Chapter 31
The moment I stepped out of the hall, I knew we had a problem.
Above us, the sky was stirring with countless beating wings. Hundreds of massive bat-like creatures were blotting out the sky like a shifting black storm. Their eerie blue eyes reminded me of stars in the night sky.
They swooped onto unsuspecting villagers like executioners, snatching them up before letting go mid-air. Screams filled the skies, coming together with the harsh screeches of the beasts.
The natives refused to take the attacks without giving their opponents a fair fight.
Arrows zoomed through the air, striking down several of the creatures. Those that hit the ground and survived found themselves swarmed by warriors within seconds, their blades swinging furiously in the moonlight.
But it wasn't enough.
There were too many of them, and the natives were outnumbered.
Scaly, as Laine had so graciously named our new lizard friend, was fighting too. Each swipe of his massive claws sent a Bloodwing crashing to the ground. I spotted Laine and Maxian huddled under the lizard's body with their arms wrapped around each other. Ravi stood beside them, bow in hand, firing arrows into the swirling chaos of wings overhead.
"Dear Sarmos," a voice muttered beside me.
I turned to see the priest staring at the sky, his face completely drained of color.
"I've never seen so many Bloodwings before," he whispered.
"Do they have a weakness?" I asked, with my eyes on the battle.
No response. The priest was too busy looking like he was about to faint.
Luckily, Sutu answered for him. "Their eyesight is poor. And their ears are very sensitive. Loud noises can distract them easily."
I nodded as a plan began to form in my mind. If their hearing was as sensitive as Sutu had claimed, then maybe I could disorient them long enough for the warriors to finish them off.
I focused on reaching for my magic.
I needed something loud. Something sharp. Something—
A chalkboard materialized in my hands.
I stared at it.
"Well," I muttered. "This is certainly … not what I expected."
There was a brief silence before I shrugged and did the only logical thing I could think of. I ran my nails down the board.
The result was instant.
A sharp, shrill sound cut through the night like a blade. It was louder than I'd expected. Probably some kind of magic-enhanced chalkboard. The noise echoed through the valley, bouncing off the cliffs and making the air tremble.
Every single person, including the warriors, immediately clamped their hands over their ears, their faces twisting in pain.
But thankfully, they weren't the only ones affected.
The Bloodwings screeched in unison, their cries overlapping into a deafening chorus that was enough to make ears bleed. They started falling from the sky like a pitch-black waterfall, bodies convulsing mid-air before crashing into the ground.
I stopped, letting the sound die down. Ignoring the ringing in my own ears, I took in a deep breath.
"NOW!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.
The natives moved immediately.
They threw their bows aside, drawing swords, axes, and spears as they advanced on the convulsing creatures. Bits of chopped bats flew around as the warriors hacked apart the disoriented creatures.
Some of the Bloodwings managed to shake off their dizziness, but it was too late for them. Arrows pierced through their wings and skulls before they could escape.
One of them, still struggling to fly, lunged at me.
I reacted on instinct and swung the chalkboard at it with both hands.
It made a loud CRACK as it connected with the creature's skull. The force sent its head straight through the board like some kind of cartoon gag, leaving its glowing blue eyes wide with shock before it slumped.
I slowly pulled the chalkboard away, letting the limp body drop.
"…Well, that worked."
A few of the remaining Bloodwings managed to escape, screeching as they disappeared into the horizon.
The battle was over.
The warriors, bloodied and exhausted, gathered under the priest's hall.
And then, they started chanting.
I groaned the moment I heard it.
"Savior!"
"Savior!"
I turned to the priest, rubbing my temples. "So, we were talking about finding me a place to sleep?"
***
I woke up feeling like I'd been trampled by a herd of oxen.
My back ached, my shoulders were stiff, and my mood was already plummeting before the day had even properly begun.
I had hoped for a proper bed, or at least a flimsy mattress. Something soft, something that wouldn't make me regret every life decision that had led me to this moment. But apparently, the natives had a tradition: great warriors slept on the ground to toughen themselves up.
