CHAPTER 6
UNFORGIVABLE SINS
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All the people on the Boriella continent had faith in the same legend, believing an existence of mythical kingdom somewhere in Dragona Mountain. It said that hordes of ferocious reptiles would crawl out to destroy the continent every seven years. Scared by the doom, tales of the apocalypse were preserved for generations.
However, the ferocious beast had never appeared in thousands of years. People neither knew what the dragon army looked like nor ever encountered them. The myth had faded away. Particularly for Walker, a group of earthlings who were too modern to believe a groundless legend. The novice walker even often hunted in Dragona Cave with no worry at all.
Did the dragon army really exist?
In fact, yes. Someone had witnessed their existence. He almost died seven years ago when the beasts were unleashed. And the survivor was, surprisingly, a walker named Count Vardant. He was lucky enough to go home alive after encountering the disaster.
“Damnit! I hate this job!”
“My Lord, do dragon army exist?”
“Yes! They are exist. I saw it with my own eyes seven years ago! Fuck! I don't wanna do this!”
On horseback toward Dragona Cave, Count Vardant kept swearing. The traumatic event had been carved on his skin. The fear was real. The ruler of Crocosela was so scare that his subordinate didn't dare to show a doubt.
“My Lord, if they exist, why don't they ever come out?”
“Elven.”
“Valoran?”
“Yes. That disgusting long ear seals the portal every seven years. So the dragon army will not come out of the Dragona Cave.”
His men were all pallid. They remained silent until they arrived to the cave's entrance. The hesitancy was palpable. The count's story totally altered their perspective.
“This is crazy ....”
Dragona Cave was so big that they questioned what creatures would come out. Its height reached 30 meters (100 feet) and the width was almost 100 meters (330 feet). With its enormity, the story that the cave was the dragon army's exit began to make sense.
They entered the cave with complicated minds. Count Vardant's subordinate started to figure out why no single nation dared to wage a war against Valora. They had been respected because of their role as guardians. The elves naturally had a bargaining chip as a race that could not be touched. Boriella's continent could be destroyed without their sealing ritual.
And today, they had been tasked to sabotage the elves' duty.
“My Lord, is this okay? We will be the one who responsible for the destruction.”
“Yes, My Lord. We could be hanged if we are caught killing the elves. This is an unforgivable sin!”
The count could not answer. A spark of doubt was clearly seen in his eyes. He was also aware his ridiculous mission could destroy the entire continent.
Of course, not all his subordinates were smart enough to read the room.
“Don't worry. We've prepared well. We won't die.” A two meter (6'8") tall baron with a viking helmet persuaded his friend.
“With all respect, Baron Frederick. This mission is nonsense!”
“We are the brave warrior. And they trusted us to do it. Just shut up and do the job.” The Big guy puffed his chest.
Count Vardant didn't care when Baron Frederick asserted his authority toward members below him. The big guy was always acting like that. The count was more worried about himself, as he had been tasked with sabotaging shamanic rituals. Vardant felt uneasy with every step. His body continued to tremble, and his expression was twisted. Crocosela City would be the first to be devastated if the Dragon Army was unleashed.
“Take it easy, Your Highness. We're professional. What are you worried about? Hahahaha!”
The count gave a flat glance when Baron Frederick, the big guy wearing a Viking helmet, spoke like someone with brains. Baron Frederick seemed to know nothing about the situation. He wasn't even aware he had been treated as cannon fodder by higher-ups. It was a common thing in politics. Vardant and his men did the nutjob because his boss was a nasty guy.
“Let's finish the job and enjoy the payment, Your Highness.” Once more, the big guy puffed his chest. “What will go wrong, anyway?”
“If the dragon army attacked Crocosela, your manor would be gone. Poof! Your money evaporated!” Vardant answered sarcastically.
“What? Are you serious?”
“Have you realized yet? Wow, you're so smart, Frederick.”
The big guy was shocked into disbelief. He was too stupid to realize a simple logic. As a baron in Crocosela, if dragon army was unleashed, his manor would burn to ash, and his serfs, slaves, and even his cows would be eaten alive.
“I have to save my assets!”
“And make everyone suspicious of us? Stop talking. I lost 47 of my brain cells just to talk with you alone.”
***
Count Vardant, Baron Frederick, and four other men walked silently into the cave. All of them wore their best armor and magic weapons. Their enemies were magical beings. Elves were a strong race that trained their battle prowess for hundreds of years. The mission wasn't a walk in the park.
