"Is that it?" The young lady asked as she crouched on the large branch next to the older man.
"Yes, My Lady. Since the report, they have not made any movements." Commander Russel nodded as he squinted his eyes. "Compared to an hour ago, it seems to be bleeding less."
"How can we be sure that is not a person?" Lady Helia asked as she folded her arms over her chest.
"The scouts reported that the legs, hands, and head are not that of a human. Feet like an animal, four fingers and a head shaped like a wolf. More than that, even our Hanguin are scared to get close." The Commander gestured to the beasts below them. Though the wolf-like creatures were snarling at the figure 300 meters away, they seemed more scared than anything.
"Poor beasts. I haven't seen them act like that since my father exuded murderous intent to subdue them." The Lady sighed as she looked down to them. "Any sign of how it managed to get into the territory?"
"No, My Lady. Given the multiple wounds it has, a trail of blood should have been left behind. It seems it just appeared here and has not moved."
"Alright. Let's take a closer look then."
"On your order."
As the Commander spoke, he signaled to the rest of the company that were around. 30 soldiers in total besides the two, all rank 3 and above. Though the number was small, it should be enough to subdue this creature if it went wild.
With the Lady taking the lead, the rest followed behind in a winged formation with their swords drawn. At first, they were confident. However, the closer they got, the more unsettled they group felt. The aura exuded from such a wounded creature was comparable to those at the 6th Rank within the Clan, which made them wonder what strength it would have if it fully recovered.
Stopping a ways away, the Lady observed the creature slowly. The armor itself was simple with almost no etching or engraving. As said in the report, the feet were made like that of wolf-like paws. Along the waist was a torn up red cloth. A symbol rested on the left thigh, but it was cut away along with the metal to expose a deep wound.
The chest was covered by a strange looking iron shield. An engraving seemed to peek above the shield, but it was scratched by several markings of what seemed to be a vicious battle. The arms held many scratches and punctures on their long, slender length. The shoulders held some engravings that looked to be an animal of some kind.
The head was the most unsettling. It looked to made up the same as their Hanguin, but much larger. Heavy breath could be heard under the helm, and furred lids beneath the holes where the eyes were. The wolf-like ears were held down by the armor in eternal ferocity, and the mouth made to look like it could only growl at their enemies.
Such a strange looking creature. Yet, it obviously held intelligence given the spear in it's right hand, shield clasped on the left, and the sword hanging loosely on the left hip. For now, none of that mattered.
Just as Lady Helia turned to give an order, the sound of shifting metal caused the group to go on full guard. Turning back, she met the eyes of the creature.
"Hu...mans..." A soft, pained breath left the creature, making everyone take a step back.
Helia looked to the Commander and signaled for him to stand back. After getting a nod, she turned back and took a few steps towards the creature. "I am Helia, daughter of the Demon Lord Giltaris Cheon. Why have you intruded on our Sacred Land?"
The creature looked around before slowly climbing to its feet. The sounds of shifting metal almost masked the pained groaning heard from it. After a few moments, it stabbed the spear into the ground to lean on and hold its hand to their chest.
"Humans...playing as demons? This is...a surprise." The creature gasped in a pained filled feminine voice.
Now that it stood, everyone noticed it towered at almost 3 meters in height. Not only that, but holes filled the armor itself wore in various places. Some small, like that of arrows, the others clearly made by some sort of blade. Its shield was battered and bent a little, as well as a dent on its right side made from a blunt object.
What was more horrifying to the group was the calming energy exuded from the creatures hand. It was not like the Ki that everyone was accustomed to. It felt more ethereal, like that of the Sorcerer Clan. Each moment the energy was felt, the creatures breath seemed to steady more and more.
"Humans. I mean no harm to civilians, so please sheath those strange weapons you carry." The creature sighed as it stood with more dignity. "I am Dame Nix of the Fang Order, Knight of the Oteron Kingdom. I simply wish to return to my Order."
Everyone looked to each other in confusion at the creatures words. This caused the Commander to step up with his hand in gesture. "Stranger, if I may. We have never heard of neither the Oteron Kingdom, nor of the Fang Order you claim to be in."
Nix turned to the Commander and tilted her head a little. Bringing their shield up, they gestured to the dragon-like creature with the sun rising behind it and a tower protected in its wings. "Humans, have you never seen this symbol before?"
"I apologize, Dame Nix. No one here has seen such a banner before." Lady Helia shook her head as she gestured to those around her to sheath their weapons. "If you come with us, perhaps one of the elders at our Clan might have the answers you seek."
A snort was heard from Dame Nix, making the others jump a little. They watched as she gripped her spear and glared down at them in malice.
"We may be able to exchange words, but I am not so foolish as to follow Humans. Or do you claim not to be apart of the Alliance?" The growl mixed into her words caused everyone to stand guard.
Commander Russel quickly yanked Helia away from the murderous intent with his sword drawn. "Does this mean you hold malice towards Humans?"
"Humans that claim to follow a Demon Lord. You do not have the scent of any Lord, nor the King I serve. Do you take me for a fool?" A wave of energy erupted from Dame Nix, causing everyone to stumble and hold their chests. It was hard for everyone to breathe under such murderous intent, but something else seemed to push down on them.
"It seems our children have insulted you, stranger." A calm voice swept the energy away, making everyone gasp in relief.
"F-father..." Helia struggled as she turned around towards the source of the voice.