It was our fifth day traveling towards our destination. The hot desert gave way to tranquil yet humid forest. It was a good place for the Freedmen to stay. There was a lot of game, shelter and resources. An untamed land with untapped potential. Octavian and I scouted first. We climbed up the tallest tree we could find to get a better view of the surrounding area. I remember feeling somewhat jovial that day. I was going to meet up with the Freedmen, and we would finally establish our own area. A place where I would be free to grow a kingdom I built. There, I could build my armies. With enough time I could establish an empire far greater than Roharim. You would have said it was impossible, but not for me. I knew that if anyone could bring order to the Blasted Lands, it would be me.

We climbed up to the highest point of the tree. Octavian was the one to first notice the smoke rising in the distance. It was too thick and dense to be something as innocent as a campfire. I recognized those clouds as the only thing they could be; that being the fires of a raid. Perhaps there were tribes in the area that were fighting amongst themselves and stealing each other’s belongings. Worst case scenario that could happen was that the Freedmen were being attacked by some tribe. Luckily for them, we had some backup. We climbed down the tree and I relayed the situation over to the Ophidian legion. As they began to prepare, I noticed the young Sylithra getting her weapon ready. I placed my hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

“No.” I said in a very stern tone. “You will not be joining this battle if there is one still left to fight.”

Her eyes grew wide as she stared at me in disbelief and surprise.

“B-But someone has to catalog your fight!”

“Not this fight. Not while you have no training.”

She looked at me with pleading eyes as she grabbed my arm with both hands. Her tail instinctively coiled around my leg as she pouted.

“But I can learn while watching you and the others!”

“No. You go to a training ground to learn how to use a weapon. You don’t learn how to fight while on a battlefield. It would be suicide.”

“B-But-”

I glared at her and grabbed her wrist, lifting it off of my arm.

“I am your Kai’Sar, am I not? That means I am the chosen of Ile’Sethak, and you will obey me.”

She hung her head low, obviously unhappy with my choice. I looked at Straden and Mil’Tuk.

“See to it that she doesn’t make any foolish decisions. Keep her here.”

I whistled for Sweetroll to join me while Sylithra stood behind Straden and Mil’Tuk. She would be safe with them. I didn’t want her death to be on my conscience. She was young and idealistic. She was far from ready to engage in war.

The rest of the century marched towards the rising smoke. It rose high into the clouds as if it were some black pillar that stretched on beyond what the eye could see. As we drew closer to the village, we could hear the all too familiar sounds of a sacking. Women and children screaming amid the crackling of fire and the clanging of sword against sword. Then we made it to the village. We watched from the sidelines to see who was attacking who. Octavian, Brutus and I went to investigate. If we were to engage, we would sound the horn. If this was just some tribe fighting another tribe, I didn’t think it would have been worth our time.

Much of the fighting was outside of the village, though some of the invaders had managed to break the battle lines and start ransacking, setting huts ablaze. One of them had a young woman, dragging her by the hair as she kicked and screamed. Obviously the man had ill intent for her. He came down our way and would surely see us. As he came closer, I charged from the side of the hut and thrusted my blade down from the base of his neck and shoulders and ran him right through. It was the first instance of my new sword tasting blood. I pulled the blade out and the man fell down, dead. The woman ran away, sobbing and crying.

After that distraction, we continued to make our way through the village. It was chaos. Huts burned, the elderly were slaughtered, and the women and children subject to senseless slaughter. We peered closely from one of the buildings. We had to know for sure. As I looked out from the window of the hut we were in, Octavian tugged at my shoulder and pointed at one of the dead men on the ground. He recognized him as one of the Freedmen all the way back from Akari. So that was it then. Many of the Freedmen must have been fighting at the heart of the battle. That tribe must have taken them in and paid dearly for it.

I saw something in the distance. A Windmill by the look of it. I figured that would be a perfect place where my horn would be heard the loudest. I relayed my plan to Octavian and he silently nodded. Brutus was more than ready to deal with these men. At my command, we sprang into action. Sweetroll sprinted out and quickly bit one of the foe on his leg and started to slash him with her razor sharp teeth. Octavian charged with his sword and shield, slamming into an invader and knocking him on the ground. Before he could react, Octavian thrusted his blade into the enemy’s throat and silenced him. Brutus used his great sword to effect. With one mighty, thunderous swing, he sliced into one of the invaders and severed him in two.

