Continuation: This chapter talked about Artem and his two companions arriving at the warm grasslands after leaving the snowy mountains. Though the soil was rich and the plantations ample, danger was still lurking in every corner of this pleasant place. Dangers such as never before seen gigantic insects...
The fertile environment gave birth to vigorous growth. The soil beneath his feet felt like a soft mattress. Artem took off his jacket and walked through the grass field with weeds as high as his knees. A soft breeze passed by with the scent of the fresh blades of grass. Artem never thought such a gentle wind existed in the world.
He gently held on to Anna's hand, and she accepted his advance.
For a split second, an idea passed through Artem's mind: "Stay, and spend the rest of the life with Anna here." But he quickly cleared his head of the selfish thought when he looked at the girl standing beside him, who had entrusted him with everything. He would be letting her down if he were to follow his selfish urges.
Before the three could enjoy more than just a sudden moment of peace, a rapid buzzing noise rose in the sky. The strange noise brought a prickling pain to their heads. A monster, like a bird, dashed through the sky flapping its glass-like transparent wings at astonishing speeds.
Instinctively, Dalmir covered his ears and dropped to the ground, and began praying to some god. After having experienced being taken away by monsters, he has always been the first to react to similar dangers. Artem fought the pain in his eardrums as he covered Anna with his body and knelt to the floor. He realized that he might have seen monsters like these somewhere before.
The danger from the sky lands softly on the ground, retracting its mesh-like wings, and stood still like a horrific statue.
Was that... a mosquito? Artem finally recalled from the depths of his memories the description he once read in an encyclopedia of the Old World regarding the monstrosity before him.
In the Old World era, the world was divided into four distinct seasons. Mosquitoes were blood-sucking insects that emerged during the summer, but their size was no larger than an average fingertip and could be crushed with ease. However, the "mosquito" before him was taller than he was, and he could see individual hairs on its slender limbs. Its long and thin sword-like proboscis pierced in the ground as if it were sucking on something, completely oblivious to the three people standing around it.
Lying flat on his stomach, Dalmir suddenly felt liquid moving below beneath the soft soil as the giant mosquito's belly swelled up. There was fear in his lowered voice:
"Let's escape quickly before it discovers us..."
"Yeah, be careful."
Artem slowed down his breathing and moved slowly through the tall grass. But the nasty creature seemed to detect even the slightest tremor in the soil. In the blink of an eye, it retracted its proboscis and flew into the air. The faint hum came again, accompanied by a numbing headache. Artem brandished the sword that the queen of the Frozen City gave him and readied himself for battle.
"Be careful, Artem! It's coming."
The high-pitched noise turned into a shrill scream as the creature approached. Artem parried the piercing attack from the mosquito's mouth with his sword. The creature was agile in the air, able to not only hover but quickly change directions. It flew back into the air and swooped down for another attack. Its movements were so fast that it became a blur. Just as Artem was unable to dodge it, a roar of gunpowder sounded from behind him. The giant mosquito was knocked to the ground, with its legs in the air.
Artem turned around to see Dalmir holding an ancient flintlock musket, with white smoke coming out of its barrel.
"Great shot!" Dalmir was thrilled with the precision of his shot. But his excitement soon turned into fear as the creature kicked its feet to turn itself over.
The giant mosquito turned upright and started flying back and forth in the air, enough to make someone dizzy. Artem could tell how angry it was by the fierce flapping of its wings. Its needle-sharp mouth quivered in preparation for its next attack.
Artem's hand shook as he tried to hold on to the sword. This wasn't going to be an attack that could be dodged by reflexes alone.
"Anna, get out of here!"
"But, Artem..."
"Escape? No need."
A strong but powerful voice sounded from out of nowhere. Suddenly, a long lance appeared from the sky and pierced the semi-translucent body of the giant mosquito, pinning it to the ground.
The battle was over in an instant. Artem let out a sigh of relief. They were saved.
The man who spoke was dressed in strange imposing attire, looked majestic. What's more surprising was his mount: it was an insect with an armored shell, developed hind legs, and a saddle on its back. It was nearly the size of the giant mosquito that they just fought.
The insect mount jumped up with lightning-quick speed. As it did, the man pulled his lance from the creature's corpse and stopped in front of Artem. He pointed it with precision at Artem's heart.
He whistled, and a team of similarly dressed knights appeared from the grasses.
The three of them were about to express their thanks when the first knight announced:
"Strangers trespassing on our sacred land, the Spring Weald. You are under arrest!"
(To Be Continued)