"Hold formation! Don't panic! Stay calm!" Amid the chaos, Knight Robert's commanding voice rang out, steadying the frantic soldiers.
His armor was battered, hair disheveled, blood staining his body. Seizing a subordinate, he shoved him forward, barking, "Form ranks! Protect the master! Fall back in order—no scattering!"
Griffins dove from the sky, their piercing roars laced with a dizzying enchantment. Several Rowling guards clutched their heads, reeling, swords slipping from their grasp.
Robert snatched a fallen archer's bow, nocking an arrow and loosing it at a descending griffin. Infused with his battle aura, the arrow blazed like a comet, but the standard-issue bow couldn't withstand the energy. It shattered mid-flight, bursting into sparks.
The griffin flinched, startled, giving Robert time to retreat. He rallied a dozen men into a tight circle, raising swords and spears in defense.
Yet more griffins swooped down, their claws and beaks rending flesh. Screams filled the air as soldiers were seized, hoisted skyward, and torn apart by swarming beasts, their bodies shredded in midair!
The gruesome sight chilled every heart!
Sir Spann's sword was broken to half its length. He'd barely dodged a griffin's strike, rolling aside, but his thigh bled profusely, leaving him staggering.
Both Spann and Robert, beyond their terror, were gripped by disbelief.
How could a horde of ferocious griffins—savage magical beasts—appear in the empire's southern heartland?!
At Robert's cry of "Protect the master," more Rowling cavalry rallied, converging around Du Wei.
The griffins, like relentless assassins, struck with every dive. Each attack claimed a life, leaving the ground slick with blood and strewn with mangled corpses—many too ravaged to remain whole.
Moments ago, a griffin had lunged at Du Wei. Rolynn tackled him to the ground, shielding him as a shrill cry rang out behind them. Even prone, Du Wei sensed a flash of yellow light…
"Master, get up! We need to move—now!" Rolynn's urgent voice cut through. She hauled Du Wei to his feet, pulling him toward a sturdy tree for cover.
Rowling guards closed ranks around them, their loyalty and honor shining despite the crisis. Not one fled, though fear gnawed at them all. Clutching their weapons, they drew near their master.
"Solskjaer! Solskjaer!" Du Wei roared, fury in his voice.
"Here!" came a reply from the ground. Solskjaer scrambled up, his robe filthy, face smeared with dirt. At the griffins' first assault, he'd dove into the grass.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Du Wei stormed over, seizing the magician's collar. "My men are bleeding out! Why aren't you casting? If you want to live, use your magic!"
Solskjaer's hat tumbled off as Du Wei shook him. Nodding frantically, he raised a hand, hurling a flurry of fireballs skyward. His skills were limited—basic Fireball was his only direct attack spell. Slowing spells would do little against a griffin swarm.
While the griffins scattered Spann's local garrison, the Rowling men showed their mettle, regrouping into a formidable force. Facing each griffin assault with raised blades and spears, they held firm, though the beasts circled warily, striking opportunistically. But the griffins' ferocity was unmatched—every attack drew blood, thinning the Rowling ranks.
The group edged backward. Solskjaer's fireballs offered some deterrence, but more griffins closed in, having decimated Spann's men. Corpses littered the ground, and Spann himself lay motionless in the distance, his fate unknown.
Robert's face was grim, his knuckles white around his sword hilt. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Master, today…" He shook his head, then pulled Rolynn aside, whispering, "When I charge, take the master and run downhill—fast! I'll draw their attention. The master… is in your hands."
Rolynn's eyes widened. "You're going to die?"
Robert's voice was strained. "I know these beasts—they hunt for sport. We're their prey. The path to the foothills is too far; we won't make it like this. We need chaos to slip the master away."
"But—"
"No buts, Lady Rolynn!" Robert snapped, eyes blazing. "You're not that mercenary anymore! If you don't grasp a knight's honor, you're no knight! I'm wounded—I can't run. Otherwise, I'd escort him myself. Want to be a true knight, Rolynn? Prove it!"
Rolynn trembled, stirred by his words. Raising her sword, she vowed, "I will!"
