All is well until the third, and the last goblin suddenly went unnoticed. Invictus had to heighten his senses to locate the goblin within proximity. And so, the hair at the back of his neck stood up, which indicates a warning signal for danger.
Invictus' bloodshot eyes gleamed as he abruptly turned his head to the side, and his tight grip grabbed a hold of that grinning expression of the goblin.
"Krieee!"
The goblin was about to hit Invictus with his axe to free himself from his grip but was caught by Invictus' other hand, preventing his escape.
Squirming, struggling, doing whatever it could just to avoid what was about to come, the goblin even tried biting on Invictus' palm but it was to no avail. The monster's efforts were futile. Invictus does not intend on letting him go.
"Let me just take this for you."
He snatched the axe away from the goblin and used the monster's weapon on him, cleanly splitting him in half diagonally with a single strike of the axe.
Disgustingly, all of its guts and organs fell on the water along with its thick red blood, staining his clothes.
The other two who had just recovered were angered at the sight, rushing in without any sort of plan, just plain suicide.
Silently, Aeriel and Rahel, in awe, watched Invictus dance gracefully in the river as he easily evaded each attack thrown at him by the monsters.
"What happened with not looking down on his enemies?"
"Lord Invictus is sometimes like that. He enjoys seeing his prey in despair
and agony."
Every once in a while, Invictus would play with his opponents, enjoy the little things they could not achieve, and love seeing their despair.
However, once all the fun is gone, Invictus would immediately lose interest. And when that happens, the brutal will happen to his enemies.
Even Invictus himself would always be flabbergasted about his behavior. He would not be aware of his actions until boredom or dissatisfaction kicks in.
"How twisted and cruel he is. The story about him is different from the
Invictus I'm watching right now."
When Invictus said some twist, he literally meant it. Upon knocking down the other goblin to put his focus solely on the goblin trying its best to escape, Invictus grabbed the goblin's tiny arm.
One limb after another, in the most painful way, was twisted and with each brutal action done on the goblin, Aeriel and Rahel could not help but feel empathy towards the pitiful goblin.
It was crying for help, able to shed tears as it kept on screaming with its twisted fingers reaching out to the ladies.
"C-Can't you just end its life already? Watching you torture the goblin is making us uncomfortable."
"Eh? My apologies. I thought Rahel and Aeriel were enjoying the show."
With his twisted expression and iron hands, plus the wry smile on his mouth, a satisfying bone-cracking sound tickled their eardrums. Invictus had just twisted the goblin's neck and shifted his focus on the unconscious the last goblin.
He picked it up roughly and happily drowned the goblin until it could not breathe anymore.
"Forgive my atrocious actions, ladies. I was just simply enjoying myself and was ignorant of how uncomfortable I made you two."
The wagoner woke up right on time. Everything they used there was left behind and they departed from the burning mountain of Virval Highlands.
For some unknown reason, enjoying the fireworks display tires them out. The three of them suddenly felt sleepy and later on fell asleep.
---
A warm breeze went through the open window of the carriage. The sun with its bright rays shone upon the three of them, thus waking them up and seeing how their vehicle took a stop at the side of the road.
At the side of the road, trees were lined up, creating a parallel disposition. And just a few feet away from the side of the road are the rice fields where the golden grains majestically dance at every sweep of the air.
Farmers had got up early in the morning to start harvesting their hard-earned grains. Every grain is not wasted. They value their crops and how they value their life. The farmers put great effort into cultivating their land and producing fine-grade rice.
"Isn't this Banaue, The City of Rice Terraces?"
The Banaue Rice Terraces are terraces carved into the mountains of Banaue province by the ancestors of the Estarians. The terraces are occasionally called the Eight Wonders of the World. It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand. It is located approximately 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) above sea level.
These are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces. It is said that if the steps were put end to end, it would encircle half of the world. (Wikipedia)
"Locals up to this day still plant rice and vegetables on terraces, although more and more younger villagers do not find farming appealing, often opting for the more lucrative hospitality industry generated by the terraces. The younger generation these days can't find the beauty of nature."
The result is the gradual erosion of the characteristic "steps," which require constant reconstruction and care.
And five years ago, one further problem encountered was drought, with the terraces drying up completely in Martius (March) in that year.
"It would be a shame to see such a wonderful structure be destroyed by
the abusive and prodigal nobles."
Invictus has seen the rice terraces countless times in his life in Estaria and yet the amazement and appreciation were still there every time he would see the wonder.
"Ahh... "The Dancing Goldweed Mountains." Such nostalgia. It brings back memories."
It is another term for rice terraces when every rice field, "steps," is ready to be harvested. When the rice grains turn golden and from afar where you can fully see the entire mountains, you can see it somehow dancing to the breeze.
~