The Najarala let out a roar and slithered around the group, circling them as if they were its prey. The knights readied their weapons and shield, waiting and observing the unknown creature.
"Great, one fight after another." Aria grumbled. "Do we have enough potion?"
"We do, but we still need to be careful. After all, some were used for the injured during the last encounter." Manifique reassured the group. "What is it weak to?"
"The same as the Yian Kut-Ku, but I suggest focusing on its head, tail and hindleg for the most damage. Use ice or water on its tail tip, so as to reduce the chances of it flinging those plates onto us."
"I see... all knights, protect the carriages and do not engage recklessly! Held up your shield and only attack when you see an opening!"
The monster coiled its body and launch its tail unto the wall of shield. Several knights were knocked down, but they quickly rose up to form the shield again. The snake immediately slithered to the side in the blink of an eye, catching them off guard as they scrambled to re-organise their formation, but the monster launched another tail attack that was fortunately parried by Manifique's shield.
"It can move fast. You lot, change your formation that improves mobility!" Manifique relayed his orders. "Knights of Savion, Formation C! Adventurers, secure the carriages and protect the goods! Knights of Ponterim, mount your steads and distract the beast as best as you can! Marion, Aria, Scarlet, you are with me as the vanguard!"
"""Understood!""" All members moved with efficiency as Aria, Marion and Scarlet rushed to assist Manifique.
Najarala dashed around the battlefield with tremendous speed, making it difficult for the quartet to follow, but with the help of the calvary distracting and blocking its path, Aria managed to reach it. With wind enchantment, she leapt and slashed the monster's head before spinning along its entire spine, dealing damage with every spin.
"Tch, not very effective." Aria dodged Najarala's bite while Manifique jumped in to bash its head, causing it to jolt its head back up. Marion slid in and unleashed various slashes upon its tail while Scarlet leapt with her glaive and slashed its head.
Najarala rattled its plates and flung a few towards its attackers, stabbing into the ground as the 4 avoided the projectiles. It continued to fling its plates before rattling its tail with such intensity that the air around it compressed and exploded. The quartet covered their ears from the booming sound, but in the next instance, the plates that it flung exploded, sending shrapnel across the arena. All 4 were hit and were rolling on the ground from the impact.
"Ugh! Those things can explode!"
"Yeah! I am sorry, Scarlet! I should have warned you guys!"
The monster continued its aggression as it circled around the quartet while closing in on them, trying to trap them. Noticing this, Scarlet leapt out of the encirclement, but was caught in a bite attack that delivered venom into her system.
"Everyone, be careful of its bite! Its venom can paralyse you!"
"You!... Could!... Have!... Told!... Us!... Earlier!..." As Scarlet fell on the ground, she jolted around, trying to move her body, but to no avail. The calvary came in and swoop up Scarlet before the beast's tail slammed onto her.
Marion continued attacking its hindlegs while Manifique focused on its tail. Aria, however, tried to roll out of the arena, but was unable to due to the monster's constant pursuit. "Tch, persistent and annoying."
The beast let out a deafening roar and burrowed underground, leaving a large mount of dirt and shaking the ground. Noticing this, Aria warned the rest to run in order to avoid the ambush. However, the monster's target was not any of them, but one of the supply wagon as it burst out from the ground, destroying the wooden crate and surprising the adventurers. They attacked with various weapons and items in order to scare away the monster, but its tough scale dampened the attacks.
"Curse that beast!" Marion ran towards the Najarala and slashed its head with an overhead slash. She continued attacking while dodging the tail swipe and bite, but was hit by a projectile from the tail.
Aria and Manifique arrived later to assist Marion with Manifique ordering the adventurers to retreat. The knights of Savion Marquisate came in to surround the monster and shot arrows whenever possible to aid in the hunt; some stabbed with their spears before retreating behind the shield wall, constantly performing a hit and hide tactic.
Scarlet, having regained her mobility, dashed in with her fire spell and slammed her glaive onto the monster's head. She maintained her aerial mobility with her magic and continued applying pressure.
