Hannah's village could never be called prosperous, like many other villages around the last continent that had not yet been touched by decay. And they only maintained their livelihood thanks to the barrier that delayed their eventual final destination.
Everyone knew this, even though the last magicians assured that they were unable to find a solution that would save not only the kingdom but their entire world. Hannah always thought that they should do just that, after all they were one of the main culprits for things getting to this point.
She was never a delicate young woman, either in manners or appearance, but she was one of the most beautiful and most courted young women in the region, even with her considerably...difficult temperament.
Although the village was not prosperous and occasionally faced difficulties, it was still the place Hannah loved most, it was a calm and peaceful place away from the big problems of the world. Some might say it was a dull and dull place, and they would be right. But from this monotony came a peace that was difficult to describe.
After all, as already mentioned, the village also faced its difficulties, problems that disturbed the village with this constant calm, sometimes there were animal attacks in the fields or against the few farm animals they had. Or worse, sometimes magical beasts appeared, and only with great difficulty and sometimes with someone's sacrifice could they scare them away, killing them was almost impossible in a village like Hannah's.
They had to be ready for this type of sacrifice, even though it was not easy to accept it, after all, a small village, which didn't even have a name, like Hannah's could pay to be protected by some adventurers or in worst case by mercenaries (who were essentially bandits but more "behaved"). Even though in theory this work should be done by the feudal lord to whom Hannah's village owed allegiance.
However, there are some disasters that cannot be avoided, a drought cannot be prevented, a storm cannot be stopped, nor a typhoon can be stopped. And the worst of all the disasters that could strike small villages like Hannah's.
"Please sir, let me go, I have to help my parents."
Begged the young woman a little older than Hannah, considered one of, if not THE, most beautiful girls in the region.
Unfortunately, great beauty is not always something worthy of celebration, especially in this type of situation.
"Hahaha, now there's no need to worry, as soon as my friends and I here are finished you can go without any problem. I'll still give you a few extra coins to help, how about 5 copper coins? And you'll still have the great honor of serve me." The well overweight young man said, smiling rudely and holding the young girl by the wrist, while his chainmail-clad "friends" also directed looks of sadistic scorn at the young girl who was trying to make a feeble resistance.
Yes, the worst kind of disaster that small villages like Hannah's are forced to endure helplessly, the nobles. More precisely, those that commoners and society in general considered useless nobles. Those who had no real ability, whether diplomatic, military, literary or artistic, and whose only point of showing any talent was in tormenting the lives of commoners, especially those from small villages and far from their own territories.
"Please sir, for the next village chief Vingar. I need to help my parents while I still can, please let me go." The young woman begged again, with tears forming in her eyes from fear.
The tears seemed to incite the nobleman's "knights" who laughed more, these knights who could barely be called that seeing the number of stars they had on their gauntlets, only 1 in 3 of them, and one with 2 stars.
Proving to be "knights" of the lowest level only used by noble families with little finances. Which was easy to see by seeing the size of the nobleman's belly and imagining where most of his house's money was going.
"Hahahaha, very well I'm already losing patience with you girl, I'm here kindly giving you the honor of being one of my women and you have the audacity to refuse, even though I'm still willing to help with a few more coins than it's worth! !! Well, it would have to be more direct!!!" The obese nobleman roared, standing up abnormally quickly considering his size, raising his hand and bringing it down with force towards the young woman's face.
"Aaahhhh" she screamed as she hit the ground.
"Hmm, that's a much more pleasant sight. Yes, I think I can ignore your insolence from before, if you're very obedient now" he said, smiling sinisterly.
"No please, please!!!"
The young woman begged, looking around for help, but no one spoke up in her defense. Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't, with all the other 10 people in the tavern being prevented by the noble's 5 armed soldiers.
Even though they were humble villagers they were aware that any attempt to help would only end up as a corpse, even the worst soldier still received training and they were still armed. Not counting the "rejected knights", even one of them would be enough to defeat 3 peasants.
With 4 armed knights, plus 5 man-at-arms, against at best all 30 skilled men in the village, and in the tavern now there were only 12 apart from Hannah and young Constance lying on the ground, the odds were not in their favor, yet but there were still at least 2 more knights and 7 soldiers outside.
"Heh heh, look how she begs for me, well done being a benevolent partner of the lord of this region, of course I must reciprocate her feelings, don't you agree?" The nobleman who looked more like a pig asked his section of lackeys, receiving a big 'Yes!!', and naturally silence from the village's inhabitants, who could only turn away their faces in disgust and anger. Especially Hannah, who could barely control her anger.
"No, please, father, mother, Matt, Qeliand." Constance pleaded softly, now crying, calling her father, her mother, her brother and the young man she was promised to and loved, she remembered the few but memorable encounters they had when he came to the village for some celebrations to socialize with the neighbors.
Constance just didn't say the name out loud because she knew that it would only further isolate the sadistic desire of the second son of the lord who ruled the village region. Luckily the nobleman didn't hear her, having fun with her reactions, but Hannah, who always has a keener hearing than most, heard her. Hannah held on as long as she could, but her patience ran out when she heard the two-star "knight" say.
"Certainly sir, you should do it, but I ask that you also remember your humble servants who always help you and can do nothing in return. But perhaps we can enjoy this young lady after you?"
He asked without any hint of shame.
"Hmm, I suppose you're right, after I finish you can have your turn, after all I already promised you something similar, didn't I?" The pig, Hannah refused to recognize as noble much less as human, said forgetting or never having meant it when she said she would let the young woman, who was crying beneath her body, go later.
'That's too much, if Gods exist, I think I'll find them soon. Well at least this way I'll have the chance to at least punch some of them for allowing something like that to happen!'
Hannah thought coming out of her hiding place near the warehouse. But it seems she was a moment late.
From behind the back door of the tavern a young man came crouching down but then picked up a chair and hit it hard on the head of one of the knights, even though he was stronger than an ordinary person, being taken by surprise still worked and soon one of them was on the ground , the young man soon went after another knight but without the element of surprise things wouldn't go well.
"Matt, no!!!"
One of the villagers screamed, at the same time that Constance's brother received a cut in the chest, in a desperate decision and demonstrating impressive strength the young man managed to move away slightly avoiding being split in half, at the same time as he threw one of the legs of the chair on the head of the knight who tied him.
Only when the wounded knight retreated screaming did Hannah recover from the shock of Matt's attack. But she didn't have much time to marvel at the courage of the young hunter's apprentice, she herself soon picked up a chair and attacked the injured knight.
The nobleman's companions, not expecting any more attacks, were both amazed and enraged.
"END THOSE TWO!!!!"
The captain of the knights shouted as he drew his sword and assumed a combat position as a precaution in case any more villagers tried anything. However, before he or the knights advanced towards the young people.
"HEEEEEAAAJHHHHHAHAHAHHA"
Everyone in the tavern heard a scream as loud and guttural as the roar of a beast that had been mortally wounded. A sound so horrible and animalistic that everyone in the tavern was forced to stop, even Kameron, with the sharp pain of his wound, even briefly stopping his whimpering when he heard that sound.
"HEEEEAAAJHHHHHJJHHJAAAAHHA"
They heard the scream again, soon followed by the sound of a huge body falling to the ground accompanied by more screams, screams of pure pain that seemed to come straight from a person's soul.