My Demons - Chapter 44

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Suddenly, I was reminded of the science fiction (SF) novel ‘The Invisible Man’.

In the novel, the main character creates a drug that renders his body transparent, which is quite a challenging situation from what I recall.

His retina also becomes transparent, preventing him from seeing what’s in front of him. To achieve complete transparency, he has to remove all of his clothing…

On the other hand, the magical potion I got from Tobald was far more forgiving. There was no requirement to undress, and my vision remained unaffected.

Being unable to see my own body was unsettling, but I was mentally prepared, so it wasn’t enough to throw me into a panic.

I took slow and cautious steps, being careful not to make any noise with my armor.

As I calculated the remaining time of the spell and was about to leave, one of the sentinels quickly turned his head towards me.

“Huh?”

“What’s going on?”

“It looked like the ground over there just sank a bit.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

Even though I was an invisible man, I couldn’t help but leave footprints in the dirt.

I held my breath like a stone statue, and the sentinel who was sitting on a round stone looked at my foot for a moment.

Ugh, time is running short.

Growing impatient, the sentry soon yawned and looked away. I suppressed a sigh of relief and carefully resumed moving.

Each time the thick soles of my boots hit the ground, there was a faint sound, but luckily, the May night wasn’t very quiet.

In the distance, the sound of waves crashing could be heard, and nearby, a stream rushing towards the sea flowed noisily.

Intermittent bird chirps and rustling of animals joined in, blending my footsteps into this array of noise.

My stealth was far from perfect, but the relaxed sentries didn’t seem to notice, allowing me to safely enter the camp.

The exit of the secret passage was drilled under a small hill rising from the riverbank.

The river flowing there must be the ‘Salt River’, right? After passing a small forest on the opposite side of the river, the plains where the reinforcements had lit a beacon would stretch out.

Okay, it looks like I’ve successfully escaped the encirclement as planned… There are more bandits than I anticipated.

From the guards seated around the central bonfire, to the sentries watching the secret passage, to the ones sleeping nearby, the total count of bandits seemed to exceed thirty.

About ten horses were tethered to a nearby alder tree, half of them appearing to belong to Tobald’s group.

The other half seemed to be owned by the seven members settled near the bonfire; I assumed this due to their decent armor.

In the Middle World, horses were quite valuable livestock.

There were warhorses treated as strategic assets, some worth hundreds of gold coins, and even an older horse required a few gold coins to buy.

Considering this, a mounted thief was a relatively rare sight. Among the bandit group that surrounded South Harbor, less than half could be considered true bandits.

In other words, about half of the bandit group were actually on foot, despite their name.

Recalling the captain of the guard’s explanation, I cautiously approached the bonfire.

Slipping between the sleeping thieves was an incredibly tense endeavor.

I despise this kind of thing. Games like tag or hide and seek aren’t my preference.

Just as I grumbled to myself, a sudden night breeze swept across the riverbank.

The bonfire flickered, and the bushes rustled. However, without second thoughts, I continued moving as the horses lying down began to lift their heads one by one, neighing loudly.

“Damn, what’s happening all of a sudden?”

“Why are they making such a fuss?”

Damn, that’s what I want to know.

It seemed the horses had sensed my presence. Perhaps they caught my scent carried by the wind.

One of the thieves guarding the bonfire scanned around with a worried expression.

“They wouldn’t act like this for no reason. Something’s up.”

“Something’s up? No way.”

The other thief responded that way but still got up, shaking himself awake. He looked around for a moment and then muttered quietly.

“Must’ve been bitten by a bug. Damn horses…”

“Where ya headin’?”

“Gotta calm those horses down. If the riders wake up, we’ll catch a beating for no reason. C’mon with me.”

“Ugh, really?”

Oh, is this the opportunity?

The two thieves griped and moved towards the horses, leaving the bonfire unattended.

Is this a stroke of luck?

Appreciative of the unexpected break, I retrieved the cloth-wrapped chunk of poison from my pouch.

Swiftly, I tossed the bundle into the bonfire and climbed up a nearby hill.

The sound of the fire crackling was heard a few times, yet oddly enough, there was no one around this spot.

Lying amidst the bushes on the hill, I held my breath and groped for a potion.

Shring.

The blade’s sharp edge emitted a faint noise, but the camp remained deeply asleep.

Shortly after, a thin stream of smoke began to rise from the bonfire, gradually blanketing the ground. It was poison A, slowly burning in the fire, releasing a mild poisonous gas.

According to Ellen, inhaling it won’t kill you, but it’ll temporarily paralyze your limbs.

