《Life is Feudal》


 Prologue #1: Great Day to be Alive

    (DING DING DING)


    "mmhm.. baebiii nyoot me.. taaakkk"


    (DING DING DING DING)


    "mmmhm.. whaai soooo noisy?"


    (DING DING DING DING DING)


    "huuuh.. *yawns* wait...."


    (DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING)


    "WHAT THE FUCK"


    There I was, forced out of my favourite mistress that''s ever so gently locking me into her embrace, the most comfort I''ve ever felt in my life comes from her... my bed. That cursed thing that''s only capable of seperating us will only be the village alarm, which is definitely more annoying than flocks of children if I ever fathered any.


    The alarm would never ring under any circumstances, except for moments when the village guards are unable to venture out from their posts on the village walls to crush the intruders. If said threat is assumed dangerous to harming the inhabitants of this village, the alarm will be sounded to evacuate the villagers into the sole warehouse of the village. Which is ironically the sturdiest structure in the entire village, must feel like shit if those rabbles knew that bulks of crops and minerals are given a higher worth than the residents themselves.


    Our community being at least slightly ethical, would arrange women, children and the elderly to stay within the warehouse to avert the oncoming danger while men are handed "weapons", sticks and baskets of stones to safeguard the assets in the warehouse by forming a perimeter right outside. While conscripted millita of the village, composed of not-fucking-wobblyhanded men and women to help quell the looming danger under the lead of the village guards. They are slightly armed with bows, arrows, and some pointy sticks that resemble crudely made spears. Under such conditions, it basically means any adults who aren''t mentally challenged, obese, sensory deprived and paraplegic are conscripted into the village millita.


    The men of the millita are mainly taught combat basics in using spears, with forming spearwalls and surrounding enemies the core of their teachings. While the few conscripted women, which are usually young and perceptive given lessons of basic marksmanship and scouting. They act as archers to engage at long range, while some function as spotters with lanterns held up high, illuminating the "battlegrounds", keep eyes up for potential dangers to minimize casualties.


    (DING DING DING DING)


    "Come on people move quickly! To the warehouse!" (guard)


    Once the alarms are sounded, guards will be mobillized quickly to evacuate the villagers, form the echelon with the millita and head out to quell the threat. It''s a preference to head out and strike the enemy instead of defending passively, damaged property will cause more burden to the village''s economical state. I always felt that it''s a tad bit unsettling how this asshole village elder would prefer sending people to their deaths than to have some of the crudely built property damaged by the intruders.


    But it can''t be helped, he just made it past his 60th winter a dozen or few moons before. Being considered elderly, this detestable piece of old shit narrowly escaped the requirements for conscription. His recent arrogant fucking attitude and overworking the farmers for more produce definitely makes me want to force him into the vanguard and watch him flail his spear futilely as some warthogs shove their tusks up his orifices. I bet he will soil himself and scream in anguish and have his jaws ripped from ear to ear so his ugly fucking half grin can finally take a better shape, then his asscheeks will get chewed off and we get to watch the warthogs nibbling on his crusty old festering...This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Ahem, let''s forget about that.


    It''s a shame that I just took a bath, shaved and tidied myself delicately enough to display my eloquent beauty. Although it will daze all the fair maidens around, I chose to put on my freshly washed cotton robes which bears a flowery scent just so that I could be reunited with my favourite mistress to spend a peaceful night after being stuck in hell since ages ago. Sadly, I''m forced to part with my bed to prevent people from being murdered or skewered or eaten by some wicked creation of God.


    "ugh.. damn it"


    With a groan, I quickly took of my pristine robes, which becomes immediately crumpled as I tossed it aside onto the bed. I quickly put my chestplate onto my bare chest as I have no time to spare in wearing clothes. I put on my leather trousers and then my iron greaves. Holding all my battle gear together, I secure my scabbard behind my back, in which contains a longsword which is my pride and blessing to keep myself alive in a world of despair and uncertainty.


    Before leaving my home, which is a rugged hut with wood beams as its walls and tightly bound straw chaffs fastened around the celling as my roof, I take a glance into the water basin beside my bed which I''ve washed my face with just moments ago, just to strengthen my resolve to part with my beloved so I could prevent a potential genocide of unarmed civillians and an old rotting piece of crafty shit.


    A cleanly shaven man in his 20s looks back at me, disturbed waters rippling around the basin just emphasizes the importance of the situation ahead of me. Two pieces of metal curved slightly at ends covered both my front and back. Secured by pieces of leather rivetted in tiny iron nails, end to end from the plates to the rest of my cuirass. Two rugged shoulderguards crowned on top of my arms, covered by leather sleeves. the shoulderguards looks scratched in respective places, but never bent or punctured, no shoddy craftsmanship on these iron plates had ever occured indeed. a leather cloth right under the cuirass flowed from waist down into a buckle of my leather belt. Which conviniently ties both upper and lower portions of my armour into my centre of balance, preventing it from offsetting from any potential explosive force.


    Leather trousers made from tough bison skin covered my entire lower body, with pieces of metal accenting its surface except from the grooves, my front knees and forelegs are effectively protected from lethal strikes that could otherwise incapacitate me and cripple me forever. My entire feet is wrapped around a thin leather sole then covered by thin iron cuffs on top and bottom by minature leather straps and some fancy stitching. As the usually invading monsters have heights starting from waist down, it''s ideal to wear iron greaves to kick those beasts when arms are unavailable for various reasons.


    Especially those invading warthogs and goblins. Those crazily aggresive boars likes peforating our legs especially, a deadly heel kick could break their poise, and even crack their tusks when the hit connected head first, lowering their offensive capabilities. While goblins have good constitution, but weak knees. One decisive kick can disable them and have them fall flat on the ground. Without them displaying tenacity when standing with a shield and flurrying stabs from pointy sticks, them exposing their backs or stomachs with their weak agility will result in certain defeat.


    A glimpse of myself for a second seeming seems to last a lifetime, being impressed by myself, I quickly head out to greet the hell that is unfolding in front of me.


    After gaining composure, I walked out of my hut.


    All that entered my visage is a stream of flowing lights converging into the centre of our village, cause by villagers moving frantically and seeking illumination under the cover of that annoying fucking bell, I swear to God that stuff hurts my hearing.


    I took a deep breath, my feet walking towards to the warehouse to confirm the situation, being the melancholic intelligent young man that I am, I muttered:


    "Well well well, what a great day to be alive"


    <hr>


    This is my first ever novel, please give me your honest opinions on how to improve. English is not my mother tongue, would be glad if anyone could point me to my mistakes. Don''t hesitate to say anything, even constructive critisism is appreciated. I''ll definitely spend time to read each and every single one of it.


    Thanks to everyone for potentially supporting this, and to everyone that spends your time to read it.

 Prologue #2: What a Terrible Day

    [MC POV]


    <hr>


    "Get in quick! Millitas equip yourselves and group up behind me right this instant!" (Andrzej)


    Middle aged, bearded and having a stout body, this guy is the perfect enbodiment of a grunt. Clad in the same equipment similar as mine, the only difference is that he holds a halberd instead, supporting himself with it by leaning up against it as it''s held straight up. A long wooden pole sizing up to an entire height, fitted with an iron maceball size of a palm as it''s counterbalance and an arched blade on top. A long pike sprawls out of the main blade in addition, turning the entire weapon into a decent piece we call a heavy iron halberd. It''s an overkill indeed lifting this thing and dropping it full force on any goblin or warthogs, the sheer weight of this thing could cleave them apart and crush any armour.


    This old brat is also the vice captain of the village guards, directing orders to the common folk, trying to keep everything together so that it won''t fall apart.


    Though ridiculous, panic among inner forces is often more deadly than damage done by the opposing. Panic brews weakness and invites trouble, so on and so forth.


    Meanwhile, villagers are moving into their respective posts in an orderly manner. Living in such dangerous conditions and having their share in experiencing catastrophe has taught them to quickly react to any oncoming crisis. This old fart lifting the halberd on his right arm, tapping it into the ground repeatedly to produce noise while his left literally shoving children to fasten the process of evacuation.


    "Geez.. never a gentle soul are you.."


    He instinctively glanced to his side to the source of noise in response, and gives out a weird stare towards me, which I''ve never seen before surprisingly.


    "What"


    "Kid! How did you get your hands on that stuff? Who gave you the captain''s longsword?!" (Andrzej)


    "..."


    "ANSWER ME!! YOU THINK ACTING HEROIC IS GLORIOUS? THERES NO GLORY IN BATTLE, NOR PRIDE IN DEATH!" (Andrzej)


    "..."


    "RETURN THE GEAR AND FALL INTO THE MILLITA YOU FUCKEN BRAT!" (Andrzej)


    Drawn in by the commotion, villagers around all stared into my direction, some directed glances of anger while some surprised towards me. As if the entire place stopped and time stood still, no one dared to move an inch of muscle in response of such an oddity appearing before their eyes.


    "YOU FUCKING IMBECILE!"


    "wot" (Andrzej)


    "IT''S ME YOU BLIND FUCK!"


    "ca..ca..captain?!" (Andrzej)


    "Oh dearest Andrzej, who else would it be.." I asked in a sarcastic tone


    Seeing the guy that I''ve known for years unable to recognize me because I''ve just shaved my beard, it''s heart breaking. How could you forsake my trust and friendship?? How dare you say I look like a kid?! Do I really look like a fucking kid?! I had 23 winters behind my back, I''m in the prime of my age.. How dare you.. Why.. How could this happen to me...


    Ahhh... Had I not supressed it, I would''ve cried right there on the spot, I made the worst decision ever by shaving my beard...


    "Apologies captain, you really look different without that mane of yours. Had I not heard your voice, I won''t have recg.." (Andrzej)


    "SHUT THE FUCK UP AND FUCK OFF!"


    The villagers surrounding us at this point is laughing silently and pointing fingers at my direction. Some of the few ladies had even started gossiping around, completely unaware of the fact that their lives are in danger. Damn, there goes my reputation, it''ll surely go downhill if the village survived this disaster.. Fuck me.


    "I SAID FUCK OFFFF! ALL OF YOU!"


    Whilst yelling, my voice started to slightly shiver. My eyes clouded and a shiver of silver can be seen in my eyes. Having endured such humiliation it would be hard to not break down and cry.. First time in my life had I encountered this, my pride surely can''t take this anymore... AAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGH~ *screams internally*


    Luckily, seemed like no one saw me losing my grace once again, as they hurriedly scrambled off to the distance and resumed the evacuation.


    "Captain.. I.." (Andrzej)


    Turning my back on Andrzej to not show him my disgraceful look, I took deep breaths to quickly regain my composure.


    "I.. uh.." (Andrzej)


    "It''s alright comrade, report on the situation."Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    "Uh.. Thanks captain. it seems we are under attack a goblin tribe.." (Andrzej)


    Oh you piece of shit, I may look fine on the surface, but oh boy am I fucking pissed. I''ll never forgive you! NEVAH! YOU HEAR ME! NEVER I WILL! YOU FU..


    Ahem, forget about that, that was disgraceful of me.


    "Reports indicate that a raiding party could be spotted, counting at least 10, and not more than 20, are moving to our village from half a league away" (Andrzej)


    "Composition?"


    "The standard kind, goblins with buckler and blades, all light armoured. Few bowmen but it seems they only possess self made bows and arrows" (Andrzej)


    Oh good. Any ranged units would wreck our unarmoured village millita, luckily they have only few at this occasion. Plus goblin innovation is next to a steaming pile of shit as useless as our village chief, the bows they fashioned are off centre and shoddy by any means, and arrows unbalanced. Meaning those little trash can''t aim for shit, our guys could easily dodge them if they paid attention since goblin archers have weak strength and weak equipment. Their projectiles are bloody crawling at snail''s pace and inaccurate, reducing their worth to zero if numbers are minimal. If they can''t volley arrows, they can''t even suppress the enemy.


    I could never understand their logic, with their puny tribes and all. Strong goblins are assigned for melee while weak ones are on support or ranged units. Archers need strong arms for god''s sake. Much like the women archers in our millita, boy they could fucking nock that arrow tight. Much like Basia or Daria, those sweet ladies and their impressive, strong and tender arms could shoot some thunderbolts. Gives me the blood rush whenever I see them train.. Much better if they would nock my ammo holding my shaft.. heheheheh


    Ahem, lust should come second for now as survival is my priority for now...


    "Andrzej, how about the leader?"


    "None spotted so far, I''ve expected it to join the vanguard, but it seems to not be so" (Andrzej)


    "Alright then, I''ll see for myself once I reach the front. Now, where''s that dainty cunt?"


    "...Jarek is on sentry duty, standing guard 2 fields away from the village while keeping track of the enemy" (Andrzej)


    "Assemble the millita quickly then position them along the Obronna line, the natural slope will slow down the raiders while making full use of our shieldwalls and archers. I will head to Jarek to access the situation"


    "Aye Captain!" (Andrzej)


    Without another word, I left Andrzej and the village quickly. Striding on my feet, I can faintly hear the commotions and chatterings among the villagers as they converge to the centre. Thank god the bell stopped ringing once all the people are up and awake. As I approached the south-east outskirts of my village, numerous farm plots sprawled up from around my surroundings, various crops such as beetroot, sprouts and cabbages are growing in those plots. The semi-fertile lands among these areas are a godsend for us as supply trading are hard to come by. Our village is currently considered prosperous and well fed considering the dangers surrounding us.


    <hr>


    Soon after the end of the minature farmlands, I reach our fabled place, our geographical advantage, the Obronna line. It''s a slow declining slope slowly reaching down to the light marshes below, It''s a long line covering most of our south-eastern flanks while ending with insurmountable cliff edges on both ends. Our village is literally surrounded by rocky terrains while being on flat highlands itself, with the exception of the Obronna line here and winding yet flat trail on the north-western side. The relatively gentle slope is obviously easy to scale, but obviously difficult when theres an assault force holding the upper terrain.


