Johanna sat on her favorite rocking chair, she had tea in her hands, and the wolf that was guarding her lay close to her as soon as he saw her. “How are you doing Tinge?” he named the wolf a long time ago already.
She drank the tea, there was a small pouch that was hanging on her neck, she took out a treat for the wolf, it was a ball of grounded bones. For some reason Tinge the wolf really loved it, she gave one to the wolf and the wolf happily gobbled it.
“Whew… it's almost winter again, it's getting cold!” she muttered, she tapped her chest.
Johanna, Green Deer Lv81
Title: Hero of Grans War, True follower of Zorya, Chimera Slayer, Ball Crusher, Saint of the Reed Forest
Status: Weakened
Job: War Maiden
Skills: Sword Mastery Lv10, Blade Mastery Lv10, Brewing Master Lv10(+5)
Magic: Fire Magic Mastery Lv10, Water Magic Mastery Lv7
She was still annoyed by the “Ball Crusher” title but it actually gave her boosts in her brewing skill. The status “Weakened” usually disappeared after a while but after a few years, it didn’t leave her state.
She tapped back her chest closing the status screen. She could feel it, it was probably time. She stood up and stretched, she hadn’t been weaving for months now, and she always felt tired. Right now, she thought that she could begin another project but as soon as she began walking back inside her house she fell down.
The wolf was instantly worried and quickly sent an “Awoo!” as he picked up the old woman gently.
<--->
The old woman was dreaming. As she gained her consciousness, she heard a terrible word.
“ATTACK!! ATTACK!!” it resounded through her.
She opened her eyes and she was in a familiar tent. She stood up from her bed took some apples and immediately bit on them, she began wearing her armor, usually, she had an attendant to help her dress up but she was not there when she woke up so she proceeded by herself.
From her boots, armor, and spaulders to her gauntlets, she was efficient, she had been trained even from a young age.
The curtains of the tent opened up. “Johanna! We are under attack! Hey at least wear more clothes!” it was Eric, the supposed hero of humanity. They were currently at war and the place it was happening was the fields of Gran.
The Kulaz Kingdom where the two of them were born was currently at war because of Eric, Eric, Silverglade was his name, he came from the line of the nobles. Eversince the Spell Blade was named the other kingdoms wanted some rights over him. Kulaz refused that’s why they were fighting now.
“Eric! Rally the troops I will be there in a minute! I just woke up so don’t blame me!” Johanna answered never stopping her dress up.
Eric blushed a little, and then from his back, Johanna’s attendant pushed Eric to the side to enter the tent. “Hey!” Eric was annoyed but it was an emergency.
“Emma! Where were you!?” Johanna complained and her attendant proceeded to prepare her weapons.
“Fighting is not the only thing in life!” Emma answered she was a noble too, she had a very peculiar relationship with Johanna. “Sir Eric! Get out of the War Maiden’s tent! Stop looking at her chest!” she then drew a sword to shoo the noble who just blushed and left.
As soon as Eric left Emma smiled at Johanna“Sorry… I’m with Shane… he said he would marry me,” she smiled. “This will be my last campaign,” she said too.
Johanna nodded, she was happy for her, too bad she only had roughly 3 more months for her to finish her service and she would be eligible to be a knight. She too had a combat job like Johanna, she was a Spear Master.
“Just bring my hammer and your spear, I will bring the rest!” Johanna notified her as she rushed outside.
“But you don’t have a skill for the hammer! Whatever!” Emma answered, she followed with her spear and the War Maiden’s hammer.
Johanna immediately felt the heat of the war, the smell of it. That metallic smell was pungent and immediately noticeable. Their camp was literally sitting at the edge of the Gran Fields. Although it was a field, it was uneven and had a curve going west. The kingdom of Kulaz was just west of it and the field that they were staying on and defending was a direct route to the kingdom.
“DEFEND! USE THE WOODEN STAKE! NO ONE SHALL PASS!” it was Eric screaming. The battle in the front was already ongoing.
Their camp luckily finished forming a barricade of woods.
As Johanna rushed forward into the frontline the screams and clanging of metals resounded.
“Johanna! They are sending armored troops!” Eric who was the overseer informed Johanna as she arrived, and the woman immediately fell in line with the front line.
