It was dark, eerie, and silent. Not sound can be heard and even the playful wind knows not to create any noise.
It was now the next day, deep inside the Winding Woods I am currently trying my luck on hunting some wild game.
The Winding Wood, also known for its other name, the bountiful ocean of trees, is a thick forest that surrounds the great Solceres mountain located just outside the northern walls of Albion. The forest itself is known for its very rich diversity of animals, trees, and critters that can be found nowhere else in the world.
There's a legend often told by the old folks back in the city that within this forest lives a mystical beast that protects this part of the empire from invaders. Well, legend or not, the first empress did establish a law that this forest was to be protected from any form of exploitation that may harm the forest.
Slowly traversing the soft mushy ground, I sharpen my senses trying to pick up some animal trails.
"It seems like lady luck just smiled upon me today" I whisper under my breath as I spot a patch of shrubs that's just been recently munched on.
By the looks of how large the footprint I found, I can make up that it's quadrupedal with a huge appetite for greenery. Many things automatically come into mind with those features, the most common one will be a wild boar so it'll be indeed worthwhile to hunt.
Blending with my surroundings I began to follow the trail and stalk the forest floor very carefully trying not to create any unnatural sound that may alert the surrounding creatures, crawling from one foliage to another I managed to spot an unsuspecting creature that was grazing on a new patch of grass.
Taking a closer look at my target, it was indeed an adult male deer that had two fully developed antlers. Based on the color and pattern of its pelt as well as its size, my main guess is that this is the infamous western brown deer which is a very sought-after game within the hunter's guild for its luxurious pelt.
I've decided, I'm hunting this one!
Carefully trying to not make any noise I began to raise my bow and load it with an arrow before slowly pulling hard on the string. Steadily aiming at my target I began to control the rhythm of my breathing for better stability and heighten my senses for an increase in accuracy.
Feeling the thrill of the hunt, sweat began to pour down on my face, and at the final moment, I gulped up a lung full of air and held my breath before letting the arrow fly.
Swoosh!
The arrow flew gracefully in the air in a trajectory where it would guarantee me a quick kill, right at its heart.
—But just as the arrow hit its mark...
Boom!
A loud snapping sound followed by a powerful gust of wind shatters the eerie silence of the forest startling me along with all the birds that are nesting in the forest canopy.
What the hell was that?!
Recovering from the sudden shock I turn my attention back at the wild buck and to my surprise, instead of an arrow shaft sticking out of its body, there was a huge gaping hole in its chest. What's more, is that just a couple of meters behind it was a row of trees that also had a hole in their trunks that was penetrated by what I suspect is the same projectile.
"What the hell happened?!..."
Walking toward my downed prey, I immediately secure it with my ropes before hanging it on a branch to drain its blood.
Now that's set, now let's see what happened here...
Returning my attention to the other problem, I begin my investigation by searching for the arrow.
Following the trail of destruction, I began to count the number of trees that were damaged and...
One... Two... Three... Seven... Eleven... Sixteen... Eighteen!
There were indeed eighteen rows of trees that were completely penetrated by the arrow, what more is that, to my surprise, the projectile that I shot was still completely intact and buried itself halfway through the nineteenth tree.
To be honest I was expecting it to be completely shattered. But how did this single arrow manage to do all this?...
"Was this something like a magic arrow that's mixed with a bunch of normal ones?" I ask myself as I forcibly yank the arrow out of the trunk and load it again into my bow.
Pulling the string I let the arrow fly again but nothing happens.
"My days are getting weirder and weirder" was the only thing that I could say before checking back at the deer that I was draining.
"Yep, this one's done"
I then lower the deer down and proceed to carry it on my back to the camp.
**********
"Yo I'm back" Arriving back at the camp, I greeted Arthur who was lazying around by the cart and staring at the open sky.
"Eyy welcome back" Arthur greeted me back.
"Nice catch, I was kinda wondering what's taking you so long didn't expect you to haul something that big, you should have called me to help you carry that one back here"
"I kinda went deeper than normal so there's a risk of a bear scavenging it"
"By the way, there was this loud thunder earlier that woke me up from my nap. I seriously thought I was being attacked, any idea where it came from?"
"Thunder?" was he referring to what happened earlier?
"No idea..." I lied "—Anyway it seems like we're blessed by nature today, we manage to hunt more than expected. It's only noon, should we continue or should we end it here?" I ask Arthur.