“Pssttt! They are coming.” He gave a hand sign.
Deep in the deepest part of the cave, several elves were drawing a magic circle. Vardant hid with six D-rank walkers around him, observing the elves' activities before making the move.
“There are three elf shamans. Their magic is no joke. But their physique is like shit. Let's wait until their magic runs out.” Vardant explained, pointing to other two elves which standing guard in the distance. ”And they are elf Warriors. Their physical strength is equivalent to C-ranked walker. Too risky to fight head on. Better use poison. Wait for my command.”
“They looked frail. Let's attack them now.”
“Wanna die alone? Go ahead.”
Baron Frederick shut his mouth.
Three shaman elves danced on the circle a little while later. All of their face were gorgeous, and their moves were mesmerizing. The beauty of female elves was a piece of art. Vardant got annoyed when his follower was being charmed.
“Are we watching girlbands or something? You are paid to fight, you piece of shits! Stay focus!”
“Pardon us, Your Highness. But they are so stunning. Even male elves are more beautiful than my girlfriend. Are we obliged to kill them?”
The count became more irritated. But he was smart enough to realize his member's motivation. The risks were too big for a job that gave nothing. “If they are not killed, they will succeed in performing the ritual.” He responded as patiently as he could.
His men were still skeptical, nevertheless. One of them even questioned why he should thwart the ceremony that was supposed to save them from destruction. Reluctantly, Vardant gave them a reason.
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“If were able to sabotage their ritual, Valora would be blamed. And no nation would stop us from invading their kingdom.”
“What are our benefits if the war happen?”
“You will get whatever female elves you want.”
All his men were shocked.
“Are you serious? Can we enslave them all?”
“Yes. Let's do the job and talk later.”
Their motivation rose along with a meat pole inside their pants. Sleeping with an elf was a faraway dream that could not happen, regardless of how much money a walker had. The chance had come. They couldn't wait to rape them all.
“The ritual is almost complete. Let's go!”
They wore the masks and started to move. The seven walkers were confident enough when the shamans sat on their knees. Their magic power had run out. Perfect time to attack. The elves were confused when they were struck by poisonous darts.
“Don't spare a single Elf! Finish them off!”
***
The elves were androgynous beings. Their gender was difficult to determine. Their males had a feminine appearance and slender bodies like females. They didn't have the same muscle shapes as humans, nor did they have testosterone features like facial hair. A random purple-haired feminist on earth could overpowered their masculinity. Female elves, on the other hand, were flat-chested and almost identical to their male counterparts.
They were naturally born as frail creatures.
Yes, they were supposed to be weak.
“Weak my ass! They are tough! Damnit!” Failed to parry their sword, a walker was thrown away a few yards.
“They supplement their strength with magic! Be careful!”
Three shaman elves were dead. One of them had managed to cast ridiculous magic while dying. One of Vardant's men had been killed. Despite running out of prana, or the elven version of mana, their magic remained terrifying. Count Vardant had a hard time ganging up on the remaining two opponents.
Clank!
His hands were shaking as his sword clashed. Vardant was even pushed back. The Elf Warrior's strength was no joke. He struggled to find an opening to counteract.
“Three against one won't work.” He yelled amidst the battle. “Frederik! Hold off the other one!”
“Fight him alone? I could die!”
“just block him! We have to kill them one by one! Make use of your useless big ass!”
Vardant communicated in Bahasa Indonesia, thus their opponent had no idea what he was talking about. Intelligence humanoid beings were annoying opponents. They didn't have a distinct pattern like monsters. Their movements were unpredictable. And they had hundreds of years of battle experience, so Vardant's combat abilities were practically useless.
“Damnit! They're not NPCs!”
“Our experience gaps are too wide!”
“We are the NPCs! We are moving with obvious pattern!”
Walker used to fight with a game-like movement. Obviously, as modern humans, they neither learned how to swing a sword nor how to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Their fighting ability was dependent on passive skills, which made their bodies move automatically. That was the nature of the power system. If they wanted to be stronger, all they had to do was level up their skills with experience points.
Count Vardant had a hard time, although he fought the elf five versus one. Another one of his men died with his head cut off. Their opponent was too swift. Of course, as a walker, Vardant also had several active skills that sacrificed his mana pool.
“Make him busy!”
“Aye, My Lord!”
Vardant raised his sword.
His mouth spoke slowly for incantation.