Robert gave a hearty laugh, glancing at his master.
Du Wei, meanwhile, squinted at the griffins circling like vultures, lost in thought, oblivious to the exchange. His mind seemed elsewhere.
Rolynn's face shed its shock, settling into an eerie calm.
To Robert's astonishment, she gripped her sword's blade and yanked, slicing her palm. Blood welled instantly!
"What are you doing?!" Robert demanded.
Rolynn didn't answer. Stepping forward, she gently parted the Rowling guards, taking point at the formation's front.
As a griffin dove, she spread her arms, fingers weaving a strange seal. A yellow halo erupted around her!
From her bleeding palm, blood sprayed, dissolving into the halo. A radiant pillar shot from her embrace, engulfing the griffin. Without a cry, it vanished in a bang—reduced to motes of light!
Everyone froze—Rowling guards, Robert, Solskjaer—all stunned! Only Du Wei remained lost in his reverie.
Was this female knight… a magician?!
After banishing the griffin, Rolynn swayed, then chanted cryptic, ancient words. The yellow halo expanded, her blood flowing faster.
As the halo enveloped the group, the griffins roared but recoiled, wary of approaching. Safe within, the Rowling men breathed easier. But Rolynn faltered, nearly collapsing.
Robert snapped out of his shock, rushing to support her. "She's hurt! Who has bandages? She needs to stop the bleeding!"
He gaped at her wound. The cut had doubled in size, the flesh around it ghostly pale—clearly from massive blood loss! How could a small slice bleed so much? Even now, blood poured at a chilling rate.
"No! Don't stop it," Rolynn rasped, biting her lip. "My art requires my blood. Retreat—now, while it holds."
Unsure of the spell, Robert knew better than to argue. "Everyone, fall back! We're leaving!"
"Keep inside the halo," Rolynn added faintly.
But one figure didn't move—Du Wei. Robert frowned, tugging at his dazed master, thinking fear had paralyzed him.
"Master, we're going! Now!"
"No." Du Wei stayed rooted, eyes still tracing the griffins.
Robert's patience frayed. "We'll die if we stay!"
"No." Du Wei shook his head, still distant.
Robert's temper flared. His men were bleeding, Rolynn was sacrificing her lifeblood—yet this boy was dawdling!
Then Du Wei laughed…
Damn it, he was laughing!
Turning to Rolynn, he said, "Rolynn, end your art. The Muen clan's Demon-Breaking Domain counters all magic, but it drinks your blood. I honor your sacrifice, but… we've been fooled."
Robert blinked, confused. Was the boy delirious?
"Robert! Bind her wound—do you want her to bleed out?!" Du Wei snapped, his command clear this time. Stunned, Robert hesitated as Du Wei grabbed Rolynn's hand, shoving him. "Move!"
To Rolynn, he said softly, "Thank you. Your courage today commands respect."
Pushing through the guards, Du Wei faced the griffins and laughed loudly. "Come on! Show me what else you've got!"
To the guards' horror, he sprinted forward! Robert's heart lurched, lunging to pull him back, but a griffin swooped in. Robert swung his sword, blocking, but the beast's force hurled him aside. Before their stunned eyes, the griffin's claws pierced Du Wei's frail frame like paper!
The Rowling guards' vision darkened. Robert nearly fainted, and Rolynn, weak, screamed, collapsing.
Du Wei's body, light as a leaf, arced through the air, crashing to the ground. Despair gripped them all.
It was over.
Their master was dead. Even if they survived, failing to protect him meant death at the hands of the Rowling House!
Robert stood frozen, his sword clattering to the ground, his spirit broken…
"Heh…"
A strange chuckle broke the silence. Du Wei's "corpse" stirred, rising unsteadily!
Eyes bulged in disbelief!
Blood and torn flesh covered him, a massive hole gaping through his chest, yet he merely frowned, inspecting it with a smile. "This… actually hurts. Ha… feels so real!"
He touched the wound, raising bloody fingers to his face, sniffing. "Impressive. Even the blood smells real…"