"Why are you asking me? You're the one hunting here"
"Alrighty then, let's count our prizes and put them into the cart then head back"
"Umn" Arthur nodded "Sounds good to me"
Let's see, we managed to hunt twelve water fouls, eight forest hares, three adult hogs, and a buck. Aside from those we also manage to forage some wild mushrooms and fruits. Yep, there's more than enough for the two of us.
After counting all the things that we got, we loaded them up one by one onto our horse-driven cart before heading back to the city.
"Let's go"
**********
Arriving at the city gates we were stopped by a familiar person for an inspection.
"Afternoon Keya, You're in charge of guarding the north gate today?" I greeted the gate guard.
"Yep, finished your hunt today?"
"Umn" Arthur nodded.
"We managed to hunt more than expected, this is for you, share it with the rest of the folks" I handed Keya two pieces of the water fouls and some fruits.
"Thanks, but are you sure? I kinda feel bad taking something you two worked hard for"
"We had more than enough, share it with the rest of folks"
"Well, thanks again"
With that, we entered the city wall and headed toward the commercial district.
Verana commercial district is a district located in the northern part of Albion under the territory of Rias, a city that's named after one the nine original muses of Emmeria who once stood side by side with the first high empress during the early age of after calamity.
As Rias, a city that solely dedicates all its effort to everything related to trade, it is of no surprise for Verana to be the largest and most efficient commercial district not only in Albion but throughout the continent earning its title as "Emmeria's Diamond crown".
Parking by the side of the street Arthur and I then hop out of the cart and enter a meat shop.
Opening the door what greeted us both was a simple yet clean storefront with minimalistic decorations and a board detailing all the available products that were on sale.
"Hey, old man are you there?!"
"That voice... Yep, it's you two alright!" A bald muscular old man then came out from the back of the counter and greeted the two of us.
"Stop calling me an old man, I'm not that old, I'm only forty-two! Anyway, anything you need?"
This muscular old man's name is Luther, a refugee from a war-torn country in the south. Trying to find a better life he once told me a story of how he and his family took a long and dangerous journey from his hometown and went all the way here to the Imperial Capital Region to find a decent job, but of course, he was unsuccessful.
—Well, that was until he and I met during one of my hunting expeditions.
Long story short I was interested in his dismantling skill so I made him a generous offer. In exchange for a free service, I will lend him a loan with no interest for him to open a meat shop near our old house. Though I did have a merchant's heart I was not aiming for profit at that time, It was more like for my convenience.
"We just finished our hunt, I want all the meat in the cart to be processed and cut equally, and as a gift, one of the hogs there is for you"
"Haha nice, bring them in by the back"
Arthur and I then hauled all the hunted games into the shop and the old man examined them.
"Hmm... wild ducks, black geese, some hares, three wild hogs, and a buck huh"
"Yep, that's all of them" Arthur replied.
"Everything seems in good condition aside from the buck over there, part of its chest seems to be completely destroyed and its front legs are barely holding to its main body, what the heck did you use to kill this one? You've ruined a very good pelt!"
The old man then lifted the buck toward the large freezer at the back and hooked it up for processing.
"Alright I'm closing shop, I'll have this ready and delivered to these two addresses by tomorrow"
"Thanks old man, I'm also returning your cart, it's parked right outside" With that Arthur and I left the shop.
"—I'm only forty-two!"
**********
As Arthur and I exited the shop we decided to wander off the commercial district and enjoy the busy atmosphere.
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"So Rey any plans for the rest of the day?" Arthur asks me.
"Not really, you?" I replied
"Nothing also... Hmm... Say, wanna go to a tavern? I just know the right place"
"I'll take a hard pass on that one" Walking around aimlessly Arthur and I then turned to a corner where numerous establishments were located but oddly enough there were no people on the street.
"Come on it'll be fun I swear"
"As I said—" It was then that I spotted a group of nine rough-looking men surrounding what seemed to be two women, one was a black-haired woman wearing a maid outfit and the other was a young lady that's adorned with vibrant green hair sitting in a wheelchair wearing a simplistic yet elegant white dress.
"—oh come on now miss, let's have some fun" One of the men said as he caressed the maid's hair making her very uncomfortable.
"Right~ we promise you'll have a great time, let's go"
"Hey don't touch my maid!" the young lady yelled out.
"Whoa there girly, we're not here for you!"
...
"Arthur!" Seeing the commotion unfold, I immediately called for Arthur's attention.
"—I know..." was his immediate reply.
