NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53: Dark Night Woods
"I knew I could count on you, Lord Leylin! And I also know you are quite a busy man. Therefore, your taking the time to help Extreme Night City with this situation is very much appreciated. I shall compensate you accordingly, of course." -Jackson's eyes brightened with relief. He seemingly ignored that comment about Leylin's academy quest.
Pressured by Leylin's declaration and the Viscount's emphasis on the word 'compensate', very soon the other acolytes agreed to join the expedition to solve the withering crisis. After all, they had been in his territory for so long, and he was also a Grand Knight. It would be awkward if they were to decline.
However, there was an exception. An acolyte with acne refused to help without hesitation. Leylin immediately suspected him, but said nothing at the table.
Before the reunion was over and they said their goodbyes, the acolytes made plans for a concrete time to meet. The group left hurriedly to make preparations.
For this bunch of acolytes, who wholeheartedly want to retire and live the good life of a complacent noble, Leylin did not put much stock in their actual battle prowess. But that did not discourage him in the slightest; he would do what had to be done with or without them. If anything, the other acolytes would serve as meatshields.
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Two days later, at the ass crack of dawn.
Extreme Night City's gates opened slowly. Through those gates came a mounted squadron of heavily armed soldiers escorting a party in the middle. The group was leaving the city's perimeter at a rapid pace.
Viscount Jackson wore a purple cape in addition to ornate steel armor with a closed helmet that covered his entire face. Riding beside him were Murphy and Leylin, one at each side. The former seemed to be notably relaxed; having a Grand Knight around left him greatly assured. Leylin was just focused on the task at hand and could care less who came with.
"How did your preparations go, Murphy?" -Leylin found a suitable time and whispered into Murphy's ears. He wanted to gauge the cunning of the scholar based on his answer. Murphy was very hermetic when it came to revealing his trump cards, as were most acolytes.
"I have concentrated hard on my meditations these past 2 days, but I can barely use two spell models... It's been 40 years since my last arcane battle, I'm afraid..." -Murphy replied softly in apparent shame.
"That's good enough. And don't worry, if it comes to that, I'll protect you my friend." -Leylin wanted to chuckle at the geezer's answer. He would never believe that this crafty old acolyte did not have any life-preserving trump cards up his sleeve.
'He's holding out on me, even after all the effort I've spent trying to befriend him. Oh well, it's not like he will survive for long anyway.'
[These soldiers escorting your group, they're the Black Iron Guard. Extreme Night's cream of the crop. The Viscount wasn't kidding when he said he was desperate. Bringing out his most elite troops on an expedition to the nearby forest? That's desperate alright.]
'I would expect nothing less from him. Having the useless acolytes serve as cannon fodder would've been too shameful for him as their lord. No other acolytes would want to serve him if they knew he used them as simple tools to fix mortal problems. Even though that's what they actually are, his elite guard is a perfect stand-in to excuse himself should it come to that. Plus, they make for fine targets with their shining metal plates.'
Dark Night Woods wasn't that far from the city. After traveling for about half an hour, the group managed to reach the outskirts of the withering forest.
[The danger level here is comparable to Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, despite its smaller size. However, due to the low density of wildlife in the forest relative to its huge boundary, when a normal human is more alert than the average peasant, they can enter and leave here safely when gathering herbs.] -Aralis chimed in.
Leylin was at the center of the party. Seeing the two squadrons of warriors paving the way at the front, his mind was lost in his deep planning for future ventures.
As they went further into the groves, Leylin felt the life force of the Dark Night Woods was deteriorating. Although it was spring, the woods seemed to lack vitality. Moreover, everyone felt that their bodies were getting heavier and there was a shadow that veiled over their hearts. It felt extremely repressing.
Leylin looked around. The roots of the tree showed signs of withering. Some of the fresh sprouts have even turned pale yellow.
"The withering area has not extended to this point. We'll be approaching its origin from this point on." -Leylin said out loud with a serious expression, to which his companions nodded.
"Be careful men! We have entered the withering domain!" -Viscount Jackson roared at the forefront of the group.
Promptly, Leylin overheard the words of a few soldiers chatting among themselves: "The trees are different here now! My family used to be hunters. In past years, there used to be animals prancing about in this area. There were many wild vegetables and fresh herbs."
'Aralis do a scan of the ambient. Chemical or magical, tell me if there's anything out of the ordinary.'
[Scanning... Comparing with the database... Oxygen density levels have decreased by 3.7%, whereas nitrogen density has increased. An unknown noble gas is also mixed in... It currently accounts for 1.2% of the air, but its density continues to rise quickly. Any further conclusion is impossible due to a lack of data.] -The A.I.'s voice intoned.
'Could this inert noble gas be the perpetrator of this withering woods event? Fuck, I can't waste time doing field research when I'm in the middle of a quest. Maybe after I'm done.' -Leylin stroked the pommel of his golden cross blade with his thumb.
Leylin wore a set of brand new black plate armor, fitted with many augmentation gems he had personally crafted. Beneath it was his grey robes of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy acting as a second layer of defense. He had purposely removed the academy's insignia earlier. The other accompanying acolytes knew he was from a magic academy, but they didn't know which one.
