A loud roar echoed, and soon a whole array of screams and shouts filled the turbulent air.
The giant quadruped beast lashed out with heavily muscled claws, hitting some of the soldiers in an instant.
Blood flowed like water, but their defensive skills helped them survive, but only barely.
She knew she had to act. There will be no fatalities on her watch.
Valerie rushed ahead, her high Dexterity getting the job done. The four-legged wolf noticed her coming as though by instinct and roared back, pushing itself straight into her for a head-on crash.
Val twisted mid-movement, aided by years of combat. Her legs pushed her off to the sky, gravity barely an inconvenience as she landed on the beast.
The monster tried to push her off, but it was as though she had her own claws digging deep into the beast as she didn’t even stumble before plunging her spear straight into the back of the beast.
The beast roared in pain, and something different occurred. Red aura seeped out of the creature, a wave of nasty chills ran down her skin. Being married to a mage, she knew this all too well.
Magic!
She didn’t stop despite the potential danger. Those who have a sense for Mana knew exactly what was about to occur as they rushed the melee fighters out of there.
She kept plunging the spear at the base of the neck, trying to kill it faster.
As the aura continued to pour out, Mana ready for a combustion beyond anything they had witnessed, Val activated her old-time skills.
Her spear glowed with a sanguine light as she made one final strike–forcing the creature to stop moving for just a second.
Then, several spots of the sanguine glow began to pierce through several parts of the creature’s body. Eventually the light became so strong that it lit up the entire battlefield.
Val kept going, pouring more energy into her strike. Then, when she figured the creature was finally done ‘cooking’, she released herself from the back and jumped off.
She landed gracefully on the ground, gazing at the formerly live creature. It was now filled to the brim with smoking holes, blood pouring out of the former husk of itself.
Val let out a tired and frustrated breath. That creature had some good looking hide and possibly rare materials to harvest. Perhaps even some good meat for the people of her town. But if one destroyed the body too much, the loot drop would get heavily affected. Her skill basically cooked it to smithereens, leaving nothing behind.
I’m pretty sure Cloud is gonna get upset, Val said, making an acute frown that doesn’t seem that upset. Eh, I’ll just pull out the good ole’ cutesy face and he’ll forgive me.
She had a good laugh to herself, but it was really all she could do as another fight was over.
Another two weeks have passed since then, and the horde has gotten worse. Now everytime a horde would come in, a powerful monster like she just faced would come forward and cause some trouble.
And these monsters weren’t just strong physically. Each one seemed as though they had a special ability, and this one that she killed recently was just one of the random magical ones that would make an explosion if left alone.
The worst she got was one or two paralyzers, causing some potential harm to her soldiers and eventually making them unfit for battle. They barely got any healers, so having anyone taken down with a serious affliction would severely hamper their defensive states. Sometimes it would take weeks to recover even more than half of their original power.
If this was a battle of attrition, then even losing one soldier would cause mayhem and destruction within her town, as not only they would lose potential fighters, but also morale for the entire town.
It was bad enough that the hordes don't seem to cease and instead are getting stronger, but if people were to die on top of that, not even Val and Cloud can assure their people that things will get better.
The other soldiers ran in to loot the beast. Even if Val was the one that killed it, she always let the others take the loot if possible. For her level, the monster’s loot were nothing for her, but it was basically treasure for the lower level soldiers.
Still, she grew frustrated that even if she was in a sorry state, she should’ve been able to easily take the monster down without using any skill. Unfortunately, her body hasn’t recovered enough before the hordes would come in.
Val squeezed the bridge of her nose tightly. She was getting tired. Not physically or mentally, as her stats just wouldn’t allow that.
Just tired at the idea that this will keep on without any due cause, and how apparently nobody is around to help them out. There’s only so much that people in this town can do despite having powerful leaders in charge.
“Captain!” One of the soldiers, Myra, ran up and saluted. “I’m glad that you’re alright. Do you need any assistance?”
“No, I’m quite alright,” Val smiled back. Compared to before, Myra and the other members of her squad had leveled up significantly. But more than anything, she was glad that she still got to see that young face of hers alive and well, rather than cold and pale–unmoving. “Is anyone else alright?”
“We had some casualties on our side. Some had their arms or legs broken, but they’re getting taken care of now by the healers.”
“I see,” Val nodded. Compared to losing them, it was better for them to stay off the battlefield instead. That way, not only can they rest their bodies, but their minds as well, making them available to fight the moment they return. “That’s good news.”
“There are also some that were affected by status afflictions. Some are paralyzed and they might not fight again in a few days.”
“Ugh,” Val shook her head. “Of course there would be problems. They’re not heavily injured, are they?”
“If they are, they probably won’t be feeling it.”
“Hah,” Val chuckled, but she quickly admonished herself. “That’s in bad taste.”
“You still laughed!” Myra chuckled.
“Captain! There is something going on over at the western gate!”
Just as she was about to relax mentally for a bit despite the news, she immediately perked up. Her eyes sharpened, changing back to her Captain self.
“What’s happening? Is there another monster attack?”
