Fear was like a parasite that crept through Arwin, infesting her mind and making her paralyzed. But she has been living in fear for a while now; it almost felt like an old friend of hers now. She looked around, seeing the villagers and the rest of her friends, she found herself smiling.
She is willing to die for all this.
One day. There is only one day left, and Arwin decided to cherish it, looking for her closest friends. First, she paid Rosa and Timothy a visit. She barged through their front door as the couple ate their breakfast.
Rosa asked as she yawned, “Arwin? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”
“What? Are there any changes in our plans?” Timothy worriedly asked.
Arwin smirked and said, “I just got hungry. That’s why I’m here.”
Rosa offered her some meat and a hot cup of coffee, and Arwin sat there with them. It was not eventful, but Arwin’s trying to engrave it in her memory that there was a day where everything is ok
Arwin kept her distance as she observed the tough-looking guards outside the castle with her binoculars. There were about ten, five on each side, so Arwin shot Timothy a look and gestured at him to move to the other side. She also gestured to him that there are five guards on his side. Timothy nodded as he split the group into half. The other half with Arwin, and they quietly and cautiously walked towards the guards closer, concealing themselves with the dark blankets Rosa made that they blend perfectly with the night sky. Timothy went in first to avoid suspicion. If anything, they would not want to inform the other guards of the assault. Timothy shot a look at the kid from their village; he said, “Remember what I told you?” The young boy nodded nervously. Timothy patted his head gently and said, “Good boy. Trust me; I’ll bring you out here alive, Kite.” Kite then proceeded with the plan as he walked toward the guards pretending that he’s lost. The gu
Meanwhile, back at the village, Kite ran towards Rosa and the rest, informing them of the status of Timothy and the others at the castle. Rosa hurriedly started to get the airship ready. Gloin and the rest boarded the airship, and Rosa closed her eyes as she focused her magic from within her and directed it to make the airship fly. Her heart started beating like crazy. The whole plan relied on whether or not she could make that airship fly. She needed to start up the airship with her magic to bring it high enough until the air managed to sustain their flight, and that’s when Gloin’s mechanism would start to work. Rosa tied the rope around her waist to connect her to the airship once it started to fly up. She waited for the clouds to clear up and give way to the moon. The moon looked intimidating with a hint of red spreading- as it’s a drop of blood trying to consume the entire moon. It is indeed the raven’s blood moon. Rosa took a deep
Arwin and the rest of her comrades used the smokescreen to their advantage. The goal was to isolate and separate the children of the forest, knowing that they can’t take them down all at once. Everything is going according to Arwin’s plan as everyone did their tasks that they were assigned to. Each had their own posts and started injecting most of the children of the forest and the king’s army with a powerful sedative brewed by Rosa with a hint of Arwin’s power to buy them some time, at least until Mosse and the rest arrived to do their part. At this time, Gloin’s job was to take Mark away. They got back into their ship before the smoke cleared out. With Mark now gone, King Damon immediately woke up furious and in a great sense of panic and disorder. He shouted out, feeling a little disorientated, “Seize the outsiders! The Raven! The Raven is here! Kill her!” To his surprise, as the smoke cleared out, most of his troops were lying on the ground, uncon
Timothy, along with the rest of the trained villagers and comrades, proceeded outside to fight all sorts of creatures ranging from the close combat-type like aswangs to defensive monsters like kapre and tikbalang, and even the engkantos and doppelgangers that may seem too intimidating for most of the humans and even send anyone else running, but not them. The villagers firmly hold their ground. This is nothing compared to the fact that they were living in that hellhole for years. They all have encountered all sorts of creatures that the forest had to offer; nothing can faze them that much anymore. If the forest taught them anything, it’s that fear will end up killing you in this type of place. They have no room for fear. This forest was that kind of place. They faced their opponents head-on, “Oh well, what the hell, just another day in this forest. Ain’t that right, folks?” Someone shouted out loudly clearly making a joke to ease the minds of th
While everyone was busy fighting at the castle, at the underground, Mosse and his men struggled to find their way out. The plan originally was to dig a tunnel from underground to destroy the orbs and take the gold back out. They had thirty-six hours to do so. Right now, they've exceeded that mark. Thirty-seven hours have passed already and they didn't see the end yet. Everyone at the underground was panicking, “We’re stuck here. This plan won’t work and everyone up there will inevitably die!” They echoed questions like, “What should we do?” and “Will we die here?” It echoed through the tunnel they were digging for days now as it started to plant that feeling of fear, despair, and hopelessness in their hearts until it consumed almost all of them. Mosse realized this but he didn't know what to say. Who is Mosse- someone immortal- to tell them that they wouldn’t die there? He’s the least qualified person to tell them that and it’s been an h
