It had been a single night since the battle of Westshield. A single night since that terrible battle. It was still fresh in Alix’s mind. The flames. The screaming. All the death and destruction. It had been seared into her memories, promising never to leave.
She shuddered at the thought of being responsible for killing all the innocent lives in the city. It wasn’t even something she’d done personally. Belzu had sent her alongside his army. She’d hesitated even when faced with the city’s guards, let alone their populace. And it wouldn’t have made much of a difference if she’d been present or not.
Yet, she blamed herself for what happened. The only solace she found was the fact that Belzu had been defeated there. His army of monsters was a fraction of what they’d been before Westshield. They battled against a coalition of adventurers, led by the Remembered Order Company. The Champion of the Human Lands, Mori Gladius, had been there.
Alix watched the fighting. She saw how Mori had nearly defeated the Primeval Demon. He would’ve killed Belzu. If not for the third party’s appearance. The interloper. Another Primeval Demon. It had dwarfed Belzu in size, making him look like a mere insect in comparison. This Primeval Demon, Levithus, impaled both Mori Gladius and Belzu.
It killed Mori Gladius in that single blow.
undefinedThe Champion of the Human Lands, the leader of the Remembered Order Company, and one of the highest-leveled [Warriors] in the world was slayed there and then.
Levithus proceeded to decimate Belzu’s army, laughing maniacally as he culled the Mindreapers and the undead. Belzu could only flee and accept his defeat.
He’d retreated away from Shedos. He’d pulled back with whatever forces he had to the Motharis Mountain Range. And Alix was forced to follow. She was, after all, still his captive. Along with the other gladiators and slaves he’d gathered in the Inoria Empire.
They didn’t question Belzu. They just obeyed him. Even though there were thousands of them, they were afraid of the Primeval Demon. But they… hoped that he’d treat them better than their former ‘masters’.
And when they arrived at the Motharis Mountain Range, Belzu… proved them wrong.
“Do not stop.”
His words echoed for all to hear. Alix blinked as she leaned against a rock. Quinn, one of her cell neighbors, was bandaging up an injury he’d sustained to the leg. They thought they were going to make camp and rest, but Belzu commanded them forward.
“The Humans will find us if we stop here. Levithus is surely following our trail. Continue. March on. We will not fall here.”
Quinn gaped.
“Is it being serious?”
“I… think so.”
Alix watched as Belzu flew ahead of them. The undead and monsters dragged themselves forward while the Humans just waited stupidly. Shaking her head, Alix ushered Quinn up to his feet.
“Come on. We’ve got to keep going.”
“That’s fucking stupid. We’ve just escaped a huge battle, and we’re supposed to keep on marching because that thing is paranoid?”
Quinn groaned, and Alix nodded apprehensively.
“But Lord Belzu will kill us all if we don’t listen. We don’t have much of a choice.”
“I know, I know. Can’t a man just complain a bit? I mean, it’s not like we’re allowed to do anything else…”
Alix paused. She looked at Quinn as he walked past her. She shifted uncomfortably for a moment before following.
It’s fine, she told herself. The Primeval Demon can’t force us to march forever.
—--
Alix came to a halt as a figure dropped just behind her. She turned around, looking at a woman as she collapsed to the dirt ground. The woman was older than Alix with brown hair fading to a gray-white. Her name was Winsley, and she wasn’t a slave of Roguehollow. She’d been picked up by Belzu along with hundreds of other slaves in Aysgarth.
And while Alix hardly knew her, she knew that Winsley hadn’t been a gladiator. Winsley had been a slave working the fields. Originally of the Elutra Kingdom, before the country had been conquered by Inoria. So it only made sense that after three days, fatigue would catch up with the older woman.
“Someone get her a healing potion!”
Alix rushed to Winsley’s side. A man produced a vial of yellow liquid, but the former gladiator dismissed it quickly.
“Not a stamina potion. She’s had too much of those. They’ll only poison her and kill her from the inside. We need to treat her injuries and her injuries alone.”
Winsley groaned, lying there as Alix was quick to replace the older woman’s bandaged feet. The same man from before returned with a red vial this time, speaking dourly.
“We don’t have much left. Our stocks of potions are running low.”
“Then we’ll just have to conserve it.”
Alix drenched a cloth with water before dabbing it with the healing potion. The cloth was dyed a light red, and she applied it on the older woman’s wounds.
“Here. You’ll be fine. Just relax.”
The pain on Winsley’s face eased, and Alix helped her up by the shoulder.
“Do you think you can walk?”
“M-maybe…”
Winsley whispered. Alix’s eyes darted to Belzu who was still moving, even as his continent of former Human slaves slowed. Perhaps they could just come to a halt completely, and the Primeval Demon wouldn’t notice. But, deep down, Alix knew that he would just slaughter them if they didn’t follow him.
“Just take it easy. I’ll help you.”
Alix grunted as she aided Winsley, supporting the older woman as they marched on.
“I’m sure we’ll be getting some rest soon.”
The former gladiator lied to herself, and the third day came to a close.
—--
“We’re out of potions…”
Alix cursed as the news reached her. A susurration ran through slaves. They were in a colder part of the Motharis Mountain Range now. At a higher altitude. It only heightened their sense of encroaching dread and fear. Panic that they might not make it. It had been six days of marching, now. And it didn’t look like they were going to stop any time soon.
The most exhausted and injured of them were being carried by the higher-leveled ones via makeshift wagons or magic as they simply followed this long march.
“It’s almost been a week.”
Alix whispered. Quinn sighed as he overheard her words. He gestured at the mountainous terrain around them, no end of the undulating shapes in sight.
“And we’re not going to be stopping anytime soon. We’re fucked, Alix. We’re all going to die.”
“That’s…”
Not going to happen, right? Alix hoped, but Belzu continued his march.
—--
It was now the tenth day. A week had gone by, and they didn’t rest. Not for more than mere minutes. Now, they ran into a different problem. As they exited the colder parts of Motharis back to warmer land, they were faced with… monsters.
“We’re under attack!.”
“[Vurats]! Keep them back!”
Alix shouted as the flock of small winged creatures rained down from the sky. They didn’t target the large monsters, staying far away from the few [Gatho Mammoths] that remained. Instead, they targeted the undead or the wounded. Those who lay, carried by others and unable to move.
The [Vurats] would’ve been easy enough to deal with if they’d been at full energy. But they were weak and tired. One caught Quinn off guard, striking him from behind and sinking its teeth into his neck.
“Quinn!”
Alix ran hurriedly to his side, slicing the [Vurat] in half. Around her, she watched as the [Vurats] were driven off. The undead and the monsters actually working with them to fend off those incessant pests.
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