"I'm sorry for dropping those spears at you. I thought the raks had gathered round the gates." The man, who'd earlier introduced himself as Ralph, apologised to Augustus. He let them inside, and shut the gates behind them, "They just took us by surprise."
Augustus smiled, but when his focus shifted from Ralph to the interior of the village, a cold gleam appeared in his eyes as the smile on his face dropped. He turned to Ralph, "The spears and swords everyone is holding is not just for decoration, right?"
Iona was a pretty big village before, but even at its peak it did not have many villagers who were skilled enough to handle a weapon. He sighed, "I guess little protection is better than no protection at all. There are only a handful I can help, and that's it."
"What are you muttering to yourself?" Lily nudged Augustus in the shoulder with her elbow, but he ignored her. She clicked her tongue then turned to the villagers, "If raks got in here, everyone would be eaten alive before they could land a good hit."
"They're weak, but not that weak." Augustus sighed again, then he paused. He guessed that this was his moment, whether he liked it or not. He cleared his throat, "I guess when you put your mind to it, you have the strength to accomplish whatever you wish."
"True that! We're going to surprise the raks if they manage to burst in." Ralph boasted as he gestured to the men and woman carrying various deadly weapons about, "Even after all the requests for backup we sent, not even a party was sent here to help us."
'Well, rak business is far more deadly business than these people know.' Augustus held his chin, glancing from one person to another. He narrowed his eyes, 'Only madmen have the guts to challenge Al' Rak. The corruption destroys everything it reaches.'
"Who's that, Ralph?" A short auburn haired man approached them, his suit was dyed red in blood and his hat and pants soaked with oil. He scanned the group, and the second he noticed Aaron, his eyes went wide, "You survived? How?! The swarm would've—"
"I lost, and the market was destroyed. I was at the brink of death, trying to protect my family from the raks when this traveller came to help." Aaron gestured at Augustus, "He'd given me his blade and joined me to fight the raks all the way up to this point."
"Interesting, may I ask where he's from?" The short man asked, his eyes still wide. He calmed himself, clearing his throat and wearing a serious expression, "If permitted, what may I call this traveller? It's nice to drop formality every not and then…"
"I'm Augustus Le'on from the Sun Palace." Augustus answered boldly, gesturing to the sword he had given Aaron, a smirk on his face, "You see my sheath? I had it get its flame crest engraved by the Sun Tamer. Not a flex, but you can fact check that."
Bling. Bling.
"Of all eighty sons and daughters of the four palaces, what number are you?" The man held his chin, rolling his eyes to the side then snapping his fingers, "You must've been sent here to deal with this crisis for us! I knew the gods would not abandon!"
'Boy, have I got some big news for you.' Augustus opened his mouth to speak, but as he noticed the hopeful flame in the eyes of the people here, he took a deep breath and sighed, "I guess this is what I have to do. I'll see this situation through, you have my word."
"What? You guys are not letting some random into the affairs of the village, are you?" A woman charged out of the crowd and stopped before Augustus. She glared at him, a cold gleam in her eyes, "Why should we trust whatever rubbish he just spat out?"
"I know these are dire times, Melisa, but these patterns—" Aaron spoke in a soft tone, while his wife and child quietly backed away. As the woman turned to him, his voice died.
"Let me speak!" Melissa shouted, turning from Aaron to Ralph, "And you! Who'd given you the right to make those assumptions? Just because we are in this mess does not mean we accept anybody and everybody's take in our business."
Low murmurs from the crowd sounded behind her, and Augustus watched this with a polite smile on his face. He cleared his throat, "Tell me, Melissa. Doesn't all this madness tire you? If you'd allow me, then I will—"
A loud explosive sound reached Augustus's ears, and it was followed by a chorus of ceaseless drumming. Melissa's eyes shifted to the gates, then back to Augustus, "In this situation, you'd try to rob us of little we have and vanish. We have to—"
"Back away from the gates before the rhino charges in!" Augustus shouted at the top of his lungs, startling everyone, then proceeded to dash from the gates. As everyone ran from the gates, Augustus and Aaron turned around to face it, "They're here…"
"What do you mean rhino?" Melissa asked, stepping forward to stand with Augustus, her gaze locked on the gates. Her fingers trembled slightly and her breath grew shaky, "If you mean something 'not rak' please clarify what it is."
"It's a literal rhino. There are up to two or three in every rak swarm used for stomping down barricades and transportation." His gaze turned serious, "This place is going to blow up with raks, take the villagers into the treasury. I'll hold them down myself."
It was the job of the leader to have his face reflect the light of the sun while his people sat oblivious in the shadows. Never again he would he fail to protect this village, "After an intense fight here, we'll lead the raks out of the town square and into the village."
"You are thinking of suicide! Think of his wife and child if not your life!" Melissa wore a stunned expression on her pale face as her eyes sat wide open, but Augustus chuckled, "I don't think you are retarded, are you? This is not a joking matter, y—"
"It's his choice. You can either make yours or stand there whimpering like a baby." As Augustus drew in a deep breath, the light in his eyes transformed into a burning flame, "I will sacrifice my life, and that's my worth to prove. Why don't you prove your worth?"