Faster!

Clang…

Faster!!

Cling…

FASTER!!!

Shiing…..

“Huh… huh…” I took a hard breath after giving my all for that strikes.

“Good job Sir Arthur! Now this is five weeks in the making gentlemen!!” As my blade were near his neck, he shouts while standing there with pride.

“Thank you, prince Kristof!” I pulled back my sword, sheathing it back, and handed out my right arm to him waiting for a firm handshake from the prince.

“The pleasure is mine!” he shook my hand with a firmness that I’ve only felt back when I shook coach Franco’s hand, it was nostalgic, and it was satisfying.

After that sparing match where a lot of the prince’s knights, miss Marie, Eleanna, and the princess watched, we celebrated for a short amount of time after my victorious triumph against the prince.

Eleanna was cheery and happy for me, miss Marie of course like her usual self, always so proud seeing her students achieving something great, the princess as well was ecstatic to congratulate, she said that for all the men that her little brother has teach, no one was that quick enough to learn and even out sword him.

It was a soothing to the ear to hear that I was an exceptional pupil and with those several stink eyes that came from one of his highness’ knights, I could feel that I’ve earn this.

God this feels great!!!

Shortly after that brief congratulatory party, Martyn, and Sir Fionn stepped out of the main tent, from the looks of their face it seems that there is or maybe even there are somethings that needs to be addressed.

They told us that supplies weren’t low, but the journey might put a strain on the supplies considering the time of season it is, it’s early winter, and by the time we enter the Tuath region, the supplies would probably be next to none.

Due to this Martyn and Sir Fionn planned to go out to the nearest town or village to buy some supplies, but Martyn realized something, this might be the chance to explore and immersed ourselves a bit with this world.

He proposed to us, me, miss Marie and Eleanna, to go with them in this brief adventure, I agreed right there and then to come with them, miss Marie and Eleanna agreed as well, but it ran into some bit of complications when the princess heard of this proposal, she intervene and said that it would be unwise to show us four again to the public by recounting our first outing, Martyn did agree with her statement but he was really dead set on us having this adventure.

“it’s okay sister, they’ll have Sir Fionn to protect!” the prince assured. “Heck… I might as well come!” the prince then spontaneously said.

“Wha… then who’s going to watch over your men?” the princess said slightly annoyed.

“Pere of course!” the prince then took a breath and shouted as he saw Pere from a distance. “OII PER HOLD DOWN THE FORT WILL YOU AND KEEP WATCH OF THE THREE LADIES HERE IN THE FORT!!!”

Pere from a distance gave a thumbs up while walking towards the makeshift armory. Though the princess was annoyed and still was against the idea, she eventually concedes but with one condition, Sapphire was to come with us.

After a while, we packed enough gold and mounted the spare horses but because me, Eleanna, miss Marie, weren’t that acquainted with riding a horse, we have to hitch at the back with the ones who are acquainted with those animals, Eleanna obviously with Martyn, I was with the prince, while Miss Marie was with Sir Fionn.

As we traverse the dirt for a while, we found a village and even from a far, we could feel the old and decrepit aura that it oozes, the land there was somehow dried, fields around us were not flourishing at all, and as we were more closer to the village, the surrounding was just sad, it was like entering the slums rather than a village in the countryside.

Several minutes pass in this somewhat of a dump village, our main goal here were done with Martyn and Sir Fionn came out from the general store, they said that the store clerk is hauling the supplies and Sir Fionn is going to lead him to where our camp is after hauling it.

Because of this we got some free time here to do what we want, Martyn as usual asked for the nearest tavern, miss Marie stopped and argued with him, but somehow it ended with miss Marie just storming off rather than being the usual mom she is to Martyn.

“I’ll handle this Mar, just save me a beer or two ‘kay!” I said cheekily.

While accompanying miss Marie on her emotional outburst walk, she mumbled things like ‘only wanting the best for him’, ‘just looking out for him’, and your other concerned mom rants to their sons or daughters, I got to admit it was kind of funny seeing her pout like that, but it really is no joke about her concern towards Martyn, she really does love him.

Well even if he is going to do stupid things, at least you’re going to be there for him, unlike… her….

After that outburst walk, we both found a place to rest our feet, it was outside of the village judging from the green grass that we were sitting on, and I guess it wasn’t that far considering we could see the village and it’s people working.