The large monster began flinging its plates and vibrating to explode the detached plates, resulting in several shallow holes and cracked rocks. It vibrated and shot out a sonic attack that shook the surroundings upon impact. Several trees were knocked down by the sheer power of the monster's attacks, expanding the arena.
"This fellow is truly, fully utilising sound as a mean to attack." Scarlet leapt into the air to avoid the tail swipe. "Annoying bard!"
"Scarlet, focus on the head! Your air superiority with that glaive give you the reach to hit its weak spot!"
"I know! But this fellow is always moving around with such speed while throwing those vibrating plates!"
Aria continued her attacks with such agility and ferocity that lightning sparked with greater intensity. Her attacks landed upon the hard tail tip that caused her weapon to bounce back and was thrown off from the tail swipe. She popped off the lid of a potion and drank it to restore her health. "This is annoying..."
As Aria was catching her breath, Marion, Scarlet and Manifique were trying to deal damage upon the beast, with the help of the calvary distracting it, they managed to land several powerful blows. However, this made the monster furious as it bellowed and ramped up its aggressiveness with various lunges, tail swipes, projectiles and sonic wave. Several calvary knights were taken down from the intense attacks while Scarlet, Marion and Manifique suffered several bruises and cuts.
Aria returned to the arena after she sharpened her weapons. "Water! Coalesce in the air and pressurise into spear to pierce my enemy! Rain bullets!"
Water projectiles flew and rained down upon the large monster, soaking its entire body. Aria continued chanting as she slashed the tail while dodging the Najarala's lunge. "Water! Coalesce in the air and bludgeon my enemy! Waterfall!"
A large blob of water formed above Aria and punched Najarala with such force that it flew back several meters. The excess water turned the terrain muddy as the beast slid and hit a large rock formation. After taking much damage, the beast became exhausted and its movement had became sluggish.
"Attack!" Manifique, Marion and Scarlet closed in and attack relentlessly on the head of the beast. The constant attacks of its head resulted in the breaking of its large beak, lowering its ability to deliver venom.
The monster raised its head once again and coiled around itself to protect its vulnerable spots. Scarlet tried to vault up, but was repelled when the beast roared and rattled. It burrows into the ground once again, creating a miniature earthquake and alerting the entire group.
The shaking of the ground dissipated gradually, hinting that the beast had moved to another area. The tense atmosphere relaxed as they all let out a sigh, but Aria noticed the small ripple along the ground, making a path that went South; using it, Aria tracked the path that Najarala took and the horror washed upon her mind as the beast was heading towards the city area.
"The monster is heading towards Laviron!" Aria's warning turned the atmosphere serious again as they scrambled to gather their supplies and mounted up. All the calvaries rushed out of the forested area with Manifique lifting Marion up on his horse while Scarlet and Aria tagged along with the knights.
The Najarala burst out of the ground and caught a common ground hog by surprise. It wrapped up around its large prey and injected paralysing venom before devouring it by tearing off chunks of meat and bones, swallowing everything as a whole. The nearby foragers, civilians, adventurers and merchants were terrified and began running away in panic. Several patrolling knights and scouts remained to form a barrier between the beast and the city.
After devouring its prey, Najarala set its sight upon the fleeing people and roared in anger, associating them with those who had fought against him. It lunged forward, breaking the shield formation of the knights and swiped the remaining with its tail. It flung its plates and vibrated to explode them, resulting in many injuries and some casualties.
The calvaries rushed into the open grassland and witnessed the Najarala circling around the fallen knights and scouts. The latter tried to slash, stab and shoot arrows upon the large beast, but the circle only got smaller, enclosing them tighter, heightening their fear of the unknown monster. The calvaries continued to order their horses to run faster in order to save the terrified preys.
Aria used her wind spell 'Air Walk' and jumped off the horse, propelling herself towards the Najarala. She landed a blow on the already broken face of the beast, causing it to stagger and cancelled its attacks.
