Chapter 34 - Volume 1

TL: It turns out all the assignments are given till the end of the year for polishing (and a relief cause I totally did not manage to finish perspective drawing at all). On Friday, I’ll be on two weeks break and I’ll back to school for another 4 months worth of intensive stuff.

Anyways, good news for you guys, cause I’ll be taking at least 1 full day (probably this Friday) to do nothing but just TL so you guys and myself can gorge on some Christmas reading, and no more of that damnable cliffhangers. This will be exclusive from the donations.

Regarding the schedule of donated chapters, it kind of depends on how crazy my schedule is. I probably can’t do 1 ch per day if I get 4-5 assignments per week because it takes at least 3 hours to do 1 chapter of The Amber Sword, and I spend an ungodly amount of time researching on my assignments while leaving almost no time for drawing from that schedule.

I don’t even have the bloody time to read the books that I bought (grrrrr), while my coffee intake has increased dramatically to the point I’m going to take a look at my budget again during my term break.

So it’s probably going to be 1-1.5 hrs/day for donated chapters, while the regular translations will hopefully continue as per normal.

I haven’t check this chapter for mistakes too >_>.

If anyone has any tips/video links on digital drawing for perspective it will be greatly appreciated, because this shit takes up so much time it’s not even funny (and this affects my TL schedule the most). My fastest method currently is to duplicate lots of rectangles and transform it to the perspective line, while figuring out how to make it 3D later on (still researching on it).

I need a good texture + color tutorial on painting walls too, so I can be ahead of my class schedule (which will be 2/3 points VP and some recreation of 2D vehicles into perspective, and finally it will probably be some environments + texture).

End announcement break.

Chapter 34 – Golden Demonic Tree

Three people made their way down to the valley silently and waited in ambush. Brendel made it look like time was frozen, as his movements were so delicate and subtle, and one would find it impossible to discover anything out of the ordinary if they were to survey the surroundings.

He had walked on this path more than a hundred times. He had failed before in his attempts and got discovered when he was still unfamiliar, but he would not fail here now. Even though the Demonic Trees had exceptional strength, these naturally blind creatures were not effective in investigating their surroundings.

The tense Brendel heard the faint rustling of pebbles rubbing against boots. He turned his back and saw Freya anxiously looking back at him. The youth furrowed his brows.

[Freya, you’re still too tense.]

He stopped to allow Romaine to pass him. The merchant girl had very well by lowering her body and breathing evenly. Her strides were not overly large and she did not move too slowly too, and she was as elegant as a cat. Her current mentality was filled with dexterous cautiousness from the excitement, and her heart which was as taut as a string strangely pushed out her potential. She was like a natural adventurer.

“Romaine, you’re doing really well, keep on doing this.” Brendel encouraged her by mouthing the words out.

She quickly nodded in response, her actions were really small, but she could not suppress the pride in her heart.

As Romaine passed by Brendel, he looked back at Freya. She seemed to know her own problems, and she lowered her head involuntarily. He sighed in silence when he saw this scene. No matter how one looked at her, it was clear that she did not possess outstanding wisdom, judgment, mentality, physique, and one would have thought she would become nothing more than an ordinary person.

But Brendel knew there had to be something that allowed her to hold the legendary name of ‘The Goddess of War’.

He narrowed his eyes into a line and looked thoughtfully at her. Her light orange colored hair was on full display when she lowered her head, reasonably dense and soft looking, and it looked like she had taken much care on it. She did not comb it skilfully, but it was meticulously done.

At this moment she was crouching her body and progressing past him. The girl did not utter any sound, and only her long ponytail followed her bobbing action, almost as if it to display her will in her heart. Brendel knew that it was her unbending will.

His heart skipped a beat.

“Freya.”

She paused for a moment.

“You’re too tense, relax a little.”

“Sorry, I……”

“It’s fine. Do you see the boulder in front? We should split up here from now onwards. Hide yourself behind there until the patrol team passes by. You must attract the attention of the last two Demonic Trees at the first moment we launch an attack.”

