created this noise.” Added Hammiel while sucking a mouthful of cold air.
“Trust me you don’t want to know.”
Hearing this, the two guards turned their heads toward Idlan who was trying to move as little as possible to avoid reawakening the pain in his arm.
Seeing his body covered in bandages along with his roughly immobilized arm made Brit and Hammiel reluctant to imagine what had happened to him.
His terrifying appearance along with the loud noise they just heard only added to the anxiousness they felt for their comrades and friends who stayed behind to fight.
“So what do we do now?” Finally asked Hammiel in a heavy tone.
“We wait.” Plainly answered Idlan.
“Wait? Wait for what?” Asked Brit nervously.
“Wait for Seledia to come back. If she is fast, she should be back by the end of the day, but the most likely assumption is that she won't be back until tomorrow afternoon."
“What!?!” Exclaimed Brit after hearing Idlan’s calm answer.
“This is your plan?” Asked Hammiel with irritation.
Idlan looked at his broken and painful wrist before turning his head toward the small bed. His gaze softened when he saw the innocent little girls sleeping peacefully. They were hit quite hard on their head, but after a quick examination, he didn’t discover any other injury. The only consequence of this attack would probably be a severe headache upon waking up.
“There is no plan…” Finally answered Idlan helplessly.
Seledia was always there to look after her girls all these years. With her as a guardian, only a fool or a suicidal man would try to attack this town.
Millodas and Idlan were both aware of this reality.
Despite that, they couldn’t prevent what happened that night. The attack was too sudden and the enemy was too strong. Even with all of Millodas’ training and preparations, the end result was catastrophic.
Idlan was more experienced than Brit and Hammiel and already confronted Vated once, barely escaping with his life.
He knew that the chances of Millodas triumphing over him were almost nil. He didn’t hesitate to explain his view to his comrades so that they could prepare for the worst.
Just like the other guards who remained with Millodas to fight, Idlan grew up in Tegralle and assisted powerlessly as the Waldemar house and other nobles abandoned the town. He knew just like everyone else in town that hopping for the help of the Kingdom or a Noble house was even more unrealistic.
This is why Idlan couldn’t come to love this Kingdom where human life was so cheap.
He couldn’t trust a Kingdom where a monster like Vated was allowed to roam free and rampage for so long.
He couldn’t forgive this Kingdom either for giving up on them.
All of his heart and mind were always screaming to him that something was seriously wrong.
And he had the proof and result of it tonight.
They were helpless against Vated and could only hide like frightened animals.
A couple of hours already passed since Idlan entered the hideout with the others. There was no sign nor noise outside, but he still couldn’t relax.
He had already decided with Brit and Hammiel that they should avoid moving as much as possible inside the hideout. They all quickly came to this decision after hearing about the mysterious magic of Vated.
Nevertheless, spending more than two hours without moving while remaining alert was more mentally exhausting than they could have imagined.
They maintained their vigilance as much and as long as they could. However, they still became a little muddled after all this time without anything happening.
That’s why they didn’t immediately notice what was happening inside the hideout.
It’s only when they heard the rustling noise of the blankets that they finally regained their focus and turned their attention to the bed.
A small figure was trying to stand up while holding her head with her small white hands.
“Ow… My head....”
The soft and unfocused voice of Gaya reached their ears as they watched the little girl slowly and painfully struggling out of her blanket.
Idlan, who was still beside the bed, stood up and spent several minutes calming Gaya down and explaining to her what had happened.
Seeing the little girl calmly listening to Idlan’s explanation made them secretly heave a sigh of relief. They were afraid that she would suddenly scream and give their location away.
That would truly be an unjust way to die.
“I know you are here!!!”
Suddenly an earth-breaking voice echoed in their small hideout making their heart shiver and their mind panic.
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“He found us!” Exclaimed Brit with despair in his voice.
“We must…”
“Shhht” Drily cut Idlan.
Brit, who was almost ready to speak again, was abruptly stopped by Idlan.
Gaya watched anxiously the three guards, whom she often saw with Millodas, suddenly stopping their movements like newly formed statues, looking anxiously around them and trying to determine if anyone was coming.
“There’s no one around.” Suddenly softly spoke Gaya.
With her sensitive hearing, she was best able to tell if someone was approaching them or not.
Idlan and the other two nearly had a heart attack earlier and still decided to wait a little more before relaxing.
“Come out!!!”
The violent and thundering voice once more appeared, but this time they didn’t jump out of fright.
They calmly observed their surroundings and, seeing that nothing was changing, they finally allowed themselves to calm down a little.
“Vated is here.”
“Yes, but he is still looking for us.”
“Don’t move. He will eventually go elsewhere if he doesn’t detect something abnormal here. Also, don’t speak anymore!”
