Arthur Leywin POV
"No, please! Please! Just let her go!" I pleaded desperately as I sat on my hands and knees.
Tears fell from my bloody face as the twin horns lay on the ground next to me, dead. Helen had been decapitated, Jasmine was impaled to the ceiling, Adam was cut in half, Durden was a burnt crisp, Angela's heart had been ripped out of her body, and Aaron had his skin pulled off his body.
My eyes flicked to my friends, Claire, Theo, Lilia, and Caera, as they had been mutilated and tortured. They all lay on the ground in pieces, hardly recognizable.
My eyes fell back to the large horned figure with black armor, who was holding Tess by her throat in his left hand. Tess flailed and gasped, trying to get out of his clutches.
"A-A-Art!" Tess managed to scream out.
"Listen to her scream! Listen to her beg for her life! This is because of you! Because you're too weak to face a Scythe!" The horned creature yelled with a sinister grin.
I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists. My eyes fell to despair as it lay in front of me. I wanted to reach out and grab it, to fight back. But I didn't move an inch. My body was trembling because I was too scared; the scythes powers was overwhelming.
"Please. Just let her go. I'll do anything." I said through tearful gasps as I watched my fiancé gasp for air.
The Scythe just grinned as he stared down at me. Suddenly he burst out into a sinister laugh as I watched his grip on Tess' throat tighten. My eyes widened with anger and fear as I watched blood start to fall down her neck.
"Stop!!! Please! Stop hurting her!" I begged, reaching out to them.
The Scythe just gave a wicked grin as he stop laughing. He looked at Tess up and down, seeing her flailing and gasping for air, before he looked back to me.
"Very well. I will grant her a reprieve." The Scythe said.
I was filled with hope as I watched intently, waiting for him to let Tess go. However, my eyes flicked to his right hand as he raised it. Another grin formed on the scythe's face as she shoved his hand into Tess' chest. The sounds of flesh tearing and bones cracking echoed throughout the dungeon chamber.
"Nooooo!!!!!!!" I yelled.
Tess coughed up blood as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Her body became limp as the Scythe pulled his hand out, holding her still heart.
"There. She's now free from the pain!" The Scythe yelled as she burst into laughter.
He squished her heart in his hands as he tossed her limp body in front of me. My eyes followed Tess' body as it landed on the ground with a thud. My body was shaking as the noise in the room seemed to die down. I slowly crawled to Tess' body, reached my hand out, and gently brushed my fingers through her smooth, gunmetal gray hair.
As I gazed upon her lifeless body, it felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. Suddenly anger swelled within me as my eyes flicked to the Scythe, as he just gazed upon me with a toothy smile.
I quickly grabbed despair and launched myself, flying towards the Scythe. I wrapped despair in fire magic as I closed in on the scythe. I thrust despair forward, aimed at his chest. As the tip of despair touched his armor, the scythe quickly knocked despair away at a speed I couldn't comprehend. The scythe reached out and grabbed me by my neck.
I gasped for air as the Scythe tightened his grip on my neck and pulled me close. I could smell the stench of his stinking breath as his face was mere inches from mine.
"Such a failure. Did you honestly think you could protect them? You were always weak. You always will be weak." The Scythe said.
I tried to speak, but no words escaped my lips as I desperately tried to breathe. My eyes fell to his right hand as he raised it.
"Goodbye, Lance." The Scythe said.
The Scythe gave me one last grin before he thrust his hand forward into my chest.
My eyes shot open as I breathed heavily. I was currently lying down in bed inside my tent, drenched in sweat. I could still feel the pain from the scythe stabbing me in the chest as I lay there.
'That was one hell of a dream.'
As I continued to lay there, I became conscious of the weight of someone lying next to me. I looked to my left, and my eyes fell on Tess as she slept next to me. She had her head lying on my left shoulder, and her arm was lying across my chest. I smiled with relief, seeing her, feeling her warm body me as we were in the tent by ourselves.
Sylvie decided she wanted to stay in her own tent, so Tess and I could be alone with each other more often. I made Regis stay with Sylvie, even though he wanted to stay with Tess and me. He said it wasn't fair he had to miss the action.
I carefully began to trace my finger along her bare back, as neither of us were wearing any clothes after our lustful night. I leaned down, gently placing a kiss on the top of her head. I felt Tess stir a little, and she smacked her lips.
"Good morning," Tess said in a tired voice as she still had her eyes closed.
My lips trembled hearing the angelic voice of hers. The dream felt too real; to hear Tess talk, to hear her breathe, it gave me a sense of peace.
"Good morning," I said blissfully.
Tess lifted her head, and slowly opened her eyes, revealing her beautiful emerald gems, "Are you ok? You feel tense."
I gave her a small smile as I continued to trace her back, feeling her shiver a little. I continued to stare into her eyes, getting lost in their beauty, a beauty I never wanted to lose.
My smile faded, and I looked at Tess seriously, "Hey, Tess. If I ask you to go back and stay at the floating castle, to leave the war, would you?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
Tess' eyebrows furrowed, "Why would you ask me to do that? You know I can take care of myself. Do you not think I'm strong enough or something? I've been fighting in the war for a while now already." Tess said a little defensively.
