Amber Sword

In the northern sky, clouds converged, casting a dark shadow over Ampezel Port. Yet beyond the port lay a field of starlight, resembling lava flows across the ground—an unmistakable feature of the Demon’s Burning Land, where the Teleportation Gate had evidently linked the River of Sulfur to Erune, showing overlapping vistas on either side.

On the Burning Land, the modified Teleportation Gate emitted a crimson hue, clearly visible from this direction, like agate scattered over a velvet-black carpet.

The scene was like Doomsday, causing everyone to hold their breath involuntarily. Upon hearing the Princess’s query, Brand lowered his head in contemplation. But then, the ’clouds’ in the sky suddenly roared and changed direction. The Princess and her entourage were momentarily stunned, feeling uneasy, as the knights instinctively exchanged glances and shifted their gaze to the young lord beside them.

After all, none had truly seen the biological entities of Jogen Digan, and the most knowledgeable here was undoubtedly this lord from Tonyger.

Brand then snapped back to reality and noticed the changes in the sky, his complexion altering as he shouted, "Quick, cover any reflective items with a cloak!"

The harpies’ vision was exceedingly sharp, and they were highly sensitive to light. They enjoyed collecting shiny trinkets to decorate their nests, similar to their winged kin. Due to this trait, they could easily detect weak reflections from several miles away, making them excellent scouts—apparently, the reflection from someone’s armor by the lightning had caught their attention. It was his negligence, forgetting to alert the others.

This oversight likely stemmed from the previous sight of Jogen Digan’s army, which momentarily unsettled his mind.

The group hurriedly and frantically covered their armor with cloaks, fastening the ties at their collars. Yet it seemed to be too late, for as they lifted their heads, they saw a few patches of ’cloud’ starting to drift southward in the northern sky. Swarms of peculiar creatures with paired wings spread out in the sky, engulfing the vast expanse in an instant.

Brand turned back and saw the pallor on everyone’s faces, Princess Griffine being no exception. They were only seventeen individuals facing thousands of harpies.

Even a knight instinctively reached for his longsword, causing Brand to rush over and press down on his hand in alarm, "Don’t move! They haven’t discovered us yet!" He shouted loudly, fearing someone might hastily draw their sword, as once the sword blade reflected light, it would be too late.

"Quick, find a hiding place!"

Brand was well aware of the harpies’ habits. These cautious creatures were surely here to investigate after being alerted; they preferred to act in swarms, but may not have actually found them. Being still several miles away, the harpies may not necessarily detect the subtle movements beneath the forest.

But the knights had long lost their bearings, and Brand’s words became their sole lifeline. They retreated behind the Black Pine Forest, searching for a place to hide. Brand pulled the Princess towards a large boulder beneath which they hid. This gray-white rock lay atop the mountain, covered in damp moss.

Brand first settled the Princess inside before guarding the entrance. As he raised his head, he saw Count Oting concealed behind a rock opposite him, shouting:

"The horses!"

Brand suddenly remembered their horses still at the foothill, his head pounding with urgency. Now, rushing down the mountain was clearly impractical; he could only hope Martha above would prevent the harpies from noticing those warhorses.

In mere minutes, the harpies had arrived with a roar.

The fluttering sound of wings passed overhead, indicating the winged creatures were alarmingly close. Hearts raced, but Brand dared not peek out; instead, he turned to see Princess Griffine sitting beside him, also watching him. Though her demeanor appeared tense, her gaze was steady as she looked at him.

"Don’t worry," he mouthed to her.

Princess Griffine nodded gently, her hand resting on her sword hilt.

He then glanced up again, noticing Count Oting opposite him, equally pale. They exchanged a rueful smile, knowing he wasn’t doing much better. Though he dared to face Williams due to having Trisman’s card deck, now it was seventeen against thousands of harpies, with an overwhelming number in the distance to drown him.