“Boys! On me!” she rallied and the soldiers who saw how she looked rallied to her voice. Johanna took a piece of bottle downing it in one gulp like a practiced act.
Upon her arrival, the confidence of the soldiers immediately increased. The first wave that was sent to delay the attack was already coming back. The soldiers that were retreating smiled seeing the next wave ready to receive the charge of the armored troops.
“CHARGE!!!!!” Eric’s voice resounded on the whole battlefield.
In the lead, Johanna ran like her life depended on it. Her charge formed an arrow-like formation.
The formation of the enemy was just a slow straight column, Johanna’s eyes moved around checking the formation, it was solid, and there was no weakness in the formation.
If there was no weakness then she had to make one, and since she was already running into the center she aimed her hands “I summon the flames of despair to be rained down to my enemies!!” from her hands launched an array of fire arrows firing away on the same spot.
“She used magic!” “Brace yourselves!” “We are going to die!” it was the muttering of the armored soldiers that was steadily approaching.
“BOOM!!” the explosion echoed to the whole fields of Gran.
This was a prelude to one of the most bloody battles in the history of Kulaz, one that would scar its participants for a very long time.
The smoke covered the battlefield and so Johanna’s sight but it flashed as she awakened from her dreams.
<--->
“Johanna! Johanna!” a disgusting face of a goblin trying to wake her up. His face was contorted with worry and care.
“I’m back?” she said. Then she remembered that she fell down suddenly when she was going inside her house.
She looked around, she was still in her house. She could feel a warm feeling on her left arm. It was held by a woman she had never seen before, she could tell that she was not a human, rather she was just in the shape of one.
“Skulk… I can’t alter the inevitable… everything has its limits… sorry,” the woman said, her hair was made up of leaves while she wore cotton-made clothes.
A smile painted by pain and acceptance shrouded the old woman’s face. “It's okay, how long?” Johanna had to ask since she could hear them all.
“Only a day… 2 or 3 or probably less,” the woman with leafy hair spoke in regret.
“Skulk… can we talk alone?” Johanna requested as she squeezed the hands of the woman.
“Then I will be going now, it's easy to find me,” she said and petals of carnation blew out of nowhere as she disappeared.
The two literally coughed off the pollen that the flower petals left.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“That’s a dramatic exit, who’s that girl?” Johanna said waving off the air in front of her using her hands.
“She is that protector of the forest, she calls herself Dryad, she’s good at healing magic,” Skulk answered precisely.
The old lady smiled, it was ironic that the goblin she just trained for a while really cared for her, unlike the family that she had built back in the kingdom. As soon as she retired from the service she was cast off. Although her last interactions with her son were okay. There are some things that words could never explain.
“How many years has it been since I beat Daigo?” she then raised her hands, reaching out for the goblin, Skulk immediately reacted as he grabbed her hands.
“9 years already,” Skulk said.
The forest has been bustling and the plans for the dungeon diving were doing really well. Humans had begun visiting the place trying to push the boundaries of the unknown but none was spared.
“When’s that dungeon going to appear, did the god already tell you?” another question from Johanna.
“No… but it would come, I could feel it… Johanna, do you want to rest for a while?” Skulk was concerned as the old woman’s face began to become more pale than ever before.
“I… okay, but you have to hold my hand… I’m scared,” the old woman pleaded. Skulk happily complied even grabbing the hands of the old woman with two of his.
Johanna’s senses became numb as she began the slumber to the eternal night.
<--->
“Johanna! Rally the front! I will go for the flank!” it was Eric’s voice that called her sense back.
They were in the heat of the battle against the chimera. The large monster was in its prime, it emanated pressure of its magical essence that was out of this world. It made the front liners shake their boots. Even the best of the best that was chosen to participate in the expedition of their fate felt fear.
But Johanna was steady. For some reason, she was sure that they could beat the Chimera.
“Lads! Hold your ground! Follow my voice!! My lead!!” she screamed, she made sure that her voice penetrated the ears of the 4 in the front. Eric was already gone, she knew that the time they would be buying would make all the difference.
Behind the formation of 4 she screamed “Open!!” and a path was made as the 4 in the front divided themselves. She met with the Chimera and began trading blows with it.
The parries were accurate and decisive, the others immediately joined her parrying as they covered her blind spot. She knew that they would survive the fight if they worked properly.
“I’m here! Eat this!” it was Eric's voice, the man was free falling from the tree.