"I know. And I know it's selfish of me to ask. It's just..." my voice trailed off, with my gaze flicked down.
"Just what?" Tess asked with a raised brow.
"I had a nightmare," I said, shivering a little, thinking about the dream. "It was about the Scythes I told you about. We were attacked by one, and you were killed in front of me. It felt so real. I felt so helpless." My eyes flicked back to Tess, feeling slightly warm, "I don't know what I would do if something ever happened to you."
Tess' gaze softened, and she gave me a warm smile. Tess lifted herself a little as she laid herself on top of me. I continued to rub her back, feeling her breasts lying against my chest. My lips broke into a warm smile as we gazed into each other's eyes.
Tess lifted her hand, gently caressing my face, "I know you're worried about me. I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about you, too, even if you are a lance. So how about this? Let's promise to watch each other's backs and make sure we come out of this war alive. Then we can spend the rest of our lives together."
I smiled warmly as I nodded, "Sounds good to me. I promise."
I leaned forward, placing a loving kiss on Tess' soft lips. Tess giggled a little as we broke the kiss. I continued to look at her when a thought came to mind.
"Hey, Tess, I'm going to do something really quick. You may feel a slight burning sensation on your back." I said.
Tess looked at me, confused for a second, with a raised brow. "Ok," Tess said with some hesitation.
I firmly pressed my left hand against Tess' bare back between her shoulder blades. An amethyst glow emanated from my hand as Tess gasped a little. After a few seconds, the glow subsided, and I removed my hand.
"What did you do?" Tess asked as she shrugged her shoulders.
I created a small ice mirror in my hands as I positioned it so she could see her back.
"I placed a tracking rune on you. This way, I will always know where you are and know when you are in danger. It will also allow me to open a portal to your location." I explained.
Tess looked at the mirror in surprise before a smile formed on her face, and she looked at me. "I guess I can't hide from you anymore," Tess said playfully.
"Nope," I chuckled. "Just don't show Gramps. I don't need him beating me with another cactus for giving you a tattoo."
Tess giggled, "He'll think you're a bad influence on me."
"No more than I already am," I said as we both laughed.
Our laughs slowly died down, and Tess leaned her head down, lying flat on top of me. I wrapped my arms around her, keeping her close. We continued to lay there until I heard noise from outside the tent, signaling that people were starting to wake up.
"I guess we should get up," I said.
Tess nodded, with her head lying against my chest, "I know. I just wish we could lay here forever."
I smiled at the thought, "One day. But for now, we have work to do."
Tess nodded as she raised her head and gave me one more kiss. We both got out of bed and stretched. I looked around my tent, which consisted of a bed, a desk, and dresser, and a tub that was big enough for two.
Using fire and water magic, I filled the tub with warm water so Tess and I could get washed up together. I sat in the tub first with my back against the tub's wall, with Tess leaning her back against me. It felt nice and relaxing to lay with her in the warm water, and Tess commented how it was one of her favorite things to do. Afterward, we got dressed, and I disposed of the water.
"Want to go hang out with everyone?" Tess asked curiously.
I smiled and chuckled, "You read my mind; lead the way."
***
"Next!" I yelled.
After Tess and I left the tent, we decided to go hang out with her squad. However, me being a lance got the attention of everyone in the unit. One of the soldiers asked me to a spar, which I accepted. Now, it's turned into a whole training session. I didn't mind since I could assess the men in the unit and get some training in. Though, after training with Grey, I could see how my sword skills had tremendously improved.
I looked around the circle of people that were gathered around me, looking for my next opponent. As I scanned the crowd, my eyes fell on a familiar figure.
"Aaron! Do you want a go?" I asked with excitement.
Aaron, who was standing next to Jasmine, looked my way with a raised brow. "Nah, I'm good," Aaron said with a shrug.
"Oh, come on. Don't think you can handle it?" I said tauntingly.
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size." I heard a familiar voice say behind me.
I turned around towards the voice and smirked. Standing in front of me was Caera, who had her arms crossed while giving me a smug smile.
"Hello, Caera. Think you can handle it?" I asked tauntingly.
"Wow. Leave for two and a half years, and you suddenly forget who the best swordsman is." Caera teased.
I just narrowed my eyes at her. "Things have changed since then. My skills with the sword have improved. Care to find out for yourself?" I asked as I gestured for her to step into the sparing area.
Caera just smirked as she shrugged, "Sure. I don't mind beating you in front of everyone."
I chuckled as Caera took her long ruby sword out from her ring and walked into the sparing area. She proceeded to stand a few feet away from me as we both got into a fighting stance.
'Wait!!!!' I heard Regis yell mentally.
'What?!' I asked mentally in a panic, not sure what was wrong.
Suddenly Regis burst through the crowd and sat down in front of everyone.
'No way I was going to miss my horned goddess fighting. Now you may proceed.' Regis said mentally as I rolled my eyes.
'You really are a horn dog.' Sylvie said mentally as she walked into view, giving Regis a side-eye.
