203 Legions of Blood (1/2)
The further out they went, the more peaceful it became. Or rather, it was more peaceful in comparison to the darkness infested hellscape it had been before. There were monsters, of course, many of them insectoid, but they were the normal kind that simply avoided Li when he extended his presence and bid them to mind their own business.
The overgrown overhead canopy of the trees had also started to lift. The excess branches withered into nothingness, falling off into flakes of mulch that would nourish the forest floor below. As the branches withdrew, they revealed the moonlit sky above.
Tonight, there was a large, full moon, shining bright like an oversized star of sterling silver. It was not time for a full moon, but no doubt, Li's moonbeam had drawn out its full shine for the night.
The forest floor itself became far tamer. Instead of a menagerie of toxic grasses, weeds, vines, and mushrooms, balance began to flow in. Some of the poisonous flora remained, but original, native types that had long since been choked out after the wood's corruption were starting to shoot back up.
However, as they neared the forest edge which reached back out into the main roads, that was Li foresaw that they would encounter problem.
Li heard it first, even before they had reached the edge of the forest. A mass gathering of men. A veritable army full of armor and weapons that clattered and steeds that whinnied. They were not moving. They were standing out at the forest's edge, as if waiting for something from within to come out.
Or perhaps, they were preparing themselves to move in.
”Papa,” asked Tia, tilting her head, her pointed ears twitching as she tried her hardest to hear. ”Shiny men. Lots and lots of them.”
Li nodded and knelt down, putting Tia down from his shoulder. ”I hear them too, Tia. Stay close by me, alright?”
Tia stayed behind Li and nodded. ”Will it be dangerous, papa?”
”With this many men, there is always risk. But with me, there will never be danger.”
”No danger boring,” said Tia. She smiled, baring her fangs. ”If shiny men fight, I fight too.”
Li patted her head. ”Yes, you can fight, but don't over do it. Papa doesn't want you to get hurt after all.”
He stood up and addressed Launcelot, ”Launcelot, do you have any idea of what is going on? I can hear several thousand men, all armored and all armed. That is a legitimate army.”
”Several thousand?” Shock wreathed Launcelot's face. ”No, I know of no reason why such a formidable force would be here. Riviera itself merely has a force of ten thousand standing knights, twenty thousand if all reserves are drawn up.
It could not ever afford to mobilize several thousand men, especially not when it is known that demonic threats loom near.”
She crossed her arms.
”I am not surprised so many forces have come this way.”
”Shall we find a means to evade them? If you do not wish to engage with them.” said Launcelot. ”I would like to say my noble title would grant us safe passage through an army, but alas, a noble title does not mean as much as it did before the duchess's reign.”
”They're forming a neat perimeter around the forest,” said Li. ”Avoiding them will be pointless. I will meet them head on and get an idea of they are doing also.”
==========
Outside the forest, Li and his group met the knights. There were an immense host of them, stretching all across the main roads and flanking the boundaries of the forest. Immediately noticeable was that they were not the knights of Riviera.
These men had a different feel about them.
Where the knights of Riviera emitted a lax, almost friendly aura, these knights were the complete antithesis. All of them marched in complete and utter synchronized, near robotic efficiency, their postures straight, their formations perfectly structured.
Their armor was different. They had armor that shone bright and white, glowing with a dull luster even in the night. It was a shine that glowed not through the aid of moonlight, even if the moon was full, but because of the shine of magic imbued within the metal.
At the top of their helms were deeply crimson plumes that were so dark a red they were hard to see in the night.
The men were all distinctly taller than the knights of Riviera, and they looked wider too, stronger, more built with muscle and hardiness.
Li scanned the knights as they paused to look at him, and he determined that they ranged in level from the thirties to the fifties. Compared to Rivieran knights whom barely broke past level thirty, this was a massive step up. In fact, the stronger knights were even more powerful than silver ranked adventurers, with the strongest among them easily being able to challenge Launcelot, a top tier combatant, in terms of sheer stats.
”The Bannermen of Duvin,” whispered Launcelot aloud as he blinked in wonder. ”I would recognize their standard from anywhere. Red lily splashed atop fabric of glistening white. Blood atop snow. No man from Soleil would not know.”
”I have read about them,” said Li, nodding. ”The most powerful of the five armies under Soleil. Curious to see them so far up north from their southern homes. But I guess I will find out soon enough.”
Li stepped forwards, and as he did so, there was an immediate reaction from the knights.
They drew their weapons at lighting speed, the front ranks withdrawing spears that pointed down to Li. Several dozen white pointed spear tips all aimed at Li, charged with tense energy ready to thrust forwards.