The Guardian
Chapter 7: Light World
I was surprised by the sudden invasion just as much as the people of WhiteCurrent. WhiteCurrent was the town nearby the impassable river, and they were the closest to the Umprians. I spotted them first when they hunted down all the patrols units, I never seen monsters as cruel as them, they had enjoyed hunting each Humes in their paths, and killed them in the most cruelest way possible. I noticed something odd happening as well, usually when a Humes die, its soul would return to my essence and reborn as another Humes infant, but when the monster took out the patrol unit I couldn't feel their souls return to me at all.
I wondered how I didn't spot them earlier too. I could easily spot the wandering wild animals or monsters easily enough in the lands owed by Humes, but not this unknown army. It seems there was a cloak around them that prevented me from seeing them. I could only see them when they were spotted by any Humes. Somehow this effect reminded me of the attacking creatures from my first world.
I watched the last of the patrol unit get slaughtered, while this was happening I entered the building built for my first champion. Inside I could feel all the prayers, I could feel each and every one of the priest inside, and then I released panic, fear, and an ominous feeling that loomed over them. The head priest was the most effected by this event, and ever so gently I whispered,
“Danger,”
This was the second most I had ever spoken to a single Humes, and I saw it nearly broke him. I had to warn him, and I had to warn the Reverent of the dangers too. I let him feel what I let the priests feel. I watched them prepare, but I had seen the army, and this wasn't enough preparation. I couldn't say anymore to the head priest without completely breaking him, so I only let him feel the building tension as night falls.
WhiteCurrent was alone. Sunchaser was in a massive rebellion, and I knew no help would be coming. Cradle had to pass by Sunchaser, and as well as the other towns.
The first gate to fall was the eastern gate. War trolls completely destroyed the gate, and the guards was unprepared for them. They only had slightly heighten security but no more than necessary to cause a panic. The guards at the gate was slaughtered but took down most of the war trolls, and then until there was only a single war troll and one man. I could feel the man's fear. He wanted to live, but he was too scared. I could feel his regret at his cowardice. I wrapped my self around the man as the war troll lift its mighty mace.
Then something unexpected happened. Something similar to my own wrapped around the war troll, and then I heard a voice.
“Stop! I Kill Humes!”
I watched the essence similar to my own sink into the war troll, and then it stepped back and lowered its eyes. Another creature entered through the gate, and others followed behind it. The creature walked up to the man I've wrapped my self to. I could see a black veil wrapped around it that only I could see. The creature lifted up man by its neck. Immediately when our essence touched I knew what I was facing.
“HUmES wEAk! ORCs StROnG!”
Two voices said at the same time. One belonged to the orc, and another that said through the Orc. It was someone like me that controlled the Orcs.
“I WILL TAKE! I WILL TAKE ALL YOURS! I WILL TAKE WHAT'S RIGHTFULLY MINE!”
It's voice was so loud. It held so much power.
“MINE! MINE! MINE! THIS WORLD IS MINE!”
The voice assaulted me, the world around me dimmed, and I could feel the voice was doing something to me. I had to remove myself from the man or it would absorb me completely, but I couldn't bring myself to abandon him, I couldn't let go of the coward who deeply wished he changed. I struggled as my being flooded into the being similar to my own.
- -
Goodwyn choked. His eyes turning red from the lack of oxygen. Tears ran down his face as he watched the Orc smiled sadistically at him. Why did he even bother joining the patrol group in the first place. At first he blamed Trisdan for forcing him to join, it was that friendship request that he couldn't ignore. He would have chosen a nice boring desk job instead, but deep down Goodwyn knew the reason why he was in the patrol group instead of working as a civil servant.
Ever since he was young, Goodwyn was a coward. He was the smallest of all in the group of kids he grown up with. He was never brave to go beyond the walls, he was never brave enough to explore the sewers with all the other kids, he was never brave enough to confess to the girl of his dreams, and because of his cowardice the local kids would bully him constantly. Trisdan was his only real friend growing up. He never really changed no matter how hard he tried, even after joining the patrol group. It wasn't Trisdan fault he joined the patrol group, it was his and his hope for him to change.
His vision started to dim, the sounds around him started to fade until he could only hear his own heart beat, and even his own heart beat started to beat slower. The world became deathly quiet.
Then Goodwyn saw them.
The two forces battling above his soul. He could see the Orc's malicious essence try to devour a brighter being. The brighter being was losing. Goodwyn knew the being could leave at anytime, but it choose to stay with him. This mysterious being chose to be with him, and didn’t want to abandon him. Goodwyn could see the brighter being's light dimmed. He could see it struggling with all its might to keep him wrapped up, and it was losing.
Goodwyn felt the tears run down.
He knew what it was. The Reverent would often speak about a mysterious sense they would feel when a truly troubling situation came. The scouts called it Hunter's Instinct, it was their guide and most trusted ally. The Union in the Rain was the most closest to this mysterious being, and at times can even speak to it.
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“Let go! The Humes will still need you to guide them!” Goodwyn thought never in a million years he would choose the greater good over his personal safety.
