Adventures of the Lightborn Squad

Chapter 4: Home Defense

He studies the far-off bush curiously. Then they both hear it. A demon.

Silvanna grabs her makeshift lance and leaps as Granger grabs his gun, both alert. They move at the same time.

Bang!

Granger's perfect shot causes the demon to slump over, dead. The air is unnaturally still.

HOWL!

Suddenly, more demons appeared from all sides.

It was a trap!

Quickly, Granger uses his quick dash technique that he's perfected. Now beside the Princess, they stand back-to-back facing the demons.

Then, they attack.

Granger aims with deadly accuracy as Silvanna jumps and spears the nearer demons. These are lower level demons and they make quick work of them.

But when Granger turns around, he realizes that the demons meant to drive the two apart. He can't even see Silvanna now, the forest a perfect hiding place for many undesirable creatures.

More demons burst out from behind him, and he fires off his shots. Almost as though in slo-mo, he sees one leaping in the air towards him.

Granger's eyes widen as he reloads. He knows he won't be able to shoot in time. He braces for the inevitable pain.

Suddenly the creature draws back in a howl. After another flash of blue light, it slumps over, dead. Granger stumbles back, dazed. He looks towards the source of the blue light.

A little person is high in the tree. Granger's eyes flicker to his silver hair, then to his ears and his tail.... he's a Leonin, Granger realizes.

"Don't move!" the Leonin says. He jumps down to the ground, hands still stretched out, his right hand glowing blue.

"Who are you?" he says threateningly. He is fierce for a little thing.

"Just a demon hunter." Granger says, lowering his gun to his side to show that he meant the Leonin no harm. Before he can reply, there was a dash in the bushes, and the marksman and Leonin raise their weapons towards the bushes.

Two men emerge, a large man in heavy armour and a blonde man in a blue coat.

The blonde glances at him, and his eyes lit up in recognition. "Granger?"

"Alucard?"

"You know each other?" the Leonin looks from one man to the other, his tail swishing curiously.

"We're friends," Alucard looks at Granger curiously, "What are you doing here?"

Granger opens his mouth but someone else replies.

"We were on the way to the Imperial Sanctuary." came a silvery voice from behind Granger. She threw the head of her cloak back.

"Princess?!" the two men and the Leonin cry.

Huh, Granger wonders, how come they knew who she is and I didn't?

***

Silvanna tells them the condensed version of the last few days.

Granger is glad to see that Silvanna seems relaxed amongst these men. She seems to trust them, especially the large man.

Granger's also grateful to see Alucard. They had known each other while growing up in the Monastery, and they had even trained together at times. They were not exactly friends, but they were friendly, he supposed. Alucard had always told Granger he respected his skills, albeit begrudgingly sometimes.

At least he wouldn't be looking at Granger with suspicion, like the large man is.

"I can vouch for him. His name is Granger, he used to live in the Monastery of Light. We can trust him." Alucard speaks up. Granger knew that with his clothes and his sullen demeanour, he cut a very intimidating figure.

"Alright," Tigreal relents. He turns to Silvanna to deliver his report.

"Demons breached the Barrier of Justice yesterday. We've been fighting them off since then. I've positioned Imperial Knights to patrol the nearby villages."

"There's more." Tigreal hesitates, as though he doesn't want to say what he's about to say. "We've received a tip-off of an incoming Abyssal attack. They're led by someone who calls himself Dyrroth. Prince Dyrroth."

He takes a deep breath. "He looks exactly like a young version of King Aurelius II."

There was silence after that.

No one dared to say anything, but everyone was thinking it. What was this? Some twisted demonic plan? Or perhaps an undead puppet bewitched to look like the King?

"No," Princess Silvanna breathed out. "This is a demonic trick."

"Princess," Tigreal starts, but Silvanna does not want to hear anymore.

"I need to return to the Imperial Sanctuary as quickly as possible. I must seek guidance."

Tigreal nods. "My sister Fanny can take you. She is fast and light on her feet, and she can forge the quickest path while providing you with enough protection. In the meantime, we will hold the demons off."

Silvanna glanced at Granger in hesitation, and he knew why. She had promised him a reward, plus this was not exactly his battle to fight.

But the situation has changed.

"Go." he told her. "Get back to the Imperial Sanctuary. I'll help them hold the demons off here. I'll meet you there when we've cleared this area."

Princess Silvanna nods. "Thank you," she says. Granger's hands itch of their own volition to do something. But he has no right. So instead he nods back.

Silvanna walks away with Tigreal, and as they leave, Granger hears her ask Tigreal quietly about the King and Queen.

"Good to see you. It's been some time." comes Alucard's voice. "We could definitely use your skills here. Between you and me, the demons won't know what hit them."

Granger turned to Alucard.

"Their death will be music to my ears."

***