When the wolves at the lead stopped, the whole procession did as well.

The demi-humans were following the monsters from behind. Although none of them knew the reason why the monsters weren’t attacking them, they wouldn’t refuse a chance to escape. Even so, they kept a few steps of distance between them and the monsters.

When the monsters stopped walking, a few demi-Humans looked forward in curiosity, but the growl of a Bulette made them rush backwards, returning to their position behind the monsters.

They were mostly male beastkins, the most common type of demi-human. They were the mixture of animals and humans, sharing aspects of both to various degrees, the number of species and variations between beastkin was uncountable.

Even so, in their midst, they had a dwarf, the mixture of stone and humans. The dwarf had a long greying beard, testament to the fact that he was by no means inexperienced in life.

His dull eyes were looking all around him, small flashes of light brightening his pupils once he noticed something that called his attention. He had rippling muscles covering his small stature, but his strength was not what it used to be, all thanks the lack of good food and healthy sleep,

Most of the beastkin looked at this dwarf in their midst, their eyes searching for his guidance.

Before he was captured, he was a soldier for a Dwarven Kingdom back in the Demi-Human Continent. Although he had forgotten most of those times with the cruel passage of time, he could still barey recall that his mother had been a high-ranking official.

Being the son of a high-ranking dwarf, he had received guidance in battle and tactics since a very early age, all in order for his eventual promotion. Although he could not recall the face of his mother, or even the name of the Kingdom he owed his loyalty to, the lessons he learned in those moments had saved his life countless times.

He had only been captured because, in the brashness of his youth, he had joined an expedition for sunken treasure that sailed far too close to the Human Continent…

Many years of slavery and abuse had reduced that reckless nature into dust, leaving only a husk of a dwarf.

Yet even if he was a husk, he wanted to defend the children of that mine, that suffered with him, that were treated by him, that spent countless hours with him.

He wanted them to have a taste of the freedom that he could barely even remember. He could only give all he had in order to honor these feelings…

...

His eyes analyzed the situation, his brain churning.

His mind didn’t need to churn for too long though, although he had not studied tactics in decades, he knew basics of them like the back of his hand.

And it just so happened that their surroundings had all the prerequisites for the most basic but effective of them all.

Ambush.

He turned to the other demi-humans and growled, his voice husky and harsh.

“RUN!!!”

The other demi-humans didn’t even ask for an explanation and dashed behind the dwarf with all the strength their underfed modies could muster, leaving behind a gaggle of monsters.

Although some of the wolves wanted to chase behind the demi-humans, their attention was mustered by the dozens of moving shrubs in their surroundings. Many of those delicious hairless apes appeared out of said bushes.

The monsters salivated unconsciously, remembering the easy meal they had gotten from those humans earlier. Although these apes looked scrawnier and had long flowy things covering their bodies, they could surely still get a few morsels of meat.

The wolves howled and the goblins jumped, rushing towards the humans and preparing themselves to chase them all around the forest like earlier.

These humans didn’t run though…

Instead they raised their hands, displaying queer circular symbols drawn of a piece of paper. The monsters paused for a second but immediately continued the rush, not caring much for their weird antics.

They certainly didn’t expect balls of scorching fire to come out of the many scrolls, burning them and everything around them to ashes.

It took barely a few minutes for the entire forest to turn into a raging inferno.

….

Jule observed without even blinking as several gigantic plumes of smoke rose from the forest, staining the clear blue sky with a darker tone.The first part of the plan seemed to have worked, nothing out of the ordinary happening as of yet.

Still, Jule felt a bit impatient, staring at the point where the plains became a forest with keen eyes.

A few more minutes passed and a throng of people came out of the forest, other than their faces and robes being completely covered in black soot, they were completely unharmed.

A long sigh escaped Jule’s mouth.

The plan seems to have been a great success… Maybe that monsterkin wasn’t that smart after all.

A few of the mind refiners coughed, some of the smoke having reached their lungs. Normally they would use scrolls to prevent the soot and smoke from reaching their delicate bodies, but with all the scrolls reserved for the fight with the Bulette, they would have to deal with it for a bit longer.

Jule didn’t care much though, they were soldiers for a reason, if they couldn’t deal with an uncomfortable position, they would be no better than garbage.

…

Speaking of the Devil…

The ground beneath everyone shakes, rocks breaking apart and dirt tunneling into the ground, forming deep holes. The soldiers gathered into squads, the body refiners taking the vanguard and everyone else gripping bunches of scrolls on their hands.