And according to them, I qualified for such treatment.
It was a stupid tradition.
I saved their lives, and what did I get in return? A VIP ticket to back pain. Meanwhile, Laine and Maxian got to sleep like royalty for being cowards. Absolute bullshit.
I should have refused and told them that if they truly respected me, they'd let me sleep on something comfortable.
But then I'd seen the hopeful looks in their eyes.
They had just survived a brutal attack. Their homes had been torn apart, and their people were killed. If letting them think I was some hardened warrior made them feel better, I figured I could put up with it for one night.
My good intentions of the past night were diminishing, and come morning, I was now seriously reconsidering my generosity.
I dragged myself off the ground, rubbing my sore back and grumbling curses at the Goddess who had sent me to this world. The so-called "invulnerability" she had gifted me with was completely useless against the true enemy: a bad sleeping position. I could survive a dragon's fire, but I couldn't escape the consequences of a rock digging into my spine for hours—nothing in this world made sense. Her divine ass was probably having a hearty laugh witnessing my misery.
I stepped out of the hall, wincing as my bones cracked back into place. The sun was barely peeking over the mountains, and its golden light cut through the misty valley, almost making me forget the horrors that plagued this place.
A native crossed my path and tapped two fingers to his forehead in greeting.
Ravi had told me it was a salute, a sign of respect. I lifted my own fingers in response, though with far less enthusiasm.
I spotted Ravi sitting in the village center, sharpening her dagger with slow, practiced movements. Scaly was curled up behind her, fast asleep. A few children were climbing on his back, laughing as they used his massive scales as footholds. He didn't seem to mind.
I walked over to Ravi. "Where are the idiots?"
Without looking up, she replied, "The thief is sleeping. Maxian is with our priest, discussing religion."
I groaned. "He's not my priest."
But that didn't stop me from heading toward the priest's hall in search of him.
Outside, Maxian and the village priest were deep in debate. Or rather, arguing the way religious people do when they both think they're absolutely right.
"How can you worship a beast?" Maxian demanded, arms crossed.
The village priest gave him a flat look. "How can you worship someone who looks like a man but never appears before you?"
Maxian looked ready to launch into a sermon, but I had exactly zero patience for that right now.
"Maxian," I interrupted. "Go wake up Laine and get our stuff ready."
He shot me an annoyed look. "I was in the middle of—"
"Now."
His jaw tightened, but he turned and stalked off, muttering under his breath.
I turned to the priest. "We're leaving soon."
He nodded. "Ravi wishes to join you."
That made me pause. "She what?"
"She wishes to regain her honor after losing to the spider."
I glanced over my shoulder, where Ravi was still sharpening her dagger. Her face was unreadable, but her movements were tense.
I hadn't expected that. But if she wanted to come, I wasn't about to refuse her. At least she was actually competent.
Unlike certain thieves and preachers.
I gave the priest a nod. "Fine."
As I turned to leave, he spoke again.
"Be careful, outsider," he said quietly. "Something doesn't feel right about this whole affair. I would be on my guard if I were you.
I exhaled sharply and waved him off. "There always is, and I always am."
A few hours later, we were on the move. We made our way further down the mountain pass towards the north, perched on Scaly's back. The morning air was crisp, the scent of pine and damp earth filling my lungs. Despite my sore back, I had to admit—riding a giant lizard had its advantages.
Maxian was poring over a map, tracing his finger along the path ahead. "We should reach the lake by noon," he announced.
Ravi was seated behind me, checking her arrows repeatedly with the same quiet intensity as before. Laine, meanwhile, was rubbing his forehead, still nursing the bump he had earned when I'd punched him awake.
He had complained. Loudly—but of course, I didn't care about his grumbling.
The journey was relatively uneventful—at least compared to yesterday's battle. We passed through winding trails with jagged cliffs rising on either side of us. Occasionally, we spotted small creatures darting through the trees, but nothing big enough to be a threat.
By noon, we reached the lake.
