Adventure of Astral Part 11: Villages

Sora's speed was unmatched as Lilac switched to being a squirrel riding in his pocket as the two worked on finding the first village. They had all the hope inside of their hand, laid into one hope of praying that humans listen. They trusted that Astral was more than correct on human will.

They found the outskirts of the first village as their walls were surrounded by spikes. On top of towers were archers peering out to the mass green fields as they spotted Sora on his sprint. They pointed to him as they blew a horn. Sora paused for a moment as he looked at their actions. More archers climbed up the tower as he sat still for a moment.

They raised their bows as Sora moved the mask from his shoulder to his face. Covering his eyes, he felt himself become faster. The guards thought he was a demon by these actions as the first volley of arrows came down. He ran past them as Lilac clung to him as hard as possible. Sora made it past the first wave. He now looked upward and forward at what other traps lie ahead on the wall.

Before he knew it he jumped over a trench full of more spikes as the archers launched another wave of arrows. Sora ran left of where they were aiming for, they had no way to keep up with him. He was simply too fast as he ran in a circle around the wall. Finding the gate and standing in front of it as the guards shifted. He took the mask off as he felt like he was sapped of all his energy. Lilac shifted into a human as she held him up.

The guards drew their bows to full as they pointed down at the two. Lilac thought fast as she held up the map. "WE HAVE BAD NEWS! DON'T SHOOT!" Sora regained his breath and footing as they held their draw. "The demons are planning a genocide against the humans!" One guard lowered his bow as he saw the face of both of them and their worry.

"What say you have any truth to these matters?" The guard shouted to them as the others held firm. Their weak cloth armor had no padding, using relics as their weapons. Lilac and Sora looked to each other and back up.

"Our third is currently on the way to the hybrid kingdom, to kill the Queens and convince the hybrids to join us. A faster man than I without an enhancement from something like my mask!" Sora tossed the mask up as the guard caught it with one hand. The mask had a handprint on it as they looked to them.

"This mask is not of any creation of ours, and in the hands of a human, where did you get it?" the guard asked as Sora dipped his head and kicked a small rock.

"Long story, but that mask will make it so we can take on any force and win, recaptured from the demons after they took it from me. Can we have an audience with everyone?" Sora asked quaintly as Lilac looked at Sora and his mask.

The guards huddled together as they looked down into the mask as the one man put it on, immediately taking it off as he felt it. Throwing up right away as they tossed the mask back to them. They all looked confused as they looked back to Sora who caught his mask. They nodded as the one guard wiped his mouth clean. "No funny business, we are watching." The guard whistled as the gate creaked open a foot as the two slipped in as they helped slam it shut.

The guards waved for them to follow as the streets became full of worried people dressed in no more than rags and thick quilts. Sora looked around as the scene made him depressed and infuriated. They deserve better. They stood in front of the main hall as the few hundred people surrounded them. The doors to the main hall swung open as the chief walked out. His rags are just as dark as his people. Gray hair extending from all parts of his head. "You claim to say that demons are planning an attack on humans? I do not believe this?"

Lilac held up the map with all the red dots visible as day, with their village clearly painted on it. "Can you understand demonite?" the chief nodded his head no. "Our elf friend translated it for us as we listened. On midsummer's night the plan is to overwhelm each village with numbers that you cannot handle."

"Who says they have the numbers to take out all the villages at once, shouldn't they be worried about the beasts?" Someone from the crowd shouted up to them as Sora took the center stage.

"They seek violence and bloodshed for the sake of it, the hybrids have been trying to cull the demons, clearly to no effect." Sora pointed to the map. "They claim to have ten times the amount of demons as there are humans, all of them are capable of being vicious. Where some humans are too young, old, frail. Only a handful of the brave to defend you all will be too much!" The crowd went silent as he was right.

"With every able-bodied person we have a plan! We are retaking the Last Stand, while we are at it! Recruiting each human village to join our sides. And once we successfully unite all under one banner, we will get our reinforcements that are more than powerful enough to hold off the demons!" The people cheered as Sora looked at the chief.

"We will ask a favor, send riders to each of the villages after we make copies of the map and what it says. Between the twenty villages Last grasp will hold us all." The chief nodded as Sora kept going. "I will head there beforehand with Lilac and we will have it cleared out for all of you." The chief nodded again as they went inside and copied the map.

After the map was copied they loaded up their guards in groups of three. Leaving ten brave souls to defend the village as the nineteen groups spread out across the area to make it to each village as Lilac and Sora now had their new goal. Making sure their new home was safe.