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In His Name: the questionable truths
Ch73: A trick under mist

Ch73: A trick under mist

A chilly winter morning. The streets of Midlake were covered by thick white fog, no vision passed a meter ahead. Only the hot chimneys of bakeries were visible to Ethan who had been watching the city while enjoying his first sip of ale for the day.

As the fluid ran down his throat, it provided warmth through its course. Soon, he felt a hot flush around his cheeks. A cup of ale had been his early morning companion for a while before a freshly baked loaf of bread came up from the royal kitchen.

"There's a lot of smoke coming out from that chimney. Something delicious must be baking there every day." He commented.

The sudden urge kicked in as he stared into the towering smoke. He headed outside, following the trail of smoke. The fragrance of freshly baked loaves of bread enticed him into a narrow alley where a worn-out sign of bakery was hung by a door at the end of the street.

Ethan noticed an underground sewer ran below the alley yet its impure odour was completely overwhelmed by the sweet savoury scent from the bakery.

Ethan peeked inside by the slightly opened door and found a sweet old couple; the woman was kneading the dough while her dear put the prepared dough into the burning hot oven. The smell of baked wheat put a smile on him. Their shape was round and bulgy, the most basic, unlike the fancy ones served at the palace. But they smelled quite fragrant with a bit of herbs in them.

With a pile of freshly baked loaves of bread displayed on the table, the couple seemed to be ready for the day so Ethan waited no longer. He knocked on the door and asked for a loaf.

"May I get a loaf, sir?" Ethan asked.

The couple seemed to be frightened when they saw him as if they were caught in the middle of something. Ethan noticed the old man quickly put something shiny into his pocket.

"Wha..what did you say, sir?" The woman asked.

"Ah... apologies if I startled you. I am here to buy a loaf of bread. They smell quite delicious so I followed the smell."

"Buy? No. No, they are not for sale," answered the old woman. Then, she gasped as if she suddenly remembered something and slapped her mouth lightly. Her husband quickly intervened, "My apology, champion. My dear wife's eyes aren't good anymore so she couldn't recognise you. These are to donate to our brave warriors at the wall. That's why she said It is not for sale. But it would be our honour if the Champion wanted a loaf of bread from us. You may take as much as you delight."

The old man recognised Ethan and opened his arms. He humbly welcomed Ethan to his bakery. "Please don't mind the dirty floor." Then, he remembered a tray of bread had been in the oven for too long so he tried to take it out of the oven with his hand.

Ethan saved the old man before he got burned. "Used the shovel or you will burn your hand."

"Oh, thank you. My mind is slipping as I get older. I forgot the shovel. Please, champion. Make yourself comfortable. Have one. My dear, will you please do the honour?"

The old man asked his wife to serve a loaf of bread to Ethan.

Without further ado, Ethan paid for one and took a bite right in front of them. Then, he moaned.

"Oh, this is good. It is so soft that I don't need water or wine to swallow it. It is also so warm." He praised the old couple. He said farewell after he enjoyed it thoroughly. He also offered to deliver the loaves of bread to the soldiers at the wall for the couple. The couple was hesitant at first but Ethan insisted so they let him be.

In the morning mist, Ethan enthusiastically pulled a small cart filled with delicious loaves of bread toward the wall. To keep the warmth, he burned a torch and stuck it in the middle.

The strange image drew attention from the amazed onlookers. The citizens felt closer to the Champion who just came yesterday than to any nobles who had resided in Midlake since the start of time.

"They just came out from the oven. Eat it while they are still warm. They won't taste the same when they become cold and dry." Ethan personally handed out the bread to the soldiers at the wall before the morning attack began. How they gobbled up half of the bread in one swoop put a smile on Ethan.

"How's the situation today, Alx?"

"Apart from the chill that wakes me up ten times at night or the cold wind that slapped my ass every time I shit, it is pretty good for now," replied the sergeant.

Ethan and Alx became acquaintances after several encounters at the wall while carrying out the wounded. Alx was part of the cavalry units so he was put at the rear with his team to transport the wounded soldiers to the hospital.

"Yeah. We haven't seen much blood lately since the commander switched. The new one won't make the infantry stand in the enemy firing range anymore. Archers on the wall are properly using the battlements now. We have finally stepped out of century-old tactics." Igüan told Ethan. As a shield bearer, Igüan volunteered as a trainer to an infantry unit made up of recruits.

After Ethan found out about the horrible experiments on the prisoners at the hospital, he did not go there any longer. Instead, he came to the wall to help out the things.

As they were enjoying the warm bread as their morning banquet, they heard a loud thud from the wall near them.

"What's that sound?" Alx asked while turning his long neck toward the source like a meerkat.

