In the room where Arlan had first awakened, he admired the afternoon sunny weather. He stood by his bed five inches taller than he once was. Today was the day he'd turned fourteen years old.
Two peaceful years had flown by fast. Arlan had spent that time reading books, playing with the other kids, and secretly training his body in the nearby forest. He had reached his growth spurt as well. His body could withstand using ten percent of his essence now.
Arlan gained quite a bit of knowledge about Althean society, geography, and history. Although nothing mentioned anything about his previous life, it confirmed his theory of a separate universe. Arlan learned the world was inhabited by elves, dwarves, demi-human, and many other races that lived alongside humans. His most intriguing discovery, however, was magic. Magic could be performed by anyone born with mana manipulation. Unfortunately, Arlan had no such ability.
All the other beds were empty. The other older kids had left for Galdo City in the past year. JD was the first to leave, followed by Noah, then Chrysta. The day JD left, he made everyone promise to meet back at the orphanage in two years. He announced he would become a full-fledged squire and they were all to show Miss Petrah their accomplishments. So, for Arlan, that meant he only had a year out in the world.
A familiar lovely lady entered the room the same way she did two years ago.
"Arlan, it's time," said Miss Petrah.
Arlan grabbed a leather backpack filled with some clothes and began to head out.
Miss Petrah escorted the young teen to the front of the manor. A young soldier with a short spear and iron cuirass stood next to an older gentleman who sported a blue silk tunic. The older gentleman was the first to speak.
"You must be Arlan. I'm Ser Trent."
Arlan responded with a bow. It was customary for commoners to greet a noble with a bow.
"Ser Trent, I ask for your guidance to join the Midland Army."
"I see, you wish to serve in the Midland Army. Say your goodbyes to Miss Petrah and take a seat on the wagon. You have only a minute."
Miss Petrah embraced the young child she helped nurture. Tears began to slowly descend from her eyes.
"Arlan, do be safe out there. I know you're meant for a greater life. Please pass on my love to the others in Galdo," whispered Miss Petrah as she leaned in to kiss Arlan on the head.
"I will. Thank you for everything, Miss Petrah," replied Arlan as he let go of his motherly caretaker. The young teen climbed the wagon where two others like him were already seated. They were from another orphanage. The soldier and Ser Trent were already sitting at the front of the wagon.
Arlan had already formulated what he was going to do once he turned fourteen. The first step was to reach Galdo City.
Two horses pulled the wagon forward. This was both bittersweet and exciting for Arlan. He had spent the last two years in this small area. It was time for him to embark on his journey.
Arlan watched as the Manor slowly shrunk smaller and smaller. He'd miss the orphanage, but his former life dictated he had to return to Terra one day. His memories of his previous life would often visit him in his dreams. Arlan felt he was brought here for a reason.
As the wagon wheeled toward a fork in the road, Arlan observed this was as far as he had gone during his last two years. A sign pointing south read Galdo City. The opposite north sign said Tudora. Tudora was a border town to the Swora Oligarchy. The Swora posed the biggest threat to the Midlanders and a war would likely break out soon between the two.
The wagon turned south toward Galdo and began its journey. It would take almost an entire day of travel to reach the city. They'd likely reach Galdo City as the sun was setting. For the first few hours of the ride, it was quiet but the other two orphans started talking and laughing. This didn't bother the noble and his guard.
The dirt road was bordered by grassy hills. Trees and bushes dotted the mounds. Upon reaching a small river and cobblestone bridge, the wagon came to an abrupt stop. The three orphans stumbled inside their carriage. A faint but familiar iron aroma seeped through the walls. Arlan knew this smell too well.
~Blood. Someone was killed nearby.~
The source was soon revealed to be three mangled human corpses on the bridge. The perpetrators were nowhere to be found. Ser Trent and the guard were put on edge. "Safety of the orphans is our utmost priority," Ser Trent instructed, "Soldier, check out the bridge."
Arlan deduced that Ser Trent had no combat experience or abilities. The soldier also seemed young and inexperienced. Arlan's instincts told him they were being watched.
The dark-haired boy jumped off the wagon with his leather pack. As his feet landed, a shabby arrow penetrated and hit Ser Trent in the left shoulder. The other two orphans began panicking. The guard who was nearing the bridge reacted by raising his spear.
"We're going back!" gasped Ser Trent through groans of pain. Arrows from across the river showered the area near the wagon. Although none of the arrows were accurate enough to hit, they still created a danger zone.
A green humanoid creature who stood about four feet tall emerged from the side of the bridge and charged the soldier with a dagger.
