Chapter 5: Raymond and Lady Sophia

It was early in the morning, with the sun yet to reveal its glory. The sound of air being split apart was heard in the courtyard, followed by huffing sounds that depicted great fatigue and exhaustion. Raymond, one of the numerous foot soldiers in the city, kept swinging his wooden sword, his youthful face shrouded by the numerous scars that adorned his cheeks. A swing turned into a hundred, and a hundred turned into thousands. Still, he did not stop. He kept swinging until his muscles bulged and ached, until the pain turned unbearable and excruciating. His world and hers were heavens apart, and the sword was his only way to bridge the gap.

After the daily regimen, he donned his leather armor and strapped his short sword at his waist. He tied his long, night black hair to the back. With brisk steps, he went towards the cathedral. He knelt down and prayed to his God.

“God Aquina, this humble servant of yours prays for victory. Please grant the Fortress of Rube your divine protection,” he prayed.

The statue of the Water God stood at the center of the pedestal. Its small figure hovering above like an overseer, with its fragile wings opened wide in dominion.

After his prayer, the soldier exited the cathedral and passed through the numerous stone houses that filled the Residential District. Peculiarly, there was hardly a soul present in the streets, as though all the life in the area had vanished entirely. After passing through numerous sidewalks and alleyways in his attempt to cut time, he eventually arrived at the Army Camp. The Army Camp was bustling with activities, a stark contrast to the ghostly Residential District. Numerous soldiers kept moving about, all clad in the same outfit.

“Soldiers—assemble!” a voice echoed.

Immediately, the sea of brown and black moved in unison, eventually forming a singular formation. Everyone stood in attention as a woman, probably in her early twenties, stood on top of a pedestal. Her armor was fully plated, giving semblance to the knights. The crimson hair that flowed down her waist was incandescent against the white plated background. Her skin was ivory, definitely more pallid than snow, and her eyes held great fierceness that would only be found in the greatest of warriors. One could not say that she was utterly beautiful, but there was an irresistible charm in her that would make one stop and stare.

She pulled out the claymore on her back, creating a mellifluous unsheathing sound. She held it up to the heavens and snarled, “For decades, this fort had served as the border between the Kingdom of Renaga and the Kingdom of Tesma! We are a neutral party! And as such, we are heralded in great light!”

Silence was absolute as she continued, “Today, we fight! We fight the invading army of monsters that threaten to take our lives away! We fight to ensure the lands that had been passed down to us by our forefathers! Soldiers!— ” Her voice crescendo, almost reaching the heavens above. “—We fight for glory! We fight for freedom!”

The army burst out into shouts of resolve. The ground quaked and rumbled from the stomping of their feet. Swords were raised up to the heavens, and the morale of the troops soared to great heights.

Raymond gazed at her with strong, yet gentle eyes. She was his goal. She was the reason he swung his sword every day, every night. For Lady Sophia, he would gladly die.

After a thunderous roar, the entire army moved out.

***

The army gathered right outside the colossal iron gate of the fortress. Beyond, just right after crossing the Gralvan Plains, a sea of green was seen moving about. The numerous small figures approached from the distance, their movements sending dusts swirling upwards. Though the soldiers were veterans, the intercepting army of the Rube Fortress hardly passed seven thousand.

Fear and anxiety was palpable as the army awaited the approaching mob. They had been to numerous sieges before, but this was the first time such a large scale invasion transpired. It was beyond logic; as though some cursed God was playing his pranks upon the mortals.

“Lady Sophia! We’ve received news of reinforcements! The Knights of Tesma will arrive here in the next few hours!” a soldier said.

His words immediately gave relief to everyone that heard it. The Knights of Tesma was among the strongest forces in the mainland. Sophia nodded in affirmation. They needed to hold out, at least until the knights arrived. Still, she was feeling uneasy. The Knight of Tesma were veteran warriors, with some soldiers capable of magic, but would they be strong enough against their current foe? Even she was unable to believe it when she had heard the report regarding the massive invading army.

A monster’s roar reverberated, and it was quickly followed by numerous others. Sophia furrowed her brows as the clouds of dust soared to the sky even further, and the view of the massive army loomed closer.

