《Reborn Lord》


 The birds were chirping loudly

    The birds were chirping loudly, with the glaring sun washing over my face. My eyes fluttered open to see a clear blue sky. I was laying on my back in a strange paddock surrounded on three sides by large dense trees. With the side to my front leading out forward making a path through the forest. I started to stand, well tried to, I was weak and groggy. I managed to stand and take stock of my surroundings, the trees were dense and thick, the grass lush and long. I wasn¡¯t alone. There was twentyish other people around me, wearing the same white smocks as each other. I looked down and realised that I was wearing the exact same outfit. I fingered the hem of the top, coarse and threadbare I thought.


    I then wondered to myself, nothing like the ¡­ wait what? What was I thinking of? I don¡¯t remember. Wait, who are they? I looked at the other people curiously, I couldn¡¯t fathom why we were here. Or now that I thought of it, who am I? I touched my face with my hand, my cheek flushed red. My knees were getting heavy again while the floor was looming closer and the grass was waving and not just from the wind. I started to panic, with sweat across my brow, who am I? What am I doing here? I started to pale and looked around, none of the other people were up and awake yet. I hoped they weren¡¯t dead, that wouldn¡¯t be something I could deal with, was I supposed to be dead as well, why wasn¡¯t I?


    I started to take a step forward, my leg started strong, but my knee didn¡¯t stop bending until it was touching the damp grass. I realised that I¡¯m not coping with this well, I had to put it out of my mind, to try and focusing on working out where I am and who I am. I slapped my leg, my hand hitting the damp patch on my leg. Damp. The thought pulled a memory from a long time ago. There was the tap of rain and a crying of pain, and a lot of screaming. Yet the screaming was that of a child and voices of relief, and a very loud booming exclamation of joy, tinged with worry. I remember being in the next room looking at the window, as I watched a bead of condensation run down the window, a young boys face shown in the reflection, a small black mop with piercing clear green eyes. I remember a feeling of being lifted, and the loud voice proclaiming, ¡°Son, you will grow up big and strong like your father, and my father, your name is¡­¡±.


    My name is James I whispered to myself, my breathing slowed, and colour returned to my face, the simple thought of my name carving through the worries I had. I thought to myself, this is who I am, this Is my name, the thought raced across my mind, over and over. It took me a while to fully recover, having nearly succumbed to my panic. After I have mostly recovered I stood up, with my hands on my hips and sighed.


    I wonder if anyone else is alive and awake? I thought, walking towards the closet person. She was 5 feet 6, brown haired and rather pretty, although the twisting way she was laying down with her arm over her head didn¡¯t exactly convey that. I put my hand on her neck, and one over her mouth, two fingers over her artery and felt a pulse and a soft breath on my hand.


    Well she¡¯s okay, and after checking the next two people, I¡¯m guessing everyone else is too, while surveying the remaining people, it was hard task to hold back a chuckle at the ridiculous poses that they all had. I stood up and turned around. The paddock was more of a meadow, and surprisingly seemed to be in a perfect circle. The only obvious exit was through the path formed by the gap in the trees.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    I started forward towards the exit while patting my clothes, there wasn¡¯t any pockets or folds to hold anything, with the fabric being coarse and stiff. It seemed to be rather low quality. I wondered where it came from, looking at the others as well. As I walked through the still asleep people, I idly wondered if I should wake them up, I realised I didn¡¯t know them. I didn¡¯t want them panicking like I did or freaking out, no, it was a safer bet to see if I could find anything of importance that would tell me where I am, at least for now. I would probably end up trying later, I reasoned. I steeled myself turned towards the exit and walked forward, onto my new path.


    Walking through the trail, I was starting to realise that the grass was getting longer, gone from crunching under my feet to whipping around my knees. I was looking around, trying to find a destination to head to. I can see mountains to the left of me, but at this point I can¡¯t really compare the position of them to anything. The sun seems to be doing a weird circle in the sky, but I think it¡¯s just playing tricks on me. Although it is west to the glade, where I came from. I can see a farmhouse in the distance, which is where I¡¯m currently headed. It looks to be about 3 kilometres away, so I¡¯m rushing because I¡¯m hoping to get there quickly.


