Chapter 63—Pack

Chapter 63: 63—Pack [You’ve also gained some of the wolf’s strength. Might: High] He ignored the system, and pushed to his feet, [Blood rebirth] healing slowly due to his mana exhaustion. Helie, Kon, Hither, and Elle all ran up to him, and helped him stand. "The wolves are retreating?!" Hither said. "Lucen, did you just kill a Fiend Bull Wolf?" Helie asked carefully. They couldn’t see the body of the wolf due to the dust cloud. But Lucen was sure it was dead. "Brock. We need to check on him," he croaked. His lungs shook just from the effort of speaking. They helped him along, asking Knights if they had seen Brock, checking the crevices between the shattered rocks of the field. They watched the wolf retreat, faces turning grimmer with each torn up corpse they found scattered over the ground. Elle had to stop, and take a deep breath. Helie kept her eyes forward, ignoring the severed heads and arms at her feet. Hither’s eyes were closed as he prayed. Kon’s grimace looked like it would turn to tears. It was a slaughter, and Chester was to blame. If he listened to Koril, and summoned Alger or even some other Grand Knights, then so many would have lived. But could you blame him, though. They had a concrete plan, stayed together, and perfectly executed it for half the battle. It was impossible to predict what would happen. They found Brock’s corpse, broken and twisted, in a trench, covered in blood. His armor crumpled and bereft of the light it once held. They were all quiet for a moment. Kon’s sobs broke the stillness, and Elle joined him afterwards. Helie’s eyes were shut tightly, fighting the tears, and Hither had gone to his knees, praying furiously, cursing himself. Lucen’s shame washed over his aching body. Too eager and hungry for power. Now he got Brock killed, someone who had no obligation to fight for Castaway and its people. He stayed because Knights don’t run from danger if the vulnerable are behind them. He searched the battlefield for Chester. Maybe it was a bad idea, but he wanted to hear it from Chester. Why he didn’t use Spirit Lights to help?. Then surprised gasps cut through the thick air, and many of the soldiers pointed upward. Lucen craned his neck to find a woman floating in the air. An enemy? He first thought, but then saw the symbol embroidered on her cape. A golden jagged heart. She wore black robes, and a blue cape. Her skin was pale and smooth with deep green eyes that studied the battlefield. Her brown hair flowed softly in the wind. She was incorporeal. Her dress and body are just slightly transparent. Someone’s Spirit Light, but who. The woman drifted down towards them. Lucen’s body tensed, and the others raised their weapons. She passed by them with no words, and looked down at Brock’s corpse. "You always die, Brock." Her voice was tired but pleasing to the ear. "If Chester had been too stubborn then this would be your final death." She sighed, stretching out her hand. Mana rose from her, an ocean of golden light, and she said carelessly. "Return." Light washed over the blackened, blood-soaked field, sinking into Lucen’s body, and healing his injuries, and even his mind. An uncanny happiness filled his heart, and hope ignited within him. Chester had finally summoned someone powerful. The way she talked about Brock always dying, like it was trivial. She was a healer so powerful death meant little to her. When the light faded, Brock’s body, and even armor, were fully repaired. His chest rose slightly with breath. She turned to the five children behind her. Lucen found himself lost in those green eyes. "Take him back to camp with you. His soul is still wandering the narrow roads, but I’ve set a beacon, and he will return to his body soon. Or get lost and just remain an empty husk, but Brock has a lot of experience with dying." She rose into the air, and raised her hand. A golden halo of light spread from her hand, growing to encompass the entire battlefield, and it rained down sparks of golden light. Men hurried under the command of Knight to grab their severe limbs and place them against the stump. People sitting on the verge of death rose, smiling. The halo was gone within thirty seconds. The woman looked down at someone in the distance, Koril, and she nodded briefly before disappearing. Lucen stood there, jaw dropped, and the others were the same. They all looked from Brock’s, albeit bloody, but healed body, and the sky. "I’m starting to question whether I’m cut out for this," Hither mumbled. "That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen," Kon said, awestruck. Helie nodded. "I hope I can meet her again." Lucen rubbed the dirt, sweat, and blood from his face, grinning. Now that was one power he really needed. But what did she mean about the narrow roads? Was that the underworld? The Church of the Halo’ land of the dead. So it was easier to come back to life if you had died before? The irony made his smile grow wider. Did this also mean that Chester would be summoning more Spirit Lights? Then the battle would get much easier. He looked at Brock, and said, "Alright, let’s pick our reanimated friend, and go home." ■——■ Back in camp they drank merrily around Brock’s body, and even more so when the man woke up. Their cries of joy shook the little tent they occupied "Thank god," Kon sighed, "if I had to go back to Thomas, I’d cut my ears off." "Damn I really thought that was it," Brock sighed, "I thought we didn’t have anyone with a Heroic-rank healing spell?" "Thry summoned a Spirit Light of this great healer," Lucen explained, telling Brock everything she said. "Milena, huh?" Brock said tiredly, "she’s not going to let me live this down." The tall man rose, stretching his back, and then walked over to Lucen. Brock grabbed his head and raised him off the floor. "You disobedient—" he shook Lucen around while the others laughed, and then dropped him, red-faced. "I told you to stay away." "I found a way to kill the wolf," Lucen groaned, rubbing his skull. Brock scoffed. "Boy, don’t lie to me. I was your age once, hungry for renown and honor. I know it’s especially hard for you, considering..." His voice grew low and sympathetic. Lucen smiled. "But I did kill it." Brock laughed, turning to the others to share the laugh, but they were all grinning crookedly. "Wait, he’s not joking?" Lucen explained the end of the battle to Brock, smiling as the man grew paler. "Once i stabbed through the eye, it was over. But I didn’t want you to..." "Don’t worry about it, kid," Brock said, rubbing his temple, "My master’s first lesson was always to know the consequences of your actions. I knew the consequences, but I came either way." Lucen raised his voice to say something else, but then someone interrupted them. A soldier pushed open the flap of their tent, then bowed and saluted. "Sir Lucen, my lord, Chester Lightcloak, seeks your audience."