As soon as Nolan heard the woman's scream, he knew instantly it could only be one of the two survivors still fighting: the gentle and courageous Luna or the violent Vice-Captain Milla.
This time, he fought against his own instincts for self-preservation and quickly stood up, searching for the direction from which the scream came. But as soon as he located its origin, he froze in place.
That's because the one who screamed for help was Milla, and even if he tried to run to her now, it would be too late…
The Vice-Captain had fallen on her back; she was panting, her left arm was bleeding and immobile, seemingly having suffered a serious injury. Her other arm was using all its strength to try to stop the Lizardfolk that was mounted on her, holding a short sword with both hands, poised to pierce her heart.
It was obvious to Nolan that with only one arm, she wouldn't resist long enough for him to reach her. And to make matters worse, the sword exuded a blue glow that somehow increased the sharpness and cutting power of the short blade. The Lizardfolk grinned with satisfaction as he watched the tip of the sword begin to pierce Milla's iron breastplate as if it were butter.
"NO!"
Nolan simply shouted and pointed his open hand towards Milla as if trying to reach her in time. At the same time, his desperate cry caused the violent Vice-Captain to turn her head towards him, seeing his desperate movement as he ran towards her.
When everything seemed inevitable, Nolan, who at that moment had a truly murderous intent towards the Lizardfolk with the short sword, felt a slight warmth coming from his left heel.
It was the first time he had felt something like this; the warmth was comfortable and natural, similar to breathing.
At the same time, the Lizardfolk felt the air around him disappear, and an enormous invisible force tightened around his neck from all directions.
"Gasp"
A final sound escaped his throat; it was the last breath in his lungs. The Lizardfolk dropped the short sword that was about to pierce its prey and fell to the ground, gasping for air, its hands scratching at its own neck in despair.
Vice-Captain Milla struggled to her feet, clutching her injured arm, and watched the Lizardfolk gasp for air as it was strangled by an unseen force.
In less than 30 seconds, their futile struggle ended, and he lay dead with wide, red eyes.
Milla turned, looking again at Nolan, who was now staring at his own hand in horror…
Nolan was initially startled and confused about how he had killed the enemy from over 10 meters away, but as soon as the enemy stopped breathing, he felt the heat in his left heel diminish, and soon a slight chill emanated from there.
How had he not noticed the other scar on his heel? And what power was that? To kill someone in a matter of seconds, it had to be at least a powerful Silver Scar. Judging by the cold emanating from his heel, he knew he couldn't use that Scar anymore today. So, despite its lethality, it at least had one acceptable limitation.
But still, why had he forgotten that he had been wounded in that spot by one of The Viper's arrows? It's true he was beaten, covered in wounds, and died soon after, but he hadn't noticed it in the last four days and really didn't know how it happened…
"Now I know that at least I have a scar that allows me to fight… After all, after the enormous disappointment of getting two Bronze scars and one Gold scar that I don't know how to use, I finally understand how one of them works…"
Putting aside how strange that situation of forgetfulness was, Nolan focused on the battlefield. The battle, which had barely lasted 10 minutes, had finally ended, and the humans were the victors.
He was relieved to see Luna leaning against a tree, breathing with difficulty, but still alive. Then he worriedly observed his angry Vice-Captain, who had also survived, but had a wound on her right arm, something very worrying for anyone in this world.
Besides the two of them, Nolan saw only one other human survivor; he was in a dark part of the forest leaning against a tree. So, including himself, only 4 people seemed to have survived…
"This is too brutal, forget surviving injuries, the war itself was too lethal! If I could choose, I wouldn't go into another battle like this so soon!"
"Check our fallen soldiers, there might be some who are still alive!"
The Vice-Captain said in a loud tone, which was heard by the other 3 survivors.
"Right!"
Nolan nodded in response and went to check the human soldiers who were closest. But as soon as he took two steps, he remembered something important!
"ZACK!"
There were few people alive now, and if he was wounded, this would be a good way to get rid of him!
Sweeping the battlefield, Nolan soon spotted a man lying on his back beside a partially destroyed tree, wearing full iron armor. His armor was matte black and almost as new as the Captain's, showing that his father had invested heavily in his only heir.
As he approached the young assassin and confirmed that he was still alive, Nolan's expression turned completely cold as he picked up a dagger lying on the ground and crouched down beside Zack…
***
SCARMITH'S DIARY - EDITION #1023
Column: The Greatest Dangers in the World - Danger 23:
Lapha Mosquitoes
Living in a world where monsters and demi-humans exist puts us in constant danger; that's a fact. But for those who live on the brink of death, where any injury could be their last, there comes a point when fear ceases to play its role.
The danger this time is so small… that you, someone who fears nothing, will ignore it, and only realize it when you are already too close.
Yes, I'm talking about the terrible Lapha Mosquitoes.
The bite of this infernal insect has already taken the lives of countless humans throughout the centuries. Its bite causes so much itching that you will scratch until you cause several wounds on your body. And with so many wounds, death is inevitable…
But then Linna, how do we avoid this evil that spreads through our kingdom like a plague?
There are only two ways to defend yourself against this little bloodsucker. The first is special scented candles sold in all the taverns of the Kingdom. The second method is to obtain furniture made from the material most abundant in our Kingdom: the special blackwood.
Lapha mosquitoes hate the smell of these two items and will avoid your houses, villages, and cities. But if you are on a long road trip, burning one of these candles or even a small piece of blackwood will also achieve this effect.
But… if you are still bitten by such an insect, quickly ask someone close to you to immobilize you as quickly as possible.
Only then will you be able to avoid scratching yourself to death and will be alive to read our next edition of the column "Greatest Dangers of the World".
Take care, dear readers!
Linna of Purplegarden
Silver Adventurer
Writer
MGM[1] Advisor
[1] MGM: Mountain Griffin Movement Already mentioned in the initial chapters. The women who are part of this movement wear an armband with the symbol of a Mountain Griffin. (Nolan's mother had a cloak with the same symbol...)