Cedric ran, not needing to worry about adjusting his speed for anyone else. A girlish giggle escaped his lips as he fully enjoyed the run. He didn’t remember the last time he was free to do that. It was too dangerous to run like this in the city. There was no chance that other people could bump into him without suffering serious injury. He was moving faster than even a mount and would trample anyone that was in his way. However, he knew that there would be no one on this road since it wasn’t really a road.
Apparently, a foreign nation had started getting involved in the war. No one knew exactly what had happened, but the desert kingdom of Sharath started sending troops to the western border of the kingdom. Crossing the desert made it difficult for Larkin to fight back, especially since they were in the middle of another war. His mission was to cause chaos and destroy supply lines and walls of Sharath’s cities. The kingdom wasn’t as scattered as others and most of the major cities were built within sight of the capital. His job was to cause as much trouble as he could.
Normally, a mission like that would weigh on his mind, but he had been feeling a lot more confident as of late. The medicine that the doctor had given him worked wonders, and he was sure that he would be able to succeed. He wasn’t worried about killing people either. His main targets were supply caravans and a storage system that helped them preserve water. They would be forced to recall their troops to handle the internal problems that would arise after the fact. It was merely meant to delay Sharath so that they could focus on Elpis. He thought that it would work.
He liked the desert so far. There was nothing but large empty spaces, so he could run and move without any worry. It wasn’t cold, and the heat wasn’t particularly bad. Even in the middle of the day, the heat couldn’t even compare to the burning sensation he would get from a single drop of the elixir. He had been running for over a day now and should see the city soon. At least that was what Sir L had told him. Most of the plan and its purpose didn’t make that much sense to him, but he trusted that Sir L would know better in a situation like this.
He enjoyed the run and the feeling of kicking up sand as he took long strides over the dunes. There had only been a few falls as he got used to the sand, but after a day of nonstop running, he could avoid stumbling carelessly. The sand felt soft beneath his feet but he knew that it was surprisingly firm. His first fall had shown him that. Initially, he expected it to be like snow, but it wasn’t. It felt more like small rocks, and it had gotten all over him when he fell. It had taken a while for him to get it all off of him.
He had crashed into a few things too. Though they were just plants. Spotting one of the plants, he charged toward it. It was a green plant with spines, and it exploded into refreshing water when he ran through them. He had made a game of doing it. As he reached the plant the spines pressed lightly against his skin, but it wasn’t strong enough to pierce his skin, and the plant didn’t even slow him down. His face and chest pressed into the plant for a second and it popped like a bubble. The water splashed over him as he ran. It dried up quickly from the heat, but it was still refreshing.
The city finally showed up in the distance, and he wondered if it was a mirage. Before leaving, he had been warned that mirages might appear in the desert. He didn’t really understand how they worked but remembered being told that they could look like anything. The light of the sun made it hard to tell, as it caused the air in the distance to shiver. It made the city’s walls look like they were vibrating.
The walls were made of some kind of golden stone, and he wondered how that even worked. It made him think that he really was looking at a mirage. He didn’t know of any stone that looked like gold, and the city itself was magnificent. Many tall buildings poked over the walls, each looked like a tall watchtower. They had triangular roofs which made the buildings look like arrows. Thinking about it like that made him realize that the city resembled a quiver. Now, he was fairly certain that he was looking at a mirage. A city couldn’t really look like that, right.
That was what he thought, right up until he heard the first sounds coming from the city. His run kicked up a small storm of sand behind him, and the city’s guards would easily be able to spot him. He didn’t slow down, not even when he saw guards forming around the walls to fire arrows at him. The sounds of shouting sprung up, and his body tensed. It remembered the horrors he had experienced last time, but his mind rejected the memories, drowning them out with the adrenalin of the moment. Whatever the medicine had done, it was helping him drown out the stifling thoughts.
He didn’t think about it too carefully. The medicine had changed him a lot, and he had been acting carelessly since he took it. He had gained a confidence that he didn’t have before and felt strangely optimistic about things. Plus, he found enjoyment in almost everything he had done, even small things like cleaning up his house.
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The first volley of arrows was launched, and he expected to hear screams. As the arrows struck the sand, they made the sound of metal striking stone. However, there were no screams and he realized that they wouldn’t come. He was alone on this mission. So long as he didn’t scream there wouldn’t be any. That thought reassured him and he shut his eyes for a second as the second volley was released. Even with the medicine, he could feel some memories creeping up on him. It was like an annoying cough that kept coming back when he tried to stop it.
