Aaaaaaand this one will be the last one for a little while. Because I love you all. Alas, RL is eating up a bit of time. Quite a few chapters are done (rough draft only - no major editing), but I need to work on a way to format those chapters into the story. Three individuals are really, really hard to write at a given time. To interlace them for timeline consistencies or not, and all that non-sense. Anyways, enjoy! Thanks for reading!
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
Feeling the eyes placed squarely on the two, Andrew and Rywen stiffened slightly. Although they weren’t intimidated, the sheer number of looks did catch the two off-guard. Weakly raising the corners of his mouth and his hand alongside it, Rywen greeted the group, “Hello all, we are the supposed reinforcements,” with a small laugh that was echoed by the entire group, he continued, “Now we may not look like much, but such is the way of the battlefield, am I right?”
The last critical gaze softened as Rywen spoke and in no time, a group came forward to greet the new additions. As Rywen and the group were chatting happily Andrew simply smiled here and there, nodding at most, as soon as any question or comment was sent his way. Although the other soldiers were interested in Andrew, his wolf, and the massive ax; few went out of their way to chat openly with him.
As the small group began to shift away from Andrew, Rywen had already dismounted and was led off into the distance. ‘Just like before, hey?’ laughed Andrew inwardly, as he began fidgeting by himself.
Seeing the lone man, the woman who originally held Andrew as an object of fear began to feel sorry for him. Her man from before had already abandoned her so she spoke up, nervously forcing out, “Andrew, is it? There is a small roast over there, would you like to join me - alone. No wolf. He is to stay far, far away.”
Smiling wryly at the woman’s invitation, Andrew got up and thanked her for the offer. Dismounting the wolf, who seemed relieved that the burden on his back was removed, he followed the woman who kept ten meters away from the wolf at all times. With a small smile, he neared the woman and growled loudly towards the wolf who tried to follow him. “Stay somewhere nearby, but away from this woman, okay?”
An indifferent snort came from each head who then began to bicker about what to do in the meantime. With a casual growl, “And don’t eat any humans yet,” they looked down not meeting Andrew’s eyes, merely turning their conversation away from the man in a few leaps.
Rolling his eyes, Andrew looked towards the woman who seemed frozen on the spot. “Y-you can talk.. to them?”
“Yeah, it kind of was forced on me, but it has its perks, I suppose? Anyways, thanks for saving me back there, Miss...?”
“Diana, my name is Diana, currently acting commander of this mission,” beamed Diana as her face turned from shock to pride. With her chin raised high, she continued, “Seeing as you are a newer mercenary, at least from outward appearance, you likely haven’t gotten used to this environment. It is my job as the superior officer to guide strays such as yourself to become valuable members of the team!”
As a small laugh leaked out, Andrew’s spoke lightly with a forced smile, “Stray? Can’t say I like that term. Oh well, too much work. Anyways, can I eat now? From the sounds of it, we’ll be busy for the next little bit afterward.”
Andrew kept quiet and went straight for the food. Taking the well done, spit-roasted boar from the fire where it lay abandoned, Andrew began devouring the meat at an alarming pace. Only stopping to wipe the grease from mouth and hands after he was done. Being greeted by the beautiful woman’s alarm, he casually spoke, “All I ate today was fruit, raw meat, and now this, so please bare in mind that normally I’m not this much of a savage,” laughing at the end of it, he noticed a small, unrestrained laugh escape from the woman’s lips.
“Not one to sugarcoat things, are you?” Snickered the woman as she leaned over. With a slight flick of her wrist, she wiped away the grease from his mouth, “You remind me so much of my little brother, however, the wolf is, unfortunately... well, it’s something that is both different and similar at the same time.”
While her face remained smiling, her tone gave away the sorrow she was reminded of. Andrew lightly tapped on her drooping shoulders, “Keep your head up, he won’t be able to tell this to you anymore, but know that your brother is always watching. Keeping you safe, laughing when you laugh, fighting when you fight, and crying when you cry. No matter the situation, your brother is always with you; supporting you. But... I think we have company.”
Raising his hands from her shoulders, Andrew lifted her chin and gazed over her shoulder. The entire company waited behind the two, seeing their captain’s moment of vulnerability.
Hearing the murmuring from the group behind her, she gave one last smile to Andrew as her face harden right before his eyes. With one last wink, she turned to the group shouting, “Well, everyone is here, correct? Then, stop gawking and grab your weapons! NOW!”