“God why do he always do this! And you don’t even help with that ‘save me a beer’ Arthur!!” miss Marie said, who was still livid judging from the sound. “Uhhh…. If it was back in earth, he was at least scared of me seeing him drinking, but now… it’s like he owns the goddamn world!!”

“I mean he is sort of the second ruler now…” I said.

“NOT HELPING!!” she shouted while giving me a death glare.

“Sorry… sorry” I lowered my head a little. “But… even if he is doing something stupid miss Marie, at least you’re going to be there for him! We’re still teenagers after all, doing dumb shit is mandatory for us, hehe…”

I got a little laughed from her after my statement there.

“Huh….” she took a breath a little. “Thanks Art! For a guy who almost shits his pants after a wedding proposal you do know how to cheer up someone, hehe”

“hehe…”

Damn it Martyn, Who else did you tell!!!

After that brief humiliation from miss Marie, I noticed something on the hills. A silhouette of a dog... No, a wolf! two wolfs or... three? wait, ten? sixteen?! twenty?!! My god the number of silhouettes just kept growing and my mind as well became suspicious and wary of what was seeing and.... Screams, coming from in front of us! It was farmers by the looks of them running towards the village with hoes on their hands, and the wolves I saw in the hills, were now rushing down to the village.

I grabbed miss Marie’s arm and ran to the village, she was confused towards my actions but she soon realized when she looked behind her, we then ran together as fast as we could towards the village.

As we entered the village the wolves were already closed, they were attacking the guards behind us who were trying to defend the village, children and women quickly ran inside their homes, and the men, all of them came out with their pitchforks and sickles to the defend their homes, me and miss Marie kept running and running towards the tavern, but then.

“AGHHH!!!”

From behind me I heard a scream, it was miss Marie's. her leg was grabbed by the wolf’s jaw, and she was being dragged by it. I turn back and unsheathe my sword and swung it as fast and hard as I could at that wolf, it hit, and that wolf let its jaw off miss Marie’s leg.

“Come on miss Marie!!”

I stretched out my arm and pulled her closer, she was limping bad, bleeding even, at that point I could only do one thing, a fireman’s carry! I sheathed back my sword and placed her across my shoulders and put all my strength and might to run towards the tavern, but then a wolf appear, it leapt towards me, I luckily dodged it’s jaws but that dodge cost me my balance and both of us fell.

I quickly got up and noticed that we were surrounded, five wolves were circling us and I went full on battle ready, unsheathing my sword again and preparing for their attack, one of them leapt again and I swung my sword from above and cut it.

The wolf was injured heavily but not dead as he went back to its circle, I kept my composure and waited for another but it didn’t came, it came to miss Marie who was laying down in the dirt, the wolf locked it’s jaw again towards miss Marie’s leg, I swing my sword again towards it but this time I was stopped as I was pushed off by another wolf.

I got back at my feet and saw they were trying to leave with miss Marie, as I was preparing to rush in with both of my hands in the sword miss Marie then shouted.

“Leave me!! Go find Martyn and the others!!!”

I froze and at that very split second, the wolves dragged her, I rushed at them but was again pushed off by one of the wolves where I lost my balance and fell again, they were then lost to my vision as they pulled miss Marie back as quick as the wind.

DAMN IT, DAMN IT, DAMN IT!!!!

I didn’t have a choice after that, I cursed at myself for my incompetence and could only feel defeated while I ran back towards the tavern, as I was half way of my run towards the tavern, I then saw all of them coming out of a shack near some outhouse, Martyn emerges with the prince and looking confused, I took a hard break and ran towards them.

“Arthur what’s going on???” Martyn asked concernedly.

“The Village is under attack!” I said in a rush.

“What? Sapphire teleport back and tell Pere to rush my retinue here as fast as possible!!!” the prince at first bewildered at my statement, ordered with a serious tone towards Sapphire.

“On it!!” Sapphire said and disappeared after that.

“Wait… why are you alone? Where’s miss Marie?” Martyn asked.

“She… was taken by them!” as I said it to Martyn, his face became hard as stoned and his eyes, his… eyes… God.... his eyes, were the eyes that I thought I've cleansed years ago.