It took Cheese and his men another half hour to clear the walls of ladders. The enemy had pressed forward like a tide and now pulled back in the same relentless manner, dragging with it a grim haul of injured creatures pierced by arrows and spears. As Cheese watched their retreat, he scanned the throng for the leader he had seen during the failed assault on Fairhaven all those days ago.
He hadn't caught the creature's rank, but Cheese was certain none of these beings were him. That was... disturbing. More unsettling still was the absence of the trolls that scouts had reported earlier.
Not that Cheese had much faith in scouting reports anymore. For days, their intel had promised dwindling enemy numbers, successful raids, and camp disruptions. Yet here they were—under siege by a force that dwarfed any prior estimates. Worse, the invaders hadn't even bothered to deploy their most powerful assets.
The setting sun glared in his eyes as Cheese squinted toward the western wall, where the enemy had first broken through. "Mauren," he called, dismissing his great blade. "I need a report. Where is my brother?"
Beside him, the old foreman looked worn. Mauren had been crucial to the battle, managing defenses while Cheese lured foes to the top of the gatehouse. Cheese couldn’t help but think of his late father, who had been fortunate to command someone so reliable. Yet the effort had visibly drained the foreman. Breathing heavily, Mauren finally answered, “He’s coming, Bladesman. I sent a runner.”
Cheese nodded. Of course, Mauren had thought ahead. “Do we have an estimate of casualties?”
Mauren shrugged. “On our side? Not yet. Ten confirmed dead or missing, but many younger men are injured. They held the walls, but not everyone has your skill. It got tense in places without a Journeyman-level warrior.”
Cheese grunted. This fight had been a harsh lesson in the importance of skill. Against untrained foes, he cut through them like swatting flies. Yet today’s battle had given him a sobering perspective on his prior encounter with the giants. He’d been damned lucky to survive that first blow, let alone kill one of those monsters.
“As for the enemy,” Mauren continued, “we estimate a third of their force fell. Not precise, but close enough.”
Cheese grunted again, the number sounding plausible. Still, what did it matter? He alone had killed so many, exhausting his resources in the process. Glancing at the faces around him, he saw the toll the fight had taken on his men. If those goblins had possessed proper equipment, this keep would have fallen. There was no denying it.
“Mauren,” Cheese said flatly, “gather the officers in the war room and send my brother there.”
Without waiting for a reply, Cheese turned and stalked off toward the main hall followed by Nold and Torv. With a gesture Cheese sent the one-armed bannerman back to the others.
Despite his worry, it wasn’t all doom and gloom in his mind. Most of his men had survived. As he crossed the yard that had served as a training ground that morning, he shrugged to himself and pulled up his status menu.
----------------------------------------
Name: Cheese
Age: 29
Soul Coins (SC): 1
Faith Coins (FC): 524
Displayed Title: Branded Heretic (Locked)
Displayed Skill: Journeyman [Axe (Common) 43] (Locked)
Claimable Rewards: Locked
Quests:
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Clear Out the Riffraff – 2,123 / 30,126 invaders remaining
Closest invader: 4,323 kilometers northeast.
Clear Out the Trash (Optional) – Kill the incursion leaders to end the quest early.
Nearest leader: 6,023 kilometers east.
Leaders remaining: 2/6
Time remaining: 4.9 days
Skills:
* [Axe (Common) 43]
* [Spiritual Manipulation (Rare) 25]
* [Athletics (Common) 20]
* [Spiritual Resistance (Legendary) 13]
* [Cooking (Common) 12]
* [Climbing (Common) 11]
* [Leadership (Uncommon) 10]
Abilities:
* [Spiritual Binding (Unique) 22]
* [Cleave (Rare) 15]
* [Throwing (Uncommon) 14]
* [Observe (Epic) 8]
----------------------------------------
The countdown in his quest log troubled Cheese most of all. It had appeared mid-battle, unnoticed until now. While the progress in his skills excited him, the ominous timer overshadowed his gains. According to Mauren, the countdown didn’t align with the system’s projected timeline—they were being shorted by more than a day. Cheese could only trust that humanity at large would manage.
For now, he focused on what mattered: faith coins and quest rewards. His coin reserves had surged unexpectedly, though their source remained unclear. Opening the shop, Cheese noted that many scrolls had disappeared, replaced by other items—tempting but priced well beyond his reach. Some items exceeded a thousand coins, and the sellers bore unfamiliar names.
“Nold,” Cheese said as he entered the feasting hall.
The young man, ever diligent, stepped forward. “Yes, Bladesman?”
“Fetch the head priest and bring him here,” Cheese instructed.
“Ours or Fairhaven’s?” Nold asked, hesitating.
Cheese considered. “We are Fairhaven now, Nold. Bring them both.”
Nold nodded and darted off, leaving Cheese to continue toward the war room.
Once inside, Cheese shut the door, finally alone. His shoulders sagged, and he leaned against the doorframe, a massive sigh escaping him. Exhaustion hit like a wave, threatening to drown him. For a moment, he fought back a sob, but he let himself relax, his body was just... spent.
He could feel it deep in his soul space, that darkness. It loomed, ready to pounce. But Cheese didn't have time to let it. As he took a number of steadying breaths, he tried to quiet his mind and center himself. There would be time to grieve later. For now, he had to command.
Cheese straightened his back, and walked further into the room. After a minute of standing there waiting he heard a knock on the door and said "Enter"
The door opened and his mother walked in with Nold and two men who wore dark black robes and had their faces cast down. Cheese frowned and said "Mother" in way of greeting.
Her reply came in a nod as she said "I was told you wished to speak to the priests so I had Nold bring us here"
Neither man looked at Cheese, and for a moment he felt like he was on trial. As the silence stretched he asked, "And why do you not look at me?"
A single reply came forward from the Fairhaven priest. It was whispered so low that Cheese was unsure if he had imagined it.
"Unworthy"
Cheese looked at them both and then at his mother and asked "Uhhhh..... What's going on?"
She had a strange look on her face that Cheese could not place. There was discomfort there and.... apprehension? Finally her reply came. "The priests have been saying that we are unworthy to speak to you. They've.... well they've built a shrine to you and have spent the past days speaking your praises. it started when the system took you to speak to the gods and it hasnt stopped. When we got here it got worse. Toggert met with this man here" She gestured to the man who sat beside their priest, he was one Cheese didn't recognize. "Who presided over the parish here. And when.. the day Waff delivered his report on the battle we lost your father in they began a campaign. Saying that you were their new God. That you'd give us your all, and they must do the same. Since then they have actively avoided you claiming that they were unworthy."
Cheese looked down at the two and sighed. When he did the man who he had grown up with as his priest, Toggart fucking shivered. As if he was out in a freezing blizzard. Cheese Choose his words carefully and said "I will grow annoyed if this continues you two. Stand and look me in the eyes."
A moment passed and then the two stood. They raised their eyes to Cheese, who tried his best not to let his annoyance bleed into his smile.
"See, not a god. Now, I have questions, and I need you to answer me. I know I should know some of this, but I need to know about the so-called gods who are in charge of this planet, and you're the two most educated men I know."
The man beside Toggart let out a yelp, turned white, and promptly passed out.
Cheese raised an eyebrow as he turned his attention to the other man. "Well... that’s promising."