4 months later:
Tavern Crown Branch, Kingdom of Astarios.
"Hey Ester, bring me another beer. I earned many today, had to help my wife all the time."
"Darus, you know if you drink any more you'll just end up under the table again. Remember last time, I had to clean up all your mess by myself."
"Ester, this time it's different. I've been busy all day, finally had a break from all the harvesting. Such a break works wonders, also concerning the alcohol."
"Oh, well, I'll keep an eye on you. If you knock over the tables again, you're banned for three days."
"It's okay, I'll pull myself together and now give me my beer."
For Ester it was a very busy day, today there were far more guests than usual. Many travelers who had lost their homes in the war were looking for new work here. And the best thing to do was to get drunk.
"Ester, come help me carry the barrel in. And don't keep the customers waiting so long."
"Father, how am I supposed to not make the customers wait long if I have to 'carry in' a barrel?"
"You'll think of something, so hurry up."
Ester and her father had once again different opinions, but both had a good relationship with each other. Her mother died early and so her father had to run the tavern with her.
While she was serving food and beer, she heard a discussion and dropped a beer. At one of the tables, the travelers were telling each other stories and how they had lived.
"Haha, so you're all the way from the south. How did you end up here?"
"Those red things were getting closer and closer and before I became food for those monsters I ran away with my family and ended up here."
"Must have been a long journey...me and my wife were attacked by thieves not far from here, but luckily we got away unharmed. We had the luck of the goddess on our side, the chosen ones were just on their way back and escorted us safely here. I see someone has an endless hunger, how did you end up here young man?"
"Mhh yummy... Oh, we were living on the northern border when giant humans attacked our farm. Wanted all the meat and grain, almost got it but a group of men saved us. You should have seen how they fought, killing one after the other without effort. It was like an ambush on the bad guys who had sneak attacked us before. If this is not called justice, then I don't know. Actually, I would have stayed there with my sister, but apparently these portals appeared nearby. We were lucky not to meet them, the commander said. At first it looked like he was younger than me, but I think I was wrong. He had a big scar on his eye and some painting on his arm, it looked really creepy. But I still feel like I've heard of them before but maybe I'm wrong."
Suddenly they heard a loud bang and the waitress stood in front of them.
"Jekura squad, you're talking about the Jekura squad right?! Where are they right now, how many were they?"
"Aah, that was their name...I knew I recognized them from somewhere...must be quite the legends up north. The rumors say that they have taken out those beasts without any problems. They are said to have saved all the villages without letting anyone die. I don't know if that's true, but they were pretty good at fighting. They took out those barbarians in less than a minute. They wouldn't tell me their names though, must have been a rule of them."
"So they are fine...how relieving...."
"Hoho sounds like they are the protection of the goddess herself. Hope they keep it up, maybe I can visit the north sometime."
This information had also reached Soran and Grae, who were dueling with each other.
"Seems like you've gotten a little rusty over the years, Grae."
"Ha, let's see you go on a trip that lasted almost 90 days. Then I want to see how you feel. As long as I'm your training partner you'll never win little Soran."
Soran let himself be provoked as always in a duel and lost his concentration. Not even a minute later Grae had won the duel.
"Ha, apparently I really will never beat you."
"Not if your ego continues to be this big."
"Enough of this, I'm sure you've heard the news too."
"Heard isn't even enough. I was constantly being nagged about when we could finally see him again. And now he's trapped on a trip like this... but I have faith in him. Another month and then they should arrive here again."
"It's funny that the portals don't appear anymore for the most part. I would have thought that this would never stop."
"It's not for nothing that we have the chosen ones on our side. The more portals they close, the less new ones appear, at least that's how it looks. Admit it you miss him a little too?"
"What makes you think that, I was glad to get rid of him. My training has suffered quite a bit because of him."
"As usual, the stubborn Soran can't accept his feelings...."
"Hmph, let's go to the tavern and see who gets drunk first. At least there you don't stand a chance against me.
"Don't be so sure, I've been practicing."
Just like old times, Sorin and Grae amused themselves until it was time to finish off with a drink at the tavern.
Meanwhile, there was great commotion in the palace. While the king reacted rather annoyed about Leo's successes, his friends were happy that he was doing well despite the circumstances.
"The little beanpole has already made it to general and he even commands 30 men? Before we left I would have laughed at him for like an hour. Hmph, if he makes it back then a duel is waiting for him."
"Sounds incredible but good that he found his role, haha. I wonder which one of us is the more useless."
"Hey come on Luke, just because you ran out of mana doesn't make you useless. Besides, you bought us good time with your failed water wall. And you certainly would have been willing to heal us."
"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult. But I have healed people who were rescued, it was only small wounds but they would have left a scar."
"Shouldn't we ask Grae again if we really can't look for him? It won't take long, he's probably already on his way back. Let's just greet him on his way."
"Your optimism is quite exaggerated. You know that he has no magic and that he is not the strongest. Honestly, I still wonder how he became a gener-"
"Blade, keep it down!You already have enough demerits with her. Don't make it worse."
