"Arghhh!!"
"Why? You deceived us…"
"Arghhh!!"
Goblins and ogres scread as they were being killed left and right. Despite their best efforts to fight back, their bodies wouldn't respond in kind, they had been poisoned.
Before them, the cloaked demon stood, snickering nacingly as he watched them die to his beasts. "What? Did you think you would be of any use to the Demon Lord? He doesn't need you useless bunch… but don't worry, since you wanted to be a part of him after all, you will still serve that purpose and feed his strength."
Betrayal seeped into the chief of the ogre clan as he watched his people die without being able to do anything to stop it, listening to the demon's words. Out of anger and frustration, he dragged his body, using whatever strength he could muster to swing at the demon, but his sword only reached the demon's feet before falling.
"Be grateful and die quietly." The demon said, picking the sword to deliver the final blow to a nearly unconscious ogre chief. Surveying the scene before him, he smirked nacingly, "the ritual should soon be ready."
…
Back at the goblin camp, Lance had already created his plan going forward, and that was what they would stick to.
The plan was simple in theory. Lance and a small team would venture to the nearest altars they had identified and make a show of destroying it. The goal was to provoke a response from the demons, forcing them to reveal their hand. Lance had a hunch that the cloaked demon from the previous night wasn't the only one around. Even then, he would like to et with that particular demon who was already injured, perhaps, they may be able to capture or kill him.
"You're putting yourself in danger again," Mira said as she packed her healing supplies. Her erald eyes glinted with worry as she glanced at Lance.
"I know," Lance admitted with a smile as he petted her head. "But if we want to stop them, we need to take risks. Besides, I'll have all of you backing up."
"Ok." She said hesitantly, her body gesture curled in.
Kaeli smirked, hefting her hamr. "Damn right you will." She was going to be joining in this ti.
The team set out before noon, moving swiftly through the dense forest. Zarra led the way, her sharp eyes scanning for signs of danger as they were on edge now. Rynne stayed close to Lance, her spear ready for anything, while Kaeli, Lia and Mira brought up the rear as they fell behind a bit following a different team led by Rikka. Mira was in no way fast enough to keep up, so it had to be done like that. The sa could be said for Kaeli.
…
Lance and his team were naturally the first to arrive, and without wasting any ti, they got to work.
Using special hamrs from Kaeli, the altar's surface was shattered with a deafening crack. The corrupted energy dissipated in a sudden burst and dissipating into the surrounding, leaving behind a faint hum that echoed through the forest. These smaller altars were made of a different material than the main one, so shattering it was possible.
"It's done, we move to the next." Lance ordered as soon as the other group arrived.
In a similar fashion, they got rid of the next altar, and the one after that where they stopped to take a rest and wait.
But before they could regroup, a cold laugh echoed from the shadows.
"So you're the cause of the problem," a voice sneered. "The noble human and his ragtag bunch of goblins."
The demon from before stepped into the small clearing, their cloak billowing around them as dark energy crackled at their fingertips.
"You ruined my sacrifice you fools." he said, his red eyes glowing with malice.
Rynne stepped forward, her spear raised. "This ti, you won't get away."
"Oh? Is that what this is?" The demon said, his eyes narrowing.
Before Rynne could charge, the demon raised a hand, unleashing a wave of dark energy that forced the group to scatter in a violent force of energy and wind.
"And you remain." The demon smirked, his red eyes fixed on Lance. "Brave. Foolish, but brave."
Lance steadied himself, realizing what the demon's intension was. "Taking down the head, huh? They'll only return." He said, his voice calm as he studied the demon before him.
The demon lunged at Lance, without a response, his attacks swift and relentless. Lance dodged and parried as best he could, his speed barely keeping up with the supernatural ferocity of his foe. It was clear just how much faster the demon was.
"You're outmatched," the demon taunted, his strikes growing more precise, "and there's no one to save you this ti."
"Maybe," Lance said, his voice steady despite the strain. "But I'm still standing, aren't I?"
He managed a well-tid counter, his sword grazing the agent's side, drawing visible blood that stained the sword. The demon hissed in pain, his red eyes blazing with fury. Lance took the opportunity to charge in, unleashing several attacks at his foe, but instead of relying on his speed this ti, the demon unleashed another wave of dark energy, forcing Lance to his knees. The pressure was suffocating, the weight of the magic crushing.
"You're nothing without your pets," the demon sneered, stepping closer. "Did you really think you could face alone?"
Lance gritted his teeth, refusing to back down. The demon raised a hand, dark energy swirling around them in a deadly vortex. But before he could strike, an arrow whizzed through the air, embedding itself in his shoulder, shutting off the magic and the pressure on Lance eased.
In that split second, Lance healed himself with his magic, regaining his strength back as he leapt towards the demon, thrusting his sword right through the demon's ddle section.
Unfortunately, the demon moved out of the way just in ti to avoid a critical hit, but that distance gave him the opportunity to attack back as he clawed deep into Lance's ribs and took a huge chunk of flesh from his neck. Lance felt the pain, but ignored it as he released his sword, bringing out his daggers to finish everything.
Just then, the demon was able to push himself off Lance, causing Lance's daggers to catch nothing but cloth and surface skin.
The demon snarled, his cloak billowing as he unleashed one final blast of energy, creating a smokescreen. When the dust cleared, he was were gone.
The group gathered around Lance, who was still catching his breath after just healing himself from the fatal injury he just took.
"Are you okay?" Mira asked, her hands glowing as she reached him.
"Luckily, I'm fine," Lance said, his breath becoming more stable as he realized he would have really died if it weren't for his magic. "We lost hm again… This will co back to bite us." Lance said as he rose to his feet.
"There was nothing we could do, he ca prepared." Lia said.
'That was my mistake I then… playing hope chess…' Then again, he never really got to learn the ga enough.
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