By the time he reopened his eyes, he had already arrived at the city wall. In fact, he was too close to stop, and he collided with the stone. He had been running as fast as he could, and he struck the stone with all his force. Stronger than any catapult, the sound was like thunder as he hit it. The wall shook from the collision, and cracks spread across the surface. It was almost like he had thrown a rock against a window. They crawled along the wall for a good distance. Taking a step away, he spat to the side. Sand had entered his mouth when he collided, and he realized the stone was made with sand. How did they make walls out of sand?
The sound of yelling brought him back to the present, and he remembered the plan. Reaching over his shoulder, he grabbed his sword. He had a different one today. They had specially made another for him. It wasn’t as sharp as the previous sword, but it was a lot thicker. Honestly, he had asked why they hadn’t just given him a hammer or something. Sir L had said that he wouldn’t be able to swing a weapon like that properly. He trusted Sir L, but how hard could it be to swing a hammer? Not much to do about it now, and he gripped the metal hilt of his sword. He used both of his hands to hold the sword. One hand was on the bottom of the hilt and the other was closer to the guard. It was designed for his size and hands, and he felt comfortable putting his full weight behind the swing.
It felt familiar despite being a new weapon. Most things he used felt weightless, and he had to be careful with almost everything he used. The swords he received were the only exception. Apparently, that is how it would always be now. These weapons would be the only things he could and should swing without holding anything back. They wouldn’t bend or break. Sir L’s words reverberated in him as he swung his blade at the wall.
When you swing your sword, do it as hard as you can. Trust me, nothing will be able to stop you.
Nothing can stop him, that much was proven as his blade struck the wall. It was harder than any catapult, the strength he used surpassing anything he could have mustered before. His growth had finally stopped. No matter how much elixir he took, he didn’t get any stronger. Even the pure elixir hadn’t done much. It gave him an energy boost but didn’t do anything else for him anymore.
At first, his blade began to pass through the wall, and he thought that it wouldn’t work. However, it must have been pushing the stone too, as the wall caved in around where his blade struck. The blade had dug a few inches into the stone before the hole wall dented. The cracks expanded and the section of the wall in front of him collapsed. He heard people screaming as the wall fell apart. Sand swarmed the air like insects, and he shut his eyes to stop it from blinding him. It was a mistake as he was stuck hearing the sounds of screaming and destruction.
His mind was slowly bringing back the painful memories, but they got blocked as he reopened his eyes. The wall had collapsed around him, several pieces of stone lying in groups on the ground. He saw some people panicking a few having been partially crushed by the rubble. The sight made him freeze for a second, and he took a hesitant step backward. He was tempted to run away, but another thought stopped his movements. He was here alone and all he needed to do was damage the city. He hadn’t been given any orders in regard to the people. Taking a deep breath, coughing as some sand entered his mouth, he walked towards the nearest person. Using his sword as a hammer he broke the piece of stone that was trapping the man and pushed aside the pieces.
The soldier looked conflicted, his anger and fear now mixing with complete confusion. Cedric didn’t look at him for long, moving to the next person and continuing to do so until all of the soldiers had been freed. Cedric hadn’t liked what he had done, and the knowledge that he would need to do this again bothered him. There had to be another solution, and his mind raced as he tried to think about what he could do.
Eventually, he just took a seat on the ground. Trying to figure out what he could do to stop the destruction. He just sat down listening to the crowd around him. he could tell that it was growing, but he didn’t let it bother him. he wanted to spare as many people as he could and yet still do his job. The question was figuring out how he would do that. It's not like they would just let him destroy their walls and stuff. He continued to struggle, but then felt a moment of clarity, or rather, of nothingness. It was like his mind had just stopped working for a second and everything he was thinking about was gone. It took a second for him to open his eyes, to remember what he was doing. Right, he had to destroy the walls.
He stood up, unsure of what he was trying to do by sitting down. He knew that he wanted to help these people while still doing his job, but it felt like it didn’t matter as much anymore. He could just do his job and then help the people. It worked here, so it should be fine in the other locations as well. Feeling a sense of confidence filling him, he ran towards the opposite end of the city. He figured breaking the wall in two locations would probably be enough damage.