Chapter 2: A World of Metal and Monsters

              “Hurry up and get those crates on the cart!”

              A loud shout could be heard in the midst of a loud crowd. There, a line of wagons could be seen. There was a total of 14 of them each pulled by two horses. In these carts, crates were being piled in one by one. Sack filled with fruits, flour and some sort of black powder were also being loaded in. Suddenly, one of the boys dropped a sack.

              “Oye, you. Careful with that. You want to blow us up!?”

              The poor boy shivered as he stared at the intact sack. In it, the same black powder in the carts could be seen. The man, seeing that the boy froze up, sighed and walked over to him.

              “Give me that. As for you, only carry what’s safe. Aright? I can’t have a major accident happen here since we’re already late”

              The boy nodded enthusiastically as he ran back into the storage room. As for the taskmaster, he quickly went back to directing the others. It took a bit longer, but soon the cargo were loaded. He then ran to the lead cart and got on the very top of it. Here, he had three guards. One manning a mounted crossbow. The other two were a female mage and a male archer.

              “Is the caravan ready?!”

              “Carriage 1 ready!”

              “Carriage 2 ready!”

              The response kept going until the final carriage gave the clear signal.

              “We will be passing the Trees of Voraya. Be alert at all times! Now, get this train moving!”

              A man pulled out a whistle and blew on it. The sound immediately permeated the air and soon the caravan began to move forward. They made their way through the winding streets of the city and soon, they came upon a huge gate. The caravan immediately stopped as a guard walked towards the lead cart.

              “Sir, I know it may be an inconvenience, but we have to check your carts first”

              The taskmaster immediately knitted his brows as his guards looked at one another in confusion.

              “Is something the matter?”

              “No, it’s just for safety measures”

              “Safety measures? For us to leave the city?”

              “I know it sounds weird, but there were some problems. We just have to make sure that you’re not housing anyone suspicious”

              Strange as the request was, the taskmaster decided to let them check their carts. After all, he really didn’t have anything to hide. When they were given the green signal, several guards began walking along the train. In each cart, they began sifting through them. Of course, it was discourteous to damage the goods. That’s why, they didn’t jab their pikes through the crates or sack in order to search them. Instead, they had one of their mages check each cart individually for anything or anyone suspicious. As soon as the final cart was checked, the guard signed a piece of paper and handed it to the taskmaster.

              “Here”

              “Thanks… is there anything happening?”

              “… It’s none of your concern”

              The guard conveniently dropped the conversation as he went back to his post. As for the doors, mechanisms could be heard as several loud noises rang.

              “Squad two and three, prepare for intervention!”

              Two groups of soldiers began setting up a perimeter in front of the gate. In the front, a line of musket men could be seen. Behind them, they were covered by the dense line of pike men. Mages could also be seen chanting small enforcement magic on the men. Small explosions could be heard atop of the walls but no one seemed to care about that as they focused their attention towards the gate. Soon, the huge doors began opening. As soon as a small slit opened, several creatures could be seen making their way towards them.

              “FIRE!”

              A series of gunfire flooded the entrance. The creatures didn’t stand a chance as they were mercilessly torn apart.

              “Reload! Magicians, cast holy magic!”

              As the guards were fending off the strange looking creatures, the taskmaster saw his opportunity.

              “GO!”

              Soon, the lead cart barreled through the creatures killing many. Behind him, the other carts followed after him. They were instantly surrounded by many strange creatures.

              “DO NOT STOP! AS LONG AS YOU DON’T STOP, YOU WILL BE FINE!”

              As he said this, he immediately shot one of the creatures with a flintlock pistol. His men followed suit, shooting as much arrows and bolts they can. The entire caravan made a beeline towards the forest and soon darkness engulfed them. This forest was a really dangerous place. It was possible that they could have taken the desert route, but it was a longer trip. Plus, by going through the forest, they can save more money by buying less supplies and more products. Furthermore, they have a peace of mind knowing that after they leave the forest, a holy barrier would block off the remaining creatures that would chase them. That’s why many risk going through this trade route. The taskmaster, is one of these said people. Even though he’s lost some men in the past years, it was still a small sacrifice to make.

              “These guys are never ending”

              The mage couldn’t help but say that out loud as she blasted another creature with a fireball. Now, the creatures themselves were of many kinds. They all had the form of wolves, tigers and other fierce animals. But, that’s not what makes them special. They were all demonized monsters. With glowing red eyes and red miasma surrounding them, they had a fierce appearance as well as a big appetite.

