Chapter 68: Mel, Mag, and Ran

(Flashback)

In the Central Region, before it became the Deadlands was the trading hub for the North and South Regions.

Small villages were scattered in the region, and it was not uncommon for them to get attack by wild animals and weak monsters.

The men in the villages trained themselves to fight these foes, and others even form militias if the threat of monsters and wild animals is severe.

In one of the villages live Mel, Mag, and Ran.

These three are childhood friends and are part of their village's militia.

Mel is the big man in the group, tasked to protect the other two with his sword and shield.

Mag learned a bit of magic when a passing mage taught him some. He could still deal massive damage to monsters, though.

Ran is the marksman of the group. She's the best archer, even in the whole village.

One day, on a very ordinary day, Mel decided to take a break and get some sleep at home.

Mel hasn't been getting some sleep lately because of bad dreams.

Mel: "Will you guys be okay?"

Mag: "Definitely! My beautiful magic can handle any monsters that come close to our village."

Ran: "We got this!"

Ran was a cheerful girl. Always ready to brighten the mood. Well, she was.

Mel went home that day, and it is the thing he regrets most in his life.

Boom!

A loud explosion awakened him. That's odd.

It must be another nightmare.

As he walks outside of his house, a familiar sight greets him.

The village was in flames, and the villagers killed by soldiers of both the North and South regions.

Mel: "God damn it. Even in my dreams, I can't get some rest."

Oi!

Someone was calling him.

Mag: "Oi! It's about time, hurry! We need your help!"

Mel went to him right away. Even though it's a dream, he has a sense of urgency to help them.

Mel: "What's this? What's happening?"

Mag: "We were able to push back the initial wave of soldiers. They want to take our village and turn it into a military installation!"

The villagers did not know that conflict between the North and South had escalated since both want to have the central region.

Mel: "What the hell is with them? Also, where's Ran?"

Mag: "She's protecting the villagers who are evacuating. We need to hold this village if we want them to escape safely."

Mel: "You got it!"

The horns of war boomed, signaling the start of a charge.

Soldier Captain: "Charge!"

Soldiers from the North started charging.

The remaining villagers and Mag shoot them from afar.

Mag: "Fire!"

Even though they don't have proper weapons, an arrow shot into a vital point can kill a soldier.

!

Boom!

A group of soldiers got destroyed by Mag's magic, and still, the charge did not stop.

They're too many!

This dream feels so realistic. I can even feel the trembling before the battle.

Mag: "It's not enough! Ready your weapons, we will fight them up close!"

I ready my weapons, too. Even if it's not real, I don't want to see Mag and the villagers die.

Soldier: "Yahhh!"

The first soldier who reached the village charged head-on without regard to his safety, and I stopped him.

I did a thrust to the neck where the armor is absent.

Soldier: "Guh!"

I was able to kill anyone who came close without much effort since the soldiers aren't that well trained.

They look like recruits and not professional soldiers.

Is this happening without a proper goal? Are they just attacking us to raid the village and rob us?

After I realized this, I become angry and activated my combat skills.

and

These skills will allow me to withstand hundreds of these soldiers.

10, 20, 30.

More!

40, 50, 100.

I had killed around a hundred soldiers now when something unexpected happened.

Mag: "The soldiers from the South Region are attacking from the other side of the village. They're going to flank us."

What the hell is this? Why are they going so far to destroy this village?

Also, Ran!

Mel: "Aren't the villagers escaping from the back? They will get slaughtered by the South Region's soldiers!"

Mag: "Shit! Go! I'll hold them off with the rest of the villagers. Save them!"

I trusted him, and I left the scene. Mag is strong; he'll survive.

That's what I told myself so that I won't worry.

I killed a few soldiers on the way, and I saw the evacuating villagers getting attacked already.

Mel: "No!"

I jumped from the hill I was standing on and into battle.

Slash, slash, slash.

Soldier: "H-he's a monster! Run!"

The small group of soldiers ran away after a lot of them got killed by me.

Mel: "Ran! Where are you?"

I searched for her in the groups of dead and wounded villagers, but she was not there.

Most of the villagers got killed, but a handful got away.

Some villagers had their families killed and lost their will to live.

They just cry and cry beside their dead family.

Mel: "Ran!"

I'm sad about the deaths, but Ran is more important.

As I kept searching, I heard someone crying in the trees nearby.

Mel: "Ran?"

I saw her there sitting and crying. Her eyes look lifeless, and it felt like all the joy in her heart had left her.

Ran: "I couldn't protect them. I couldn't. I-"

Mel: "Ran!"

Ran: "I don't wanna die. I don't wanna die."

Mel: "Wake up!"

I slapped her to make her go back to her senses.

Ran: "Ouch, is that you, Mel?"

Mel: "Yes, what happened? Why are you hiding?"

Ran: "I-It's my fault. I'm so stupid, why am I so stupid!"

She now hit herself as if she did something terribly wrong.

Mel: "Stop it! What happened?"

Ran: "It's because I was so stupid that the villagers had to die!

She cried again.

Ran: "It's because I tripped over something, and my loud mouth had to react from the pain. That's why they found us."

Mel: "It's an accident. There's nothing you can do now."

Ran: "..."

From then on, Ran never spoke much again.

Mel: "Let's go, Mag's in trouble we need to help him."

Ran just followed me without saying anything.

She was still depressed, but we can't stop now. We need to get Mag and get out of her-

Mel: "Mag?"

Once we got back to the village, there was no more fighting.

Mel: "Mag, why?"

It's because all the villagers had died, and Mag's head was impaled on a stake.