Standing tall and proud the woman began issuing order after order to her company. In all of a few minutes, each man and woman sat on their mounts and issued a loud war cry. With the noise echoing through the plains, the group set off towards the enemy.
---------
With thirty odd men and women, the group left twenty others who acted solely as scouts, messengers, and other non-combat orientated tasks. In the darkening sky, the thirty odd troop neared their destination.
Even as the smell of rotting flesh rolled through the sweltering air, the troop still advanced soundlessly through the night. All were veterans of battles near and far. Though few had obligations to the kingdom they served, many acted to destroy the menace before it could advance towards where their family lay quietly sleeping. It was this reason, paired alongside the benefits should they succeed, that many would allow their families to prosper even in their passing.
As the laughing and shouting turned to quiet contemplation, the group saw the outline of the camp that lay before them. In a vast stretch of land that extended as far as the eye can see, hordes of creatures moved through the night to and from. The rattling of bones and feral growls sounded in the air. In such an atmosphere the men and women held their breaths as they waited for orders.
"Know this, this is not a suicide mission, it is only bringing the fight to them. Attack quickly and quietly, then retreat. We will deal a blow to these bastards, however small it may be. Don't get surrounded, stay mounted, and above all else keep vigilant. There is no telling what kind of dead have risen. Whether man, woman or child, they are no longer human; no longer the people they used to be. Have no mercy!" Called out the Commander, Diana, quietly through gritted teeth. 'This is far more than the scouts reported, it was only supposed to be a war band of five, six hundred, but now... thousands - tens of thousands,' thought Diana as she reared her horse up and began a slow charge through the night.
Wielding a long, two-handed sword she advanced at a slow speed being trailed by the thirty other men and women who held back a loud shout.
Andrew focused on the camp in front, holding back for a moment before growling at the wolf to advance, "Go forward, keep the enemy to one side, and stay just close enough for me to swing this ax."
Pawing the ground indifferently, two noises came out nearly at this same time, "Hu-min dumb," "We know, hu-min, we fight before."
With one final laugh at the defensive creature, he was sent flying forward into the charging mass of hooves, each covered in light cloth to muffle some of the noise. The wolf simply did not need such a feature as he bounded forward with impeccable grace and agility, dodging the mass of horses as he brought himself up the front of the pack. Standing side to side with the commander, Andrew called out, "Don't die out there, okay?" Before disappearing into the distance.
At this point Rywen caught up to the man, only to be left behind once more, looking at the woman who seemed speechless at the disappearing figure, he smiled wryly and drew his sword.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Andrew being the first in the line, met with the shambling corpses who only now realized that he was in front of them as the ax arced their way. Without any time to react they felt their entire torso become far lighter than it should have been, but kept moving. As feral growls erupted beside him, Andrew finally began to notice the stirring in the otherwise indifferent crowd.
Although only moderately troublesome by themselves, the corpses held the vast advantage in numbers. The wolf began prancing around the outside line of the undead, occasionally swatting wandering corpses away while Andrew swung his ax. Each swing dropped at least five in the tightly packed groups, but they still managed to crawl with one arm towards the group even if their torso was severed entirely. Pursing his lips, Andrew began aiming for the heads of the creatures, but even if that did end them, each undead was vastly different from the other.
Some were goblins, others elves, humans, hobbits, dwarves, beast men and all other manners of humanoids Andrew hadn't even heard about - let alone saw - before. With the occasional feral beast thrown into the mix, there was absolutely no set height for his attack.
'Might as well try that,' thought Andrew as he began to shift his ax. With the wolf dancing around, Andrew ordered, "Stay close, I'll be busy for a little bit, okay?"
As he swung Andrew raised one leg, shifting his weight slightly with the momentum of the axe's movement, now sitting side saddle on the wolf. With another hop from the wolf, Andrew was sent some distance in the air.
Feeling the ground get closer and closer, Andrew righted his body in the air and kept his ax moving to counteract his light spin. Facing the growing horde of the creatures Andrew shouted, "Come at me! Not other people, the dead ones. The rest of you stay where you’re at."
While the others had a large sense of comradery, they simply wouldn't care if a man intentionally chose to throw himself in such a scenario willingly. As a few scoffed at his action from the corner of their eyes, Andrew continued his onslaught.
Much like he had before with the dwarven contingent, Andrew rhythmically rotated his ax, cleaving flesh and bone in fell swoop. No undead could block his blow, but they still managed to press forward. The others, seeing the thinning crowds around them all looked towards the black haired man as he continued his work. Each blow sent at his a dozen body parts flying, but even so; more kept coming. Focusing on the shambling zombies in front of him, Andrew failed to notice to small creatures approaching from the rear.
