It was followed by another cry and another one until they could hear multiple screams from a distance. If others had doubted Iris's words earlier, none of it mattered now because all the darklings that accompanied the chosen maidens were now on full alert.
The sounds were getting closer, much closer this time. The hairs on the back of Iris's neck rose. She unconsciously reached the side of her pants and cursed, remembering that she had already used the dagger Aiden had given her earlier on the crow. She glanced at the dead crow, wondering if she should take the dagger back but decided to leave it be.
It wasn't hers in the first place and there was no telling if the crow wouldn't put her under a curse or spell if she went closer to it. It must be some kind of messenger for the Night Critters as the latter only made a move once they heard it cry. However, without a blade at her disposal, Iris felt vulnerable and weak.
"My liege, your order." Aiden gave their lord a polite bow. Unlike Iris and her friends, neither he and the rest were bothered by the sudden arrival of the Night Critters.
"Cal, make sure that the maidens wouldn't venture out on their own. Yuri, Aiden, kill as many Night Critters as you can. Not a single one of them should be able to escape this time. Ricci, you will assist Cal here to protect the maidens." The demon lord delivered his commands.
"As you wish, sire." Yuri and Aiden disappeared in the blink of an eye, surprising the humans, while Ricci excused herself and joined the other Frost Guards.
Lord Kieran then turned his attention to Iris and her friends. Iris shivered under his gaze, but tried to remain calm and unmoving. Amelia stilled herself while Chrysanthe lowered her gaze, not daring to look at the demon lord in front of them.
Lord Kieran lifted his hand and a gigantic black steed appeared from thin air. He gracefully mounted it before turning to look at Iris.
"You will come with me." He said impassively.
"W-what?" Iris stuttered in surprise. "But why?"
"Obviously, you are the only one who could sense the presence of these Night Critters. You will lend us a hand and point to the one commanding this horde of vermin. Didn't you say that we can't allow them to reach Calaren Town?"
Iris's heart thumped painfully in her chest. Could she really help them? She didn't even know how to use her magic properly. What if she ended up bringing more trouble instead of helping them?
"You can do it, Iris." She heard Amelia say. "Don't worry about me and Chrys. Do what you need to do with Lord Kieran."
Chrysanthe nodded her head in agreement, her whole body trembling when another wail rang out.
"You will ride with me. There's no need to worry about the Night Critters harming you. I will keep them at bay."
The demon lord lowered his hand towards Iris, waiting for her to take it.
Iris stared at his outstretched hand, then lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. She couldn't tell what the demon lord was thinking, but Lord Kieran wasn't giving her a chance to decline his command. She didn't want to get too close to a darkling, but another chilling wail snapped her out of her thoughts and she unconsciously lifted her arm.
Lord Kieran didn't wait for her to decide. He grabbed her arm and lifted her as if she was almost weightless. As soon as Iris straddled the horse, she became aware that her back was pressed against the demon lord's solid chest. His steady and strong arms circled around her to hold onto the reins, before nudging the steed's side to gallop.
The horse reared up and galloped at full speed, leaving Iris no other choice but to grip onto the saddle horn to keep herself from falling, despite Lord Kieran's arms trapping her in place. The night wind blew in her face and hair as they rode across the open land.
She turned her attention in front of them and gasped when she saw the Night Critters for the first time. Just as Ricci described earlier, they looked like empty husks of those who perished. Their flesh were ashen white, their form a bit slouching as they moved forward, weapons in their hands as they moved in synchrony.
Iris felt her stomach churning when she saw their eye sockets empty, with black blood oozing from it. Ricci said that these were the remains of the darklings who had been killed by other Night Critters, but in Iris's eyes, it looked as if they were weeping, begging someone to end their miserable existence.
She then spotted Aiden swinging his large sword to the Night Critters that surrounded him and his own steed. He had a wide grin on his face, clearly showing how he enjoyed crushing these monsters.
Meanwhile, Yuri was casting spells left and right and wasn't using any weapons to kill the Night Critters. Black blood splattered on the ground, making a swing sound— like a corrosive acid touching a delicate flesh. No wonder Ricci said that they were fatal towards mortal humans.
"Look ahead and find the leader of this horde." Lord Kieran's voice brought her out of her daze. "The Night Critters can neither move nor decide on their own, so the faster we get rid of its leader, the better."
"But… I don't know how." She admitted. "I'm unable to sense them at will."
"They respond to the presence of magic. We aren't sure why you are the only one who can sense them, but you are our best shot right now."