Leylin then reached into his black satchel and took out a potion to have at the ready in case they were ambushed. In Brey Canyon, he had replenished his ingredients and had made many explosive potions for this expedition.
As the group advanced, the environment began to change. More and more dried withered plants and trees filled the scenery. They let off an aura of death and decay.
Leylin reached out and grabbed a twig in passing, his eyes reflecting his scientific analysis. 'It has already lost all its water content...'
Exerting a little more force in his palm, the twig immediately turned into white dust, trickled through the gaps in his fingers, and wafted down towards the ground.
'Even its internal structure has been completely destroyed. Whatever the cause, it is most definitely akin to a poison. Aralis, remain on the lookout for any impromptu spikes of the unknown gas in the ambient. It could prove fatal if I'm not careful.'
[You got it, Doctor.]
"Where are we supposed to go, Lord Leylin?" -Viscount Jackson asked while turning his head left to glance at him.
"The heart of the woods. Only by reaching the center of this withering region, can our spells exert the requited potency." -Leylin told in a solemn expression.
Murphy nodded and did a slight hum, as he withdrew a spectacle-like item and hung it on his nose.
A wide withered tree lay on the ground. It had an extremely spongy feel when stepped on.
[Warning! Mutated beast ahead!] -Aralis suddenly warned, causing Leylin to hurl the flask in the general direction where he saw movement.
Suddenly, the dark brown branches and twigs flew everywhere as big red flames encompassed a black figure that came charging towards the party.
This figure was exceptionally fast. It was apparently unfazed by Leylin's attack. It opened its jaw littered with snow-white fangs and a red-colored tongue flicked out.
The tongue coiled around one of the guards on duty at the front and retracted its tongue, snatching the guard's spear away.
'Good. I wouldn't want this fight to end so swiftly. There are still plenty of guards left.' -Leylin's aura turned murderous for a second, as he withdrew to the rear of the caravan. He wanted to assess the characteristics of the beast prior to making his move.
"Men, be careful not to get too close! Support me with your crossbows!" -However, Viscount Jackson was not so cautious, since immediately got off his horse and moved to engage the beast.
The miserable cries of death already began to sound out. The guard and his mount, both trapped in the tongue's coils, had already disappeared into a black hole of scales and blood. They were snapped into two halves. Fresh red blood and guts spilled onto the ground.
'So the lizard beast Jackson killed wasn't the only one. Well, I guess a few casualties were inevitable after all.' -Leylin couldn't help a smile at the sight. Few things sparked his joy as gore and violence did.
"Damn it!" -Viscount Jackson shouted angrily and brandished the wide sword that hung from his waist. He immediately went and attacked the black figure.
"Sluggish Spell!" -The red-haired acolyte waved his hands. A yellow-green light was shot. It turned into a circular ring that closed on the black figure.
The other acolytes began reacting and started their own incantations, trying to debuff and kill the monster. In all the commotion, both Murphy and Leylin had yet to move a finger to aid in the fight.
With the hissing of the creature, the black figure's speed finally slowed down revealing its appearance to everyone. Its body was clay-yellow in color. It had four legs, a tongue that was like a snake's, and a small horn was on its forehead.
'Identical to that sketch Fayern had shown me. Aralis, give me the stats of that creature.' -Leylin ordered.
//
Species: Unknown. || Similarity to Blue Lizard 67.4% and Mance Earth-Snake 45.8%. || Strength: 5.2, Agility: 4 (6-7), Vitality: 5, Spiritual Force: 3
//
'A rather strong creature for its size. Apart from its low Spiritual Force, it doesn't have any noticeable weaknesses. Total numbers could range from 5 to 20, judging by the fact that no other creature has jumped to ambush us.'
While the Sluggish Spell took effect, the strange lizard's speed took a hit. After a brief exchange of blows, the Viscount shouted: "Death Arc of Light!"
From within his blade, a resplendent circle of light expanded into the shape of a blade. It streaked past the lizard's neck.
[A Knight-class Killing Move. It has the same properties as your Cross Slash. However, Jackson uses it with ease. He has not even used any Knight Secret Skill.]
'Whatever, this is still nothing compared to that mutated forest sprite or the Demon Tree, to be honest.' -Leylin all but shrugged indifferently. He briefly considered going out of his way to collect samples in the area and ignore the fight altogether.
The Viscount and the lizard passed each other as they lunged with claw and sword, respectively.
The huge lizard charged forward another few steps before suddenly crashing to the ground. The guards still standing began cheering for their lord's victory.
Clay yellow scales landed on the floor one by one. Around the lizard's neck area was a huge cut. Dark red blood spilled on the ground.
"All of you, look!" -An acolyte shouted inadvertently.
Following the lizard's death, its body continued to cave inwards, with the scales continuously falling off and littering the ground. The blood quickly evaporated too.
Within a few short minutes, there was only a white skeleton and some yellow scales left on the ground.
'Ah, the mystery of this place grows with every step.' -Leylin's interest in the matter at hand returned when another question sprouted in his mind. He may not be getting his fun in the form of a challenging enemy, but as a scientist, he was now drooling at these developments.