While Albion does have excellent public order with a large number of police forces in its service, this is not our first encounter with this kind of situation. Rather, knowing this type of cliche scenario is one of Arthur's best fantasies, one could say that this a plague that would occasionally trouble the two of us.
As much as possible I would like to avoid something like a brawl, but we can't possibly ignore this type of thing as well.
Well time to see how will this play out.
Already knowing the drill the two of us casually approached the group and tried to intervene in the situation.
"So what's the plan?" I silently ask Arthur.
"I'll take point and try to de-escalate, if things go south back me up OK?" Arthur whispers to which I nod in reply.
Breath in... Breath out... OK, let's go.
"Greetings Lady Cecilia and err... —right, miss Laura, I sincerely apologize for arriving this late, we just happened to return from a great hunt so I do hope that you'll forgive me for our tardiness" Putting up an act, Arthur approached the young lady in the wheelchair and greets her with his seductive aura before reaching for the back of her hand and kissing it.
"Hey Arthur, you're overdoing it!"
"J–Just back me up!"
"Sigh... Fine!" I then rolled my eyes in defeat and decided to follow his lead and take the role of a trusty aide and let out a short noticeable wink towards the lady and the maid conveying both of our intentions.
The young lady as expected was confused in the heat of the moment but Arthur paid no mind and instead continued his act. The maid on the other hand, for some unknown reason, upon seeing my face, widens her eyes as if she had just seen a ghost.
I know my face isn't something that can be compared to Arthur but isn't that reaction too much? I mean is my face really that awful?
Slightly feeling depressed, I let out a low-toned sigh.
Anyway, it seems like the maid is a very quick-witted one and manages to catch up to our scheme and decides to play along.
"Good day uhh... Sir Johann and Sir White, don't worry, my lady and I have also just arrived" the maid greeted back while also assigning us some made-up names.
"Sir White Huh what a fancy name" I chuckle while maintaining my composure.
"I assume you two are here to escort us?"
"Yes, miladies" I reply with a bow.
With that connection established, Arthur and I now turn our attention toward the group of rough men who are now brandishing unpleasant faces toward our act of intervention.
"Anywho, I don't remember inviting other people to our social banquet so may I ask who are you men, and what is your business with my ladies over here?"Arthur then lashes out at the group of men.
"Hey, that's the same thing we wanted to ask you?!" one of the men angrily replied.
"Yeah, Who are you two?"
"We found them first!"
The hell do you mean, 'You found them first?'
"Lady Cecilia?" I then refer to the young lady but it seems that her brain is still in the processing phase and still unable to speak up so the maid decides to take over.
"Uhh... Sir White, I have to apologize but these men are..."
"Are?"
"Sigh... To tell you the truth they've actually been following and harassing us since earlier, can you please help us"
"Is that true?" I ask again for confirmation to which the young lady silently nods in return.
"I see" I calmly whisper.
It was then that a bulky man about twice my size stepped out from the group of rough men and glared at us as if he were measuring us up.
"This guy must be their leader" I whisper under my breath.
"Enough with the show-off sir knights, just turn around and stay away from other people's businesses okay?"
"And who you might be ugly?" Arthur again with his foul mouth lashes out.
Oi Arthur de-escalate!
"Hahaha. This Boy, you sure do have a rough tongue. The name is Rex, leader of this small rag-tag of mercenaries. You see we've just arrived in the capital and were simply asking for that woman over there for some good company. Now if I were you I'd move aside and scram before things become ugly, consider that as your final warning" The group then flashes out their sheathed swords.
"Heh~ so you're all mercenaries huh no wonder you all look rugged and ugly. Anyway, do you all realize that what you're doing is committing a crime? I don't care where you goons came from but If you're looking for a good time, many establishments offer those services in the red light district, but by the look of y'all faces, I'll assume that you all can't probably afford it" Arthur again taunted.
"Aren't we trying to de-escalate" I whisper to Arthur.
"We're beyond that point!" He whispers back.
Wait, when did we cross a line?!
"Hey boss, this guy is insulting us!" One of the mercenaries shouted.
"Hey Arthur, let's just apologize then grab the ladies and run for it"
"That's a good plan, but I think we're too late for that"
"—I know that's why we'll be killing him first!" And with that declaration, the group of rough men decided to start a fight.
Pulling out their swords, one man of the group who didn't take Arthur's insults lightly launches a surprise attack and charges with an overhead slash.
"Haha die!"
Arthur caught off-guard, had no time to draw out his sword, and could only let out a panicked face.
Sigh... I really wanna avoid a conflict...