"Goblins!" alerted the young soldier as he thrust his spear through the monster's torso.
Arlan had read about goblins but hadn't seen one until now. There weren't any of these types of monsters or creatures on Terra. It was all still so strange and alien to him.
Four more goblins emerged from the bushes behind the wagon. They were armed with daggers, hatchets, and makeshift spears.
"Ser Trent, there are more behind us!" yelled one of the orphans but there was no response. The nobleman had fainted from blood loss. Arlan reached in his bag and pulled out a small knife he had stolen from the kitchen back at the orphanage.
~I'm very familiar with this. This is my natural habitat.~
Arlan knew that there were three main threats: the goblins guarding the bridge, the goblin archers across the river, and the goblins moving in from the rear.
"We need to get out of this ambush!" Arlan shouted to the orphans, "One of you, grab the reins and get the wagon moving! We'll die here if you don't!" The shorter of the two orphans scrambled out of the carriage and climbed to the front of the wagon. He whipped at the reins frantically and the vehicle creaked back to life as the horses calmed and began to finally obey.
Arlan shouted to the soldier who was now battling with three goblins, "Soldier! Do what you can to protect the wagon from the front, I'll defend the rear!" The soldier was taken aback that he was receiving orders from a fourteen-year-old orphan. His reaction was short-lived, however, as two more goblins from over the bridge appeared.
The arrows being launched from across the river were too inaccurate to hit a moving target. It was only a matter of time before the goblin archers would run out of ammunition.
Armed with a knife, Arlan positioned himself at the rear of the wagon. He was faced with four goblins with an assortment of melee weapons. Arlan enhanced his body with essence. He could feel increased speed, strength, and stamina multiplying tenfold in his body. Arlan released his killing intent and lowered his stance. The four goblins felt the threat of death emanating from the young orphan. Hesitation and fear overtook their greed for an easy kill.
Arlan picked up a cherry-sized rock and threw it with his enhanced strength at his first victim. The pebble knocked the leftmost goblin off balance. The disruption allowed Arlan to close the ten-meter gap between them before the goblin could react. Arlan's knife swung and struck down into the goblin's cranium. The goblin stiffened, dropped its dagger, and sank to the floor as blackness and blood consumed its vision. Arlan claimed the goblin's weapon before it could hit the ground. It was a heftier blade, better to kill with.
For his next move, he lunged with his new dagger at the second goblin, earning a perfect strike to its center torso. The momentum encouraged Arlan to strike the two remaining goblins who couldn't react in time. As the third monster's body hit the dirt road, the fourth goblin's head flew. Arlan finished the four in a matter of seconds.
Arlan reached down and grabbed a second weapon, a dull short sword. He now held a short sword in his right hand and the flat dagger in his left. In Arlan's previous life, he had trained to fight using different weapons and was extremely proficient in both firearms and bladed weaponry. Although there weren't any firearms, there was plenty of sharp iron around. Familiar feelings overtook Arlan's heart.
He could sense his core evolve in him---increased combat awareness and essence vision. His combat awareness not only acted as radar but provided improved fighting instincts. The specialized vision allowed him to see and feel essence in anything within sixty meters. Somehow, his mind labeled such an ability called [Battle Trance]
Arlan estimated before his growth, he was only able to defeat twenty goblins at most before losing his stamina and concentration over his essence. Now, he could easily take on hundreds. He turned his attention back to the battle at hand.
The wagon was pushing closer to the soldier, who was barely holding his own against three goblins. Ten more goblins appeared from bushes further behind. Arlan knew they had to keep moving forward. He could survive but protecting the wagon for much longer would not be possible in everyone's current state. He had to focus on limiting any more casualties on his side.
The soldier had barely managed to kill two goblins before he began to lose his strength against the other three. Arlan rushed toward the bridge and used his momentum to shock the remaining three goblins.
The first goblin's position allowed Arlan's dagger to connect with the first's head and he deftly swung his short sword against the second goblin. In a flash, Arlan's double strike killed both goblins. The last goblin reacted by swinging its hatchet.
~So, you chose death.~
The goblin's hatchet was brought down with such weak force that it was easily ricocheted by Arlan's left-hand dagger. This opening left the goblin's stomach wide open. The boy used his right hand to swiftly bring down his blade and cut the goblin in half horizontally. Purple blood enveloped the short sword. The top half of the goblin was barely alive and made a poor attempt to crawl away. Arlan delivered his foot into the struggling goblin's head. Its eyes popped from its skull as purple bits mashed along the bridge.
The wagon continued moving forward and as predicted, the goblin archers ran out of arrows. They readied their dull blades for melee and began their charge across the bridge.