Ethan stood up to investigate but Igüan told him to sit back down and eat.

"The sentries will do their job. Enjoy these warm breads while we still can."

Just as Igüan said, before Ethan could finish a loaf of bread, they heard the raging bell from the command tower.

"An attack!! We are under attack!" The watcher atop the tower raised the alarm.

"Damnit. They are early today." Alx complained so Igüan tried to loosen him up, "Come on. At least we got to enjoy half the bread. It was a warm soft one."

As soon as the alarm raised the part of the city near the wall became full of activities; crowded with men in armours who were rushing to their posts, some ran to join their units with their pants down straight from lavatories. The archers picked up their bows and quivers as they rushed to the wall.

"Form a line! Stick close to the buildings and the wall. Don't run in the open or middle of the streets!" Ethan heard captains warning their men to not get shot by enemy arrows. Some unlucky fellows had already left the world even before they could see the enemy.

Due to the heat emitting from their bodies, the haze had started to dissipate along the wall, clearing their visions. They saw some bodies lying on the floor with arrows deep in their flesh. However, the plain outside the wall in front of them was still covered in thick haze. Except for the white hazy body, they could not find the enemies.

"Damn, all!! Shoot back, you bastards!! What are you waiting for? Shoot back! Don't you have a mind of your own!?" The west wall commander yelled at his men who were confusingly standing on the wall without shooting back at the enemy.

"But sir, we don't know where the enemy is shooting us from."

"Just shoot, idiots!! If they can shoot at us, we can too."

The archers on the wall immediately loosed their arrows directing into the unknown; exchanging fire just as their commander said. In their hearts, they knew none of their shots reached near the enemy let alone hitting the enemy back. If they did, the arrows from the enemy would have lessened by then. While they had to return fire at intervals between taking cover and shooting, the enemy shot them relentlessly without interval.

"We are under heavy fire, sir."

"How can they see us when we can't?"

The forces of Easton were completely covered by the thick mist, their positions concealed from Midlakers' knowledge. During the past seven days, the young lord of Clement used several different locations during the daytime to shoot at the defenders. He marked those locations so that even under heavy cover of mist, his army knew exactly where they were and where the enemy was.

Unlike Easton's army, Midlakers had to find out the location of the enemy. The Eastons could be shooting from anywhere among those seven different locations.

"Sir! Should we send the infantry back to safety? They are under heavy fire right now."

"No, we shouldn't. Who knows what they are hiding in that haze? If our infantry isn't here when their infantry tries to scale the wall, we will be doomed. Just tell them to always keep their shields up. We will send out a scout unit over the wall. We need to know where the enemy is and how many of them are. Tell Alx to prepare for immediate departure."

The commander planned to send out Alx's team so Ethan volunteered, "How about I go out with them?"

"What do you mean? You can't go out, champion. You are too precious. I don't want you outside. I am already uncomfortable with you being here. If a stray arrow happens to find you, the crown will have my head. My family's too."

"I understand your concern. But I am the best fighter. If they fall into any trouble, they will have the best chance to survive with me there."

"No. I can't possibly risk you."

"Come on. Our infantry is dying down there as we speak. We must know the situation out there or we will be fucked. And you know I can give you the best outcome you want."

Ethan persistently persuaded the commander but the commander rejected Ethan's suggestion. "Alx and his men are courageous soldiers of Midlake who have sworn to serve this land even if it costs their lives. I have trust in them, that even if they are going to die, they won't. They won't until they succeed in their mission."

And so, without Ethan, a small cavalry unit of Alx was sent out as a scouting party into the mist. Their mission was to search for enemy positions and whether was Easton's army planning to scale the wall or not.

"May God be with you. And so is luck," told Ethan as he sent them out personally.

Under the cover of mist, the scouts led by Alx trod quietly. Their bodies were warm but their hands and feet felt cold. They knew that if the enemy spotted them first, there was no saving for them. With a heavy heart and heavy task on their shoulders, Alx and his men stealthily crossed the plain.

It was a very dangerous mission with no knowledge of how many and where their enemies were awaiting them on the plain. Not to mention any stray arrows that failed to reach the wall might be the ones that killed them.

"The enemy could be in more than one position."

Alx, as captain, revised their plan before they set out. "We will divide into three groups; each group with two pairs. Jared and I will take the left route as front runners. You two take the middle and you take the right. Once you locate the enemy, don't wait for the rest. Come back to the wall and report. Remember, if we fail to sight the enemy before they do, death will be our only end. So tread lightly and keep your eyes open. Don't even blink."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

With deadly arrows flying over their heads, the scouting party trod quietly across the eastern plain.