That may be all these- all that they have done here is for nothing after all. Meanwhile, as John and the rest of the villagers struggle to stand on their feet after that long digging at the lowest basement of the castle in hopes to destroy the orbs that allow the king to control everything and everyone in the forest and facing the king's elite army, Arwin and Timothy struggle at the battlefield with absolutely nothing to their advantage. Rosa and Gloin are barely keeping the airships up, with the manananggals attacking them mid-air with those hideous bat-like wings and half bodies. Their abnormally long tongue reaches for the airship's mechanisms breaking and tearing it apart, with Rosa holding everybody up in the air as they try to fix it and defend against the manananggals as well. Gloin runs to Rosa, all sweaty and exhausted, "Rosa, how much longer can you keep this up?" “Definitely not long!” Rosa replies, struggling down to her
Gloin’s juggernaut form finally broke down into pieces releasing a strong gust of wind slicing the mananaggal’s tongue into pieces. He swiftly moved to tear its wings apart causing it to finally fall down to the ground with broken bones like the rest. His form unlike the juggernaut before seemed stronger, faster, and is equipped with more mechanisms to support him in attacking. It’s the juggernaut form at 70%. Earlier his form was only around 40%. Being attacked by magical properties by their race’s sworn enemies the witches, it automatically evolved the dwarves’ juggernaut form. Back then; it was the witches only mistake- trying to destroy the juggernaut’s form only ended up with the witches losing that one battle. Every other race forgot about that legendary battle but not them. That battle is the defining event of both their races that they passed down from generation to generation. Gloin remarked upon flying to Rosa, “The mid-a
As the skies grew darker, the war continued with everyone else fighting for their freedom while Sinas and his men patiently awaited the signal at the dark side of the forest. Sinas sits comfortably played with a chess piece in his hand while watching the events at the castle as they unfolded via his crystal ball he stole back from the castle. Dylan paced back and forth impatiently. Sinas took notice of this and remarked, “Dylan, can you sit down, you’re making everyone else panic.” “Sinas, when are we going to attack? At this rate, Arwin- our only chance of getting out of this forest will die and they will lose!” Dylan protested against Sinas plans, “Are we really going to just sit and watch here?” Sinas took a deep breath and sighed, “And what difference would it make if we recklessly go out there and reveal our plans?” "We can at least provide them help. We’re not just talking about their freedom- if we beat the king, everyone else ear
Arwin walked calmly. Wendy saw her when the young woman said, “Yes, everything turned out for the best, they gave everyone immunity, and they decided to unsubscribe. The army’s way of doing things is not the best!”Wendy, with a smile, said, “It’s true. It is not! But it’s good that the republic doesn’t follow them anymore. They’ve been close to me for a long time, so you don’t have to worry!”Smiling, Arwin thanked him and said, “I know! The mafia has done a lot for us, and we are available. We will open a special commission agency, and we can take on any job. Any…!”Wendy, with a smile, said, “I’ll keep them in mind then… Tell me! On the hand, how does it work?Smiling, Arwin nodded, saying, “The hand works great! Just like Strickland’s arm, though, he only knows how to complain….!”Wendy nodded and, seeing Arwin said, “That’s great, but if you don’t need anything, what did you come to do? Just to say hello?”Arwin nodded and said, “I wanted to know how you were, but more than anyth
Arwin was unconscious and the warm hand of a person she knew brought her back to reality. Everything was collapsing, and a one-armed man was pushing hard to remove part of the railing that was above it.“Luca.”She whispered when she saw the effort that the man-made toward her. She placed both hands on the railing and, helping him between the two of them, managed to lift her, she looked at him, and he said, offering her a hand, “I was worried, and I came to see how you were!”She, smiling, took his hand and, standing up, said, “It was difficult, but I did it! Is dead!”Luca smiling, began to run to the side of Arwin. Both were injured but kept a steady pace walking to get out of that place. Arwin seeing him, looked at his bandaged leg and said, “You managed to beat Skyler!”The smiling young man looked at him and said, “Nine times out of ten, she would have lost… I was very lucky!”She looked at him and was sure that he was speaking sincerely. However, she also knew how efficient he w
Arwin looked at the man walking towards her. Her shirt fell to the ground and showed a torso full of scars. The man raised his hands, looked at the pirate, and said, “It is said that you were the captain of a pirate ship. Is that true?”Arwin tightened his muscles, and the smiling man said, “I also!”With speed, she approached. For Arwin, it was strange to see a person of that size move at such speed, the man launched two direct blows to Arwin’s face, and the young woman, moving her head from side to side, managed to avoid them.He prepared a strong uppercut and threw it at the girl’s face. She tilted her face back to avoid the blow, but she could only feel the impact and see the entire room move around her. She didn’t understand what was happening.She was sure she had dodged it, but now the whistle that deafened her ears was in accordance with the erratic movement of the lights when the next blow caught her in the stomach.She felt a powerful hollow in her stomach as her legs failed
