Arthur's Point of View

Reed Farmstead

“If you want, but I can handle this easy enough.”

Elincia looked to my feet where Demons lay dead and replied, amused. “I can see that.” Then she turned to the other Ghouls. “However, these Demons seem to be forgetting that these lands are protected by my sister and I.”

One Ghoul decided to be lippy as he floated above us at a distance. “You and your sister are nothing more than plastic pawns that move when others allow it.” He barked with a glare. “Enjoy your peace while it lasts, ‘Princess’.” Then he turned to me. “The king of-“

He was interrupted as one of my pillars slammed into his back and put him right at my feet. “You talk too much.” The Ghoul barely had a moment to look up at me before I separated his neck from his shoulders. “Anyone else feeling overly chatty?” I asked around the farm. “I want people who will talk, but snide little bitches like this one are gonna get cut up.” My statement as I gestured to the most recent dead body made them go silent.

A certain Priestess was studying me since I silenced the Ghoul. “Well, I suppose we should wrap this up.”

Gesturing out to the dozens of remaining Ghouls, I spoke. “After you.”

The battle began as Elincia immediately flew into the air. Using my own form of flying, I slowly floated above the area as well. Elincia darted about slamming into several different Ghouls. No doubt a spark of the old times had ignited in her, but I could instantly tell she was being reckless. Her mind was focused on the foes she could see and not the overall battlefield.

Elincia was put on her back by a Ghoul coming in from outside the barrier above her. She slammed into the ground with enough force to bounce and roll slightly. Several of the Ghouls immediately set her up. She lifted her arms in fear since she was no longer used to such a battlefield. Being surrounded was unusual for her, and while a spark may have ignited in her, she was definitely out of practice.

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Gravity Pillars pushed them all away as Elincia got to her feet. “If you’re gonna get in the way, then go back inside your shield!” I told her in a harsh tone. “Watch your back if you feel the need to fly about!”

Hundreds of her swords were summoned at my words and began following her as she took to the air once more. This time, she would attack many different Ghouls while teleporting to keep an eye on her surroundings. Maybe she trusted me to watch after her, but I shouldn’t have to.

Ghouls would rush me and die, which meant several of them started to focus solely on Elincia. She was struggling. This many Demons that were strong enough to challenge her, or her sister, were starting to overpower her. Arceana and Elincia were nowhere near as strong as Rudnurth or me. In fact, they were closer to an Ancient Demon in terms of power, while I was closer to Thana. A vast gap to be sure and one that enough Ghouls could fill.

I focused solely on the Priestess. Her breathing was getting heavy, and she seemed to be losing focus on her shield. No doubt from the strain of having to fight so many opponents. Should I have been helping her? Probably. However, something caught my eye while she fought.

“What the fuck…” I whispered as I barely paid any attention to the nearby Ghouls.

At first, I thought it was due to the Ghouls attacking her, but I was wrong. As the battle went on, and she became more and more pressed, Elincia started to have sparks of Demonic Magic shoot through her body. It was such an offset from her usual white magic that I thought my eyes were deceiving me. Unfortunately, they weren’t.

“God damnit.”

I knew this was likely from the mountain top two thousand years ago. Rudnurth came to mind at what could have changed since my return. Maybe it has been dormant all this time, and Rudnurth activated it, or it’s been with her all along. Whatever he implanted in her back then, it was starting to act up, and I became worried as it got stronger and stronger as she fought.

Since Elincia was getting tired, and she had whittled down the enemy numbers enough, the remaining were easy enough to take care of. Unleashing a wave of energy over the area surprised everyone present. The Ghouls defensively turned to me, but soon found themselves frozen in place.

Twenty-something Ghouls remained locked in place from six different Gravity Pillars holding them there. Each struggled, but my control was far better now. Soon, they began to pop like balloons that were squeezed much too hard. Although, it was on purpose. Blood stayed pooled in little orbs midair while the Ghouls died one after another. Elincia landed beside me in shock as she watched.

I must have killed the Demon who was generating the barrier around the farm since it began to dissipate. “Looks like I got lucky.” With one left alive, I slowly moved it in front of me as it looked around in horror. “Now, do you feel like talking?” He was silent. “There aren’t any more of you hiding in wait, so there’s no reason for this to get messy.” A glare greeted me in return.

“A defender that has fallen before isn’t a defender we need to be scared of!” The Ghoul spat. “You already failed before, and look where we are because of you!” The hate from the Demon wasn’t something I was expecting. “All hail the Kin-“

However, before it could finish, I crushed him. A frown took over my face. These Ghouls knew of me, which was something I did not expect. I thought this was just another group that was ordered to their doom, but they seemed to know me personally. Unless Ghouls lived for thousands of years, which I doubted, that meant something else was at work here. All of this was unnerving to me.

“Arthur-“ Elincia began, but shouting from all around could be heard.

Hundreds, if not thousands of Humans, Elves, and Zugal charged in ready for war. “Look how cute they look.” I told Elincia, which got her to smack my chest and roll her eyes.

“Be nice.” She chided me.

“Never!”