Scarlet also used her magic to charge forward and joined Aria in distracting the monster while allowing the trapped knights and scouts to escape. The calvaries arrived in time to assist the fallen and both Manifique and Marion slashed the monsters while on their horse. They continued attacking and dodging the attacks while lending the injured sufficient time for the evacuation.
"Wind! Dance in the sky with me! Air Walk!" Manifigue leapt up from his stead and bashed the head of the Najarala, causing it to fall due to concussion. Marion took on the ride and continued to dash in and out of the monster's range while slashing.
The monster soon recovered from its stunned state and roared, exploding all of the plates in the arena. The riders who were unfortunately near the plates were thrown off when their rides freaked out from the explosive sound. Marion tried to control her horse, but it refused to listen and headed straight towards the Najarala. With no choice, she leapt out of the horse and performed a wide slash, felling the creature once more while she landed on its back.
"Wind! I beseech you to be my blade! Wind cutter!" With the swirling of the icy wind around her blade, Marion furiously slashed at the back of the monster. Najarala tried to pry Marion off its back by shaking all over and slamming its back against the ground. However, Marion held on as she slid along the monster while using her dagger as a pick and stabbing weapon. She continued riding the beast while the others dealt damages from the ground, especially on its tail.
Fatigue soon hit the monsters as it stopped and drooled, giving Marion the opening to focus and unleashed several lightning fast slashes on its back wound. At the height of her focus, she performed a swirling slash that leveraged her entire body as she jumped off the back of the beast; the moment Marion landed, the cuts nailed deep into the Najarala, causing it to writhe in pain and collapsed on the ground.
"Hah... hah..." Tension left Marion's body as she knelt down from exhaustion.
The knights closed in on the monsters and attacked while Aria, went towards Marion and gave her a ration filled with smoked meat and dried vegetables wrapped in flatbread, designed for easy and fast consumption. Marion was confused, but accepted the meal and devoured it. The effect was felt almost immediately as Marion's stamina recovered and nodded towards Aria, ready to return to the arena. They rushed forward as the beast regained its stance and roared in anger.
"This guy is tough... much more than that Khezu."
"Considering its size, its should have more health pool compared to Khezu."
Many knights circled around Najarala on their steads in order to contain the angry beast. The monster shot out multiple exploding plates to push away the calvaries and tried to burrow itself into the ground; just as it was about to escape, a large spear flew and lodged into its injured mouth, cancelling its action.
Looking at the origin of the spear, they all saw a large man leading a small calvary unit. He was holding a large steel spike meant for the construction of a siege weapon while barking orders to secure the perimeter and assisted the injured.
"Spread out! Secure the area and drive away any souls from the grassland!" His gruff voice echoed across the area.
The furious Najarala swiped the knights surrounding it and charged towards the man, recognising that he was the owner of the spear. However, it was dealt with a powerful blow towards its chin, reeling it back from the pain. Without missing a beat, the man swung again with great vigor, concussing the monster.
Aria, Marion, Scarlet and Manifique joined the man in his attacks, weaving along Najarala's body to deliver blow after blow. The monster tried to escape into the ground again, but Marion thrusted her blade into an open wound and unleashed several devastating slashes in quick succession.
"You are done." With a cold line, Marion performed a final diagonal slash which triggered a powerful ripple of cuts on the beast. With a final roar, the Najarala fell, forever leaving the land of the living.
After a long pause, the knights cheered for the fall of the large monster. They roared in delight as they raised their blades to the sky in their display of gratitude for their God's blessings.
Marion, Aria and Scarlet collapsed in exhaustion in the midst of the cheer before the man who held the large steel spike approached them. "MARION!"
The sudden bellow coming from the man shocked the entire crowd, causing them to quiet down. Marion, Scarlet and Aria felt shivers down their spine as the man approached with menacing steps. He towered over the girls with a furious expression.
"Fa... Father..."