“Soldiers of Rube! Spearhead formation! Magicians—begin the lightning spell! Archers—fire!”

The massive army of monsters eventually clashed against the army. Arrows flew and covered the sky as spears pierced through hundreds of green bodies. Ogres swung their clubs and swept away soldiers by the dozens, sending their bodies flying about. Lightning fell down the sky and scorched the bodies of monsters. The stench of blood lingered in the air ever so strongly.

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Raymond brandished his short sword as he hacked away at the goblins one after another. He had been to numerous monster subjugation quests before, and he had encountered goblins several times already. Still, the amount that surrounded their army was beyond compare. The air seemed stale, and it was getting harder to breathe with every swing of his blade. At the corner of his eyes, he kept a firm watch on Lady Sophia. She, along with thousand others, charged head-first into the fray. Her battle cry invigorated the soldiers’ morale.

“I won’t fall here! I’ll make it to the top!” declared Raymond.

One after another, goblins fell from his blade. Blood mucked his leather armor as his entire body trembled from fatigue. No matter how many he defeated, the wave would not stop. They kept on coming, like pests in the middle of harvest. Seconds passed and turned to minutes, and minutes quickly turned to hours. They kept blocking the monsters, wave after wave, and assault after assault. How many hours had it been? He had no idea. All that ran through his mind was to slaughter as much enemies as possible, his body in full throttle as adrenaline boiled in its utter limit. His throat was parched and dry, and his body was sweat-filled all over. His vision dimmed, yet, there was no sign that the horde was diminishing in number.

The sound of a blunt force hitting metal resounded, and he instinctively glanced at the gate. Three Ogres were bludgeoning the colossal iron using their wooden clubs; each of their strikes seemed to unhinged the partition from the wall itself. The arrows from above receded, and the hundreds of soldiers stationed to directly blockade the front of the gate had reduced to almost nil.

It was only now that Raymond realized that their army was losing, that it was only a matter of time before the Fortress fell. He pulled out his blade that pierced through the body of a goblin then made a dash towards the Ogres breaking through the gates. He was able to see around a dozen soldiers running towards the same direction, their goal probably the same as his. After a roar that contained his entire might, he leapt and stabbed his short sword into the back of an Ogre. It yelped in pain as it shook its body in an attempt to shake off Raymond. The force made him fly a few meters back and his body skidded on the ground. The three Ogres that had penetrated their ranks glared at him in utter fury.

“Damn it!” said Raymond. He had lost his weapon, and he had now become the target of three gigantic monsters easily spanning four meters. After his pair of jewels frantically swiveled left and right, he found a bastard sword on the ground. Immediately, he picked it up and ducked when a club came cruising towards him. Just a single hit would be enough to tear his body to shreds. He shivered at the thought.

“Reinforcements! The Knights of Tesma are here!” a voice echoed in the battlefield.

Shouts of joy rumbled as numerous cavalries came running through the battlefield, their weapons mowing through the hordes of monsters. The prowess of the almighty knights boosted everyone’s morale, and even Raymond could not help but be amazed as they decimated the monsters one after another, their tempo hardly stopping. Balls of fire occasionally flew about and hit the Ogres. Even the three Ogres that targeted him fell down limp and scorched on the ground when numerous balls of fire strike their gigantic bodies. He inwardly cried in bliss as he watched their reinforcement push back the invading monsters.

“So strong… So, this is the Knights of Tesma,” mumbled Raymond.

—But his joy was short-lived.

From a distance, he saw their commander, Lady Sophia have herself surrounded by monsters in all directions. Her unit was almost wiped out; a consequence of taking the role of bait and vanguard. Along with around a dozen soldiers, they repelled the surrounding monsters. But Raymond knew that it was only a matter of time before they fell. It was impossible for a dozen soldiers to fight against thousands of surroundings beasts. Without hesitation, he ran ahead towards her. His body charged forth despite the numerous cuts and injuries, despite the fatigue that enveloped him. He was terribly huffing, and his vision was clouded from the blood that dripped down his brows.