    Mantaining the higher ground whilst being able to retain mobility is definitely helpful for us by forming an elastic defense, various skirmishes ranging from a few straggling freaks to raiding parties, we held our ground here and had never once lost. "Never lost" as in defending the village property, leaving it unscathed, but a couple lifes here and there had definitely be lost before. It''s hard to not take any losses if we are not well stocked in equipment. We are peasants for god''s sake, the fucking good for nothing lords would raze us to the ground by the reason of peasant revolt if all men in this place had chainmails and blades.


    Not like the lords would ever visit our frontier village, us being prosperous or getting raped by various monsters won''t mean a rat''s piss to them. They have their hands tied by the civil war and such. The previous lord governing us got his useless arse excecute and his lordship removed, though our gorvernance was never transferred before the war broke out, but then they start killing each other. Sooooo we could be considered a free village state and do whatever the fuck we want. FIRST! We torture and excecute the useless old fuck villlage chief, then install me as the king of these lands, I shall rule over it and strive for greatness myself in these war torn lands! HUEHUEHUEHUEH!!!


    Ahem, best not to get any ideas.. Peasant kings would be considered bandits and get. fucking. wiped. I never recalled having any royal fathers or mothers...


    <hr>


    Making my way down, all that entered my visage is a lightly expansive field. Would be considered a field if it weren''t for the various water ponds covering most of the surface. Many kinds of shrubbery are growing in this area, with a couple of massive trees sprawling in here and there. This area is perfect for hiding or various guerilla warfare, if not for it''s natural inhabitants.


    Natural inhabitants of these marshes? Yep, 90% FUCKING BUGS, and the rest small animals and the pain in the arse warthogs. Those territorial fucks would impale any large beings near their territories, they have various dens set up in this place, raising new generations of impalers in order to give our hunters a hard time. Though they are completely herbivorous, they skewer humans or wild dog packs (subspecies of coyotes). Occasionally some divine beasts like sabretooths can be seen here too, hailing all the way from the Southern wilderness, they really are on a different level compared to us humans. Thunder reflexes, thick skin, lightning fast strikes, metal crushing jaws and claws, what a cheat..


    On the other end of the marshes, are the wide and expansive forests leading to God knows where. That place holds an ecosystem for various kinds of beings, giant elks, hellhound packs, goblin tribes and occasionally orcs. This is just a small fragment of what''s to be known, explorers venturing deep never returned once they left. Rumours of undead armies, Liches or even ruins of fallen beings are common occurence. Never will I know the truth nor will I ever want to find out.


    Moving into an open area near the marshes, I saw the a little silhouetto of a man sneaking around the bushes, keeping watch. Scaramouch, scaramouch, will he do the fandango? (lol sorry I had to add that there)


    "Psst.. hey Jarek" Walking near Jarek, I lightly called out to him


    "Oh hey pretty boy~, never seen you before" (Jarek)


    A feminine voice replied, with a tone resembling a drunk lad trying to court a racoon. Such a voice spurted out from a young, strong lad with muscular body and a manly look always gave me quite the surprise.


    Chills ran down my body as he called out to me, I simultaneously felt the urge to backhand slap him and also to puke on his masculine face disproportionate to his feminine being.


    "I swear to god, you man-loving fucking sissy.." I gently muttered under my breath

 Prologue #3: Not an Average Day

    After spending some time explaining things in motion to Jarek, he finally caught on and lost his man hunting appetite as he knew who I am.


    Us hiding behind a shrub, we laid our eyes and ears on the surrounding perimeter, staying vigilant to spot the oncoming raiding party.


    A young lad past his 20th winter stood beside me. Donning in similar gear to mine, with an exception of the longbow half a height he''s clenching in his arms and a quiver filled with arrows secured behind his cuirass. He also wears a leather jacket coloured in forest green, covering most of his upper body whereas the cuirass left exposed. With a hood that came along his jacket covering most of his skull. Beneath it lies flowing, middle length blonde hair. with a masculine face and spot on features, his dazzling green eyes could bewitch any women if he ever wished so. Having similar constitution to mine, a lean body filled with muscles, indicating his strength and training.


    Despite having such appealing features for a fine gentleman, his personality is completely different, even revolting for all living beings to gaze upon.


    Personality? Voice of a horny pre-pubescent child and a sissy personality. Even indications of him preferring man arse, what a bloody nightmare is he.


    "Naawwwww~ captain don''t be saaaad~" (Jarek)


    "..."


    "It''s alriiight.. even without the strong beard, captain is still captain~ the best! Strongest! Wisest man in the village!" (Jarek)


    "Such comforting words coming from the cunt I hate the most.."


    "Naaaawwww~ Sure you jest!" (Jarek)


    Not actually the one I hate the most.. third actually. First being the useless village chief, second being Andrzej whom completely destroys my pride and forced me to the verge of tears.. HOW DARE HE! I WILL NOT TOLERATE SUCH HUMILIATION!! ARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGH *screams internally*


    "grrrh..."


    "Captain?" (Jarek)


    Such intense monologue had a growl left my lips uncontrollably, I quickly snap myself out of the trance that I''m in, and refocus my senses in my surroundings.


    (thud thud)


    "Hear that?" (Jarek)


    Noises broke the silent atmosphere we''re in, indicating that some units are dozens of paces away from us.


    (thud thud thud thud)


    "krrek urrj nk rujjjj" (goblin?)


    "Goblins marching" (Jarek) He whispered


    "Bears certain weight, sounds like the whole party is approaching" I hissed in response


    "Jarek, go for offensive retreat" I ordered


    "Aye, captain" (Jarek)


    Without another word, We ran straight back into the Obronna Line while disregarding cover and showing ourselves. With all kinds of shrubbery spreading around this area, its pointless to confirm their numbers or silently kill them one by one as both sides have terrible field of vision to keep track of the opposite forces. Much better to retreat tactically and move the fight to open lands, especially the Line, which is to our advantage.


    "mmh?" (goblin)


    "RYAAAAH" (goblin)


    As planned, they noticed our presence and I could see the vanguard completely detaching from the main forces, in order to attempt in chasing us down. They all run slow and they also react slow. Soon, some armoured ones which seemed to be the vanguards rushed past the rest and ''caught up'' to us.


    "Bye~ bye~~" (Jarek)


    Instantly, we turned around and halted in a sudden. A few of the goblins are right on our tails while the rest are away from us by a dozen paces or so. I pulled out and waved my longsword around the nearest freak, still sprinting on its feet, us stopping abruptly left it surprised. with a clean swiping motion, I raised my sword above my shoulders and swung left, the blade cleanly dismembered its left arm and left the torso with a deep cut. Its leather armour sliced off cleanly, revealing its slightly muscular, green abdomen. Which green blood had instantly spurted out, staining the nearby grass with it, enhancing their colours as they swayed under the moonlight.


    Jarek too shot a few arrows that flew past me, striking one of the goblins aside me. One pierced through its pathetic buckler that''s carved from a slab of wood, lightly piercing its left arm that''s holding the shield. Once its balance is broken, the second and third went into the chest and head respectively, dealing a much needed killing blow. It''s a slight waste of arrows in my opinion, but hey, as long as it works, I''m not against it.


    The third little shit got stunned for a moment as it saw its comrades dying in front of it, its mouth open wide, not knowing what to do.


    "kreeek.." (goblin)


    Not waiting for his last words, I raised my sword up high and splitted its head open with an overhead cleave. My longsword stuck in the cavities of its chest while its head and neck is cleanly split into two, completely ignoring it''s leather helm. Or just a piece of hide that''s roughly stitched and wrapped on it''s head like an ushanka. It stood motionless with its eyes showing only whites, then fell down on the ground while sliding along my blade. Green blood kept squishing out from the gaps of its fresh corpse, flowing down onto the ground in which it has fallen, creating a puddle of green around it.


    "Keep on it Jarek"


    "Aye captain!" (Jarek)


    I started jogging foward without looking back right behind him, while he is back stepping while keeping barrage on the oncoming party. I kept one of my hands behind me while tugging his belt along, this way allows the duo the traverse the unstable terrain full of obstacles while still dealing constant damage.


    "kreeeak!" (goblin)


    "nyeet!" (goblin)


    (thump thump)


    Without looking back, I already know that Jarek is doing his job. Sniping the goblins one by one to reduce the numbers via precision arrow strikes. This sissy cunt is definitely a pain to interact with, but he shows such performance and dedication in defending the village, I definitely cherish his existence as a friend and superior. Feelings of proudness rose above my chest as I reveled in the satisfactory performance of my comrade, which we fought back to back in order to protect lives.. Ah... what a noble cause we are in, contributing to the safety of th.....


    "Awww~ We work soooo well together~ Ain''t it captain~?" (Jarek)


    Ugh... My feelings got betrayed again. I still fucking hate him.


    "Comrade, you ought to shut the fuck up." I said coldly


    "Oh.." (Jarek)


    <hr>


    We kept on going and cleaning them off, after few dozen paces..


    <hr>


    "Rest of the vanguard retreated, they stopped rushing and rejoined the main group" (Jarek)


    "I knew that there''s a leader somewhere giving orders, but where the fuck is it?"The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    With a goblin leader leading the party, an individual with its wits greater than an average beetroot would take command of the raiding party. Past experiences told me that there is always a leader leading any forces greater than a scouting team. Sometimes a heavy armoured Goblin Warrior leading the vanguard or some snarky Goblin Ranger commanding from the rear. The first possess a bulky, muscular body, often clad in heavy armour and wields a greataxe, spearheading any assaults that it could throw itself in. The latter holds a larger longbow, dealing precision shots to the enemy. Although it deals much more damage than the Warrior if not disturbed, it has very little armour as it uses the rest of the rearguard as meatshield.


    Goblin Warriors could be contained if given superior numbers on our side and creates an 1v1 engagement without disturbance. Andrzej or me could easily overpower it in terms of strength and speed. Its movements are too sluggish and much less agile than a trained human. Rest of the forces would need to engage the goblins to create a battle front, which they are slowly pushed into two opposing sides, while the Warrior in the centre is contested by one of us. Once it is depleted of its stamina and killed off, the rest of the goblins seperated by our spearwall formation would lose morale and often flee, resulting in a rout. In which we attain victory.


    Goblin Rangers also could do no damage if neutralized quickly. Best way is to have Jarek snipe it from afar, hence resulting in another rout from the goblins. If conditions aren''t ideal to make that happen, the millita will be split into three. Centre of the echelon will mantain spearwall formation while the left and right wings break off and scatter. Both wings led by me and Andrzej respectively, we''ll venture down to their flanks and unleash a charge to break the rearguards. Once disorganized, anyone free from contenders could run past the goblins and skewer that crafty fuck in the middle of the group. Once seeing their leader stabbed by any common peasant who aren''t occupied, the group will lose all morale and start to flee. Which then we could dispatch most of them and even form an encirclement, slaughtering them as they file out in a desperate attempt to escape. In which we attain victory.


    While weighing my options, sounds from a greatly disturbed shrub behind me had attracted my attention.


    "Nyiiiiiii" (animal sound?)


    "Is that a.. squeal?" (Jarek)


    We both stopped in our tracks and turned back while examining the oddity.


    "There''s no way.. right.."


    "Um, captain?" (Jarek)


    "Wa..wa..wa..warthog?" I stuttered


    "..." (Jarek)


    (THUD THUD THUD THUD)


    Right after hearing the sound of heavy hooves, A warthog-like figure rushed out of the dense shrubbery and charged straight towards us.


    "NO FUCKEN WAY"


    "KYAAAAAAA~" (Jarek)


    The thing... the monster that''s charging at us is a Warthog Rider. Fuck me. Fuck my life. Fuck everything that I stand for.


    An Alpha Goblin could tame a warthog as its steed. Reports of those things acting as vanguard of goblin tribes aren''t unheard of. They often mobilize such a force to clash with other goblin tribes, by the cause of petty disputes or bloodlust and hatred among tribes.


    But they should belong inside the depths of the forest, not the outskirts of my fucking village!


    Alpha Goblins are literally the ones who leads the rest of the goblins. Subspecies of the goblin, they retain the look of their dumber variants, while having a stronger build itself. They have intelligence that rumoured to be slightly inferior to humans, while possessing keen senses and as agile as any human fighters. Combined with the charging power of a warthog, they are definitely an unstoppable duo if fighting against a peasant army. I never knew how could those warthogs be tamed, but now ain''t a good time to contemplate the cause don''t it?


    "Captain! It''s coming!!" (Jarek)


    "FECK!"


    the warthog quickly covered the distance of dozens of paces and charged at us with full might. Taking advantage to the fact that we are shocked with our eyes and mouths agape it spared no time for introductions and went it for the dance of death.


    Instinctively, we both scattered and jumped into two seperate directions. The warthog had almost grazed my side had I not jumped out of its way.


    (Splat)


    I landed on my face as I jumped away. Ah fuck.. There''s wet dirt on my face, I''m on all fours right now and I look like some fucking hound prostrating to its master.


    "uggh" I groaned


    I quickly stood up and held my sword in front of me to take stance, also.. felt something.. wet.. fu...


    I FUCKING PISSED MYSELF!!


    Staring angrily at that fucking monster piece of shit, I''ve come to see a better picture of our current situation. Jarek is also standing up opposite of me, keeping his bow on his back while holding a small knife on his right hand, a small blade the length of a palm or two, with a wooden grip, an ideal thrusting knife to bypass armour.


    And that monstrosity paces away from my, with its side facing me. Damn.. An average warthog with a grey fur coating, which just resembles a larger boar. But with much larger tusks that''s as long as its head, it could skewer any regular humans from side to side, scary indeed.


    And the Rider turned around.. YIKEES IT''S LOOKING AT ME!


    seeing its ugly face with distorted features, it makes me think that Jarek''s personality is much more pleasant in comparison. That freak is clad in iron gear.. An iron chestplace with a chainmail shirt under it, Iron shoulder guards, armguards and gauntlets padded with leather, and apparently leather pants padded with iron plates, covering its legs from front to back. Formidable looking freak this is.. Although it''s not wearing any shoes, much like any other goblin. Freaks will be freaks, just a stronger freak this is.. a much.. much stronger freak.


