The stream of water was flowing ever so elegantly between the green texture on the right and flowery texture on the left. Butterflies and wild rabbits could be seen enjoying the beauty of the place. Looking at this scenery was a black haired, crimson eyed, robust looking man
"enjoying the view young master?"
A man with his hands behind his back. Black hair with strands of greyness, and two small jet black horns on his jaw.
Startled. "Oh, choji, it's you," he said, turning back in the direction of the land. "not enjoying it per se, but thinking a beautiful place like this will be a battlefield soon"
Standing on the black-haired man's side, Choji looked at the place before he said, "What about the war? We have no chance of winning, and we can't count on the Kiroki for backup."
"You worry too much. Pride or not, the Kiroki are just as capable as we are," the young master replied, looking at Choji. "In fact, they are the only magical-born here. We Okarin just have high compatibility to Aetherion. After all, we are descendants of humans and Oni."
"Heh, you mean cursed children, not humans," Choji replied.
"Yeah, there's no difference between dark elves, elves, and half-elves, is there?"
Step… Step… Footsteps could be heard rushing towards them, as they both turned to look at who was coming to this sacred place with such a rush.
"Young master, young master… It's the monsters. They are sighted one and a half days from here."
They must have used the magic orb to communicate, how useful, the young master thought.
"So the monsters have already advanced this close. After our humiliating defeat, what do you think we should do, young master?"
Glancing at him, the young master replied, "Since my father was killed, I am now the leader of the Okarin, which number up to 250. The majority belongs to Okarin, with 550 women and kids counted. They should decide, not me."
Nodding to him, Choji and the young master left for the Kiroki head district.
Walking through, the people were giving them irritated and annoyed looks. They might all leave in the Great Valley Meadow, but they were like water and oil.
Standing in front of a tree house, which was a good meters high, Choji and the young master exchanged glances.
"Our leader is coming," one of the guards said.
A woman with lime hair, blue eyes, and a tall figure radiating a green aura came out of the house. The nearby folks all bowed at her presence.
"Greetings," she smiled. "I am the princess of this part. I was expecting you."
The young master and Choji stared at each other. Expecting us, they thought.
"Come in now."
"For a tree, this place is pretty well-made," the young master said, gawking around.
Stopping midway, she turned, a vicious smile on her face. "Would you please stop giving bad critiques about my home?"
The two felt shivers down their spines.
"You said you were expecting us. Get on with it," the young master said.
"My, you don't even have manners, do you? Going straight to talk while there are seats in front of you."
"Oh, umm, ahem," sitting down in embarrassment, the young master continued, "What is it about?"
"You know the monsters have already reached here, yes? That being so, let's discuss about the front lines. We have about 800 residents, and about 300+ of those could actually fight," she said, shifting her gaze at Choji and the young master.
The two, pretty much good at commanding, already knew where she was heading.
"With that, I declare we run away." She didn't even flinch, looking at them.
"Run away? Us? Sorry, but we won't," the young master said, his expression serious, eyes locked with the princess.
"Warrior's pride, I guess? Doesn't matter then. You have a plan, I suppose?"
Looking at Choji, he shook his head. "We don't," the young master said, clenching his hand, which was laying on his thigh.
"Good," she smiled. "It should be here soon."
"Soon? What are you talking abo…"
The young master was interrupted by one of his kind, who slammed the door with uneasiness, breathing heavily.
Looking at the one who came to pick them up and the one who just came in, he thought, Come to think of it, he knew the directions better than any of us. Did she set this up?
"How'd it go?"
"Huff... Huff... Went good... We managed to get help."
"Help? What's the meaning of this?"
"Calm down, young master," she said calmly. "This is for the benefit of all of us. We can't fight those things by ourselves."
The young master, coming to understand the situation, changed his expression as if he had been looked down upon.
"Speak for the Kiroki. We are Okarin; we don't feel the need to be helped by weaker forces than us anyway," he said, leaving Choji behind.
"Never mind about that. What about the warriors you found? Are they strong?"
"I think they are."
Looking at him, she sighed. "Well, at least you found help... All of you, prepare for battle."
—------
Young master's POV
Flowing behind the young master.
"What are you going to do?"
Hiding his expression by being in the front, he replied, "I will do what I should have done a long time ago."
He clenched his fists as the sound of his bones could be heard. Warriors in front of him, who had been ready for battle, stood in groups, talking without realizing him.
"Listen to me, men!"
With one yell, everyone was now in line, paying attention.
"Are you all present here?"
"Yes, sir!"
"That is good, because we're going to attack the monsters. Numbers mean nothing to us. We are proud descendants of a mighty race. Following someone's mission or goals is beneath us… Are you in?!"
"Yes, sir!"
"I can't hear you!"
All of the men shouted in unison as loud as they could. "Yes, sir!"
As they all marched in the direction of the Vestige and its squad.
