Chapter 70

The creatures' attack on Peridot Village has come to an end.

"Are there some of you who got hurt?" Nash said after releasing the people inside the ground wall she built.

"We're fine, thank you," Grandma Mari said, she was one of those who treated Nash as if she were their own.

Nash sighed in relief, "Thank the highest..."

"We have to get to the capital," Yjhan remarked, pulling out the gem stone from his pocket.

"Can I not go with you?" Nash said, stern.

"And why?"

"As you know, there's no way village people can be safe. There's no bunkers in the village."

"She's right," Kane agreed, "Knights won't focus more on the villages and protect the townspeople more. The knights present in the villages might not be enough."

"Let's split up, Nash, me and Kane will check the nearby villages, the rest go to Serichia and check the villages, if you think they don't need help then go to the other villages," Yjhan said.

"What do we do after?" Idris asked,

"Go to Greytown,"

"How about the other towns?" Nash asked,

"I'm sure they already have many knights since they don't assign lots of knights to the villages," Yjhan speculated.

'Peridot village doesn't even have knights to protect the people.'

Yjhan entrusted the other gemstone to Aeries, "Be safe."

Aeries and the others left,

"We'll get going," Yjhan bid farewell and use the gemstone to be transported to Beryl Village, the smallest village in the kingdom of Elisora,

"The others will get to town soon, the villages there are small as well as the number of population," Kane said.

"Next to this village is Hessonite, the largest village in the whole empire," Yjhan said.

"Then we should've added another member?" Nash said.

"They'll be arriving soon at the capital, where there are more dangerous monsters," Yjhan explained.

"Ahh. By the way, why can't I see people in this village?"

They kept on walking, but they didn't spot a single creature or villager.

Nash suddenly turned to look at a house after seeing the curtain moved inside the house, "They're inside. I'll try to knock."

Nash went to one house and knocked loud, "Excuse me! We're not bad guys! We are knights from the capital!"

The door opened slightly, showing a man in his 30s, "Are you really a knight from the capital?"

"Yes," Nash replied, pulling out a badge bearing the Imperial emblem. "I'm simply wondering whether there are any creatures prowling around here?"

"There is none, after we heard that the war started, we never once came out of our house," the man said.

"I see, thank you" The door was closed and Nash came back to her squad mates, "The man said that the moment they heard the war started, they never once went out of their home."

"That means, they didn't trigger something or someone must've thought there's no one here," Kane said, looking at the ground. "There are no traces of creatures."

"Then what triggered the portal earlier?" Nash whispered, enough for the other two to hear.

Silence surrounds them and as soon as an idea strikes them, they all look at each other, "the sugar cane!"

Nash kicked the ground, "I should've known. It was suspicious enough that it was just one branch and different from other plants surrounding it..."

"Should we go to the other village?" Kane asked.

"No, let's find the stone." They spent about an hour looking at the stone that opens a portal, but they couldn't figure out where it was because there were no leads, unlike earlier when they followed the creatures and discovered the portal.

"It might seem like a rock, so you might mistake it for one," Nash explained as she rummaged through the plants and rocks.

"I think it's this," Kane raised a stone with an aura-like property that distinguishes it from the other stones. He didn't think twice about crushing it into ashes, causing it to release a smoke.

"How about the villagers?" Nash asked, they were already planning on leaving the village.

"I think they're good, they're already inside their house since the start of war," Yjhan said, "Let's go, we've wasted enough time."

"How come this village heard about the war, but not Peridot?" Nash asked.

"It's quite far from each other, and maybe they were afraid of encountering one creature." Yjhan replied.

They head to Hessonite Village where they see villagers raising their farming weapons, helping each other.

The Hessonite Villagers are too populated which causes them to work on with the creatures.

Fortunately, the creatures present are only minions that are easy to deal with.

"Let's go find the portal," Yjhan said,

Nash floats both of them together with her and following the creatures, they see the portal near the abandoned village where no individual was found.

They hurriedly crushed the stone and defeated the nearby creatures. When the beasts have been cleared out, they eventually make their way to Greytown, where they discover the town in a state of chaos.

...

"We should find the stones first," Aeries ordered,

They went to Topaz but the situation was not the same as the others, the creatures attacking are only small human sized ones that look like they are only there to scare the villagers.

Topaz is a little village, so the population is small as well. Fortunately, there were powerful warriors residing there who assisted in defeating the creatures.

"Here it is!" Aeries raised the stone and crushed it into ashes.

They assist the villagers in their fight until there are no more creatures left and then proceed to the next village, Agate Village.

They worked faster than the group of Yjhan as they went to different sides to check on the stone and immediately help defeat the creatures, especially since Jaxael used some of his shadow abilities.

"Let's not waste time and go to the next village," Aeries ordered and teleported to Amethyst.

The creatures have already swarmed the village, they saw Gaton, the villager head and helped him, "It's you, kids!"

"I thought you had a magic barrier?"

"That's what we know, but after the creatures have attacked, the barrier is gone suddenly."

Aeries thought to himself, 'Barrier isn't supposed to disappear like that...'

"The creatures never ends/"

"Where's Teves?" Aidan asked,

"He must be in the middle of the village,"

"Aidan and Idris, stay here. Jaxael, come with me," Aeries said, and ran to the middle of the village.

Teves saw them already because of his enhanced eyesight, but didn't bother to turn.

"Teves! Have you seen a portal near here?"

"Yes! I've already asked the other guards, but they've all died,"

"Where is it?"

"Remember the big tree where you met me? It was near there!"

"Thank you, please wait for us!"

Jaxael left a few shadow animals that could help Teves and the others, and follow Aeries to the portal.

Battles between creatures are unavoidable as they approach the portal.

"Aeries, go, I'll stay here," To keep the creatures from attacking Aeries, Jaxael created a shadow barrier.

Aeries on the other hand ran behind the portal and stomped on the portal stone the moment his eyes connected into it.

The portal has stopped and Aeries went back on defeating the remaining creatures near the portal.

After defeating the creatures for almost an hour, they met the other two at the entrance.

"Thank you for helping us," Gaton bowed to give thanks.

"It's what we should do, then, we will get going."

"Be safe."

Aeries and the other three return to Greytown, where the town appears to be dead and the sky screams blood.

"This is far worse than I expected..." Idris whispered.