    It isn''t wearing any headgear, but not that it matters much to me. Its combined height while riding a warthog is almost 2 heads higher than me, it''s useless to try a high angled strike without exposing my lower torso to it, I''ll get impaled by the oink freak ot stabbed by the strong freak by attacking high, simply not worth the try. Besides its spare left hand, its right held.. a metal lance. A FUCKING IRON LANCE. With a handle made of an iron rod, the entire pike protruding from it is of the same material. What kind of goblin can do that.. so unfair..


    This is my first time seeing the dreaded Alpha Goblin with my eyes, furthermore a Warthog Rider. I will never be able to endure such horror unfolding before me.


    There it sat, staring at both of us while being completely still. We stood up and backed off a little from that freak of nature. Half a field away behind us lies the Line.. we must get there somehow or we will get destroyed by it.


    Jarek seems as nervous as me, screamed at my in panic to confirm our actions.


    "Captain! What do we do now?!" (Jarek)


    "We''ll have to use our legs!"


    "You''ll get stabbed before you could stun that warthog!" (Jarek)


    "NO YOU STUPID IDIOT! RUN!"


    Without replying another word, we both understood the importance of this situation. We broke off into a sprint towards the Line, and pray that the freak won''t catch up and impale us. I know I''ve left my back wide open to any attacks, but it''s either do or die, we have no choice.


    (thump thump thump thump)


    "HYAAAAAA" (Rider)


    (thump thump thump thump thump)


    "Keep going!"


    "Aye!"


    (THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP)


    "Our Father.. Who art in heaven.. Hallowed be Thy Name.."


    "Fuck.. my life.."


    <hr>


    And we ran and ran.. What seemed to be a moment lasted an eternity.. we kept running, clinging on for dear life.


    Soon, we finally saw the Line, in front of our vision. In front of us, the area devoid of trees or shrubbery, just a smooth gentle slope leading up to my familliar village.


    Torches lit up the surroundings of the slope, forming a line, where my salvation, or perhaps a means to delay my end, was to be found upon reaching there.


    (THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP)


    (THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP)


    "This.. this.. is.."


    Now, I am able to see the faces of the ranks in detail.. Andrzej, standing in the middle of the spearwall formation, gazing down at us in disbelief. Yelling incomprehensible things at us, which closely resemble our names. Had no moment to spare to look aside or behind me though, only knowing the loud thumps caused by the horde of freaks catching up behind me, and Jarek praying to God while running beside me...


    My eyes starts to cloud as tears swell from within, I felt the mini blobs of coldness run down my cheeks. I started sobbing unconciously while my feet were still running at full speed. I could feel the blaze in the muscles of my entire body.. Hah, there goes my stamina that I would''ve needed for the battle..


    Why.. What sin have I commited to deserve this? O'' God.. Why?


    Mini droplets of water rained down my cheeks and splashed onto my cuirass, creating a brief mirror shine on some spots of my chestplate, it twinkles, it flashed into my eyes under the reflection of the moonlight.


    (THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP) (sobs) (pants) (sobs) (THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP)


    "...hic ..not.. an average day."


    "...Amen" (Jarek)

 Chapter #1: Battle

    "GERARD! JAREK! QUICKLY!" (Andrzej)


    The calm and assertive demeanour that had accompanied his usual self surely had went down the drain.. huh? This stern fucker might still have some little capacity left inside him to bear the weight of compassion. Not that I am mocking him, no. I pissed myself and even cried out loud just moments ago, I''m a long way ahead if I were to compare disgraces between me and him.


    "RYAAAAAAA" (Rider)


    (THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP)


    Hearing the deafening battlecry from that Alpha freak, I could see the faces of men and women in the millita starting to twist and lose their composure. Distressful gazes, full of fear and anxiety, their gazes latched onto me and my sissy comrade here, as we''re frantically running for our lives.


    Noises of the raiding party behind us also never seemed to end. Stomping on the ground, leaving the dirt mucky and indented as they marched quickly to initiate the confrontation. Heading early to their inevitable defeat? or claiming victory by mere moments earlier than fate has decided.


    "COME ON!" (Andrzej)


    "so.. close.." (Jarek)


    My feet started to feel the slight incline of the slope, gentle yet persisting. It''ll be a breeze to slowly march towards the peak, yet consuming and tiring if one were to attempt to rush up the steady incline. Luckily for us, humans have highly developed lower limbs, in which makes us agile and able to cope with any terrain without much unease.


    Warthogs with their low centre of balance would need higher effort to scale these lines, which is probably the only fact that ought to keep me alive and breathing still.


    (thump thump thump)


    "Ryaaaaaaa!" (Rider)


    The intensity and speed of the hooves behind us has started to drop, surely it''s due to the fact that the warthog starts to realize the steady incline is causing a hindrance to it. Forcing itself to keep running up would breach its limits and cause further internal damage. The Rider knowing this fact had no choice but to growl at us angrily, cursing at us as it had lost its grip on the prey.


    Jarek, bearing lighter loads than I do since he''s a ranger, smoothly scaled up the slope and has only one more quarter to go before reaching our forces.


    Me, on the other hand, are losing strength on my legs. My feet surges with blistering pain, while my knees sore with hints of numbness that would never recede. My entire being is utterly exhausted, my torso contracted internally in such a way that I could choke on my guts any moment. If only I could take in some more air.. my frantic breaths doesn''t help in recovery, it only seemed to make it worse.


    Only halfway up the slope.. Can I ever make it to the end?


    For just a jiffy, my vision suddenly darkens as my conciousness snaps into two...


    (SPLOSH)


    "GERARD!" (?)


    "COME ON!" (?)


    "NOOOO~~" (?)


    "KEEP RUNNING!" (?)This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "RUN! RUN!" (?)


    In an instant, my conciousness started to return. Quickly lifting my head and figuring out my current state, I heard various screams coming from the salvation above. I forcefully took in some air, trying to clear my mind.


    (sniffff)


    "kyhuuu!"


    (cough cough cough)


    I sucked in something wet and sticky into my nose, prompting me to cough out the foreign being... Feeling surges of coldness latching onto my face, it recalls me to something that I''ve just felt recently.. something extremely uncomfortable and disgraceful..


    Heh, I''m so pathetic. It seems that when I passed out just for a moment, my entire body crashed flat on the ground, and my face, once again stuck in another puddle of mud.


    Ignoring the hindrance, I supported myself with my elbows and forced myself to stand up, my shaky legs burned with soreness, the attempt inadvertently ended with those two noodles causing me an arching pain and slid itself back onto the ground.


    "fuck...."


    Ignoring the situation and noises surrounding me, I focused my vision onto my salvation, the spearwall formation positioned about a hundred paces right on top of me. Seeing the lights hovering above, lanterns providing illumination to our people, I slowly grabbed the dirt with my bare hands, and crawled foward.


    Alas, my vision obstructed by the spring mud still latching onto my face, and having succumbed to the fatigue. They are barely open and I that I could see are the glitters of light, beaming towards me in order to lead me into safety. Nonetheless, I moved on all fours, forcing all remaining strength from my legs to push the dirt around..


    Mud on my face graciously had left my nostrils unobstructed, allowing me to mantain minimal intake of air.


    I have to crawl.. do whatever it takes to survive this..


    (THUMP THUMP THUMP)


    "HYAAAAA" (Rider)


    Hooves leaving heavy marks behind me, greater in intensity by every passing moment.


    Seems like that freak caught up to me.. I can''t spare any strength to look behind, or call for help.. I am this deprived of energy, I could only continue my actions, pushing dirt around me on all fours, even if theres a miniscule chance for me to reach the Line...


    I will do so.


    "FIRE!" (Andrzej)


    (swoosh swoosh)


    "NYIII" (Warthog)


    Rapid arrows flashed across my eyes, cutting through the air surrounding me. I''d assume that our archers did not miss their mark, as the intense stomps behind me halted abruptly, definitely giving me a much needed chance to catch a breath.


    "RYAAAH!" (Rider)


    (thud thud thud)


    Turning around to look behind me, I used my hands to quickly swipe the mud off my face.


    Regaining my vision, I could see that the dreaded Rider is facing me with its back. Couple of arrows pelted the warthog like a pincushion, while another few connected with the Rider, yet its heavy armour had all of the arrows deflected, dealing virtually no damage to it at all.


    "You lucky bastard... "


    Same goes to the warthog, due to its thick hide, the arrows will only deal shallow damage to that oink bastard.


    (stomp stomp stomp stomp)


    Knowing that it''s in a disadvantage, it retreated. The goblin raiding party in the distance sallied forth to start the battle, luckily they were hundreds of paces away at this moment. With the Rider running back towards them, seemingly giving out commands, they started marching much slower, indicating a shift in formations.


    Seeing the crisis before my eyes leaving me alone, I laid down on the ground and relaxed myself.


    My tense body simultaneously hunkered down and flopped onto the ground, searing pains could be felt in every strand of my muscles. Stamina slipped from my arms and feet, rendering it useless. Surprising to know that my body only moved by my determination and willpower, as its fuel. Now, I lay on the ground, face up leaning on the inclines of my beloved slope. The moon is glowing white.. so bright.. Stars twinkling, filling up the entire night sky..


    "So beautiful.. "


    (thump thump thump thump)


    Hearing footsteps coming towards me from above the slope, I could already tell those idiots are coming to rescue me.


    "Ca.. captain!" (?)


    "Pull it together!" (?)


    My conciousness starts to fade once again, I''ve strained my body and soul for so long, holding it all together so it won''t fall apart and getting me killed. Now, I had to rest...


    (sssssttt sssssst) *dragging*


    I could feel that something is tugging onto the collar of my cuirass, making my slide up the incline..


    Well, at least I''m going to be in good hands now. The battle might start at moment''s notice, but I''ll enjoy the peace while it lasts, maybe even just a little....


    "Gerard, hey! hey!" (?)


    Feeling an unusual sense of calm and tranquility wash over me. I set my gaze towards the beautiful night sky above these lands which I cherish, ignoring the elements around me...


    "Come on.. you have to ????..." (?)


    And I closed my eyes, slipping into an otherworldly, peaceful and undisturbed state of mind.

 Chapter #2: Clash

    As I awaken, the battle had already begun. Defenders sallied forth to meet the invaders, seeing no other option as the only terms for this clash is either victory or Valhalla.


    "There''s currently 13 enemies on the field, a Rider leading the front, 8 soldiers and 4 archers. We have 39 millitas in battle formation, 28 spearmen, 5 archers and 6 spotters. We have great advantage in numbers, but I''m concerned about the presence of the Rider... " (Andrzej)


    Sitting down on the open field overlooking the belligrents below, I stay silent and didn''t bother to reply him, nor even bothered to give a nod of affirmation.


    Looking down, I raised my arms that was placed above my laps, examining them in detail. Cuts and abrasions filled all edges of my arms, leaving no spot untouched. My all out attempt in succeeding when crawling for my life is not given without a price.


    I have completely worn myself down, hence being able to only watch the battle that was about to unfold.


    Both sides have stationed themselves, halting themselves to a complete standstill facing off each other in an intense stareoff, creating a minature no man''s land right between them.


    Even from a distance, I could feel the intense aura emanated from both parties. Home team is greatly compelled to defend their homes. Anxiety and fear runs rampant among the forces. Away team displays a show of bloodlust and pride that I have never seen before, blinded by only the act to slaughter the opposing team, they show no signs of fear although outnumbered and outplayed tactically.


    It would seem like an easy victory on all aspects, except the fact that they have a fucking strong freak riding something scary taking the lead.


    A skilled warrior can never amount to an entire army, as any mortal would not fight indefinitely and tire out somehow. But if it''s against 39 people, that super freak might just tip the scales and complicate the situation.


    "Captain?" (Andrzej)


    "Go on, I''ll join you later."


    "Alright.. you ought to rest though, you''re as burned out as Jarek." (Andrzej)


    "I can manage.."


    "No worries, it will be fine." (Andrzej)


    As if not wanting to continue this pointless debate about my participation in the battle, he left swiftly and returned to the frontlines.


    Jarek on the other side was fast asleep, laying down on the ground somewhere distant of the battlefield. Poor little queer got pretty worn out, I suppose he deserves at least some time to rest.


    <hr>


    "Charge!" (Andrzej)


    "Ryaaaaa!" (Rider)


    Hence, both forces clashed. Goblins ran up the slope raising swords and bucklers, while our spearmen marched steadily foward with their pikes braced. Archers on both sides launching light, limiting volleys towards each other. The closely identical numbers produces almost the same volume of output throughout the battle.


    Only difference is, the goblins are much better. Excellent compared to our archers, at missing targets.


    Poor idiots standing still like a log, and with no personnel defending their rear, has been wiped out in a matter of a few breaths. Having superior numbers, our main forces kept the offence at bay by "pikefont" while the left wing detached and decimated the rear.


    While being detained by the pikes, their reluctance on advancing foward had stalled them, enough for their numbers to dwindle by well placed arrow shots by our archers.


    One by one, they fell.


    Our superior control and illumination of the dark slope had also paid off immensely. The Rider whom spearheaded the raiding party was supressed by our impressive spearwall. it retreated swiftly and attempted a flank attack directed to our archers.


    Luckily, the Alpha with a brain no better than a dry biscuit had attempted a close quarters flanking manuever: By itself(and warthog), on a barren landscape with barely any vegetation for cover, on a lower terrain, in an area that is brightly lit and constantly surveyed by 6 pair of eyes.


    The archers are alerted to its fantastic tactical choice and decided to reward it with arrows. It didn''t deter it at all, but still managed to prevent it from executing a cavarly charge, which is decimating when paired with its iron lance.


    The warthog advanced slowly as it''s preventing arrows from invading its orifices, as tough as its hide may be, its intelligent enough to protect the squishy parts on its face(eyes).You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    The mightly Alpha Goblin hunched down and shielded its face with the lance, trying to deflect the arrows that are aimed at its unarmoured head.