Mel: "MAG!"

This shit can't be happening. It's a dream, right? I need to wake up.

Mel: "It's a fucking nightmare! Let me wake up!"

However, nothing happened.

Now it dawned on Mel the gravity of the situation. Mixed feelings hit him all at once; the deaths of the villager, Ran's accident, and now Mag's death.

Mel: "No! (Cries)"

Mel was crying non-stop. He had just lost his best friend.

Ran was also there, but all you could see is her tears flowing non-stop. You can't hear her crying.

Soldier Captain: "Fools. Villagers standing up to an army never ends well."

The captain of the soldiers revealed himself along with the professional soldiers of the army.

It was they who defeated Mag and the others.

Mel: "You, monster! What do you get from raiding this village!? We're just poor farmers and hunters!"

Soldier Captain: "None of that matters. Our orders are to take the village, and if we face resistance, burn it."

Mel: "As if you gave us any options!"

Soldier Captain: "That's the amazing thing about it."

Mel: "What the hell are you saying!"

Soldier Captain: "We can just kill anyone in the village and tell the king they resisted! Hahaha!"

His maniacal laugh was all you could hear in this ruined village.

Soldier Captain: "Now, then. I need to burn my next village. It's time for you two to die."

Mel: "I won't let you! Ran, run away now!"

However, Ran just stood there unmoving. The shock of Mag's death must have been too much for her.

Soldier Captain: "See, your companion already accepted her fate."

Mel: "You, bastard!"

Soldier Captain: "Why? Can you kill us all and save your friend?"

Mel: "Oh, you can be sure that I will! HIYA!"

I ran towards the captain and made a jumping slash in an attempt to decapitate him while he was sitting on his horse.

Veteran Soldier: "Not so fast."

His veteran soldiers stopped me. These guys are nowhere as weak as the ones before.

After blocking my attack, they kicked me.

Mel: "Ooh."

I fought them, but I couldn't even scratch their high-quality armor with my rusty sword.

Soldier Captain: "I told you; just give up and die."

Equipment from dead soldiers are lying around the village, and a specific weapon caught my eye.

I know now what to do.

Veteran Soldier: "Hah!"

As the Veteran Soldier made a slash to execute me, I rolled to the side and picked up a mace from one of their dead soldiers.

This weapon is the answer. Only a blunt weapon can damage the veteran soldier's armor.

!

Without wasting any more time, I smashed the head of a nearby veteran soldier with an empowered strike.

Veteran Soldier: "Guh!"

I repeated the same tactic until I killed all of his bodyguards.

Soldier Captain: "Hah! The fool thinks he has a chance."

Even though the Soldier Captain was alone, he still stood there confident as if nothing noteworthy was happening.

Soldier Captain: "Come, fool. Try to avenge the idiot mage. Oh, how I like it when he pleaded for your help."

Mel: "You!"

Soldier Captain: "He kept shouting for help. He kept shouting, Mel."

Mel: "You just said your last words! AHHHHHH!!!"

I charged at him while roaring with all my might.

!

Now all my buffs are activated. I only need to get in range to execute a to smash his face.

He's not moving. He's just smiling.

Soldier Captain: "Come."

Mel: "RAGGHHHH!"

Soldier Captain: "Attack."

What?

Suddenly soldiers came outside the houses and stabbed me with spears.

Mel: "Guh!"

I can't stop now. I tried to attack the soldiers holding the spears, but they are keeping their distance.

Is this the end?

Shoom! Shoom!

Arrows were flying from behind me. It was Ran.

She still had tears in her eyes, but her expression has changed.

She was angry and was eager to have revenge.

Ran: "Die!"

Her arrows kept coming and hit all the soldiers right in the head.

Ran: "Go now!"

I can still do this. Hah.

Even with my wounds, I still approached the captain.

Soldier Captain: "Impossible!"

He looked worried now.

Or not. The captain's face changed expressions quickly.

Ran: "Ugh!"

There was another soldier who came from hiding and stabbed Ran.

Mel: "RAN!"

Ran: "Don't... stop!"

She quickly took out her dagger from her pouch and threw it in between the eyes of the assailant.

Ran: "I'm... fine. Go."

I got it.

With a renewed vigor and adrenaline coming from my anger, I rushed towards the Soldier Captain.

Mel: "HIYAAAAA!"

Soldier Captain: "Why won't you die!?"

!

Soldier Captain: "Hehehe. My can stop any attacks."

Mel: "RAAAGGHHHH!!! AGGHHHHH!"

I put all the strength and lifeforce left in my body to make this attack. You can't stop this.

His shield was getting cracked.

Soldier Captain: "No! This can't be! My noble blood is too rich to die in a village!"

My roar turned into a skill that gave my attack three times the destructive power at the expense of my entire strength and stamina.

Mel: "Giyah!"

The skill gave me enough power to push through his crushing his shield and, ultimately, caving his face inside of his body.

The lifeless body of the captain fell off the horse, and it was over.

Mel: "I've... done it. Ran?"

She's motionless. Without life, just like her eyes.

I crawled towards her. I don't want her to die alone.

Why did this happen? Why didn't I took those dreams seriously?

If only I could get another shot at life, I will protect Mag and Ran with all I have.

And I will give my unwavering loyalty to whoever gives me that second chance.

As Mel got closer to Ran, he saw that she was smiling.

It didn't matter that her body was cold. Her smile was warmer than the sun.

Mel died that day besides Ran. Without even giving the letter he had written for her since they were kids.

"Oh, Ran. Your smile makes even the coldest winter bearable. I cannot stand the cold, so please, can you be my bride?"