Ashes and Kingdoms

It was also until the sun leaned west that he was able to say something swallowing.

"I don't see one cabin... it's going to be wild by the street like this"

Looking around, Finn frowns. Igross looked up to the sky bitterly.

"Besides, the moon is not going to worship you tonight."

Grey cotton clouds were beginning to increase in the western sky, which was dyeing light peaches. Oandus also looks over into the sky and smells the air and says:

"It won't rain, but the clouds are going to come out pretty good. You'd better get ready for the fire early."

Nellis and Fauna also looked around anxiously. The streets cross gentle undulating hills and try to get into shallow valleys. On both sides you can see the wooden streets spreading and the white muscles of the streets running stitched between them leading to the next hill. In just a few places, the forest covered the road and hid it.

When the empire was healthy, it was always taken care of so that no trees could grow within metres of either side of the street. Because when the roots stretch and push up the bedrock, the road is damaged, and the bushes that reach it until the time of the road completely hide the appearance of the pursuit that is being ambushed.

But now, reaching from the edge of the bedrock is enough to touch the leaves of the tree.

"I wonder how many years I've been left alone"

Finn twinkles and drops his eyes on the cobblestone at his feet. Sand clogs the gap between the polished stone and the stone, and the small grass has already stretched out the soggy and thin leaves. Finn has never been this far down the street, but the road he goes by when he goes to Nanais was always beautiful and the stones and stones stuck together perfectly.

"Well," Igross scratched his head, answering Finn's soliloquy. "Five years... six years. Or ten years? Anyway, by the time I joined the barracks, street repairs weren't our job anymore. Ever since then, the Imperial Capital has become noisy."

"Is something wrong?

Finn encouraged the conversation as he searched for the right place for Wildlife. Igross also continues in the sky above, running his gaze to the left and right of the hand.

"The emperor has been replaced, the commander-in-chief has resigned, he has been killed, the Dragon Horse Council has been dissolved, and so much news has arrived."

A Dragon Hou Conference is a remnant of a former Great War. A human being with the help of a rare and noble dragon - "Dragon Marquis" was one of the few and always only to the point of being enough with ten fingers. Naturally, their speaking power and prestige grew, and eventually the "Dragon Horse" centered around "The Dragon King" began to move the human world. As a result, it led to division and strife after the war.

Even after the age of Migawa had ended and the dragon had ceased to be seen, only the title remained.

Oandus clinging his neck tilted and roared.

"Speaking of which, you don't know who the emperor is now. All I remember is Lady Aedius."

"That grandfather was busy, but hey," Igross smiled bitterly as he threw up a disrespectful dialogue. "For better or worse, he was a boner, and he was trying his best to re-beat the great man of a fumbling empire. You looked like you succeeded, stupid breath. Looks like the kid screwed up. A few years after his eldest son Genus took office, he was assassinated, and then I wonder how many were replaced. We don't know who's sitting on the throne right now because we haven't heard from him."

The public discourse is getting quicker and quicker. Igros himself, there was no way he was aware of it. Rather occupying his head was the darkness around him.

Both Finn and Oandus knew that. He's just pretending to be okay, he's threatened. Neither do we.

At last the deception stopped and Igross stopped. Finn also stops his leg and does his hand on the sword pattern. Nellis and Fauna blued themselves together and hurried to remove the corner light from their luggage.

"... hey, I wonder if I can turn back"

Nellis whispers and suggests to no one. There was no one to answer, but that was because everyone knew it was too late.

The forest covered no longer a row of overhead, still almost hiding the sky that remained of light. The road disappears into darkness, and behind it - pounding, and the blue light lights.

"Just the hell...?

Igross snapped and pulled out his sword. Finn also sets up a sword and runs his eyes left and right. "It doesn't look like we're here," Oandus replied from behind. At that time, I made a noise and a light entered the corner light. The blue dot blinks and disappears all the time.

"Let's stay back slowly," Oandus just said. "Get down to safety and wait till morning."

Nellis and Fauna put up corner lights and are already twitching and lagging behind. But the previous two didn't move.

"It won't be worth waiting for."

Igross roars. Finn looked back and said to the Oandus, who frowned on what it meant.

"The darkness of this road is unusual. I'm sure in the morning or midday, this place remains dark. I can still see the bright sky from the gap in the perimeter, but beyond that..."

At the tip of the finger, the invisible darkness completely ahead. I don't even know the blurry shape of the trees. The forest overlooked from the top of the hill was never dense, and even where the forest partially hides the streets, it is unlikely that this much darkness will arise.

Nellis perceived the situation, drank a good spit, hoisted a corner light, and came by Finn.

"So you're going to have to run through it."

"Yes," Finn nodded with a hard look. "Please keep your aunt on the horse. My uncle has a pine light. Nellis asks for this horse. I'll hold the horn lights."

"Okay."

When Nellis gave him the corner light, he instead received a drawstring of carriages from Igross. The horse is also nervous, putting his ears to sleep and feeling. The darkness seemed to have retreated somewhat when Oandus posted a lit pine light at the rear.