Anticipating the speed and trajectory of the blade I immediately step into the assailant's field of view and meet the attack head-on.
Quickly pulling out my sword from its sheath, I let out a quick swing and parries the advancing blade.
Claang!
"What the!" Properly executing a technique called 'counter draw' the man staggered for a little bit but was enough to give me the time I needed to process all the information that I gathered from that single clash.
First of all, his movement was very slow compared to my sister's to the point that I have the confidence to be able to follow his every action without any problem. Secondly, this guy lacks strength, normally a parry shouldn't be able to overpower an opponent as it is a defensive technique. Lastly, for a mercenary whose sole occupation was derived from conflict and fighting, I find his stance and form lackluster and very off-balanced giving me an expression that this person is an amateur.
"Phew that was close, Thanks" Arthur calmly let out a sigh of relief.
"I take you all came here with no intention of becoming a criminal, so how about we all forget everything that happened and stop it all here " Not wanting to worsen the altercation, I suggested for everyone to withdraw, but to my dismay, the leader of the group says otherwise.
"I already warned your foolish master, It's too late for that now."
"Sigh... Then you made me no choice but to make you regret that" I calmly threaten the group and assume a defensive stance.
"Hey, what are looking at! You're really pissing me off!" The same man then yelled out before letting another slash right at my face.
"Slow!" Executing another parry I immediately push him back before kicking a loose brick off the ground toward his crotch incapacitating the man.
"Gah!"
"Josh!" One of the guys called out his fainted colleague but received no reply.
"Yeesh that's gotta hurt" Arthur commented.
"Well, that's one down" I calmly declare as point my blade at the rest of the group. "withdraw"
"You think you can get away with that?"
"Now you're really going to die!"
Brandishing their sword, a pair of goons then step forward to avenge their fallen comrade. Realizing that the next duel will be a two-against-one scenario, I immediately jump backward to gain distance and ready myself for another clash.
Being a member of the school's dueling club, I'm no stranger to fighting against multiple enemies, in fact, most of my time there is spent sparring myriad of opponents at the same time.
"Die!" As the pair closes the gap, the first guy lets out a powerful swing to try and hold me down while the other one goes in for a flank.
"Sorry, but I got other plans" I reply in kind as I block the attack and push the first guy back.
Rule number one when fighting multiple foes is not to lose track of all your foes and equally divide your attention to every single one of them.
"Sir White watch out!" The maid who was watching the fight unfold yelled out to warn me about the incoming attack from behind.
"Got you!" The second man smirkingly attacks me from behind.
Already expecting the pincer attack, with a heavy stomp, I cement my right leg to the ground and use it to pivot my whole body sideways evading the attack from my rear while also forcing the pair to collide with one another using both their momentum.
"Ughh!"
Rule number two when facing multiple foes, is to not decisively engage. You either deal with them by isolating fights where both your opponents cannot assist one another, or put them both in such a disadvantageous position that they'd be helpless to defend themselves and be able to deal with them all at the same time.
Not waiting for them to make a recovery, I quickly unfasten my scabbard from my waist and use it as an impromptu weapon before charging straight at them.
"Hiyaah!" Closing the gap real fast, I let out a powerful swing using my sword to disarm them before following it up with my scabbard aiming at their face.
"Guh!" As my attack connected, a pair of loud groans was then heard.
"Well, that's three down" I then again look at the leader of the group who's a bit annoyed at what happened. "My offer still stands, best to take your guys away, anything more and I can't guarantee your safety"
"Hah! Who do you think you two are? A bunch of kids?!"
"—That just beat up three of your guys" I cut him off.
"Well then let's see how you'll fare against the rest of us!" The leader of the group then steps forward and unsheaths his gigantic bastard sword.
Arthur realizing I'm now at a complete disadvantage, decides to unsheath his sword and join the fight.
"Gracious of you my lord to finally join the fight, I thought you were planning on letting me have all the fun" I sarcastically said to Arthur while continuing the roleplay.
"I know you could handle it, anyway what's the plan this time sir Whitey ol' pal"
"Things we always do in the club when the odds are heavily stacked against us, defeat them in detail!"
"Let's do this then!" With that Arthur and I pump our spirits high and face the rest of the group.
The third rule in facing multiple foes is that instead of going on the defensive, it's much wiser to be on the offensive. Like a pack of wolves, multiple foes can easily break down a single prey's defense no matter how skillful they are. A simple coordinated attack, of one enemy holding you down while the other picks you off from your exposed flank can be enough to immediately spell your doom. Being on the offensive meanwhile lets you decide when to engage, and disengage fights without any worries of exposing your flank as long as you follow rule number one.
