Clang!
Amour grabbed his two-handed axe and blocked Hallwell's strike. When the two blades touched, sparks flew everywhere.
"Argh!" Hallwell felt his bones rattling. It felt like he was trying to slash through a mountain.
"Please, brother, stop!" Kornwell stood up to his feet, but Xerxus appeared next to him, pushing him down from his shoulder.
The trio waiting at the entrance released their arrows.
Swoosh!
The arrows swooshed across the air and went over Hallwell and Amour. They started descending and flew straight to Arthur!
Swing!
Arthur pulled out his flaming sword from the inventory and slashed horizontally across the air. The blade cut through the arrows, and the flames burned them to ash.
"W-What is that?" The pointy-eared woman asked with a trembling tone, "F-Flaming sword?"
The two young men gulped and hesitantly grabbed another arrow.
"Sigh…" Xerxus loosened his right fist and moved across the cave before anyone even had time to blink. He appeared behind the three apprentices and smashed the base of his palm at their napes.
The three apprentices fell limply on the ground, unconscious.
"No!" Hallwell screamed as he saw them falling down slowly to the ground. He felt immense regret and thought that he should have come alone.
Amour increased the grip, and his muscles suddenly enlargened. Then, he pushed the axe slightly forward, but that alone was a strong enough attack to knock Hallwell off his feet.
"Ahhhh!" Hallwell flew across the air and crashed to the rocky ground on his back. Then, he gritted his teeth and tried to stand up.
However, Xerxus's foot descended from above him and landed right on his chest, forcing him back down.
"No…" He looked at his crying brother, who was held down by the average-looking man.
"No, brother!" Kornwell's tears were a mix of snot and mucus.
"Calm down." Arthur said and slowly walked towards Hallwell, kneeling before him, "Your name."
"E-Eh?" Hallwell looked at the handsome man with a defeated expression. He was already resigned to his fate, with countless regrets riddling his mind. He thought about his mother, who might lose both sons today.
"Name," Arthur repeated.
"H-Hallwell…"
''Well then, Hallwell.'' Arthur patted his shoulder and looked straight in the eye, "Take us to your village, and you, your brother, will survive."
"Eh?" Hallwell looked at him shockingly and at his brother. There was a mix of emotions.
First, his loyalty to his village had never wavered before. But then, he remembered Blair and thought about why was he so loyal? They weren't ready to protect them when they needed help.
Why should he protect them?
"A-Alright…" Hallwell nodded slowly, tears brimming in his eyes, "I-I will take you there."
"B-Brother!" Kornwell screamed in shock. He never expected his brother to betray the village!
"Good." Arthur smiled and glanced at Isaac, who casually leaned against the wall, 'He knew this would happen… how?'
Xerxus removed his feet from Hallwell's chest and picked up the three unconscious youths. He then carried them on his shoulders and walked out of the cave.
"Well then, let's go." Arthur grabbed Hallwell's hand and pulled him up.
Isaac looked at Kornwell, motioning for him to stand up.
"Ugh…" Kornwell held his painful chest while standing up with the help of the wall. Then, he staggered towards Hallwell and hugged him.
"You fool…" Hallwell bit his lips while releasing his tears.
"Sorry…" Kornwell wiped his tear-stained face and asked, "W-Why did you betray the village?"
"J-Just trust me…" Hallwell said and separated from the hug. Then, he took several breaths before leaving the cave. He began showing the way to the village.
Kalzer, Amour, and Isaac walked behind Kornwell and left the cave. Then, they followed Xerxus, who didn't seem even slightly exhausted even though he carried three adolescent-sized people.
Then, a few hours later, they saw the wooden gates of the village.
The walls were a mix of wood and granite rock. They were ten meters in height with wooden spikes on top. There was even a foothold if there was an attack; the archers could go there to give support with their deadly arrows.
Ring, ring, ring!
The bells reverberated across the village, immediately sending a wave of panic through the village.
Smash!
"What is it now?!" Blair smashed his door open and saw everyone running out of their buildings, going straight towards the gates.
"Tsk." He took his armor from the hanger and put it clumsily on. His sheathes hang from the sides of his waists, and the daggers slipped into them. Then, he pulled up his mask, covering half of his face.
He left his house and ran towards the gates. While doing so, he noticed the leader of Sword and Shield appearing while fully clothed in their armor.
The leader of Sword was a person called Branton. He had long legs and a long scar that went over his face. With his lanky build, he didn't look that impressive.
The leader of Shield was a beautiful woman with pale blue skin and cold eyes. As the light shone upon her, it looked like she was the reincarnation of the Warrior Goddess.
Her name is Alessia, the proud leader of the Shield.
They pushed past the crowd of soldiers and stopped outside the gates. Shortly later, Blair appeared next to them and coldly looked towards Hallwell who held his head low.
The villagers behind them murmured, wondering who they were. But they knew that Hallwell didn't take them here out of the goodness of his heart. They were certain that they threatened him!
As they saw three of their apprentices knocked out, a wave of anger started spreading across them. Then, a few sighed in relief after seeing Kornwell alive; along with them was his mother, who looked frightened after seeing both of his sons captured.
"Who are you, and what is your business with us?" Branton asked with a cold tone. His left hand touched the hilt of his long-bladed sword.
"My name is Arthur. Nice to meet you all." Arthur put his hand on his chest and slowly lowered his head. His gentlemanly behavior surprised many.
"Hallwell, Kornwell, are you alright?" Branton asked, and saw them nodding even though they averted their gazes. They were embarrassed that they had led their enemies to their front steps.
"Hallwell, you useless bastard!" Blair shouted, unsheathed his daggers out of nowhere, "You led them here?! You should have died instead. Don't you have any shame?"
"Blair!" Branton frowned.
Alessia's expression didn't change, still looking ice-cold.
"Shut up…" Hallwell muttered with audible sound, but it was heard by Arthur.
'Internal dispute?' Arthur frowned, 'That's not good.'
"What did you say?!" Blair flew into a rage as his incredible senses caught his words.
Halliwell's face changed shades, 'He heard me?!'
Blair lunged forwards even though Branton tried to stop him. He ran down the hill and aimed his strike at Hallwell's neck!
Clank!
Then, an axe's silver blade shone as Amour appeared before him, holding his head high.
"Easy now…" Amour protected Hallwell from Blair with a cold look flashing over his cat-like features, "You see, I really like sleeping, and when I don't get my fifteen-hour sleep, I become very grumpy."
