"Beast! Beast!" A serf cried as he approached with his panicked group. A few breaths later, his voice became clearer. "Beasts in the northern section!" His cry sent ripples through the air, and panic began to spread. Tools clattered to the ground as the farmers backed away, fear evident in their eyes. Years of ingrained fear had dug deep into their hearts, overwhelming their rationality.
Arvind felt their eyes turn to him—not just the farmers, but Aldric and his knights too. The weight of their expectations pressed against his shoulders like a physical burden.
His first instinct was to step back, to let Aldric handle this as he always had. For a few seconds, he scanned the faces of the gathered farmers—eyes wide with terror, bodies tense with the weight of generations' worth of fear.
A wave of unease gripped his chest. Taking a deep breath, he quickly suppressed it. He knew that if he showed even slight hesitation now, the fragile confidence of the farmers would shatter. This would be detrimental to his rule over Ravengarde. Being their leader meant standing firm despite every cell in his body wanting to retreat.
Taking another deep breath, Arvind raised his voice, firm but calm. "Enough!" The single word cut through the growing chaos. "We are not the helpless victims of the past." Forcing strength into his voice, he continued, "Those beasts aren't just threatening our crops—they're threatening our future. Every stalk of wheat represents a child who won't go hungry this winter, a family that can hold their heads high. I refuse to let fear rob us of that."
He turned to Aldric, noting the subtle approval in his knight-commander's eyes. "Divide your knights into three groups. Two groups to escort the farmers and others to a safe zone, and one group to join us in dealing with these creatures."
"Us, my lord?" Aldric's eyebrow raised slightly.
"Yes, Aldric. I may not have your strength, but I have studied these magical beasts carefully. Sometimes, understanding your enemy is sharper than any blade."
He stepped forward, his posture straight and authoritative.
"Aldric," he turned to his knight captain, "prepare a patrol immediately. I will not let this threat fester."
Turning to Anika, who stood close to him, he said, "Anika, help me look after them in my place."
Anika replied through clenched teeth, despite her worries about Arvind, "Don't worry, my lord. Leave it all to me."
Despite his budding confidence, Arvind's heart pounded as he spoke. He wasn't a seasoned warrior, and the idea of confronting a magical beast terrified him. Yet, he knew that retreat was not an option. Turning to the serf who saw the magical beast, he said in a softened tone, "I understand your fear. Panic will not save us—action will. I need your help to secure our precious wheat. Can you describe the beast's characteristics to me?"
His words carried a resolve that surprised even himself. The serf, though still uneasy, began to steady under his command. Arvind realized that leadership was not just about bravery; it was also about inspiring courage in others.
"They are massive and intimidating. I noticed their pig-like appearance, but that's all, as I was frightened..." the serf explained, his hands and legs trembling.
As Aldric began organizing the knights, Arvind quietly resolved that this was only the beginning. He knew that this was not Earth but Atheron. He would face his fears head-on, proving to himself and his people that he was not just their lord but their protector.
Few moments later,
"My lord, these are not ordinary beasts but magical beasts that can use elemental energies," Aldric said solemnly as Arvind informed him.
---
As the afternoon sun cast shadows across the northern wheat field, where golden stalks swayed in the gentle breeze, Arvind, Aldric, the knight commander, and twelve apprentice knights approached the northern section of the wheat field.
There they saw them—the Razorback Grazers, large, boar-like magical beasts about the size of a horse, covered in dark, bristly fur with sharp, metallic spines along their backs. The massive beasts closer towered over the wheat, their dark bristly forms creating a stark contrast against the golden field.
The Alpha stood tallest among them, its metallic spines catching the sunlight like drawn blades, while its amber eyes pulsed with an otherworldly glow.
"Hold position," Aldric commanded, his experienced voice steady despite the unsettling hum from the beasts.
The apprentice knights gripped their weapons tighter—some clutching their knight guns with white-knuckled hands, others drawing swords with trembling fingers. Even at this distance, they could feel the weight of the Alpha's presence, its earth elemental energy making the ground beneath their feet vibrate subtly.
Arvind studied the scene, his mind racing, his heart pounding despite his strength as an apprentice knight. He muttered, "It's so massive, how are we going to fight them?" It was his first time seeing magical beasts up close.
As his eyes scanned the area, he saw the two female Razorbacks flanking the Alpha, forming a protective triangle around their juveniles, who huddled close to their parents' massive forms. The beasts were methodically devastating the wheat field, their serrated tusks tearing through stalks with frightening efficiency.
"Sir Aldric," Arvind spoke quietly, not showing his inner turmoil, "how do you suggest we—"
The Alpha's head snapped up, its amber eyes locking onto their position. The humming intensified, becoming a low, threatening growl that seemed to resonate with the earth itself. The beast's muscles bunched beneath its stone-like hide, and in that moment, Aldric's combat instincts took over.
"Defensive formation!" he barked, fighting spirit already beginning to manifest around his sword in a subtle glow. "Guard Lord Arvind! Ranged units, spread out!"
