The Long Haul

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William's Perspective

It's been a few hours since I led our little group into the Zarmen forest. The once-green forest I grew up running through was no longer the place I knew. The green foliage and the loud streamy water that echoed throughout the forest the deeper I went were long gone. The moss that ran across the torn-down logs, the leaves-covered hills, the clover-covered ground, and the beam of light that stretched across the forest, blocking the view, were now different.

The forest was covered in a black-like gore, stretching across the trees and leaves like veins under my skin. Pulsating every often like a heart beating blood throughout the body left a sickening feeling in my gut. The streams were dried up as if someone or something drunk it all up. Moss were replaced with fungal pods; their tops were covered in sharp appendages stretching out towards anything that looked different from them. I ran past a few, and they seemed harmless for now. Trees seemed to be bleeding out this black goo into the ground. The once lively green color was replaced with a dark, dreadful blackish grey; the once elegant amber was now just memories of the past.

It felt odd seeing everything gone. It was haunting and eerie, as I felt I had lost another piece of myself. I grew up in this forest, helping my father with his hunts. Even the smell of the forest was different. Anger rose up as I was reminded of Hearthglen. Remembering everyone and everything now gone, I couldn't bear to lose anything else.

Aurum's emotions started to flow into me. I could feel her being uneasy and worried for me. I assume she already knows how I feel about this place and is responding to me. It's nice to know I wasn't alone.

I shook my head as I returned to reality, running deeper into the woods. I felt my legs protest slightly due to fatigue as I slammed my feet into the ground. Sweat started to soak into my clothes as I pushed off the ground with every step. I could hear the rumbling footsteps of the dragons behind me. Their feet trampled any log or shrubbery that got in their way. The dragons had to jog to keep up with me and my father. Hell, they even tore down a few small trees.

Talk about staying quiet.

Continuing to leap over a few logs, I could hear my father tagging alongside me. He ensured that nothing was in front of us. He claims, "moving us away from larger hordes of fiends."

I didn't care, though. I wanted to let out my frustration, lingering anger, and guilt.

Despite being the case, I knew it had to be me and my father to lead. We hunted in this forest. We know the layouts.

Even so, I wanted the Blight to pay.

Soon, to my luck, my wishes were granted. "Will, fiends up ahead," my father yelled, running beside me with his bow-staff. I'm even surprised he could run with that weapon in hand.

I yelled back, "How many?"

"Five, twenty meters!" my father yelled, his voice booming with urgency.

From behind, Thomas shouted, "And how exactly does a peasant like you plan on taking them down?" His voice dripped with skepticism.

I could already feel the weight of Thomas's and Azrael's gazes piercing the back of my head. Lord Dimmal, however, was quick to defend me.

"Just keep moving, Thomas! Save your complaints for later!" Lord Dimmal commanded sharply.

Less hostile now, Azrael asked frantically, "Are you sure about this?"

Grinning excitedly, I latched my hands onto my sword, removing it from its scabbard. I changed my running speed to a sprint, but I couldn't see what was in front of me as the trees and bushes blocked my view. Focusing my breathing, I kept my guard up, watching for anything. As I leaped over logs, I felt my heart start to pound in my chest.

Soon, the familiar nauseating smell of dead flesh rushed up my nose. Right in front of me, one of the Blight-fiends came into view. Its grotesque body was more deformed, probably from age.

But I didn't care about what it looked like. I ran straight at it, ignoring the shouts behind me as I held my sword with both hands. My heart beat with anticipation. Without stopping, I spun around, using the momentum to cleave into the fiend's body with a loud swoosh. I felt barely any resistance as I cut it in half.

Adrenaline slammed into me as I was impressed by my own strength. My lips turned into a wide grin as I sprinted ahead. But the moment I looked forward, a sword came slashing at me. I narrowly ducked in time as I ran straight into a fiend, sending it flying over me.

Hearing its body clattered, I saw a magic arrow finishing it off. I kept running forward as two more fiends came at me.

My father bellowed out from behind, "Charge through them!" With those words ringing in my head, I slashed my way through the first fiend, taking its leg off as I swung my sword around like a dancer to take its head off. It reminded me of when I fought the fiends in Hearthglen. Turning to the next fiend, I decided to see how strong I was.

Was it stupid of me? Absolutely. But no better time than now.

