The Outergod's Avatar-Chapter 43: The Maw Forest (5)

The Horde of Maw beasts passed with surprising speed. Despite their numbers, the majority didn’t stop to attack. Instead, they surged forward, avoiding the clustered soldiers entirely. It was as if they had a greater purpose—one that didn’t involve wasting time with unnecessary slaughter.

Izikel stood near the heart of the defensive circle, eyes darting to keep up with the blur of movement around him. The smaller Maw beasts zipped past like streaks of black lightning, their limbs a blur, their jagged maws snapping at the wind. At that size, their speed was monstrous, bordering on unnatural.

But it didn’t end there.

A portion of the beasts strayed from the main swarm, breaking formation and turning toward the defending force.

This was the real danger.

But the line held.

The shield bearers braced their feet and locked shields with such synchronicity that they might as well have been a wall carved from stone. Behind them, the Fighting Saints—a cadre of elite warriors cloaked in light armor and wielding radiant blades—took advantage of the cover, striking with precision and grace.

They slew many Maw beasts, turning them into blackened heaps of flesh and bone. But even so, the casualties came. Screams rang out as some of the soldiers were caught off guard—snatched by razor-sharp claws or crushed by the jaggered teeth in their monstrous jaws. Blood painted the dirt, and the air reeked of sweat, bile, and death. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

After several minutes of brutal, unrelenting combat, the last of the Maw beasts disappeared into the depths of the forest.

"Clear," Raynoel called out.

Only then did the soldiers relax. Their formation broke as they began to tend to the wounded and assess the dead. Some knelt beside fallen comrades. Others stood silently, staring at the trail of carnage the Horde had left behind.

Sophia rushed to Izikel’s side, worry etched across her face. "Lord Izikel, are you okay?"

"I... yeah." His voice trembled. His eyes swept across the battlefield—scorched earth, shattered armor, crimson pools soaking into the soil. It was worse than before. The Horde had moved on, but they’d left scars behind.

Raynoel approached them, his armor stained and sword slick with blood. "Those larger Maw beasts we encountered before," he said, "they were scouts—leading the Horde toward the Hollow Depths."

Izikel blinked. "Scouts?"

Raynoel nodded grimly. "The mothers sometimes escort their young to the Hollow Depths to feed. The Divine minerals down there... they’re irresistible to them."

He glanced toward the forest. "We’re lucky, in a way. The fact we ran into the Horde means there are likely few Maws left on this side of the woods. We can advance with little worry now."

Sophia frowned. "But First Captain, we’ve lost too many men already. We should return to camp. To regroup."

Raynoel’s brow furrowed, his expression hardening. "And waste this opportunity? We still have two hundred men. That’s more than enough to take care of the Heretics."

"But—"

"Sophia, this isn’t up for debate," he snapped. "We move forward." Without another word, he turned away and barked, "Begin the harvest!"

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers responded, and immediately scattered to carry out the task.

Sophia let out a long, frustrated breath, shaking her head. "Why doesn’t he ever listen..."

While the druids began their duties and soldiers dragged corpses into piles, Izikel stayed close to Sophia. He watched, stomach turning, as she crouched beside a slain Maw beast. With practiced hands, she slid a short blade into its scaly underbelly and drew it downward.

Thick, dark fluids spilled out in steaming gushes. The stench was overwhelming. Then came the intestines—long, twisted, and pulsing faintly with leftover energy.

Izikel nearly gagged. "What... are you doing?"

"Oh! Sorry, Lord Izikel." She looked up, her hands drenched in gore. "I’m harvesting the crystals."

He stared in disbelief. "Crystals?"

Sophia reached into the beast’s gut and pulled something out—shards of faintly glowing stone, radiant even in the gloom of the battlefield. "Beasts feed on Divine minerals. These ones didn’t fully digest them. If we cut them open quickly, we can salvage what’s left. The men at camp will come to retrieve the crystals later."

Izikel’s eyes widened as it all clicked into place. The creatures had been feeding on the minerals and that was how they acquired the minerals that are used back at the village. It was money, they were literally collecting money from the stomach of the beasts...

’Wait is this why we are here... for money?’

For some reason that made him sick to his stomach. They made it look like it was some noble crusade but they gave their life for wealth.

His fists clenched.

"So this is what everything was for?" he asked, voice sharp.

"Huh?" Sophia blinked.

"All those men... they died for this?"

She paused, her face softening. "Lord Izikel... are you okay?"

"I... I don’t know." His voice cracked. Hot tears spilled from his eyes before he could stop them.

He was tired. Not from running, or fighting—but from feeling. From being pulled into a life he didn’t ask for. From watching men die while others rummaged through corpses. From pretending he wasn’t just a scared boy in a strange world with no family left.

He was alone. Truly alone.

Back on Earth, his life hadn’t been exciting or meaningful, but at least he’d had his father. He could shut out the world, lock his door, and be left in peace. He didn’t have to worry about Maw beasts, or dying trees, or being killed by some noble family.

Here, he couldn’t rest. Couldn’t even breathe without looking over his shoulder. Since the moment he woke up in this world, it had been one dark tunnel after another. And now, here he was, expected to watch death like it was just another chore.

"I’m tired..." he whispered.

Then Sophia hugged him.

Warm. Solid but soft.

"Everything will be fine," she said gently.

And in that moment, even though he knew better, even though he knew it wouldn’t be fine for a long time, he let himself believe it.