“Lady Sophia!” shouted Raymond. But his voice was immediately muffled by the clanking sounds of metal.

He ran. He ran. He ran. He ran until his lungs screamed out in agony, until his body was close to breaking and exploding. Why was the distance seemed so long? By now, the dozen soldiers supporting her dwindled down to five. It was only a matter of minutes before they all fell together. No, it was a matter of seconds. Raymond hacked away the monsters that blocked his path, sometimes not bothering to dodge the claws and sickles that cut his body. It would only impede his speed, something that he cannot afford to give up right now.

—And the thing he dreaded turned reality.

Sophia was hit by an Ogre’s mace right before his very eyes. Her body flew a few meters into the sky, before falling down the goblin infested ground, tattered, limp, and probably lifeless. Raymond screamed. Was it from shock, remorse, regret, or rage—he was not sure. His mind went blank and he charged right into the now retreating army. One after another, he cut the fleeing monsters. Their flesh resisted at first, but eventually gave way like butter in the end. His armor was soaked with his enemies’ blood. His eyes wide with rage. He finally arrived at the place where Sophia fell, and he almost went crazy from the corpse that greeted him. Her previously well-toned body was torn to shreds, and her left arm was missing. Her eyes were gauged out, probably eaten by the goblins that surrounded her after she fell from impact.

Raymond screamed. His entire world turned white. He lost consciousness.

***

Raymond woke up from the sounds of boots clanking. Upon opening his eyes, he found himself inside a make-do infirmary. Hundreds of soldiers were laying down the bed like him. All were wearing severely battered bodies. It was a miracle in itself that they survived despite such injuries. The memories from the fight streamed inside his mind, and he screamed the moment he remembered. The priests inside the infirmary stared at him in shock, their eyes carrying a hint of understanding and of pity. A few moments passed, and the priests again started moving about. They continued to heal the soldiers’ injuries one after another, despite their mana being unable to accommodate such massive number. No one knew when it happened, but Raymond suddenly vanished from his bed.

***

Inside the cathedral, Raymond knelt down in prayer. His hands were tightly clasped against each other, his eyes brimming with tears. She died. He saw it. But why? Did he not pray to his God? Did he not train every day to protect her? To make sure that no harm comes to her?

“Damn it… damn… it,” mumbled Raymond.

He looked at the figure of God Aquina with resentful eyes. His body quivered with violent hatred. What use was religion? What use was a God? All that mattered to him was her, and now, she was gone. He failed to protect her. He failed to protect the one that matter the most.

“Damn it!” he roared. His voice echoed, almost shaking the grand chandelier that hung from above.

He stared at the statue of God Aquina then spat, “Damn you—fucking God! I prayed, didn’t I? I worshipped you, gave you my faith and devotion. Why?! Why?! Why?!!”

Raymond stood up and ruffled his disheveled hair. Blood continued to drip down his bandaged wounds, his cheeks swollen from the fight before. He tottered back, legs limp and barely movable. He had enough. If religion was no salvation, then he would rather die without clinging to any of those damnable faiths. He would rather die while exchanging his soul to death itself.

He mumbled, “God of Death, Thanatos. They say you are dead… that mere mortals had slain you. But if you are really there… if you exist… if you really exist… please… bestow judgment upon my enemies… please. You can take my soul afterwards.”

His lips quivered. Could the God even hear him? His remark was out of desperation, but he meant everything he said regardless.

Tears were still dripping down his cheeks when a voice called out to him. It was the voice of a child. Upon turning around, right at the entrance of the cathedral, a child with ash white hair and crimson eyes greeted his sight. He wore a red cloak around his body, but it failed to hide the tattered tunic inside. It was filled with blotches of blood but peculiarly, not a single scratch was seen on his ivory skin. There was something eerie from the child, but he was unable to pinpoint it.

“Humans are nothing but insects—but a human that worships my God gains the status of a sentient animal,” said the child. Raymond felt shivers run down his spine when they locked eyes with each other. "Very well, in accordance to your prayer, your desire shall be granted."

Raymond did not know the reason why, but he knelt down in worship.