I ran straight at the fiend and flipped my sword into a reverse grip, slamming myself into it with my sword pointed at it. My sword sank straight through its body as I lifted it off the ground so I could keep running. Chuckling loudly, I used my free hand to dig into the wound my sword made. Using my sword and hand, I tore the fiend into two, discarding its halves aside as I kept running. Flipping my sword back into the original grip, I swung up at the next fiend's arm, sending its limb flying as I left it for my father. Seeing the last fiend in site, I bolted right at it, throwing myself at it as I felt its body fly away. Looking up, I saw it was impaled on a tree.

My face was all covered in a big, satisfying grin. I felt jubilated to see how much strength I could exert. But that gratifying feeling left when I remember that second fiend that almost got me. I was utterly distracted. Something my father keeps telling me.

Soon, I heard my father approaching me. "Focus, Will! Your recklessness will get you killed." His voice was harsh, filled with concern and anger. Before I could rebuttal, he shoved me forward, making me jog with him.

Scoffing at him for killing my moment, my brows furrowed as I glared at my father. "I just wanted to see how strong I am," I said curtly.

"Well, not here," my father responded with irritation. "You can test your strength when we are out of this mess."

Azrael's voice ranged over behind us as we ran. "Hey! How is a peasant like you so strong?"

"I am curious as well, William," Lord Dimmal says as he rides on Azrael's dragon alongside her, looking down at me with a strong, curious look. "Most riders, even Dragon Knights, wouldn't have that much strength. And your time as a rider is too short for you to develop any physical enhancements from the Dragon Force. A skill, perhaps?"

I was actually curious about that myself. I never really had a chance to understand why I'm strong. I just was, plain and simple.

"Magic-enhanced body," my father answered as he looked around the area. "We can rest here for the moment."

I sighed in relief. From what I guessed, there were no fiends in the area, which was good. All the running was getting exhausting, and my legs ached. Razarin trampled over logs and leaves as Thomas sat up straight, trying to look dignified. He would've succeeded if it wasn't for his broken nose.

"Magic-enhanced body?" Thomas spoke up as he looked down from his dragon. Razarin exhaled loudly as he slumped onto the ground. "You peasants really are stupid."

Azrael furrowed as she jumped off her dragon, allowing it to rest. She guided it to a spot to lie down. "Especially for someone who wanted to be a rider," she said, backing up Thomas. "Everyone knows the only benefit a magic-enhanced body gives is increased physical abilities."

My father pulled out a metal jug and handed it to me as he turned to Thomas. "How can two nobles be riders and be as dull as a marble?"

I won't lie—it gave me a chuckle, but Azrael didn't find it funny as I did. Back at the Guild, she walked up to my father's face. Her face was seething with rage; I could almost see smoke coming from her. She is just as fiery as fire for someone with an ice dragon.

"Say it again!" Azrael yelled.

"Shut up," Lord Dimmal hissed out. "You want more fiends to hear us out here?"

Azrael made a loud, almost bratty huff and walked away in defeat. As she leaned against her dragon, I noticed she seemed practically impatient. She crossed her arm and started frantically tapping it, looking around with wide eyes like she was nervous.

I turned my attention back to my father. " You said I have a magic-enhanced body, ya? What does that mean? Why do I have one?"

My father slumped onto the ground as he crossed his legs, gently placing his bow-staff onto his lap. Lord Dimmal crouched beside him, "I am curious as to why you wanted your son to have a magic-enhanced body rather than learn how to use magic like every rider does at a young age."

"Call me a cautious father or whatever," my father chuckled outward as I sat beside him. I remembered how he always made me channel magic into my body, which helped me get a physical boost. "A magic-enhanced body grants increased strength, speed, stamina, and durability. But it also grants magic resistance to whatever magic the individual is attuned to. Due to its unique requirement of acquiring magic, most people don't have one. But having one allows magic to flow more easily throughout the body. At the same time, mages can only move magic to certain points, which takes a moment. People with a magic-enhanced body don't have that issue. Sure, they will have a harder time learning and using magic. Still, the tradeoff is fair. Especially when it's a permanent effect." My father placed his hand on my shoulder. He shook it, "This little brat having one plus being a rider would give him an advantage over the other riders in physical combat. And I don't even want to think about the benefits when Will becomes a Dragon Knight."

I could feel my mouth drop in shock. I never knew any of this, but it makes so much sense. That's why I was so fast, strong, and durable.