"Ok, I'll go first!" Charging in tandem, Arthur managed to pick our first target and let a relatively slow arching swing for the enemy to block.
Claaang!
Tiny sparks fly into the air as two blades grind with each other leaving the boss laughing as he criticizes our lack of strength.
"Hahaha, you two are weak!" The boss commented as he witnessed how his underling managed to easily block Arthur's strike.
—But unbeknownst to the boss, that attack is purposely set up by Arthur as a trap. 'faint strike', is the name of the technique that Arthur just used, it is a preemptive strike that forces your enemy to block your attack with the desired result of leaving your opponent in a very vulnerable state for a split second.
"Re —I mean White!" Arthur then signals to me as he pivots out of the enemy's field of view further confusing our target who can't retaliate while also giving me free rein of the space.
"Got it!" Following up on Arthur's preemptive strike, I immediately jumped into the fray and let out a heavy blow to break its defense.
"Shi—"
"—Johann!" Finishing on my part, I immediately signal for Arthur to finish the job as I pivot myself out of his way.
"Guh!"
"That's one down!" Arthur declares as he knocks the first guy unconscious with a roundhouse kick.
Not letting up our momentum, we then move on to our next target which I am now in charge of performing the preemptive strike.
Defeat in detail. It is a martial philosophy of fighting against an enemy that has a surmountable edge in number over you. Best employed in a battle between two armies of asymmetrical size, its core philosophy can nonetheless be also used on a smaller tactical scale.
The strategy calls that in a situation where the odds are heavily stacked against you, instead of facing the entirety of the enemy head-on, it is much wiser to divide the battle into smaller engagements of which you will have the number advantage.
To simplify, rather than fighting a singular battle against six enemies, if Arthur and I can divide this battle into six isolated fights then we will have the desirable result of six engagements of two versus one with the odds being on our side.
"Graaah!"
"And that's five down!" Arthur declares as he knocks the last guy with a heavy kick in his stomach.
"You're the last one" I then point my sword at the leader "All your goons have been dealt with, surrender"
"Tch, annoying brats" Clicking his tongue the boss slowly ready his gigantic sword and looked straight at the two of us.
"I said drop your weapon!"
"Never! Enough talk and let's fight!" Shouting like a madman, the boss then jumps on his feet and closes the distance within a split second before letting out a fury of attacks.
Knowing that we'd not be able to parry such a heavy weapon, Arthur and I decided to dodge sideways but the boss was unrelenting and decided to lock his focus to Arthur.
"Kuh! Shi! Ha! Sou! Kuh! Kah! Hiyahhh!" continuing with his series of attacks on Arthur I had no choice but to follow suit, but the boss wasn't giving me any opening where I could cut him off.
"I guess that sword isn't just for a look" Arthur smirkingly commented as he bobbed and weaved evading every strike the boss gave as if he was trying to toy with him.
This guy...
"Quit playing around Johann!" I sternly bark at Arthur while waiting for an opening.
"Tch, Cowards!" Annoyed with Arthur's agility, the boss yelled out loud as he evaded another of his swings.
"Come and face me like a man!"
"Sorry, but I not dumb like you" Arthur taunted as he jumped backward evading another fury of strikes.
"Tch, Then!" The boss then turned his attention away from Arthur and looked straight at the two ladies by the end of the street.
Disengaging from Arthur, the boss then heads straight towards the two women with the intent to harm them.
"My lady watch out!" the maid, without any ounce of hesitation, immediately disregards her own safety jumps in front of her lady, and uses her own body as cover.
"Lara!"
"As if I'd let you!" Changing back from his playful demeanor, Arthur then charges at the boss with the intent to stop him, —but little does he know that it is all just a trap.
"got you!" The boss then surprises Arthur as he turns himself around with an intent to strike him down.
Claaang!
Taken by surprise Arthur managed to reflexively parry the attack but because of the difference in strength and weight of their weapon, his sword flew in the air leaving him completely defenseless.
"—hmm... I think I messed up"
"YOU THINK?!" I worriedly shouted as I desperately jumped to his rescue.
"PLEASE MAKE IT!"
"—You're done!" The boss then raises his bastard sword for an execution. "Die!"
"NO!"
As the massive sword began to tear through the air and toward Arthur, it was then when suddenly a burst of bright light flashed in my eyes, and then everything turned dark...