    I can¡¯t say sure that I¡¯m ready to meet anyone though, more hoping to see what I can find. Maybe a map, or a book or well something. Worst comes to worst I might have to talk to someone who lives there. I can pretend that I¡¯m lost or just passing through and need information about where the fastest way is¡­. Maybe, I don¡¯t know. I should get a look at the place first.


    As I was walking through the pathway I couldn¡¯t help but get drawn to a tree on the left of me, it was bigger than the others surrounding it, its highest leaves towering over the others around it, the trunk old and warped. It wasn¡¯t that which gave its allure though, it was the seemingly random stripes and curves of purple flowing through the tree. From the swirls down the trunk to the outline of the leaves, contrasting greatly with the deep brown and leafy green of the surrounding trees. It had an evil feel to it and gave me the creeps, I decided not to touch it.


    I kept walking forward, intent on getting there quickly, the path was weird as I walked forward. The middle of it had grass growing without much traffic damaging it but the outside of the path was bare earth and dirty, like it gets upturned every now and then again, it seemed to have traffic every now and again, but not constantly.


    After around fifteen minutes of walking along the twists and turns of the path I started to hear more noise along with the constant drone of the forest of trees surrounding me. They were yells, cracks and the slap of steel on steel, faint at first but louder as I went forward. It concerned me about what it could be, so as I was turning around a sharp corner, I slowed down and went close to the thick trees, I wanted to go through them, but the trees were to big, the shrubs and ferns to thorny and the vines are to long. I kept to side, crouched and moved forward. As I rounded the bend, I couldn¡¯t believe what I saw, and made me be in this world even more unbelievable.

 There is magic

    There was a group of armed men defending against a company of undead, barely pushing back on them. They seemed to still be forming together, as if the group was reacting to the threat. There were two knights facing them, each holding a tower shield in one hand while dressed in full plate. They had a plume coming out of their helmets, a long red one which was non-moving as they fought a huge zombie. The amour they wore was gleaming polished steel, tarnished only by mud and black blood. They were working together and two-timing a large ogre of zombie. It towered over the two, almost 7-foot-tall and as solid as a stone. The skin of it was grey and wrinkled, with sores and holes which were hiding the deceptive mass of muscles that contracted against each other as it pounded against the two knight¡¯s shields. It was covered only is a series of crusty old rags bearing only a slight resemblance to clothing. Its head was bald and peeling, showing bone where one would normally expect to see hair.  The shields they had looked like they picked up a steel door and went, right this will work. The only difference was a red serpent painted on the front, and that it had a slight curve on the front and a handle on the back. I¡¯m honestly amazed they were able to hold them, left alone actually use them for a purpose.


    The knight on the left steeped to the side as the knight on the right shoulder barged the zombie, and the opportunity wasn¡¯t wasted when the knight¡¯s small sword shot out and left a shallow cut on the side of it. Black blood flowed for a few seconds before suddenly stopping and leaving a sore when the cut was. This seemed to explain the flurry of cuts criss-crossing its skin.


    Three soldiers were to the left of the knights were dealing with a bunch of skeletons, they were ghastly looking things, bleached white bones holding rusty swords, axes and bent shields. Some dark aura was surrounding them, it seemed like it was powering them. As I observed this one of the knights lashed out with a sword aiming for one of the skeletons arms. The skeleton in question was winding his sword back to swing at the same soldier, the sword cutting into the bone as it hit and flinging the bone away, the rusty sword flying towards the group of people in the back but falling five meters short.


    My focus was directed towards the woman in the middle of the group at the back. I couldn¡¯t help but notice she had golden hair which was bound by a length of vine, and a glowing visage, while it showed fear, was regardless beautiful. She had two women in grey robes astride her, one crouched holding a crumpled man while the other was waving her hands around mumbling. There were two guards in front of them, while another who was close to the skeleton group, was dragging a bloodied man towards the back group. There were two carriages behind that group, four horses tethered to each.