"Fascinating," Lord Dimmal responded. "How did you make Will acquire one? I thought only adventurers, dungeons, and magic items could grant such things?"

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"I had Will spend his childhood channeling magic throughout his body constantly, every day and almost every night," my father answered with a smirk. "Training did help, but at some point, his body would and did adjust itself to the strength of the magic being used."

"That has to be the stupidest shit I ever heard," Thomas said in a mocking voice.

"Maybe if you had one, your nose wouldn't have broken so easily," Lord Dimmal hissed at him. This shut him up.

My father winked at me. I laughed out loud as I took in the moment, starting to drink from the metal jug. Water flowed into my mouth as waves of satisfaction and relief came over me. It was as if the water pushed all the fatigue out of me, and I felt it enter my stomach with a splash of coldness.

I placed my hand on the ground, and I felt the gross grass against my skin, writhing under my hand as dirt filled the crevices of my palm. I couldn't feel the sun's heat, but dawn would start to sink in in another few hours. The breathing of the dragons made the tree branches wobble around in the air. Black moss draped the trees like a dress, and black veins ran wildly across the forest floor.

Looking over to Azrael, I soon realized I had overlooked her armor, probably due to everything happening back-to-back. I never had a chance to look at her or Thomas's armor. Sure, it looked similar to Barren's, but there is a crucial difference.

The armor itself was very light, with white cuirass covering her chest. Unlike Barren, she had a leather-like combat dress with a scale-like pattern. The metal plating on the dress covered her arms and waist, ornate with a golden trim. Even along her legs, she was covered in armor, leaving areas like the joints free of restriction. All the armor plating was thinner and gave maximum flexibility. Sure, it doesn't grant as much protection, but sometimes, having as much movement in combat is worth it.

Thomas's armor was similar but bigger and bulkier. He wore a cuirass that covered his whole torso and leather armor underneath. Two pauldrons covered his shoulder. His vambraces on his arm were heavy, and he looked ready to stab whoever he hit with his elbow. Thomas's belt kept two long faulds, I assume, on him, reaching down to his legs. Finally, he had his knees down to his feet covered in armor.

Before I could look at them more, a loud screeching howl echoed through the forest.

More Fiends.

My father came running back to us, standing on a log as he readied his bow. Pointing off somewhere into the woods. "Time's up."

Without a second thought, I put the metal jug into my storage device as everyone hopped back onto their dragons. I made my way to my father as he pointed the direction we needed to go.

Taking off in a sprint, I could hear my father's footsteps behind me, the rustling of grass and bushes being knocked over. Only for the dragons to completely trample on them. Their footsteps shook the ground as we ran farther and farther.

"Are you sure you know where we are going?" Azrael yelled with concern.

My father looked irritated. "I know these woods far better than you."

"Only a peasant like you would know," Azrael retorted.

Rolling my eyes, I looked back at her, flashing a grin. "Maybe you should learn yourself so you can lead." She didn't find the idea comfortable.

"Quiet," Lord Dimmal hissed. I have to give him credit; Lord Dimmal has kept us from killing each other.

Before anyone could speak, more friends approached us, some of which were not human. This time, I saw a fiend looking more like a wrapped-up skeleton of green flesh with a gun embedded into its arm. It started to fire at us. Bullets rattled the air as they flew right at us. I took my sword in hand and used the flat side of the blade as a shield as I took the brunt of the attack. Part of me knew I was going to be okay, just that it was going to hurt.

A lot.

My body felt like I was getting hit by rocks, leaving an everlasting stinging sensation that kept coming one after another. I could hear the magic bullets collide with my sword with a loud clang. I barely felt much resistance, probably due to the gun that was being used as I moved toward the fiend. When I got close enough, I threw my hand forward, pushing the gun away from me as I swung my sword at the fiend.

Feeling resistance against the fiend, I pushed through, not caring about bone or armor, as I cut and detached the fiend's upper body from its legs. Looking onward, a few more fiends came at me. I quickly recovered, making sure not to drop my guard like my father said as I brought my sword down onto their sword. Metal clashed with metal, and sparks flew past us as we crossed swords.

But I was stronger

Pushing off the ground, I shove the fiend back, throwing it off balance just in time as the other fiend came at me. Ducking down under its sword, I countered back with my sword and sliced it to bits.

