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!"
"I'll be nearby." The demon lord responded. "I'll keep my word—no one will be able to reach you. Demon I maybe, but we do not lie, unlike you humans."
Iris remained confused and could only curse inwardly. Disappointment passed over her face, but she was not surprised. She should have known that this demon lord neither cared whether she lived or not.
What was she supposed to do then? Did the demon lord bring her here in the middle of the battlefield to scare the hell out of her? If he did, then Lord Kieran was surely doing a great job!
Suddenly, she felt his warmth leaving her. A swishing sound could be heard and Iris turned her head only to see the demon lord hovering over her with a huge black bat-like wings on his back. If Iris ever had doubts that this man was a demon, it was gone now.
His hair that was as white as fresh-fallen snow whipped behind his magnificent form. He was beautiful and unnerving to look at because of his domineering presence. Lord Kieran flew higher for a moment to get a good look at the Night Critters that were fast approaching.
With the moon being blocked by the thick gray clouds above the sky, it was harder to see the positions their enemies were taking. This wasn't as many as the last swarm of Night Critters they encountered when they made their way to Calaren Town yesterday, and he wouldn't be able to use his Mystic Eyes to find an opening to annihilate the High Night Critter in a crowd of mindless ones.
His black steed slowed down as if it was keeping up with its master's pace. Its nostrils flared with impatience as it tossed its mane restlessly. The steed then pulled into a stop, grunted and pawed at the dirt as it waited for Lord Kieran's command.
The demon lord went closer to them, a silver magical bow emerging from his other hand. It was compact and recurve. He handed it over to Iris, who was caught off guard by the weight of the said weapon. Iris had never seen nor held a bow like this before.
The bow was silvery blue up close, with two bright red orbs on both ends. The upper and lower limbs had the same intricate design and the grip that fit perfectly in her left hand. It was comparatively smaller and shorter than the bow she left back at home.
"Use it and kill the leader of the next swarm. It's a magical bow, so your magic should be enough to utilize it." Lord Kieran said before swishing his sword midair, sending an invisible wave towards the Night Critters that were drawing closer to them, killing them upon impact.
"But the arrows…"
What's the use of having a bow if she didn't have any arrows to use? Would it magically shoot arrows on their own? However, it was wishful thinking on her part because the demon lord's next words made Iris wonder what Lord Kieran's motive was for dragging her here.
"You can create one yourself using your magic." Lord Kieran cut off her words. "It gives you the advantage to draw as many arrows as you need."
"And how am I supposed to do that?"
Iris was fuming mad now. How can this darkling expect that she could pull off such an impossible feat? Lord Kieran spoke as if she was able to use her magic at will and kill a High Night Critter while riding his steed.
She knew how to use a bow and arrow, but horseback archery was extremely difficult to do even for an experienced archer like her. It had taken her years to master her bow, and she doubted that she would be able to hit the High Night Critter with accuracy.
Archery was challenging enough. She couldn't imagine trying to shoot targets while controlling a horse galloping at high speed. Unlike normal archery, Iris heard that horseback archers shoot instinctively or without sights for aiming.
They don't use sights and rely on a combination of muscle memory and hand-eye coordination. They were also adept in subconsciously calculating the distance between them and their target. It was quite the contrast of what she was accustomed to, because in the woods, in a single blink of an eye, she could lose the prey she was stalking.
Lord Kieran scowled as he looked at her as if she was a clueless child. For maguses in Asnar, using magic was like a second nature to them, but he forgot that this magus in front of him didn't have any idea how to use the mana in her body.
"Projection magic." He said nonchalantly. "You know what an arrow looks like and feels like, right?" When Iris nodded in response, he continued.
"Then draw your bow and imagine that you are holding an arrow. Your mana would manifest it according to your will."
Was it really that easy? Iris wondered. If she wasn't worried about being caught in Dravial, Iris would have learned how to use her magic and take advantage of it. As she looked at the man, waiting for her to make a decision, she wondered if Lord Kieran was trying to teach her how to use her magic properly.
"We don't have much time, human." The demon lord reminded her, gesturing to the next wave of Night Critters that were about to reach them.
"Reinforcements are here. You only have one task. Leave the rest to us." The demon lord added and Iris only then realized that Aiden had already caught up with them, leading his troop to protect Lord Kieran and Iris by obstructing the other Night Critters.
Saying those words, Lord Kieran left her with his steed and led the way. Iris could only clench her jaw as she held on the reins of the horse that immediately galloped, seeing its master ahead of them.
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