Akira, Zundar, Fluffball, and the other werewolves all watched the Minos warriors prepare for the uninvited guest from near the shore of the lake only a short distance away from the tunnel's entrance.
Most of the Minos warriors were using spears and short swords with shields. Only a few had a crossbow or a bow. Their choice of weapons was not based on preference or skill but on how cheap it was to produce and maintain them with the meager supplies and money that the village had available. Many such weapons were passed down from generation to generation.
Spearia turned to Zundar and said, “Eguhepustaur.”
With that said she, along with the other young Minos that had come with her, rushed forward to join the Minos warriors at the entrance.
“Should we help them?” asked Zundar as he rubbed one of his horns and looked between Akira and the Minos warriors in front of them.
“You know we can't interfere right now. We don't know who the enemy is nor do we know if they are really the bad people in this conflict.”
The chiming of the bell got faster as the footsteps of the uninvited guest came closer alerting everyone that they were almost here!
Twack! Thud! Crack!
Various cross-bolts and arrows flew out of the dark tunnel and slammed into the armor and shields of the Minos warriors at the front of the formation.
Fwoosh! BAM!
Several dark shadows darted out of the dark tunnel and slammed into the hastily formed shield wall which nearly broke when one of the Minos warriors stumbled and fell to one knee from the brunt of the attack.
Sensing the weakness in their formation, several of the dark-clothed attackers whose faces were covered by drooping hoods, started to hammer on the kneeling Minos warrior’s shield, not allowing him to stand back up.
A quick rapier jabbed forward in between the heavy blows but bounced off the shield only nicking the Minos warrior's neck leaving a thin line of blood behind.
Spearia and other young Minos teens rushed over to help the wounded warrior fend off the onslaught of attackers using their spears to stab at and push away the attackers.
As they were dealing with one group a shadow dashed out of the tunnel and ran right towards the kneeling Minos warrior's shield and used it as a springboard to jump up into the air dodging the attacks of the Minos below and landing behind the blocking formation at the entrance.
Instead of taking the chance to attack them from the rear, the dark-clothed attacker jumped forward and thrust their spear right at Zundar's head!
Zundar snorted with displeasure and stepped to the side as he swatted the attacker's spear shaft away using his fists.
“Why are you attacking me?” asked Zundar.
The black-clothed attacker cursed at Zundar in the ancient language, making Zundar's head hurt as he tried to translate the curse while he knocked away the attacks.
Akira and Fluffball stepped forward to help but Zundar shouted, “Leave him to me. I need to blow off some steam!”
The dark-clothed attacker paid no attention to the werewolves or Fluffball who were standing close enough to cut him down. Instead, he only focused on Zundar whom he attacked both verbally and physically.
Zundar's head was now throbbing and he was growing frustrated with having to translate all the curses.
So he did the only thing he knew that could solve this problem... he lashed out with a quick fist and grabbed the attacker's spear pulling him closer before slamming a fist into the man's stomach.
With the sound of several bones cracking the attacker crumpled to the ground.
“I'm not like those weak Minos over there!” said Zundar as he spat on the ground near the attacker who was now screaming in pain.
Even with the first attacker dispatched another two attackers managed to get past the warrior's formation and rushed at Zundar.
This time Akira, Fluffball, and the other werewolves did not wait and struck down the attackers disabling them. They were careful enough to not kill them as they still did not want to take sides.
They were only protecting themselves from the aggressive attackers.
With Spearia and the other young Minos working together to hold back the attackers the kneeling warrior was once again able to stand back up. But in that short amount of time, several of the Minos had received wounds from enemy attacks.
With Zundar and Akira taking the brunt of several rogue attackers the Minos warriors were able to properly reform their shield wall and start the counterattack against the stalled attackers.
After a handful of the attackers fell to the spears and swords of the Minos warriors, the few remaining enemy attackers dashed back into the dark tunnel while drinking from a vial as they ran.
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The frantic sound of battle was replaced with the sound of heavy breathing of the exhausted warriors as well as the moans, and cries of those wounded from both sides of the fight.
Based on what they had just seen, Akira and Zundar are not too impressed with the Minos warrior's fighting skills.
Klyn was now busying himself helping bandage the Minos warriors that would allow him to get close to him. Most did not want his help as he was a stranger.
Zundar walked over to Spearia who was helping bandage a wound on one of the teen Minos fighters and asked in the ancient language, “Why did they attack me?”
“You are a Minos by birth, so you are their enemy,” said Spearia as she paused in wrapping the bandage and pointed to the dead body of one of the attackers. The cloth mask and hood covering the attacker's face had been torn off.
The attacker looked to be smaller when compared to the Minos and was of a thinner demon race that had a single horn growing out from their forehead.
“They thought you were the leader of the group since you looked to be the strongest and were standing in the rear,” said Spearia.
