Zach stood there, thinking. Rather than going outburst, demanding an explanation over those two acquaintances' situation, Zach weighed his options. It was either going all-out as a hero of mankind or he stayed up here on the battlement, partially safe from whatever down there, where the darkness of the forest could reach.

Zach paced back and forth on the battlement while Calrin looked in anxiousness. This wasn’t how the lad thought the great noble would react as he presumed Zach would bolt away to go for the rescue.

“How’s my brother?” Zach stopped and asked. Calrin led him to the bailey and even under the darkness, they spotted the shining armor of Ryden. Tobias was there too. Healing someone on Ryden’s lap. It was his brother, Cyrus. Looking weak, and he guessed the big gash across his body was the reason for it.

Zach frowned. The concern over those two acquaintances of his just got a lot worse. If a man like Cyrus could be this heavily injured, he reckoned the enemy they fought was more or less at the same level as a bull-spider. But the wound Cyrus had was uncannily clean as if he was cut by a sword and not by a fang or claws.

“What happened?” Zach asked. Turning his gaze to the one who was supposed to protect his elder brother.

“It would be wise to tone your voice down,” Ryden said. His eyes never left the unconscious face of Cyrus. The tone and the action showed not a shred of respect toward Zach who needed an answer.

“I recall I’m still your lord, and I demand an answer over what happened to my brother,” Zach said. His voice was sterner than usual.

“Quiet, you fucking fool!” Ryden shouted. Spits flying with blood streaks could be seen in his eyes. Ryden let his emotion reign free and everyone there saw it perfectly.

“I’m a fool? From where I stand, you’re the one who failed to protect my brother, and for a knight, I don’t think you no longer deserve that title,” Zach shot back.

Ryden shot up to his feet, charging at Zach as he unsheathed his sword. The blade hummed as it escaped its prison. Killing intent was evident in his eyes.

“Stop!” a feeble shout stopped the blade on its path. Zach stood there with a stoic face, fearless over the blade that was just an inch away from his face.

“My lord,” Ryden turned and saw Cyrus open his eyes. Tobias’ ongoing healing was finally enough to awaken his consciousness back.

But the moment Ryden knelt beside his lord, a fist slammed right across his cheek. Yet it was weak, and Ryden barely felt anything from that feeble fist.

“Apologize,” Cyrus said. Coughing like mad as he tried to deliver his words.

“My lord,” Ryden tried to soothe Cyrus’ back, but the Gardwin held him an arm away.

“Know your place, Ryden,” Cyrus said. Despite his body still weak, his eyes were still fierce, showing the dignity of a Gardwin. “You’re a knight that swore an oath to the Gardwin’s name, and you know well what it meant to bare one’s sword to their own lord.”

The scowl on Ryden's lasted a second before returning back to normal. He stood up with a solemn face and knelt again in the direction of Zach. “I, Sir Ryden Colt, beg the forgiveness of my lord,” Ryden said. He then picked up the sword once more and stood back up. Holding his right hand up high as his action was starting to turn weirder.

In a blink of an eye, a hand fell to the ground. People all around gasped in surprise as they witnessed what Cyrus meant by ‘apologize’. Ryden groaned as his hand cut by the wrist was flowing blood like an open tap.

“Burn your hand with steel!” Tobias said, frowning. He couldn’t budge from where he was as he was still in the process of healing Cyrus. Despite how fresh Ryden’s wound was, Cyrus was still in a worser position.

Ryden didn’t complain and walked away to the small fire pit near the bull-spider carcass. While everyone else was still stunned by the drastic event, Zach came closer to Cyrus.

“You could have just given him a slap on the wrist,” Zach said. Kneeling beside his brother.

“Rules are rules, brother,” Cyrus said. “He swore an oath and he broke it.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Zach broke a grin. “Even so, at least you didn’t kill him,” Zach said.

“He’s a good and loyal man, brother,” Cyrus said. According to Brittania's law, drawing your blade against your lord was a crime punishable by death. “The pain he felt not being able to protect me led to that unneeded rage. So the best I could do was this.”

“Bending justice for a loyal one, huh?” Zach said, smirking. “Not what I expect from the likes of you, big brother. But know this, if he does that again, even an arm is not going to be enough.”

Both gazed at one another as Zach sent his message that he wouldn’t play nice next time.

“So tell me,” Zach said. Vanishing his own smile into a stoic face. “What happened?”

