Blood Moon

6. The King's Crest

The air turned cold as they ascended, sending chills down Legosi's spine. His hand clenched his blade tightly, taking deep breaths. Both anticipation and nervousness racked him, making him tremble. This was the day. The higher they went, the less noise there was. Only the wind and Rigel's paws against the damp forest floor could be heard. As if with every step, they were entering another world. When they reached the summit, it was already eerily quiet. Only the sound of crunching leaves under Legosi's foot could be heard. "Legosi, stop making so much noise." Luna scolded him, sharpening her gaze.

He tried mimicking her movements, the way she walked without making any sounds, but found it difficult. Still, he tried. The wind howled and went past them, whipping Luna's hood in all directions. Luna lifted her chin and with eyed closed, took a deep breath. She was trying to track a rogue demon. She tilted her head, confused. The scent was all over the place. She made a low whistling sound and once again, the wind blew. This time, Luna turned to her right. "Keep close, Legosi."

He walked over to her, feeling himself sweat under his shirt. Luna guided him past all the trees and shrubs until they came across a cave. It was particularly shaded by a circle of trees surrounding it. From the inside, a low growl-like breaths could be heard. Legosi's heart pounded harder in his chest as he stared at the darkness. The cave was shallow, but deep enough to house a rogue demon. They were a few feet away but he could still the ragged sounds vibrating off the walls of the cave.

He squared up his shoulders and took a deep breath, gathering his courage. "What do I do next?" He asked.

Luna whipped out a small dagger and offered her hand, gesturing Legosi to give her his. Luna took it and twisted his wrist, making his palm face her. Slowly and gently, he dug the tip of the dagger on his hand and ran it down to the side of his hand. A red line appeared on it trail until blood seeped out from the wound. Slowly she backed off, telling him to keep still. "The wind will carry the scent of your blood inside the cave, it will lure him out. If there's something you should do when facing a demon, never fight them on their turf."

She ran up to Rigel and hid. Luna was planning to only oversee the fight. Legosi stayed their, holding his blade tightly. The wind went past him, up towards the cave. A moment later, a growl speaking of hunger and blood l**t shook the mountain. His stomach tightened and he braced himself. He chanted the incantation once again and the blade on his hand glowed profusely, brimming in power. Heavy footsteps came, along with the sound of tumbling rocks. When the demon finally emerged from the shadows, Legosi almost took a step back. This one had to be a shape-shifter. It had long limbs and a large stomach, covered with dry scaly skin that smelled of rotting flesh. It maw was filled with long sharp teeth that forced its mouth open. His snake like eyes zeroed on the dark red blood spilling from his hands. Fortunately, it was day. Shape shifters cannot maintain its shape for long during the day. But this one seemed to have no inclination to shift. In a split second, the creature lunged forward, its claws stretching forward. Quickly, Legosi swung the blade across its hand. He heard a small sound, like a glowing hot blade being submerged in water for a moment. Then Legosi threw a strong kick at its mid section. The demon tumbled backwards, howling in pain. He looked below him and saw three decapitated fingers on the ground, its edges burned black.

He looked at his blade in disbelief before fixing his eyes on the demon again. Saliva dripped out of its mouth as it sat there crouching, its eyes frenzied. It ran its long finger nails on the rock beneath him, sending sparks of fire as it did. It was a challenge. Legosi positioned himself on a fighting position and prepared. Legosi ran towards him, blade raised high. Before he could strike a blow, the demon swiped his claws towards his stomach but he was able to jump back. "Be mindful of your gut, Legosi. It's what they aim for." From behind the thick shrubs, Legosi heard Luna's voice.

"Keep your weapon close to your body." He didn't know whether she could see it but Legosi nodded. The demon crouched lower until its chin was touching the ground. He was about to lunge. Legosi only had a moment to brace himself before its large body slammed to him. Legosi landed on the ground, rolling his body away quickly as its claws struck where his body had once been. He got up on his feet and brought his blade down upon the demon but the blade came short and only left a small cut on its upper arm. The demon retaliated by clawing his arm. The cut it made was long and quite deep, making blood gush out of his arm. He was about to clutch it, but there was too little time to tie it.

The demon was relentless, sending blow after blow on his middle. Smoke rose up as his blade made contact with its claws, making Legosi's eyes water. He was slowly being backed into the line of trees. His arms were also growing tired. The demon's attacks were coming from below, aiming for his gut, and it was getting harder to defend himself from that angle. He looked down and anticipated his next move, jumping away successfully. His eyes remained on the demon as he gathered distance. Then his eyes met the demon's.

When he caught a glimpse of the demon's expression, he was taken aback. Saliva was dripping from its mouth profusely, as if it couldn't wait for its meal. The deep growl coming out of his throat was guttural and hungry. Its claws truck once again, this time, much more aggressively. The demon's eyes were now wide in excitement, unintelligible sounds coming out of it continuously.

