CA – Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Her entire body was as stiff as a block of wood. Tang Qiu, who had been in a daze ever since waking up, heard Anna calling from outside the tent. Forcing herself to sit up despite the soreness in her back, she answered, but the sound of her own voice startled her.
She had only slept for a night, so why had her voice suddenly become so hoarse?
Moreover, her body ached, and even the slightest bend of her joints sent sharp pains through her. Tang Qiu sat on her bed and cast several healing spells on herself before she felt a little more comfortable.
Was it because she was trapped in the Black Witch's Dark Domain, where her own light aura was being suppressed by the darkness, causing all these uncomfortable reactions?
Tang Qiu tried to find a logical explanation for her unusual condition.
With no memory of what had happened on the night of the full moon, Tang Qiu raised a hand to rub her temples. Her gaze fell to her loosened collar, and she paused, wondering when it had come undone. Frowning, she took out a new set of priest's robes and changed into them.
Anna was waiting patiently outside. When Tang Qiu finally emerged, she greeted her warmly. “Did you sleep well last night?”
Tang Qiu forced herself to endure the soreness and discomfort, nodding at Anna with a smile.
The Black Witch's Dark Domain had spread to the point where it completely enveloped their location. Looking around, she could see nothing but a dense fog.
Since they couldn't leave, they didn't know if the fog had reached Hades Town. However, Tang Qiu was certain that if no one stopped the Black Witch, not only Hades Town but all of Edry would be consumed by darkness.
The situation had become tricky. Tang Qiu gazed into the impenetrable fog, lost in thought.
Anna returned to Lucille's side. Seeing that the marshal's gaze was still fixed firmly on Tang Qiu, she thought for a moment before leaning in to whisper, “Grace seems a bit distracted today.”
The golden-haired priest had always been kind and gentle, offering a sincere response to everyone she met. But just now, all Anna had received was a strained smile.
Uncharacteristically, Lucille actually grunted in acknowledgment after hearing Anna's words, her eyes still locked on the golden-haired priest.
Tang Qiu sensed Lucille's gaze and turned to look. She met a pair of eyes filled with frost, devoid of any warmth. Looking at their owner, she habitually curved her lips into an elegant, natural smile.
“Is she pretending…”
The expression on Tang Qiu's face was too natural, and her sky-blue eyes were clear and pure, without a hint of shadow. A flicker of suspicion crossed Lucille's face. She frowned and averted her gaze.
After a night's rest, everyone except Tang Qiu was in high spirits. David and his companions had adjusted their mindset and were now quite confident they could find the Black Witch and defeat her.
After all, they had three priests with them, as well as Lucille, whose identity was a mystery but whose combat prowess was undeniably high.
Unable to tell east from west in the dense fog, David and the other swordsmen from the mercenary squad could only rely on their familiarity with Fallen Crow Forest to clear a path for Tang Qiu, Lucille, and the others. They moved with great caution, but even so, they didn't forget to leave their unique marks on every tree they passed.
This was the caution and habit of a mercenary.
Anna watched from the back for a while, and the resentment she held toward David and the others slowly faded. In an environment like this, the mercenaries were indeed more useful.
The fog that obscured their vision also seemed to cast a shadow over everyone's hearts. The atmosphere in the group grew heavy and silent. After advancing some distance, David and his companions suddenly stopped. He turned back to ask for help. “We've entered the inner part of Fallen Crow Forest. We'll probably encounter monsters up ahead.”
Yelena stepped forward to David's side. “I can sense the direction of the monsters. We can just go around them.”
That was David's intention as well, but he preferred to work with Tang Qiu, having witnessed the power of her light magic firsthand… He said nothing, merely looking up at Tang Qiu. She was walking beside Anna, lost in thought, and hadn't heard the conversation between him and Yelena at all.
Seeing his lack of trust, Yelena's face darkened. But since they were still in a dangerous situation, she didn't say anything. Jane glanced at Tang Qiu, saw that she hadn't noticed the stalemate, and stepped up beside Yelena to ease the tension. “I'll help you too.”
David hesitated, feeling it was a pity, but he nodded and continued to lead the way.
Tang Qiu didn't notice this little interlude at all. Anna's voice chattered ceaselessly in her ear, but her thoughts had drifted off somewhere else. Since waking up, she had found herself lacking energy. Not only did her whole body ache, but she also felt mentally exhausted.
Her thoughts were much more sluggish than usual.
She had slept soundly in her tent all night, so why was this happening? Yelena and Jane, who were also priests, showed no negative effects at all.
“How long are you going to keep pretending?” Lucille's voice sounded by Tang Qiu's ear, pulling her back to reality. She glanced at the person who had taken Anna's place beside her at some point, her sky-blue eyes filled with confusion. “What?”
Lucille reminded her in a cool voice, “Werewolf.”
Tang Qiu: “?”