Like his subordinates, Iris noticed that the demon lord wasn't afraid of these Night Critters. She chastised herself inwardly right then. How could she forget Ricci's words earlier? The faerie said that Lord Kieran and his Frost Guards were in a long war with the Night Critters, keeping them out of Asnar and Dravial at the same time. It's no wonder nothing surprised the demon lord now.
The hooves slammed on the ground as they continued advancing. She turned her head back and realized that their small camp was nowhere in sight.
"They are safe for now." Lord Kieran said. "Like the rest of Calaren Town, it depends on you whether they will live or not."
Iris gritted her teeth and gripped the saddle horn tighter. How could he say such words? Being chosen as a tribute to Asnar was as good as a death sentence for her and the rest of those maidens. He made it sound like she had a choice over the matter of life and death.
"You are a mage. You have magic at your disposal. Use it and prove to everyone that you aren't weak and your kind isn't as detestable as your fellow humans think you are."
His words stirred something inside of her. The need to unleash the real her and prove that she wasn't a weakling.
"Can you feel it? The slight tingle on your skin as your magic emerges?" Lord Kieran continued to whisper in her ear.
"Yes." She responded, feeling her magic swirling inside of her, waiting to be unleashed.
"Now, look ahead and focus. Command your magic to heighten your perception. Feel everything. You should be the one commanding your mana and not the other way around."
Iris scoffed inwardly as that was easier said than done. Not when she was pressed against the body of a man and could feel his very presence next to her.
Still, she did what she was told and looked ahead, despite the wind whipping harshly on her face, trying to see way past the horde of Night Critters who were screaming their senseless battle cry.
In a blink of an eye she realized that it wasn't just a horde of Night Critters, but a swarm of them. Would Lord Kieran and his Frost Guards be able to defeat and annihilate all of them?
"There's so many of them. A swarm of Night Critters has just reached the foot of the mountain and are advancing in this direction. There's another swarm that is still making their way to join the rest." Her voice had a hint of worry in it.
"There's no need to panic. We brought enough Frost Guards to deal with them. Now, can you tell where the leaders of the swarms are?" The demon lord asked while drawing his own sword as they were about to join the battlefield.
Iris hesitated, debating whether she should listen to this darkling. However, thinking about it, this darkling never once tried to harm her, even at her weakest point. She tried not to wince when his blade decapitated a few Night Critters that rushed towards them. Iris then noticed how swift and clean his attacks were.
More of the Night Critters surged towards them, but the demon lord made sure none of them were able to get through. Black blood stained his blade and Iris thought that he was like a grim reaper, collecting souls in the middle of the night. With every slash of his sword, enemies would crumble and fall on the cold ground, lifeless. No wonder this demon lord had a reputation like a war lord, not only in Asnar, but also in the remote villages of Dravial.
Iris reminded herself that they were in a battlefield and she should get used to seeing blood if she wanted to live in Asnar. Dravial wasn't a safe place anyway and no different from the land of the darklings, except the latter had more vicious fights amongst them.
Then, suddenly, she saw a Night Critter riding a horse ahead of them. It had a sword in its right hand, dressed in a pristine white tunic, in contrast to the other Night Critters whose clothes were in tatters. It had eyes, much to Iris's surprise. Dark obsidian eyes looking blankly at their direction, directing the other Night Critters to attack them.
No—Iris corrected herself. It was more like it was staring right through her, as if it was confused to see her here with the demon lord. Why did this high Night Critter make such an expression upon seeing her?
'Riding a horse?' Iris was confused.
Was this one of the high Night Critters the darklings were talking about earlier? She couldn't figure out why this high Night Critter was interested in her. Was it because of her magic?
"That's the leader." She told the demon lord and Lord Kieran followed the direction of her view and saw the high Night Critter himself. He was slightly impressed at how fast this magus was able to track their target. There were other Night Critters riding horses scattered around them, but she was able to spot the leader so easily.
A murder of crows arrives and surrounded the high Night Critter. Their red eyes confirmed what Iris assumed earlier about the crow she had killed. Their caw hurt Iris's ears and she groaned as some of them made a high pitch sound before flying away from the battlefield.
"How long would it take before the other swarm arrives?" Lord Kieran's question startled her, but Iris was thankful because it broke the unwanted connection she had with the high Night Critter.
Iris shifted her attention back to the mountain range, realizing that the other swarm had already reached the foot of the mountain. She cursed inwardly, wondering how they managed to arrive so quickly. She was sure as hell that it hadn't been over ten minutes when she spotted the two swarms of Night Critters.
"In about five minutes, I think." She replied, not knowing what else to do. Once the second swarm arrived and joined these Night Critters, their numbers would be enough to form a legion.
"Then we have no choice but to split from here." Lord Kieran replied, sending her into a fit of panic.
"What? You can't possibly leave me here!"
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