The front runner searched the enemy while the back runner kept a safe distance from the front runner so that even if the front runner was killed, the back runner would still be alive to report back. The pair were linked with a rope which could be untethered readily in case of emergency.

Alx heard a faint sound of hoofs so he raised his fist to signal a stop to Jared, another front-runner of his group. Even though his party stopped moving, the sound didn't disappear. It got nearer.

"Shit. They have cavalry patrolling. Let's move away from here." Alx whispered. They matched their speed with the enemy and moved back to where the patrol would not see them. They waited till the cavalry passed. Once the patrol passed, they resumed their mission quieter than before.

"Since the cavalry is here, the whole army must be here. Right, captain? Maybe we should go back now and report." Jared suggested. He was scared so he wanted to end it quickly.

"No. We cannot assume anything by ourselves and give the wrong report. Many lives depend upon it. The enemy cavalry just now could be a small patrol and nothing else. We must keep going until we see the real enemy army with our eyes."

Slowly, they moved toward one of their destinations where the possibility of the enemy hiding was high. There was not a slight sign of the enemy's presence so they moved on to the next destination.

Then, they heard a sound of a ruckus coming from their right. "It is from the middle. Our men must have been caught by the knights. The enemy will be more alert now. We must be more cautious than before."

Under the noise of ruckus, they hid the sound of hoofs and moved on to their next destination. After a few dangerous distances, the front runner sighted a line of slightly dark figures within the mist. He raised his thumb and signalled to Alx.

"There is no mistake. Just as I suspect, there are only archers. Not a whole army. They are tricking us. We must tell the commander to withdraw our infantry."

Unfortunately, before they could safely go back to the wall, they were sighted by the knights guarding the archers. With their tapering tips of lances directed at them, the knights chased to skewer Alx and his scout team alive.

Thankfully, their horses were faster and their equipment lighter than their enemy so the scouts outran the knights. Soon, they saw the faint yellow flames lighted atop the torches along the wall.

"We are back. Safe and alive," said Jared in relief. A smile had returned to his tensed anxious face.

They celebrated too early.

As it happened, the young lord of House Clement was a brilliant general. He sent out another cavalry unit, a lighter one, toward the gate to intercept any returning scouts.

Interceptors were lying low on the path to the gate under the cover of thick haze. When they heard the rushing scouts, they came out from their hiding and attacked.

The lances of the interceptors went through the light leather armours of the scouts and instantly sent them to the next life. One interceptor rammed the horse Alx was riding, throwing Alx off the horse.

"Damnit. I won't die here, you bastard. I will kill you then I will go back to the wall and disclose the location of your army. And then my men will kill all of you. Do you hear me!?"

Alx challenged the enemy who rammed him because the bastard was looking down at him high above from his horse as if he had already won. Alx reached for his sword which was thrown away from him. Before he reached it, an uncontrolled riderless horse, whose master had just been slain, stepped over his hand that was reaching for the sword. Alx let out a bellowing scream. His hand was completely crushed.

Witnessing how pathetic Alx had become, the enemy flaunted his blonde hair and smiled gloatily. "That's what you get for spouting nonsense from below, peasant. You are in the presence of Lord Rissaro of House Clement. Know your place. I shall kill you and then all the infidels in the city. After that, Lord Mordu' shall see my worth and re-ordained my status of Templer. Begone now."

The small crystals of water in the air condensed into a solid mass forming a lance over Rissaro's hand as he chanted, "Lance Glacé." With it, he stabbed right into Alx's heart.

"Flameno!"

A familiar voice was heard by both Rissaro and Alx before the icy lance reached its destination. Along with the voice was a brightly lit flame which compelled the conjure Rissaro made.

"Champion," Alx said in surprise. He didn't expect to see Ethan outside of the wall.

The battle which has been started since the beginning of nature was once again witnessed by Alx at the plain of the eastern wall: the blue fiery flame conjured by Ethan against the white glacial spear of Rissaro. Ice or flame, which would win?

"Move out of there," Ethan told Alx to get away as he seemed to be in a daze.

As much as the blue flame consumed, the white crystal reformed its shape. It ended in a draw after a few bouts.

"Finally, we meet again, heathen." Rissaro greeted Ethan. "Remember me?"

"Of course. How could I forget the face of a young arrogant lord whom I beat in my first dual?"

"You were just lucky."

"Said by a loser who lost a dual to a peasant."

"Still an imbecile as you were, huh? Are you getting bored of pretending to be a graceful Champion of God now, criminal? Why don't you just tell them that you are a pathetic criminal named Ethanial who ran away from the judgement of God: a cowardice deserter who abandoned his team to die? Stop pretending to be a hero."