For a moment, she was surprised, mistakenly thinking Lucille had spotted a werewolf. She frowned and scanned her surroundings, but she could see nothing but the dense fog.
Watching the bewildered Tang Qiu look around, Lucille's eyes flickered. She had just opened her mouth to say “you” when Yelena suddenly let out a piercing scream up ahead. The sharp sound instantly cleared some of Tang Qiu's fatigue. She stopped in her tracks and instinctively put an arm out in front of Lucille, whispering, “There are monsters.”
Lucille looked down, silently staring at the hand blocking her path.
The fog obstructed their vision but not the sound. A cacophony of chirps and squawks rose from all around, so noisy it made one frown. A fist-sized black shadow suddenly shot out of the fog, its sharp beak pecking at Yelena's arm, tearing away flesh and robe alike.
Jane reacted instantly, stepping forward and casting a healing spell on Yelena. The bleeding stopped, but because the wound was tainted with a dark aura and a chunk of flesh had been ripped out, it refused to close.
Yelena clutched her arm, her face pale as she leaned against Jane, trembling uncontrollably from the pain.
David and the others drew their swords. They formed a circle around Tang Qiu and the others, staring warily into the fog with grim expressions. “Black Crows.”
Like the Half-Human Monsters, the Black Crows were creatures summoned by the Black Witch. The difference was that Half-Human Monsters were created by the Black Witch using dark magic to fuse human bodies, while the Black Crows lived in the Dark God's domain and came to the continent of Statu when summoned. They were true creatures of darkness.
These monsters fed on raw flesh. They were small and fast, posing little threat individually, but they were tricky to deal with when they appeared in flocks.
Moreover, the fog provided them with the perfect environment for an ambush.
The faint scent of blood spread through the air. Lucille frowned in disgust, and with a flicker, she slipped out of the protective circle formed by David and the others. The fog quickly swallowed her figure.
Anna stared worriedly in the direction Lucille had disappeared. In her moment of distraction, she failed to notice a Black Crow darting out of the fog, aiming for her neck.
The Black Crow was incredibly fast, like a phantom blur. Seeing that it had reached its prey, it let out an excited cry. Its beak opened, about to viciously tear off a piece of flesh, when it suddenly slammed into a transparent barrier with a thud. The light element ignited its wings, and within seconds, the flames consumed its entire body, turning it to ash that scattered in the air.
Anna snapped back to her senses, stunned. She looked at Tang Qiu, who hadn't yet had time to put away her staff, and cried out gratefully, “Grace…”
Tang Qiu gave her a reassuring smile. The light gem at the tip of her staff emitted a faint white glow, and an aura of light spread out from her, pushing back the surrounding fog by several centimeters.
A light staff was an indispensable tool for a priest, but for a priest still in her “training” period, possessing one was quite conspicuous. Tang Qiu hadn't wanted to reveal it, but if they weren't careful in this crisis, they might not even live to see the Black Witch's face.
The light aura emanating from the staff made the Black Crows lurking in the fog cry out uneasily. Tang Qiu chanted a spell in a low voice, and a continuous stream of light element flowed from her staff, spreading outward. A white barrier enveloped the group, shielding them from the Black Crows' sneak attacks.
Jane stared at the staff in Tang Qiu's hand in astonishment. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she tactfully remained silent.
David had no particular thoughts about Tang Qiu suddenly producing a staff; instead, he felt more at ease. After all, their enemy was a Black Witch, and having a powerful priest by their side would increase their chances of victory.
Protected by the light barrier, the group continued deeper into the forest. The Black Crows lost their patience and swarmed out one after another, trying to shatter the barrier. However, the only result was more piles of Black Crow ash on the ground.
After advancing another few hundred meters, Anna quietly asked about Tang Qiu's condition. “Can you still hold on?” The light barrier was constantly being drained by the Black Crows and the dark aura, and standing next to Tang Qiu, she could hear her continuously chanting a spell.
A smile touched Tang Qiu's lips, and her tone was still relatively relaxed. “I'm fine.”
The Black Witch's goal was to plunge Edry into darkness. Fallen Crow Forest was her breeding ground for summoning monsters. The fog was spreading from here, gradually covering Hades Town completely before continuing its advance toward the capital.
The knights stationed outside Fallen Crow Forest sensed that something was wrong. They made a swift decision to return to Hades Town and guard its entrance. The towering figures of Half-Human Monsters emerged from the fog, lowering their heads and roaring at the knights with crimson eyes.
A slaughter began.
The fog spread to the capital. Inside the palace, Charles II began to fear for his life. He roared at his confidant, “Where is Lucille? Get her back here, now!”
Marquis Davis took out a handkerchief and, feigning composure, wiped the sweat from his brow.
Charles II paced back and forth like a caged animal, his hands clasped behind his back in frustration. He kept muttering, “Edry is hers. She must come back and defend it.”
“Lucille… Lucille… that damn woman who won't go away.”
Comments
Post a Comment