Akira walked up to Zundar and asked, “Are they just going to let them run away? What if they call for more people to come and attack again?”
Zundar relayed Akira's questions but she only shook her head and said a few sentences.
“They can not follow them. The enemy is too skilled at fighting in the tunnels and the sentries must stay here to protect the lake,” said Zundar.
“... and what will they do with the dead bodies?” asked Akira.
“She says they make great fertilizer...” said Zundar after listening to Spearia's answer.
As Akira listened to Zundar's translation another question popped into his head causing him to realize why he was feeling so uneasy about this whole situation. It had to do with what he had seen earlier from the attackers!
The last few attackers were drinking a red liquid from a glass bottle that was far too similar to the ones that demigods use!
“Zundar! Let's go! We have to capture those attackers!” shouted Akira as he walked towards the crowded entrance where the wounded Minos were being attended to on one side while the other side was piled with the dead attackers.
“What why?” asked Zundar as he followed behind, unsure what he had said or done to make Akira want to leave.
“Either those attackers had contact with a demigod... or there were demigods that joined in that attack!” said Akira as he quickened his pace.
Spearia finished bandaging one of the teens and looked up to see Zundar and the rest jogging out towards the entrance.
“Wait where are you going? The sentries won't be able to protect you if you leave now. You should stay here and rest for the rest of the day to make sure they have really left,” shouted Spearia.
“We don't need your protection. From what I saw you're the ones that need our help,” shouted Zundar.
The nearby Minos warriors who heard him say this frowned at his choice of words.
Akira did not ask for a translation and only said, “Tell her that we have to capture those attackers. If she wants to come with us she is more than welcome to but we are leaving now.”
Zundar did as he was told but did not look back to see if Spearia or anyone was coming.
“Yap!” said Fluffball as transformed into his large ice-armored form and took the lead as he began sniffing the ground and the air as he ran into the tunnel hot on the trail of the escaping attackers.
Spearia seeing them enter the tunnel gave a few choice curses before motioning to several of her teen companions who were still in one piece after the fight. The group of young Minos did not say anything to the sentries nor did they try to stop them from chasing after Akira.
Akira Zundar and the rest of the werewolves all jogged at a fast pace following Fluffball's expert nose through the many winding paths that veered off of the main road that they had taken to get to the underground lake.
Akira did not say anything as he heard the loud footsteps of the teen Minos running to catch up to them and stayed alert as they entered a large dark cavern that had a rubble-strewn floor that was uneven making it hard to stand on level ground.
Akira took a few steps into the room only to jump to the side as a dark body dropped down from the ceiling in a sneak attack!
Clang! The sound of metal hitting the stone echoed through the cavern. Before Akira could react, Fluffball shot forward and bit down on the attacker's exposed neck. With a jerk, he yanked them off their feet. Fluffball let go of the attacker's neck and sat on his back pinning him to the ground.
“RAWR!” said Fluffball proudly as he looked over to Akira.
“Weak!” roared Zundar as he lashed out with his large maul connecting with the dark shadow that also tried to ambush him as soon as he entered the cavern. The body of the attacker snapped in two and was sent flying into a nearby wall. He and the rest of the werewolves all searched the cavern but found no other hiding ambushers.
Spearia, who had been standing near the tunnel entrance while the short fight happened, looked around the cavernous room for any clues on where they were. But nothing looked familiar and she had no idea where any of the several branching tunnels led.
“Didn't I tell you we shouldn't stray from the main roads? What are we going to do If we can't find our way back? Did you keep track of which tunnels you took?” asked Spearia to no one in particular.
“No one told you to follow us. We'll be fine, this is nothing,” said Zundar.
“Don't say that. People die down here all the time after getting lost. They are only found years later by the next person to be lost and all that is left is their gnawed bones,” said Spearia.
Akira ignored Zundar's conversation and walked over to the still-breathing ambusher who was being crushed by the heavy Fluffball. He grabbed the man's mask and hood and pulled them off revealing the face of a middle-aged Oni similar to the dead attackers back at the underground lake.
“Not demigods...” said Akira.
With his sword pointed at the man's neck he searched his pockets and bags that he was holding. With a quick search, he was able to find what he was looking for.
It indeed was a potion that the demigods used all the time!
“How did you get this?” asked Akira.
The man only stared at Akira with a confused expression as he did not understand what was said.
“Zundar, get over here and translate for me,” said Akira.
When Zundar asked the man the same question, the man's face turned into a scowl and he turned his head away from Zundar and did not say anything, just stared right at Akira with a defiant gaze.
Even with Klyn trying to speak with him they were still ignored.
No matter what they tried, the Oni would not break...
BOOM!
The ground underneath the Oni exploded knocking Akira and Fluffball away as the man's body was raised high off of the ground in the grasp of a large red pincer claw!