              “Don’t relax. If you let them too close, were all dead”

              The three nodded as they continued their onslaught. At this point, they’ve managed to reach the outskirts of the forest. The taskmaster saw this and waved a yellow flag above him. The mages of the caravan saw this and began chanting holy magic.

              “B-class variants! Undead, Humanoid!”

              The taskmaster gave an alarmed look as a scream permeated the air. He looked behind and saw a man being pulled into the dense forest.

              “Carriage 8 gunner’s been taken!”

              “HERE THEY COME!”

              Suddenly, more appeared. This time though, they all managed to kill them before they got too close. Arrows upon arrows whistled as some of the demonized undead were bolted to trees. Whatever the archers and crossbowman’s missed, the mages made quick work of pulverizing them into the ground. As for the rest…

              “Barrier completed. We have one hour till it dissapears”

              “That’s fine. We only need an hour”

              The train of carriages continued speeding through the dark forest. Around them, dark black vines hanged from the eerie trees. Red eyes could be seen looking at them from the very depths. But the mercenaries knew that as long as the barrier held up, the ghouls wouldn’t dare of attacking head on. That’s why they were bidding their time, waiting for the barrier to disappear. But the taskmaster knew about this. That’s why he told everyone to charge through the forest. In doing so, he was confident that they would make it out of the forest in no time. Minutes began to past but soon, he began seeing the edge of the forest.

              “Stay alert. We’re nearly out of this god forsaken place”

              Everyone began to relax after hearing this.

              “AHHH!”

              Suddenly, a new scream appeared. This time, it was accompanied by a huge crash.

              “Carriage 9 was taken out!”

              “What!”

              The taskmaster couldn’t believe his ear. He turned around and sure enough, a carriage was overturned. There, in its place, was a huge wyvern. Its wings were big enough to cover the entire road and its body was as big as two carriages. The monster flapped its wings creating pressure in its surroundings. Everyone that was close were instantly knocked backwards. The other carriages behind the one that was destroyed were forced to stop. The mercenaries, who were waiting in their carriages, flocked out with weapons in their hand though you can see the fear in their eyes.

              “Reccile, lead the other carriages out. I’m coming back for them”

              “Alright but you better not die on me!”

              With a nod, the taskmaster jumped off of the carriage and landed on the cold hard floor. The other eight carriages passed by him, while the last carriage stopped. Here, several more men came down. They all had muskets.

              “Fire at will!”

              The men didn’t even get into formation as they began firing at the wyvern. The bullets, though, only seemed to annoy the monster as it focused its attention on them.

              “That’s right you little bugger, look right over here”

              The man took out his pistol and shot it right at its head. Just like the rest, it simply bounced off harmlessly to the floor.

              “Figures… I really need to work on the accuracy a bit more”

              He then stashed the pistol on his side and took the sword from his other side. It was a beautiful sword. With a weighted body that slimmed to the base of the hilt, it seemed to focus on kinetic power. Its hilt was very similar to those seen in sabers, but the overall appearance was more similar to a broadsword than a saber. There were also writings embedded on the fuller which were glowing blue.

              “Well, I guess it’s still up to you partner”

              He ran towards the monster as his men continued to fire. The monster immediately used its claws and tried to swipe him into the air. He simply jumped over it while slicing the monsters wrist. It screamed in agony as it tried to go for another swipe. This time, he slid under it and stabbed directly at the monsters stomach. The wyvern immediately began to fly but the taskmaster didn’t let it. Using his sword, which was still embedded in its stomach, as a footstool. He managed to jump to its neck and then quickly jumped on its back. He then took out a small knife and sliced at its wings. It wasn’t easy since the blade didn’t have as good an edge as his sword, but it did the job. The wyvern only made it above the tree line before it fell out of the sky. Here, the other mercenaries began surrounding it. They tried to cut it the same way as the taskmaster, but they couldn’t do it as deep as him.

              “Tch…”

              “The skins hard!”

              The two men jumped backward as its claws slammed on the spot they were on previously. As for the taskmaster, he quickly jumped from its back and took back his sword. Blood began to spill everywhere but soon evaporated from the fireballs. Explosion after explosion hit the massive creature. Burnt flesh could be smelled as the wyvern screamed in pain. The taskmaster, not missing the chance, ran up to monster. With a quick slice he managed to tear through its neck and soon, its breathing stopped.