It was nestled deep within the valley, surrounded by towering mountains that cast long shadows across the water. The surface was unnaturally still, like a giant mirror reflecting the sky above. The air was cool, the silence thick.
Scaly trotted enthusiastically towards the lake. He let out a happy rumble before plunging his head into the water, taking deep, greedy gulps.
The rest of us dismounted and stretched our legs.
I turned to Ravi. "What now?"
She shrugged.
Laine, meanwhile, pointed past me. "That cave looks promising."
I didn't bother looking. Instead, I crouched by the lake and started filling my water bottle. "What makes you say that?"
We had seen plenty of caves on the way here. Dark, gaping holes in the mountainside, none of them particularly inviting. I doubted this one would be any different.
"Well, for starters, this one has a man standing outside it with glowing blue eyes."
That got my attention.
I followed his gaze.
Far in the distance, nestled in the rocky mountainside, was a small, dark cave. Standing just outside of it was a lone figure draped in dark robes. His hood was pulled up, his face obscured by shadows. But even from a distance, I could see two eerie blue lights peering out from beneath his hood.
"Huh." I stood up, wiping my hands on my pants. "Yeah, that does look suspicious."
I drew my sword, the one a native had gifted me.
Ravi had already nocked an arrow.
Laine and Maxian, in true Laine-and-Maxian fashion, trailed right behind me, ready to use me as a shield.
As we neared, the figure slowly lifted two gloved hands and pulled back his hood.
Behind me, Laine let out a shriek.
Maxian fainted.
Ravi drew her bowstring taut.
Underneath the hood was a skull with two ghostly blue flames flickering in its eye sockets.
The skeleton spoke.
"Welcome, Sam. I have been expecting you."
I tilted my head. "How are you speaking?"
There was a pause.
"…What?"
"I mean, you're literally just bones. No throat, no lungs, no nothing." I gestured vaguely at its bony chest. "So how the hell are you talking?"
The skeleton just stared at me. Well—at least I think it did. Kind of hard to tell when you have flames instead of pupils staring at you.
"Uh… does it matter?"
"Just curious."
"Seriously?" The skeleton threw up its hands. "You see a talking skeleton, and that's the first thing that goes through your mind?"
I shrugged.
The skeleton let out a heavy sigh, which again, is impressive considering the lack of lungs. "I don't know, man. It's just magic."
Fair enough.
I let it go.
"So," I said, adjusting my grip on my sword. "Is this the part where you tell me your evil plan?"
The skeleton hesitated. "I mean… yeah, but you kinda ruined it now."
"Sorry about that," I offered an apology.
"Too late, dude." He crossed his arms. "I had a whole thing planned. I would introduce myself. Name's Vorrak, by the way. Then I'd tell you I was working for the Void and that I'd been spying on you since you entered the forest. You would be freaked out and make some heavy worded threat or something. I would bring out my best evil laugh and summon my minions. But no. You just had to be a buzzkill."
I raised an eyebrow. "You'd been spying on me and thought I was the type to freak out?"
Vorrak groaned. "See? This is what I'm talking about. Screw you, man. You didn't even gasp when I said I worked for the Void."
I shrugged again. "Don't really give a shit."
"Not how I wanted this day to go," he muttered. Then he sighed and lazily gestured toward the cave. "Whatever. Hellhounds, attack."
From the darkness behind him, they emerged.
Massive, skeletal hounds with glowing blue skulls for heads, their bones blackened with soot. They moved unnaturally fast, darting forward in erratic, jerking motions.
While they poured out, Vorrak turned and walked back toward the cave. His hunched shoulders were enough to convey his sheer disappointment at how the situation had played itself out.
Laine, of course, wasted no time in grabbing the still-unconscious Maxian and sprinting toward the lake. "WELL, I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE THIS COVERED!" he called over his shoulder.
I stared after him quietly.
Then I turned to Ravi. "Okay, let's approach this carefully—"
She ignored me.
She threw her bow aside, yanked out two daggers, and charged.
I sighed. "Not a single normal person to be found in this world."
Then I lifted my sword and followed her into the fight.