"Soldier," Arlan called out, "get on the wagon and start using the height to keep any goblins from taking the rear! I'll clear the front so we can escape."
The soldier felt the young boy's massive killing intent and, in his fear, didn't question or hesitate to follow orders. The wagon began making satisfactory progress while the ten goblins in the rear were still a good twenty seconds away.
Arlan could easily fight the rest of the goblins if it was just him. The young warrior dashed to the goblin archer's left flank and shoulder smashed into the first goblin archer with such force that the goblin's spine broke through its skin.
Shock, speed, and pure brutality gave Arlan the adrenaline to thrust his sword under the mouth of the next goblin; the tip of the blade peaked from its skull. Arlan pulled the sword back, cutting the goblin's face in two. The third and fourth goblin were simultaneously killed with a single strike.
The soldier was dumbfounded at Arlan's fighting prowess. By now, the wagon had made it across the bridge and continued toward Galdo City.
"Arlan, get on the wagon!" yelled the Soldier.
"No, I can't let these goblins exist near the orphanage! Don't wait for me!" commanded Arlan.
If it weren't for Arlan striking down goblins with ease, the soldier would've tried to grab and drag him onto the wagon. The soldier paused and questioned if he would even be able to drag Arlan.
"Don't get yourself killed…" murmured the soldier.
Arlan grinned as a horde of goblins joined the bodies on the bridge and began to run toward Arlan. He could now indiscriminately kill without having to protect the wagon.
~Monsters or soldiers, it makes no difference. I can kill them all just as easily.~
Several pairs of horseshoes struck the dirt road. The thunderous beat reverberated through the surrounding steppe plains. The source of the sound was a cavalry platoon made up of forty knights. They rode dark stygian, special horses with rhinoceros-like horns and black manes. These knights were covered from head to toe with full plate armor and wore black tabards marked with a red lion insignia. Each knight held a powerful lance along with the pride of House Reeves in their right hand.
They were led by an armored cavalier at the front, a middle-aged nobleman with an extra tunic over his light blue armor. This magical light blue armor was made of mithril, an extremely rare and powerful metal. He himself sported a majestic mane of golden hair that bounced upon his shoulders with each trot. A one-of-a-kind sight. This man was Duke Louis Reeve, the head of the Reeves family.
In the Midland Kingdom, only four other men rivaled in power to Duke Louis Reeve. Those four men were Duke Frank Lansley, Duke Osmund Kaiser, Minister Elric Hans, and King Richard Avens. The Midland Minister and the King held more power than any of the dukes.
The unit was galloping at max speed. Around the path, a wagon appeared wheeling at its fastest as well.
"Lord Commander Jermain, check if that is Ser Trent's wagon!" barked Duke Reeve.
"Aye, Your Grace," replied a knight in the formation whose helmet held two wings signifying top leadership of the unit. Jermain's mount exhausted all efforts to catch up to the wagon. A familiar soldier wearing Midland colors and two young boys stood from the wagon as it came to a stop. As the rest of the unit caught up, Jermain gave Duke Reeve a report.
"Your Grace, it seems Ser Trent has been wounded and ambushed by goblins. The soldier said that one of the orphans stayed back to fight the goblins," stated Jermain. Upon hearing the last part, Duke Reeve became furious and glared at the Midland soldier.
"Damned sack of shit, it was your duty to protect the children!" He snarled.
"Your Grace, I beg your forgiveness, but that orphan back there is no ordinary child. He killed around ten goblins with ease and saved all of us, including Ser Trent." replied the soldier.
Duke Reeve was surprised at this revelation. He knew goblins in massive numbers weren't easy to defeat. Even a trained soldier or a seasoned adventurer would struggle. Children and civilians would easily die to goblins.
After a moment's pause, Duke Reeve decided the soldier had followed the proper course of action if his report was true.
"Lord Commander, accompany them back to Galdo City," ordered Duke Reeve.
"Your Grace," responded Jermain as he continued Ser Trent's escort mission.
The duke signaled his hand forward and rallied the knights.
"Heracul Knights, make haste for a young child is in danger!"
"Aye, Your Grace!" replied the rest of the Heracul Knights.
Aside from the Lord Commander, the duke and the Heracul Knights moved at full speed north along the road.
The Heracul Knights were the most powerful and fastest cavalry unit Duke Reeve held. Their power came from having only seasoned combat cavaliers, the best gear the Reeves family could buy, and their rare dark stygian. They had set out from Galdo City upon hearing that a potential goblin raiding company had been sighted in the area. Duke Reeve took it upon himself to personally lead the fastest unit available out to find them. He didn't want to give the goblins a chance at killing his people.