    Meanwhile, Andrzej had detached himself from the main force and had made his way to confront the Rider.


    The mighty archers of the raiders are properly finished off by now. The detached forces are charging up into the rear of their soldiers, skewering many of them.


    "HAH.. Hehehehe..."


    A tinge of reassurance and happiness made its way to my mind as I see the bastards being encircled.


    Oh yes, the encirclement of annihilation~.


    An oval shape has formed, surrounding the goblin soldiers. Wall of pikes facing inwards of said shape, extended towards those who were encircled by it. As if seeing a jaw full of fangs, slowly crunching its food, the goblins had themselves placed in the worst situation.


    Any amateur in strategy would argue, that cornering an army with zero passages to rout will instead, bolster their morale and prowess, essentially turning them into "death soldiers" that are forced to either fight or die in this ruthless setup.


    I wholeheartedly agree, yet our enemies are halfwits disorganized as any could get,and possessing swords barely an arm''s length. In a nutshell, they can''t do anything when our weapon range is three times superior. The pikes would penetrate their bodies before they could come near enough to shank our men.


    <hr>


    Readjusting my gaze towards Andrzej that''s confronting the genius tactician, my sense of assurance plummeted drastically. The scene that unfolds before my eyes is harrowing to watch.


    "FUCK!"


    I underestimated it, underestimated badly.. Disgraceful of me to commit such an obvious mistake...


    Andrzej got completely overpowered by that freak.. The warthog poking its tusks constantly disrupts his footing while the Rider with its brutal strikes forced him to devote himself solely on the defensive side.


    The Rider, although lacking skill and agility, carries such brute force in every strike, the resoundings of an iron lance crashing into Andrzej''s halberd can be heard even from here.


    Picking up my sword laying beside, I quickly stood up and ran my way towards Andrzej.


    "I hate this already.."


    My entire body hurts, every strand of my muscles yelled at my in protest in response to be used again right after an ubercharged full body workout.


    <hr>


    To my horror, Andrzej was forced to an unpleasant situation. The warthog has munched one of his ankle, nibbling on it and refusing to let go. His armour''s iron plating had prevented any injuries, the dull teeth of the giant hog was suited to munch on grass, not iron plates.


    The Rider raised his lance to its side, swinging it towards the immobilized Andrzej..


    (SPLAAAT) (CLAAAANG)


    He blocked it with the halberd by its haft(handle), yet the haft splattered into two. The remaining momentum smashed into his cuirass, his breastplate bent and cracked terribly.


    Though resulting without any internal damage, the blunt force was enough to throw him down on the ground, knocking him out cold. The warthog had released him from its maws, simply standing by and idled.


    Ignoring my almost broken body, my panicking self forced me to keep running.


    "AHH FUCK!" (Andrzej)


    (thud thud thud thud)


    I have almost reached him.. just within the length of an arm.. so.. close..


    The Rider raised its lance and tucked in under its shoulders, tensing its arms, holding it backwards further.


    Damn it, it''s bracing for a full thrust.. If the tip if that thing touches him, his organs will be mashed up...


    FUCK! COME ON!!


    (THUD THUD THUD THUD)


    In the blink of an eye...


    (CLAAANG)


    "Urrgh!"


    I managed to parry the thrust, I smashed the lance with the stark of my longsword, redirecting it at the very last moment..


    Fuck. The pure force exerted by that freak was so much, I got almost threw off. Readjusting my footwork, I am forced to face off against this freak of nature.


    "RYAAAAA" (Rider)


    It roared right in front of me, I could feel its rotting breath, it''s an arm''s length for fucks sake! How stinky can goblins ever get?!


    Without waiting for a response, I raised my sword and did consecutive strikes towards its sword-arm.


    (CLANG CLANG CLANG)


    Leaving various dents on its armguard, I managed to spot a gap between plates and thrusted my sword through it.


    (SWICK)


    "FUCK!"


    "HYAAAHAAAHAAA" (Rider)


    Is... is it laughing at me?


    My full thrust, from the tip of a longsword was deflected by its underlying chainmail coat.


    What the fuckery is this? How is this so strong?!


    (THUD) (SPLAT)


    Bewildered at the situation, it quickly swung the lance and smashed my side.


    "UGH"


    I landed on the ground, staring at it with wide eyes..


    It shedded its battered plates of its sword-arm, revealing the intricate chainmail sleeve that''s underneath it. Shedding off its bracer and armguard, it raise the lance up high, directing the tip towards the centre of my vision.


    Scared stiff.. and frozen... My body couldn''t react... and as swift as lightning.. the lance descended....


    (SCHWIIIK)


    "ARRRRRRGH..GGGRRAAAH~!!!"


    <hr>


    There was nothing but pain..


    I could fucking feel it.. gaping hole between my kidneys....


    I can feel crimson blood.. flowing out of the wound...


    Can''t.. even put strength in my arm...


    Sword in my hands.. Can''t even use it..


    FUCK ME...


    It hurts..


    Ouch..


    It hurts so much..


    I can''t believe it..


    IT FUCKING HURTS!!


    THAT FUCKING THING!!


    "Hyahh..haaahaa" (Rider)


    GAVE ME A FUCKING SMIRK!!


    AND LEFT ME!!


    YOU FUCKING...


    "ARRRGHHHHHHH!!"


    CURSE YOU!! I FUCKING CURSE YOU!!


    (STOMP STOMP STOMP STOMP)


    Oh no... it''s running towards the encirclement...


    <hr>


    "HEEELP MEEEE!" (?)


    "NOOOOOO!!" (?)


    "LAILA!! NOOOO!!" (?)


    "HEEEELP!!!" (?)


    "ARRRGHHH!!" (?)


    "WHAT IS THAT THING?" (?)


    As I lay on the gentle incline, basking in the harrowing screams of my own kin..


    Stabbed, battered, trampled.. Slaughtered by that freak...


    "cough.. cough..."


    "SAAAVE MEEE!!" (?)


    Blood gushed out of my mouth, clouding my already fading vision..


    I can''t.. hold on...


    "WHERE''S CAPTAIN!?" (?)


    "RUN RUN RUNNNN!" (?)


    My dear brethren, kinsmen whom I treasure...


    I failed you all.....


    "PLEASEE HEEELP!!" (?)


    "AHHHHHH!" (?)


    Forgive me... please...


    And now... darkness desends on me...


    Nothing.. but darkness....

 Chapter #3: Magic

    Energy, is beyond mere concept fabricated by scholars. It is beyond flesh, beyond our naked senses to see and hear it. One could only feel its existence if attuned to it. It is constant, as dictated by the laws of nature, which encompasses all truths and occurrences in this world.


    The way to harness and manipulate energy is generally encompassed as "magic". Magic can produce specific spells.


    The spells are controlled by drawing forth the energy needed, invoking the commands from an ancient language which we generally call the tongue, and given appropriate concentration, including mastery of the certain spell


    When casted, specific words of tongue, like individual commands, will twist the energy within to take shape, visible as glyphs levitating on air or inscribed on solid items. The glyphs form and stack up to form even sentences if the caster is capable of such feat, which then materializes as the desired form. Such as a healing ray or a fireball.


    *


    Energy, is universally available. Yet, it must be taken from specific life vessels or realms, which divides the attunement of magic into three distinctive paths.


    Which is Divine Magic, Blood Magic, and Dark Magic.


    *


    Divine Magic:


    came to light when God descended among mankind ages ago, which it''s worshippers marked it as 0 AD, the age of God.


    He taught mankind to speak the tongue, and displays His unrequited divine love towards all mortals who accepts Him as the saviour, and the one and only divine. Teaching them to invoke divine magic and spells, to cleanse evil and continue life among humans.


    Ways to invoke divine magic is meddlesome in particular. "Live vessels" that contains usable energy had to be infused by sacred scriptures that were left by God to the devout. Objects that were inanimate could be infused by energy, and invoke Divine Magic when utillized by a bishop or anyone who follows the teachings of God and receives His gift of speaking the tongue.


    ''In His compassion, thou shalt find salvation; In His generousity, thou shalt find abundance."


    Ironically, God ain''t generous enough. There''s ONLY FOUR! FOUR SACRED SCRIPTURES!! Two in the possesion of some "Vatican" monastery in the middle of nowhere on a peninsula, One held by a cathedral in Jerusalem, God''s birthplace when he descended, and one missing.


    Production of "sacred vessels", usually vials of holy water infused with divine blessing are hard to come by. Production''s painstakingly slow as supply is rare, even archbishops of every nation are competing to get one of them.


    *


    Blood Magic:


    Existed since the dawn of men, accompanied by the tongue. Before the idea of God had been conceived, men before had already mastered the uses of it.


    Also named "Life Magic". Energy are provided by life force that''s lying dormant in a living being''s body, usually blood.


    By using blood, chanting verses from the tongue will invoke the energy within, forming magic.


    Application of the magic can be done with a much wider scale, given the caster can perfectly recite certain verses and have enough concentration to pull it through. Therefore, mastering the tongue and enlightenment from God is not needed.


    "Body, vessel of the soul; Blood, vessel of life."


    Practices of blood magic are greatly condemned by the Church, which they claim as ''Heresy against our God'' by acknowledging an alternative to invoke magic aside from God''s divine power.


    Still, it is not seemed as evil and demonic, as its performace is subpar when compared to divine magic.


    *Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Dark Magic:


    Obtained through unidentified means, grants immense power, albeit corrupted and twisted, practitioners of dark magic commits atrocities and grants calamity towards everything.


    Not to be directly related to blood magic, dark magic are often blood or divine magic casters, who desired more power.


    Those who submitted to it, receives complete fluency in the tongue. Knowing all the words without learning, unlike bishops who pray for ages to receive revelation on a single word.


    Furthermore, they become able to draw energy without a life vessel, but the reasoning behind such an act still remains unknown. Still it doesn''t come without a price.


    "Ave Satanas"


    cried Archbishop Kandeil, as he ravaged the entirety of the Kingdom of England. Men and women were devoured, green flames burnt cities alight. According to codex entries, Horns grew out of his head, Black wings emerged behind his back. His eyes turned dark as coal, while his skin dyed crimson red.


    His efforts alone corrupted the entire British Isles, turning the entire place into ashes, wiping the entire empire out within a fortnight.


    <hr>


    Lying on my beloved bed, my eyes staring at the celling while wandering off into my thoughts..


    Without magic.. I would''ve been a goner for sure..


    <hr><hr>


    *The night before*


    <hr>


    After I''ve slipped into unconciousness, I experience what I''d call various stages of delirium.


    My strength slipping, my feet numb, my entire body produced coldness that bites my heart. In that half concious state, my mind has been calmed to an extent.


    Probably waiting for my eventual passing, although frightened, yet I felt a sense of calmness during that moment.


    As I feel myself slowly leaving grasp of my body, something forcibly pulled me back into reality.


    Opening my eyes once again, I could see familliar people huddling around, staring at me. A woman knelt beside me, seemingly tending to my wounds.


    Heh.. leave me.. I''m already dead....


    The woman snaps around and lightly grasped my face, allowing me to see her face..


    As expected, the woman before me is Tilma, a herbalist in her elderlies. Her wrinkly faced looked at mine with distress, her grey, long flowing hair arranged into a braid, leaving it grappling down onto her shoulder. Blue eyes filled with immense gentleness caught my own, then she gave me a faint smile...


    After she laid me down, she took then knife strapped onto her tunic and... cut herself...


    No! Don''t use that! It''s not worth it!!


    "nnn......" Words could hardly escape my mouth, considering that I''m on the verge of death, that much noise alone is commendable.


    She.. slices the wrist of her left arm.. red, flowing blood flowed down her palm and.. suspended on the air...


    Trying to bring a dead man back... heh.. pathethic...


    "I call upon thee, hear my wishes.


    A light that regenerates the flesh,


    a ray that rejuvenates the soul.


    It is my will, let it be done.


    As it is beseeched, so shall it be"


    Tilma performed a chant with the Tongue, if I were to guess, it probably won''t be a spell to sacrifice me to God... probably..


    Blood kept flowing out of her veins, her face pale, haggard, and disheveled. The levitating blood coagulated and formed glyphs, curving and bending on each other, it slowly joined together and formed an orb. The blood red orb pulsed with heat... soft light glowing from the orb...


    Soon, the bleeding stopped and her wound seems to be sealed on it''s own.


    Meanwhile the orb slowly floated towards the gaping hole that once was the middle of my abdomen..


    (DIIIIING)


    "AHHHHHHHHH!" I yelled in agony, as pained surged through my entire being, probably trembling my very soul..


    Still.. It''s good thing that I can produce noise to annoy people once again...


    After a short period of intense pain, my senses returned to me. The delirium I experienced from my near death condition got purged. Feelings of pain, tiredness and soreness returned to my body once again.


    My mind snapped back into it''s body, making sure that my conciousness retains in one piece..


    "Tilma!" Someone screamed beside me.


    By guessing, I would conclude that she collapsed as well. It''s fine, she won''t die from that..


    But exhausting a great deal of her life energy will cause great setbacks on her vitality, it''ll take her a long time to recover.. I''m sure of that.


    Too exhausted to raise my head.. tiredness sets in and my mind started to become hazy.


    I close my eyes.. and left the bustling world around me as I head to recuperate in another.


    <hr><hr>


    *Now/The morning after*


    <hr>


    Lying on my beloved bed, my eyes staring at the celling while contemplating about the aftermath of the battle.


    What exactly did happen after?


    We have won, for sure.


    But, at what cost?


    ...


    Ah damn, my whole body is still sore as fuck!


    I suppose the healing magic didn''t see ''that'' as an injury huh...


    Not moving an inch, I allow my body to continue resting by laying on my bed.


    Hovering my hands around my torso, I gently clutched my abdomen.


    I can''t believe it! It''s completely restored! I don''t even feel any pain from the spot itself!


    Feeling the spot with my hands, I''m sure the previous encounter did left a mark.


    Though the injuries are gone, the scar remains in it''s place....