Arai and Scarlet turned towards Marion who was trembling while locking eyes with her father. Marion slowly stood up while holding her head down, ready to bear the brunt of her father's wrath. Her father's hands reached out, but instead of feeling pain, the warmth from her father's hug spread throughout her body.
"You have grown."
"Umm... Father... I..."
"I have missed you."
"I... I am... sorry..." Tears welled up and fall along Marion's cheeks. The guilt, hate, sadness, fear and sense of longing came pouring out with every drop. She hugged her father back, making up for the 2 years of absence.
***
"I see... so that is what you have been up to for the past 2 years." The Marquis of Savion, Marciano Luca von Savion, took a swing of hard liquor. "That is quite an adventure. You have grown strong, my daughter."
"Father, perhaps you should cut back on the drink."
"It is fine Manifique. These hard liquors are no different to plain water for me. Instead, you should learn to enjoy them more often. It tests a man's strength and endurance." Marciano poured another shot of the whiskey and downed it. "And the 2 of you, I gave my thanks to you for being there for my daughter. Despite looking exactly like her late mother, she shares my stubbornness and defiance."
"No, my lord. I am simply tagging alongside her. I did nothing of worth to be thanked for."
"Similarly, I have only been in the party for a few months."
"That is more than enough. If she was to perish, I would be tormented with the guilt forever; after all we separated on such a terrible mood and if something were to happen to her, I will not be able to face my wife among the heaven."
"Umm... so, dad, am I allowed to continue my adventure? Or better yet, will you finally give me the permission to enter the knight's academy in the capital?"
"Not so fast you fool." Marciano downed the rest of the whiskey, emptying an entire glass bottle. "It is true that you have grown strong. The letter from Count Ponterim and the reports of your adventures are enough evidence to prove your worth. I believe, you can do well in the academy."
"If that is the case, then-"
"However! You do not have the mental strength to take human lives."
"..."
"Sure, you can kill those monsters easily. But a knight needs to have the mettle to kill another human. Knights are not deployed to just kill monsters; knights are the blades and shields of the empire; knights must always put their country before anything else. If a war is to break out, will you be able to look at the eyes of the others while you sink your blade into their heart? If you tremble even the slightest, hesitate even for a second, you will die."
The silence dominated the atmosphere as Marion, Aria and even Scarlet trembled at the notion of taking the lives of another human being who were unfortunately roped into wars. They knew that most of the knights and soldiers gathered during the wars were innocent beings who just happen to be on the opposing side of the war. Some would have families waiting back at home, some would have dreams of living peacefully on the countryside, and some were forced to fight due to various uncontrollable reasons. At heart, humans preferred peace over war.
"None of you have taken any quests of exterminating bandits, am I right?"
Another stretch of silence lingered.
"However, my daughter, you have proved yourself capable. Those moves you performed during the fight against that giant snake monster were splendid. Being graced by Lord Flare does wonder to you, but remember, do not get too arrogant. You now represent not just the Savion Marquisate and the Coronamars Empire, but also the entire religion of Sol." Marciano stood and walked to the door of his office. "For now, I will allow you to continue with your adventure; until you found your real reason of wanting to be a knight and your resolve to take a human's life."
"Eh... Ah! Th-Thank you father!"
"Do not thank me. You should instead prove to me that my decision is not wrong." Marciano stepped out of the room. "Enjoy yourself before dinner. You have earned it after fighting against those monsters."
"He left..." Marion sat back down and beamed a smile towards Aria and Scarlet. "The party is still intact."
"Well, you are kind of right; and see, I told you Marion, being more open and talking it out does help. Your father does seems to genuinely care about your well-being. Anyway, we should probably enjoy tonight's dinner since we still have a long way to the capital."
"I was against all of this actually." Manifique sipped the hot tea from his cup. His elegant and refine movement created a picturesque scene worthy of being immortalised into a canvas. "Marion, despite looking very similar to mother, inherit none of her intellect."
"Wha... That is rude!"
