Chapter 51: Not everyone knows how to question themselves
Katelyn jumped to her feet, her rapier already drawn. "Can’t we have one night of rest?" she clicked her tongue in exasperation.
Kristian drew his two swords in a fluid motion. The blades came out of their sheaths with a metallic scrape that echoed in the room. "Apparently not", he replied as he positioned himself in front of the fire.
Daemon quickly put on his shirt, but he did not bother to button it. He grabbed his katana, checked with a glance that the blade was clear, then turned toward the north entrance. "Katelyn, with me. Victoria, Kristian, you protect the camp. We will be back as soon as it is cleared."
Katelyn nodded, and the two moved forward.
As soon as they entered the north corridor, the Daugrs rushed at them. There were at least twenty of them.
Daemon did not slow down. He struck the first one with a horizontal blow that sliced its throat, then followed with a thrust into the chest of the next. Behind him, Katelyn activated her First Sense of Sword and doubled her speed, her rapier tracing silver arcs that severed the rotten limbs with precision.
She struck three times per second, each thrust finding a chest, a throat or a skull. To her right, Daemon did far more than simply slicing. He swung his right hand at every opportunity, his bandaged fist sinking into the putrefied throats with monstrous force. Each punch was accompanied by a katana strike from his left hand.
They mowed down dozens of Daugrs in a few minutes, leaving behind a trail of dislocated bodies.
Katelyn planted her rapier in the chest of a final Daugr, then she blew out a big breath while wiping her blade on the sleeve of a corpse. She turned toward Daemon, who had just crushed a skull with a heel strike. "So, what did you and Miss Victoria talk about?" she asked in a falsely casual tone.
Daemon turned his head slightly, glancing at Katelyn over his shoulder.
"So, did you make your proposal to Kristian? He should have accepted out of desperation after all these years, right?" he retorted with sarcasm.
Katelyn clenched her jaws. She quickened her pace to walk beside him, her rapier pointed toward the ground. "I will be direct with you, Daemon. I do not like you."
Daemon shrugged one shoulder, apparently indifferent. "I appreciate your honesty", he replied in a calm voice. "I am sick and tired of those who pretend to care about you, then stab you in the back." His right hand tightened slightly on the bandage around his forearm, a barely perceptible gesture that did not escape Katelyn.
She clicked her tongue, annoyed. "Tss... You say that, but you always let Kristian protect all the shit you do."
Daemon stopped... He turned toward her, his face suddenly serious. "I never asked him... He carries a burden he put on his own back."
Katelyn crossed her arms, her rapier still in hand. "You really are unscrupulous. Your servant probably had enough of your whims, and that is why she stabbed you to death."
"..."
Daemon did not reply immediately. He turned back and continued advancing, his katana mowing down two Daugrs. The bodies collapsed in two pieces each, cleanly severed at the waist. He walked a few more meters, killing mechanically, without a word.
Then finally, he asked, his voice lower: "Do you think I am that despicable?"
Katelyn sighed deeply. She looked up for a moment, then fixed her eyes on him. "You have always been a coward, Daemon. Kristian protects you, and then you act like a spoiled child. You become bitter because a servant stabbed you. While Kristian, since that day... he only takes your faults in your place."
Daemon stopped again. He lowered his head, staring at the ground covered in blood and debris. His shoulders slumped slightly, and for once, his face did not show his sarcastic expression. Just a deep weariness. "I know I am an immature guy", he admitted in a barely audible voice. "Kristian has always supported me like a big brother, and I took it for granted."
Katelyn looked at him for a long moment. She was not expecting that answer. "You are not completely lost", she finally said with a shrug. "It is not everyone who is capable of questioning themselves."
Daemon nodded slowly. "I hope Kristian finds someone like you", he said in a calm voice. "Someone who can carry all these burdens with him."
Katelyn opened her mouth to reply, but the words did not come out.
At the same moment, a sharp whistle tore through the air.
An arrow came out of nowhere and flew straight toward Daemon’s temple. He did not have time to see the weapon and even less to protect himself as he was distracted by his conversation with Katelyn.
It was at that moment that Victoria surged forward.
She had stayed back, covering their rear with Kristian, but she had sensed the danger before the others. Her water Chi allowed her to feel disturbances in the air, the slightest changes in pressure. She threw herself forward, her right hand extended, and she caught the arrow in mid-flight.
The tip pierced through her palm.
The sound was atrocious: a dull impact of bone breaking, followed by a metallic screech. The arrow continued its trajectory for a fraction of a second, carried by its momentum, but Victoria’s hand stopped it. The tip came out the other side of her palm, protruding a few centimeters, covered in bright red blood.
She grimaced then threw it to the ground.
Daemon turned abruptly. His eyes widened when he saw the blood flowing down Victoria’s arm, when he saw the gaping wound in the middle of her palm. "Victoria!" he cried.
"It is nothing. Someone is shooting at us. We need to move forward or backward, but we cannot stay here."
Kristian arrived running, his two swords drawn. He glanced at Victoria’s hand, then scanned the darkness at the end of the corridor. "Where did the arrow come from?"
"Over there..."
Victoria pointed to a small opening in the right wall, about twenty meters away.
Daemon gripped his katana in annoyance. "Let’s go", he said simply.
Katelyn held him back by the arm. "And her hand? She is bleeding heavily. We need to treat it first."
Daemon hesitated for a fraction of a second. He looked at Victoria, then the murder hole, then Victoria again. "Two minutes", he said finally. "Kristian, you stay with her. Katelyn, you cover me."