Soron and Gal acknowledged the order. They faced the demonic beast while the rest distanced themselves slightly, staying vigilant of their surroundings.
Soron tightened the grip on his great sword. He was not entirely comfortable yet. For this trip he had to change his usually preferred sword to a somewhat lighter one. It couldn't be helped. The additional weight would easily affect the horse's stamina. He couldn't selfishly drag the group down.
Gal positioned herself behind Soron's back. She remained seated on her black horse, drawing the tall bow in her hand until the tendon trembled.
The demonic beast bared its teeth threateningly. It realised that this was no easy prey. In its mind the notion of escaping had just sprouted when Soron and Gal moved. A whistle penetrated the fog. A heavy arrow shot through the air, aiming for the beast's weak spot below its head. The stone cracked below Soron's feet as he dashed at the beast.
The demon let out a threatening roar. It sent chills down one's spine, threatening to penetrate one's mind. Soron slowed down for a split-second before steeling his mind. The arrow, obviously, remained unaffected. It was just about to pierce the demon's skin when the beast managed to narrowly evade to the side. Usually, Soron's sword was supposed to appear in its way but thanks to the minimal delay the warrior was not in position.
Tightening its legs the demonic beast pushed against the ground and shot at Soron like a cannonball, stealing the initiative. Soron was not flustered in the slightest. He squinted his eyes. A strange sensation drove into his mind. In his vision a shadow split from the beast, keeping its form. It rushed ahead of the beast, showing Soron the path the demon was about to take.
Soron grinned. Reacting to this information he tilted his blade lightly. Instantly the demonic beast felt an extreme sense of danger. If it kept moving as planned, the enemy's sword would slip past its armour, causing heavy injuries. But it was already too late to change. The beast could only tilt its head, meeting the enemy's blade with its hard forehead.
Blood splashed. Soron felt his sword cut off a part of the beast's forehead. If it weren't for the armour this blow might have been deadly. But even so the injury was not weak. The demon got enraged, letting out a roar, steam coming out of its mouth.
Soron instantly recognized what was about to come. He made use of the momentum, rolling on the ground, passing the beast. Instantly he felt a sweltering heat assaulting his body. Flames burned towards the sky coming from the demon's mouth. Gal frowned as her second arrow turned to ashes. This was not a regular ability of a tunnel demon. Was this why it had the confidence to attack their group?
"Well, a beast has a beast's mind."
Gal grinned to herself as she directed her horse around the flames, aiming for the demon's left flank. On the other side Soron was pushing up from the ground. The beast was instantly in grave danger. Three arrows flowed in quick succession from the left and a heavy sword aimed for its little protected belly from the right. Now panicking, the demon plopped its body on the ground, hiding its belly, only revealing its armoured back.
"Roaaarrr!"
A pained roar echoed through the air, even stirring the fog in the distance. The three arrows pierced through its armour, burying deeply into its flesh. The sword shattered the hardened back, creating a deep, bleeding wound.
"Go…"
A whisper came from Gal's mouth. On the arrow tips lodged into the beast's body a black air suddenly rose. It fused into the beast's body. Instantly it was overcome with weakness, its roars quieting by a level. It tried to stand up but its limps were too tired.
Soron took the chance. His sword sliced out again, cleanly arriving below the tunnel demon's neck. The beast struggled for one last time but there was nothing it could do. The blade went through skin and bones, and the head flew high, tumbling through the air.
Freezing for a second, Soron enjoyed the moment as a rush went through his body. He leisurely sheathed his sword and turned towards the group, gauging their reactions. All he received were light nods, but this was already enough to make him grin inwardly.
"Good. Let's go."
Oru's indifferent voice reached Soron.
"What should we do with the beast?"
"What can we do? Burying it takes too long. Just leave it."
Soron felt a hint of reluctance. The armour of a tunnel demon was of decent value. It could be used to forge weapons and armours. It was a pity that they couldn't bring it with them. Watching the young member, Oru could guess Soron's thoughts. He couldn't help but sigh. How far had Feathered Blade fallen that they felt the pinch from leaving behind a mere tunnel demon? If this were in the past they wouldn't even waste a second glance at such a beast.
After the brief battle the group quickly continued to advance. One of Rey's ghosts returned to her, bringing news that beasts were already congregating towards this direction, lured by the smell of blood. They urgently had to get away. Thus, the group sped up a bit and rushed into the Yellow Forest.
As soon as the group passed the first few trees, a strange smell wafted towards them. Their heads grew dizzy, and everyone felt a burning hunger.
This was the danger of the Yellow Forest. It might not sound like much, but unexperienced, week-willed groups might devour a large part of their provisions, preventing them from reaching their original target. Or, in the absolute worst case they would even stoop to cannibalism. However, as long as one was conscious of the danger one would never fall so low. Feathered Blade didn't witness such a case during its entire existence.
The group consisted entirely of trained warriors. Oru and Rey were the first to suppress the feeling and the others did so shortly after. In general, the Yellow Forest was not seen as a zone of great danger. They group didn't slow down, continuing in a straight line.
The more annoying part of the Yellow Forest were its inhabitants. Except for some bigger beasts, it were mostly insects living in the tree trunks. These insects were also affected by the feeling of hunger. Smelling the people passing by they crawled out of their holes and went on the attack.
Of course, insects weren't a real threat. But they could carry all kinds of diseases. Fortunately, the group had the necessary preparations. Everyone hung a vial of blood around the necks of their horses. This blood came from a snake-like beast with toxic blood. No insects would dare to come near.
Rey nodded lightly to herself. Even a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. Feathered Blade might have declined but the experience handed down in the organisation would still get them far. They knew how to navigate through the Boneplains. Thus, she relaxed slightly. With a few ghosts scouting for her, this part of the Boneplains didn't pose any immediate danger. At least as there was not another tunnelling demon avoiding her surveillance.
The group made it through the Yellow Forest at a comfortable pace. After leaving the last tree behind, they again found themselves on a desolate, rocky plain. The density of the fog had increased by a level. The temperature dropped, a freezing cold attacking everyone's skin.
Rey pulled her hood tighter to cover most of her face. Immediately a ghostly bird landed on her shoulder, hopping excitedly. It had found more of its peers. Rey raised one eyebrow. She sent the ghost bird out and as the group continued it returned with batches of other birds. Sometimes it was only one, but sometimes even up to five. It didn't take long until thirty ghost birds followed Rey's command. She was quite satisfied as their trip just became much safer.
Oru was also glad. It was worth it to look for Rey prior to this mission. The more ghosts she could control, the easier it would be to scout the newly emerged rift. And it also brought other advantages, like reducing the threat during rests.
After getting out of the Yellow Forest, although the feeling of hunger would gradually dissipate, no one could be entirely unaffected. Thus, Oru waited until the feeling reduced to a reasonable level before ordering a brief rest. The warriors took out dried fruit and a bit of meat from their bags and slowly, deliberately filled their stomachs. It was not really about filling their stomachs but only about getting rid of the feeling.