“Oooo mighty Hiemza, bestow on me your grace. Show them how cold your anger is toward the world.”
The temperature dropped significantly when his clear ice sword shined a blue light. The elf warrior stepped back when he realized what spell Vardant had cast. However, three of Vardant's subordinates blocked his escape. They tried their best to hold until their boss completed the ultimate skill.
“Absoluta nulla vulmus!”
The faint blue light moved fast toward the enemy when Vardant slashed his sword. The skill changed the temperature on the pathway to absolute zero, freezing everything and generating rows of ice spears. The elf warrior could not block. He was unable to move when his feet were frozen.
Slash!
His head flew high on the second slash.
Ping!
[You have slain a Rank-C Valoran Warrior]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
Vardant breath was labored. Slaying a mere C-ranked elf warrior was harder than fighting against a final boss. They were completely different levels from Walkers with similar ranks. If he didn't poison them in a preemptive strike, the battle would be impossible.
Splash!
“Ugghh!”
The count snapped back to reality when he saw an arrow strike his subordinate's eyes. He died on the spot after being hit four times. The Viking guy had failed to hold off the remaining opponent. Unsurprisingly, elves archery was another thing that made them dangerous foes to deal with.
“Frederick! You asshole!” He was enraged when he found out that the big guy had run away.
The last elf warrior shot his arrow with ridiculous power. Vardant and his two remaining subordinates were hiding in terror. It said that an elf's arrow speed was similar to a 9-mm pistol's muzzle velocity. It was six to eight times the average crossbow bolt. With an arrow weighing 500 grams (one pound), the damage was a whopping 2300 joules of kinetic energy. They easily penetrated high-quality knight's armor made from tempered steel.
“Damnit! Kill him!”
The battle continued with a sad result.
***
Valora Royal Palace
A week later, five elves bodies lay headless at the altar of Valora's palace. All the elders were terrified. The death of the shamans marked the start of a disaster. The sealing ritual must have failed. The Dragon Army would certainly come out and put the entire kingdom, including Valora itself, in jeopardy.
“Who did this ....”
King Falasa sat uncomfortably on the throne. He was drowning in thoughts and possibilities. It was too late to fix everything. For the first time in thousands of years, the Valora Kingdom had failed to seal the cave.
“Your Majesty, why is this happening? The Armin Kingdom and all nations in Boriella would blame us. The continent is doomed!”
“Yes, Your Majesty. We could be in trouble. Our relationship with Armin could be heated.”
In truth, Taeriz caused Dragona Cave to heat up seven years ago. That girl was far too sedentary. When she was appointed as a shaman, she did it halfheartedly. The portal had been activated. The dragon army was on the verge of emerging from the cave. As a result, a hero of the gods died because of one careless act.
“What should we do, Your Majesty?”
“Yes! We have committed an unforgivable sin! Because of us, millions of people will die!”
Falasa breathed heavily as the elders showed their nature. Old men like them were more prone to complaining than thinking rationally. The king was well aware that there was no way back. The Dragona Portal could no longer be closed. However, discussing something that couldn't be dealt with was meaningless. It was a waste of time. The king decided to investigate the murder of the three shamans and their two bodyguards.
What was their purpose?
And what did they want from the appearance of the Dragon Army?
The destruction of the continent?
Certainly not possible. That reason was too naive. Even the most oblivious demon were not that stupid. Falasa considered many possibilities until he remembered the last month events.
There was no mistaking it.
The culprit was definitely the heroes of the gods.
Falasa just realized that the Walker nobles had apparent expressions. At the conference, they were too composed. Their friendliness was staged, and they acted like people who hid something. Obviously, those confident faces said that they had a hideous plan on their minds. More over, he received a letter that answered his suspicion.
“They're worse than demons ....”
An elder approached when the king was calling him. He was the only elder with whom Falasa could communicate. Reading the letter with a leaf stamp, the elder was enraged. He chose to leave with Falasa for a more quiet place. Other elders would make a fuss if he carelessly leaked the information.
“Uncle Polante, alert our military. Produce more arrows. Set up barricades and traps all over the Armin Kingdom's borders.” Falasa spoke when no one else was around.
“Your Majesty, are we going to war?”
The king nodded in response to the obvious question. Despite the fact that his kingdom was on the verge of ruin, his demeanor was composed. The war would begin sooner than he had imagined. He stamped the parchment with the royal seal after writing a letter.
“Ask her to smuggle this letter to Earth. My son has to know that his homeland is in danger.”