Book 2, Chapter 171

Nightly Attack

Richard’s army did not give chase, instead starting to steal the horses. Desert warriors were natural horsemen, so the quickly managed to take forty of the elite warhorses and leave. The trolls and barbarians followed rapidly, escaping into the darkness.

Hatchets were flying everywhere in the night sky, this time aimed at the remaining warhorses. Four fireball spells landed in the middle of the barracks as well, not very powerful but covering a wide area that enveloped almost half of the horses. The raging flames lit tens of horses on fire.

Seeing the stable burning in the distance, Richard knew that the ambush was a success. He immediately sent out a mental order to retreat. A long whistle pervaded the night sky, and all the attacking warriors immediately stopped and retreated. They had withdrawn in an instant.

At the fence, Phaser was making use of the shadows to hurry and escape. However, one of Zim’s warriors blocked her way.

Phaser was rapidly gasping for breath. Still a newborn, the rapid killing spree had expended more than half of her energy. The soldier laughed maliciously as he approached, his eyes on her exquisitely fair neck. To him, it was obvious that this neck belonged to a beautiful woman. His breath grew rough as he looked down, seeing the bulge of her breasts. Even the dark robe covering Phaser’s body could not hide her curves.

Without the necessary energy, Phaser could not use her powers. The mere level 6 soldier in front of her was a major threat. Seeing the seasoned veteran shift his gaze, she suddenly opened a slit in her long robe to reveal her body from neck to novel. Every inch of exposed skin was white as snow, and from that angle it seemed like there was nothing under the robe!

Even as the soldier was stunned, she threw herself towards his chest. Before the man even had a chance to react, he felt a slight pain in his abdomen before a strong numbness pervaded his body. He lost all feeling in a flash, lowering his head to find that this girl’s left arm didn’t end in a hand; it was a blade! The sharp edge of the dagger had penetrated his abdomen.

The soldier tried to struggle, but she raised her right arm and tore his armour apart. Another slash later, his ribs were torn apart. Her right hand then dug deep into the wound on his chest, grasping his violent heart and tearing it out with a strong yank. She then pulled down her mask, downing it in a few bites before she rushed back towards their own camp.

However, she stopped in her tracks only a few steps later. Her exposed eyes started to flicker, continuously scanning her surroundings in search of something.

A blade silently appeared around her neck, making her stop moving altogether. A cold, harsh voice sounded by her ear, “There’s no need to look, I’m right here.”

Phaser slowly raised both her hands and turned around, meeting Waterflower’s steely gaze.

“What are you? How…. are you related to Sinclair?” Waterflower asked coldly. She had not witnessed Phaser’s birth, so all she knew was that this girl was a new follower of Richard.

Waterflower had sustained severe injuries in that battle with Sinclair, so she bore immense hatred and trauma from the event. Phaser had just displayed several skills similar to Sinclair, especially with that dagger and the devouring of hearts. Memories of Sinclair flashed across her mind; Phaser seemed like a shadow of that demonic lady.

Phaser’s eyes twinkled as her mind raced at inhuman speeds. Only a blink of an eye later, she started speaking words that were completely foreign to Waterflower. The only clue that it was a language at all was the pattern of speech.

The young lady locked both her brows, but she was unwilling to let the other party know that she didn’t understand any of what she said. Phaser opened her mouth and spoke non-stop, leaving her completely baffled. The Shepherd of Eternal Rest was still on Phaser’s neck, but Waterflower started to have second thoughts.

The wild girl was someone who relied on instinct; it was extremely rare for her to think things out. However, the conclusion she drew from her reflection left Waterflower unsatisfied. As Richard’s soulguard, she knew that there was a link between her master and that of the lady in front of her. This meant Phaser was a reliable ally; soul contracts were the most reliable method of controlling someone else.

However, the young lady’s instincts kept telling her that she had to kill these creatures right now. If she did not do so, she would regret it greatly in the future.

The thuds of many footsteps sounded not far away; a team of soldiers was rapidly making its way towards them. Waterflower let out a groan, slowly sheathing the Shepherd of Eternal Rest and disappearing into the night. Phaser looked at the approaching soldiers, her own body blending into the darkness. The heart she ate had allowed her to recover enough energy to go invisible.

The broodmother hadn’t told Richard everything about this special unit. Phaser had a potent venom of her own; although it couldn’t be compared to the manticore’s yet, there wouldn’t be much difference once she reached level 15. Even now, her toxin was fatal if injected directly into the bloodstream. Just like Sinclair, she could also devour enemy hearts to restore energy. Of course, that was mainly for humans; different species had different centres of power.

……

The troop of soldiers had seen two enemies from far away, but now that they had rallied together and approached all they could see was the boundless night sky. They couldn’t even find any traces of the escaped enemies.

The fire in the camp was soon put out, and Viscount Zim made a round around the camp under heavy guard before returning to his large tent. There was chaos everywhere, with several soldiers placing the bodies of their fallen comrades in a corner while wounded warriors were everywhere. Three low-level clerics had started healing the wounded, but seeing the long line they turned pale and felt helpless.

“Bastards! Useless BASTARDS! How exactly did you keep watch that the enemies made it right in front of my tent? If not for my innate luck, would I not be hurt by those bumpkins? Tell me, what do you do except waste my gold? TELL ME!” Zim’s roars could be heard from within, with shattering sounds ringing out every now and then.

His personal guards stood still and upright with no expressions on their faces; they had long grown used to hearing such things. Once he grew tired of the shouting, he sat down to catch his breath. It was only then that the general started reporting casualties to the Viscount. Most of the major casualties had been to footsoldiers, with more than a hundred dead. On the other hand, less than ten light cavalry and a mere two heavy cavalry had perished.

Zim’s expression improved slightly. The heavy cavalry were his elite soldiers, while the light cavalry were mere soldiers and the footsoldiers just cannon fodder. Their deaths meant nothing. Most of the Viscount’s gold was spent on the elites— equipping a heavy knight was as expensive as outfitting fifty normal footsoldiers.

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