    ...


    ..


    .


    Not letting the problem cloud my thoughts, I kept my eyes closed to ease my mind.


    Hey, at least I lived...


    Of course, without magic.. I would''ve been a goner for sure..

 Temporary Hiatus **LIFTED**

    Dear readers, This announcement is here to inform you that, this story will be placed in temporary hiatus.


    This is because it''s the Lunar New Year on the upcoming days, as a member of the affluent ching chion clan, or the "descendants of the Dragon" as we''d like to sugarcoat, I''ll have to devote myself during these days to celebrate our new year.


    This celebration has no correlation to any religion IMO, it''s completely a cultural thing than flows in us Chinese I suppose.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    In a nutshell, the updates will be postponed by a week or so.


    Anyways, for my fellow ching chiongs, ¹§Ï²°lØ”£¬ëuÄê´ó¼ª£¡


    For the minority of the world population(non ching chiongs), happy Lunar New Year! May the year of the Rooster brings you good luck and fortune!

 Chapter #4: Funeral

    The sun was already high up, its soft and gentle rays of light are completely in discord with the state of our frontier village.


    The usually lively village has been exceptionally somber today.


    As I slowly pace through the surroundings, sections of this place are completely devoid of its inhabitants.


    It is a sorrowful day for us, a day where many grief-stricken men, women and children are forced to evade their delusions to face the hard reality once again. Of course, nothing''s harder than to confront the dead corpses of your fellow humans, who valiantly fought to death(slaughtered) to defend their home from the invaders.


    It''s hard for anyone to not show a grim expression, when something like this just happened. Moreover if the deceased are people that they had been bonding since birth or so.


    Every step I take, intense soreness resounds through my lower half. Whatever that I''ve felt on that hell the night before, it''s amplified and remains in my muscles until this day. Well, except for the big gaping hole in my stomach, Fixed up by dearest Tilma.


    Come to think of it, I owe her my life now.


    Well shit, that demanding woman will be giving me a fabulous time by bending me to her will...


    Seeing how much energy did she expend during that moment, it won''t be surprising to see that she''ll be weaker than the state I''m in. She won''t die..


    That old woman won''t drop dead like this, there''s still more in the future for her to suffer! hehehehe.


    <hr>


    Having such a weak body now, I draped on my favourite cotton robes over my my half naked torso while wearing shorts. A pair of wooden sandals with leather straps fastened on my feet instead of my usual iron greaves and shoes. I could hardly even lift my longsword with one hand, the damage''ll will definitely take some time to heal.


    I kept strolling aimlessly as I get soaked into my own thoughts, pondering on the crisis that I just had endured.


    "There you are."


    Glancing at my side, Jarek suddenly appeared. In one of those seemingly cliche scenes moreover, he''s leaning beside the walls of a cottage, with one of his legs arched and his arms crossed. Turning around to face him, I''d assume that he''s looking for me so it''s better to not ignore him like I always do.


    "Hail, comrade."


    I lightly raised my sore arm to greet my comrade in arms.


    "Captain, a funeral is going to be held at the church."


    Geez man.. He''s not even inclined to respond to my salutations. Not even did he speak with his usual, cheerful, queerish tone. He''s all dead serious right now, there''s no hint of emotion in both his voice and expression.


    Usually I''d joke around to tug his strings juuuust a bit more, but I forced myself to behave and engage him with a serious conversation. Seeing the nature of the situation that we''d just faced and all.


    "Funeral? I heard nothing of it."


    "Mass funeral actually, it''s for.. you know.."


    Jarek''s voice stuttered here and there when cutting into the topic of our deceased. Poor guy, that must''ve left a huge scar on him.


    In the meantime, he stood straight and started walking side by side with me, guiding me towards the church of our village. Taking such initiative, seemingly to avoid the conversation from deepening.


    "It''s fine Jarek, I understand."


    *pat*Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "y..yeah."


    Giving him a much needed pat of reassurance on his shoulder, I then rested my fatigued arm around his shoulder.


    "How ya faring?"


    "Good.. can''t say that I''m fine after ''that'' happened.. But my light injuries have completely recovered."


    He spoke briefly about it, trying to brush it past quickly as if he hated remembering ''that'' past event.


    "Giant-axe-man?" I asked with a slight ridiculing tone, to cool things down.


    "Andrzej, he''s bedridden as for now. His torso is bruised all over, one of his ribs cracked and his right knee dislocated.. But he''s fine now, just needs rest..."


    "..." I made no comments, just to coerce him into saying the unfinished part.


    "He.. He is uhh.. a lot better... than the other injured..."


    Remorse, guilt, sadness.. These bitter expressions that I could tell easily are etched onto his face. I tighten my grip on his shoulders, and tug him closer towards me, just to calm him down.. even if just a little more..


    After a few moments of quick breathing, Jarek''s flushed face slowly restored as he calmed down.


    Then, I continued asking him questions.


    "Uhh.. status of the millita?"


    "Among the 39 present.. 25 dead, 11 injured, 3 unharmed.." As if already poised for this topic, Jarek muttered slowly and calmly.


    "Well.. one third are merely injured, it can''t be that-" Being shocked by the figures involved, I quicked spat out something positive to compensate for the situation.


    And Jarek interrupted my halfway.


    "Great portion of the injured are expected.. to be CRIPPLED for life." He exclaimed with a harsh tone, slightly losing his cool in doing so.


    "..." I can''t figure out anything to say.


    Owh. I should have not made that casual remark, it made me feel so much worse now... I regret my choice so bad!


    "Well.. sorry.. uhh..."


    "I mean.. I... I just-"


    Trying to salvage the situation.. I jumbled up my own tongue while trying to say something.. Well, just anything! I must salvage the situation...


    "Captain, we already missed the burials!" Interrupted by Jarek once again as he exclaimed.


    Looking right ahead of me, a sturdy church has appeared on the side of my vision. Made with a foundation of cobblestones and supported by wooden beams, the church itself is a sturdy building. A cross was erected in the middle of the roof, casting a shadow of the crucifix down towards its slanted roof.


    And.. aside the church, was a small field. Almost the entire village was congregated at that location, like a parade or something, but in this occasion it was to mourn the dead.


    Numerous fresh fug grave plots could be easily seen as the colour of the bulging dirt are contrasting the rest of the grassbed. Crucifixes of various shapes and sizes, made by nailing two wooden planks together are deeply embedded into the dirt mounds, serving as temporary gravestones.


    As grim as ever, the populace that attended are stricken with immense grief. Sounds of sobbing and mourning from various people are audible even from this distance of many paces away. Women, children, elderly.. crying, sobbing at respective graves. Such a sight is painful even for me to behold.


    My body shuddered, my heart sank deeper than ever, when the price that we paid are gouged out and shoved into our vision by the instance which we call the reality.


    All villagers, me included are spinning up complaints towards God, angered that our grief, our sadness couldn''t reach Him..


    Well, it''s not that God ever does anything.. I''d rather pray to my bed.. so that it provides comfort and eases my mind when I had a hard time sleeping.


    Seeing such a spectacle spiraling out in front of me, I''d assume that it''s not hard to fall into insanity. Not even me could endure multiple scenarios of these, if it ever happened.


    Me and Jarek stood behind the great crowd of people, and stood there in silence.


    <hr>


    Soon, our village priest appeared.


    Wearing a light yellow priest robes, which are actually pure white when manufactured. This proves that this man and his robes had stood through the test of time, that also serves as a testament in his long years of service as a priest.


    He raised his arms above his shoulders, extending his hands towards the direction of the graves.


    At this moment, the entire place became silent, everyone is watching the priest intently, expecting him to provide spiritual relief in this desolate moment.


    And he delivered the wish.


    He spoke with a gentle voice, yet clear enough for everyone to comprehend.


    <hr>


    "O'' God, as these brave men and women had lost their lives in defending our homes,


    I beg you to receive their souls, and grant them solace in their afterlife.


    It is their sacrifice, that our community are harbored from the dangers beyond.


    It is their bravery, that our people were granted life instead of chaos.


    With your compassion, your might, I beg you to send them into heaven,


    where our brave defenders shall be met with eternal bliss.


    Put them to rest, as they''ve suffered enough as they were in life.


    In the name of the God...."


    <hr>


    Everyone held their head down, clasping their hands together, mourning the fallen.


    "Amen"


    Hence, the priest ended his prayers.


    "AMEN"


    And the polpulace followed suit, repeating it to reassure the God, such is their will.

 Chapter #5: Repercussions

    After the prayer session had ended, numerous people lingered around the mourn the fallen, me included.


    With a heavy heart, I paced around the newly raised tombstones,contemplating the cause and effects of this event.


    I knelt down towards one of the graves, reading the hastily carved name on the wooden cross.


    <table style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Kassie</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "I''m sorry, may you rest in peace." I whispered, saying these words just to comfort myself.


    (SMACK)


    Something smacked the back of my head, I lost balance and fell infront head first. Extending my hands to shield my face from the fall, both hands are dirtied as they pressed against the dirt on the ground.


    Surprised, I look back, just to see an old lady behind me.


    "You.. You are responsible of it! You killed Kassie, my dear child is dead!!"


    Being clearly unstable, she sobs her way through the words.


    "If you were actually working, she wouldn''t die!!"


    This lady has clearly lost it. Now she''s just looking for outlets to vent her grief, hoping it will somehow relieve her violent feelings.


    I regret these deaths, I mourn over it, their lives are very much my responsibility, but it isn''t my fault that they lost their lives. However guilty I feel about it, it is not within my responsibility to apologise for it.


    I calmly got up and turned around, staring the old lady in dead in her eyes, just to make my message clear.


    "I greatly mourn the deaths of our brave defenders, but it is not my fault that they were perished in battle."


    Stunned, she stares at me, unable to retort the facts that I''ve provided. I continued.


    "Such is the nature of battle, when we step into that clusterfuck, we have to bear the risk of sacrificing our lives."


    (SMACK)


    A random shoe emerges out from the people that''s surrounding me, and hits me in the chest.


    "YOU KILLED OUR PEOPLE AND YET YOU DENY!"


    A screech emerges out from an adult male, that squeezes past the crowd to just confront me.


    "MY DEAR SON DIED! HE DIED BECAUSE OF YOU!!"


    Literally screaming in my ears, the distance between us are so close that I could feel his intense breathing that''s fueling his rage.


    "Nyuhuhuhu...." Meanwhile, the old lady had stepped back and sat on the ground, wailing without restraint.


    "I led them to confront the attackers, and defended the village."


    "YOU-" Bursting in anger, he raised his arm.


    I firmly grabbed his arm, and walk closer to meet him directly eye to eye.


    "Against a dangerous foe, they stepped foward and fought.. and died, to protect you people. They died so we could live."A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The man avoided my eyes, hastily retracted his arm and stepped back. Among the crowd that was surrounding me, many threw glances of fright and anger towards me. Encircling me pace by pace, various objects are hurled towards me.


    And the spiteful things they yelled. I am chosen as the outlet of their grief. As a survivor, moreover the captain that waltzed out of my home the next day, with no injuries in sight, that definitely roused them by a lot..


    (SMACK SMACK)


    "MURDERER!"


    "Give back my son!"


    "WHYYYYY?!"


    "JUSTICE!"


    (SMACK SMACK SMACK)


    "MY HUSBAND!"


    Ouch. Sticks, pebbles, handful of dirt, sandals and acorns even. What they lack in power, are made up with numbers. Various projectiles are slamming my body, resulting in jab-like pains all over myself.


    But hey, at least none of it blinded me.


    Gathering resolve, I puffed in some air while thinking of something to say.


    "LISTEN."


    "..." The surroundings became silent. Everyone stared at me while stopping their nonsense. Faint noises of sobbing and hushed breathing could be heard surrounding me.


    Raising my arms above my shoulders, I widen my stance and spoke loudly.


    "I tried my best, in my capacity to defend all of us. Hence, we succeded, but many were sacrificed in the process. I did all I can, all of us did. And this is the result we''ve acheived."


    "The sacrifices are by no means unremarkable, but it is our efforts that repeled a certain slaughter that would otherwise befall onto us, which kept us alive."


    "I suffered.. we suffered, and many of us sacrificed to save the rest of you. Yet I am placed under scrutiny for my actions for not forsaking my live and joining the casualties. What kind of justice is this?"


    Ahh.. the sweet sound of silence. The entire crowded stayed frozen after my speech, must be hard being slammed by the truth.


    They already know that I am not at fault, yet they ignore it just so that their emotional beliefs can be defended otherwise.


    "WROOOONG!"


    "BOO!!"


    "NOOOOO~"


    Various wails and screeches returned once again. Giving my tender eardrums yet another beating..


    Ingorant peasants.. You lot believe in what you believe in, regardless of truth.. How does it feel to be so fucking stupid, that you cry your way out when the truth contradicts with your emotions?


    "By God''s name, stop this at once!" a firm voice emerged from somewhere out of the encirclement of peasants.


    Ahh.. just what I needed!


    "By assaulting the surviving defender, are you not spitting on the efforts of the sacrificed? Is it not desecration of the dead?" The priest exclaims swiftly.


    "..."


    Silence falls once again, the crowd dispersed swiftly without a word. Power of faith is really scary~


    These peasants fear God while they detest truth. Why dwell in the intent of seeking logic while the will of God tells you what to do? :^)


    <hr>


    Without exchanging glances, the priest left the cemetery and returned to God knows where. Of course I understood his actions, he symphatises with my disposition and agrees with my reasoning. Also hinted me to return and keep to myself, until the moment of mourning resides.


    Getting the message, I walked back towards my home without taking detours.


    *


    While walking..


    "I.. I''m sorry captain." A timid voice whispered behind me.


    Ahh.. as expected. It''s understandable of Jarek not coming to my aid. Fear and guilt had plagued this man deeply.


    "It''s alright" I replied while looking at him.


    "But.. I.. I didn''t.." He replied frantically


    "I understand, just go home." Spoken firmly and calmly, I turned away from him.