—-----
Zereth's POV
Standing at the very belly of Wrym Village, facing him were all the chosen warriors. This felt like my very first formal speech, Zereth thought, inhaling and exhaling.
"Listen up, everyone! Lord Zereth is about to speak!" Missanya said, standing on his left.
Aeltheris was nowhere to be seen. Only if she'd be more reliable like her, Zereth thought.
"Listen, everyone, you were all selected not because you are stronger than the others who didn't—"
All stole glances at him, realizing something they thought they were chosen for wasn't it.
"We chose you specifically because you know how to survive. This is going to be our first war as the residents of Wrym, so let's give it our very best!" he said, raising his hand in a fist position.
"Yeah, yeah!"
The place that had once known nothing but sadness was, for the first time, louder than all the places that always had noises.
Wars are part of the cycle for us monsters. It's a territorial battle or survival of the fittest. Either way, seeing how different people who are mortal enemies are in the same place makes me happy, Zereth smiled.
Heading over to the lizards' mounts…
"Do be careful," Missanya replied, waving her hand.
Nodding, Zereth took off, leading 1,500 soldiers. They don't have any military strategy; I only ensured they're strong, not war games, so I will be leading them for as long as I can.
Leaning over the mount, kicking it with his back leg to make it faster, "Let's go full speed ahead."
The Valley of Meadow wasn't that far from the Forest of Wrym. In no more than an hour, Zereth and his gang had already arrived at the Kiroki district. At the gate, they were greeted by three figures.
Unmounting, Zereth stepped forward.
"Are you the ones who asked for help?"
"Yes, we are," the man was in a hurry. He seemed to be panicking, tapping his legs on the ground and constantly biting his teeth.
"Well, I'm here. What's the plan?"
"We have a problem," the lime-haired girl replied.
Surprised, "What problem can you have that's bigger than Asheeron's Vestige?"
A little hesitant, she glanced at Zereth. She was surprised that her gaze didn't affect him in any way. My aura instills fear in those I gaze at. What is he? she wondered.
"Ahem. The Okarin… they have gone to battle with the Vestige."
As if adding to his problems, Zereth touched his forehead. "Why would they go there? Don't they want to live anymore? Either way, we best get going, yes?"
Nodding to his quick way to act, the girl called the warriors they had on hand.
"230? I thought you had 800 on hand," Zereth was a little frustrated.
"Yes, our total is 800, not our warriors. I would go and fight too," she said, though she wasn't planning to. Something about this boy is different. He's not emitting any type of aura. Are they playing me? Who is the real leader? she thought, scanning the area with her magical eyes of appraisal.
"If you are going, then let's go."
—------
Young master's POV
"Are you sure we should be standing in front of them like this? We stand a much greater chance when we do an ambush."
"Our kind doesn't fight dirty. There are no laws or rules in war, but abandoning our tradition isn't something I will stoop low to do."
The rumbling of the ground was getting closer. In a place where there are uneven landscapes, we are bound to win.
Staring at the water, Damn it. It had to rain here. This might prove harder than I thought.
"They're here," Choji replied.
"All right, everyone, charge!" he shouted, pointing his sword in the direction of the monsters.
"How weak," a tree with dark vines shaped in a human form said, sitting in a tree's makeshift cart.
"Eliminate them all," he said, as the monsters lifted the cart and others continued their journey.
The Okarin that charged ahead were no match for the Draymorn beings Asheeron.
In an instant,Over one hundred okarin were brutally Massacred.
"Go, men, fight!" No one folowed the command
"you disobey your master's order?" choji repiied
"Wait" the vestige said, jumping off from the cart. "i will fight you two in a two-on-one," he said
"Fight the two of us? Don't mock me!"
Both choji and young master charged forward with extreme speed that can't be seen with the human eye, cutting its hands instantly
Watching as the battle unfold was zereth atop the hill with the princess and choji's daughter
His comrades have surrounded the draymorns all awaiting his signal
"You're weak"
Both fighters looking at the beast realizing that before they cut it it had already moved
Young master coughed falling to his knees trying to catch a breath.in front of him appeared appeared a punch-one, two, three- they kept on coming like train racks. They only stopped when choji intervened, using his swordsmanship
"you think that pathetic thing can harm me?"
"whiplash"
Dark vines with thorny spikes emerged ignoring the properties of sound multiple instantaneous hits, hit choji who flew to the air as if dancing with it.
"I'm going to intervene," choji's daughter said as she couldn't take it anymore, zereth puts a hand in her way.
"No, stop. I will fight it "
Jumping from the hill, zereth appeared next to choji cutting the vines that will end him
"Attack!" he yelled firing a flare spell up. The war had finally begun, with the draymorns being attacked from all directions.
Zereth stood not far from the young master, the young master looked at him.
"it's s you against me vestige. "