“—Months without trying to call me, who do you think you are! Have you already forgotten about me? And-and found a new woman—!? Who---, who is this child—? Rowen—! It is not like you have to take a woman with a child, and now he is your son or something?”
“What are you—!? Calm down, and stop pulling at my ear, if you want to know what happened here, or who he is.”
While getting his ear almost torn, and falsely accused. The irritation in Rowen grew, as he caught the young miss by her wrist. Stopping her from yanking his ear off, while also giving the young woman a hard stare, in order to settle her wild imagination.
“Haaa—, now, as for who he is. Well, his name is Levis, and for why is he here, well that is because—.”
Without waiting for her to do something, or to say anything else. Rowen begin to give a brief portrayal and explanation of what had occurred, to the young woman in front of him. About, the issue he had to resolve as a guard, and of Levis's present situation.
However, during the whole account that Rowen was narrating, the young woman's facial expression changed for several times, from surprise and anger, to pity. As her eyes that looked again towards the young boy, who was on the boar’s back, were far kinder, whilst Levis himself was looking back at her.
“Now do you understand?”
“Ummm---. So you have taken him, as to raise him! I understand that now.”
“What!”
“Alright, we will raise him together.”
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[This lady friend of brother Rowen is weird.]
But at the same time, that the young woman was looking at Levis, he himself was being put off, by her strange words and behavior. As he had a weird sensation every time she was looking at him.
[And you believe you are not? All humans are abnormal existences, to begin with. So you better accept that, or it will drive you insane someday.]
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“Still, what is this bad smell!”
“Tsk—, you rushed here without even thinking, did you not?!”
“Young master Rowen, we tried to warn the miss, but she oppose all of our suggestions.”
Though as the young woman posed her question, Rowen could do anything other than shake his head and click his tongue, with furrowed eyebrows as though in pain from all of his lamentations, at the woman next to him, that had rushed without considering the place she was about to step in.
“What is this odor?”
“The burned flesh of the guards, and of the snakes.”
“---.”
However as the young woman requested an explanation again, it was Levis that gave a flat answer, which stunned the ones present for a moment, with his bland and thoughtless reply.
“What did you say—ugh.”
Nonetheless, as the young woman received his words, she began to look around herself, at the burned open field, that had many chard things still smoking close to the exteriors of the area. And yet, there were some that were close enough to them, as the smell was originating from the huge chunks of flesh not too far from where they were standing.
“The burned skin of th—?!”
“Ughhueee!”
But as she tried to get the word correct again, the bland words from Levis, made the young woman lose control herself, as she begin to gag, once she understood the origin of the extremely foul smell.
“Young miss.”
“Haaa—, that is why I told you to wait for little Rowen to come to us, still—.”
However, as the two women were helping their miss, the man that had a not-so-memorable look and features, glanced at the boy that stood at top of the boar's back. As once the words were uttered by the boy, the man had understood the underlining of uncaringness and acceptingness of reality that was coming from his voice. Giving the man a strange feeling, as he took an inquisitive glance at old Wan, but found nothing more than the old man shaking his head. However, as he looked at the boy again, the latter looked directly into his eyes. Though, what he found to his surprise, was that the look of the boy did not consider him anything other than an equal, despite the huge distance in power and status that existed between them, prompting him to give a small smirk and a soundless chuckle.
“In that case, Little Rowen, we will take the little miss and move out of this place, onto the road to the east, the party of miss Adel has already caught with us, and they seem to have captured the horses which you lost, correct?”
“Yes, sir Baron. We will go with your suggestion.”
“Then, let us move out of here, in any case, this need to be reported, and will take a bit of time, so we better prepared a resting camp on the east part. What do you say, little Rowen?”
“It is for the best, at the moment, as I have already called for Rud’s guard's branch, and they should arrive within the night's reach.”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Well, given the commotion made by the battle, they will most likely arrive sooner than you think. But let us do, what we must, and take the young miss out of here.”
“You can proceed, I still need, to see my squadron.”
“No wait—, I will— stay. Rowen!!”
With a nod, the man, made the signal for the two attendants of the young woman, to wrest her out of the charred field. But despite her sickly appearance, she gave a feeble rebellion against her aggressors, that took her by her arms and carried her out of the burned area, east of the field, towards the road, where other riders could be seen, as they stood at the limit of the field, observing them.
“Levis, are you alright?”
“Brother Rowen, I am fine. But I think, it is that sister, that you should be concerned yourself with, as she had become pale all of the sudden.”
“Ehh---, you do not need to worry, she may look like that but she is far tougher than she gives the impression. But if you are alright, I will leave you.”
“Alright. Boar run a little I want to see how fast you can run.”
“Agrrr—, cub Levis---, Boar is a great Board—, not racing— horse.”
“Just a little! Please.”
“Agrrr—, fine. Boar—will do---, then will go to—his friend after this— agreed.”
“Alright. Run!”
“Agrrr— hold on.”
[Fast, he is fast. I think he is four times faster than me when I run at my highest speed. I want to run this fast as well—.]
[You were four times slower than this boar days ago, now you are maybe three times, but still, this is not his best, as he is using just a small portion of his strength, so do not go and believe you can take the boar, kid.]
