Devastation In The Crude Lands

The number of demons in the area had probably exceeded a thousand by the time Asher had reached the three quarters of the way to the camp.

A majority of the demons were the smaller winged demons in the sky, with the minority being the horned four legged demons. Asher didn't know how many more would come, but knew the more there were, the lower his chance of surviving.

'Will the guards even be enough to handle them?' Asher couldn't help but wonder.

Most of the guards in the Crude Lands were one star warriors and should have no issues going up against demons. But that was only up to a certain limit. Asher didn't need to know their exact numbers to know that the demons had already outnumbered the guards by at least twice.

And even then, there seemed to be no signs of them stopping.

"Haah… Haah…" Asher was almost out of breath when he was finally at the outer edge of the camp. 

Hundreds of collapsed tents and huts could be seen spread around in the area. The tents were made from old canvas and some tarp while the huts were made from mud and stones as such they weren't exactly durable. Asher and Tess too lived in one such hut and it was located in the middle of the camp. 

Asher continued onwards but only saw a scene of slaughter. Dead bodies were lying everywhere, with some having been eaten partially while most being dismembered in some way. Asher gulped and steeled his mind, hoping to not find a familiar face among the corpse. 

He tried to see if there were any survivors but the swarm of demons had only left destruction in their wake. Strangely enough though, Asher didn't see any guards there. Whether they be dead or alive.

"They've razed this place and moved ahead…." Asher muttered to himself and proceeded while trying to hide as best as possible.

He took shelter under the collapsed huts or covered himself with the tarps from the tents to prevent the flying demons from spotting him.

They might have missed or ignored him earlier, but that was only because the temptation of an entire human settlement was far greater.

It was the same as getting to shoot fish in a barrel rather than hunting for one in a lake.

~SCREAM~

"NO!!!"

"RUN! THE DEMONS ARE HERE!" 

"Stand your ground! Kill them!"

A few minutes later Asher had reached the middle area of the camp and could hear the shouts of the people present there as they fought against the demons that had chosen to attack. 

"They are directly going for the humans," Asher gritted his teeth seeing the slaughter.

The smaller winged demons drove down from the sky and ripped into the people present there. The residents tried to run but there was no way they could match the flying speed of the demons. Some tried to fight back, but weren't successful.

The winged demons were small, but they were equipped with sharp claws and fangs.

"Kiiiiiiek!" One of the winged demons cried and slashed at a man that was trying to swing a club at it.

~CRACK~

The club was broken apart by the demon's claws and they dug into the flesh of the man.

~splat~

The man's scream was stuck in his throat, while it was ripped apart. Blood splattered all around it and the demon laughed in glee seeing it. The monster licked the blood on its face with great joy, finding it to be delicious. 

"Kikikikiki~" The winged demon laughed as it tried to look for the next prey. 

~gasp~

Asher saw the demon trying to turn around and slipped behind a half-collapsed tent. He looked around for anything he could use as a weapon, but only saw a rock on the ground.

'This'll have to do.' Asher mustered his courage and picked up the rock. 

While he would much rather avoid the conflict, he would not hesitate to retaliate if the winged demon came after him.

"Kieeeeeek!" but just as Asher was about to peek out, he heard the loud cry of the demon.

"AH!" Asher was startled by the demon who had just ambushed him and stumbled back.

He didn't realize, but the scent of his blood had already alerted the demon long ago. It was merely enjoying its hunt and as such hadn't gone after him right away. The winged demon considered Asher no threat, but merely its next course waiting to be consumed.

~SLASH~

But before the Demon could dig its claws into Asher's flesh, a blade streaked through the air.

~THUD~

The demon's head flew off, while its blood sprayed onto Asher's face and body. His eyes were frozen open as he witnessed the scene.

"ASHER!" A calloused hand shook the boy, awakening him from his stupor.

"B-Berk!" Asher recognized the man who had just saved him. 

"What are you doing here!? You were supposed to go to the Mine!" Berk questioned, his voice a bit hoarse.

"I couldn't go. Before they released me the tunnel started to collapse." Asher answered while trembling. "And by the time I managed to run out of the tunnel, the demons were already everywhere. They're pouring out of all the mines… there's no place to go." He revealed.

"Dammit!" Berk cursed. "It's worse than I thought." He frowned.

"G-Grandmother! Where's she!?" Asher asked the thing that had been on his mind this entire time.

"She's fine." Berk answered much to Asher's relief. "A few survivors along with her are hiding in the ration cellar. I've gotten them to lock the door and hide it." He stated.

"Tidemother bless us!" Asher exclaimed, his wish having come true. 

"Come, we can't stay here." Berk said, looking around for any other demons. "Take this, use it when needed." He handed Asher a knife.

"Mmmhmm," Asher took the knife, holding it firmly in his hand.

With Berk having confirmed the safety of his grandmother, Asher felt his mind clear up. He didn't feel as anxious as before and could think calmly.