The four of them kept their mouth shut and their ears open while anxiously waiting for the voice to powerfully resonated in their small hideout once more.
They didn’t have to wait long before the enraged voice of Vated once more appeared.
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“You fuckers!!!” Screamed Vated from the top of his lung.
More than two hours of constant research finally made him completely lose his calm.
He already reached the mounts used for their escape and knew that they were on foot, but despite his speed and his enhanced senses with his magic, he still couldn’t find them after all this time.
He knew that they were hiding, but he couldn’t locate them if they weren’t moving.
It was already dawn and he couldn’t wait anymore.
Seledia was going to come back tonight or tomorrow at the latest. He didn’t want to fight her without taking the girls away first. It wouldn’t be funny if they put the girls to safety while he was killing her.
After letting his rage coming out through his voice, Vated calmed down and rummaged through his interior pocket.
After a couple of seconds, he finally took out a strange object. It was a short and thin white string connecting two small red square pieces. He placed one square end under his left ear before doing the same thing under his right ear with the other square object at the other end of the strange-looking string.
He then placed each of his thumbs on the squares at the same time. Immediately after, the previous loose string suddenly adjusted its length and tightened around his large neck. However, the sharp-looking string didn’t cut him.
On the contrary, it seemed to almost blend into his neck.
After injecting his mana into the squares like objects on each side of his neck, the string began to turn blue.
“I know you are here!!!”
The previous shout of Vated was made of his pent-up emotion, but the loudness of his voice couldn’t compare with the sound he suddenly emitted.
As an earth mage, this artifact was almost useless to Vated and he planned to sell it sooner or later to a Wind mage, but after using it, he was glad that he didn’t find the right buyer yet.
It was an artifact used to reinforce the voice.
It was only priceless for wind mages who developed this concept of the wind element, but Vated still found it a use in this situation.
“Come out!!!”
After confirming the amplified range of his voice, Vated finally let out his loud and imposing speech.
“I know that you’re hiding somewhere around here. I’m gonna find you sooner or later. Get out now and I won’t hurt you. I will only take the girls and go. You have my word!”
His voice was so loud that it seemed able to make the entire forest tremble. Vated waited a couple of seconds, but without any movement or answer, he continued.
“Fine. You made me do this. I let you ten minutes to show yourself. Otherwise, I'll change my target to the rest of this town's inhabitants."
This time, Vated didn’t wait for them to answer.
“You can hide but so many people can’t. They aren’t far from here. My name is Vated in case you didn’t know who you were messing with. I trust that you know what will happen to them if you don’t hand over the girls in ten minutes.”
Vated crossed his arms with a vicious smile on his face before raising his voice again.
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The atmosphere inside the hideout became heavier with each vicious word of Vated coming to their ears.
They all had their families inside the town.
Even Idlan had his fiance waiting for him. He didn’t want to risk his life, but he made the choice to stay by Millodas’ side and help him to repay his gratitude.
However, it was different for his soon to be wife.
She didn’t choose anything.
She was innocent and defenseless. If Vated really attacked her along with the other inhabitants then it would be a massacre.
Thinking about it made Idlan clenched his remaining fist tightly in anger before muttering.
“Vated… You coward…”
Idlan was at a loss about his next course of action. He couldn’t let him hurt the innocent people of the town. However, he couldn’t give the girls away either.
He wasn’t naive enough to think that Vated would really let them off either. He already saw what this vicious and cruel man was capable of.
“We need a diversion. I will…”
Before Idlan could finish transmitting his thoughts to his comrades, the ridiculously loud voice of Vated once more resonated.
“All I want is the girls. They are descendants of a large noble house that wants to get them back no matter what. I won’t hurt them and my employer certainly won’t. You want to save them but save them from what?”
The silent atmosphere suddenly became somewhat restless.
Brit and Hammiel turned their heads to look at each other in confusion before turning back their attention to the bed where still lied down Sellysse and Llynadia.
“They are from nobility?”
“What’s going on? Is he telling the truth?” Muttered Hammiel in wonder.
Seeing their gazes over the girls made Gaya react. While still on the bed, she placed herself in front of the girls in a protective manner obstructing at the same time their line of sight. Crossing Gaya’s electric-blue gaze made Brit and Hammiel unconsciously turn their eyes away.
Idlan didn’t miss their reactions.
However, before he could say anything, Vated’s voice once more resounded inside the small hideout stronger than ever.
“Only a life of riches and power awaits them. I can always come back later with more men to catch them, but I will raze the town to the ground this time. You want to sacrifice everything you own and your loved one just to prevent these noble girls from going back to their true family?”
The atmosphere inside the hideout was already heavy. It finally became awkward and somewhat hostile after hearing Vated’s words.
