The Silent Heir

Chapter 14

"Please be safe." Rose silently prayed as she led a platoon of guards. 50 men strong raced after her with utmost haste. Most of them had abandoned most of their heavy equipment and carried only with their chain mail and spear.

Some were even wearing leather as they did not have the time nor the concern to do so as they ran; every second wasted is precious. Others did not even have the time to grab their spear as they carried only their sword into battle.

Thankfully, however, there were at least two knights within their ranks who donned their full armor. Painted in a sapphire hue, the knights of the Larum Dukedom lead the men despite wearing full-plated cobalt armor, an alloy two times stronger than pure steel.

And an archer who offers his aid. It was strange how easily he offered himself for free without asking for anything, but Rose would take whatever she could get in this dire time. Hair blazing in crimson, bow strung around his back.

"How could this happen?" One of the men mumbled in regret as they continued to scale towards the orphanage.

"How could I have missed it..." The young man whispered in distraught, regret seeping through his soul. "I should have checked one more time. This wouldn't have happened if I've swept the forest right. I-"

"Quite son." The young man blinked as an older man suddenly cuts him off.

"But captain it was-"

"There is nothing we could do about it now. The only thing we could hope to do is to reach them in time. Save your breath. We will need it later. For now, focus and run." The captain said as the young man bit his tongue hard.

"...Yes sir." Determined and desperate, the young man pushed every fiber of his muscle as his heart pounded. The same could be said for everyone. Tired as they may be, not one soul dares complain, even if their lungs were starting to burn.

"Please don't be too late... please..." The young man prayed as Rose led the platoon to the hills. As they neared, a terrible scream rippled across the sky. The men paled in dismay as the blood-curdling scream answered what they dreaded to hear the most.

"Lucy..." Rose mumbled as she was the one who was hit the hardest. She could not have mistaken it even if she wanted to. Too many nightmares of hers had made sure of that. "Come on! We have to hurry!" Rose urges the men to follow as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Please be safe... please..." Rose whimpered as her vision slowly blurred. Her heart raced painfully inside her chest as terrible imaginations assaulted her mind. Rose did not want to entertain it, she hoped she could not as she finally reached the top.

"..." As Rose reached the top, she suddenly stopped.

"? Sister Rose is there something..." The captain could not finish his words then when he saw it. Before them was the horde of green monsters running out of the building.

"...Kalva be damn." The captain muttered in anger as he watched them exit the building. Rose lost all the strength in her legs as she watched them flee the ruined orphanage.

No way... Rose thought in disbelief as the others reached the top.

The men had mixed emotions when they saw the orphanage. Some were driven in regret and remorse like the young man as tears watered his eyes, others were silent like the archer and the knights as they observed the situation with a clear mind.

But there was one feeling that they all shared with, and it was fury. The men gripped the shaft of their weapons tightly as they glared at the fleeing goblins. Some trembled in anger so much that their glare might as well burn a hole through the goblins.