* * *

“Please keep your voice down, my lady,” Teena said. Her eyes could not stop roaming around the darkness of the forest, mildly glowing in a green hue. It was a new skill she earned after finding an aged scroll hidden in a tree hollow. She was lucky. Finding it right after she started running from her enemies.

“Sorry . . . Teena,” Dayana said. Hanging on Teena’s shoulder as her ragged breathing was hard to conceal with the constant running they had been doing. And the few lacerations on her thighs were not making it any easier.

Their almost successful hunt was disturbed by a sudden ambush of another human party. They came out of nowhere and before they could even retaliate, their main man went down. Ryden took Cyrus away immediately, fleeing by themselves. Leaving Teena, and Dayana to fend for themselves. For a while now, their escape had been successful but the chasers were not giving up.

Teena could hear the shouts of the enemies from behind as they were relentless, chasing their tails. Their numbers far exceeded them, yet Teena was not going to give up. Since at the get-go, Teena had been misdirecting their chasers, making fake tracks on the ground, slathering blood on leaves in a different direction, and breaking branches away from where they were going. Her mind never stopped thinking of confusing the enemies. It seemed her experience hunting with her father proved to be a lifesaver.

Teena looked back. Her new skill shined within the darkness, letting her see while others couldn’t. People lurked in between the trees. Some were kneeling on the ground, searching for a track. While another tried their best to light up a fire within the darkness.

She stood there, weighing her options. Her bow called out for her to use it against her enemies, but her conscious kept that thought at bay. She was still not comfortable with the idea of using a bow on a human. Remembering it well, the emotion she felt while aiming her arrow at Zach just a few hours ago.

“It’s this way!” shouted one of the trackers, who had a sword and shield in his hand. Further cementing the fact that most had chosen knights as their classes even for a tracker.

Teena cursed, and let her feet take her away. “My lady, we’re running again,” she said. The weak Dayana could only nod. Blood had been trickling down her feet as the first-aid Teena did was not enough to keep the blood in the wound. She fought bravely against these enemies, but she was easily outmatched by the numbers and was inflicted with grievous injuries which kept on dwindling down her health points. Despite her vitality and defense high, her regeneration was still too slow. Fighting against the bleeding as it was still long before she could run on her own feet.

But out of nowhere, a huge force slammed against Teena from the side, sending her feet off the ground along with Dayana in tow. They rolled on the ground, dirt sticking against their clothes and skin. Then she felt it. Her scream rang across the night forest as Teena saw what happened as clear as day through her night-vision skill.

A tusk went straight to her shoulder as blood seeped slowly from the edge of the wound. Yet it was about to get worse. The mandibles of this ant-looking insect were getting closer to her flesh, craving for meat.

Teena’s hands scrambled, searching for something. Whatever she could find, hoping to deter this soon-to-be man-eater. Then the mandibles stopped. Her eyes gazed behind the mandibles at the sword that struck through the ant-like creature right at its abdomen.

Dayana was the one that held the sword. She was kneeling on the ground and yet she managed to strike the ant when it counted. But it wasn’t the right spot. The mandibles continued moving again, reaching Teena’s flesh as its tusk went deeper through her shoulder.

Teena cried in pain, and yet her hand found the thing she was looking for. She whipped her hand hard and the arrow she held pierced right through its chitin head. It fell limp on top of her and she breathed out a sigh of relief.

“You’re hurt,” Dayana said. Her weak hands reached out to the tusk that pierced Teena.

“No!” Teena said. “Don’t pull it out. Just cut it off.”

Dayana looked at her in confusion, and Teena further explained that it would make the wound worse. She complied and quickly sawed the tusk with her sword guided by Teena’s direction. But then, their sight brightened by an orange glow.

“They’re here!” a man shouted.

They turned and saw their pursuers standing there with a torch in their hands. The glint in their eyes showed they had hit the jackpot. These men were far different than the ones who had honor and decency in their hearts, and they could see it through their clothes alone. Some licked their lips in anticipation while some stared at Teena and Dayana as if they could see through their clothes.

These assailants drew closer to them, step by step. Dayana and Teena grew nervous by the second, but then all of them were shaken. A buzzing noise surrounded them at all sides that came out of nowhere. It grew louder as if they were coming closer. Dayana, Teena, and the pursuers let their wary eyes roam through the dark forest.

Then they appeared. It was the ant-like creature with tusks on its head, and they had surrounded them at every corner that they could imagine.

Teena grabbed Dayana’s hand, and their eyes met.

“Cut it quick!”