Chapter 51 | Heroes Die Young

Leon ran deeper into the woods, panic driving every step. His lungs burned, and his breathing was fast and uneven. The forest was dark, with pale, eerie colors visible through his mana-enhanced vision. Colors that made his fear even worse.

He had lost sight of the others. A quick glance behind showed no Dire Hounds chasing him.

Then his foot caught on a vine, and he fell hard into the mud.

The shock snapped him out of it. He lay still, gasping, his breath wild and uneven.

Calm down! There was nothing we could have done! he told himself, trying to push back the rising tide of guilt and fear.

His arms trembled as he forced himself to his knees, still reeling from the chaos. They knew this was a dangerous assessment. They were warned not all of them would come back. But it was so sudden and only a few minutes of stepping into the forest.

"DAMN IT!" Leon roared, slamming his fist into the ground.

How did we run into Dire Hounds already? Did I mess up?

The questions tore at him, each one without an answer. What could they have done differently? What could he have done?

There was only silence.

He stayed there for what felt like forever before his chest began to settle.

Slowly, he looked around.

His spear lay a few feet away. He grabbed it, checked that his sword was still at his hip, and stood.

I need to find the others.

He got up and started to walk towards the red marker on his map. He needed to get to the target and then return to the extraction point before dawn the next day.

Leon told himself there was no time to grieve, no room for doubt or guilt. He still wasn't safe.

"Watch out!"

He had been walking for twenty minutes toward the target site when Leon heard shouting, followed by snarls and a pained cry.

Was that Ravi?

He took off running, weaving between trees as the sounds grew louder.

Bursting into a clearing, he found Malric and Ravi locked in a frantic struggle with a Blackthorn Hound. Just a regular one this time, but dangerous nonetheless.

Both of them held shields, but the hound was too fast, darting in and out before they could pin it.

Leon didn't hesitate. He sprinted wide, circling behind the beast. As the hound lunged at Ravi and Malric, Leon charged in. Ravi saw him coming and surged forward to meet the beast head-on.

The hound crashed into Ravi's shield, but Ravi held firm, pushing it back.

Leon raised his spear and drove it into the hound's exposed back. The beast howled, thrashing violently. Leon gritted his teeth, dragging the spear downward, pinning the hound to the ground.

Ravi wasted no time. He stepped in and plunged his own spear through the hound's skull.

It spasmed for a few seconds, then went limp.

Leon started to pull his weapon free when something slammed into him.

He staggered, nearly falling, but kept his footing.

"DON'T STOP ME THIS TIME, RAVI!"

Leon looked up, disoriented. Malric was being held back by Ravi.

"That Nullari is why we're in this mess!" Malric shouted, pointing at Leon.

Ravi glanced at Leon.

"Ravi. Let. Me. Go" Malric growled.

Ravi hesitated… then stepped aside.

Malric lunged.

Leon barely raised his arms before he was slammed against a tree. The bark cracked behind him as Malric pressed forward, pinning him in place with brute strength.

The tree groaned under the pressure.

"This is all your fault," Malric spat. His face was inches away. "I knew you'd screw us. Nullari piece of shit!"

Leon struggled to push him off, but Malric had the advantage; strength, leverage, and rage.

Then, a blur at the edge of his vision.

Something large tackled Malric from the side. Leon dropped to the ground.

"GET OFF ME!"

Leon looked up to see Mason on top of Malric, wrestling him into the mud.

Malric's spear and shield clattered to the ground, landing a few feet away from them.

Ravi sprinted past Leon and tackled Mason off of Malric, slamming him to the ground.

Leon scrambled to his feet, ready to help Mason, but then he heard Malric's voice.

"Ravi, keep Mason busy," Malric growled as he rose to his feet and turned toward Leon.

Malric lunged, swinging a wild punch. Leon ducked low, narrowly avoiding the strike. But then a sudden kick struck him from the side, sending him sprawling back into the mud.

Dazed, Leon reacted on instinct. From the ground, he lashed out with his foot and kicked Malric's knee.

"AGGHHH!" Malric grunted, staggering. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

He reached for his sword and yanked it free, limping forward.

Leon scrambled backward, drawing his own blade in a panic. The hilt slipped in his grip, his hands were shaking.

"We don't have to do this, Malric," Leon pleaded, trying to steady both his weapon and his breath.

"Too late for that," Malric snarled, dragging his leg as he advanced. "We shouldn't have to deal with Lower Levels like you."

Malric raised his sword—and then—

Crash!

Mason and Ravi, still grappling, slammed into Malric from behind.

Malric pitched forward uncontrollably.

Leon's sword, still half-raised in defense, drove straight into Malric's gut.

"Ughh…"

He froze. The point of Leon's blade now pierced his gut.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Malric let out a wet cough. His own sword slipped from his fingers and fell into the mud with a dull thud.

It happened so fast, Leon hadn't even realized what had happened.

He blinked, disoriented. Just beyond Malric, Mason and Ravi were still locked in a scuffle a few feet away.

Leon looked back to Malric.

The recruit's hands trembled as they tried to grasp the blade now buried in his stomach. Blood dripped down onto Leon's hands, still clenched around the hilt.

"NOOO! What have you done?!"

Leon looked up, numb.

Mason and Ravi had frozen mid-struggle. Silence hung heavy in the air, broken by Malric's ragged breathing.

Leon couldn’t move. His sword was still propped up by Malric's weight. He could feel every twitch, every small shift, as the dying man struggled on the blade.

Suddenly, Ravi broke free from Mason, kicked him away, and drew his sword.

He sprinted toward Leon.

Leon gritted his teeth and pulled his sword to the side, straining against both Malric's weight and his own numb limbs. The blade slipped free, and Malric collapsed with it into the mud.

But Ravi was already upon him.

Then—he stopped.

The tip of a spear poked out from his chest.

Ravi looked down at it, blinking in disbelief, then slowly turned.

Behind him stood Mason, gripping the other end of the spear.

Ravi's arm went limp. His sword fell from his hand.

Mason let go of the spear, and Ravi staggered sideways, collapsing in the dirt beside Malric.

Silence returned.

Leon just stared at the bodies.

The noise had stopped, but in his ears, he could still hear the wet, choking gurgle of Malric drowning in his own blood.

He saw Mason walked over to Ravi's body, gripped the spear embedded in his chest, and pulled it free without a word. Then he moved to a nearby shield on the ground and picked it up.

Leon looked down at his hands.

Blood.

Still smeared across his fingers. He blinked. Red speckles dotted his visor he hadn't even noticed until now. He wiped at them with his forearm, but it only smeared the mess further.

He tried rubbing the blood off on his legs, but the armor just smeared it more. It wouldn't go away.

A sudden tap on his shoulder made him flinch.

He looked up. Mason was kneeling beside him.

"We've got to go," Mason said. "The blood'll attract beasts."

Leon nodded numbly.

He got to his feet, and Mason handed him his sword. Blood still coated the blade and the hilt.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Mason asked.

Leon shook his head.

"Okay. We should keep moving."

Leon hesitated, glancing back at the bodies.

"What—what about them?"

Mason followed his gaze, then shrugged.

"Leave them."

Leon stared at his friend. The same Mason who used to crack dumb jokes about food and bicker with Nyra like a child. The same guy who lit up with a goofy grin talking about dessert rations like they were gourmet meals.

Then, Leon remembered Mason's family legacy. Generations of Fulgari soldiers bred for war.

Is this what it means to be an Fulgari? He thought.

"Let's go," Mason said, already turning.

Leon didn't answer. He just nodded and followed.

They jogged off together, deeper into Blackthorn Wilds, leaving the bodies behind.