Quietly surveying the camp, I swallowed the pill in my hand.

Ugh, so dry. Due to the tension, my mouth felt parched and it was tough to swallow the medicine.

I’ve positioned myself on the plateau, so I should be able to avoid the toxic smoke that’s settling lower… But you can never be too sure.

Taking the antidote beforehand would counteract the poison even if I accidentally breathed in the smoke.

As the thin plume of smoke gradually shrouded the camp, the sentries guarding the secret passage started coughing violently.

“Huh? Cough. What’s this? Did some dumbass toss wet wood into the bonfire?”

“Exactly. What in the world is this foul smell?”

The poisonous smoke from the bonfire hung low to the ground, causing the sentries to only catch the odd scent without directly inhaling it.

Good. Once the sleeping ones are adequately poisoned, signal…

Ugh.

Amidst that thought, a peculiar sensation seemed to wash over my body.

Instinctively glancing at my hand, my heavy leather armor was glowing with an eerie dark light under the moonlight…

…Hold on a second. A dark light?

“What… what’s that?”

“It’s a monster!”

With the sudden outcry, the nocturnal camp began to stir. The sentries, who had been kicking at the ground-covered toxic smoke, pointed towards me.

My invisibility might have waned, but the reason I was instantly spotted while hiding in the bush on the hill is…

It’s because I was emitting a neon green fluorescent light from my body!

“What in the world!”

They did mention the magic potion was crude and might have side effects, but was the short duration not the only problem? What if it turns me into a firefly!

“Get up, you idiots!”

“It’s an attack!”

True to their adept rogue nature, the men who had been snoring were instantly awake and battle-ready.

One guy shook his head vigorously, attempting to shake off sleep.

Another fellow, in his haste to get up, accidentally hurt his rear.

A third picked up a gudgeon (a club with a spear attached) and pricked his palm, causing it to bleed.

It was absolute chaos, but unfortunately, they didn’t appear to be paralyzed by the poison.

Either the poison needed more time to take effect or the potency of the smoke itself was lacking.

“Dammit.”

Given the circumstances, I had to sprint like crazy and draw their attention.

If even one of them managed to escape, countless bandits lurking in the Galda field would pursue me.

I swiftly rose, running a potion across the palm of my hand.

As soon as the blade was coated with blood, I triggered the ‘bloodlust’ skill, and my vision turned red.

Zieaak!

A shattering sound that instinctively made me clench my teeth.

Quickly raising my shield to protect my upper body, an arrow tore through the darkness and lodged into the shield with a heavy thunk.

“What’s that? Is that a human?”

“Just keep shootin’, you moron!”

Hitting a target with an arrow in the nighttime is incredibly challenging.

Archery is a formidable martial art to start with, and the darkness of the night restricts one’s field of view even more.

However, the current scenario was a bit distinct. My body was gleaming as if illuminated by a spotlight, piercing through the shroud of darkness.

Zieaak, Thunk!

Darn it, the arrows just keep coming! How many archers are out there?

Due to the limited view provided by my helmet, the constant barrage of arrows, and the unfair veil of darkness, it was difficult to get a clear visual on them.

The only recourse was to persistently push forward.

Most of the arrows either superficially lodged into the shield or weakly rebounded off it, but occasionally some struck the helmet or shin guards.

With each solid thud, a shockwave radiated from the point of impact, delivering a profound sense of relief and the spine-tingling thrill of survival.

“Ah, armor truly is a lifesaver. If I make it out of this, I’ll spend all my money on getting a better suit.”

I slightly leaned forward, aiming to provide more secure coverage from my eyes down to just above my knees with the shield.

My ensuing steps were cautious but not hesitant.

“Take him down!”

Did a few arrows hit my legs?

Just as I descended into a hollow, a thug lunged at me, wielding a long-handled axe typically used for logging. It appeared his aim was to split my shield like firewood.

“Huup.”

I held my breath, tracking the axe’s trajectory with my eyes. Right before it struck the shield, I deflected it with the protrusion from the center of the shield.

Clang!

Feeling the faint vibration transferred to my left hand, I immediately counterattacked with my weapon.

“Ugh, damn it.”

The rogue, whose throat I pierced, became a human shield against the archers’ arrows.

Caught off guard by my unrelenting assault, the rogues futilely swung their weapons. Unable to breach my round shield and the makeshift shield of the human shield.

“Ah, ahh…”

Phoenix stood just shy of 190cm in height.

A behemoth warrior like him, relentlessly thrusting with the power that surpassed the weight of two men and a beast, was an exceptionally effective tactic.

