Merchant of fate

The dark and ominous shadow that covered this part of the woods had hidden them well.

Although Lovell had a difficult time locating Marcus, he could now perfectly see the fear in Marcus's expression.

He too had no other choice but to take a step back when he saw the creature they had locked eyes with.

It looked to be about the height of a teenage boy.

It had grey skin and sharp deer-like horns.

It had two pairs of eyes that made Lovell think one pair was for him and the other for the knight ahead of him.

It appeared to be hairless but had a pair of wings on its back.

 It was a humanoid creature that made Lovell recall some of the scary stories he would hear when he still lived at the orphanage with Derek.

Since he was a kid, he had been hearing about Horrors and how terrible they were.

Although the walls he had grown up with always felt a little restrictive, he was now wishing for the security they brought him.

The creature before him tilted its head at the unfamiliar creatures who had entered its resting place.

An oblivious onlooker might have mistaken it as being disinterested, but the two humans before it knew better.

The Horrors never acted out of malice or hunger.

They caused devastation because it was a part of their identity.

They were Horrors, and as such, they spread dread to creatures that were not simply because it was their instinct to do so. 

Marcus drew his sword from his waist and shifted his posture lower.

He may not have been a Dreadborn, but he was a knight who had received formal training so that he could at least protect himself should the need arise.

Of course, being a part of the organization known as the Knights of Gravia meant he was trained to deal with people rather than Horrors.

He was unfortunately put in a position where he was forced to apply that training on a Horror.

Its humanoid shape gave him a little confidence because that meant it was low ranking, but he still had to put forth his best. 

Lovell, who was behind Marcus, did what he could in the situation, nothing.

Rather than risk fighting against a monster he knew nothing about, he turned his back on Marcus and left him to handle the situation alone.

Marcus fumed when he saw this because he knew he had been left to fight against the monster on his own.

His anger was short-lived when he realized the Horror had been roused by this action and sprang towards him. 

He dodged the attack by rolling on the ground to his right.

As he rose from the ground, the monster's fangs sank into his right shoulder, and his blood gushed out of him with fury.

His cry of pain only encouraged the monster to devour him more.

It carried him with its fangs still sunken in his flesh towards the bush it was initially resting in.

Its foot then sank in the dark along with its whole body, and eventually his. 

Marcus was dragged into the dark, never to be seen again. 

...

Lovell's hurried steps dirtied his boots as he ran through the night with no idea where he was going.

He was frightened and had only thought of how to escape.

He didn't even have time to think about the fact that he had left a man to meet his end.

Sure, he was a thief, but he had never done anything that cold-blooded before.

He had never sentenced a man to his death. 

..it...it's not my fault.

Those knight bastards have been plotting against me and Derek from the beginning.

Yes, it's not even me who killed him.

Nature decided to let me off for once.

I will survive.

I must survive.

At all costs.

He ran because he was scared, but had now regained his composure and ran because he needed to look for the others.

He needed to return to the camp if he was to survive the night, and he doubted if Sir Anthony and company would be so willing to believe that such an accident just happened, and he was the only one to survive.

He thought a little and decided it was best he worry about such things when he was back with the people who were carrying weapons.

..

About 15 minutes after Lovell and Marcus left, Anthony began to grow suspicious.

Did something happen?

He knocked on the door and was just about to issue an order to a pair of knights to go out and look for them when he heard a commotion growing from the circle of prisoners. 

...

Lovell was out of breath when he saw a group sitting in a circle around a big tree.

He had managed to return to the camp.

He quickly calmed himself and approached the prisoners.

The white haired youth rose from his seat and blocked Lovell's progression to the carriage.

He then spoke to Lovell, "How big was it? What did it look like?" 

Lovell was a little shaken by the youth's question and felt the mark on his ankle wriggle around a little when he locked eyes with the youth.

During all this, the youth was surprisingly calm.

Even as he fell in the dirt and stood out among the prisoners, he always maintained his calm.

That was part of the reason Lovell noticed him.

Faced with such a question, Lovell couldn't help but ask one of his own. 

" Who the hell are you?"

The youth responded," Who me? Just a vagrant who had the misfortune of crossing paths with a maniac. Although if you must know, I once was called Mathius, Mathius Dreer. You can call me Mat."

Lovell and the prisoners around the youth all showed shocked expressions and exclaimed in surprise.

He had a last name, which meant he was from a noble lineage.

For him to have ended up in chains on his way to an academy where prisoners and other such law breakers populate the area, his life's story was sure to inspire poetry and music that would last generations. 

Lovell had a complex expression. 

Dreer? 

Never heard of them, but since he has a last name, he must be from a noble lineage.

Is he from a family of traitors or something?

How did he end up here? 

I'm getting distracted.

Lovell threw the distracting thoughts out of his mind and saw the approaching knight, who was supposed to be responsible for them until they reached the academy.

Sir Anthony quickly registered Lovell but failed to locate Marcus.

His suspicions only grew when the supervisor he had planted by Lovell's side was nowhere to be found.

He spoke to Lovell in a rather threatening tone, "What happened to Marcus? He is supposed to be by your side." 

In response to the question, Lovell glanced at Mathius before shifting back to Sir Anthony and began to recount the events that unfolded.

At the mention of a Horror's presence, everyone had a complex expression.

None of them were Dreadborns and as such, could not effectively fight against a Horror.

Sir Anthony in particular showed an upset expression when Lovell told them about how he had run for his life without regard for how his actions would affect Marcus. 

The camp was quiet after Lovell finished recounting the events of the night.

No one had expected things to take such a turn so soon.

Sir Anthony, being the person in charge, was responsible for deciding on how to proceed, and so, all eyes were on him. 

"Gather everyone. If we were to start moving in the middle of the night, we would only be inviting more problems for ourselves, so the best course of action is to fortify ourselves here and wait for the morning to arrive. Patrol the area regularly and always make sure at least three knights are on watch at all times. We don't want any more incidents till we reach the academy. That is all."

The knights began to make their arrangements, and the prisoners were told to stay closer to the fire so that they were easier to observe.

Lovell stayed close to the prisoners and began to talk with them.

They were fairly shocked to learn that he was also a prisoner, but one who, for whatever reason, was being exempted from chains and was stationed in a carriage with knights.

Derek was caught up in what had transpired but remained in the carriage throughout the night. 

...

The next day was upon them, and they had made it through the night without any further incident.

It would seem the Horror had it's fill on the unfortunate knight and was not going to actively seek them out.

Although that was the case, they were already on the road when the first rays of light burst from the horizon and didn't bother cleaning up the campsite.

The academy was a few hours away, and they were not in the mood to learn if they had any other neighbors lying in wait.