"Don't underestimate him, he showed courage on his first trip too. Leo may not be the strongest, but he trained just like we did. We all started weak, plus we had magic on our side and he did not. If he really made it, then he won't be the same Leo we know. Such journeys and fights require a lot of mental strength, we were able to help each other. He only has strangers around him who are unlikely to help him mentally. He will come back but the question is how exactly."
"No matter how he returns, he has not forgotten his promise. And when he sees us, he will be back to his old self. Through him I have been able to deal with other people much easier. Through him I got to know you better and now we are a fully functional team and good friends."
"Please stop, this almost sounds like a bad drama series. To wrap it all up: Leo is coming back, I'm going to have a duel with him, Luke isn't completely useless, Adrian is showing sympathy, and Marah can't hear enough about Leo."
"Hey, I told you he's my first real friend in a long time, of course I'm worried."
"It's okay..."
The next morning they all met for training when Grae gave them an unpleasant message.
"Seems like we've run out of the goddess luck, it's gotten even worse than before. A soldier from the Jekura squad has just arrived, there's big trouble in the north. Leo is in great danger, not only have huge portals appeared in the north but an army of barbarians is making its way towards the kingdom. Soon the Jekura squad will be completely locked up, if no help comes the squad will be wiped out. Since the soldier took 2 days to arrive, the situation is even worse than expected. It is still being discussed whether to believe the soldier or if he just wants to escape from his squad. Get ready to leave, no matter how it turns out we will ride out. I trust Leo and certainly won't take any chances of letting the enemy advance any further.
It was a coin toss that decided not only Leo's life but also that of many other villages and small towns. In the end, it was decided to support the Jekura squad. But not the chosen ones were sent, but a small squad full of archmages and elite warriors, among them the right hand of the king, Grylias. His unit had never lost, so everyone was sure that they would be successful. Grae had his doubts, for a long time he had a bad feeling about Grylias. His strategies were ruthless and he made sacrifices even when it was not necessary. Against the king's decision, Grae and his team decided to cut their original mission short and head north to help Leo. They were a day behind Grylias, it was a race against time. Grae had a feeling that whoever arrived first would decide the survival of the Jekura squad.
-Up in the north-
"Do you think Freo has arrived? After all it's been three days."
"He arrived, you know him. Especially if he can see his family again he will hardly perish on the way."
"I would also like to be with my wife, we already had a child in planning."
"We all drew fair lots as to who would do the job. Dont lose your concentration, you can think about women when we've survived this battle.
"Don't worry, he only thinks that way because he's never had one himself. Although he could really flirt well right now. A general of a troop at 17, a scar over his eye and already famous. What woman wouldn't take him? If I were one he'd be mine by now."
"Soldier Wels, do you know how ridiculous you are acting right now. Besides, I still wonder how you can have a girlfriend with your arrogance. I hope everyone is focusing on the possible enemy. If our hiding place is discovered, we are as good as dead. There are over 500 barbarians in front of us and 4 monster portals next to us. And unlike our opponents, we don't have the muscle power to simply tear these creatures apart. As long as you follow my orders, we are safe for now."
"The general can never relax, always completely serious and thoughtful. If you do loosen up a bit then you become even stronger."
"Just let him be. Without him we'd all be dead, have you forgotten that already. Especially you would have died in the first fight."
"Oh, right, luckily he threw that smoke thing and distracted the monsters. Otherwise I'd really be in the afterlife right now. Or the one time where he saved your ass with the fire, that was also pretty funny to watch. Or against these mutant dogs although almost all our alcohol has gone on it. Of course my mood was in the cellar that day."
"Now that we're in talking mood, we can get rid of everything."
Leo's soldiers gathered behind him, held their fists against their chests and thanked him for his service. In the 4 months, not one of them died which was largely due to his strategies. Through his tricks, the soldiers were able to help and improve themselves. He passed on his knowledge to them which they were able to use to some extent. Nevertheless, they knew that the Jekura troop only existed because of him.
"When we get back, you must come to dinner with my family, I am sure they will want to meet our famous leader."
"Maybe I should set him up with my daughter."
"That sounds pretty weird, and isn't she only 14?"
"Let's just invite him to the tavern, he'll end up under the table again haha."
"First we have to get out of here alive. Apparently you are well motivated soldiers then use the time to train your strength. We will have to wait for now, we will not attack without help. If we are discovered now, we are dead. I think you have to trust me with that decision, after all we are talking about much more than a squad that has to fight endless battles. It would be best if the chosen ones would help personally, but I don't know if they are back from their journey yet. No matter who comes, I hope they are strong enough to take on the enemy. And please as soon as possible, if everything goes wrong we will be completely dead tomorrow."
Leo hoped that his friends would save him, then he would finally see them again even if it is on the battlefield. But he knew that the chance were slim.
Early in the morning a loud bang was heard from the portals. Suddenly, huge monsters appeared that Leo had never seen before. But one thing was clear, these creatures were far more dangerous than all of the others hey fought before. The army of barbarians marched toward the monsters, some of them attacking head-on. What followed was a bloodbath that Leo had never expected. More and more monsters came out of the portal and slowly the army of barbarians became smaller and smaller. After an hour, the battle still continued, but Leo now saw a good point of attack.
