by Michael Sisa
Raymond glanced left and right, and he violently turned red when the realization that everyone was staring at him finally sunk in. How did it come to this? Just a few days ago, he was a nobody. He was one of the innumerable nameless soldiers ready to die for their supreme Commander. But now, everything turned to an opposite direction.
“This soldier is our hero! The protector of this fortress! The guardian of Rube!” said Lady Sophia. Her voice reverberated through the entire Central Plaza.
The crowd once again erupted into cheers, and the Raymond wanted to hide into a corner. He had never been good with crowds, with his childhood filled with bad memories of the other kids teasing him about his ugly appearance.
He almost jolted when Lady Sophia suddenly grabbed his hand. Hers was soft, as though she had never once held a sword. He should have taken a bath this morning. At the very least, he should have washed his hands.
“L-Lady S-Sophia?” said Raymond. He could not help but stutter. It felt like a dream come true. Even if his life was taken now, he would die smiling.
Lady Sophia smiled, and her dimple sunk in response. “The hero of Rube shouldn’t be making such faces. Come. Let yourself be shown to all these people.”
Holding hands, they walked towards the crowd. Amazingly enough, it parted into two, giving way for them to pass through. The cheers continued to rumble through the earth and the heavens, and it drowned Raymond’s loudly beating heart.
No one knew who said it, but a shout was heard among the crowd: “The eighth Holy Apostle has appeared in Rube! The guardian of the fortress! Raymond the Immortal Soldier!”
The title quickly spread through the mass. Raymond heard Lady Sophia giggle upon the mention of the title: Immortal Soldier. He had never been so embarrassed in his life. They continued to walk through the crowd, with the goal of reiterating his heroic deeds in mind.
“I guess it’s pretty normal for people to start comparing you to the Seven Holy Apostles. After all, no one but those seven heroes could fight someone like the Goblin King—and win,” said Lady Sophia. The two of them had returned to the place where the corpse of the Goblin King was. “Well, it should be the Eight Holy Apostles now. Once the neighboring cities and kingdoms hear about this, they will have no choice but acknowledge your existence.”
Lady Sophia stared straight into his eyes, and Raymond’s mind went totally blank for an entire second. She said, “I haven’t properly thanked you yet.”
Raymond’s eyes widened when she suddenly bowed her head. She added, “For saving this city. For saving all those that live here—thank you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
***
Lancelot raised his sword to the heavens. It glinted after the rays of the morning sun touched its edges. He mumbled, “Still perfect.”
After he sheathed the large piece of metal into the scabbard, he hopped onto his mount. The horse almost stumbled for a second after taking the full blunt of his weight. Lancelot said to Moonsol, “I guess this is where we part.”
Moonsol furrowed his brows. He glanced towards the direction where the cheers were coming from, but he was unable to see anything beyond the numerous stone houses haphazardly built in all directions. He returned his gaze onto Lancelot and his men. All of them were fully armed, prepared to leave anytime.
“Is this really fine? Sophia will yell at me once she found out that you guys left without notice,” said Moonsol. “That woman may look like an angel, but she has her bad side—and you definitely wouldn’t like to receive her wrath.”
Lancelot grinned. His horse neighed for a second before he chuckled, “Not my problem. Here, take this.”
Moonsol received in his hands a small pouch the size of a fist. After he opened it, he saw five small beads inside. He said, “What’re these?”
“Hebaya Stones. It helps cure… you know… uncontrolled micturition,” joshed Lancelot. “Told my priest to make you one of those. It works well for my kid. Don’t worry about any side effects.”
Moonsol’s face flushed red. Even now, he had not forgotten the time wherein he suddenly lost consciousness and peed himself. He did not know what happened nor what struck him that day. He would rather not find out.
“Commander Lancelot! You little—.”
Lancelot laughed. He wordlessly signaled his men to set off. “Then, until we meet again!”
The mounts kicked off the ground, and a rumbling sound echoed as numerous knights rode out the walls of the city. Moonsol idly stood as he watched the group eventually disappear into the distance.
***
Inside one of the carts used to transport their supplies, Faith silently sat. Her eyes were closed as she mumbled her prayers. She prayed her praise and gratefulness to her God. She knew that it was nothing short of a miracle that they had survived that catastrophe.
“I have so much to report once I get to the Kingdom,” she said. She stared at the sleeping child beside her. His body was bent to accommodate the lack of space, and a large drool dripped down his partly opened lips. “What a weird sleeping stance.”
Even after all kinds of humane methods tried on him to wake him up, Jiablu remained asleep. There was a soft snoring sound filling the cart at that moment, and Faith could not help but give an amused smile as she fondly gazed at his sleeping face.
“No need for such trivial things, eh? Look who’s talking!” she said. She could not wait to tease him once he woke up.
Now that she looked at him, Faith was sure that he would become a heartbreaker in the future. An enemy of womankind. His nose was prominent. Not too crooked, and not too wide. Just the right shape and angle. Moreover, his lips seemed velvet, almost enticing. Coupled with his almond eyes that sometimes glared with its crimson color, his ashen hair, and a slim body, Faith could honestly categorize him among those that were good-looking. Of course, she had no intention of telling him that.