    "I..I-"


    Without listening, I kept walking. He stood his ground and didn''t follow. Although, by judging my senses, Jarek remained and stared at me as I kept walking away.


    *


    Well, there''s still much of the errands unfinished..


    The fucking chief will be spewing more shit around, and Tilma.. and Andrzej..


    I''ll resolve the problems tomorrow, I had enough ordeals to swallow for today.


    Yep!


    <hr>


    Returning to my shack, I locked myself in and grabbed some food to munch on.


    Biting halfway into the rabbit jerky, I tasted.. DIRT!?


    "PTOOEY" I spat out that chunk, feeling utterly disgusted.


    Fuck! How many times have I tasted dirt since yesterday!?


    I dumped the rest of the jerky into a conviniently dug hole, to store my food waste and buried afterwards. Gazing into nothing, I recalled something important that I''ve missed.


    Hmm..


    Oh.


    Of course, I forgot to wash my hands...


    <hr>


    After all that mess is sorted out. The sun started setting..


    "Now that I realised it, I was encircled by angry folks for quite some time.." Talking to myself, I am enlightened.


    [Not the fact that this guy has slept for almost an entire day, waking up at around dusk, while mistaking it as dawn.]


    Owh well..


    The nighttime''s here, I should just call it a day and sleep early..


    Laying on my back, I gave up on recollecting the events happening today. It is too hazy and too overwhelming for me to even recall it. Better to leave it at that and give myself a much needed rest, yeh?


    The battle.. The Rider.. The mess that it left..


    All the fallen people, that was slaughtered by this.. thing.


    I wish I could''ve did something.. anything.


    *


    *


    <hr>


    Needless to say, I did not get to have any sleep that night.


    <hr>

 Chapter #6: Recuperation

    Well, what a fantastic morning!


    ..I mean dozens of villagers died and processed the day before, and I became an opressed victim just because I survived and all.. but hey I woke up the next day and no one killed me in my sleep! That alone deserves a commendation, especially when I''ve became public enemy No.1 after that ordeal.


    But come on people! I did my best!


    ..At running..


    Anyways, tidying myself once again, I wore my harness(a layer of utility belts that''s underneath the iron plates of the cuirass) above my cotton shirt and my usual leather pants with iron greaves.


    Stretching around my well rested body, the intense sense of soreness that burned at my muscles had dissapeared. Instead, it''s replaced by various bruises, from tiny to small, all over my upper body that''s caused by the hailstorm of shoes and rocks that I''ve endured yesterday.


    At least I felt worse from the previously burning muscles, so I can''t complain much.


    Inspecting my battle gear that was kept aside, I filter out the damaged equipment from the rest.


    *


    (clang clang clang)


    Damn, I never payed attention to my stuff after that battle, huh.


    My breastplate and backplate, obviously,both have a huge hule at the lower portion of it. My shoulerplates and armguards are either bent or battered into undesireable state. My entire cuirass is almost done for at this state.. I should just have it scrapped and remade into something new, and better.


    Hmm... My prized longsword.. The edge has chipped, and the entire blade is slightly bent to one side. The grip of my longsword that was braided with leather strips for better grip has worn off. The strip is completely tattered and it looks like it would fall apart at moment''s notice.


    And the colouration is odd, no..? Oh of course, the entire hilt(part of sword that isn''t sharp or pointy) of my sword.. is stained with blood. I completely forgotten about the huuuge gashes on my palms before this. I.. I''m so curious though..


    *sniff* *sniff*


    "BLERGH!"


    I should''ve not smelled it.


    Tossing all the damaged armour parts into a rucksack, and wrapping my out-of-service longsword with some rough cloth, I held it close and walked out of my hut.


    *


    Hah!


    I must''ve been transformed after the battle and the commotion I received yesterday. No one bothered to come near me, anywhere I''ve been people either cower away or avoid eye contact at any costs.


    It''s sad to see those sad cunts ignoring logic to antagonise me, but restrained by their fear of God.


    Or maybe.. I think I''ve became a Parisian, that''s why everyone thats non-fracais hates me.


    I remember visiting Paris in the Francois Empire when I was a child, the residents are utter crap. Having conversation with those French kids makes my brain urging me to commit suicide. I swear, if they were to jump from their egos to their intelligence, it would resemble falling into the abyss.


    Perhaps an air of arrogance rose as I am swaggering around the place, waving my pride in front of their faces.. like a true Parisian!


    Sacre bleu!


    HONHONHONHONHON. (laughs in baguette)


    Ahem, anyways I''ll have to visit Andrzej.. and then meet the blacksmith.


    <hr>


    Soon, I arrived at the front door of his home.


    *knock knock*


    A voice rose from within the shelter. "Come in."


    *creak* I opened the door and hopped in.


    In front of me, was no doubt a messy cave as a primitive''s dwelling. Arrays of simple furniture are left lumbering everywhere in the hut. They were anywhere but the optimal position, even if judged by a child. The drawers that were bent sideways are opened and empty. Bottles and food scraps like bones are lying everywhere on the floor. The entire place reeks of liquor and bitter, crushed herbs.


    "Hail, old man! Ain''t dead yet I see!" I yelled


    "Please! As if something like that can shake me at all." Andrzej replied.


    Really? Are you really?!


    At the corner of the hut, there''s a sturdy looking bed carved from solid wood. A guy is lying on top of it. Arms resting on his stomach, with his entire chest bandaged with layers of cloth, and smothered with various herbs to help staunch the blood flow.


    By no means that this dude is "not shaken at all" physically.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "And I ain''t old! I barely left my 30s, I am in the peak of my age, learn your facts before you speak, cunt!" He retorted loudly, in a cheerful manner.


    "Doesn''t mean you can disrespect your superior, old man."


    "Apologies, Captain Cunt!" He yelled gleefully, acting completely opposite of his age.


    Well, if he''s able to joke around, he knows it''s not a dire state he''s in.


    "I''ll have your broken stuff scrapped and reforged by Olguz."


    While talking, I paced around his home, collecting bits & pieces of his armour and weapon. His halberd has seen worst action, the wooden pole literally cracked into 3, the pike was cleanly snapped in, while the axeblade bent left and right, making it a rather potent mace instead, to be honest.


    "Sure, have it your way." He said with a somber tone.


    "I know it''s hard to part with your old weapon, but tools are meant to be broken, remade, and replaced." I replied.


    "yeah yeah.." He had to accept the truth, right?


    (clank clank)


    Finishing the process, I head out once again. Before closing the door, a voice rang behind me.


    "Oi! Keep the door open, air''s stuffy here!"


    "Sure! Make sure you don''t get a stroke, old man!" I answered.


    "Aye Cunt!" He retorted.


    Geez, I left the door open and walked out. Leaving him alone. I won''t know what else to add in if I lingered anyway, we both already understood the situation, it''s best to not bring it out again.


    <hr>


    Passing by the church, en route to the village center, where the smithy resides.


    I could still see many people lingering around the graves, mourning their freshly killed children or friends. Numerous times I caught sharp gazes stabbing me, which came from those ignorant folk, especially elderly.


    Luckily, they kept it at that. No one walked up to me and shivved me in the gut, yaay~!


    Power of religion is truly scary~ I suppose.


    *


    Beside the fortified warehouse, in the centre of the village, a smithy was erected few paces beside it.


    (clang clang clang)


    The sounds of metal striking filled the air as I neared it, contributing to the noises of our bustling epicentre of the village.


    The smithy itself was open air, with a shoddy straw roof overshadowing it, tied into several wooden beams raised as pillars, it could be easily dismantled and replaced when the need arises. The forge itself was a ring of bricks, keeping a good amount of coal and retains its heat within the forge. An anvil made of purely iron was situated right beside it. Seeing it''s fair share of searing spikes of heat and cold, parts of it were tempered naturally and mixed with some impurities from the hammered metals, forming hardened iron(or some kind of steel).


    A grindstone and workbench are place in opposite of the forge and anvil, allowing the smith himself the pace around in the middle of the open space, where he marvels the peasants time and time again with his creations.


    In front of the forge, sat Olguz. This old man has a short and stout body build, yet his bared upper body was ripped with muscles, telling me that this guy ain''t a wallflower, and he knows his trade. Focused on his craft, he couldn''t recognize my presence.


    "Hail, Olguz!" I spoke to him.


    "Hail, Gerard. How are you?" He turned back and replied.


    "Good.. anyways, I''m here to have you fix up our gear. Y''know, Except for Jarek, all of our stuff are forcefully retired. We need it fixed quickly if something were to invade us again." I explained to him my motive, casually evading my share of troubles.


    "Of course! I''ll get it done right after this!"


    "Thanks." I reply halfheartedly. Honestly, replacing our gear isn''t a request, it''s a demand.


    "Oh, Gerard! Check out the metal plates on my workbench, they''re from that super goblin. It''s particularly interesting I say." He pointed out towards his back.


    Holding the curved metal plates with my hands, these things are the remnants of the armguard that I''ve struck insistently back then, which deformed enough to make the Rider shed it. Many holes are poked on the borders of each plate, definitely for the leather straps.


    The toning and refractive index from those metal plates are rather odd, unlike any armour plates of mine. They''re bloody thick too, as much as a thumb''s length (3 cm/1 inch). each piece bears a certain weight, a single armguard of this Rider could weigh as much as a full plate armour. Knowing this fact, it made my heart shudder more, I can''t bear to imagine the strength needed for this freak to equip multiple armour plates as thick as this!


    "Damn.." I muttered under my breath.


    "I know right? Plus the leather straps were actually raw leather bundled up. They''re beyond processing and will definitely stink up after being stained by moisture and dirt from the ground." Olguz replied nonchalantly.


    *


    Olguz then examined our gear, I could see him cringing, which made my heart shudder once more. Even a skilled smith does not feel assertive about the condition of our battle gear.


    "Hell! These scrap metals are beyond saving. I''ll just melt it down and make it from scratch!" Olguz exclaimed, without hesitation.


    "Well, just remake my cuirass as is, and also upgrade the plating while you''re at it." I requested.


    "Sure, I can do that.. how ''bout your longsword?"


    Remembering the desperate state that I''ve once been through, my longsword can''t do a thing to slash heavy armour. I had to upgrade it''s piercing potential..


    "Melt it down and reforge. I want it to have a narrow stark yes? and also a shallower fuller, for better stabbing and piercing." I gave Olguz the best visualisation possible.


    "Ah! Gerard wants an Estoc eh? Consider it done!" The smith gladly received the order.


    What''s an Estoc?? Whatever. If it fits my requirement, I should place complete faith onto my lord and saviour~ Blacksmith-sama~ [weeb much?]


    <hr>


    Seeing Olguz immersing himself towards his craft. His dumped all the parts I provided into the forge, melting them into fire-hot juice and casted it into various ingots, going to have them reforged later into armour plates.


    My longsword, being still in one piece (literally), he removed the objects from the hilt, leaving only the entire blade intact. He heated it until it''s bright red, and started hammering away, chiseling the raw, damaged piece into art. Slowly, a blade befitting my requirements slowly took shape, a slender blade body, with the blade getting narrower on its way up until a needle thin tip. A completely straight blade with a wide guard, specifically designed to riposte heavy attacks and pierce armour.


    Well, whatever an Estoc is, it''s definitely awesome.


    (clang clang clang clang)


    Watching Olguz working away, I kept thinking of better ways of improving my fighting style.


    Hmm.. A thrust weapon, sacrifices my control and attack angles for better balance. I need something else to compliment it, for better defense..


    Fidgeting with the thick-arse plates on the workbench, my eyes squinted, imagining the possibilities.


    Then, my face brightened.


    "Oi! Olguz!" I yelled in sudden.


    "Yeah?" He turned back, stopping his work on forging my Estoc.


    "Say.." I spoke slowly, while holding up the heavy plates stacked up with my hands, directing it towards him.


    "Can you turn these into a shield?" I spoke in a cheeky tone.


    Like a moth drawn into flame, a tempting offer that seduces its victim. Olguz stared intently at my arms and its contents. His eyes swaying to and fro, imagination within reality, and vice versa. Contemplating the options, obviously my offer had invoked his stubborn craftsmen''s pride.


    "Ohohoho.. boi!" Olguz chuckled.


    He stared at me with an affirming gaze, his eyes too shone brightly, like the embers sparking out of his red hot forge.


    "Don''t you test me!" He roared with a firm, rough voice.


    <hr>


    We both gave each other a warm smirk, hinting a start of something interesting, and ambitious.


    <hr>

 Chapter #7: New Toys

    "Ohohoho!" Chuckled Olguz the blacksmith.


    (clang clang clang clang)


    *


    For the past few hours, I''ve been standing aside him, watching him working away with our gear. Mesmerised by his determination and ingenuity, never had he once took a break, his motions are never stopped for the past few hours. Immersing within his craftsmanship, I could see fatigue accumulating in his legs, which shudders slightly from time to time. His eyes are actually bloodshot, staring at nothing but the pieces of metal, calibrating the perfect timing to bring out its best potential.


    His absolutely dedication and fervour in refining his craft had left me in awe, I definitely admire this guy.


    Olguz.. are you perhaps a dwarf in your past life?


    *


    Since I am already in fighting condition, Olguz decided to prioritise my equipment, which means he will only work on my gear for now.


    After the fully drawn out blade of my Estoc has finished, he did some rough chipping at the edges to cement its form, showing the central ridge. Then, he threw the entire blade into the blazing coal. Afterwards soaked it into a tub of water, rapidly cooling it down. He told me that this is ''heat treating'', which will strengthen the blade and solidify its form as a non-malleable metal. The blade now charred black from rapid fluctuations of temperature, he dumped it into the dormant side of the forge, which is populated by almost depleted coal, that burned with a lower temperature.


    He rumbled the dormant side, then dusted the agitated coal dust onto the blade, which fully covers it within the mound of coal. That''s ''tempering'' according to olguz, which provides consistent heat that slowly shapes the metal from within, which dissipates its properties that is inclined to chipping or cracking due to its rigid build.


