Glenn’s eyes widened as he watched the ground coming closer. He braced himself for the impact and rolled forward to disperse the kinetic energy. His legs and knees felt like they were on the brink of breaking, but he gritted his teeth and stood up nonetheless. The servants in the garden looked at him with half-surprised, half-amused looks. Glenn didn’t spare them another glance and dashed in the direction of the manor’s exit.
'Haha, finally a bit of action! Fight and kill, Glenn!’ Diamanes laughed madly in his host’s mind.
Glenn clenched his teeth and hissed as he stopped in front of the four-meter-high steel gate, “Shut it, Diamanes. Fuck, are they following—Shit!” Glenn jumped to the side as a massive sword pierced through the air and destroyed the steel gate. Howard’s black knight walked out of the manor, his boots echoing against the marble floor.
“Fuck me…” Glenn muttered as he hurriedly picked himself up and ran away without looking back.
‘Oh, come on, you’re not even going to try to fight that guy? I swear, he’s totally not stronger than you!’ Diamanes tried to convince him, but Glenn ignored the entity, too concentrated on his escape. A thunderous voice covered the Baron’s propriety as well as the knight’s camp established in front of it, echoing like a gong.
“MAY THE HARVEST BEGIN!”
Glenn stopped right in the middle of the knights’ camp, watching in horror as they all came out of their tents, card games, or training, their gazes turning toward him.
‘Good luck going through all of them without fighting,’ Diamanes clicked his tongue dejectedly. Glenn steeled himself and dashed through the tents, aiming for the relative security of the Northern Town. One of the bronze knights laughed and reached for a javelin. He aimed at Glenn, the tip of the blade covered in a light blue Aura. Glenn shivered and hurriedly turned back, watching the javelin pierce through the air with an explosive sound.
“Shit!” He conjured his Mana and created his Magic Wall, successfully blocking the attack. The javelin exploded in a burst of wood and metal shards, the ground trembling under the shock.
Glenn gasped and resumed his escape, his sword drawn and his Mana twirling around him. Most knights were watching him with amused gazes, while the others shot at him with javelins or bows, always narrowly missing. "Run!" one of them yelled, before bursting into malevolent laughter and throwing a knife covered in Aura at him. Glenn rolled away, the knife grazing his cheek. The knights began to walk toward him, their halberd in their hands, without any clear formation. Glenn jumped behind a tent, before grabbing one flap of it.
"Ignis !" A flame appeared atop his fingers, quickly burning the tent. Glenn ran away and repeated that process on a few more tents, causing chaos in the knights' camp.
A knight came out of nowhere, swinging his halberd at him horizontally. He summoned his Portable Shield, bracing himself for the impact. The hit knocked him three meters away, taking his breath away. He quickly entered a tent, summoning his Fixer's silver dagger to cut an exit open on the other side of it. He didn't forget to light this one on fire as well, before leaving it and running away. He had to manage his Mana very carefully since he didn't know when the next time he'd be able to replenish his reserves would be.
Officers were yelling in the camp, their crazed voices covering the chaos provoked by the fires.
"IT HAS BEGUN!!!"
"HARVEST!!"
"HARVEST!! HAHAHA!!"
They sounded like they went into a frenzy, completely mad. They didn't even seem to care about the burning tents, Glenn noticed. What they were preoccupied with, he had no idea. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to let the opportunity to escape go, that was for sure. He quickly moved from tent to tent, trying to avoid the knights as best he could, while lighting as many tents on fire as possible. His mind couldn't help but consider that there was a good chance he would be considered a criminal, but well, it was too late to regret anything. It also felt like something that would have happened anyway, seeing how easily the Baron antagonized him.
Glenn eventually reached the edge of the camp, hidden behind a tent as the knights laughed and roared. He stared at the Northern Town and the hundred meters of Fields separating him from it. The sky was dark, covered in black clouds.
