The Foolhardies - Chapter 46

Chapter 46






Meeting another seemingly immortal opponent certainly wasn't in my calculations, and I just knew this battle's difficulty level had increased from easy to hardcore by this sudden big reveal.

A fizzing noise, almost like a lightsaber grazing a metal surface, rose from the other side of the shield as the elf tested his glaive's shadowblade on Aura's flame shield.

Seeing that his weapon was useless against the shield, the elf began to pace back and forth while continually glaring at me.

It was like that exact same scene in that really old movie, The Phantom Menace, where the bad guy with the red face paint paced against the barrier separating him from the hero who just watched his master get killed.

If we hadn't established it yet, this was the moment where I revealed myself to be not just a nerd but a geek too. I couldn't help it. My dad just loved the whole Star Wars Saga. Luca and I loved it because of him.

I took this quick reprieve to calm myself as I could feel dread anticipation building inside me. I wasn't over my battle with Azuma. Taking on another unkillable opponent was really over my quota. However, as Sun Tzu once said, "In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity."

And so I took this opportunity to awaken my fairy gift. After all, this wasn't a fair fight between warriors. This was a battle against a zombie.

"Aura, release your shield," I said once Fool's Insight was active.

I heard her yell, "Are you certain?" from somewhere on the other side of the covered wagon.

"Yeah... I got this," I answered. "Ready player one..."

Aura's shield dissipated into dozens of fiery sparks like firecrackers in their final gasp of life. Neither I or my opponent waited for it to vanish completely though. As soon as there was a hole large enough to pass through, we charged at each other.

Obviously, the elf's glaive had the advantage but Fool's Insight was that much of a cheat because even the longer reach of his weapon wasn't much of a problem for me. I simply dodged the thrust I saw coming and braced my falchion's sword against the steel pole, causing sparks to fly as shadowblade grazed on steel.

The elf's momentum kept him moving forward and inching closer to his death through the slash I'd sent right at his gut after I finished parrying his glaive.

the cutting power of my falchion didn't disappoint me as I heard the satisfying crunching of metal and felt the sensation of the softer skin underneath it. I pushed my arms forward and side, cutting a deep gash into the steel plate covering his abs.

The elf screamed at first. Yet he backed away in a quick step that bordered disbelief. It was like he'd only experienced momentary pain before he was right as rain again. He really was another immortal.

Blood dripped out of the caved-in piece of armor I cut into. Yet even this dried up quickly.

"Man... you Magesong bastards are such cheaters..." I scowled.


The elf spat out blood. Then he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Throughout this, he continued to glare at me like I was a bug he wanted to squash.

We clashed again. His glaive rose high, but the muscle movements on his arms and hips were clear indicators of the path the shadowblade would take. So I dodged to the right and sent my falchion upward in a slash that cleaved his face and cut off his nose.

This was the one good thing about fighting someone who was overconfident in their healing ability like Azuma was. They were very careless. It was as if they didn't mind getting hurt. It really was annoying. But something was different.

At the same time as I watched the brown-haired elf's face reattached itself like someone had put my vision on rewind, I heard a muffled scream emanate from the wagon to my right. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

It was slightly behind me now, but I was much closer to it than before which meant I continued to hear the pained gasps of someone inside who was obviously hurt.

I glanced behind me, and almost as if my sixth sense was tingling, I felt terribly evil vibes emanating from inside the wagon.

Unfortunately, I had no time to investigate it as my undead opponent had just sent his glaive slashing toward me. I had just enough time to block it, and here's where I made my nearly fatal mistake.

I'd been so in awe of my falchion's cutting power that I didn't think about things it couldn't cut. So, while I hoped the force of his slash would mean another broken pole, I wasn't ready for the force behind the swing. I wasn't ready for it to lift me off my feet either. I certainly wasn't ready for my back to slam into the wooden side of the wagon behind me.

I fell to my knees feeling pain race up and down my back like I'd been hit by a car which technically was the case. This pain traveled up into my brain. And with my concentration broken, Fool's Insight deactivated, too.

Still, I don't know what made me look up. Maybe I really did have a danger sense. Maybe I was just very aware of my mortality. But my eyes glanced up at the exact moment as the glaive's shadowblade came hurtling down at me.

There was a second where I thought, "Ah, it's finally over," but then the blade never arrived. Luca and Edo had made it in the nick of time.

While my brother's broadsword blocked the glaive from killing me, Edo's own glaive came crashing down on the elf's right shoulder and nearly cut him in half.

