Chapter 7: The Deviltusk Boar [1]

The village clock of aspects ticked continuously. The rhythmic strokes following a lovely pattern. It shifted along with the arching of the crown of light.

Davin led the chorus of cries, his growls akin to a stressed-out concerto conductor. The shrieks and groans of the villagers filled the atmosphere like the accompaniment of an orchestra.

It filled the east outskirts with heart-pumping vibratos. Some young lads even proved soprano was within their lung’s reach. Each wrangling note crafting a unique piece of passionate music. A composition played with no instruments but thru the villagers’ howls and squeals.

It was a masterpiece. A piece of music deserved the mighty applause from the village elders.

It was already the middle of the afternoon when the training of the villagers finally came to a halt. Groans of tiredness and pain blossomed from the eastern outskirts.

One could even hear soft whimpers and sobs drifting through the wind. Their empty, soulless eyes were enough to express the injustice they had experienced. At long last, the day’s toil had ended. The villagers could now go home and rest. Still, they must return for another session after tomorrow.

Picking themselves up from the verdant grass, the laborers, er, the villagers’ quivering limbs rose from the lush greenswards. They staggered to their homes looking like rags, their legs feeling cramped. Every step crafted a brusque twist on their faces. A simple step felt like a great climb. A gloomy atmosphere followed them to their home. Davin had snuffed the lights in a single day. His flying spits had not hurt, but his caustic tongue was worse than the nasty brigands.

“Poor guys.”

“What the heck happened to these lazy buts?

The other villagers who saw them stood dumbfounded. Just this morning, they saw them energetically grumbling about the new lord. But now, they looked like refugees from a war-torn kingdom, snuffling away from the vestiges of chaos and war.

Upon arrival at their homes, the unfortunate villagers fell on their beds. Tiredness overwhelmed their eyes. Shoulder’s stiff, legs-shaking, the villagers drowsily laid in peace. Entrusting the entirety being on the caressed of their heavenly beds. Ignoring all the questions thrown to them by their family, they slept.

In the middle of the night, a few villagers had nightmares, waking up in a cold sweat. After remembering the curses and saliva thrown at them, their heart quaked. They cried in silence because of the baffling experience. Though most of them wanted to speak up and tell the tale, no one dares, and no one will.

Davin’s warning had done its work. Some important information shouldn’t spread casually. Especially those that could cause panic and unrest.

***

The villagers had undergone a thrilling exercise under Davin’s instructions. Back and forth sprint to the hills and back to the village. Deep squats, crossing back and forth through the waters of the feet-deep stream. Picking up different sizes of rocks, then building them up into a wall in the riverside. Those were the few that covered the villagers’ training menu.

Drips of sweat fell to the parched grasses on the eastern outskirts. The grassland swayed along with the whispers of the wind, asking for more.

Toiling like laborers with pickaxes and shovels, that's what the villagers had felt.

“Ain't this supposed to be training? What's with the running? Are we only playing? And damn that rock mountain!”

At first, Davin thought they could immediately use these sloths for farm work as the madam had said. Unfortunately, the bunch lacked both discipline and body fitness. They were like sheltered ladies, their bodies cushioned in fats and few muscles.

If you do not keep an eye on them, they’ll even slack off in just a jiffy. They even lacked stamina. They would huff like a dumb roe after a few laps, giving the esquire so much disappointment.

Working out as if their life depended on it, the villagers panted and puffed. Distress and exhaustion filled their eyes. Davin's ghost-like taunts and threats accompanied them. The vulgar tongue-wagging forced them to move.

Most of the villagers didn't even notice the esquire moving to the forest of wilderness. Even so, some observant villagers witnessed it. Thus, slowing down their training to what they deemed as manageable and acceptable.

Later in the morning, they finally saw the thin shadow of Davin again. The esquire guffawing as he scuttled in their direction. No, it’s more appropriate to call it roaring.