He stopped abruptly, just staring at the demon's face. Even the demon was perturbed, alarmed at his sudden stillness. It drew back, studying his form. Luna stiffened from where she stood. "What is he doing?"

"Legosi!" She called out to him. Still, he remained motionless. The demon was now tilting its head, calculating whether it's time to strike. Luna ran, ignoring the sting of the branches that scratched her arms and face. She quickly placed an arrow on her bow and drew it back. Aiming at the demon, she let it loose. But as she did so, she stepped on a twig, alarming the demon. It was able to move out of the way, the arrow whizzing past its ear and embedding itself on the ground.

At the sight of the demon's face, Legosi's stomach had churned. He was sucked into the deepest, darkest, part of his mind. Once again, he felt he was brought back in time. Flashes of images appeared on the back of his mind, him crouching under the bed, overwhelmed by the sound of tearing flesh and painful whimpers. He could hear it and see it vividly, the cracking of bones and a demon's mouth munching down on a long slender arm. The room was engulfed with the smell of blood and innards that couldn't sense the one living person hiding beneath the bed. Something snapped within him and he felt as if he was being propelled forward. Just as Luna was about to approach him, his grip on the blade tightened and Legosi let out a scream full of battle rage.

Before the demon could move away, Legosi's blade hacked its way through its mouth, slicing its face cleanly. The demon jumped back, dazed. Something fell on the Earth with a thud. When Luna looked down, she saw a decapitated jaw.

The demon staggered back with a roar, sticky greenish blood spilling out of its maw. It desperately waved its claws, trying to protect itself. But Legosi was livid, his eyes crazed and demented. His blade came down in fast strokes, slicing through demon flesh with ease. One by one its body parts fell, the hand, arm, leg, until it lay limbless. Breaths came out in wheezes, its own blood suffocating him. Legosi positioned himself on top of creature, placing the tip of his blade on its chest. Slowly, he pushed down. Smoke rose up as the demon tried to wiggle free but the blade continued to burn its way inside his chest until all its movements seized.

Luna stood there stunned. It seemed as of she was staring at a different person. Legosi's eyes were wide, his dilated pupils emphasized by the pale silver blue eyes. His teeth was bared like a snarling wolf as his hands shook as he continued to push down the blade on the lifeless body beneath him.

She approached him carefully. Gently placing her hand on his shoulder, she called his name. Legosi reacted violently, pulling out the blade in one pull and struck to where the voice was coming from. Metal clashed together, sending sparks to where they stood. Legosi stilled. When he looked up, a pair of burning amber eyes met his. "Enough." She whispered.

His muscles immediately uncoiled, tension leaving his body. She offered him her hand and pulled him up. Exhaustion set in and his legs became unsteady. Luna noticed this and hung his arm around hers, pulling him with her carefully. She let out a low whistle and Rigel came running towards them. Legosi lifted himself on Rigel's back. As the wind caressed his face, he fell into a deep slumber.

When Legosi woke up, he found himself staribg straight into the silver colored eyes of Rigel. Be sat beside him, gazing down on hos face. Legosi placed his had ont he side oft he wolf's head and pushed him away gently. As he sat up, he felt a sting on his thigh. When he looked down on, it was bandaged already. The burn on his knuckles had just closed up and now he had another wound to deal with. When he examined his surroundings, he realized he was sitting inside a small cottage. The smell of wild roses was evident on the place and there were weapon lining the walls. "Well, it's not far from what I imagined it would be."

This was the first time he had stepped a foot on her home. Other than the people who had made this cottage and the Chief himself, no one else was able to come here.

He heard some footsteps and Luna came in, herbs on her hands. She was creating a concoction, as what Legosi surmised. The table was a mess, stacked with herbs and many other things. "You don't have to do so much." Legosi said to her.

She glanced at him for a moment before continuing. "That wound is a demon's doing. If left untreated or if dealt with wrongly, it can fester. Your whole leg will rot and you'll end up decapitated."

Silence reigned for a moment before Legosi spoke up. "Did I do well?" He asked, genuinely curious. Her eyes burned immediately and he tensed up.

"You did bad." She replied without hesitation. She continued crushing the herbs with more force with her back turned. "You were fortunate that the demon you faced was unintelligent. Had it been any smarter, it would've bitten your head clean off the moment you spaced out in the middle of the fight." She snapped at him.

"If you plan on becoming demon meat, you can pull that move again." Legosi turned away, guilt and disappointment etched on his face.

"But I do have to commend the fact that you held out well." Luna said. "But strength alone is not enough. If you plan to fight, I will remind you, there won't be only one demon to deal with once the blood moon rises. They will come at you in bulk. You can't waste energy hacking a demon limb by limb. Kill them as fast as you can."