After a few minutes of riding, the Heracul Knights arrived at the clearing and the cobblestone bridge that led toward Tudora. The duke and knights were shocked at the sight they saw. A hundred goblin bodies littered the entrance to the bridge, and more laid on the other side. A young, brown-haired teenager in commoner clothing was locked in the middle of the massacre, braced in combat with a massive, brown-skinned creature, a hobgoblin. This hobgoblin was well over twice the size of the young boy.
What shocked the duke and his knights the most was that the boy showed no signs of injury and was even deflecting blows from the hobgoblin. Upon their approach, they felt his massive killing intent aura. The dark stygian shuffled uneasily in response to the sensation.
"Your Grace, orders?" asked a Heracul Knight.
"Hold your positions, but charge if the boy requires assistance." ordered the duke.
"Aye, Your Grace." replied the same Knight.
While the hobgoblin had the strength of twenty goblins, it wasn't a challenge for Arlan. Finally, after another deflected swing from the hobgoblin's massive wooden club, he saw an opening and struck both weapons into the center of its belly. The weapons tore outward, spilling purple intestines. The hobgoblin screamed in agony as it fell, its guts flew upward, and the monster watched its own insides pour out.
Using his short sword, Arlan swung across the hobgoblin's nape and swiftly beheaded it. Finally, the battle was over. Two more abilities phased through his mind, [Basic Mana Torrent] and [Trifecta].
~Mana Torrent? I've read about magic in books. They mentioned that people are born with the ability to use it. It didn't say you could acquire it.~
The Heracul Knights rushed forward and surrounded Arlan with their lowered lances. Even though Arlan was strong, he knew that he wouldn't be able to fight these knights and win. Using [Battle Trance], Arlan saw large traces of essence in each knight. Although they weren't as large in essence capacity as Arlan, they had more available essence flowing through. Arlan noticed something else in each knight, some kind of rapidly moving blue energy stream.
~That must be mana. These knights are capable of controlling essence and casting magic, I presume. I'll have to find some time to meditate and draw out mana myself. Maybe when I'm not in a field full of dead goblins and surrounded by knights.~
Arlan deduced he'd only be able to kill five of the knights at his current power. Then, he took notice of the Midland flags and Reeves family crest.
Midland soldiers from the Reeves family. They're not here to hurt me. They probably feel threatened by the sight of the dead goblins and my killing intent. Better show them I'm not a threat.
Arlan threw down his weapons and relaxed his killing intent. Upon seeing this, the Heracul Knights all felt relief.
"At ease," ordered Duke Reeve as he emerged on his dark stygian.
Arlan immediately bowed to one knee and lowered his head. He knew of Duke Reeve's picture from the many books he read. Arlan was puzzled as to why the Duke was so far from his castle, the Lionheart, which was at least a three-day ride south of Galdo City.
"I am Duke Louis Reeve, Protector of the Midland's Northeastern region. I presume you are the orphan that was with Ser Trent?" inquired Duke Reeve.
"I am, Your Grace," replied Arlan. Lying to a nobleman could be way more trouble than telling the truth.
The duke paused for a moment to take in what had happened and analyzed Arlan from head to toe.
"Were you the one who killed all the goblins here?" asked Duke Reeve.
"Your Grace, a soldier killed two and I killed the rest. So, saying I killed all the goblins would not be the truth," replied Arlan.
Duke Reeve burst into laughter.
"You take no liberties with being truthful. I witnessed you defeating that hobgoblin, so I doubt any inaccuracies in what you say. You may stand," said the duke merrily.
"Thank you, Your Grace," answered Arlan as he rose to his feet.
"You're not even scratched from fighting a hundred goblins. Gods, I thought I'd seen everything. What is your name, boy?" inquired the curious duke.
"My name is Arlan."
"And your surname?"
"I apologize for my rudeness. I was never given a surname and I can't remember life before I was twelve."
"Interesting. I'd received word of a goblin raiding company in this area and rode out with my men to dispatch them. Seems you've taken care of it and this realm owes you for it. Arlan, what was your vocation declaration to Ser Trent?"
"To enlist in the Midland Army, Your Grace."
"Arlan, your talents would be wasted as a foot soldier in my banner. Come back to Galdo City with me. We'll speak about an important matter over dinner."
"Your Grace, I have concerns about the remaining goblins in the area."
"I'll dispatch half of the Heracul Knights to scout the area and deal with any remaining goblins," said the duke, "You will ride with me back to Highmane."