The apprentice knights scrambled to obey, but their practiced formations felt inadequate before their foes. Eight knights with swords formed a protective circle around Arvind, while four with knight guns took up positions on the flanks.
Yet as they moved, the Alpha was already acting.Its first Earthquake Stomp shook the deep foundation of the earth, sending ripples through the wheat field that knocked two apprentice knights off balance.
While the females fanned out with surprising speed for their size, their own earth energy crackling around their tusks as they prepared to charge.
Aldric stepped forward, his intermediate fighting spirit now fully manifesting, transforming his sword into a beacon of power. "Stand firm!" he commanded, but his voice betrayed a hint of uncertainty. This was no ordinary combat situation, and everyone knew it.
The Alpha reared back, its spines bristling with concentrated earth energy, and released a deafening roar that sent birds scattering from distant trees. The battle for the wheat field was about to begin, and not one of the knights, not even Arvind, could predict how it would end.
The first clash came with devastating swiftness. The Alpha's Stone Tusk Strike tore through the wheat field like a scythe, leaving a trail of crystalline earth energy that transformed stalks into stone. Two apprentice knights raised their swords, their fighting spirit barely strengthening their bodies—their apprentice fighting spirit enhancement proving inadequate against the beast's charge.
"Guns! Target the flanks!" Aldric shouted, leaping forward. His level 2 fighting spirit erupted, coating his blade in brilliant energy that actually managed to deflect the Alpha's tusks with a sound like grinding stone. Sparks of earthen power scattered through the air.
The knight gunners responded, their spear-shaped weapons launching with their strength enhanced. But the female Razorbacks' stone-like hide simply absorbed the impacts, the shots leaving only slight marks on their bristling fur.
One female retaliated with a Burrow Dash, the earth beneath her massive form suddenly loosening. She vanished for a heart-stopping moment before erupting from the ground behind the gunner formation.
"Reform ranks!" Arvind called out, his eyes darting between the combatants. Despite his lower level, his tactical mind was racing. He noticed something crucial—the way the wheat stalks crystallized when touched by the Alpha's earth energy, how the ground responded differently to the beasts' movements compared to the knights' footwork.
The defensive circle around Arvind tightened as both female Razorbacks coordinated their attacks. The apprentice knights' swords, enhanced by their basic fighting spirit, could barely scratch the beasts' hide. One knight was sent flying by a casual swipe of a tusk, his enhanced durability the only thing preventing fatal injury.
Meanwhile, Aldric found himself locked in an impossible duel with the Alpha. His intermediate abilities let him match the beast's raw power, the spirit-enhanced blade leaving shallow cuts in its stone-like hide. But the Alpha's combat instincts were uncanny. It used its Focused Stomp to create targeted fissures, forcing Aldric to constantly adjust his footing while defending against those devastating tusks.
"The earth energy!" Arvind suddenly shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Aldric, they're not just using it—they're part of it!" His studies of the land were finally yielding insight. The way the beasts moved, how their power manifested—it wasn't just about strength. They were extending their influence through the ground itself.
But before he could elaborate, the Alpha released its Stone Wall Eruption. Jagged spikes of earth burst from the ground in an expanding circle, scattering the knight formation. The apprentices' fighting spirit could barely reinforce their bodies enough to avoid serious injury as they were forced to retreat and regroup. The defensive circle around Arvind broke.
The Alpha's amber eyes locked onto the young baron, its earthen power gathering for another devastating attack. Arvind stood his ground, mind racing. He had seen enough—these weren't just beasts to be fought with brute force. They were elemental beings, and they had been approaching this all wrong.
"They're channeling earth energy through fixed points!" Arvind shouted, ducking under a spray of crystallized wheat. "The spines on their backs—they're not just weapons, they're channel!"
Aldric caught the insight immediately, his years of combat experience meshing with this new understanding. His blade sparked against the Alpha's Earth Armor, no longer trying to penetrate it directly. Instead, he began targeting the spaces between the metallic spines, where the earth energy flowed most intensely.
"Knights, pattern formation Delta!" Aldric commanded, his intermediate fighting spirit now focused into precise strikes. "Don't try to overpower them—disrupt their connection!"
The apprentice knights, despite their status, adapted quickly. The gunners spread out in a wide arc, their shots now aimed not at the beasts' hide but at the ground beneath them just before they attempted their Burrow Dash. The earth energy patterns became visible—subtle flows disrupted by the knights' attacks.
One female Razorback charged, her Stone Tusk Strike aimed at Arvind. But now they were ready. Three apprentice knights struck the ground in sequence, their minimal fighting spirit precisely timed. The beast's earth energy wavered, its strike losing cohesion. The crystallizing effect sputtered and failed.
The Alpha roared in fury, recognizing the shift in battle dynamics. It reared up for another Stone Wall Eruption, but Aldric was prepared. His level 2 enhanced blade struck in a complex pattern, targeting each spine in rapid succession. The eruption faltered, earthen spikes crumbling before they could fully form.
To be continued...