The earth finally crumbles completely, a sharp snout coming into view from above, the rest of the body coming right after.

Four Bulettes rise out of the ground, their imposing bodies shaking and sending dirt flying everywhere.

It was an obvious conclusion, the Bulettes would dig into the earth and head to the nearest clearing, trying to avoid being caught in the gigantic forest fire. Even if they were earth element beasts, being drowned in a sea of flames would cause their demise.

A small bout of silence completely encompassed the clearing, both sides looking at each other. Thanks to Jule’s advanced senses, he could hear the gulping of some soldiers.

This was his first time facing a Bulette too, and he had to admit, he couldn’t stop trembling.

Nevertheless, the soldiers needed to take the initiative in order to separate the Bulettes, so Jule gathered his wits about him.

“ATTACK!!!” Jule’s shout rang throughout the battlefield, and as if the world was unfrozen, everyone moved again.

The Bulettes roared and rushed towards the soldiers, their feet leaving deep imprints in the earth.

Although everything had gone swimmingly so far, Jule couldn’t really enjoy the feeling of a plan happening exactly as one thought. He had played the role of the tough leader so far, but the truth was that he was on the border of passing out, even though he couldn’t say it, taking control of his first battle was an excruciating experience for him.

Thousands of doubts flowed in his mind.

What if the monsterkind popped up out of nowhere?...

What if the soldiers couldn’t take care of a single Bulette?...

What if…

Sometimes things can’t help but go wrong, Jule learned this lesson today. And as much as he wanted to avoid it, he needed to trust everyone to be able to deal with their tasks, they were the best soldiers his father had to offer after all.

He couldn’t worry about things outside of his control anymore, he had a tough battle ahead of him.

...

Jule’s attention finally shifted over to the stone beast rushing towards him, its rough exterior, its sharp outline and its sharp claws.

Jule’s legs tighten as he crouches, concentrating all of the ma rushing throughout his body onto his calves. The Bulette looks at Jule and snorts in derision, its body towering over Jule’s miniscule figure.

Jule lowers his body towards the ground, and then, like a spring, jumps with all his might. The monster, not expecting such a small thing to reach its head so quickly, moves its head to bash Jule.

Jule manages to avoid the headbutt by twisting his body mid air, using the movement to plunge his sword into the eye of the beast.

The roar of the beast shakes the ground, spurts of murky brown blood flowing from the wound.

Jule tries to dig the sword deeper into the monster’s eye, gouging out large chunks of flesh, his feet using the exterior of the monster for support. The Bulette notices this and smashes his head onto the ground, sending Jule flying.

Jule rolls a few times on the floor, quickly regaining his footing. The monster glances at Jule, sword still stuck in his eye, using the only eye it has remaining to glare at him.

It stomps his foot onto the ground, turning his already rocky exterior even more rough, the scales covering his body turning into pure rock.

Jule reaches towards a holster on his back and takes out an ornate dagger, his other hand unfurling a tiny scroll.

He slashes the scroll with his dagger, white motes of light converging onto the sharp edge of the weapon, turning into gusts of air. Jule once again crouches, but this time, instead of sending ma to his calves, he sends it all to his thighs.

The Bulette, expecting Jule to jump once again, raises its head in a desperate manoeuvre, revealing a small gap between his body and the ground.

Jule pushes the ground with his legs and dashes towards this opening,

The monster seems to notice that something is wrong, but it is too late for it to fix the mistake. Jule throws his feet before him and slides under the beast, using all his strength to slash the belly of the beast.

A torrent of wind explodes from his dagger, breaking apart the softer rock and drawing blood, a deep gash forming on the belly of the beast. The wind is so strong that it even rises from the ground for a brief second.

Jule’s dagger turns to dust and he comes out from behind the beast, which in pain, swings its tail and hits Jule straight on the side, taking all the air from his lungs.

He ends up blasted against a tree, bile rising from his throat. If he wasn’t a peak rank 2 refiner, that blow would have crushed his ribcage.

This would not be easy…

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The dwarf was running alongside the other demi-humans, thanks to their quick reactions and the wiseness of the dwarf, they had managed to avoid getting trapped by the flames like the other monsters. Their destination was a clearing nearby, the only safe place remaining thanks to the flames.