I charged forth and cut as I could. I slammed my shield against one invader’s face and stabbed him. Another came at me and I defended myself. His attack was deflected and I thrusted my blade below the belly and then slashed him across, spilling his guts on the ground. He let out pained screams before I granted him mercy and slit his throat with my blade. I ran harder, my lungs burning through the smoke as I went atop the windmill. It had survived the far, and I used it to my advantage. I climbed atop, though as I reached upwards, an arrow had only just missed my hand. I pulled my arm back and turned. An enemy archer targeted me. He pulled back for another shot when Sweetroll charged at the attacker. She leapt onto him and started to bite his throat, ripping it to shreds. She hissed loudly. Her blood red eyes glowed brighter than any flames that surrounded us that day.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

At last I reached the top of the windmill. I took my horn, pressed it against my lips and sounded the call. It echoed loudly in the air. It distracted the attackers and rallied the defenders as my century marched to defend and reinforce the Freedmen. From afar, the attacker’s leader watched as a new army had joined to defend the Freedmen. My century carried their banners high and proudly as they engaged with the foe. The enemy leader looked back at the village where the horn came from and must have decided that it would be better to cut the head off of the serpent.

As I was about to climb down from the windmill, some of the attackers climbed up to meet me. We had little space to fight and they wanted to use that to their advantage. One grabbed my ankle and tried to pull me down, only to get my sandal in his face in return as I kicked him, sending him down to the base of the windmill. Another attacker came to my front and tried to strike downward at me. I blocked it with my shield. I tried to strike, but my footing was bad, and I nearly slipped off. He sliced at me again. This time he slashed against my chest armor. It deflected the attack, but nevertheless it was still painful. Rather than be cut, it felt more like someone hitting me with a thin club. I felt like I could fall at any moment. That was when I had an idea as I looked behind me. I had to act fast. He struck at me again. I leaned backwards and allowed myself to fall. My attacker’s momentum betrayed him and we both fell. He fell into a burning building through the thatch roof while I fell on the hard ground.

I groaned loudly and tried to get up. It was a risky move, and I might have injured myself badly, but I lived. I managed to stand up, feeling my body ache in pain only to be attacked by another barbarian. He charged at me and let out a loud battle cry only for me to quickly dodge out of the way and pierce his back with my blade. The effort of my attack though strained me. I clutched my chest. I prayed that I had not broken a rib.

Then, as if fate itself conspired against me, The leader of these attackers emerged from the nearby flames. I recognized him by his armor. It was the Bull. His horned helmet and the fire made him look like some sort of demon from the black abyss. I swallowed hard and readied my shield and sword, despite the pain. The Bull glared at me from the blackness of his helmet —his eyes were like a black void full of nothing but contempt and the love for slaughter— and held his two handed blade aloft. I was the first to speak with him as he prepared to attack.

“I was hoping I’d get another chance at you, Bull. That beast won’t interfere in our battle.”

Through the bull’s dark eyes I could feel his intense glare as if he were staring directly into my soul. He gripped his blade tightly and positioned it in front of himself with his sword pointed behind him as if he were ready to slash right then and there.

“This is not a battle…” He said to me as he stood guard. “This is swatting a fly.”

He approached first and I raised my shield up. He swung hard enough to knock the shield into me. I could feel the shield almost breaking with that one attack. It hurt my arm, but I was just beginning to fight. I made two quick jabs with my blade. He moved from side to side and readied to strike me again. I rolled out of the way and slashed his leg with my blade. He growled at me and then swung his blade again. I blocked it with my shield but this time it broke. He knocked me aside and pulled my shield away. He grabbed me by the throat and thrusted his blade forward. Just in the nick of time, I smacked his sword away and then slammed my shoulder against his chest to push him away.