"It is the truth. I believe your companion had experience your air headedness and naiveness throughout the journey."
""..."" Aria and Scarlet looked away from the siblings, avoiding eye contact.
"Nevertheless, if father permits it, I ought to follow his decision. However, keep in mind everything that he says and learn to be better, not just at fighting, but also in leadership, politics, administration and communication skills." Manifique finished his cup and left the room. "Also, learn how to kill another human beings without a second thought."
The eerie cold left behind by Manifique's statement lingered in the air even after he left. Shivers spread throughout the trio's spines as they tried to rationalise the meaning behind his last statement. "Hey, Marion. Despite having such a handsome face, why do I feel fear instead of affection like the rest of the ladies?"
"I do not know, Aria. Since the death of second brother and afterwards, mother who died from sorrow, he slowly develop this cold persona that felt paralysing. It is as if a predator is looking at his prey. Therefore, please do not fall for him or I will be worried about your well-being."
"First of all, the age gap is big: 9 years to be precise. Secondly, I am still 11 going 12: I am not even an adult yet. Your brother will be arrested by the knights if he makes a move on me."
"Ahaha... You are kind of correct on the second part, but I do not think 9 years is that big of a gap. Although it is rare for the age gap to be more than 7 years, there is no law prohibiting that those with a wider age gaps could not get married."
"... True... but you are also missing the point that he may have a fiancé arranged for him since he was 15 years old. That should be the norm if I remember correctly."
"Ah... you are right, that he does have a fiancé. I kind of forget about that."
"..."
"Please do not give me that look... I have not even met her in person, and it is not uncommon for betrothals to be broken off due to various reasons."
"Hey guys..." Scarlet, who had been silent the entire time, cut the lighthearted atmosphere with her serious tone. "About killing humans... I think we should overcome that mental barrier as soon as possible."
"Scarlet..."
"Aria, you can choose not to join us, but both me and Marion will need to overcome this."
"... I am afraid to ask for the reason, but I guess it has to do with the bandits."
"... Yes... Truth be told, I have killed another humans."
""!""
"I was young at the time. I got myself engulfed in a blinding rage that I burned them alive. It becomes some sort of trauma for me." Scarlet stared at her trembling hands. "I tried to be strong, act strong, all to cover up my weak heart."
Tears formed as Scarlet reminiscence the past. "I wanted to avenge my fellow adventuring comrades who were killed by them. I lost them during a bandit raid and in the midst of anger, I blasted them with my fire magic."
"I guess, the nightmarish scene has always haunted you all this time." Aria sat beside Scarlet and held her trembling hands, hoping to calm her down.
"Yes, and that is why I must overcome it, so that all those who died at that time could finally rest in peace."
"Scarlet, you do know that it is difficult to track down bandits right? They may have been caught by the authorities and executed."
"No..." Scarlet released a low growl. "I called them bandits because they deserve to be called one, but in reality, they are the private soldiers of a certain noble son who delights himself in killing off his competitions; my previous adventuring party happens to be 1 of his competitors."
Scarlet clenched her fists until they turned red. "That is not all; even the monster attack on my father during our travel is also done by him. His companion agitated a Giant Black Wolf and led it towards the caravan. I only found out about this when 1 of his companion accidentally blurted it out during his drunken stupor in an alleyway. But for some reason he and his drinking buddies were found dead in a nearby jungle the very next morning. Perhaps, it is to silence them."
"To be able to do that... You mean to tell me that his father covered up for his son's actions."
"Marion, not all nobles are righteous. In fact most choose to cover things up to save face. The pride of a noble is vast." Scarlet wiped off her tears. "Anyway, sooner or later, we will need to be able to take another human lives. Aria, if you are going to continue being an adventurer, I suggest that you learn to do so as well."
"Death always lingered around adventurers, huh..." Aria remembered the first time she experience the death of a comrade; shattering her idealised image of being an adventurer. "If I may be permitted, do you know the name of that noble son?"
"Rutio Gren Lutem, the third son of Viscount Lutem."