The Chimera didn’t notice his descent as he aimed at its back.
Suddenly Johanna blinked, she knew that this was the moment when Eric would die. She tried to scream, to warn her about the hidden tail but her voice didn’t come out.
“Searing Sword!” she muttered as she saw Eric’s sword blazing down. It penetrated the Chimera, pushing it down to the ground “Guys! Kill it!” Eric screamed and the 4 knights that were in the front line attacked with an intention to finish the monster off.
“We are going to party tonight!” one of the mages from the back screamed, she was an old jolly woman that the whole team loved.
“Johanna! Cut the head properly and drain the blood! We will carry it back tomorrow!” another woman who was the mage for their party.
“It's dead!” one of the 4 knights celebrated as they successfully killed the Chimera.
Eric then emerged from the corpse. He was bloody but not from his own. “Damn it! Since I’m the champion of humanity, I’m declaring that we will be partying the whole night and go home!” he screamed raising his sword up.
The whole party cheered.
“Johanna! Why are you staring at us like that? Oh, are you crying? The tough War Maiden is crying!?” Eric teased her.
Then flashes of their dead faces made her shake her head… trying to forget it. “Am I dead?” she asked them.
The whole party instantly laughed at her.
“You just need some of my soup! Don’t worry! I will make sure that Eric won’t be able to go close to it and put something strange on it!” the healer who usually cooks said.
The two women tapped Johanna's shoulders. “I see…” Johanna said, she raised her sword and screamed. “Then let’s party!”
<--->
There was a grave in the middle of the forest of Reed. On its stone engraved “Johanna of the Green Deer,” a sword was plunged just beside it… and a lonely goblin stood there, staring at it.
The grave was well maintained and a flower bed was all around it. The goblin scratched his head, he could still remember the last words that escaped the old woman’s mouth when she died.
“Then let’s party? You are a strange one,” the goblin whose name was Skulk was speaking in the grave.
He was already too far unrecognizable from the goblin that he was before. He was a green goblin with a dragon scale-like skin covering his joints and back. A bag still hung on his waist.
It had been so many years since the old woman passed away but he would still visit the grave whenever he had a chance.
A few of the words the old woman told him resurfaced back.
Johanna quote:
“Skills are a gained efficiency, doesn’t mean that you can’t learn another one.” the goblin smiled remembering this, he tried to share it with the others and it was slowly sinking in.
“Don’t be complacent, everybody dies when their head gets detached” is another true statement from the old lady who taught her.
“I’m a faith of Zoryan, shut up and at least let me pray,” the first time he heard the name of the god but he was not sure if it was really its name or what humans called him.
“Use your senses! Don’t trust your skill… it is you who swings the sword!” another quote that even now he still instilled inside him.
Johanna end quotes.
Skulk then took a bundle of leaves from his backpack and placed it on the front of the grave. Immediately butterflies began checking it out. “Dried Pears,” the goblin commented and he sat for a while in the field. Taking in the view of the flower bed.
A Lamia approached him, it slithered its way to his back. “Skulk, the wolves are ready, the human’s party is ready too. Let’s go,” it was one of Lammy’s kin.
“I see, it's time for their training ain’t it?” Skulk said, he stood up and smiled at Lamia.
The Lamia nodded and the two began moving. One look again at the grave before Skulk resolutely walked away.
The small goblin had been taxed of watching over the Aetheris stone, keeping the dungeon under control to prevent other worlders from stealing it.
<--->
The pears were exposed in the air, and the butterflies that were ogling on it really loved its sweet taste.
“It's really good-” As the butterflies flapped it hovered into the air, it began to flash as its form began to change. “-How about I try to take one.”
He was a tall guy with a Stovepipe Hat. His demeanor and outfit screamed of a British descent. “Oh I’m not a British, I just loved how they dress and copied it,” and he reacted to my narration from an omnipotent view. “-Oh, my name is Andre, and I’m a god!” he introduced himself with a good gusto. “Don’t worry I will not speak to you directly anymore, this is a 3rd POV story and I do understand! Sorry!”
As he had told himself before he wanted to have some of the dried pears so he removed his gloves, picked some up, and immediately placed them in his mouth. “Ooh… this tastes so good, hey Zorya! Zorya!” he began calling a name.