The rogues were mere ordinary humans, defenseless against my bulldozer-like charge.

“Insane! Hold your ground, don’t back down!”

“Find an opening to strike!”

Despite their commanding shouts, none could effectively hold their ground.

The rogues who were retreating stumbled over their companions at the rear and fell.

I swiftly wielded my weapon, severing the necks of the human shields, and began to mercilessly dispatch the fallen rogues.

With my adept knife skills, I swiftly eliminated around a dozen men, finally prompting the ‘true bandits’ to step forward.

“These damn idiots, move aside!”

“Don’t get in the way, get lost!”

The ones who advanced, bellowing in anger, were all heavily equipped.

They sported chainmail or armor crafted from tree or bone fragments, donned iron helmets with nose guards, or were draped in chain hoods.

Four out of the seven wielded large shields and curved blades, iron clubs, while the remaining three were armed with large iron maces or war axes.

Wait, isn’t it common for bandits to use curved blades or spears? Why opt for such rudimentary weapons?

“Hoo, hoo-“

Regardless of such thoughts, due to the effect of the ‘Thirst’ skill, an intense surge of heat ignited in my chest.

It might have been a mindless anger towards the foe, a warrior’s spirit confronting a daunting battle, or a dark craving for bloodshed.

Whatever it was, I let out a mighty roar at the bandits who were silently closing in around me.

“Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrhggggghh!”

Two of the bandits, startled by the primal howl, halted in their tracks, and I lunged forward.

Slashing wide across the leg that was exposed beneath the shield, blood sprayed accompanied by the ring of metal. Before finishing off that man, I swung my shield sideways to deflect the incoming iron club.

Thunk.

“Kueuk.”

“Charge!”

The melee raged on.

Taking their lives in a single strike wasn’t a simple task due to their well-fitted armor.

When I deflected the shields that guarded their vulnerable areas, a hefty axe blade came in from the side. When I evaded an ambush and executed a swing, the inadequate force resulted in mere surface wounds.

“Injured ones, fall back!”

“Behind! Aim for his back, you idiots!”

Despite bearing various injuries, the seven bandits charged ferociously, shouting gruffly. They seemed to believe that landing one successful blow could lead to my capture.

However, their ferocious advance soon crumbled.

This was due to the arrows and spells that flew in from the rear.

Whoosh, thunk!

Abruptly, an arrow struck the shoulder of a bandit brandishing a shield and iron mace.

Glancing toward the arrow’s origin, I saw the rest of the group, led by Grania, emerging from the exit and engaging the thieves.

Great, the ambush wasn’t a failure after all.

“Damn it.”

Meanwhile, the guy who had been hit by the arrow was stumbling backward, the arrow still embedded in his shoulder. I didn’t let this opportunity pass.

“Urgh!”

I delivered a lightning-fast, powerful kick that struck his shield forcefully, sending the backpedaling bandit sprawling.

The number of adversaries encircling me rapidly dropped to six, with half of them seeking cover due to the barrage of arrows.

That marked the turning point.

The bandit wielding the iron mace had his skull crushed by a weapon that impaled through his eye socket. The next one had his knee shattered by my shield, followed by his throat being slashed.

One was impaled by a fireball that soared through the darkness, engulfing his entire body in flames, while another fell with an arrow lodged in his throat as he yelled.

The one swinging a double-edged axe gushed blood like a fountain as his groin was split by a weapon that shattered his pelvic bone, and the last collapsed with a fractured forehead after being struck by the weapon’s hilt.

“Fuuu, damn it…”

The bandit who had been struck by an arrow and fallen was promptly abandoned by his comrade, fleeing for his life.

But he didn’t get far before tripping over his own feet and crashing down heavily.

“Why, why is this…”

It wasn’t only that specific bandit; other thieves who were writhing on the ground, unable to escape, were experiencing the paralysis induced by the poison they had ingested moments before.

The bandit, his limbs immobilized, crawled on the ground. His gaze fell upon a peculiar radiance approaching from behind him.

The ashen glow emanating from my soaked body was mingled with a reddish hue, emitting an eerie yellow light.

Terrified by the dreadfully luminous glow, the bandit began to mumble something.

“O light that reveals the truth, save me.”

Hardly the words fitting for a thief engaged in villainous acts.

“Illuminate this valley steeped in death, uh!”

The clumsy plea was cut short by my blood-soaked combat boots.

“Ughhh…”

I stretched and let out a soft groan.

An unfamiliar sense of contentment throbbed in my core.

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