Once they manage to reach the clearing, they are welcomed by a sight that makes them stop in their tracks. Four of the humongous beasts are fighting those godforsaken human soldiers, although they are all overshadowed by the beasts, their attacks and scrolls seem to be keeping a balance, barely able to hold them back.

The most fearsome sight was that of a child, probably not even at the end of his teenage years, dealing with a beast all on his own. The beast was bleeding from one of its eyes, a blade dug all the way to its pommel in it.

A pool of blood also seems to be forming below it, a wound on its belly would be the dwarf’s best guess.

The child was not in the best state either though, the various red armor plates covering his body were greatly deformed, the metal probably digging into his body. The child was also covered in blood, especially his mouth, which once in a while spewed a bunch of the red liquid.

The dwarf found it hard to worry about the child though, he had lost all the positive and charitable feelings towards those despicable humans that had enslaved him for so long, dooming him to a life of pain.

Rather, this would be a perfect opportunity for him and his crew to run away, they would need to live in hiding, but it was much better than a life of slavery.

Only, before they could take another step, they took notice of the large number of demi-humans heading towards them. Although these demi-humans were barely equipped too, the demi-humans from the dwarf's group couldn’t help but hope, had they perhaps come to save them?...

These thoughts lasted only for a second though, as they could see their blunt metal weapons pointed towards them, the eyes of the other demi-humans wide and their bodies madly trembling.

The dwarf clenched his fists, battering himself over not having immediately left the clearing, being distracted by the battle.

Both groups looked at each other, one with despair and the other with fear. A few minutes passed like this, not one of the groups taking initiative, only staring at the other.

The dwarf saw a chance and prayed to the Goddess that it would work.

He walked forward, dropping the sharpened branch he had taken to calling a sword, a gift from the leader of those monsters.

“Fellow Demi-Humans, we need not fight!” He shouted, observing the reactions of the group.

Some grasped their weapons even tighter, their eyes bloodshot, while others nearly dropped their weapons onto the ground, their legs barely holding them up.

“If we attack the humans together, we can take them down. I have spoken to the leader of those beasts…” The dwarf got on his knees, looking at them with all the goodwill he could muster.

“If we fight them while they are trying to hold back the Rock Monsters, we can win and take back our freedom!” The dwarf infused all the passion he had left into his words.

There was only one thing he hadn’t lost to the winds of time, and that was the deep love he held for his own race.

Some of the opposite side were affected by the words and emotions of the dwarf, their faces scrunching up and releasing tears.

They had suffered the same, they had gone through the same, and they all wanted the same.

They may be different but they were all one, they were all demi-humans!

...

Just as they were about to join the dwarf’s group, a roar shook the clearing, demanding the attention of all those present.

In the middle of the clearing, a Bulette was completely skewered by spears made out of air, brown blood flowing from its body like a river, it was surrounded by those humans in robes and thousands of elemental particles.

It’s body was shaking, only surviving due to sheer willpower. But even the strongest instincts, couldn't beat blood loss.

The beast released another, weaker cry, and collapsed onto the ground, its body turning completely into stone and breaking apart. The humans who were all around it immediately rushing towards another fight.

The dwarf couldn’t help but curse.

The demi-humans, who were about to join the dwarf, gripped their weapons tighter, the scene reminding them of the harsh truth. There was no going against humans, only by taking their side would they keep their lives.

They were the same species, but everybody wanted to live.

Brandishing their weapons, and their determination, they ran towards the dwarf’s group.

The fights that were taking place, were but child’s play compared to what was happening a few miles away, they were untrained and unfed.

But that didn’t mean it held any less importance.

Demi-human fought with demi-human, tears flowing from their eyes, red blood splashing and staining their clothes and minds.

The dwarf was the only body refiner in the whole group, though he was a measly rank 1, having been forced to stop cultivating ever since he had been enslaved.

Dwarves were tougher than most other beings in existence though, their half human, half rock composition giving them outstanding strength. If only the dwarf could have his old golem servant back, he would be able to take down every single demi-human before him.

He sighed and picked up the sharpened branch, using his strength to separate a demi-human’s head from the rest of his body, the stick breaking apart.

He thought he was done with killing, being old and feeble, for a dwarf…

He didn’t want to take any more lives, he wanted to bring lives to this world, he wanted to brighten those who were stuck in an inescapable void like him.

But… sometimes you have to kill in order to save.