Chapter 84 Covered in Blood
SLASH!
Killorn sliced through the giant goblin's neck, enough to sever the head from the body. He watched as blood gushed out, the last of the beasts to fall down. He stepped to the side, allowing the extractors to come forward. With a flick of his heavy sword, the disgusting liquid flew off.
"That's the last of 'em, Alpha," Beetle said, just as he let out a sigh of relief. Covered in goblin blood from head to toe, the men all glanced at their vicinity. They had never seen anything like this before. Killorn and his group were gathered near the outskirts of the wall, fighting and slaying everything in their way, meanwhile, the other teams should've finished clearing up the ones that managed to get through the calls and towards the empire palace. None of them should've made it that far, though.
"You've done well, men!" Killorn shouted at his people, for their morale was low from their fatigue. A speech at the moment of victory was well-appreciated. He even saw a few relieved faces. "Today, we feast like kings!"
Immediately, cheers filled the crowd.
"So generous, so soon?" Beetle snickered with an amused smile on his face. "Must be because he's going to have a better feast than us—hey, let me finish my sentence before hitting me!"
Beetle quickly dodged one of Killorn's blows. He was met with a frightening stare in return. "Just telling the truth as it is, Alpha~" Beetle cheekily said, holding his palms up in defense. He let out a yelp as Killorn stormed forward for a good beating. "Run, a beast scarier than the goblins are coming this way!" Beetle shouted at the youngsters, who quickly scrambled and tightened their grip on their swords. Seeing it was their menacing Alpha, they began to dash, earning a round of chuckles from the older warriors. Before the fun could continue, a seldom man spoke up.
"Three monster invasions back to back, something is not normal," a wise voice commented from a group of wolves.
Immediately, those who had shifted into their animal form turned back into humans. They stood stark naked, their bodies coated with the same gut-wrenching smell of goblin blood. At the sound of the powerful magician, the people parted like the red sea.
There were wolves trained in sword and hand combat, whereas, others who shifted faster and larger were trained to fight with their flesh-tearing jaws.
"I have something to tell you," Reagan said the minute he approached Killorn.
Killorn narrowed his eyes into slits. He tightened the grip on his sword, for the conversation was long overdue. They both saw the coincidence that none of his men did. To them, it was a normal monster invasion and an enormous profit gain. Everyone was trained to slay creatures efficiently. In an emergency, their lives mattered more than how they took down these beasts.
"We'll do it inside," Killorn gritted. "The women and children must be frightened by now."
"Right—"
"Alpha!" A soldier cried out, rushing forward. He was quite young, with brown hair, and wide eyes. Panic struck his face. He was panting and heaving, having dashed all the way here from the back of the lines. The second he stopped in front of them, more and more soldiers' eyes glazed over. Then, one by one, they let out a cry of fear.
"The goblins... they have infiltrated the empire's safe room!"
Killorn's heart stopped right then and there. Everyone's attention fell to him, awaiting a command.
"GO!" Killorn roared, dashing forward just as his army followed closely behind him. Killorn had never run so fast in his entire life. He felt his lungs burst at the seams, his legs carrying forward. Everything was a blur to him. The only sound he could hear was the thundering footsteps of men rushing back to the castle. The only thing he could think of was Ophelia.
The last image that flashed through his mind was her hesitant smile, and then, her body ripped to shreds.
- - - - -
As Killorn ravaged through the castles, his men weren't too far behind. Their boots thundered on the pavement. Where were the manor guards? Were they all dead?! Their questions were immediately answered at the sight of the fallen men littering the hallways.
Killorn instantly approached them, but paused. There was no sight of injuries, nor were they ransacked by anything. Reagan bent to hear their chest.
"They're asleep," Reagan murmured in disbelief. He paused and rubbed his hand upon a metal chest plate, sensing a colorless liquid. He rubbed it in between his fingers, his head shooting up with alarm.
"It's chloroform," Reagan deadpanned. Immediately, the men were alarmed, glancing around each other.
"A planned attack?" Beetle spoke up, earning a murmur of confusion.
"To the bunker, immediately." Killorn's tone was lethal and composed even in the worst of moments. Someone had to remain calm, if not, they were all going to be scattered. nOve-lb/In
Killorn swiped his hand forward and quickly, people rushed after him. He stormed down the hallways and down the staircase. There, they began their descent to the safe rooms. Their approaching footsteps thundered off the walls and soon, they were met with a loud banging.