    I gotta admit, this guy knows his trade well.


    Since the process of tempering takes hours, he is now working on my shield. After getting toasty in the forge by quite some time, the plates gave response by glowing red and took a half-liquid molten form.


    After thoroughly mixing and mashing the plates, the colour gradient of the giant mush of metal becomes uniform, which means that the seperate plates are completely fused at this point. With some tongs, we lifted the whole piece of goo onto the anvil, where Olguz forms the shape of the shield. At the meantime, I provided various details that I''d expect from my new bulwark, influencing the direction and magnitude of hammering, having it slowly take the shape that I desire.


    After some bantering, the general concept of my shield is sorted out. Slowly drawing out the length of the rectangular piece, he then slowly hammered curves into the entirety of the shield. Giving it the curvature it much needed from side to side, the defining characteristics of a well made shield. Contrary to common shields, mine is taller than default. Minding the curvature, the width of it could cover 3/4 of my front body, very much like a heather shield. Yet it''s height is peculiar, due to the surplus of metal from those plates, I made a selfish decision of enlarging it instead of splitting it for stockpiling. The height of my shield, adding its width, provides complete coverage from my toes up towards my shoulders, leaving on the head exposed when brandished.


    This unusual mesh of an oddly rectangular curved shield makes it a mix between a tower shield and a heather shield. Also, fitting my visions as a ''iron fortress that fortifies itself'', Olguz drew a portion of metal from the bottom section out. Then recombining it with the bottom section, when that seperate piece has been forged into a single wide spike. Making it possible to be nailed down onto the ground, forming a literal shieldwall. The top section is just a straight line, which ends are tucked back into the inner section, forming a neat line. Considering the curvature, the upper portion of the shield looks just like a chestplate if seperated.


    Of course, a spiked one in fact.. Olguz drew out another portion of the metal and folded it halfway, then chipped out the edges. Forming yet another giant yet short spike in the middle of the top section. It''s edge follows along the line, creating an ideal breakthrough for charging.


    *


    After him getting a gist of my new fighting style, he invoked a conference about my future armour. My lower portions are fine as is, since the shield will cover my shins.


    For the cuirass, I asked for a better upgrade, with folds on the breastplate and backplate, I asked for a better coverage and better overall protection.


    Being the prideful craftsmen he is, he ''suggested'' to abandon cuirasses on my torso, and opt in for splint mail instead. (Armour covering upper body, made by stringing various thin iron plates with heavy leather stitching. Forming a lightweight and flexible armour)


    Soon, we compromised and decided on making splint mail. [owh]


    Hey, Olguz is the boss. I can''t make my own armour if he''s not willing to do it for me.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    I suppose he''s telling me to rely on the shield for protection.. cheeky bastard.


    After the crafting process has finished, Olguz told me to piss off. Since tempering will take hours anyway. My Estoc and shield are ''wrapped'' in coal dust and buried in the mounds of dormant coal, tempering its metal.


    *


    *


    <hr>


    So I went on doing my business, visiting Andrzej and Jarek respectively.


    Andrzej says that he''s expected to recover within a month, while Jarek is too busy sleeping, because he stayed up all night patrolling the place.


    Oh right...


    Our guard''s patrol schedule spilts us into 3. Since this village has only 3 guards, we had to work alone on each shifts. Basically, we''ll discuss the schedules and keep it constant if no one voices out. Which had kept its record for almost 3 winters since then.


    I''ll stay up and patrol the village once the sun sets. After I''ve walked around for a field or two, to and from the Line and back to my village, I''ll wake up Jarek and go back to sleep. Jarek will then do the same, until Andrzej.


    Coincidentally, once all 3 of us finished our rounds, the dawn will always come, except during winters. So our schedule was never revoked nor modified since it had been conceived.


    Ironically, due to this planning, we are rarely seen together, even by day. Since we all have different sleeping and meal times, only regular moments we could be banded together are moments where the horn was sounded.


    *


    Anyways, since Jarek pulled an all nighter yesterday as I didn''t show up and Andrzej is half-dead, and being the magnanimous captain that I am, I''ll have to stay up all night patrolling today!


    Perfect!


    Entering his hut, I grabbed his quill and ink, then scribbled a note on a piece of paper, placing it beside his gear, that''s littered all around the ground aside from his bed.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    I will take all shifts tonight, you should rest. Bitch.


    -Captain


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    *


    Then, I returned to my home. Fearing the murderous intent of the masses that have not subsided for now, I didn''t dare to show up anywhere else at the village.


    After eating some dry rations and tidying myself, I quickly feel asleep in my lovely mistress(bed), as my afternoon nap session.


    *


    *


    <hr>


    As I''ve woken up naturally, it''s already dusk. Crimson rays scattered into my window, filling a warm light inside the space of my home.


    I quickly walked towards to smithy, trying to inspect my newly made gear.


    *


    My jaw dropped..


    "I know right, I was as suprised as you were when I first dug it out!" Olguz told me.


    The shield, which was slightly darker and less reflective than common iron before tempering, had came out completely different. The shield is now pitch black, while provides a high refractive index(luster as fuck). Holding it in my hands, I raised it up and down, angling it to examine the refracted rays of light. The shield is exceptionally shiny now when faced against the sun, while refracting a lush, greenish glow.


    "Just what kind of metal is this? Its too bright to be obsidian, while too light to be crucible steel.. It''s just weird with that luster as well." I asked.


    "Dunno." Olguz replied nonchalantly.


    "Tch..." I probably got pissed off slightly by that


    (clonk clonk)


    Knocking on the surface of my shield, a satisfying echo greeted me. Whatever material this is, its definitely hard and sturdy.


    <hr>


    "Hup! Hup! Hyaaah!" I huffed and puffed.


    Standing at the crossroads, where night is swiftly approaching, I suited myself to my new weapons. An Estoc held by my right hand, while Aegis clung to my left arm, I''m measuring my strikes with my new gear to calibrate my strength that''s needed behind each motion.


    Oh, yeah. I named my heather-tower shield hybrid ''Aegis''. Don''t ask for the reason, I just thought it sounded cool~


    Why not the sword then? Well, Estoc is good enough as a name, I suppose..


    Surprisingly, my new splinted mail armour is flexible and light enough to help mantain my balance. Sacrificing my old iron shoulderguards, a loose fitting yet slim heavy leather shoulderguards took its place. Removing the hindrance of the previous weight on my shoulders, I could easily position and elevate my Estoc and Aegis without much stress on my muscles.


    "Hup! Hup! Hyaaah!"


    (thud thud)


    Adjusting my footing, deploying Aegis and timing Estoc thrusts, I''ve worked out a rhythm, a dance of death between the synergy of two unsual weapons.


    "Hup! Hah!" *swing*


    Simulating combat, I timed a shield bash as I backstep. The shield with a pike sticking out, lowered and pushed foward with every step, aiming to impale the stomach of anyone ahead, or to crush the heads of those pesky warthogs. Bracing Estoc by tucking it beside my arm like a lance, I repeated stabbing motions, looking for a good timing to balance it with Aegis'' movements.


    Then, I conceived my signature move. Heaving Aegis high up and plant it hard towards the ground, I''ve made a shieldwall.


    (CLUNK)


    A rough sound, dirt lightly spewed up as Aegis is embedded deeply inside, completely standing on itself. Then, I hold Estoc with both hands, leaned down on the shield and fully thrust foward, aiming dead centre at places I presume are the hearts of my enemies.


    Giving Aegis to fully support my entire body weight, it did not bend nor even tumble over.


    "Heh.." Satisfied with the results, I''d call it a success in adapting to the new gear.


    Standing a distance away, was Olguz that kept spectating me as I trained away.


    "Gerard, surely you''ve adapted to it since you''ve held it." He said questioningly.


    "Well, I''m trying to improve it bit by bit yeah?" I explained.


    "Uh, you mean improving to look good while swinging it." He doused my ego in one sentence.


    Oh shit! How did he know!?


    Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckkkk!!!


    "Uh.. Ahem. You should go home, it''s already almost nighttime." I quickly evaded the topic.


    "Ohhhh~ Sure!" He exclaimed sarcastically.


    Well, if word went out.. I''ll lose my reputation once again.


    "Just.. please don''t tell anyone" I whimpered, admitting defeat.


    "Of course I won''t! Ahahahahah!" He laughed lightly, then walked away.


    *


    Olguz really had walked away. Now, dark skies had took the place of the once gentle rays of the dying sun. I stood there alone on the crossroads, silently figuring out my next move.


    Well, if he isn''t a productive member of the community, I''d fucking shank him and dump him into the marshes just to silence him...


    But.. but.. Now my reputation will be tarnished again.. huhuhuhuhu~ *cries internally*


    *


    *


    <hr>


    Dumping all the thoughts behind me, I started walking towards the watchtower, situated along the Line, to fulfill my duty as a village guard.


    *


    "sigh.. It''s going to be a long night." I told myself.


    <hr>

 Chapter #8: Night Walk

    Walking towards the Line, the natural defense of our village, I once again stood still and gaze upon the gentle slopes. Reminding me of the brutal battle took place days ago, I gathered myself and walked further down. Standing on the middle of the slight decline, and here I thought it''ll be a tranquil night after all this.


    I''ve discovered prey.


    Amidst the serene darkness, gentle winds bristled the plants while various incests roared in their sanctuary down in the marshes. Pairs of gleaming, green eyes lit up the dark spaces within the marsh. Without keen eyes like those that I''ve developed throughout my live, it will be impossible to spot such a miniscule detail. Of course, those were no doubt the eyes of stray warthogs.


    Oversized boars that have almost no natural predators, fierce and territorial, with abundant shrubbery as food source, breeds like rabbits. They are definitely the infestation of the marshes. Of course, rarely would they survive if they settled in the illustrious forest beyond the marshes, all kinds of fierce creatures and abominations are waiting for such weak prey with delightful jaws.


    Yes, an adult warthog could cause trouble to an entire squad of soldiers, are considered ''weak prey'' to the beasts that lurk within the forests.


    Snap back to reality, I could see a few warthogs grazing at the edge of the marsh, pacing to and forth in a designated area.


    *


    Slowly, I made my way down into the marshes and hid myself in a dense shrub. Positioning myself to face the wind flow in opposite, they won''t be able to catch a scent of me. Inspecting closer, the prey numbered 4. 2 fully grown adults, 1 elderly and 1 juvenile.


    The adults have big builds and sharp, curvy tusks, as I''d imagine. The elder warthog had flabbier skin and its head is hunched down, displaying its weariness as it ages. Meanwhile, the juvenile warthog is about half the size of a full fledged adult, with noticeably smaller tusks, that hadn''t shown any curves yet. They are just minding their own business, grazing on the vegetation, stocking itself up so it could return to the den and breed more mini impalers. And repeat the cycle again and again. Live, breed, die, repeat.. something of that sort.


    *


    Soon, they gave up on grazing and moved towards another area near my position, so they could graze on the slightly longer grass on this side.


    Patiently, I waited for them to approach. Biding my time..


    The elderly warthog was strolling around with particular leisure, it walked ahead of the pack, straying further from the parents and child. It then slumped over and leaned on the ground, definitely enjoying the moment. While the rest clumped together and continued munching, yet to fill their appetite.


    This is it!


    I leapt up, brandishing Aegis, and ran straight towards the elder warthog.


    (thud thud thud)


    Hearing the footsteps, the pack tensed up and stood frozen, examining my sudden appearance. Especially the elder warthog, it clumsily stood itself up, and raised it''s head up to match Aegis.


    "HYAAH!" I roared.


    (CLAAAAANG)


    I charged towards it with Aegis in hand, completely ramming Aegis into its face. Without even a sound, it crumpled down onto the ground, with legs stretched and all. One of its tusk had shaterred and poured all over the ground.


    "HUP!"


    (swish)


    Within a breath, my right hand that held Estoc flipped downwards, and stabbed it into the warthog''s skull.


    (spuuuuurt)


    Pulling out Estoc, the spot that the tip of my blade shoved in, had left a deep wound. Bodily fluids and blood spurted out of the freshly penetrated hole, giving me a sense of pleasure. [ :^) ]


    Needless to say, it''s an instant kill.


    "Nyiiiii!!" Another warthog squeals, angered by my actions.


    Resetting my battle stance, I spread my footing, braced Estoc for a thrust and gently held Aegis in front of me.


    (thump thump thump thump)


    It''s charging towards me, like any good warthog would do. With the trial before, I would not fear its consequences if dealt with perfectly. One often fears most that the tusks impale the body, or its weight throws off the person and tramples them alive. But with the toughness of Aegis, I think it could just halt a charge in its track.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Welp, no results if I were to just speculate, time to test the theory.


    (Thud)


    Raising Aegis high, I slammed it down onto the ground, its stake like bottom pinned down, allowing it to stand on its own. Clutching the handle tight, I hunkered myself down to lean on the shield, providing support.


    (CLAAAAANG)


    Owh.. The impact numbed my shield-arm, what monstrous strength.. Luckily, Aegis held as I expected. At least from my side, I see no dents or damage forming in the inner side. Raising my head to peek foward, that warthog is trotting backwards, with its body slumped over. Its head swaying unpredictably, obviously indicating that it''s disoriented due to the impact.


    "Not expecting that huh? HAH!"


    Releasing grip on Aegis, my free hand held Estoc. With both arms, I raised Estoc above my shoulders and struck down, like nailling a stake onto the surface.


    (Splaaat)


    The disoriented porky had looked everywhere with its hazy eyes, anywhere but above. As the cranium(top of skull) of its massive head is facing me directly, I rammed Estoc in with one clean motion. The satisfying vibration that resonated after the strike tells me that the blade pierced its head entirely, and struck itself into the ground.


    Sharing the same fate as the previous victim, its legs wobbled briefly before crumbling, with its head still firmly impaled to the soft grasses below. After that, I pulled out Estoc. Blood spurted out of its snouts and mouth, flowing along the terrain, which stained the lower edges of Aegis that''s right in front of it.


    "I''m not done yet~!"


