Sequence Six: Unholy I

Crushing the soldiers in front of him, the high-orc swings his battle-ax on every moving creatures he encounters, leaving piles of dead bodies everywhere.

Seeing her soldiers being slaughtered on her very eyes, the commander bites her lips in anger, all her hopes taken away from her by the wretched being.

“My lady, you should organize your men!”

“My lady!”

Everything is chaotic, as she watches the bodies being tossed in mid-air by the beast, screams of pain and cries for help are heard everywhere, the sounds of metal crashing another afterwards releasing a shriek of agony filled the whole place.

Different limbs of humans are being tossed on different places and one of those landed besides the female.

She turns her trembling eyes to where it landed and saw a freshly cut arm twitching on her side.

Her eyes widen at the sight of it and then she starts on laughing. She laughs so hard that the other guys fighting the orc heard her insane hopeless laugh.

By that, the soldiers knew that the one commanding them is now incapable to do its duty and has already accepted their fate. Their minds is now filled with both despair and regret that some of the soldiers are now in tears while holding down their arms as the huge axe of the high orc slams to them and tears their body apart.

Despair, because of the foe they are now facing and regret, because by now they should be in their individual homes resting inside the great walls of the capital, safe and sound. Or they could be in a pub drinking with their comrades after a long day of guarding the city, but not here, where they are slowly being butchered by an orc.

Inside their minds, they blame the third daughter for visiting this village and for staying here for a few more days, if they all just left after a day or two of staying, then they don’t have to face something as terrifying as this.

They blame the duke for assigning them as his daughter’s personnel, because they don’t have to be here in the first place. They blame the woman commanding them that is now laughing like crazy, because if she is that good at analyzing and planning things, then they must have the upper hand.

They blame almost everything related to this, a common response of a human being that is about to face his death, a lame yet true reaction of a person that is forced to do something that he doesn’t like yet still, because it is related to his line of duty, is forced to do so. All of them though of one same thing.

‘We should have just stayed in the capital where it’s safe!’

“My lady! Snap out of it!” the old man said, holding the girl on her shoulders while shaking her back and forth, hoping that she snaps out of it.

The girl stops on laughing but a desperate smile shows up on her face.

“It’s all over Gearfried, we’re all going to die here.” She said, still having that disgusting smile on her face.

The old man, pause for a moment, then he let go of his hold on the lady, dropping her back to the ground.

He slowly raises his hand; half way on fully raising it, he slams it towards the female hitting her cheeks, slightly twisting her neck upon impact.

Shocked on what hits her, she maintained her position for a while then she turns her gaze back on the man who gave her a good slap.

“If you’re going to die, at least die while fighting with everything you have! Have an honorable death!” the old man scolded the girl he just slapped.

“I’d rather die fighting than submitting to these foul beasts!” Gearfried added.

Having her reasons back to her, the woman stands up.

“Gearfried, what are the chances that we can defeat this monster?” she asked the man who just slapped reality back to her, making her realize that her duty is to defend the mansion and everyone else that resides in this village.

“Slim, very slim…” the man answered.

“Then, please take Stella away from here. Even if you have to drag her out of the mansion.” She said, regaining her posture and confidence.

“As you will.” Gearfried answered and immediately went inside the mansion to help Stella escape.

***

“All of you fall back!”

A loud scream from a female echo’s throughout the battlefield.

Upon hearing it, the melee combatants runs away from the battle, trying to return to their original post.

Seeing the humans flee, the high-orc follows their trail while madly swinging his axe hitting a few more soldiers as they run back to the mansion ground.

“Archers! Aim for that red-skinned one behind our men!” she shouted and the remaining archers formed a single line in front of her, giving the escaping soldiers a cover of flesh-piercing arrows.

“You mages!” she said, looking to the exhausted mages. – “You can cast an attack spell right?” The mages nods upon hearing it.

“Then, give everything you got and blast that thing.” She said while pointing to the orc running behind her fleeing men.

“But if we do, the barrier will…” one of the mages said but was quickly interrupted by the arrival of someone.

“Need some help?” a voice of a man injects in their conversation.

As the female turns to where the voice came from, a man with locks tied into a ponytail with a split bangs covering the sides of his face walks closer to them alongside a girl with gray colored hair.

“Cardel!” the female commander said in surprise.

“Hey it’s been a long time Anna.” Cardel replied, slightly lifting his hand as a greeting.

“It’s Anastasia.” She corrected Cardel.

“And please, refrain from calling me like that.” She added with a slight blush

“Hey, I don’t know what you two have in the past, but we need to take care of that rampaging thing first.” Said Cerise as she points to the orc now coming their way while smashing the others along its path.

“Why are they attacking you anyway?” she added

“Probably because of ‘that’ thing.” Anastasia answered with a worried face.

“What do you mean by ‘that thing’?” Cerise continued on inquiring

“It’s the urn that they brought here two days ago.” Cardel intercepted the ladies to make things quick.

“As far as I know, it attracts foul creatures such as these wretched beasts, making them totally obsessed and will do anything just to get their hands on It.” he stated, sating the curiosity of Cerise.

“Then, why don’t you just give it to them? That would be easier.” Cerise suggested because that would be a very obvious way to end this assault.

But as she say those words, Cardel and Anastasia, the both of them made a gloomy look, like they both lost something very precious for them.

“By the way, can you cast those enchantments on me Anna?” Cardel asked Anastasia, breaking the low-mood they both have and Anastasia, upon hearing it nod in agreement.

“What’s an enchantment?” Cerise asked in confusion of what Cardel is talking about.

“You’ll see.” Said Cardel as he step a bit forward, setting Anastasia behind him.

Now, Cardel in front of Anastasia, she immediately placed both her hands at the back of Cardel and a bright yellow magic circle appears in-between Cardel’s back and the palm of Anastasia.