Now without a shield, I had to deflect his attacks very carefully. If I missed, I would lose a limb or worse. That holy blade had to be worth something. He struck at me again and I parried the strike and moved forward. We traded blows as I tried to back him into a corner, but he moved just before I could trap him. Our swords continued to clang in the air. They struck with such force that sparks flew off of our blades. He swung at my head. I ducked quickly and then hit his belly with the pommel. He stepped back and for the moment, I had an upperhand. I struck his blade several times before one more slash and I broke his sword.

The metal shards flew in the air and rained down on the ground, leaving him with a crude dagger. Yet even then, he would strike. He tried to use the broken sword to stab me. I dodge, but he was quick enough to get me in the leg. I yelled out and he overpowered me to the ground. He grabbed my sword arm and tried to force the blade to cut my throat. It was a great strain on my body. I was already wounded and his strength was great. I could feel my own sword being pressed against my throat. Yet before he could slice my throat or cut my head off, I took the broken weapon in my leg and pulled it out before thrusting it into the Bull’s side. He let out a yell before I kicked him off of me, wrenching my sword from him.

He stumbled backwards as I stood up. He pulled the weapon out of his side and growled. Mustering all the strength I had at that moment, I tackled him and forced him back with my blade. He tried to thrust his broken weapon into me, but I managed to dodge. I hit him in the side of his helmet with the pommel of my sword and forced him back even more. Behind him was a burning hut. With one loud battlecry, I thrusted my blade at him. He dodged enough where I couldn’t hit his chest, but I got him in the shoulder. My blade went through the gap in his armor and ran him right to the other end. I then took my foot and kicked him off of my sword and into the burning building.

His body vanished in the inferno. He made no scream or any sound of agony. I was worried that I had not finished the job. As the seconds dragged on, I began to feel like he was well and truly dead. Then, the broken blade was thrown at me from the window. I hit it with my sword and knocked it away. Just then, The Bull leapt out of the burning building. Flames clung to him as he let out a bestial yell. It was like some unholy creature that wanted nothing more than to end me. He tried to gore me with the horns on his helmet. I managed to grab them and push him away. Then I felt something more severe. He had punched me with all the force he had. My wounded rib was now definitely dislocated. I coughed for air. The Bull then grabbed my throat and started to strangle me. I could feel the life leaving me as he had me at his mercy.

I was so close to him now that I could see his blazing red eyes, full of hate and fury. His fingers gripped tighter as I tried to pull his hands off of me. My vision began to fade. Just then, Octavian saw me. He picked up the bow from the archer Sweetroll devoured and notched a bow. He pulled it back, yet the Bull noticed. He rolled to his side and used me as a human shield just as Octavian launched the arrow. It hit me with force enough to pierce my armor. Yet even this movement gave me time to breathe. The Bull stood up and then kicked me in my wounded rib before he glared at Octavian. I groaned in pain. The Bull took one look at the surroundings.

He had already won this skirmish. His men had taken all of the valuable items from the village and burnt the rest. The duel was no longer worth it. He looked at Octavian and glared at him.

“Live with the humiliation today. Face me again, and I will end you.”

He then made a retreat, limping. At that point, some of the Ophidians found us. They issued their orders and put up a shield wall to defend me while Octavian pulled me out of the battlefield. The Bull and his barbarians made their retreat while leaving me humbled and humiliated at the battle. The man had been into a roaring fire and was still strong enough to best me. I was gasping for breath, trying to stay awake. Cao Tzu was in the back acting as a healer. When she saw me, she quickly got to work. As she did her best to heal me, my mind tried to stay clear from the pain. Instead, I focused on the Bull. I was beginning to think that the Bull was not human; that he was conquest made flesh. A true warrior. What's more, I had been beaten by him. The vision of his eyes were burnt into my brain, and all I could feel was hatred…and fear.

I let out a loud yelp of pain as Cao Tzu reset my rib. The battle had been won, and we forced our enemy to retreat. And yet, pain was the only thing on my mind. I was fortunate to have survived. When the time came, I would take more drastic measures to assure victory. But at that moment, as I laid there being bandaged up by Cao Tzu, I was helpless. And yet, even lying there with a broken and battered body, my will was burning brighter than the fires of hell itself. I swore I would have my revenge.