The goblins had made it into the room. And they were attempting to get the bunkers open.
- - - - -
"L-Layla, wait for me," Ophelia shakingly said whilst taking the dagger out of her pockets. The wound had closed, but she knew the witch would need more supplies to cast her magic. Layla kept her weapon pointed towards the door.
THUD! THUD! Each rapturous bang sent the woman cowering back in fear. They whimpered and huddled amongst themselves, trembling near the lantern. None of them dared to speak up aside from their hiccups and tears, for they were occupied with keeping themselves sane.
Only Ophelia stood exceedingly close to Layla. She understood how useful her blood was. She was fairly certain that Layla knew as well, for the women exchanged a final glance with each other—sharing a conversation without words.
Even so, Layla placed her body as the first point of attack. She saw Layla's arm tremble, for the metal rod keeping the bunker shut was beginning to rattle far too loudly.
BANG!
"Gracious lady, please, come behind me!" A group of humans in the far back instructed, hurriedly rising to their feet in an attempt to shield the lady's body just as the goblins smashed their weapons on the bunker door again.
"N-no need!" Ophelia instinctively said, thrusting a hand behind her to stop them from making foolish decisions.
Ophelia froze. She stared at the unhinges and saw one of the screws was beginning to give out. Then, the frightening noises stopped. They all held their breath. Ophelia began to roll up her sleeves. Everyone was going to discover her secret today, but she had her people to protect. "I-it is the lady of the house's d-duty to keep her people safe," Ophelia murmured, just as she turned to Layla with her pale wrists revealed. "My lady please!" one of the women cried out, rushing to grab her to pull her in the back. They were willing to protect their savior at all costs, for she had just saved many lives today. "I will g-go down b-before they touch you all," Ophelia responded. She felt a sense of duty rush into her body, as a noble woman, and the wife of the man who defended the empire.
Ophelia didn't want to disappoint Killorn. She wanted to protect these pitiful human servants who had no one to shelter them. Ophelia had Killorn, but who did these girls have? No one. Layla glanced at her with worry. Layla painfully squeezed her eyes shut. She shakingly exhaled. The screw suddenly pinged and rolled off the staircase. The bunker fell into a deadly silence. Was this the end?
"My lady, I am so sorry." Layla began to approach Ophelia. Just as she lifted her wang, the sharp end coming closer to Ophelia, the bunker doors rattled.
"Luna, no!" A woman cried out, scrambling forward. "She is a witch, she—"
"She will k-keep us all safe," Ophelia muttered, turning her back to the doors and squeezing her eyes shut. Layla swiveled on her feet to meet the lady, her attention completely focused on the open wound and the precious silver blood that dripped to the floor. It glistened under naturally, as if specks of the universe were tucked into the liquid. She felt the floors shake and tremble, most likely from the attack, but didn't realize the truth. "My lady," Layla gravely said. "I know," Ophelia squeezed out. She closed her eyes, ready to accept her defeat, but suddenly, the beginning came to a stop just as the doors flung open. Everyone expected the worst, Layla included.
Layla continued speaking. "The Alpha will murder and hang me for this. He—"
"Will u-understand," Ophelia.
"Understand what?" A voice demanded. Gasps filled the air and someone sobbed in relief.
"A-Alpha Mavez! He has come to save us all!" Everyone was overjoyed. They even shed tears and hugged themselves in disbelief. Ophelia couldn't believe her own eyes. It all happened in slow motion. Ophelia turned around mortified. Killorn's cape bellowed against the breeze, his armor soaked with blood, his sword covered with guts, and his eyes murderous. He was seething, with fumes practically heaving out of his nostrils.
They were caught in a predicament. With Ophelia's pale wrists extended, Layla's wand froze a hair away from the skin, they were in the worst position possible. The second Killorn saw them, his face morphed into sheer fury.
He knew. They both knew he did. And no one knew what was worse, the fact that he was covered in blood—or, he was going to make more shed. - - - - -
Author Note (June 17, 2022): After being knocked down by a fever, flu, and food poisoning, I've made it back! It's been a crazy few weeks for me and I'm still recovering. Updates will be 1 chapter for this month and resume to double updates in July. Thank you for your patience and understanding! I really appreciated your warm wishes, thank you <3