“Resistenza…” as she says it, a magic circle expands then shrank into Cardel.

“Elusion…”

“Enorme fretta…”

“Dedizione…”

“Deviare…”

On every word Anastasia uttered, Cardel glows brilliantly then dims afterwards as if he absorbs the light coming out from the magic circle behind him.

“Wow… It’s the first time I see a cleric in action.” Cerise said watching the woman while she is casting multiple spells on Cardel like an amazed child.

“But, she doesn’t have any attack spells thought. Making her useless without an attacking unit.” Cardel said, standing still in front of Anastasia as she casts her final spell on him. Anastasia could just frown upon hearing what Cardel said for she is currently busy on her task.

“And she can’t cast it on multiple soldiers.” Cardel said with a goofy face while looking at Anastasia

“You want me to cast a curse spell instead?” Anastasia answered in annoyance of Cardel’s statement while pausing for a moment

“Please don’t.” he immediately replied.

“Benedizione de cielo.”

Right after Anastasia casted the last enhancement she has for him, Cardel, in a blink of an eye appears right in front of the high-orc, then with the knives he has on hand, he tries to reach for the throat of the enemy in front for a one-shot instant kill.

But before the edge of the blades lands on the surface of its neck, the orc parries his attack flinging one of his dagger off his hand.

Unscathed from the attack, the orc immediately send a counter blow to Cardel using his bare fist, knocking back Cardel a few meters away from him.

But due to the ‘reflect’ buff Anastasia casted on him, his body managed to endure the damage and the enhancement completely absorbed it.

‘That attack just now is way too quick.’ Cardel thought, although he has ‘Evasion’, his body couldn’t immediately react from it.

Now, with just a blade in his hand, he still tries to figure out a way to suppress the being in front. Dashing forward with all his might, Cardel slashes the orc from all locations with precision and unbelievable footwork, as if he is dancing while slashing his opponent, leaving the orc with different cuts on the visible parts of its body that are unprotected.

The orc now in defensive accepts Cardel’s attacks. Using his gigantic axe like a shield, he used it to block some of Cardel’s attacks while covering his vital spots, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

Upon seeing the right time to bounce back on Cardel, he wildly swings his ax horizontally, though it is not enough to rip Cardel’s torso in half but close enough to leave a shallow wound on it.

‘This is bad… even with the enchantments I have, this beast is still unfazed.’ Cardel thought, realizing that he has a disadvantage when it comes to physical aspects even will all the buffs he has.

With a deep breath followed by a loud exhale, Cardel resumes his barrage of attacks.

The orc now getting annoyed of him and his attacks parries Cardel for the second time stopping him from attacking, tossing the man away using the blunt portion of his ax while giving off a loud roar at the same time.

On the defensive, Cardel halts his attacks and rested for a while, but before he could even take a single breath, he heard a voice shouting from behind.

“Cardel, watch out!”

Before he could even turn around to the voice, he was immediately attacked by the orc with almost or not, greater than his current speed, using its shoulder to bump Cardel, flinging him all the way to the walls of the mansion like a toy, good thing that the protective spells casted on him triggered just in time to prevent the situation on being fatal.

“Cardel!” both Anastasia and Cerise shouted with worry seeing him being tossed like a toy by the orc.

Anastasia runs to where Cardel is and immediately gave him a healing.

“Looks like we need an army to slay that guy, an extremely large one, with lots of mages.” He said, while being healed by Anastasia as he tries to stand up to continue his fight on the beast.

“Please, it is not the time to joke around…”

Then she pauses for a second and woe fills her face.

“This is futile!” Anastasia exclaimed as she continues on healing Cardel. “We can’t win against the likes of that thing.” She added as he points her finger to the orc.

“Hey, hey… you still hadn’t change after all these years?” he answered gripping his dagger firmly while giving off a smirk on his face.

“We haven’t given off our best yet!” he said rushing again into the battle.

“Cerise, give me cover!” he screamed as he runs towards Cerise.

Immediately responding to his request, Cerise flings a few arrows to the orc, diverting its focus to the upcoming arrows and not on Cardel that is dashing forward.

As he reaches a good distance in the orc’s perimeter, he launches another lethal strike to the orc, still trying to end it with one blow, but same as his previous attempts he didn’t manage to land it on the desired spot.

The orc uses his bracer to block Cardel’s blade and deflect it away from him leaving Cardel wide open for an attack.

‘Shoot! I messed it this time.” He thought as the orc grabs his throat using the same arm he used to block the attack.

The orc is about to crush Cardel’s throat but was saved by Cerise’s arrow piercing through his arm, followed by another on its wrist forcing him to drop Cardel on the ground.

Stepping back, Cardel wipes off the sweat he has on his face with some blood mixed with it.

“I think this is the right time to retreat.” Cerise suggested behind Cardel seeing him almost reaching his limits.

“No not yet, I still have a few tricks in my sleeves.” He answered Cerise but then automatically falls down on his knees due to exhaustion.

The tide of the battle is currently in favor to the orcs. The army behind the barrier didn’t even bother to resume on attack the barrier, hoping to break it this time nor do they make even the slightest move. They are just watching him as he ravage the enemies.

Watching the orcs made Cardel feel like they are looking down on them, as if the battle has already been decided the moment he came out to the frontline.

‘Tsk! These slick bastards!’ he thought, as he looks to the army of orcs behind the one he is having a hard time with.

But the calm reaction of the orcs suddenly stops when they saw a brimming light coming out from one of the room’s window on the second floor of the mansion, a light that angers the high-orc and the army behind him, a cold light that gives off a feeling of salvation yet is enough to make you feel fear just by it touching your skin.

The feeling of a divine yet completely unholy presence.

As if they felt…

The touch of death.