- -
I felt an ever great pull from the being before me. It's grip so tight that it wanted to devour me completely. If I abandon this man then his soul would be lost to me. Why was it so more powerful than me! What had I do to become more powerful than it!
I heard the man's shout, he desperately wanted to be let go. He knew what was at stake here. To let him be taken by the orc's being.
And I knew there was only one way to save the man before me.
“Goodwyn, become my second champion.”
- -
“O great Rain, O great being, please watch over us,” Amelia pleaded. The soldiers were no match for the Orcs. The Orcs were more resilience and had more experience for warfare than the WhiteCurrent army. The soldiers were being pushed back. Her mana also had ran out, and she couldn't cast anymore spells. She could see the eastern gate from here. In the center she could see a single Humes being strangled by an Orc larger than most its species.
In the center of the Orc horde, a light exploded that blinded her for a moment. The Orc that was strangling the man was pushed back a meter, and the man was on his knee. The Orcs surrounding the man was also pushed back from whatever the man has done.
In the prayer room she had felt the closest to the source, but now she could feel its essence over the fallen man surrounded by Orcs. It was the first time she ever felt this close to the source. Why could she feel so much from this mysterious man?
“Furer?” Amelia looked at her senior.
“I know Amelia,” He replied. The soldiers and Orcs paused to look at the spectacle.
The man stood up, his eyes glazed over. The large Orc roared and unleashed his oversize sword at him. The man met his attack with his short sword. The oversized sword was completely stopped, and this surprised the Orc.
“We have to help him!” Amelia yelled.
Furer nodded and went to go speak with the commander. The fighting resumed at this moment. Amelia never felt so helpless before. She couldn't even use any magic to heal the injured. If only she took her studies seriously, and spent more time praying. Her magic reserves would have been much larger, and she could have used better magic to help the suffering soldiers. The only thing she could do was mediate to speed up her magic recovery.
- -
“Goo-wyn, become m- se-on- champion.”
The words distorted and became so powerful. He felt his entire self almost vanish from those words alone but he held on. He knew he had to accept or lose the higher being to the Orc's higher being. The Humes would lose its guardian if this happened, and he wasn't going to let this happen.
He let himself go. He trusted the words that came to him, and then he felt it. He felt himself embrace the higher being above him, and he was accepted. His inner self merged and started receiving the essence being poured into him.
Goodwyn never felt so powerful in his entire life. The world sped up, he could see the Orcs holding him by the neck. He closed his eyes and concentrated on building up the power inside him, and then he let it out. He opened his eyes again and he could see his aura had pushed the Orc back a meter, and he knew this stopped the being over him from being absorbed anymore. He couldn't see it anymore, but he just knew the being over him was safe.
He examined himself and didn't see any physical changes to his body, but he could feel the essence powering his body to high levels. He felt stronger than he had ever felt before, and this excited him. He clutched his fist and smiled. The Orc seen the smile and set it off. It roared so loud that the ground quaked beneath him. The Orc was on him a moment later, his sword overhead it. He met its sword with his own and stopped the motion.
Goodwyn stepped back and unstrapped his shield from his back. This shield hasn't been used yet. He didn't know if he had changed, but he couldn't let down his fallen comrade, or the comrade fighting behind him. He was the higher being champion now. He had to change, he had to stopped being a coward. He was chosen. He was meant to take the front line and protect his comrades behind his shield.
He closed his eyes and whispered.
“Please give me strength,”
He felt his power slightly increase. Words formed in his mind. It was a reply from the being watching over him. He had to concentrate to make it form into something he could understand.
Fight, win.
The Orc started a series of grunts, and Goodwyn knew it was trying to speak to him. Why couldn't it speak the Humes Language now?
“Humes Strong Now,” the Orc said.
“Me WarBane. Chief of third tribe of Marh. You Give Name”
The words suddenly cleared and Goodwyn could understand the Orc.
- -
I sighed in relief. I had chosen my champion. I wasn't sure how I had done it again but this release the hold the higher being held over me. This whole champion thing was a mystery to me, but i felt my entire self evolve a level up. I was slightly more powerful than before as well. Will I continue to become more powerful the more champions I have? I knew I couldn't choose a third champion this moment. I was forbidden from choosing one somehow, but why?
The Orc before my champion started speaking. My champion and I couldn't understand it, but then I saw the Orc's being similar to my own wrap around it, and I could understand the words that Orc said.
“Humes Strong Now,” the Orc said. MINE! MINE! THIS WORLD WILL BE MINE! There was words hidden beneath the Orc's own words. I could feel it was the Orc's higher being talking through the orc's to my Champion and then to me. At least it couldn't interact with me anymore.
“Me WarBane. Chief of third tribe of Marh. You Give Name,” I AM THE CHIEF GOD ORCBLANK, WHAT IS YOUR NAME!
I could sense my champion's determination, and his unease underneath it. He was still scared, but he was determine to fight when he was the champion hand picked by me. I let my essence flow to let him know I was with him.
“Goodwyn Hielbright, The Paladin Champion of WhiteCurrent,”
I am the HUMES GOD, Lux Orbis.
I replied to the chief god Orcblank.
- -