They were currently at the north side of the town, as there are four gates that lead in and out of the city. Two of the gates were closed down and heavily modified to defend against even a boss monster, so most of their forces were at the west and north side. Those directions were the closest to any of the nearby towns and villages, allowing some traders to come in and out without much issue.
Of course, none of the merchants came in at all thanks to the hordes, which was becoming a major chore to deal with the lack of the supplies.
“No, no monsters at all, but… we believe they may be invaders!”
Val creased her brows at that one. That was a first in a while, and even more so considering that their town was still under siege protocol, so there wouldn’t be anything of worth taking from as the supplies would run out.
In fact, anyone with their right minds wouldn't bother to attack their town knowing Val, Cloud, and Zacharia being there. It would just be foolish.
“That’s crazy,” Myra pretty much exclaimed what Val was thinking. “How can anyone think of invading us?”
“I don’t really know myself, but I do know that the soldiers over there are already trying to put them down. Thing is, it’s been several minutes but they’re still alive. I think they’re holding up with a defensive line.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“A defensive line…?” Val asked, creasing her brows further. That would be even stranger if they were truly invaders.
Then, the worst thought flashed in her mind. Myra also understood a second later, turning her panicked eyes at Val..
“Captain! They could be knights!”
“Oh no…” Val muttered, slowly going pale. “I’ll get there right away!”
With that, Val knelt just a foot below before suddenly jumping upwards into the open air. She blasted through the sky. She left behind a small shockwave, the other’s hair and loose cloth getting blown away.
Val will apologize for that later, but right now, the worst thing that could possibly happen is possibly happening right now.
Cloud believed that the knights might pay attention to this ordeal, but that would be more trouble than it's worth. The knights from the nearby provinces should know their status, but they also know that it is still part of the kingdom’s borders that has potential resources to use for their soldiers and development.
But it was even more valuable now that Cloud and Val were there. Their reputation alone is enough to warrant anyone to take control of this small land where their town is. It was something akin to taking something that someone else had, no matter how childish that may be. Though even the other cities under the kingdom’s rule know not to mess with them if they don’t intend on getting put on trial by their own laws.
But if their knights came over for some reason and were bombarded by a bunch of exhausted and weary soldiers–those that have just been in a life or death horde battle–it would become an entirely different matter.
The knights would assume the town is waging war against their fiefdoms. If they managed to turn the situation in their favor, they could get away with making it a self-defense. Not only would their daily lives be at risk, but there’s no telling what those fiefdoms might do to the citizens in their town.
Houses would get burned, their belongings taken. Perhaps even their children.
Val’s face sharpened, her jaw locked at the potential threat this may cause. If the damage was too far gone, then she might not have a choice.
She can’t leave behind any witnesses that would go between hers and everyone’s livelihoods.
Finally, after jumping about from roof to roof of the buildings across town, she saw the commotion happening on the western side of the gate.
There were soldiers with their hands raised, their spells at the ready. The melee fighters with their spears and swords ready to plunge into their guts. It was already starting to go from bad to worse at the amount of power being put behind those spells.
As she landed on top of the building right near the fort, she breathed in air straight to her lungs, and activated her kinetic energy to amplify her voice twofold.
“Stop! Cease your fire!”
Val shouted, her voice reaching the levels of megaphone speaking to them from above. The mages firing immediately ceased, and every soldier turned back to find Val right there. She landed onto the ground without making a single sound and walked towards the massive group before her.
Each soldier, recognizing her appearance, each saluted in turn to her, but she wasn’t pleased at all.
“What’s this I hear about invaders?” Val shouted, her face still sharpened to the point of looking like a predator whose meal had been interrupted. “Have you considered who they are? Why are they here? Why are you all suddenly attacking them!?”
One of the soldiers ran over to her with a flustered face. “Captain! We suddenly spotted very strange people coming out of the forest. They looked like mad savages, and one of the soldiers immediately hit them with a spell, thinking it was a monster.”
That only caused Val to grimace. Thankfully it wasn’t the knights, but then that would mean the soldier from earlier made an incorrect assumption,
“You’re saying they looked like savages, but were they people?” Val asked, getting the soldiers to nod. She can understand if the soldiers were confused if they dressed strangely. Still, she creased her brows. “But if that’s the case, why the bombardment? Isn’t that overkill?”
“That’s the thing, Captain,” The soldier seemed just as perplexed, scratching his bearded face in confusion. “Not only did they manage to survive, but one of them even tried going after the gate all by herself. She took down one soldier after another, and eventually it became what it is now.”
“What?!” Val reacted in horror. “How many were killed?”
“Thankfully, all of them were just knocked out. However, at this rate we’re going…”
The soldier couldn’t really keep going as Val lost interest in the topic and decided to go in herself. Deciding to let her take the lead, the other soldiers granted her passage.
None of this made sense. If they were able to still live, then that would mean they were extremely powerful to defend themselves. Even more so if only one of them managed to take down some of the knights. Sure, some of the knights here were still below Level 30–some lower than level 20–, but against only one person?
When she passed through the crowd of soldiers with pale looks on their faces, Val instantly noticed the strangeness going on.