"I understand." Legosi replied.

Luna suddenly stood up from her seat and went down on her knees. She started pulling on the wooden plank on the floor. The wood creaked and gave away, sending clouds of dust upwards. When she pushed it aside, it revealed a long red folded cloth. Luna pulled it out and placed it on the floor, a metallic clank resonating as it settled. She spread the cloth as Legosi watched. When the something shiny came out from inside and Legosi fought the urge to gasp. From inside the red cloth, Luna pulled out a sword. Not just any sword, it had the King's crest in it. "Where did you get that?"

A small smirk appeared on her face, making Legosi's eyes widen. "Stole it."

Holding the sword by its hilt, Luna pulled the sword from its sheath. Silver glowed from the light of the setting sun. Marks were intricately placed on the surface of the blade, the edges very sharp. "F-From where?"

"The King's hunters. You do know that they send out hunters from time to time, especially before the Blood Moon. They asked for a favour, I took the payment I deserved."

"You are aware that they can kill you because of that? That sword is worth more than what this village earned in a hundred years!" Legosi exclaimed. A dark proud look appeared on her face. "They can try."

She sheathed it again and handed it over to Legosi, nudging the pommel on his hand. Legosi accepted it, too eagerly for someone who had disagreed of ot being stolen. "I saw you struggle when you fought, wanting to get closer fast. It was a mistake of mine to assume you'd prefer a short blade just because I was comfortable with that weapon."

Legosi accepted the sword, eyes wide in amazement. "It's alright, I only figured that part out for myself."

He turned the blade in many directions, mesmerized by the way the blade reflected light. He touched the edge of the blade lightly with his forefinger and it left a small cut. "By God, this sword is sharp."

"Cast your spell on it." Luna urged him.

Taking a deep breath, he began to speak the spell. Heat traveled from his chest to his fingertips right unto the blade. Unlike the blade he had first used, the shaking of the blade was more intense. The ringing sound echoed loudly in the cottage and in no time, the blade started to glow. Pale blue light began to take over the surface of the blade, following the markings that was already placed there. Beads of sweat appeared in his forehead as he continued to stare at the masterpiece in his hand. When he was done, the blade was unlike any he had ever seen before. Still, he couldn't shake off the nervousness and thrill on his bones. "I might just end up dead because of this."

Luna raised a brow. "If you're so worried, hand it over to me for a second." She offered her hand and Legosi gave her the sword. "Close your eyes for a moment."

Confused, Legosi did so. Once Luna was sure that he was truly doing it, she grasped the pommel of the sword where the King's crest was placed. Her eyes turned all black and dark smoke started to accumulate on the fist that held the sword. She tightened her grip for a few seconds and the let go, her eyes turning normal again. "Open your eyes."

When Legosi got the sword back, the crest was no longer there. He swallowed the lump on his throat and rested his back on the wall. He was still unsure of what Luna was. He was taking a big risk trusting her, but no one else was there who could help him. Hesitantly, he asked her the question that was boggling his mind. "What are you?"

He glanced at her from the side, his eyes staring into her soul. Luna halted all her movements. Her eyes remained on her hands for a moment before she looked at him and gave back a stare the same intensity as his. "Can you not trust me without having a clear answer?" She asked.

Legosi answered truthfully. "No, I can't."

They were silent, only Rigel's loud breathing could be heard. Luna's dark hair tumbled in waves down her back as she turned to him, her face blank. Legosi felt his heart thrumming on his chest as she continued to stare at him. "I'll tell you the truth." She said softly.

"I don't know." The answer made him freeze. "Neither does the Chief. All I know is that he found me cradled by a dead woman's body. The woman was a human, that's for sure. My father's race is questionable. For now, I don't know anything about my origin any more than you do."

He looked deep into her eyes and saw no shadow of deception in them. He sighed. "I believe you."

"The only thing we know for sure here Legosi, is that you are a warlock. No one else must know. Right now, only you, me and the Chief knows about it." She said sternly. His eyes stared at her questioningly. "Why?"

"If the King gets a wind of a warlock outside his walls, he'll take you. Even against your will. You will be branded as a King's soldier and there's no guarantee that you can escape just as Vaga did."

He gritted his teeth in anger from what he heard. "The King is a selfish man, Legosi. So were the Kings before him. If word gets out, you'll be scrubbing the walls faster than you can hide." Luna said coldly. "Of course, if you choose, you can go there-"

"No." Legosi replied sharply, gazing at his sword. "There is enough witches and warlocks there to protect all the people outside the walls yet they choose to cower inside, living lavish lives at the expense of all the others." He lifted the blade up, the sharp tip facing the ceiling. "After this Blood Moon, I will tear those walls brick by brick, along with the secrets they kept from us."