The name shook Aria to the core as she stared wide-eyes towards Scarlet before letting out a small mocking chuckle. "That man did a thing on me as well. It seems that we have a common enemy, Scarlet."
"... Fine by me, but I want to be the one who deliver the final blow onto him."
"Umm... I know that you girls are angry with this man, but please tone it down a little. He is still part of nobility and that man has his own guild and clan that have a lot of influence throughout the empire. Some rumours even say that he has connection to places beyond the country, including the City of Gold in the south."
"That does not matter. All I want is to see everything that he builds crumble into sand." Scarlet downed a cup of honey water. "And I will turn him into ashes."
"Crumbling of the Golden Mountain, huh."
"... Girls, why not I take you on a tour around this castle. Besides, I think dinner is not far off, so let us just enjoy our time here. I will even take you to my old room."
""No, thank you. I bet it will either be dusty or empty.""
"..."
***
"Now then, this is to celebrate the return of my daughter! Cheers!" Marciano drank an entire glass of honey mead before asking for a refill.
The rest of the diners cheers and drank their respective drinks. Aria and Marion opted for a freshly squeezed juice while Scarlet chose milk with honey. Manifique and Riinol sipped red wine.
"Marion. I have talked with the Count, stay for at least a week in this town. I want to celebrate your birthday together."
"Ah! I actually forgot about that! Uh... Thank you, father! I will be happy to do that. In the mean time, we can practice and even craft some new equipment from those monsters we slayed."
"Hahaha! I forgot about that as well! Until Manifique reminded me!"
"..."
The spread presented on the dining tables were lavish with various cuts of grilled meat, fish and vegetable. Bowls of stews and soups were distributed to each guests with several bread presented as accompaniment.
Marion was excited about eating the rabbit stew that she devoured with gusto. Marciano too loved the rabbit stew and ate with as much excitement as his daughter. Manifique, on the other hand, ate with a more refine elegance while savouring each bite of the meaty stew.
Aria requested for a bean-based stew and soup while also enjoying the flaky flesh of the grilled fish. Scarlet reached for the various grilled meat and vegetable, enjoying the smoky flavour of the wood used to grill them. Riinol also reached for the various cuts of grill meat and vegetable, but he also enjoyed the rabbit stew that the Maquis family had been raving on about.
The meal ended with cuts of various fruits glazed with honey. The sweetness of the honey complemented the sourness of the summer fruits and they enjoyed every bite of the dessert.
***
Aria, Marion and Scarlet woke up early the next morning for training. The intensity of their workout was higher than usual since they could afford to exhaust themselves more compared to when they were travelling. Scarlet practiced with her glaive while Marion and Aria duel against each other with wooden swords and spears. Aria even let both Scarlet and Marion used her dual blades to practice moving around while attacking with speed and precision.
"Hah... hah... using this dual blades is truly exhausting!"
"Well, it involves a lot of movements and when activating the demon mode, you go all in with your attacks, draining your stamina even more. However, if you can learn how to combine your wind magic to ease the burden of your moves, you can last longer."
"I think it can work for Marion, but not for me."
"Well, in your case, Scarlet, you can use your fire magic to boost your movement as well. Although it can be risky sometimes, the trade off is worth it."
The trio practiced until the maid called for them that breakfast had been served. They headed towards the dining hall for knights where the chefs and maids distributed bowls of bean stew for the knights. They each grabbed a bowl and sat together with the knights of Savion where they talked heartily with each other while enjoying their meal. The knights asked the girls about their adventures and sang praises in amazement for their encounters with the various monsters.
Manifique joined in a little later after finishing some paperwork and sat across Marion. "I will be going for an inspection trip around the nearby villages later. If the 3 of you want to join, I have no problem with that."
"Eh... That inspection..."
"There have been reports of attacks from some monsters nearby."
"!" Marion's eyes were sparkling, much to the dismay of Aria, Scarlet and Manifique.
