They used the preparations they had made before, the spikes and makeshift ropes and set them up around their camp.
Because there were no servants, everyone had to work together. Even the earl’s heir, much to Adrian’s surprise, was doing his job without a word of complaint.
Then again, the man was a veteran who had experienced war against Breakstone. He was obviously more of a proud warrior who knew his business than a pampered noble.
Soon after, the watch rotation was assigned. Adrian took the early watch while forcefully making Dexton take the first sleep, reasoning that when Adrian finally slept, Dexton could watch over him.
Before long, half the people were asleep. Unfortunately, Lord Corvus and Lord Tuckstone, the only people Adrian knew in the group had taken the early watch. There was also Sir Harold, they exchanged words earlier but the knight seemed to be in conversation with one of the elves.
‘I guess it was true that he knows some elves.’ He thought.
Hence, he was left sitting by a log with a small fire in front of him, using a knife to sculpt a piece of wood.
His gaze fleeted toward the elven group, who had two of their members asleep. During the ordeal of smoking out the monsters, the elves had only made brief moves, yet it was too eye-catching for anyone to ignore.
First of all, all of them carried quivers on their backs. While Adrian hadn’t seen how they fired their arrows due to the angle, he knew from the mumbling of one of the human archers that they were exceptionally good.
Then there were the two who stayed on the ground. Because they wore cloaks that hid their figures, Adrian hadn't put much thought into their clothes or armor. However, when they sliced up a monster, Adrian managed to glimpse what was hidden beneath the fabric.
It looked like light armor with intricate and smooth handiwork, colored a faded green, it almost didn’t look like armor at all.
Not to mention, the blades they wielded were finely made as well. It wasn't just that they looked hard and strong, which they probably were, but they looked as though they had been crafted with appearance most of all.
It made him realize that the elves truly were a different race, with entirely different ways of doing things like smithing and creating.
He wondered just how different they still were. It also reminded him that these elves could possibly be centuries old, the true weight of time hadn’t registered to him until that exact point.
They looked so young, even Sir Sylwen only looked to be in his late twenties, but they could easily be over a century old.
And he briefly wondered if his ability could also extend his life. Then again, maybe not. It was a gift that needed thought to come alive. It was not a passive gift, otherwise, he wouldn't have aged over the years.
But then, the elves had mentioned him being full of life. So maybe there was more to him than what he already knew.
He stole another glance at them. One of the figures, an elven man, it seemed, whose face Adrian couldn’t quite see, turned slightly toward him. For a second, Adrian thought it would be another interested elf coming to talk to him, but he faintly heard the elf scoff and turn away.
'I guess I don't pique every elf's interest.' he thought.
For a while, Adrian and those who were awake didn't say much. The forest was silent, save for the rustling of leaves and the occasional hushed conversation from others. There weren’t even the sounds of insects or birds.
It was then that Adrian, who was looking up at the stars while remaining alert to his surroundings, noticed one of the elves suddenly snap their head toward a specific direction.
Adrian’s relaxed posture immediately straightened as he sprang to his feet, just in time for a whistle to sound, one of the scouts had noticed something.
The men stirred. Those still asleep were kicked awake by the men beside them, and everyone grabbed their weapons. Adrian grabbed his shield, his spear resting on it and pointing outward.
Dexton appeared beside him, armed with the same weapons, shaking off sleepiness.
They didn’t have time to talk as they heard it… the sound of crushing leaves, of heavy beats on the ground, and there were a lot of them.
The darkness provided cover, and the night sky didn't have many stars, leaving only torches to light up the surroundings. But Adrian and the others could now see silhouettes in the dark rushing toward them.
The first monster pounced down, and then another, and then another, until everyone was thrusting their weapons forward. They used a fallen natural log, stones, and spikes as cover while the monsters rushed toward them, completely uncaring of death.
Something dived down toward Adrian just as he was bashing a monster's brain in, catching him by surprise. He fell onto his back, his hands letting go of the spear as he blocked his face.
Hiss!!
"Milord!"
The strange, flying bird tried to peck at his face, and he felt a sharp pain in his wrist. Pissed off, Adrian snatched the monster's head in his hand and applied pressure, trying to crush it while the monster-bird hissed.