Arwin looked straight ahead at the swordsman of the black knights, the corpses of his companions adorned the entire anteroom, and he said, smiling, “After killing you. I’ll go find that Skyler guy and finish him off!”She, smiling, calmly breathed as she squeezed the handle of her gun. In that place, the smell of blood began to permeate everything, and the man in front of her said, “This is it. It’s the end!”Taking a step forward, he pressed the handle of his sword. That action generated a reaction from Arwin, who, with full power, advanced. Their steps were synchronized, and in a fraction of a second, the blood on the ground splashed from their strong steps until they crossed each other and stayed behind their enemy.They both calmly smiled, and it was one of Arwin’s daggers that broke at that moment. She looked at it and straightened up, and looked back when she said, “The weapons of the black knights are unmatched!”Seeing the man, he fell to his knees, and slowly, his hands went
Luca watched Skyler. Every move in his mind ended with the man stabbing him somewhere in the body, and even though the sword was severed and its reach reduced, Skyler didn’t look fazed in the least.In a normal fight with a normal person, Luca would have the advantage because of his armory on his arm, but against Skyler, all those weapons were useless. Something about that person was extraordinary, and his ability to fight was beyond everyone’s expectations, including Luca’s.Skyler bending her knees forward, jumped towards him, Luca raised his arm, trying to anticipate the blow, but the union member did not reveal his attack until the last minute.With a precise sword strike to the abdomen, Skyler made Luca step back, activating the barrel of his weapon. He opened his palm so that it pointed at Skyler, and the young man, only leaning forward a little, managed to dodge the shot.Swinging his sword hard, he hit Luca’s arm with the edge making his hand do a huge flip, and with his bare
Arwin and his men arrived at the antechamber of the emperor’s room. They all looked at the door ornamented with the symbol that was the shield of the empire on the doorknobs while they breathed deeply. Arwin said, “Once we go in, probably if we find opposition, they have to be careful and attack firmly. We don’t know what’s in store for us!”But that was not entirely true, and she had a clear notion of what was waiting for her behind that door. Seeing her companions before entering, she said, “Listen, if there are any black knights entering behind this door, I want you to retreat immediately… if you stay, you will die!”One of the soldiers saw her and said, “We will not retreat. If we even die, we have to make sure to make your mission easier, and if the black knights are behind this door, then we will have to face them, that’s all!”She smiled, the support of her men always lovely, and kicking the door hard, she had a split second to see the formation in front of her.Four soldiers a
Holly looked back and could see Loid storming in, firing her gun and sliding on her knees to get behind the wall her grenade had built. Seeing Holly, she asked, “Are you okay?”She was happy to see him and smiling. She nodded, breathing deeply. Loid saw how a fragment of the wall deteriorated and, looking to the side, said, “First, we must move. This won’t last long!”Coming out of the side of the wall, he raised his rifle and, firing several times, managed to hit Ben in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Looking at Holly, they both began to run at full speed towards another iron container.From the ground, Ben threw his nails, trying to kill them, but they moved quickly and managed to take cover.Loid was surprised, and seeing Ben stand up, he asked, “I gave him six shots. How the hell is he intact?”Holly, with a hint of frustration in her voice, said, “He’s reborn. I shot him in the head, an explosion with a grenade, I even hit him with a forklift, and he’s still whole. It won’
Luca was right in front of his enemy. The man in the white suit was smiling despite the wound on his shoulder. The man was looking at Luca carefully when he said, “Do you think you can survive this time? This injury was because you took me by surprise!”With those words, the man threw himself on Luca. He threw a hook hoping that Luca would protect himself but instead, the soldier moved his head from the place of the impact avoiding the blow with ease.The man looked at that, but, far from being discouraged, he launched a strong kick to the abdomen, but Luca, moving with his legs, got out of the reach of the blow. The man started throwing combination after combination, but Luca moved his body kept away from him.The frustrated man felt the pain in his shoulder when Luca smilingly said, “It’s not space mechanics. If I can’t cover myself, then I’m going to dodge everything you throw… your physical condition isn’t very good!”The smiling man shook his head and said, “As if they hadn’t tri
Arwin was running at full speed. The corridors turned into different paths but they had their path well established. They exactly knew which direction to go thanks to Holly’s help. However, the girl had stopped responding, and that puzzled Arwin a bit as he advanced with a glance. A quick glance at the troops that were with her, the girl stopped.She was looking at her men curiously when one of the Mafia soldiers asked, “What’s wrong, Arwin?”She is a quick movement, took out her dagger and, throwing it at full speed, stabbed one of the mafia soldiers directly in the chest, and all the soldiers raised their rifles to point at her. They were terrified when she, without paying any attention to them, saw how the man stabbed in the ground became another person.The guards looked at each other and saw Arwin, and the girl said, “Apparently, he can change his appearance and clothes at will... I don’t know when he replaced one of you, but he did!”One of the mafia soldiers looked at her in su