Sweat started to drip down my face as more fiends began to rush at us from the sides. Luckily, the dragons were there to stomp or munch down on them. I got lost in the moment as I kept dicing my way through more fiends. I spun around to cut down two that tagged behind me, only to channel magic to my legs so I could dash forward. My sword danced with me as I mowed down a few more fiends, only to realize I took a tree with me by accident. I couldn't help but grin as I watched their bodies get flung across the forest floor.

"Watch it," Lord Dimmal yelled from behind. "We are drawing too much attention."

Lord Dimmal was right. I was getting lost in the moment, relishing my own strength. So much so that my father had to take charge of the lead. Sure, it slowed us down, but he knew where to go. I could look at a map or find my way through a forest, but he was far better at navigating one than I ever could. Something I could never pick up from him.

Whenever I got caught in a moment of victory or strength, I got hurt or lost. The Heraraptor, Blightfiends, and the Gravewalker. I need to do better. Fighting fiends like this is easy. But a group or a horde is far worse. I don't want to lose anyone else to the Blight, like what happened in Hearthglen.

Or to my mom.

I won't let that happen again.

I felt my dragon's emotion pour into me, almost like she was trying to encourage me. It worked.

At some point during the run, everything went quiet. Night came upon us, and the fiends no longer charged at us. The forest was all black from the Blight's corruption, and the moon was not out, so we couldn't see where we were going.

My heart soon started to slow down, no longer being attacked every so often. Able to catch my breath as my adrenaline started to go down. I wiped a mixture of blood and sweat off my face and gloves. My shirt, though, wasn't going to be clean for a while.

My father stopped after jumping over a log and running down a hill. "We rest here tonight," he said commandingly. I could hear his rapid and heavy breathing as I walked beside him, also exhausted as he wiped sweat off his face.

Azrael led her dragon around my father, looking puzzled at him. Her dragon looked slightly tired and irritated. "Why don't we just fly now while it's dark?" Azrael said as her dragon collapsed onto the ground from all the running. Didn't realize a dragon can get tired of running. Azrael leaped off her dragon as she went to check up on it.

Lord Dimmal also hopped off the dragon, holding onto my dragon as he approached Azrael. "Flying at night in Blight territory is a death sentence. Gwyn, how are we doing camp?"

Lord Dimmal soon let Aurum onto the ground as she ran over to me, rubbing herself onto my leg. Picking her up, she squealed in delight as I could feel the warmth of her golden scales flow into me. Any fatigue I was experiencing was starting to fade away. Her dorsal spines twitched in a wavey pattern as she purred. Her tail curled around my arm.

My father turned to the hill next to us as he shot a magic arrow at it, and a massive hole appeared in it, making a cave. I never knew he could do that. But then again, he never had to.

Azrael gawked at the cave, visibly disgusted. "I'm not going in there," she said, her face looking at us in abhorrence.

Thomas was ready to defend her side. "Such a place is not an ideal for a noble. How do we know it will be safe?" His face said everything. He hated this. Or maybe he just hated us. I'm just glad that my father is the only one who knows about me stealing Aurum.

Lord Dimmal entered the cave first. "If it grosses you out that much, why don't you just cover it with your ice magic?"

Ice magic? Even if she did, how would it even last? If we were going to eat or start a fire, wouldn't the ice melt?

Azrael huffed loudly and turned away as her dragon approached the cave. It pulled its neck back, ready to do something. Soon, a white flame burst from its mouth, and the cave walls started to be covered in ice. Soon, the dark cave was a crystalized cavern.

With that, Azrael finally walked inside along with Thomas. Following in after them, my father entered last, shooting one final magic arrow that closed the cavern. Azrael's dragon was soon breathing its ice all over the entrance.

Thomas conjured fire into his hands, granting light to us all. He tosses a few of them out in place, giving us light. This would solve our problem with light.

None of us spoke to each other much besides helping each other grab a few bags to make our beds. I was worried at first that we wouldn't be able to breathe without some entryway to the outside or that we would just suffocate ourselves. But apparently, the ice Azrael's dragon made is magical. I didn't really know how else to understand it.

I set Aurum on the ground as I overheard Thomas whispering to Azrael. "You don't need to go through this, your highness. These people are beneath you, and their treatment of you would get them killed."