'I am a simple majestic weapon. I know what I want.' Regis said proudly. Sylvie and I both just rolled our eyes at him.
Sylvie then smiled as she walked over to Tess, who was watching my spars with Claire and Theo. Tess smiled brightly when Sylvie walked over and picked her up, and placed Sylvie on top of her shoulders. They both laughed happily, watching me with bright eyes. My eyes flicked to Lilia, standing beside them, who was watching earlier, but now she seemed to be paying it no mind. Tess said Lilia still harbored ill feelings towards Caera for Jarrod's death. I just hoped that one day she could forgive her.
I looked back to Caera confidently, "You ready?"
"Ready when you are," Caera said with a smirk.
"Call it Regis," I said.
"Ah-em. Three. Two. Caera is hot. One. Go!" Regis yelled.
I ignored his comment as Caera, and I both dashed forward. Caera swung her sword at me in a horizontal slash. I quickly swung despair up vertically, parrying her attack. Caera lost her balance as I blocked her attack, and her sword arm rose into the air from the block.
I quickly spun on my heel, keeping my inertia, as I spun in a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree circle. I swung despair towards Caera in one fluid attack as I dulled despair with mana.
Caera grew wide-eyed at my attack and quickly jumped back, just barely dodging my attack. Caera skidded to a halt as she looked at me surprised.
"You've gotten faster," Caera said as she gave me a smug smile.
I chuckled, "Told you I've improved."
Caera nodded, "Very well. I guess I'll give it my all."
Caera and I both dashed forward, and our swords clashed between us as we pressed against each other in a test of strength. Caera physically shook but managed to hold her own. We both quickly jumped back as Caera swung her sword at me in a downward motion.
I sidestepped out of the way and spun behind Caera. I thrust my sword forward, aimed straight at her back. Without looking back, Caera swung her sword behind her over her shoulder and parried my attack.
I took a few steps back, shocked and impressed at her defenses. Caera quickly spun around and got into another fighting stance.
Caera smirked, "You'll have to be faster than that."
"I have to say. Your sword skills remind me of the one who trained me." I said.
Caera shrugged, "I told you I was the better swordsman."
"Well, see," I said smugly.
I dashed forward as Caera swung her sword down at me vertically. I swung despair up as if I was going to parry her attack. However, I pulled despair away at the last second in a feint. Caera grew wide-eyed as she stumbled forward. I placed my foot in front of hers, tripping her.
I quickly turned to face her as her back was turned to me and dashed forward before she could regain her balance. Just as Caera began to turn to face me, I shoulder-checked her pushing her back. Caera stumbled back, losing her balance again, and fell backward onto her back.
As Caera landed on the ground, I quickly moved to stand next to her and stabbed the ground next to her head. Caera grew wide-eyed as she looked at the blade, then at me, meeting my eyes.
"I think I won, Caera," I said teasingly.
Caera just sighed as she gave me a warm smile. "That you have. I concede."
I put despair away as I reached my hand out. Caera took my hand, and I helped her up. "Good spar Arthur," Caera said as she began to walk away quickly.
"Ah-em! I believe you have something to say." I said as I crossed my arms with a smug smile.
Caera stopped and tensed. She turned to face me with narrowed eyes. My smug smile widened, and I gestured for Caera to speak. Caera let out a sigh as she playfully rolled her eyes.
Caera let out a faint whisper, which could barely be heard.
I cupped my hand around my ear playfully, "I'm sorry, what? I didn't hear you."
Caera's eyes narrowed, and she grumbled, "You're the better swordsman."
I crossed my arms playfully and looked at her with my head held high, "That wasn't so hard, now was it."
"I'm going to hit you," Caera said light-heartedly.
"I like to see you try," I teased.
Caera just smirked. "Oh, it's o-"
"Attention, everyone!" Helen yelled, cutting off Caera. Everyone turned to Helen as she walked up to the group. "The last scout group came back. They found the boss chamber. Everyone get ready. We'll move out in an hour."
Everyone quickly began to disperse to get ready. I looked at Caera as she began to walk away. "Hey, Caera," I said, getting her attention.
Caera stopped and looked at me. "What is it?" Caera asked curiously.
"I just wanted to ask before we got to the boss battle. How are you doing?" I asked.
Caera sighed as she gave me a small smile, "I'm fine."
I gave her a sympathetic smile, "Ok. But if you ever want to talk. I'm here." I said genuinely.
"I know Arthur. Thank you." Caera said with a nod as she walked off.
I continued to watch her walk off until Tess, Sylvie, and Regis walked up to me.
"Is she ok?" Tess asked, sounding genuinely concerned, watching her walk off.
"She's fine. Just dealing with some stuff." I said as Tess nodded.
I looked at Tess with a smile and pulled her into a side hug. "You guys ready?" I asked, looking at Regis and Sylvie.
"Hell, yes. I've been getting bored just laying around here." Regis said.
"I'm ready, papa," Sylvie said.
I looked back to Tess, who gave me a nod. "Alright then." I began. "Let's go kill a dungeon boss."