Davin dashed towards the eastern outskirts of the village. His sprint left a trail of dust behind his back. The villagers felt baffled. Seeing the esquire running towards them like an idiot, made them take a step back.

They wondered what the hell was happening to Davin.

“Hey, Bob?

“What?”

“Did Sir Esquire finally lose his mind?”

“Bah! He’s already a crazy man in my eyes after making me do this.” The villager smashed his fork into the ground, but after seeing Davin running towards them, he picked it up again. He whistled and continued, acting as if he was enjoying everything.

After a few seconds, the villagers heard a rumbling sound from the ground. The sounds were getting louder and louder. It was like a rumbling charged of a cavalry.

Soon, the villagers saw a gigantic shadow trailing behind the esquire. It sending a bigger dust storm behinds its path. The beast was enormous. Its dark tusk alone was equal to the size of an adult man. The black hide of the beast abhorred light, making it looked like a dark shadow as it ran. Its eyes shone crimson like the monsters of the night.

Its sharp teeth triggered an ear-grating sound as if it was chewing on hard rock. Its saliva splashing on the ground as it ran after the esquire.

A crazy man and a crazy boar. It’s one hell of a chase.

It was a Deviltusk boar, a mature one at that. Based on its massive frame and long tusk, it could be a rank Rank-3 Deviltusk boar.

A Rank-3 Deviltusk boar. Known as horde leaders of boar stampedes, the vanguard of every stampede. Its massive size left a lot of villages and farmlands under its mercy.

In the Kingdom of Rutherford alone, many of its attacks spelled disastrous damage. Destruction both to the livelihood of commoners and nobles alike. It left many people with no home, no food, and no economic ability to survive. It’s also one of the common causes of human migration in the region.

A major cause of monster subjugation conscriptions.

The old chief even wrote some accounts of lucky survivors. He shared the stories with the villagers but ended up ignored. So he announced it throughout the village to serve both as a warning and a reminder last year.

According to the tales of the passing survivors from the attacked villages. These monsters could destroy stone houses. It loved ramming fields and eating humans the most. Once it passed through a village, the village was no more.

It forced many survivors to look for other ways to live. The descriptions of the survivors about Deviltusk boar were well-detailed.

In the end, the old chief surmised everything in few words.

If you see one, run.

If you can’t run, hide.

If there is nowhere to hide.

Your great-grandparents were just going to get you sooner than expected.

Nothing too serious, right?

The villagers gazed at the esquire who was running towards them. They even saw the esquire flailing his hands at them. No… perhaps he was waving at them.

Anyway, who cares?

Feeling mocked, the dark beast roared, speeding up in anger as it tried to trample Davin.

The faces of the villagers paled. They started sweating buckets after seeing the massive existence running towards them.

The villagers huffed and dragged their bodies in all directions, ignoring their fatigue. Most of the youth even pissed their pants as they shook in fright.

Others fled to the goddess-knows-where-place, screaming at the top of their lungs. They shouted for help as they staggered because of painful muscle spasms.

The villagers both big and small bawled in grief as if it was the end of the world.

Some lost consciousness while others played dead. They thought it would make them safe from the beast.

They all forgot the advice of their old village chief.

The rushing beast cast panic and terror on the villagers. They saw the action pack event unfolding before their eyes. It was the first-ever since they were born in this village.

They only heard stories of this devil spawn from a passing survivor from the nearby village.

The rumbling sounds from the ground shook their already buckling knees.

The esquire continued to run towards the villagers.

When everything was about to go wrong.

Davin changed direction. He scurried toward a massive old tree.

“Hah, follow me fatty!”

The Deviltusk boar rushed towards Davin.

Davin then took a big dive towards the side of the gigantic tree, shifting the direction of his momentum along the way.

The Deviltusk boar was incapable of such a feat. With its four legs running in full strength, its mere size and weight did not even allow it to change direction.

The dark beast continued to rush towards the unsuspecting tree.