‘My, my, isn’t that some nice and cozy black magic?’ Diamanes realized with an interested tone. Glenn looked at the sky with a scowl, before shaking his head and leaning back in his hiding place. Knights kept on passing next to him but failed to notice him. Strangely, they didn’t seem like they were actively searching for him. The few he met in the camp did try to kill him by throwing weapons, but none tried to follow and capture him.
'It...it feels like a wild hunting session. Is this a game for them?' Glenn silently realized. He blinked and almost scoffed, ‘What kind of sickos are these guys? Shit, is everyone in this world fucking batshit crazy?’
Once the surroundings looked clear enough, he dashed out of the tent and ran away as fast as he could from the crazed camp. A few arrows did land close to him, but none managed to hit him. Was it luck, or an intended result, he couldn’t tell.
‘I need to get out of here, asap!’ Glenn thought as he jumped above a ditch. He suddenly stopped as a dark figure came out of the wheat fields, his long, ominous greatsword drawn. The tip was dragging against the ground, making an almost silent yet unpleasant noise as it dug in the mud.
“...Howard’s knight.” Glenn blurted out, his Mana twirling madly around his hands. The knight remained silent as he swung his sword in front of him, taking on a defying stance.
“...I don’t have the habit of making prisoners,” The knight declared with a raspy voice, his sword gleaming with a dark glint. Glenn clenched his teeth and drew his short sword out, holding it with his right hand while keeping his left free to allow for the usage of spells.
They stared silently at each other, wondering who would make the first move. Finally, the black knight lunged forward, his dark cape fluttering behind him. He stabbed with his greatsword forward, attempting to skewer Glenn on it. The latter avoided the attack by side-stepping it, before casting a Magic Bullet at the knight's helmet. The projectile didn't penetrate the tough steel but did manage to knock the enemy's head backward.
'It's not even half as effective as I hoped it would be,' Glenn thought, his fingers tightening on his sword's hilt as he didn’t let go of the momentum and charged at the knight. He hadn’t learned as much as he could have under Mary, but the little he knew, he was going to make use of it.
One thing he did understand after their fights was that when one had the advantage, he should never let go of it. Glenn shot three more Magic Bullets, accurately aiming for the knight’s head. The latter dodged the first two shots and deflected the last one, only to watch helplessly as the tip of Glenn’s sword stabbed him in the chest.
Or at least tried to.
Glenn’s blade ripped against the steel, blocked as if the attack was meaningless. The knight laughed and kicked Glenn away, throwing him on the ground. Glenn rolled away, his breath taken away. Glenn pushed himself up and coughed out a lump of mud he almost swallowed. There was a boot imprint on his waist from the might of the attack.
“You should have never brought the Baron’s son up,” The knight declared with an evil laugh. He stabbed his sword in the dirt, clenching both hands on the hilt. The sword began to glow with a color that was between the blue and the green, an Aura that appeared like murky water.
Glenn didn’t let that show impress him and shot a flurry of Drilling Bullets, hoping he’d be able to damage the armor. Alas, the spells dissipated helplessly as soon as they touched the steel as if the armor was completely impervious to his attacks.
The knight raised his weapon again, before rushing in a shoulder bash. Glenn didn't expect it and got knocked back a few meters away. He landed on his back but managed to roll himself up, only to see the heavy black blade falling on his face. He threw himself to the side, watching in shock as a huge portion of the Field disappeared, the ground ripped open.
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“Shit, shit!” He panted as he concentrated on summoning his Arcane Auger. The one-meter-wide drill made a buzzing sound as he jerked it forward to go and pierce the black knight's armor. The knight side-stepped it, letting the drill slip on his chestplate, before hitting Glenn with his pommel. The latter fell to his knees, his head ringing, only to put up a Magiw Wall hurriedly. The greatsword crashed on his defenses, a loud clanging sound echoing around the two fighters. The Magiw Wall creaked weakly before exploding in a flurry of deep blue particles. The second Glenn had recovered his senses, he retreated away from the sword’s reach.
"Proiectum, Velox, Destructum !" An Enhanced Magic Bullet left his left hand and hit the knight in the chest, knocking him back. He fell to one knee, a hand on his chest in an almost confused manner. Glenn’s eyes widened in surprise as a grin appeared on his face.