Rissaro revealed Ethan's past. It was his revenge. When he was defeated by Ethan in the dual, he was shunned by his peers of nobles like a dirty rag(ref. Ch:18). His status as Templer was renounced. His life was ruined. His father sent him as a captain of a pathetic twenty-men cavalry unit, unlike his brother who had to lead an army. Since then, Rissaro had been dying to meet Ethan. He vowed to trample Ethan's image back.

"Shut up. Stop spouting nonsense over something you don't know."

"No. These people deserve to know the truth. You ran away. And you took that girl because you wanted to have her all by yourself, right? You must have been eyeing her during the whole trip. I heard she was quite a beauty. Poor girl. She had her whole wonderful life as a duchess ahead. But because of you, she became a criminal and was executed."

Rissaro hit Ethan where it hurt. A sense of shame surged inside Ethan.

Rissaro saw that Ethan had lost focus in the surrounding so he took the opportunity to strike.

"Hmph, gotcha. I will send you this time," celebrated Rissaro in his mind as he launched an attack sneakily. He restricted Ethan's movements with an ice shackle then he raised a hundred glacial spikes from the ground around Ethan.

"I will make you a sieve," Rissaro muttered victoriously. "Look at it, you Midlakers. I, Rissaro Clement have slain your champion."

As soon as Rissaro started parading himself as Victor, bright rays of light shone through the icicles. Then it changed from bright yellow into violet blue. Everyone in the surrounding including Rissaro and the scout captain felt a sizzling heat as if it would burn their skins. A gush of wind rushed toward the source of heat and then it exploded. The explosion shattered all the ice spikes and vaporised them instantly, revealing Ethan. For once, they thought a small sun had descended onto Earth.

Before Rissaro could react, Ethan had already stepped into Rissaro's inner circle with a wind-step and had his ornate claymore seeped into Rissaro. Ethan pulled Rissaro in with his left hand and whispered, "Leila was never a criminal. So don't you dare say that again?"

As Ethan twisted his blade, Rissaro coughed up a spurt of blood. Then he fell on his knee and passed on to the next life.

When their commander was slain instantly by Ethan, it shocked the interceptors. They thought a former Templer like Rissaro would never fall that easily. The difference in their power frightened them to the core. They ran away for their lives without looking back to their fallen commander, except two of them. They noticed Ethan was out of shape after killing Rissaro.

When Rissaro mentioned Leila, Ethan lost his cool. The anger took over him and unleashed all his energy into the spell. When the anger subsided along with Rissaro's death, Ethan felt a wobbliness in his legs. He felt exhausted to the point he no longer could hold his sword.

The two quick-witted enemies found it out and they stayed to take Ethan's head.

"If we return to General with his head, we will be heroes."

"And we may get a reward big enough for our seven generations."

The two riders wildly imagined their gold-gliding future as they planned to take Ethan's head. Between them and their dream were two pathetic scouts who did not even have a horse anymore.

"Hey, take Champion back to the wall. I will hold them back." Alx ordered Jared who happened to miraculously survive the ambush just like him. Alx and him were the only ones left alive among the scouts. Jared looked at Alx's right hand and saw it was no longer usable. So he handed Ethan over to his captain and told him to go while he prepared to hold off the enemies.

Alx told him not to be ridiculous. He knew Jared had triplets who were newly brought into the world a week ago.

"Idiot, your wife will kill me if you don't return home."

"Nah. Don't worry. She will be proud of me. Now go, captain."

As he pushed Alx away together with Ethan, Jared firmly stood his ground between the riders and his friends. A spear and a sense of duty were his only weapons against his enemies riding the beasts.

Alx respected Jared's decision and carried out his task. At the same time, he screamed for help in hopes of sentries above the wall heard them and came for help.

After a distance, Alx heard the fighting stop but the sound of hoofs getting closer. When he looked back, he saw a dark figure approaching fast.

"You think you can run away, idiot. The champion's head is mine!"

Although Alx tried to run as fast as he could, he noticed the rider had caught up to him, the tip of an enemy spear as close as a foot apart.

Before the enemy skewered him, a group of riders bearing the sigil of Midlake appeared before him. One of the purple riders took out the enemy first and saved Alx while the rest of the riders rode further. When they saw Jared, Jared was lying on the ground with a dead horse and a dead rider pressing on him; still alive.

One of the knights commented on Jared, "Mad lad."

The scouting report reached the commander and immediately he sent the infantry away from the wall and sent out a unit of heavy knights to attack the enemy archers, finally compelling the assault at the east gate.

However, the city of Midlake passed only one small challenge. The bigger ones that would end the pride of the century-old city were coming soon.