Advent of Eternity - Chapter 43 (Patreon)

Vargus picked at his teeth with the toothpick he’d stolen from one of the houses in Silver Ridge. He spat it out into the flames with a disgusted grimace.

“How blasted long are we going to sit around here, doing nothing?” he demanded. “The boss is wasting all of our time. We should just go figure out what happened to his stupid kid and then get out of here.”

“You’re the first mate,” a bandit sitting beside him said with a snort. “You tell him that if that’s how you feel.”

“Right,” Vargus said with a snort. “That’d get me killed real good. I just wish–”

A shrill scream split the air. The bandits leapt to their feet, their swords flying from sheathes as a woman sprinted into the camp, her long white hair flying behind her and terror on her face. She was making a beeline straight for the Captain’s tent.

Vargus stepped into her path, a smirk already growing on his face as he eyed her chest. He hadn’t seen a woman that he hadn’t killed in a few weeks, and she was exactly his type.

“Stop right there, missy,” Vargus said, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her close. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“There’s this horrible man chasing me,” the woman said, her large eyes wide in terror. “He’s going to kill me! You have to save me.”

Vargus’s grin grew and he pulled her close, keeping the sword pressed against her side in case she tried anything. “Well, you came to the right place, miss. My good men and I will make sure you’re real… safe.”

The other bandits chuckled in agreement.

“Can I get a turn next, Vargus?” one man asked.

Varus grunted and scanned the treeline for any sight of the man the girl was crying about. “We’ll see how she’s doing once I’m done with her. I’m sure the boss will want a turn too.”

“What are you talking about?” the girl asked, straining against his grip.

Vargus smirked, already envisioning how much fun he would be having in a few minutes. He jerked the girl back, locking his arm around her throat and dragging her toward his tent. “You, assholes. Go find where the guy is and kill him.”

The girl struggled against him, but Vargus held her tight. Then, as he raised his tent and started to throw her in, the girl’s arm blurred. It shot down to a dagger that had been hidden at her side and whipped out, driving the blade into the bandit’s stomach.

Metal rang on metal as Vargus’s armor caught the blow and deflected it. He roared, swinging at her, but she had already danced past him and was back in the camp. Another dagger appeared in her other hand and her lips split in a predatory grin.

A roar rang out from the other side of the camp, and a disheveled man with a long, white beard charted out of the trees. He slammed into a surprised bandit, ripping the sword from the man’s hands and slicing his head off in the same motion.

“We’re under attack!” Vargus roared, lunging at the girl. She nimbly danced out of the way, her laughter mocking him as she struck at his side.

Once again, Vargus was saved by his armor. Her blade rang off his chest piece and he snarled, lunging at her. The tip of his sword barely missed her hips, earning him a smug wink from the woman.

“Captain!” Vargus yelled.

The flap of the tent swung open and Captain Blud emerged, a scowl on his scarred face. It was hidden by the bone white demon skull that sat atop his head, and relief bloomed in Vargus’ chest.

He didn’t get much time to appreciate his captain’s arrival. The girl leapt at him again, her daggers flashing in the dim light and forcing Vargus to retreat. He bared his teeth and pressed the attack on her, allowing another one of her blows to ring off his armor as he thrust his blade at her throat.

The girl twirled, but she wasn’t able to completely avoid the blow this time. Vargus’ sword cut into her side, drawing blood.

“Death won’t stop what I’m going to do to you,” Vargus growled. “I’m looking forward to this.”

“You’re disgusting,” the girl said, leaping at him again. Her form blurred as shadows seemed to cloak her, but Vargus pounded a fist against his chest. A ripple of gray energy swept out, and he spun, raising his blade.

The girl’s blades rang off it and he thrust his hand forward, striking her in the chest. She tumbled back, skidding across the ground and slamming to a stop against the captain’s raised boot.

“You aren’t the only one with a Path,” Vargus said with a savage grin, lowering his sword.

The girl’s eyes flashed and she whipped one of the daggers at him with blinding speed. Vargus raised his hands, knocking it slightly off its path, but it wasn’t enough to fully block the blow.

The dagger scored across his throat instead of punching into it. Blood sprayed from the wound and Vargus gasped, pressing his hands against it as hard as he could. Captain Blud brought his huge sword down on the girl.

It punched through her chest, and he ripped it out with casual disregard. The girl gasped, her mouth working as she tried to get air. Her body twitched as the life left her eyes and she died.

Vargus kept his hand pressed to his neck as hard as he could. The would was terrible, but he was pretty sure it wouldn’t be fatal. He started toward her, but froze as a brutal roar shook the camp. A cheer rose up from the bandits, but it turned to cries of dismay almost immediately after.

Spinning toward the source of the noise, Vargus’ face went pale. The man that had charged into he camp stood above a heap of bodies. A dozen weapons stuck out of him, and a thick sword sprouted clean from his stomach. By all means, he should have been dead.

Instead, the man grabbed a bandit and literally hugged him to death, driving all the weapons sticking out of him into the unfortunate man. About eight other men were still standing, and they’d formed a circle around the assailant.

“What manner of monster is that?” Vargus wheezed, terror building in his chest. His captain, however, showed no similar fears.

Blud charged toward the man, red energy crackling around him. As the captain and the man started to fight, Vargus turned toward the fallen assassin. She was unmoving, the blood pooling around her body.