              “Get the carriages prepared. Get everything off of the cart and make sure the wounded are fine”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

              The mercenaries saluted before heading towards the broken carriage.

              “Semir!”

              He looked back towards the exit of the forest. There, Recille could be seen riding a horse. With a smile, Semir gave a friendly wave to her. She then stopped her horse beside him and got off.

              “Didn’t I tell you to watch over the other carriages?”

              “No, you told me to lead them out. You never told me that I couldn’t come back”

              “Ahh… true. Anyway, why did you come back?”

              She began to blush.

              “I… I had to make sure that no one got hurt”

              “What, you don’t trust me?”

              “It’s not like I don’t trust you… ah, whatever. Is everyone fine?”

              With a red face, she walked towards the mercenaries who were quickly loading the cargo. Semir smiled. He knew that she had feelings for him. It’s just, he really likes to tease her a lot.

              “Whoa!”

              Suddenly, one of the mercenaries jumped back from the carriage.

              “Oye, what are you doing?”

              “Theirs… people in the cart!”

              Semir had a confused look on his face. He then ran over to flipped carriage. There, he saw two people. One was a female knight in heraldic armor. The other was a young girl who was wrapped gently in cloth. If you look closely, it appears she was wearing some sort of cape. Probably part of the knight’s armor. Now, as to why the mercenary jumped back, the knight was pointing her sword towards them. With a deathly glare, she held on to the girl like her life depended on it. Semir couldn’t help but think that she was someone important. Slowly, not to scare the knight, he walked towards them.

              “Hello. There’s probably circumstances on why you’re on our cart, but is it possible for you to move a bit. We need to get these into our other carriages before our barrier runs out”

              He gave a friendly smile but the girl kept glaring at him. His face was beginning to cramp, but he didn’t let it show.

              “Please, if you have circumstances. Then we can talk about it later. Right now, were in a very bad place to be so if you can please…”

              “I want you to take us to the nearest city”

              The knight immediately interrupted him. He couldn’t help but feel annoyed, yet he didn’t dare let it show.

              “I see. But you do understand that…”

              “If it is money, I have it. That’s why, I want you to take us to the nearest city”

              “That’s not what I’m…”

              “So will you take us or not?”

              The knight didn’t let him finish at all. This irritated him even more seeing as they were running out of time.

              “Look here mam, were in the middle of one of the most dangerous forest in the continent. If you can kindly move from where you are, we can negotiate AFTER we get out, ok?”

              For a moment, everything was silent. Not even a cricket chirped. Then, the girl slowly moved to the side, her sword pointed towards them. Seeing this, the mercenaries began their work again. Soon, everything was finished and they all got back into their carriages. At this point, the barrier had already broken. The crossbow gunners were unloading bolts after bolts into the incoming horde while magicians had chanted one spell after another. As for the knight, she got on the rear cart, to the members chagrin, and began killing any ghouls that got near. Soon, they left the forest and you can see the ghouls chase for a second, stop and then leave. The mercenaries sighed in relief. In front of them, the wide open fields welcomed them. Here, the cows were grazing as farmers casually waved at them. Some even complimented them for their bravery in going through the forest. But soon, a new obstacle appeared in front of the caravan.

              “Take us to the nearest city now!”

              “Again, I would… but it’s still far away”

              Semir looked clearly unhappy as the knight kept pestering him. As for the girl she was carrying, she was currently being tended by their mages.

              “Anyway, if you’re looking to go to another city, why did you even leave the first one anyway?”

              “It’s none of your business. Now, get us to the nearest city. I paid you didn’t I?”

              “Again, that’s not how it works. Plus, the nearest city is Dankshire, which was the city we left. Honestly, if you want me to bring you to the nearest city, then we’ll have to go back there”

              With this, the knight immediately quieted down. This confirmed Semir’s superstition. He knew that the incidence at the gate earlier proved to be linked towards the knight. In other words, he unknowingly helped a possible fugitive escape capture. Already, he knows that he has to make a decision. Either, capture the two girls and bring them back. Or comply with them and bring them into another city. As he was thinking this, a loud scream could be heard.

              “Master!”

              The knight immediately jumped off the carriage and went to the fourth one. Semir stopped the entire caravan as he too went over to the carriage. There, a heartbreaking scene could be seen. The girl was pressing her body on the wall as the mages tried to calm her down. But what broke Semir’s heart was the fact that the girl didn’t care about the female mages at all. She was only looking at the male mage in absolute fear.