    Leaving Aegis as is, firmly stuck on the ground, I broke off into a full sprint towards the last adult warthog and its (pig)hoglet. The adult is shielding the hoglet by standing in front of it. Being so adamant on staying by its side, it must be the mother, huh?


    "Ryiiiih!!" The mother roared.


    Being paces away from it, I can spare no luxury to allow it continue venting its anger. I halted suddenly, while lifting Estoc with my sword-arm, like a javelin. Using the momentum built up by sprinting just now, I arched my torso and braced myself to launch Estoc.


    "Haaaph!"


    (Shiiiiiiing)


    (Thud)


    Estoc flew, and hit it dead centre between its eyes. It slouched its body to the side before toppling over, while leaving a weak moan.


    "guuuh..." Those were its last words, I suppose.


    To be honest, I''m just paces away from it, and warthog''s heads are massive in proportion to its body, so it''s not exactly an extraordinary feat. Being that close, I could just tuck Estoc between my arms and unleash a full thrust can''t I? I could, but I tried this new method as a way to improve my fighting style( to look cool while doing it).


    "Huuuuuh~" I tried to pull Estoc out, but it''s stuck deeper than imagined.


    (thud)


    Oh, there''s a minor annoyance that''s bothering my left leg.


    (thud thud)


    "Ah stop~"


    Looking down, I see the hoglet ''resting'' itself on my left shin. Retracting itself by a few paces to charge towards my leg again and again, its trying to deal impact with its massive size and strength. The hoglet, which never had a chance to receive proper education, is ramming its forehead onto my left iron greave. Instead of its tusks, that''s still developing.


    Seeing its bravery in its actions to enact revenge, while trying to smash my left shin definitely brings a tear to my eye.


    (thud)


    "Piss off~"


    Raising my left leg, I casually flailed around the hoglet, causing it to trot backwards in panic.


    "Huuup!" Mustering my strength, I reclaimed Estoc.


    (SPLAAAT)


    "Guh! Fuck!" I moaned in disgust.


    Upon removing Estoc, a torrent of blood spew forth from its third eye, showering my face and body with its contents. Wiping my face to regain vision, an assaulting stench filled my nose as I tried to inhale.


    Damn, I''ll have to shower right after this.. Well fuck that thing! Not literally though....


    Turning my gaze to face the courageous hoglet, a smirk rose between my cheeks.


    "heheheh..." I laughed.


    The hoglet stood still while being oddly silent. Its eyes are staring at me and legs shaky. It''s probably petrified now by this point.. well then, allow me to resolve your troubles.


    Holding Estoc with both hands, I raised it above my waist, while extending it fowards in an angled manner, same as before when I''ve used my longsword. Such, is the basic stance of swordsmanship.


    Only by using both hands, only then would one bring out the maximum potential of the sword.


    Like a chevalier accepting a duel, I showed my willingness in graceful action. Though, I''m wearing ragtag armour compared to full plate knights, and my enemy is forcefully submitted into this contest of arms.


    Then, I leapt off my feet.


    "Hup! Hah! Hyah!" I sliced and diced.


    With exceptional balance of the Estoc, I kept my strikes at length, where only the tip of the blade would come in contact. The results are inferior compared to the deep slices gauged by a typical longsword, but superior in balance and accuracy, which determines the flow of a swordfight.


    With every swing, it drew blood. Wounds opened on the hoglet''s hide, some deep, some shallow. Tiny streaks of blood splashed everytime I moved, scattering it towards the vegetation all around us.


    "Ryaaa~~.. Ryaaaa..." The hoglet moaned again and again with decreasing strength.


    After toying with it for minutes, no spot on the hoglet is left unbloodied. I suppose it''s time to conclude this target practice...


    Dealing an angled strike from low to high, one of the hoglet''s rear foot detached and was bashed away into a distance. Before the hoglet loses balance, I curved the blade trajectory to utilise its momentum force, and executed an overhead slash.


    (Swish)


    A clean strike indeed. The head of the hoglet was severed from its body, bouncing off into the ground while the torso crumpled without a sound.


    <hr>


    After all the warthogs are dealt with, I picked up Aegis, that''s still firmly stuck on the ground, that was also puddled with blood. Blood drips along the bottom edges of Aegis, returning them to the puddle below.


    "Damn.. That''s hard to wash off.." I grumbled to myself.


    Without sparing another glance, I walked towards the hoglet''s corpse.


    It''s body, mangled and battered, its flesh eviscerated in every possible way, starts to make my stomach churn.


    "Dang, did I overdid it?" Disgusted by my own actions, I questioned myself.


    I probably did, don''t I? No hogs deserve such cruelty...


    "Nah, it''s for my training in handling Estoc.." I muttered.


    Well~yeah. Probably...


    *


    Before leaving the scene, I walked towards the destroyed lump of flesh that was once a warthog.


    "Messere.." I spoke to the poor, tormented corpse.


    With Estoc sheathed, I place my sword-arm on my stomach, then gave a curt bow. (90 degree bow to signify respect)


    "Thank you for the lesson." I concluded the duel.

 Chapter #9: Visitors

    Well, after the duels, the night went on calmly after.


    I returned to the watchtower that''s erected along the line, lightly dozing off at times to help pass the time.


    "Well, a tranquil night indeed I guess."


    Visualising my combat patterns in my mind according to the boar hunt just now, I slowly gain better insight of my new capabilities.


    As for the corpses, the adults and elderly are in great condition, since their fur and meat have minimal damage, I''ve gathered them together in a barren spot to flag it. The hunters are definitely going to be astonished when I notified them tomorrow.


    As for the hoglet, that''s shredded meat held together by bones.. I fed it to the fishes in one of the huge potholes in the marshes. Nobody should see that, especially the frail ones with weak hearts, I bet their faces will twist in horror and surprise when they saw...


    ... Just like me right now.


    WHAT THE FUCK?!


    <hr>


    At the edge of my line of vision while overlooking the scenery below, light flashes.


    The spot is too the edge of the marshes, where continues with dense woods, then expands into the dreaded forest as well.


    Currently the entire place is shrouded in complete darkness, I am sensitive to even a speck of light, and that''s what I saw.


    Few tiny orbs of light, glimmering there, while slowly moving towards the marshes, it''ll probably take an interest to the slope and ascend further.


    I grabbed my gear, Estoc and Aegis. I also picked up a stock bow and quiver containing arrows, just in case. Then, I slid down the ladder and swiftly descended down the slope with my head down.


    Concealing myself in dense shrubbery once again, I mantained vigilance while observing the light sources in front.


    *


    *


    Ugh.. The light orbs are taking it slow traversing the marshes, it must be their first time being in such terrain.


    Making myself comfy in dense shrubbery, I lay and wait anxiously. In the marshes, usually I''ll be invaded by legions of mosquitos. Luckily, it''s still early spring, weeks after the passing of winter, which means the mosquitos are still dead! Honhonhonhonhon~


    Ahem, anyways.. They are coming closer, I can get a better glimpse of them now.


    Oh, shit...


    Humans.


    <hr>


    6 men, each holding a lantern of their own.


    They are walking in a disorganised line, showing that it''s not an offensive march towards the enemy, but rather an exploration towards the unknown.


    They wore various gears. 3 with ragtag armour with a shortsword and buckler kept behind their backs. 2 equipped with purely leather gear and bows and arrows. While the final 1 is clad in a cuirass with an underlying chainmail shirt, and keeping a bastard sword sheathed on his side. I''d assume he''s the leader of this group.


    Though the band of brothers are lacking in combat types, each and every one of them have contrasting gear. One footman wears a chestplate, while another wears banded armour. Everyone could be distinguished by their different armour, such as the width of the armour plating, colour and materials of the vambraces or the materials of their trousers.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    All of it tells me that they are not royal rangers or soldiers, but mercenaries.


    First thought that flashed my mind was obviously to fight them and remove the potential threat, but I do not feel particularly suicidal this night.


    Against goblins maybe, a quick blitz will throw them off guard and gives me the capacity to slice each of them by the throat. If they caught wind, I could escape and conceal myself once again.


    Humans though, I can maybe kill one of them by surprise, but once they react, I''ll lose my life. In this situation, I am outnumbered, Once I started the fight, I could never back down. A well placed arrow through my face or a stab from my flank will end me when I''m busy parrying another guy''s sword. No matter how skilled a fighter is, numbers will always overwhelm one''s strength.


    Unless I have a trebuchet, that''s a different story.


    Anyways, if I chose to engage them, I''ll die instantly.


    *


    *


    I''d rather go for option 2, to investigate thoroughly before attempting anything.


    *


    And so I waited, until they walked near my location while being completely oblivious of my presence


    It seems they''re having a converstation, which I can easily eavesdrop.


    "Oi, look at that slope!" The leader spoke, pointing at the Line.


    "Whut?" Footman 1 asked.


    "Finally an open land, nothing wet or dangerous~ let''s get there!" Ranger cheered by raising his arms.


    "No! Look at that tower in the middle!"


    "Whut?" Footman(Idiot) 1 asked again.


    "Which means there''s civilisation above there somewhere!"


    Leader yelled in frustration, he''s definitely a novice in exploration, announcing your presence in such a way.


    "So?" Idiot 1 still confused, at this point I''m doubting his intelligence.


    "Ugh." Leader walked up to Idiot 1 while raising his fist.


    (Smack)


    A loud smack resounded from his fist, as he punched Idiot 1 in the stomach, that had no armur plate coverage. The rest of the merc band was also stunned by this sight, each taking a few steps back from the leader, afraid that they could be the next victim.


    *


    Then, the band made no noises as the leader led the way, towards the gentle slope that leads up to my village.


    <hr>


    Since the slope itself is almost a barren land, surface covered in very short vegetation, which will never obscure anything out of vision. I stayed waiting in a shrub close to the edge of the Line.


    Meanwhile, the band had ascended 3/4 of the slope. The guys kept watch of all their corners, changing their point of view every so often. Those guys are at least experienced in navigating, I suppose...


    Good news for them since that it''ll keep them safe from surprises, but bad news for me, since I still haven''t grasped their intentions.


    *


    Once they made their way fully up the slope, their images dissapeared from my vision. Then, I quickly ran my way up, trying to regain visual contact on those guys as soon as possible.


    Since the area itself is habitable, many insects claimed this land and made various screechs nightly to captivate their audiences of their annoyance. Muffling footsteps like mine is nothing but trivial. The guys will never hear me creeping up when they''re bombarded by insect moans.


    *


    *


    Keeping considerable distance behind them, I managed to mantain visual contact with them, but could never sneak up close enough to listen what they''re saying.


    All I see is that the Leader goes handy-pointy on the village buildings, and the rest of the band just nodded.


    <hr>


    Soon, they reached one of the closer buildings of the Line, the tavern.


    They bypassed the farmplots and some farmer''s huts along their way, which they did not lay a hand onto the property or sleeping villagers, which I''m immensly relieved for.


    (bam bam bam)


    The leader slammed the door of the slightly larger wooden hut, where the keeper serves food and drinks to its patrons.


    "Open up!" He screamed.


    Considering that its still in the middle of the night, no one was awake to serve him if he knocked corteously.


    (bam bam bam bam bam)


    Well, he''s still outright rude no matter what his actions might indicate.


    Still unsure of his intentions, I took cover in the neighbouring hut, watching them. I took out the bow, nocked the arrow and aimed it right towards the Leader''s head, which is conviniently not covered by any helmets of sort.


    Whatever happens later, I''d dispatch him off if he hurts my villagers...


    Soon, light gushed out from the windows of the tavern, indicating that the keeper is awake and lit the candles in urgency.


    (creaaaak)


    The door opened.


    "Wha... what do you want?!" The tavern keeper asked nervously.


    The leader seems to be sizing up the keeper as he kept silent. He swayed his head up and down, inspecting the keeper in disheveled clothing and messy hairdo.


    I pulled the bowstring to its limit, feeling the strain on my elbows. I aimed the arrow dead on towards the back of his head, anxiously observing every minor action of his body, preparing to lash out if he did something undesireable.


    The leader, hugging his arm at ease, spoke.


    "You have drinks for us? It''s been a long journey." He requested for relinquishment in a casual yet intimidating tone.

 Quick poll regarding size of future chapters

    Just throwing down a quick polling session here to determine the future of chapter releases for this piece of shit novel that nobody watches. (kappa)


    What should I do?:


    <ol>


    <li style="text-align: left">Release chapters with longer word count/content, which means many more things can be conveyed in 1 chapter, like an event and such. So that it won''t be chopped down into multiple chapters</li>


    <ul style="text-align: left">


    <li>About 5000-8000 word count per chapter</li>


    <li>Completely describes an event or two that happens within the immediate timeframe</li>


    <li>Probably releases a chapter every 3-4 days.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.</li>


    </ul>


    <li style="text-align: left">Release chapters with shorter word count/ content, an event might be splitted into 2-3 chapters.</li>


    <ul>


    <li style="text-align: left">About 1500-2000 word count per chapter


    </li>


    <li style="text-align: left">Chops off an event into pieces to be conveyed partially in each chapter.</li>


    <li style="text-align: left">Probably releases a chapter daily/1 per day.</li>


    </ul>


    </ol>


    <hr>


    Anyways, thank you for voting(if you did) to determine the future of my little storybook adventure.


    As always, thank you for the patronage!

 Status Update

    Past few days I''ve been thinking of ways to escalate the situation with the mercs'' arrival, and also relate their reasons to be a part of the main plot of this story.


    Regrettably, I''ve written many versions of chapter #10, but also have scrapped as many. My work has never failed to dissapoint myself.


    I wished to spend the rest of my time reflecting on my own unbecomings, and hopefully continue working on the story so that it will be up to my standards.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    I apologise for the lack of uploads for the past few days, and apologise in advance for potentially the next few as well.


    If the progress and events in the future couldn''t relate to the main plot of this story (which I have yet to disclose), then I might consider scrapping or rewrite the entire thing.


    For the readers that stayed all the way until this very moment, I thank you for your support.