Before even the curious onlookers could react to warn him, he was assaulted by a crowd of rotting squirrels who scurried up his legs and back, scratching, biting, and thrashing their bodies against him. At first, Andrew didn't realize it, but as the fourth squirrel barreled up his arm, many more followed all slowing his movements considerably.
The bites and scratches were mostly at most annoying, but as soon as he felt a rush to his head, he bellowed, "GET OFF!" Shaking his body, Andrew tried to pry each of the little demons from his body, but to no avail. As his ax began to slow, the undead forces began to make it within striking distance of Andrew.
Clumsily striking out with rusted pitchforks and sharpened sticks, they pierced into Andrew's exposed arms and he felt his face begin to burn.
With a glowing red mist covering his once obsidian axe’s blade, his eyes began to match the blade, and he jumped back. In one leap he cleared ten meters and began to throw the squirrels of off his body. Each had his head crushed in the process as he threw them back to the crowd of undead. After five seconds of methodically destroying the squirrels who ravished his body, Andrew lifted his ax once more.
This time charging into the mix of undead, Andrew vaulted into the crowd with his burning ax furiously. From the outside, only the glowing ember-like light could be seen and each man and woman stood in silence. However, as the ax moved through the crowds with increasing speed, the undead too began to pile up on Andrew. Feeling only the sharp pricks of makeshift weapons, Andrew's eyes burned even hotter.
After another swing, Andrew rotated his body and swung the ax like a whirlwind through the crowds. First up high and then down low, each undead body was thoroughly disabled with sickening sounds of bones snapping and blood cascading forth. Long since starting his assault, he was covered by the decaying crimson-black blood of the creatures. While it was predominantly crimson, blackened blood still coated the ax before being slowly absorbed..
Now only a few still fought against the crowds of undead. The remainder, including their commander and newest recruit, Rywen, stared blankly at the man from high atop their horses in a wedge formation - only stopping their stare when a curious undead shambled over to them.
Hearing a cry to the side, Andrew immediately snapped out of his delirium and jumped over the undead towards the source.
As the cry bellowed deeper and deeper in tear filled sobs, Andrew reached the man with a spear sticking through his arm and threw the man out of the fray with one hand, yelling, "Commander!"
Almost entirely focused on his movements, the commander quickly stared at the incoming human projectile and dropped her sword hurriedly. As the man soared in the air towards her, the sword clanged loudly on the rocky outcropping they stood and she was forced off her horse.
The others stared at the man they lay crying pitifully in her arms and exhaled loudly, but were woken up by a shout, "Fight! Why must we let a single man take all the glory! The gold!"
Rywen, being the first to wake up for the stupor, shouted loudly, and advanced headlong in the fray with his shield leveled and sword dancing through the hordes. While he remained mounted, his horse seemed no worse for the advance than Andrew's wolf - who laid on the ground biting and tasting each of the corpses after stomping on their heads.
"Deryk, you lead the attack, formation three! George, assist him; kill the undead bastards for good. Baron, the rear! Go!"
With the new orders supplied the men and women cut a path to Andrew, keeping a three-meter wide radius his axe’s range. Rywen was the first to approach and called out to Andrew, "Hey, help is on the way, why - What the hell!?'
Seeing the glowing red ax was one thing as magic was well-known in the kingdom, but the eyes were something else entirely. Biting back a scathing remark, he shut his mouth and stopped talking to the man who was in the heat of battle.
Andrew, who turned at the call, glanced back to the horde in front and kept attacking. Although the humanoids creatures were tedious, it was the smaller beasts that truly got under his skin. For each dozen 'people,' he'd bisect, a small badger, fox, or even bird would dive headlong into the fray and savagely attack his body.
Given the size of his ax, its mobility, and the sheer number of the surrounding creatures, it was no small surprise that each normally timid critter that would ravenously attack him would deepen the glow in his eyes.
For thirty minutes the fight wore on and men and women were marked with wounds everywhere; however, no one died. A few horses lay neighing in pain but were silenced by their owners, who couldn't see a way to save them in that situation. Seeing Andrew slice the last undead in the outskirt of the main camp from head to toe, the company let out a small breath.
Rywen, with a silly grin on his face, was the first to speak up, "Imagine all the gold! Congratu-"
With an inquisitive stare, Andrew tilted his head and spoke quietly, "It isn't over yet."