With the boy on his back, the boar had no choice but to adhere to his request, as he began to go around in a circle once more. Though this time around, the speed offered by him was something else, as even the fastest horse could not catch up with him at this moment. Causing Levis to wonder, how could he run so fast, with his small and stubby legs, while his upper body was so big.
“It is a really great thing, to have no care.”
“That is true. But you can never know, if the one you see to be as free as a bird, is truly free.”
“He most definitely does not appears to be, with any thought on his mind, at this moment, though.”
“Well, this—, it looks to be true as well, he truly is a strange one. Maybe that's why he is the way he is.”
“Maybe that is the case—. Anyway time for me, to see from those that had survived.”
But as Levis, was enjoying his ride on the boar’s back. Rowen and old Wan, looked at him for a moment, before turning towards the group of guards that were still under the orange protective shield, unmoving as they were just looking at the happening outside of the protective shield, that had saved them from the wave of black snakes.
“Who are they?”
“I do not know.”
“How can you, do you know every woman guard in the county?”
“They seem to be knowing captain Rowen. Friends, most likely.”
“Others to the east, they seem to have brought half of the horses, that we let run away from the battle.”
“That brat still riding that boar, he eighter has no fear, or he is too stupid to fear anything.”
“Quiet, the captain is coming.”
Though, inside the shield, a soft commotion was going on among the guards, as they were discussing the three women and man that had just arrived.
But as they looked at the Young and Old Man who reached for them, they got in their best posture despite the fear of death still lingering in them.
“Captain!”
“Captain!!”
But as Rowen entered the shield, he walked directly to the center of it and he took the circular plate with the sphere in the middle, as the orange shield became fainter and fainter, as, before long, it vanished, while the plate was gone from his hand as well.
[---.]
[------?]
Captain!? What are you doing?”
“---. I do not think that you should call me captain, as what had happened, should have never happened in the first place, were it not for me.”
Though to the surprise of the guards, after the shield was gone, the young man gave a bow to the whole group of men present, as shock and disbelieve, took them at the gesture and words uttered by the young man.
“Thirty-two guards and two bandits have died, during this attack. For those dead, their closest kin, whom they had named, will receive the monetary and energy shards, equivalent to recompensate, for their death. As for you all who had survived, you will all receive an equivalent part, for surviving this time’s trial.”
At his words, the group of men stood in silence watching the young man, who was rising from his bow to meet them eye to eye, while continuing to address them.
“I can not ask for forgiveness, but I can say that I am truly sorry for what has happened. You can resent me if you want, as I will not hold it against you—.”
While continuing to speak, the eyes of the men became harder and harder, while their faces were shaded by a gloom that could not be seen.
“As for what I have said earlier. This will be an additional remuneration, aside from the one to be given by the Guard branch.”
“Sigh—, kid Rowen—,”
However, as the faces of the men were darkened still. Only one of the rank 4 guards let out a sigh, as he begin to speak to Rowen, while leaving his title, out of the question.
“---, I can not speak for the brothers that had died of for all that are still alive, but just the fact that you did not throw us aside, and spoke to us, already means a lot for me and maybe for all of us here. This might be a fuck up of a day to say it, but I do not regret it being here.”
“Myself included.”
“Most of us here do not have anyone to care for at home. So the fact that you can still think for us---, well, I do not regret being here.”
As Rowen did his own speak of apology, some of the guards gave a reply to the young man, upping his confidence, as he could see and hear the guards not harshly criticizing him, despite him being the motive of the disaster.
Though, as some of the guards gave Rowen a positive reply, the majority said nothing. But to old Wan's astute eyes, he could infer that most of the were displeased, and angry with what had occurred, as it was evident, that not all could look in stride, at an event that had their lives on the line, for its success or failure.
"---."
"Sigh"
“Now---, what I am about to say, is not easy. But what we need to do right now, is to collect the bodies of the dead, as once the guard division of Rud will arrive, we will return immediately. And will embark on a ship directed toward Green city, which is why we need to prepare the bodies, for the journey. And with this, we still need to find the lost horsed that escaped westwards”
Without saying anything, the men moved, once Rowen's words ended, as they began to move northwest, where most of the men had died and the blown to pieces were. While a few of them took the road toward the west, as to look for the lost horses.
But with most of the guards gone, the ones to remain were Adrian and Hubert, as they were watching over Zuger and Square.
“Captain—.”
“There is no need to call me Captain, as after today I will most likely be removed from this position. Call me directly by my name.”
“Rowen. The situation with Zuger and Square here, how should we handle it?”
“There is not much to say, but if they try to escape kill them directly. I will allow you to stay uncuffed but do even the smallest wrongdoing, and I will not hesitate to kill you, do you two understand.”
“Hmph---, it is not like we are stupid. How can we escape when monsters are around.”
“Good you understand. But you two should make yourself useful, if you are no longer injured, and help us recover what we can from the dead guards.”
“Mmmmm—, alright.”
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"What are they doing?"
"Is this--- enough---agrrr? Boar desire--- to clean---- himself---agrrr. Cub Levis!?"