The Hero’s Right-hand wasn’t very useful if all they did was follow mindlessly behind the Hero. She needed to stand as his equal on the battlefield to actually assist him.
I can’t stay in Elias’s shadow forever.
Closing her eyes, Aki took a deep breath and raised her bow overhead. “Let’s protect the city together! We are going to win this fight!” she declared in a loud voice she never knew she was capable of.
The Adventurers who heard smiled and raised their weapons in response.
“The rest of the Hero Party is on their way,” the Adventurer beside her shouted. “We just have to hold out till they arrive!”
That news gave the various parties the extra burst of morale they needed to drive their swords into the next wave of monsters. Their victory cheers after each successful kill bolstered Aki’s morale in return. It told her she wasn’t fighting alone.
I have people who will fight alongside me. It’s not just my party members, but also the people of this world who are fighting toward the same goals.
She hoped Elias would realize that soon too. The people of this world weren’t just pathetic creatures that needed to be protected, but allies willing to fight for the same cause. If only he knew, then maybe some of the burdens he shouldered would lessen. Maybe he wouldn’t feel so isolated.
Aki was going to fight to show him that the people didn’t just need a Hero to protect them all the time.
Her eyes met with the Adventurer who had helped spread the good word for her and he smiled. “Stay safe out there!” he said, charging back into the action with his sword drawn.
Everyone inspired each other with their successful kills, further strengthening their cohesion as a raid party and giving them the edge over the horde as they dispersed packs of monsters. Arrows whistled through the air, meeting every target Aki set her sights on.
The battle was steadily turning in the human’s favor and Aki was encouraged by the light of hope cracking through the dire tension permeating the Field.
We might be able to win! Maybe we can save the city without Elias. Hope spread through her. Will he accept me as a fellow party member if we succeed without him? Will he look at me again? Will he say I can be his girlfriend again?
Aki nocked another arrow as she thought of Elias who she was certain was on his way. When she looked for her next target, she noticed all the monsters in the sky and on the ground were retreating like the tide.
What’s gotten into them?
The other members of the raid shared confused looks as the monsters withdrew mid-battle. It almost seemed as if every monster had agreed to leave at the same time.
Did we successfully repel the monsters? Aki wished that was true, but her heart raced in warning. She held her fist over her chest and strained her eyes in the direction they ran. Something bad is going to happen. I can feel it.
As cold sweat dripped down her back, the ground started to shake with loud thuds, sending vibrations up her legs.
She quickly looked for the source and spotted a swaying black shadow plodding toward them from the horizon. With every step it took, the ground shook, and its shape became clearer as it neared.
It was a horned dragon.
Covered with glowing black scales, the huge demi-dragon was capable of trampling several people with just one foot. As if laughing at the humans who were too overwhelmed to make a sound, the demi-dragon approached with its blood-red eyes gleaming brighter than the sun.
Is this for real?!
At last, the demi-dragon had closed the distance and moved its red eyes about the Field, assessing its unmoving prey. Its massive body blocked out the sun, casting a shadow over the area and creating a false night.
I’ve never seen such a large monster before! Did one of the Field’s boss monsters decide to take advantage of the fallen barrier?
Fear spread through the Adventurers and guards who had never fought a boss monster before. The demi-dragon was on a whole different level from the horde they had been fighting before it arrived.
“What the hell is that giant lizard?!”
“We can’t beat that!”
Overwhelmed by its mere presence, everyone slowly inched back toward the city walls. But if they retreated, everyone living in the city behind them would be fair game for the demi-dragon. Many people would lose their lives if they let a monster like that inside.
Aki immediately thought of Elias. She was positive he had sensed the danger and was on his way by now. If he hadn’t already left for the Dark Lord’s Castle, that was. She shook her head to chase away the negativity.
It’s all right. He will come. All I have to do is have faith in him and focus on slowing the demi-dragon until he gets here.
Aki watched as some of the guards fled to the city gate. She clenched her teeth and held her ground.
Elias, Leo, and Johann wouldn’t run! They would bravely take on any enemy, no matter how strong! Because protecting innocent people comes first.
Aki planted herself in the demi-dragon’s path and stared it down.
I might not win. I might lose.
“But…! I won’t just be a burden anymore!”
Aki drew an arrow from the quiver on her back and nocked it. She aimed for the demi-dragon’s red eye and drew back on the bow.
I can’t lose!