Under the Cover of Darkness

Chapter 16 - New Recruit

When Bryce awoke, he found himself lying in a pile of dead leaves in the midst of the Silver Forest. The darkness of night covered the atmosphere around him with an ominous silence. The demon felt a lightheartedness throughout his body, so he jumped to his feet with a renewed sense of energy. His body had morphed back into its normal demonic form that looked like a mixture of multiple ferocious beasts during his slumber. The wound that once resided on his head had disappeared completely. No sign of injury was visible.

As he scanned the night sky for a purpose to move, the image of Kirby disappearing shot through his mind.

"You must protect Fitch at all costs. Don't leave his side!"

Bryce looked at his hands and examined his demon form with a worried face. His eyes began to quiver in fear, and he muttered, "Oh no. Not now. It can't be happening now. No, I have a mission here. I will not let him down. Fitch, I'm coming for you."

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Kristie sat on her legs with an unconscious Huey draped over her lap. She desperately attempted to pacify the gushing wound that unrelentingly bled onto the rough path's terrain. Her face had a mortified look as tears began to flow escape her eye sockets. Fear was in the air, and it had infected the hearts of all those with hope.

Meanwhile, on opposite sides of each other, Alric and Fitch fended off the onslaught of circumventing wolves. With each lunging wolf, Fitch's energy would drain to a more strenuous and urgent point. By no means was his frail and lengthy body going to be able to fight off a pack of tens of wolves. He was much more of a duelist unlike Thomas Grizzly, so this challenge had become almost insurmountable.

On the other half of the battlefield was the calm and collected Alric. His powerful, yet fluid, fighting style was quick enough to keep up with the feral beasts. Stamina built like a bull did wonders as his attacks refused to slow down. Each swing was as powerful as the last as the blood-seeking claymore lay waist to its victims albeit being mere animals. The elegant posture he maintained throughout was more than textbook. The swings and strikes had more than strength and power behind it but a wise user that utilized each attack perfectly in order to get the most efficient results.

"Alric... I don't know... much longer I can hold this... up," Fitch called between gasps for air. The beasts were too unwieldily to hold back on as enormous wolves weren't afraid of dying like a normal person would be, so with each wolf he had to take down, Fitch had to put in all his energy to equalize. He couldn't conserve energy like he could expertly monitor during a duel.

"You've got to push through," Alric said in reply. "There aren't many left. Don't do it for yourself, do it for Huey and Thomas." Fitch hadn't noticed, but the wolves were numbering around two dozen at that point. They had become scattered and most were scathed by the flurry of strikes the two swordsman had launched.

Suddenly, all of the wolves backed off of their attacks and began to march in a circle clockwise around their prey. They were attempting to regroup and find the best chance to strike. There growls lowered, but their penetrating glares refused to weaken. Their glowing eyes had a fierce resentment behind them. It struck anxiety into their enemies mind as they tried to stare back with an equivalent ferocity.

Seeing it as a chance to rest, Alric and Fitch stood back to back over Kristie who had tore Huey's shirt off and used it as a bandage to help prevent blood flow. Both of the swordsman were panting heavily, and Fitch was covered in multiple bleeding scraps that had snuck inside his weakened defenses.