Brit and Hammiel, like everyone else in town, already suffered from the noble houses. They were totally distrustful toward them, but they were also well aware of the strength and influence that a noble house could have.
They perfectly knew that erasing a small town without any backing would be utter simplicity.
They became guards to protect the town and their families.
To keep them safe from harm.
“If he doesn’t get those girls in ten minutes then everyone’s gonna…” Finally muttered Brit more for himself than the others.
“Brit!”
Idlan raised his voice hoping to see his comrade regain his wits, but without much success. Brit didn’t move but his gaze was fixed on his feet as if he was afraid to look directly at the girls.
Hammiel was anxiously looking between Idlan and Brit as if he was waiting for their choices.
Only Vated's regular voice counting down every minute that passed could be heard.
Gaya and Idlan were in a corner near the bed while Brit and Hammiel were on the other side. It was as if the small hideout, with only a couple of furniture and provisions inside, became separated into two parts with neither side willing to cross the invisible border between them.
A heavy silence and a stifling atmosphere began to settle.
“Only two minutes left!!!”
The loud and powerful voice of Vated broke the subtle balance of the situation.
As if awakened from a dream, Brit raised his head and took a heavy step forward toward the bed.
“Wait!” Idlan placed himself in front of the bed to bar the way.
“Move Idlan. I will do it.” Said Brit with resolution.
“Don’t! It’s a trap. You can’t trust him!”
“Brit, wait. Don’t be rash!” Hastily added Hammiel.
“Then what should I do !?!”
The previously resolute voice of Brit seemed to crumble unable to support his emotions. He clenched his fists so strongly that his nails dug into his skin. However, he didn’t pay it any mind.
“My wife… she is… She is pregnant. I can’t let this monster hurt her!”
“You can’t trust him!” Repeated Idlan.
“Then exactly what am I supposed to do?”
This time Brit couldn’t contain himself and angrily raised his fist in anger and frustration as if he was trying to hit the air around him.
“You can’t trust him but you can trust me.” Resolutely answered Idlan.
Hearing his words, Brit put his arms down and looked at Idlan’s determined eyes.
“I have loved ones too. I won’t give up on them, but that doesn’t mean that we have to hand over the girls to him. What would you think if they were your children?”
“They are from nobility. They don’t risk anything even if we hand them over.” Added Brit quickly.
“Who are you trying to convince except for yourself? Even if they have noble blood, they are innocent. In what world separating children from their parents is the right choice?” Angrily retorted Idlan.
Unable to answer, Brit could only open and close his mouth like a fish out of the water, unable to breathe.
Seeing his appearance, Idlan took a step forward and waited for Brit to look at him in the eyes before declaring strongly.
“You can trust me and you can trust Millodas. We won’t give up!”
Hammiel walked toward Brit while slowly putting his hand on his shoulder.
“What can we do?” Finally asked Hammiel.
“No matter what we do. We must do it together” Answered Idlan while looking at his two friends standing in front of him.
The heavy atmosphere inside the hideout finally dissipated.
“He isn’t counting anymore!”
The delicate yet rushed voice of Gaya recalled them abruptly of the current situation.
Hearing her words, Idlan’s face immediately changed. Brit and Hammiel also quickly realized what was happening.
Vated wasn’t speaking anymore but the two minutes were already used up.
If he wasn’t speaking anymore despite their lack of answer or reaction then that only meant one thing.
He didn’t need to speak to them anymore.
“So this is where you were hiding?”
A rough voice above them immediately made their faces go pale and their hearts shiver.
They looked up at the hidden entrance to the small hideout. His rough and savage voice could already be heard while bulky arms were trying to force the entrance.
The metal hatch began to furiously crack before being totally ripped open. Rays of fresh light penetrated inside the dimly lit underground hideout revealing the large figure of the man standing with the newly risen sun behind him.
His large silhouette preventing the sun from reaching them casted a great shadow on their faces and hearts.
“This is over for you!”
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The sun wasn’t totally up yet when an old man leading several dozens of men and women finally arrived at the place of the earlier battlefield.
The stench of blood and burnt flesh could still clearly be smelled.
“What brutality…” Sighed the old man seeing the desolate scene in front of his eyes.
However, he quickly regained his wits and practically ordered the various men and women around him.
“Hurry.”
“Yes.” They replied together before dispersing quickly across the vast plain.
The old man watched his various followers with a serious expression before turning his gaze toward a large pit of sand seemingly incredibly out of place. However, his gaze didn’t rest on the strange dune of sand but on the lonely man near it.
He drew closer and watched with sad eyes the unconscious Millodas at his feet.
He watched him with complicated eyes for long seconds before exhaling a long breath.
“I wish I didn’t have to do this, but now I don’t really have a choice anymore.”