              “STAY AWAY!”

              The girl’s voice cracked as she broke down into tears. Confused, the man tried to approach her again.

              “Do not approach my master”

              The knight immediately pointed her swords towards us, as she used her body to shield the crying girl. Semir, seeing everything, now understood that something had happened to the poor girl. With this, he made his decision.

              “Oye, knight. How about I make you a better deal”

              “… Go on”

              Semir then took out a small pouch. This, of course, was filled with money.

              “How about you join our caravan. With this, you won’t have a problem with money. Plus, housing will be taken care of, though we’re usually out in the countryside most of the time”

              “I thought I made myself clear. You are to br…”

              “Hold on, listen to me first. I know that you wanted to be brought to a different city… but, I think I kind of grasped part of your situation. At this point, my offer is the best since no one would know where to find us. In other words, it would be hard for someone to track you”

              Semir emphasized his words, hoping that his intuition was right. This proposition immediately caught the knight’s attention. This further confirmed Semir’s hypothesis that someone was chasing them. Whoever that is, he didn’t know, but he does know that this pair might be more special than what they show. Not only that, there’s a part of him that really wants to help the girl. She reminds him of his sister who killed herself after a despicable noble caught her. As Semir recollected his sad past, the knight continued to think about their situation. She bit her lips as she looked at both her master and at Semir.

              “How can I guarantee you won’t betray us?”

              “Sad to say, you can’t. You’ll just have to trust us”

              You can see her eyes flinch a bit. For a moment, a tense atmosphere surrounded them. Then, the knight sighed as she sheathed her sword. Semir gave a relieved breath.

              “Good choice”

              “This doesn’t mean I trust you. Right now, this is the best option that my master and I can have. Just remember, if I see any possibility of harm towards my master…”

              She gave out an overwhelming amount of bloodlust. It was to the point that the other members had trouble standing. Semir, although he was sweating, remained standing.

              “… I will kill you myself”

              “Agreed”

              She immediately stopped her bloodlust and began caring for the girl. Straightening himself up as he urged the fallen mercenaries to stand, he realized that he didn’t even know their names.

              “Speaking of which, I haven’t asked. What are your names?”

              The knight kept comforting the girl, not muttering a single thing to him. Semir, with a sigh, began to exit the carriage with the other members.

              “Diana. That’s my name. As for her, her names Mikaila…”

              Although it was a short answer, Semir couldn’t help but smile. To him, that reply shows a possibility of them getting along well. In other words, their relationship is in the middle ground and not in the negative side. This made him happy, seeing as he really wanted to help Mikaila. And the only way he can do that is by first making peace with Diana. With this happy thought, he quickly walked back to the lead carriage.

              “I see that you managed to snag a couple of new companions”

              Reccile said in a pouting tone.

              “Come on, don’t be like that. They seem to have their circumstances and I really want to help them”

              “Hah… you only did that because the knight had a huge rack, right?”

              “Oye, what am I? Some kind of pervert?”

              She gave a confirming nod which only made Semir sigh. He then began to ruffle her hair. At first, she tried to stop him. But soon, even she was enjoying the experience. With this, Semir couldn’t help but think about Mikaila’s circumstances. The girl, the guards. They were both linked together. And normally, when the guards are involved, then the higher ups, the nobles and the government, are involved. It just begged to differ… who was right and who was wrong. Did the girls do something or was it the government or the nobles. That’s something that Semir knew, he will never find out.

              “I wonder what really happened in the city”

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Author Notes:

So, still actually have time for this. Now, I haven’t been working on the other two stories because of two good reasons. One, it’s kind of hard to make the middle point of the story, so I’m still trying to figure out what to write. And secondly, I may have screwed up the formatting for blue city and spirit blessings. That’s why I have to go back and check each chapter to make sure that I have everything in place. Also, for blue city… I accidently deleted the prologue. Whoopdi doo… am I a genius or what (this was said sarcastically)! Anyway, I have to find a way to fix that since I don’t like chapter 1 and prologue being together… ugh its going be a pain.

Now, to the major news for this story. I have none, lol. Also, expect the M.C to be weak for a while. Like I said, I’m going to have her earn her right to be O.P. Also, do not worry. Last chapter is probably the last rape scene in this story.

I’ll keep writing and fixing my other fictions as best as I can. So please forgive me if they’re really slow to come by.

P.S: Just a reminder, this is based on a steampunk, fantasy type story.