She nodded.

“Go ahead, I’ll wait here to watch over you. Freya, I’m sure you can do it well.” He turned his body and laid beside a field of broken rocks and gestured to her.

She showed off shock as this was different from the initial plan. But she was not stupid to not know that he stayed behind to boost her confidence. She felt slightly moved, but she could only press her lips firmly together and nodded gravely at this moment.

He noticed that her actions a little more steady than before as she progressed forward, and he felt relieved.

This was a very normal reaction to situations like this, and someone like Romaine who was calm and bold was rare. When he turned his head the other way, he noticed that she had stopped moving and was looking curiously at him. He gave an exasperated sigh and gestured at her to keep on moving forward.

It was unfortunate that her mind was steady but her thoughts were beyond common sense. On the other hand, it was Freya who was more reliable and he looked forward to see her grow into the Goddess of War in the future.

She quickly reached the proposed position. The patrol team had just crossed half of the mountain valley, and it was pretty much impossible for them to do something out of the ordinary. It was just she was too nervous. Brendel had a little trouble as encouraging her took precious time away, and they were already in their ambush range.

At this distance he might be discovered.

But he was still that veteran warrior in the game, forcefully willing himself to gauge the best timing and the enemies’ pathing to the best moment without any errors. When he finally was beside Romaine, he had to wipe the cold perspiration on his forehead. It was too close for comfort, but his actions were flawless and did not let his emotions affect his abilities.

Romaine noticed the perspiration and quickly handed a checkered handkerchief to him. He noted the handkerchief and faintly remembered that it was a handicraft from the northern region Vieiro. It was difficult to find something like this in Bucce, and was one of the merchant girl’s favorite items.

“Thanks.” He mouthed the word.

“I should be the one thanking you, Brendel.” She hugged her bag and answered earnestly: “It might be very dangerous in a while, and there might not be such a chance later right? So I want to tell you that I am thankful, Brendel.”

Brendel was taken aback slightly, but he gave a faint smile.

In a few heartbeats, the six Demonic Trees were already near them, and the three of them who hid behind the sharp boulders could hear the shuffling sounds of their footsteps approaching nearer and nearer. The Demonic Trees used a low rumbling note to pass information to each other, while they were able to feedback to their parent by just communicating by telepathy.

Brendel saw Freya pulling her sword out, who went as far as to wrap her blade with her clothes to prevent the reflection of the light from the blade from appearing. Brendel nodded at her thoughtfulness even though it was unnecessary here. She was improving every day and moved away from that idealistic village girl.

He gestured immediately.

‘I will go first, you will sneak attack them.’

Freya’s brows creased together. He was always trying to take on the dangerous portion of the job to himself which made her feel uneasy and displeased at the same time. But even so, she knew that this was the best plan and could only nod reluctantly.

The Demonic Tree moved across the ground and continued downwards to an array of rocks. They suddenly stopped and extended their search everywhere, and communicated differently with a series of notes that had different tones.

Brendel pulled out the ‘Thorn of Light’, with one arm protecting romaine, and gave an attack signal to Freya—

[Right now, they should be behind us and far apart from each other. Now is the best time!]

Brendel charged out in an arch and his first target was a mature Demonic Tree. Freya decisively pulled out his sword and rushed towards to the back lines of the group, and her targets were the two closest Demonic Trees.

The Demonic Trees in charge of the rear were typically alert, and thus their reactions were the quickest. They discovered Freya as they turned their heads backwards and bellowed loudly. The vines that pierced through the air like a javelin whistled sharply like a shriek.

Freya swung her hands outwards and blocked the four chain-like whips away as the ‘Feathers of Wind’ shone individually to protect her. She jumped high up and knocked onto a Demonic Tree. The dimming ‘Feathers of Wind’ lit themselves once again, and the giant creature was knocked flying away by the sudden assault.

She remembered Brendel’s words earlier that her armor was highly effective against them and she should just attack with her limbs.