"Soldiers, this plan will be the riskiest of all so far, but we have no choice. If no victor is determined here the enemy will march on and on until he finally arrives in the heart of the kingdom. Therefore, we will have to use our remaining supplies and materials. As strange as it sounds, we will work with the barbarians and defeat these monsters."
His men thought he had gone mad, but his determined look made their doubts disappear.
"We still have 2 of these huge monsters and 100 barbarians on the battlefield. Our priority is to wipe out the stronger of the two, as the weaker one can be used as a tool. Now is the crucial time to take advantage of the element of surprise. You see the creature's body, its interior is hollow, so from the inside they are most likely made of some kind of gas. And as I taught you, when fire and gas are mixed, there will be an explosion, so prepare the fire bombs and fire arrows. We will strike from behind, so the barbarians can't attack us directly. We use the creatures as a shield but at the same time as our attack target. We can only hope that they do enough damage that we can strike. 20 men come with me, the rest take care of the arrows. If the plan fails we can only hope for support."
With these words, the Jekura squad went into battle. As Leo had suspected, the monsters were fully focused on the barbarians. Both creatures had deep scratches but no wounds big enough for the bombs. A few of the barbarians made it through the monsters' attacks but were pierced with arrows the next moment. One of the creatures had a deep gash on its leg, Leo ordered a direct attack on that spot. After many sword blows, the crack was so large that the air smelled weird. His swordsmen covered him while he threw some bottles full of alcohol into the hole. He ran as far away as possible and gave the order to shoot the firebombs and arrows. The next moment there was a bright light followed by a loud bang. The explosion shredded the creature, the dead barbarians spread out beside it. The shock wave caused the second creature to fall over. Leo had hoped that something like this would happen, but he had misjudged the distance. The monster was about to fall right on top of him. At the last moment he saved himself to the side. When he opened his eyes, he looked directly into the deep black eyes of the motionless creature. It didn't move and looked dead from the outside. The portals closed and no more barbarians were to be seen. Leo took a deep breath that the battle was over. As he had hoped, none of his men had perished, he looked up at the sky and felt relief. After months, he had fulfilled his responsibility and proved his position. In the distance he saw his men cheering as men in black robes and armor suddenly appeared.
"Hmm extremely interesting. Really smart that boy."
The next second Leo felt a huge heat behind him, his ears nearly exploded he and was thrown far backwards. Every moment in the air was accompanied by endless pain. When he opened his eyes he felt a sharp pain in his arm and a loud beeping noise which tormented his ears. Suddenly he heard screaming and begging from a distance followed by rustling and crackling. His eyes closed again, suddenly he heard a voice again but this time right next to him:
"Almost a waste to let you die here. You would have made a perfect apprentice. It's a shame the old man has a hatred for you. Now all we have to do is make your death realistic and then my work here will be done again. But amazing work to win the battle."
When Leo heard the word yours, he startled and opened his eyes in panic. Tears ran down his cheek when he saw that all his comrades lay killed in front of him. Blood had soaked the ground, the faces of his comrades burned into his mind.
Frielt, the best archer of all, who always told his three children about his travels and wanted to invite Leo to dinner with his family. Yareth, the clumsy swordsman whose family desperately needed the money to avoid ending up as beggars. Arios, who was about to marry his childhood sweetheart. Wels whose parents and lover waited for his return...all of them...dead
All these men who had families, who wanted to start families, who had lovers, who were looking for love. All their children who would grow up without a father, all their wives who had to go on with their lives with broken hearts....
Leo began to cry while lying paralyzed. One of his arms was torn off by the explosion.
"No...No...please don't let this be true...I promised them all...now they can't...oh no...
You murderers...I will KILL you!
"Oh my, someone is sentimental. Death comes, death goes, it's as simple as that. This time he has come and he will leave with your sacrifice now. How miserable you look right now... Well, we have fulfilled our mission. The monsters are dead, the battle is decided. The Jekura squad died heroically for our victory. May we pay our respects to them and carry them on in our hearts."
After these words Leo became very tired again and so he closed his eyes again and fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke up, he found himself in complete darkness. Suddenly a portal appeared before his eyes again and he heard a voice.
"Live...live...live..."
The voice grew louder and louder and was accompanied by a loud hissing sound. Suddenly he startled and found himself back on the battlefield. He was still in his completely destroyed body. Again he saw his dead comrades and became more and more angry, his head almost started to burst and he went crazy.
"Everything is my fault...my fault...my fault?
Where are my friends...are they here yet?...they will never come....
"WHERE ARE THEY!!! Were not there for me... they are not friends...yes...no...yes...no...are not friends....
Want to survive...I want to survive...I need to survive....
Humans are good...humans are evil...humans don't kill enemies...HUMANS KILLED FRIENDS!
must kill evil...must kill the evil ...human are evil...KILL HUMANS!"
Leo regained consciousness and turned around. Behind him a black portal had formed which shouted to him
"Live...live...live....
He had nothing more to lose and trusted the voice. Slowly he crawled towards the portal, every movement costing more strength and Leo felt hellish pain. He turned around one last time and then disappeared into the portal...
4 years later...