“Good looks mean nothing if you remain that way,” she said to the sleeping kid. The cart kept dancing against the unpaved ground. “First, we’ll have to instill some manners into you.”
Once they arrived at the temple, Faith had decided to tell the Cardinal everything she had come to know about Jiablu. She was sure that with proper guidance, even someone like him—a kid utterly condescending and rude—would someday become a gentleman worthy of any woman.
She hoped with her fingers crossed. She whispered, “We’ll be parting ways in the city. It’s been a short time, but it was an enjoyable experience, little Jiablu.”
The snoring sound from the sleeping kid crescendo for a second, and Faith could not help but associate it with the sound of a pig being slaughtered. She giggled as she wiped the tears that started to form at the corner of her eyes.
“What a weird kid, really!” she exclaimed. The cart stopped and she peered out the window. She asked, “What’s happening? Why did we stop?”
One of the knights answered, “Ma’am, the bridge is broken.”
Faith went outside. It was already late in the afternoon, and it would soon be dusk in an hour or two. They were currently inside a forest, and before them was a broken wooden bridge that easily spanned over a hundred meters in length. It was wide enough for five carts to pass through side by side. Below it was a deep ravine that reeked of the word bottomless.
She approached Lancelot. “What’s the plan, Commander?”
Lancelot remained staring at the broken bridge. “Why now? Damn it. We should have restocked more rations in Rube Fortress.”
Faith remained silent. She knew this bridge very well. It was the only route—the only safe route—towards the Dry Valley. If they took a detour now, it would take them several more days before they reach the valley that served as passageway towards the Kingdom of Tesma. But she knew that the real issue was not the time it would take to reach their destination. It was the safety of the route itself.
“Can you fix this bridge with magic?” said Lancelot. He sighed when he saw Faith shake her head. “I guess not.
Sorry for asking.”
Gaston, the only elderly man in the group, soon entered the conversation. “I’ve scouted the area with the younglings. No bandits around.”
“Of course. This passageway is protected by the Fifth Holy Apostle’s magic. It’s basically suicide to stay in this place for anything longer than half an hour. It’s relatively safe if we just casually pass through… but with the bridge in this state…,” said Faith.
“Those damn bandits must have done this,” huffed Lancelot. Faith almost flinched when she saw the murderous glare coming from their Commander. “Desperate to ensnare new victims, huh? Those damn lowlives!”
“Destroy the bridge so that people will be forced to take the other routes,” said the old man, Gaston. He clicked his tongue. “Distasteful bunch.”
Faith glanced at the cart where Jiablu was sleeping at. She was somehow worried that he would get caught up with another catastrophe again. If that child was caught by those unruly people, then she could not bear to imagine the pain he might once again go through. He had watched his entire village burn down to crisp, and he had watched his loved ones die before him. And now, he faces the risk of being a victim of forest bandits.
She silently vowed that she would do everything to make sure he arrives at the temple safe and sound. She heard Lancelot snarl, “No use wasting time. It’s their biggest mistake not to let our army cross over.”
Commander Lancelot roared, “Let’s go!”
Chapter 13: The Forest Bandits
Salazar slowly opened the door that led to his Lord’s bedroom. The inside was dim, and it took his eyes a couple of seconds before finally making out the silhouette of four people lying on a large bed. The scrawny man at the center was completely naked, and so were the three women that had their arms twined around him as they slept.
“L-Lord Viper?” whispered Salazar. He heard something whiz by his ear as a dagger flew past his face, before lodging itself into the wooden wall.
He heard movements inside the room, and he saw his Lord slowly sit up.
“What?” said Viper.
“Ah, sorry for interrupting your sleep Lor—”
“Get to the point,” spat Viper. Another whizzing sound was heard, and Salazar felt a pricking sensation in his cheek a second after. A thin line of blood dripped down till his chin.
There was no time to flinch from pain. Salazar immediately added, “S-Someone… Someone entered the forest!”
“You woke me up for this?!” snarled Viper. The Lord of the Bandits got down from the bed, his naked body exposed all over. He grabbed the white robe scattered on the ground then donned it. “You know the rules, right?”
“But, Lord! It’s impossible to kill—moreover capture those that entered the forest!” said Salazar. There was a pleading tone in his voice. Before him, there had been numerous other messengers that died because of their Lord’s whim.
Viper snapped a finger, and the lantern on his left immediately blazed into life. His green, slit-like eyes licked Salazar. “What do you mean?”
“Hundreds. There’re hundreds of them—and all are knights,” said Salazar.
Viper’s sunken face sunk even further. He sucked his thumb then silently stared into space. He whispered, “Interesting~”
Without any warning, a loud chuckling sound echoed inside the room. Salazar jumped from fright, and the naked women lying on the bed started waking up one after another. Viper continued with his maniacal laughter. “Knights! And just right when I’m so damn bored of all the preys we’ve caught lately!”
Viper scooped out his left eye using his fingers. Surprisingly, blood did not drip down the now empty socket. “Now, let’s see what we’ve got this time?”