She gritted her teeth as she headed towards to the Demonic Tree lying on the ground without any real plan. The whips came at her with the force of a tidal wave, and she knew she had limited strength and might be knocked away, so she raised her sword up high and cleaved downwards at the Demonic Tree’s right arm.

There was a light crunching sound and its right arm containing the vines flew straight up, but Freya was also knocked away onto the ground from the enemy’s attack in return. When she started to get up, another Demonic Tree whipped at her and she rolled onto the ground several times. Even though the Half Plate of the Wind Empress protected her, the impact ruptured her inner body and she coughed out blood.

The enemy on the ground would not recover quickly, and she had only one more enemy left. However, she was unable to find any chance to attack as she wiped the blood away from her mouth.

She drew in a breath of air lightly.

At the other end, Brendel had already finished off his enemy from the ambush. The ‘Thorn of Light’ in his hands were like a line of silvery flash: His first attack was a stab that entered the Demonic Tree’s right flank, which then came across in an arc to sever the right arm and several vines, turning it into flying ashes.

The second attack was a slash that lopped off its two legs, and the instant the creature lost its balance and crashed to the ground, the icy blade had went across its neck.

Under the web of swirling lights, the mature Demonic Tree turned into ashes.

This was the advantage of his guerrilla tactic, but the rest of them had to use some improvisation. He had a few ideas, and he decided to retreat after his successful strike. The remainder of the Demonic Trees obviously would not let him get away and the three Demonic Trees chased after him with a roar.

Brendel lured them to a narrow pathway where they formed a line subconsciously to keep pursuing him, but what awaited them was a gleaming silver ring on his finger.

“Oss!”

Freya heard a frightening blast coming from the left side and she knew it came from Brendel. She was momentarily distracted and when she regained her senses, she realized that the enemy in front of her was actually stunned by the sound explosion.

As an ignorant youth from Bucce, she did not understand that the sound explosion greatly affected the Demonic Tree that was sensitive to sound. It nearly caused a complete loss to its judgment of the world around it, and the world around him was endless waves of bright light where nothing existed.

The only thing of importance to her that it was a chance, and it was more than enough. She raised the sword that was almost corroded to the breaking point and she mercilessly chopped the Demonic Tree’s legs.

The short battle seemed to draw at a end by her sword’s arc.

With a crisp cracking sound, the Demonic Tree and her sword were snapped in half. She almost could not believe she had succeeded and her mouth was agape with surprised. Then she finally noticed Romaine opposite of her, panting tiredly with a Madara’s black steel sword in her hands.

“Romaine!”

“Freya, s-sorry, Brendel told me to help you………”

She smiled: “It’s no problem at all, thanks.”

Brendel saw this scene unfold when he came out from the narrow pathway of rocks and was momentarily dazed. He thought that she was going to become angry but her reaction was quite contrary to his prediction.

He did not entirely plan this for the sake of reducing Freya’s burden, but also partly on the tactical consideration. The crux of this plan was actually on her side. The strength of the enemy team heavily relied on the mature Demonic Tree as the leader, and the two Demonic Trees that were vigilant.

As long as these two Demonic Trees were bogged down, he would be able to kill the mature Demonic Tree easily and execute the plan to lure the remaining Demonic Trees. If the enemies were able to do a counter attack in this open terrain, he might not be able to protect Freya and Romaine’s safety even if he was five levels higher.

He was agonizing over the explanation but she seemed to have understood this point already.

“Why is the Golden Demonic Tree quiet?” She asked him when she saw him coming over, and asked: “It can’t move?”

Brendel woke up from his stupor. He shook his head. The Golden Demonic Tree was not going to stay quiet, and in fact it was the exact opposite. The moment they attacked, the Golden Demonic Tree had noticed them already and already launched its counter attack.

It merely did it silently.

“We only have a minute, and I’ll explain to you how to handle the Golden Demonic Tree. Both of you must listen carefully, unless you want your souls to be trapped within the that Golden Demonic Tree.” He replied.