There were three of her soldiers, two men and one woman that were tired and haggard, getting beaten by none other than a single–also tired and haggard–woman wearing extremely strange furs on her person.
Her weapon of choice, surprisingly, was an immaculate steel sword that seemed to have been made with the finest of materials. She didn’t know how that girl got it, but it was certainly more than powerful to handle the meager weapons the soldiers were using against her.
However, what surprised her the most was not her strange clothing or her weapons, but her movements. They were sharp and precise as she landed blow after blow on the knights, not using her sword blade to strike, but to guard against the soldier’s bladed weapons as she instead used the long blade for support.
Each time she deflected one strike, the girl landed a quick blow to their shins with a punch, causing them to kneel then beat them senseless with a roundhouse kick. Then she would twirl, using the blade distraction to ward off the other two, then continue her onslaught.
As more soldiers came to try and take care of her now that the spells were gone, the more that girl shone through.
“What is going on?” Val asked. She definitely never saw this girl before, nor can she tell what her origins were. Was she even part of this kingdom?
But soon one spell after another began to bombard the girl, surprising Val. She was sure she stopped them, but considering that the girl never stopped fighting, the mages had little choice.
Val was just about to reach there to stop the fighting, but then mana began to churn around the air above the sword woman, causing Val to stop in her tracks.
A wall of shimmering turquoise light appeared above the girl, stopping the spells immediately. Val had to take a second glance at it to see it properly for herself. It was a powerful barrier, for certain, enough to protect against the mages’ spells made for attacking hordes.
Val traced the mana to the one who conjured it, finally spotting the mage supporting the swordwoman. It was a young man, seemingly the same age as the girl, and he looked just as bad as her when it came to wearing furs on their person.
His hand was outstretched and his forehead was riddled with sweat. Just like the girl, his face was concentrated in focus, or rather in rage, as he seemingly knelt down to… take hold of someone small and short.
Val’s eyes widened in horror. They had an actual child in their midst.
“Stop! Stop!” Val shouted, her voice reaching everyone this time. “Stop shooting! They are not our enemies! They have a child there!”
…..Mikella was not having the best of days, though it wasn’t as bad as the time in the tower. Now she was getting bombarded with magic spells after finally spotting a town filled with civilization.
At first, they tried to approach them calmly despite their appearance. Finally finding a town after Zeke used his barriers to make a literal staircase to check above, they decided to… dress for the occasion.
Which is to say they dressed themselves up in all the fur and pelts that they collected throughout their two weeks of foraging and hunting. They didn’t have many tools to sew, so they went medieval and just tied them together to cover themselves.
They spent two whole weeks traveling through the large forest, so their clothing were practically non-existent. Though the hides barely served anything else other than to hide their shame. It was itchy, hot to wear, and incredibly uncomfortable.
Still, she would rather wear the crappily made fur suit they made instead of showing up in town bare naked. But despite trying to dress themselves and appear as less threatening as possible, which was already difficult as it is with their wretched appearance–the people at the gate suddenly attacked them with a sneak attack of a spell.
A freaking fireball was slung right at them, and if Zeke didn’t conjure up a barrier in time, all of them would’ve been burned, including Clara with no resistances whatsoever.
That alone brought Mikella over the edge as she immediately defended themselves once the soldiers realized that they still lived and attacked. Since then, they’ve been fighting the knights that just seemed to spawn like monsters over and over, with Zeke working overtime to provide barriers from the spells trying to kill them all.
Then, finally, a powerful voice echoed out and caught everyone’s attention, including the trio. What came out was the source of that voice, and despite herself and all of her experiences, she almost dropped her sword.
A woman came out of the wooden ramparts’ gates. Mikella wasn’t into women by any means, but even she dropped her jaw at the sight of her.
A tall figure with shapely proportions matching beyond those of supermodels. Long black hair tied into a ponytail behind her with a sharp and defined regal face.
There wasn’t a single blemish on her person, and she walked forward with grace and beauty despite wearing what looked like hardened leather armor that moved as seamlessly as she did with a well-defined spear held near those swaying hips.
But what truly made her stand out in Mikella’s eyes was her eyes, or rather, what was in those dark green eyes–Pure, unadulterated pressure seemed to come out in waves, almost pushing her to kneel. She realized that it was her aura, the same as the giant Arthurian Knight that almost killed them all.
She wouldn’t even be surprised if she found out this woman was the queen of this land, and Mikella dared to intrude in her territory. She looked back, noticing that Zeke himself was also feeling the effects.
Though she almost chuckled after seeing the gaping mouth of a man witnessing an other-worldly beauty of a woman approaching them. He looked so taken aback that it helped Mikella calm down a little, facing the woman approaching her.
She wasn’t just beautiful. She was strong, Mikella could tell. She wasn’t sure how, if she was honest, but she didn’t want to piss her off.
However, she glowered at her, her sword at the ready. While it may be possible that this warrior could annihilate her with her pinky, she can’t give up her position.
She had Clara at her back, and she couldn't let anyone get to her. Even if it means fighting with someone clearly above her level, far beyond even what that wyvern and the giant knight can accomplish.
“May I ask who you are?” Val asked, tilting her head slightly as she addressed Mikella.