Adrian pushed himself to his feet, one hand gripping the small monster before he threw it into a nearby torch, burning part of it before it crashed down. He grabbed his spear and immediately plunged it into two monsters that Dexton was trying to push away.
But what he spied behind them made him grimace. There were too many!
"There's too many of them! What do we do? Do we retreat?!" Someone shouted, voicing the exact same thought.
"Make the line tighter and prepare the horses!" Sir Duante shouted back.
But then, another voice cried out in alarm.
"The other side! They're coming from the other side as well!"
Blood splattered across Adrian’s helm as he killed a monster, giving him a brief reprieve to turn his head. Near their rear, a new surge of monsters was charging toward them.
"Uh?! Arrg!"
"Orgn!"
Then Adrian saw a knight fall to the ground, gripping his bleeding arm. Another was suddenly grabbed and dragged into the horde of monsters.
"Stop it!"
Arrows flew toward the monsters but were lost in the chaos. A scream rang out before it was abruptly cut short.
They had lost someone.
The situation turned even grimmer. Even Adrian started to think about how to escape, eyeing his horse.
And then, suddenly, a snake-like monster slithered its way past the spikes, dodging Dexton and Adrian's spears.
The close call forced Adrian to drop his spear and unsheathe his sword, he swung, and the creature's head, larger than his fist, but smaller than his head, thudded to the ground. Just as it fell, he saw someone suddenly raise their hands.
It was the elf, Sir Sylwen.
Adrian raised a brow as the elf opened his hand, revealing a green jewel just before it lit up! A greenish-white light erupted, illuminating the surroundings. To Adrian’s and everyone else's astonishment, the surging horde suddenly froze.
The monsters abruptly retreated, turning away as if disgusted by the light, before completely disappearing into the darkness.
The battle that had arrived so suddenly had ended even faster. Adrian had never been this baffled in his entire life.
"That's elven… magic?" Dexton voiced from his side, shock and amazement thick in his tone.
"Magic…." Adrian muttered. Realization dawned on him, followed by a sudden wave of amazement and a deep longing that welled up in his chest.
A thought entered his mind, that he, too, wanted to wield magic, before he shook his head to clear it. Now, more than ever, he was glad he would have a chance to talk to the elves.
Before, he had regretted this journey, then he had accepted his situation, then he had regretted it again a bit... but now, he really had to choose.
Adrian finally realized why the elves seemed so confident about wanting to explore Creviceton.
With magic like that, they didn't need to worry about monsters. But... it had to have its limits, right? That was likely why they had asked the Earl for help in the first place. Moreover, they had still lost someone tonight. Why hadn’t the elves used the magic sooner? It could only be because its use was strictly limited.
"We thank you for your intervention, Sir Sylwen." Sir Duante said, flicking his sword free of blood.
"It is only a shame that... someone was lost. We cannot use it often, you see." Sir Sylwen replied smoothly.
They watched as a knight close to the fallen man dragged his body back to mourn him. Adrian sighed, pulling off his helm.
No more attacks came that night.
--
The loss of one man and the light injuries of a few others weren't enough to halt their mission.
The next morning, they resumed their march, though with far more caution than before. Throughout the entirety of the morning, they only crossed paths with and snuffed out a few minor monsters. Their target monster did not appear.
Before they took a break, Sir Sylwen made a decision.
"We will be going inside. It seems our monster is not too keen on coming out."
His words were met with grimaces from most of the men, save for a choice few like Lord Corvus, who actually seemed eager. Sir Sylwen turned toward the group with a calm smile.
"But I won't force you to come with us. We will explore it on our own if need be. To those who do choose to join us, you have our thanks..."
For a few moments, the men simply exchanged tense looks before Sir Duante spoke up. "Some of us will need to stay behind to guard the horses as well."
That alternative seemed to ease the tension for some. The first volunteer stepped forward, and Adrian, and likely everyone else, wasn't surprised to see it was Lord Corvus.
‘Why is this heir so reckless?’ Adrian flatly thought, if he was an heir to an earl he would probably focus on managing his territory than plunging into danger like this.
Another person stepped forward and Adrian looked toward Dexton, who simply smiled at him. "Whatever you decide, milord, I'll be by your side. Even unto death."
Adrian rolled his eyes at the overly dramatic words, which sounded like they had been plucked straight from a play. He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Into the depths.