A ball of light flashed behind him “Oh, you still don’t have a proper form? Why don’t you just copy the ones that were given to you by the humans you watch over?” Andre asked in wonder and he took another pear.
“... Senior, I don’t even have enough divinity to do that, this is my first world,” the ball of light spoke.
“I see, how about I take you under my wing, don’t worry, I don’t care about the Aetheris Stone, rather I want her soul!~” Andre humorously clapped but then take another piece of the pears “Damn! The sweetness and the sourness are just too good to be true!” he said appreciating the taste of the sweets.
“... She is the most interesting human I have ever met… if she agrees then I will not oppose to it,” the ball of light spoke.
“Okay! You said it! To start out with helping you, how about I seal the bottom of the dungeon? As long as your champion defeats the last boss underneath it I can make a base and you some of my powers to brush off the guy that’s on your ass, what do you think?” Andre then licked some of his fingers then blew it, he began putting back the gloves, all of the pears that were in the bundle of leaves had already disappeared.
“I see… you are going to use the cleansing… can I inform my champion?” the ball of light flickered, it was a display of excitement.
“Do as you will! Come! Let’s get her in the Forge of Souls!” then Andre summoned his favorite walking stick.
<--->
Skulk clutched his torso. He opened his eyes and so the crystal ceiling. This is the deepest part of the dungeon. Decades had passed and they were finally in the final stretch of their mission.
“Sir Skulk! Sir Skulk!” a voice of a human roared in the heat of the battlefield. Grandon of the Green Deer, the champion of the humans. The one that they sent to represent humanity, the strongest of their kind. And by the design of their fate was also a descendant of Johanna the Saint of Reed Forest.
“You wouldn’t die from that? Don’t you!” Grandson screamed, his voice reverberated with the iron helmet that he was wearing.
Skulk stood up, he really did raise an insolent brat. It was really too cliche that the final boss in the bottom of the World Dungeon was a Chimera. They lost some of their comrades in the process of him going down the dungeon.
“Master! Conserve your strength! We will form a squad and flank! Please one more time!” it was a wolf, one of the Silvermane, Razorback’s great-grandson, well everyone in his pack was neither his son nor daughter. His name was Clutchback.
“Your father would be proud! We will visit his grave on the 12th floor after clearing this dungeon!” Skulk shouted and stood up, taking up a potion from his bag and down it. “Bleurgh!!” it was so far from what Johanna would make him before but he was getting better.
“Sir Skulk! I got the left!” Grandon screamed again, he had a 20-man group of humans fighting under him. They were hand-selected by Skulk and Grandon. A squad from different kingdoms and could be said that they were the finest the humans could offer.
“Lammy! Please! Coat my sword with that time magic again!” Skulk requested but immediately noticed that his sword was not with him, so he began looking around.
“You dropped it on that side, Horus is fetching it,” Lammy said.
And as she said Horus who was running with the sword was approaching them, he swatted monsters that were on his way.
“Catch!” Horus screamed as he threw the sword in the air.
Skulk caught it and landed back on his two feet. “It's strange that Horus can’t do anything to damage the final boss, well he carried the dive on most of the level,” the goblin said, his sword shone as Lammy’s magic enveloped the blade of the Mythril Sword.
“This is it Skulk, finish it off, I want to go home,” Lammy said as she joined Horus in fighting the monster spawn.
“Grandon! I’m ready!” Skulk screamed as he ran for an attack. The goblin scanned the area and instantly read the battlefield.
The group of monsters led by Clutchback pushed to the left. While Grandon’s group of humans pushed to the right. It cornered the Chimera and a path was clearly made in the middle for Skulk to attack.
The Chimera monster was only damageable by Lammy’s Gravity elemental magic but it had to penetrate the thin barrier that coated the body of the monster.
“Oh! My Sword Summon Level Up!” Skulk muttered and he began filtering the selection of swords that popped up in front of him. “Kusanagi - Barrier Slayer!” the goblin muttered and from his hand, a sword formed.
Skulk jumped and upon reaching his top height he began spinning down. He just had to swing the Kusanagi first and use the gravity magic-coated Mythril Sword to inflict damage, as brutally as possible.
The monster tried to fight back but Clutchback and Grandon were assertive in holding the beast back. The goblin who was spinning as fast as he could landed to the back of the Chimera and it was the end of it.