“Haha, that armor can’t stop the kinetic energy, can it?” He dashed forward and pressed his hand against the knight's chest. He glared up at the empty eyes under the black helmet, his teeth gritted.
“Let’s see if your armor can also block that!” He roared as he channeled almost the totality of his Mana into the Implosion he had just conjured. The armor caved in with a loud creak and blinding flash, the knight flying back a dozen meters. Glenn was thrown away from the recoil, his arm jerked back in an awkward position. The adrenaline pumped through his veins as he heaved with difficulty. The knight didn’t stand up.
“Fuck…” Glenn gasped as he held his broken arm. He shook his head and ran away, ignoring the pain and exhaustion. He threw his sword back into the dimensional pouch, forced to admit that it had been less than effective in his hands.
‘I don’t see why it surprises you. You have what, two days of training?’ Diamanes mocked.
“Very helpful, as always Diamanes,” Glenn grunted as he ran toward the Northern Town. When he eventually arrived in the empty streets, the bronze knights had begun their march, yelling “Harvest!”, “Harvest!” in a macabre rhythm. He entered one of the darker streets and leaned against a wall, gasping for air. He bit down on his lip and forced himself to continue.
He looked up at the roofs and clicked his tongue, “...I will probably be safer up there.” Glenn quickly planned as he held his shoulder painfully, He will probably be able to join up with Sahro at the Cleaner’s Workshop from there.
He clenched his teeth and used his right arm to climb the wall, propelling himself up with the strength of his legs.
'It's in those moments that I'm almost thankful for the torture of the Thorns Church,' Glenn thought sarcastically as he lay against the tiles while gazing at the darkened sky from his roof. A few minutes later, the bronze knights arrived in the street he was in, torches in their hands and yelling injunctions. They entered the houses in turn, leaving with coin pouches, or people. Glenn carefully watched from over the ledge, trying to understand what the soldiers were trying to accomplish.
Soon enough, a dozen of people had been pulled away from their houses, before being pushed away in the direction of the town's center.
Glenn leaned back, wincing. He had to find out what those guys were up to, while also finding Sahro back. Marina, Mary, Mrs. Laurence... They were right, he should have left this town with Sahro when he still could. They were not strong enough to deal with this small army.
“...Screw going back to the Workshop, I have to check out what this madman is doing before,” He muttered as he forced himself up. A sudden pain, stronger than the ones earlier, jerked his attention back on his left shoulder. A creaking sound came from inside his bones before the shoulder set itself back in the position it was supposed to be. Glenn almost screamed in pain, but he bit into his tie, muffling his suffering. Finally, his body finished to fix itself up, leaving Glenn exhausted. He shook his head and stood on the roof he was hiding on. He looked over the town, seeing that numerous groups of torches were heading for its center.
He quickly planned his route over the roof, before jumping on another house, running toward the direction the torches were headed. A few minutes later, he arrived at his objective, observing the procession of knights and civilians grouping up in a large square that was previously used to host the different markets and stalls of the villagers.
A huge fire was burning in the middle of the square, with Baron Howard standing in front of it. He had a black umbrella, held by Callum, his Black Heir servant. Glenn clenched his teeth when he saw him, but he quickly gasped in surprise when he saw the figure next to the Baron. The black knight was there, standing silently, his greatsword strapped to his back. There were no traces of his previous fight with Glenn.
“How the fuck is he..?" He blurted out, unable to contain his shock.
"Really good question, my dear Watson," muttered Diamanes in response from under his glove.
The villagers had a clear look of unrest. Some had resigned faces, others were crying, but none seemed to have the will to fight whatever was going to happen. The Baron suddenly coughed lightly. Somehow, even Glenn from his position could hear the sound, making him focus on the man.
"My dears denizens," Howard smiled, warmly opening his arms, his mouth shining with a red light under the burning brazier, "How happy I am to see you once again, to share the pleasure of the Harvest with you!"
Glenn strained his eyes, observing the situation.