"Let's go. Slowly at first... when you signal, run as hard as you can."

Igross whispered. Everyone nods and looks forward. Now, I still don't see the blue dot.

Led by two men with swords, a line stepped into the darkness. Makes Nellis sneak a horse that he hates and sneaks in.

It was quiet. Nothing sounds so unnaturally. Only one line of footsteps forward echoes on the loose.

The darkness itself was like one giant creature. Proceed into its belly. Finn's hand holding the sword is slightly damp with sweat.

(Where, where it comes from)

Running his eyes left and right, Finn was looking for a blue light point, as usual. Tensions grew, and I reached a limit where I was going to scream or run out in a little while, then...

Kick, and the scratching sound ripped the air.

Finn and Igross quickly put up their swords and put their strength into their feet. A moment later, something hit me with a loud noise.

"Son of a bitch, what the fuck!

Igross calls, bouncing back an invisible blow. It sounded like hard steel.

"I'm blind......!

I roared, not about his own eyes. I can't see that blue light point. I can't grasp the sense of distance.

Next to the poisoning Igross, Finn causes his trembling knees to follow, with his stifling arms, relying on sounds and signs to prevent attacks. Moving forward a little bit, but I also didn't know if my opponent was sitting in the middle of the street, or if he was attacking me hiding in the darkness of either left or right.

(at least if there are already soaking lights)

Bite the wish with his back teeth, and Finn waves his sword with one hand, with the corner light on with one hand. It was imagined that the 'beast', which appeared within the reach of light only for a moment, was closer to a giant beetle than it was to say a beast. Something like a tentacle that will make you harder will cut the sky and hit you.

While he was desperate to prevent an attack, he apparently forgot me, too. A pompous blue light point appeared on the way. Not in the middle of business. On the left.

"Run right!

Igross yells and waves his arm. Fauna and Oandus rushed out ahead of Nellis. Finn hounds the 'beast' to the left end of the road with a corner light so that they can escape. Igross quickly runs to the end of the road, preventing tentacles from flying in his goings and buying time for the three of them to rush through.

I didn't think I could take him down, etc. Unless you use something special, even a magical sword blessed by the gods, because no matter how much you stab or poke in a lightless situation, the 'beasts' don't feel any itch.

As the three and two heads rushed past their backs, Igross and Finn also resumed moving forward while preventing the attack. Knowing that the prey had escaped, the blue light point burned cold and the attack became as intense as it had hit eight.

"Damn, hurry up, kid! We're getting away!"

Igross yells. Finn was wearing a corner light, but one hand at a time. It takes a lot of work to get around protecting yourself. Igros, on the other hand, waved his sword with both hands, but there was no light. When Oandus' pine lights turned away, darkness crept towards him.

"Come on, you idiot!

Shortly after Igross screamed in a frenzied state, Finn fell sideways about a blow to his right leg. The corner light leaves your hand and flies through space. Igross grabbed it desperately.

Finn remained down and watched the trajectory drawn by the light of the corner light. My right leg doesn't feel like it's ripped or frozen down from my knee, my blood draws from my face, and my sour stomach juice creaks up.

Igross' face, illuminated by a corner lamp, was reflected in Finn's vision distorted by agony. A face that turns pale, opens its eyes slightly, and gazes at its fallen companion. What floats there is despair and fear, and...

It was a terribly long moment.

Die, shortly after Finn was ready, Igross' hand reached out and dragged Finn up. Finn also turned back to me, and when he dragged his right foot and stood up with only his left foot and arm, he clasped to the hand of salvation. They desperately escaped from there, following through.

Nobody even tried to talk after they managed to get all through the darkness safely and set fire to the blazing empty spaces of intermittent moonlight and let their hips down. When dealing with Finn's legs, Nellis and Fauna just whispered a word or two and talked to him about what to do. My leg had a purple mole in my thick muscle, but as with the wounds I had suffered on duty nights so far, I had not bled.

Finn was flabbergasted as he was given a degree of rest. I couldn't even remember how they got here on the run. All I remember is, you know, an ominous long moment.

(At that moment, Igross did try to abandon me)

On a face lit by a corner lamp, it was brutally clear that it appeared. Finn was shocked by that, but he also knew he couldn't blame Igross.

(Me too)

I might abandon it.

For that moment, if I grabbed the corner light and ran away as it was, it would have been a lot safer than helping Finn up. The beast is busy eating fins and would have missed out on Igross. The best way to survive that place anyway was to abandon the fallen, as a separate issue for nights that still had to be crossed and dangers on the road. No one can blame him for his straying.

The understanding penetrated slowly into his paralyzed head, and Finn swerved into battle.

Just as I couldn't help but be abandoned today, I might one day abandon someone myself too. To survive. And it's not even a matter of being selfish or cowardly.

- That's the reality of those who live in this world now.

Finn held his knees and buried his head in his arms. It was barely even in my ear that Oandus told me he was going to be on the best watch.