This is where it gets really weird.

Although the elf did howl in pain, it was the high-pitched scream from inside the wagon that demanded to be heard. It was a death rattle so frighteningly painful that it was even able to cut through my own pain.

"Stop hurting him!" I screamed. "No one kill the elf!"

My orders were obeyed. Even as the elf's shoulder seemed to be stitching itself together while he lay jerking wildly on the soft ground, none of my people moved to end his life.

"Someone knock him out, please," I yelled. "At least restrain him.

Edo's answer to my request was to call Shaqs over and order him to sit on the elf which Shaqs did after Luca had taken away the enemy's weapons and turned him over so that he was lying face first on the dirt. This would have been a hilarious sight if I wasn't hearing a series of low moans and whimperings from inside the covered wagon.

I leaned on the wagon's wooden wheel while I sat on the ground. I needed a minute to think.

Aura arrived to kneel beside me, and I felt the warmth of her bracelet as she sent her lifeforce into me to heal me.

I placed a hand on her and shook my head. "No need for that... I'm fine. Just got winded for a second."

"Fine, huh," Edo said coolly. "Thought for a second there you were about to lose your head, boss."

"Yeah, well, looks like you're still stuck with me, Edo," I countered.

I gazed left and then right. The battle seemed to have ended. The fires had gone out. My troops were taking control of the supply caravan. Also, on the left side of the road, at the rear of the caravan, there was a ten to twelve foot wall that ran from one stretch of the road to the other hillside.

Varda had done her part without needing my help after all. Once again, this proved how effective Ashley was at leading.

On the hillside above me, I saw Qwipps and his archers along with Donar Firemonger leave their hiding spots and make their way down to where we were.

It was over. We won. Now, there was just one mystery left to solve. Thankfully, the pain had subsided enough that I was able to stand up again.

Once more, I glanced over to the wagon behind me.

The screams had died out now. Only the whimpering of soft voices remained.

"I sense something dark here," Aura said as she too gazed at the wagon. "It feels like I'm stepping over graves..."

"Like a really sad funeral," Luca added from Aura's other side.

"Yeah... that's how I feel too," I answered. "Let's go see what's got the three of us covered in goosebumps."

I looked over to Edo.

"Want to lead the way?" I asked. "Just in case something nasty pops out."

Edo shook his head. "Fine brave commander, you are, Dean..."

Despite his taunt, Edo obeyed my command and walked ahead of me, Aura, and Luca while we made our way around the wagon with our weapons ready.

Luca, in particular, looked the most nervous, and I remembered how he hated scary movies that had lots of jump scares in them.

"Do not touch them!" the elf screamed from underneath Shaqs' massive rump. He was awake again. "Do not defile our offerings with your filthy Mudgardian hands!"

"Shaqs, shut him up," I ordered.

Shaqs launched himself up and crashed his bum down on the beaten elf commander. There was an audible gasp as the wind got knocked out of him.

In my head, I was imagining Azuma in a similar situation the next time we fought. If only he wasn't such a good fighter. I doubt we'd ever be able to catch him in such a compromising situation. Still, the thought of it almost made the chills I felt go away.

"I'm opening the flap now," Edo said in a hesitant voice that wasn't like him. It seemed he too was sensing something weird.

All was dark inside the wagon when we first peered inside it, but we all heard the shuffling movements within. When the light of the golden moon finally shone down at its contents, the dread in my chest began to squeeze tighter at the sight before me.

I felt Luca scramble away. I heard him puke out his dinner on the ground.

I saw Edo pull away, his glaive raised in defense.

Aura gasped audibly from beside me. Her hand reached out for mine and I took it gratefully.

The first thing we saw was the dead body of a boy younger than Luca. He wore nothing but a dirt-caked loincloth that dripped with the blood pooling underneath his tiny form. But it was his wounds that disturbed me.

There were three. One was a wide gash that opened his gut. Another was a slash that tore his face. These two wounds would have certainly killed him in a slow painful manner but it was the third that most likely finished him off. It was a very deep cut that ripped his upper shoulder open all the way down to his chest.

Tears pooled beneath my eyes as if I felt responsible for this boy's death, and I probably was.

I felt Aura's grip tighten on my hand.

My eyes drifted further back in the room to the several human and fairy children who were all dressed in the same soiled clothes as the boy. They looked back at me, and all I could see in their eyes was abject horror and fear.

Whatever had been done to them, one thing was certain. They had experienced something shockingly evil and vile.