"I know, I might have been a little early. But don't worry! I instructed my dear guards to take only the strict necessary!"
The Baron walked toward one of the civilians, a bald man dressed in a green tunic and brown pants. The man was standing proudly, his expression resigned but determined. Howard lightly tapped his shoulder, before turning back toward the brazier.
"Today, I shall once again announce the three chosen ones who will ascend back with me to the Bourgeoisie!"
The Baron walked back toward the crowd, watched by both the knights and the denizens.
Glenn looked at the group of people, his eyes widening when he recognized Liam in the crowd.
"What is he doing here...?" The young man mumbled through his teeth, anxious. He had a bad feeling about this situation.
The Baron walked in front of a random bald man, placing his hand graciously on his head.
"You shall be the first one. You are...?"
"Garin, Sir!" The bald man answered, his eyes resolute.
Howard smiled, before turning toward another person in the crowd, a girl with a bulging stomach, probably due soon. She looked pretty young, probably not far from Glenn's age.
The Baron gave a warm smile to the pregnant girl.
"You shall be the second, dear..."
"Ma...Marie, Sir." The girl said, shaking in her shoes.
Howard stroked her hair, before giving a sign to the knights beside him, his smile unchanging.
The knights grabbed the pregnant lady, her expression confused and fearful.
"My...My Lord?" She asked, her voice trembling.
The Baron turned toward her, a puzzled expression on his face.
"What, my dear?"
She slowly looked left and right, her movements jerky. The Baron nodded toward them, and one of the knights punched her in the belly, making the girl bend down on her knees. He slowly walked toward her, his smile evil in the light of the brazier. Sounds of indignation came from the crowd, but the knights surrounding them quickly calmed them down with a nudge of their halberd. Glenn clenched his fist, his eyes staring at the Baron.
"I'm bringing you to ascend with me. But I never said your baby could come with you."
The girl cried, her screams soon muffled by the knights holding her, as her stomach was pummeled restlessly. The Baron stared at the scene, his grin only widening. He raised his hand, finally putting a stop to this horror. The knights dropped the girl, letting her fall to the ground. She couldn't even cry anymore and had a blank look on her face.
"My...My baby...!"
"This... This monster!" Glenn whispered, anger tainting his face red.
"And strangely, no one does anything..." remarked Diamanes, "not even you, Glenn."
The young man rubbed his eyes, his teeth clenched. He wanted to do something, he knew he had to. But the truth was that he couldn't. He was way too weak, and throwing himself at the Baron wouldn't yield anything, he knew that. But that didn't stop him from feeling helpless and guilty. Bystanders were the worst, helpless or not.
Glenn turned his gaze away, unable to bear with this situation any longer. Doing so, he discovered that he wasn't the only figure spying on the Harvest from the roofs. 'That's...Marina, I think? And there...Sahro?"
Glenn covertly moved from his roof, jumping over a few houses, before arriving next to his Black Heir comrade. His companion was silent, emotionless. It was the first time that Glenn saw such emptiness on his face. He glanced down and noticed the blood trickling from Sahro’s clenched fists, as well as his whitened chuckles.
Glenn grabbed his shoulder, but Sahro didn't move. He probably had seen him coming for a while. The Black Heir had his eyes fixed on Baron Howard, an indescribable feeling in them.
"Glenn...We need to kill this bastard." He spat, spite and hate mixing themselves in his voice.
The young man nodded slowly, his eyes fixed similarly on the monster in human skin parading in front of the crowd down in the square. The thunderous voice of the Baron echoed in the square once again, as he opened his arms in a warm gesture once again.
"My friends, I know you're all dying of curiosity to know who the third chosen one will be!"
The Baron gave a smile to the horrified crowd, before turning slowly toward Glenn and Sahro's position, his eyes rising to meet theirs from under the black umbrella.
"That'll be you, Glenn!"
In a singular movement, all the bronze knights as well as the black knight turned their heads toward them.
Glenn stood up with his sword drawn, grimacing, “...Fuck.”
“This fucking plan…” Diamanes sighed aloud.