"Um... if I may ask, what is the description of the monsters?"
"The monsters are those that you have fought before. I have received the intel from the adventurer's guild about the monsters that you have written back in the Sultier Earldom." Manifique finished his bowl of stew and stood up. "If that snake monster that we have fought is 4 stars, then these few monsters should be of no problem. They are the Velocipreys and the alpha, Velocidrome."
The girls finished their drinks and went for a bath before gathering in front of the castle gate where they met Manifique. A small elite unit of calvaries led by Manifique were doing some final checks and adjustments. Aria and Scarlet accompanied a knight each while Marion hopped on her brother's ride. They set out of the city towards the west where several large villages dotted the fertile land, creating a large conglomeration of villages that worked together.
Manifique and his calvaries arrived before dusk and questioned the villagers about the unknown monsters. They described the monsters' appearances and their sudden encounters where some of their livestock were taken and devoured. The Velocipreys routed the entire herd of cows and sheep while distracting the herders and guards.
"They have incredible mobility and are quite intelligent. If you are not careful, you will be surrounded before you even know it."
"From the reports, it seems that you and the Will of the Wind party managed to hunt down a large number of them and even took down 2 Velocidromes; despite being outnumbered and surrounded you disrupt their formation and picked them off 1 by 1."
"That is correct. Individually, they are weak. The correct strategy is to target their alpha while the others distract the minions. Doing so will also make it difficult for the alpha to rally the Velocipreys."
"In that case, I will lead the calvaries to whittle down the Velocipreys while the 3 of you confront the Velocidrome." Manifique turned towards his sister. "Marion, if you truly want to be a knight and rise through the ranks, you will need to be able to lead. In this hunt, you will be leading your party members. Give them clear instructions and keep a clear head while doing so. Expand your senses and react accordingly. Understood?"
"Yes, brother. I will not disappoint you."
"All units! Set up camps and split into 3 groups! Each group will take turn for night watch! Make sure to patrol the area and take out any monsters you have spotted! Give a signal if you are unable to fend off the attackers!"
Aria, Scarlet and Marion joined Manifique in his tent where they were treated with lavish dinner provided by the villagers. Marion learnt from her brother about being a leader and brainstorm ideas on the tactics they would perform against the Velocidrome.
As dawn broke, a knight who was part of the group on the last night guard came to inform Manifique that they saw a large group of monsters approaching the village from the west. Manifique quickly ordered everyone to get ready and prepared to head west to confront the monsters before they entered the villages' fields.
Marion, Scarlet and Aria each rode their own stead, borrowed from the villagers who prayed for their safe return. They rode towards the dark horizon where they spotted several carcasses of the Velocipreys that the knights on night guard had presumably taken down. The moment they passed the western-most village, they were greeted with a vast grassland and shallow streams running across. On the other side of the flowing water was a large gathering of Velocipreys feasting on cows and sheep they robbed.
"There they are." Manifique observed the large herd, looking for the alpha.
"That's the Velocidrome." Scarlet spotted a large monster at a distance, hiding among the bushes while consuming the flesh of its prey. "Aria, Marion. We will head over there as soon as the calvaries distracted the Velocipreys."
"You have no need to tell us twice. Besides, I am the one leading here, so just charge on my signal."
"You sound irritating for some reason..."
"Sir Manifique, we are ready. Please lead the calvaries to route the Velocipreys."
"Hey, Aria..." Marion had a single tear forming on her right eye.
"Calvaries! Move out!" Manifique led the calvaries into the horde of monsters, surrounding them in an instant and routing them north. The confused Velocipreys scattered and were cut down by the elite knights. The alpha, noticing the commotion, let out a roar to rally its followers, but Marion, Scarlet and Aria charged in while dealing various slashes.
The trio rode around the Velocidrome and stopped, trapping the beast who looked at them with fury.
Aria readied her Pulsar Hatchets, Scarlet held out her Blizzard Glaive and Marion point at the target with her Mammoth Longblade. They were ready for the duel.