    ¡°Bang!!!¡±


    My eyes flickered towards the source of the sound, a skeleton¡¯s shield crumpling on the onslaught on a soldier¡¯s metal club as he bashed it repeatedly before kicking out and sending the skeleton sprawling. The skeleton¡¯s bones were scattered, hitting the ones behind it and falling to the ground. The soldier cheered before he saw the skeleton start to reform, whatever magics animated them pulling it together and reformed it.


    Of to the right of the tower knights, there were four men, for they wore just leather instead of the garb of the soldiers. They held small shields and short swords and were laying into what looked to be zombies. I had no idea what else they could be because they were men long dead who had long since died, yet somehow moving. They were landing flurries into the zombies comprised of quick jabs and slashes, working together to target one and leave it as a mess on the floor.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    I was closet to the three fighting the skeletons, and were able to see them better, they wore leather and chainmail, with a hauberk that depicted a coiling red snake on their chest. Leather boots, leather helmets and leather on their legs and arms with a snarl on their faces. I noticed that all the soldiers wore the same, except for the ones facing the zombies. Their helmets showed only their eyes, and a grate where their mouth would be. It is hard to believe how deftly they were moving, seeming to not notice the weight of the armour while they fought the ogre. The ones looking like guards wore just leather, with no insignia which led me to believe they were of a different group, they fought well together and seemed to know exactly what the others would do. They were scruffy, and all had grey rough spun capes attached to their necks, and all their equipment looked as if its seen years of use.


    ¡°John, get over here now!¡± the woman with the bound hair shouted,


    The soldier dragging the fallen man replied, ¡°I¡¯m coming, don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s just out like a light. Oi, Sam come over here and help me.¡±


    ¡°Coming,¡± One of the guards at the back said when he started running forward towards Sam.


    The knights fighting the ogre of a zombie stepped to the respective left and right of the ogre and slammed the massive shields into it at the same time. They pushed forward, trapping it and squeezing it.


    ¡°One.¡± The woman who was waving her hands called, her voice strained with concentration. As one both knights jumped back, while their swords flicked out leaving a black streak on the abomination.


    ¡°Two¡± They both jumped forward, shields slamming into it again, while the ogre caught his hands on the front of the shields and pushed outwards. This resulted in a deadlock, but the knights knew a contest of strength was one they couldn¡¯t win. It was too large and too strong for that they knew, and they were only holding it because it was hurting.


    ¡°Lord hear me, and answer my plea, help me clear this land of filth and disease, for I am a devotee to your fight, so aid me to cut away this blight¡± they chanted, a light running up their swords enveloping it in a yellow glow. They stepped to opposite sides of it, turning their shields and bodies to the side and in towards the ogre. They were using its strength to push themselves forward, and twist their bodies and thrusting their sword forward. A sword went through its neck, small length of the sword and the tip pointing out of its neck, while another went through its leg, and through its shin.


    ¡°ROOOOOAR¡± the ogre cried in pain, grabbing at its neck. When the shields slammed into it again, pushing at it, confining it and holding it.


    ¡°Mauriee, hurry the fuck up and kill this thing already for devil¡¯s sake!¡± roared the knight on the right.


    ¡°Just a moment longer¡± she replied, her face scrunched up. Her hands which had been moving erratically slowed before stopping, with her hands facing the ogre and clasped together.


    ¡°Three¡± she shouted, in response to this the knights strained once more, pushing their shields forward, holding it still. A loud chirping noise followed, the only indication about what to come. A flash of light and a scream of wind, coming from where her hands were and shooting towards the abomination and through it. The body collapsed in-between itself, missing almost half of its body, as the pressure exerted by the knights squished the body into a pulp, squirting black blood all over them. They immediately jumped back, trying to get away from the mess. The one on left looked at his shield, and saw a massive indent from mauriee¡¯s spell, carving out the front of it, inches away from him.


    ¡°shit¡­¡± he whispered, realising just how close he had come to dying, staying alive only by the skin of his teeth. He turned towards the back group, dropping his shield and moving forward. The other knight did the same, after a slight hesitation.


    James knew he had to help, but he wasn¡¯t sure how and what he could achieve by doing so. He decided that he should wait and see what happens next. However the skeleton grabbing one of the soldier and pulling him onto the ground made him reconsider.