NOVGO.NET Chapter 400: Ruins On Their Way To Delwig
Chapter 400: Ruins On Their Way To Delwig
The stench was the first thing that hit them. Acrid, metallic, and bitter, carried on the drifting wind like the last breath of something long dead.
Fenrir’s ears twitched, his massive frame slowing as they neared the rise ahead. Damien raised a hand, and the wolf came to a halt.
“Stay sharp,” he said quietly. His gaze narrowed as smoke-stained clouds hovered above the treeline.
Arielle climbed down from the carriage, her robes brushing the dirt, her eyes already scanning ahead.
The faint tremor in her lips betrayed what she felt but would not say. Lyone followed behind, hand instinctively on his sword, though his grip was nervous.
When they crested the ridge, the full sight unfolded before them.
A village. Small, no more than a dozen homes scattered along a dirt lane. Or what had once been a village.
Now it was a graveyard of ashes. Roofs caved in, walls blackened and broken, wooden beams jutting skyward like bones.
Charred earth stretched between homes, and not a single voice stirred the silence. Even the air itself seemed dead, weighed down by the residue of power that did not belong.
Lyone gagged, pressing a sleeve to his nose. “What… what happened here?”
Damien stepped forward, kneeling by the ruined gate. He placed his palm against the ground, his essence flowing outward like a ripple. The soil whispered to him—heat, pressure, corruption. And beneath it, footprints. Too many. Too heavy.
“Demons,” he said flatly. His gaze drifted to a blackened claw mark etched deep into stone. “And beasts. Infused, like the one we fought.”
Arielle’s expression darkened. “How many?”
“Dozens,” Damien murmured. His hand traced a trail of prints, overlapping and chaotic. “Some small. Some massive. They tore through here fast, within the last three days. No survivors.”
Lyone’s eyes widened. “Three days? Then… then they can’t be far ahead of us.”
Damien nodded. “They’re headed north. Same direction as us.” His gaze hardened as he rose, dusting his hands. “Toward Delwig.”
They entered slowly, weapons ready, though Damien already knew nothing living remained. Still, the weight of caution pressed on them. Fenrir padded silently behind, his nose twitching with distaste at the scent of corruption.
The village square held the worst of it. Bodies—or what was left of them. Blackened husks twisted unnaturally, skin cracked with veins of dark essence, as though they had been scorched from within.
Lyone froze at the sight, his sword slipping slightly in her grip.
“These weren’t just killed,” he whispered hoarsely. “They were… melted.”
Damien crouched beside one, his face a mask of control. He touched the corpse lightly, his essence brushing against what remained. Instantly, he withdrew. The demonic taint clung like tar, gnawing at his own aura.
“They were used,” he said coldly. “Drained of essence until nothing remained. Their lives weren’t taken—they were harvested.”
Lyone stumbled back, bile rising in his throat. Arielle reached to steady him, though her own face had gone pale.
Damien rose, fists clenched at his sides. His gaze swept across the square, then back to the northern trail where the attackers had gone.
Lyone stared at the ruined homes, his chest tight. “If they’re headed to Delwig… the kingdom doesn’t stand a chance.”
“Delwig isn’t defenseless,” Arielle countered quickly, though the edge in her voice betrayed her worry. “Its barriers are strong, and its mage corps trained.”
“Strong against men,” Damien cut in, his voice steady but unyielding. “But not against what we saw yesterday. If beasts are being forcibly infused with demonic essence, then Delwig most likely won’t be ready.”
Lyone swallowed hard. “Then what do we do? Do we… warn them?”
Damien’s gaze shifted to her, firm but not unkind. “What we always do. Move forward. Stay alive. And grow stronger. Panicking won’t save anyone.”
He turned, motioning her to follow. “Remember this sight. Remember what happens when weakness meets cruelty. If you don’t want to see it again, then sharpen your blade until it’s ready to cut through anything.”
Lyone clenched his fists, his fear mixing with determination. He nodded, silent but resolute.
As they scouted further, Damien found what he had been searching for—a circle etched into the ground near the center of the village. Faint, nearly destroyed by fire, but still visible to a trained eye.
A ritual mark.
He crouched, his fingers brushing its jagged lines. The residue of essence burned against his senses. “Not random slaughter. This was deliberate. The demons didn’t just kill—they anchored something here. A waypoint, maybe. A beacon.”
Arielle joined him, her lips tight. “Then they’ll return.”
“Or others will,” Damien said grimly. He stood, brushing dirt from his hands. “We can’t stay. The longer we linger, the more likely we’ll draw attention.”
He glanced once more at the ruins, the corpses, the lingering stench. His jaw tightened.
“We move. Delwig’s next.”
They departed the ruined village as the sun dipped low, the sky painted in hues of crimson and ash. Fenrir pulled the carriage forward again, his silence as heavy as theirs.
Lyone sat quietly inside, the Grade Seven core clutched to his chest. But the images of the dead villagers would not leave his mind. For the first time, he realized the scale of what they faced—it wasn’t about training or proving herself anymore. It was about survival, not just for him, but for everyone these things would touch.
Now he was beginning to understand what Damien meant when he’d been considering bringing him along in the first place.
Arielle stared out the window, her hands folded tightly in her lap. She knew more than she had told Damien, more than she dared admit. And as Delwig’s name lingered between them, her thoughts turned sharp with unease.
Damien rode atop the carriage, his eyes never leaving the horizon. His mind replayed the sigils, the corpses, the trail of beasts and demons heading north. Every step they took was closing the gap.
Delwig is the target.
And if they arrived too late, the ruins they left behind would not be a village. It would be a kingdom.
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A/N: Guys!! We’re finally done with exams. No more exams!!
And we know what that means… No more inconsistent updates!!
I can fully resume both books and I hope you guys stick around to enjoy both!!
Once again, thank you all for sticking around this far. I love you all!!