"I know," Azrael whispered back. "But Lord Dimmal is far more experienced than us. Knows more. If he trusts them, then I'll tolerate them for now." Despite whispering and glancing at her, I could tell she tolerated us. If she would have her way, she would've killed us. But something was holding her back.

Thomas patted Azrael's dragon, "Then trust me. All I want is what's best for you as your knight." Thomas whispered, giving her a pleading look.

"I do trust you. I just." Azrael looked down as if weights were pulling down on her shoulders. "I don't know what to do or what the right choice is. But if Lord Dimmal, someone who has been around, falls longer than both of us, we can say this is the right choice. Then I'll trust that choice."

Thomas sighed as I went back to gathering food. Searching around, I found the rations that my father saw and stored for us to take on our way.

Apparently, the Guild had a lot of canned rations. Small containers that hold quick food that can be eaten on the spot. My father had me pass them out to everyone as he pulled out massive carcasses of animals we hunted before. Watching him do so, it was easy to know he was feeding the two dragons.

The dragons seemed to enjoy the massive legs that my father managed to store in the storage device.

Looking down at my ration, it said "Rice and Chicken." I never cared much for food, mainly because I can't cook for his life. I found a slot where I could open the can. Prying the lid open easily, the smell of chicken flooded my nose, rejuvenating my body as I almost drooled. To my surprise, the lid is also used as a spoon. Taking my first bite, the flavor was beyond elegant and savory as I nearly inhaled it. Maybe all the running made me desperate for food. The texture of the rice was nice and soft but not soggy in any way. I could eat this stuff for months.

Aurum snacked on an extra leg my father took out. I could almost taste her food in my mouth. That confused me.

Noticing everyone else, they all seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. Never realized the Guild had stuff like this. It's way better than my father's cooking.

"How is it?" my father asked me, looking quite pleased with his food.

I turned my head to him, giving him a smudged look. "Better than your cooking."

His face changed from pleased to abhorred, and he opened his mouth as he held his hand against his chest. "My cooking is fine." He sounded very offended.

"You don't even season your food. You just cook it and leave it. At least sprinkle some salt," I bickered back.

Azrael looked tense. Fidgeting her legs as she ate, she spoke up. "For peasant food, it's alright."

Grinning widely, flashing my teeth, I scoffed playfully at her. "If you don't like it, you can return it to my father." I extended my hand forward in the act of taking her ration. I knew it was odd for me; I couldn't help but tease royals and nobles. Especially out here where it is in danger.

She immediately shook her head and whimpered sadly as her mouth was stuffed with food, preventing her from speaking. My face went from grinning to an apologetic look. I found her little whimper vexing.

My father found it hilarious. Thomas glared maliciously at him. I worry about traveling with him. He takes his duties as "Azrael's guard" too seriously. Just looking at her incorrectly would make Thomas go bloody murder. "That is the princess you are speaking to!"

"Nobility won't save you out here, Thomas. Remember that," Lord Dimmal confidently explained. Thomas clenched his jaw as he furrowed viciously at his food. If he clenched any tighter, he might break his teeth. Lord Dimmal soon turned to me with a curious look on his face. "William, how are magic spells for you with a magically enhanced body? I only know of its negative effects, but not their causes."

My father raised his hand up, coming to my aid. Cause I don't even know. "Magically enhanced bodies have a harder time manipulating magic outside the body due to the effect of channeling. When using magic outside the body, you must be able to shape and bend the magic you pushed out. However, enhanced bodies have a harder time because they would push magic out far faster and in larger quantities than originally intended. This would also make it harder to control. Even with chanting."

"But if one could learn to manipulate magic outside the body?" Lord Dimmal questioned.

"They would be able to cast magic outside their body far faster than a normal mage could," was my father's answer. He soon crushed his now empty can ration and threw it into Thomas's floating flame. "You should get your rest, Will."

Gulping down a big mouthful of food, furrowing my brows as I look up at my father, "I'm fine."

"You are taking the brunt of this journey; you need rest." That was the final word my father said to me. I scoffed at him, hating to listen to him when I knew he was right, so I made my way behind him. There, two quick-foldable beds were laid out.

Laying on one of the beds, Aurum ran over me and crashed into my arms. I chuckled loudly as her dorsal spines slightly scratched my side as she spun around in my arm until she could get comfortable. As soon as she found the correct position, she fell asleep immediately.

I suddenly felt drowsy, assuming it was Aurum that was causing it.

I have to be ready for tomorrow.