There was a squishy sound as Viper crushed the eye using his hand. After a full second, it turned into particles of light, before eventually disappearing from sight.
***
After seeing the broken bridge, Lancelot led his group towards the west. It was the longest path available, but it was also by far the most paved compared to others. Numerous trees surrounded them in all directions, with occasional boulders and shrubberies haphazardly spread out from the distance.
It was already evening when Lancelot finally told his men to stop and recuperate. They pitched tents, and some immediately started cooking dinner.
“This damn detour will cost us extra three days of journey,” said Lancelot. He sat on top of a small boulder, his armor reflecting the flames of the campfire before him. “Have you told the knights already?”
Old man Gaston nodded. “Already did, Commander. Told ‘em to kill upon sight.”
“Good. There’s no need to risk the lives of our men. Prince Ibrahim told me about this already… But I didn’t think that the problem has already escalated to this. Going as far as destroying the route to our Kingdom,” said Lancelot. He threw a twig onto the blazing flames, making sparks fly into the air. “I won’t be surprised if the King sends out an order to clear the forest of bandits.”
They saw Faith approach. Not far from her, numerous men were lined up, waiting their turn for food. Tonight was moonless, and if not for the campfires they had set up, it would have been pitch black.
“Jiablu’s still not waking up,” she said with a frown. She sat beside Gaston. The blazing flames flickered back and forth from the gentle wind. Its crackling sound filled out the silence. She added, “Maybe we should force him out of his sleep? It’s been three days already.”
“Tis fine! Try not to worry too much!” said Gaston as he punched the priest’s left shoulder. There was not much force behind that strike, and Faith saw him flinch after impact.
She said, “You’ll turn eighty this year, right? Shouldn’t you be retiring soon?”
“What are you talking about?” he replied with a smirk. “I was born in the battlefield. This is my home… and my grave.”
The last part was said in a whisper, but the other two heard it. Among the first division of Knights of Tesma, Gaston was among the most mysterious ones. He was among the oldest members—even before the current Commander of the First Division, Frederick Lancelot, was assigned the role of leader.
There were numerous stories of why the old man refused to retire despite his age, but no one knew which among those were true. Whenever asked, Gaston would just give out a forced smile.
He was old, but his skills as a guide were peerless among their group.
Gaston glanced left and right, making sure that no one aside from them were nearby. He said, “Commander, I got news about the third division.”
There was a trace of surprise within Lancelot after the remark. He replied, “What is it?”
“The Red Stone Syndicate was completely wiped out by those guys,” said Gaston. The eyes of Faith and Lancelot grew wide. “And there’s not a single casualty on the Third Division’s side.”
“W-What? That’s absurd! The Red Stone Syndicate has existed for almost a hundred years in our Kingdom!” said Faith. Her voice almost echoed, and some of the soldiers having their dinner shot a glance at their direction. “There’s no way of wiping out that group in just a month! Moreover without casualties!”
“Have you confirmed this, Gaston?” said Lancelot.
Gaston nodded. “Yes, Commander. My spies in the city have sent me the news. It’s not out yet. They are probably planning on announcing it during the Infernal Sword Festival.”
“But still… how did they do it? I can’t think of any possible way… without a single casualty,” whispered Faith.
“We’ll find out soon once we get to the city,” said Lancelot. Silence momentarily befell them.
A knight approached their group. With a hint of hesitation, he said, “Commander. We’ve found dead bodies inside the forest not far from here.”
Lancelot frowned. He got up and grabbed his sword. “Faith, come with me. Old man, stay here.”
The two nodded, and Faith immediately stood up. Lancelot said to the knight from before, “Fif
teen knights and a scout. Be ready in a minute. We’ll enter the forest.”
“Understood!” said the knight. He went back to his group, and a few moments after, everyone started to move out.
****
The pungent stench that filled the air made the group grimace in disgust. Their every step inside the forest echoed, and the occasional chirpings of ravens served as background.
Their scout waved his hands, signaling that they have finally arrived at their destination. Faith mumbled her chant and the small orb of light that served as their guide moved forward, illuminating a mountain of rotting corpses. One of the knights vomited on the ground.
“That is… not human,” whispered Faith.
It was the same thought that ran through everyone’s mind. There were at least two dozens of corpses right before them, and each of them was decapitated beyond reason. Most of them had their innards pulled out, and some had their limbs severed from their bodies. The small orb of light did not fail to illuminate the empty eye sockets of some of the victims.
“C-Commander… this is the work of those guys, right?” said the scout.
Lancelot nodded. “We’ll be ready when they attack. Oh God Aquina, I pray that they attack.”
The last part was said with vehement ferocity that made even Lancelot’s allies shudder in fear. Those words contained within them a suppressed snarl that seemed to echo amidst the silence of the forest.
“Wait, did you hear that?” said the scout.
Everyone glanced at each other as silence befell the group. Another second passed, and a small voice flowed through the wind.
“H-Help… me…,” said the voice.
Faith willed the orb of light to grow brighter, and the shadow of the group danced with it. Eventually, they found the source of the weak voice. The knights immediately pulled the body out of the mountain of corpses.
