28. Dead By Sunrise

Nathanial and the others lowered their blades at the sight of friendly forces. They couldn’t believe their eyes. Even Chris, who doubted that their elite forces would still be active behind enemy lines, was in pure shock at the sudden discovery.

The man from above leaped down from the tree branch before brushing the fallen leaves off his shoulder. A steel halberd was strapped to his back, and a sword was sheathed at his waist. He pulled down his facemask, revealing a slight smirk on his pale lips. His hazel eyes met Nathanial’s, and the patrol leader’s eyes widened.

“John?” Nathanial stood there in disbelief. “I thought I wouldn’t see you for a few days?”

John chuckled before placing both hands on Nathanial’s shoulders. “Yeah, that should have been the case. What the hell are you idiots doing out here?”

“If I told you we got lost, would you believe that?” Fredrick chimed in.

Richard rolled his eyes and nudged his friend. “Can’t you be serious for a bit?”

“I’ve been serious all day.”

Another watchman pulled down his dark green hood, revealing his blonde hair. “Honestly, I’m impressed you guys made it this far with Fredrick like that.”

“Luka?” Nathanial smiled. “I should have known that the other one was you.”

John grinned before gesturing at the others to come out. “It’s not just us here.”

From the shadows of the forest, several more figures emerged, all donning dark green cloaks and matching sets of leather armor with a sword strapped to their belts. Some had bows and arrows, while others carried extra swords. But if there was one thing, Nathanial was certain of, it was that they were all watchmen.

A force of twenty watchmen had assembled around them without the slightest bit of noise. Even with Nathanial’s heightened senses and aura detection ability, he couldn’t detect them at all, especially with how close they were. He felt a chill race down his spine after realizing they could have easily been taken out if they were on opposing sides.

Their silent movements amazed him. Their steps made no sound, and from the blade marks in their armor and bloodied clothes, it was clear they had been fighting non-stop throughout the entire day. Yet, behind their calm exterior, Nathanial saw the exhaustion in their gazes. Something many wouldn’t have noticed.

They carried themselves with the discipline and professionalism seen in knights, but even hours of battle would whittle the strongest spirits.

Nathanial couldn’t even fathom what sort of hell they’d been through. Most would complain or voice their displeasure at having no opportunities for rest, but not the watchmen. Not the finest soldiers the Everheart Kingdom produced.

“Twenty watchmen… twenty knights…” Nathanial stared at them. “You’re the reason the Empire stationed so many knights guarding their caravans from their nation to the supply depot. That’s also why they didn’t chase us… because if they did, then you guys would exploit that weakness and take them out.”

John nodded. “We landed a heavy blow on their routes, but that was before they changed their personnel. That being said, we were damned surprised to see such an enormous explosion created by you guys.”

“Heh, probably everyone around here saw it. Even the guys at the encampment,” Luka added. “They’re probably shocked, thinking that their outer net failed.”

“But there’s a silver lining, right?”

John turned to Fredrick. “I suppose it did make it easier for us to pick off the patrols running in your direction. That’s partially why it was so easy to find you guys.”

“What’s the other reason?” asked Nathanial.

“It’s hard not to notice two idiots beating a man in plain sight. Even if we tried to look away, with all the commotion, it wouldn’t be possible.”

Fredrick and Percy awkwardly laughed, causing Nathanial to deeply sigh while sending them a sharp glare. The other watchmen chuckled before catching the hand signal from Luka to stand guard.

Their figures vanished from Nathanial’s sight in an instant, with one watchman walking past a tree trunk and vanishing before leaving the other side. All he caught in the end was the fresh blood on their cloaks, revealing that they had already cleaned up the area beforehand.

The difference in their levels was absolutely insane, and seeing it in person widened the scope of the world in Nathanial’s eyes.

“Alright, gather around, and I’ll give you guys the quick and dirty rundown of what the hell’s been going on.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

John gestured at the patrolmen to come to him as he crouched down and picked up a stick.

“Now, I’ll only say this once, so pay attention. That also means you, Fredrick. No fucking around.” John pointed the stick at the man before drawing several shapes.

“We’re this hollow circle, and this filled circle is the encampment. Around us are enemies from all sides, and these triangles are the two armies surrounding our forces.”

Nathanial raised a brow. “What’s their numbers?”

“Here at this location, they outnumber us, two to one roughly.”

“That’s not bad at all; our forces could probably break through,” Fredrick said.

Richard shook his head. “No, because that means they have double the knights and mages than us.”

John pointed the stick at Richard. “Bullseye. We’re on the defensive now while we wait for the front lines to stabilize after the Empire broke through. Luckily for the camp, they’re well supplied with barrier artifacts so they’ll be able to hold out for days and buy some time.”

The men tried to hide their troubled expressions. Nathanial glanced over at them before dropping his gaze. He suspected that something along those lines had happened, but to hear it from a credible source made his blood run cold.

“How did they break through?” Nathanial asked.

“We’re not exactly sure, to be honest. All we know is that it happened in a single night with roughly fifty thousand enemy soldiers.”

“Didn’t the strategists try to block them?”