《Dungeon of Apples? (Completed)》Chapter 17. War never changes.
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I am here... With about one point five million men against... Two million? Two point one? There are too many of them to see. Hahah... This deffinetly won't be a safe fight... I'll probably get a huge scar somewhere... I just need to make sure I don't get a fatal injury or decapitation or I lose a limb... I approach the camps. The Demons are just floating above the shore not doing anything. All of our men are ready for a fight any time. I even saw some sleeping with their eyes open. I enter a tent what seems more important than others and has stronger mana from the inside. I see two people arguing with eachother. As I step in they notice me. The people are a man and a woman.
Man: "Oh... Count Quinn... Pleasure to meet you. I'm Captain Gonzo."
Woman: "Hello Count Quinn. I am Commander Rachael"
Quinn: "Nice to meet you both. What was the thing you were arguing about?"
I approach them and a maid brings a chair. I sit on it.
Quinn: "Hmm... No other royalty here? Am I the only one fighting from the Aristocrats side?"
Rachael: "Indeed you are. The others are too afraid to fight themselves so they sent their men. Damn cowards I tell you... And the problem is... The soldiers. They cannot co-operate with each other. They can get into one formation but co-operation seems impossible. When some of them even touch slightly they try to stab at each other."
Quinn: "Oh... Is that a problem...? Where is the highest point here?"
Gonzo: "The cliff of the shoreline. You should've seen it if you came here."
Quinn: "Oh. I'll be right back then."
I go out, run to the top of the cliff and then prepeare to shout at the top of my vocal cords.
Quinn (While shouting): "Men! This is Count Quinn! If you cannot co-operate with each other you will all die infront of the Demons! You fight together and live together or you fight seperately and die together! Some of us may fall but while co-operating many more demons will fall! If you cannot co-operate then I suggest you leave now instead of fodder!"
I see some people getting up and trying to leave. I shout again.
Quinn: "But if you leave... You disgrace your entire family! You disgrace the entire army gathered here! You disgrace the kingdom! You disgrace the continent! You disgrace the gods of war! Do you really wish to be known as a runner!? Do you wish to be known as the deserter!? Or will you stay and become a hero!? Will you stay and slay demons side by side with fellow man!? Shall you fight together with the men you live on the same continent with or eventually be slain by demons from another continent, another kingdom! Will you die in battle or die in shame in your cozy beds or in the hands of a demon who you are not even fighting!"
The men stop and smash their spears into the ground. Every man gets up.
Quinn: "Hear me men! These Demons are not immortal! They can die! Some of them might be invulnerable to magic, but we have spears and swords and axes! Some of them might not be affected by blades or the sort but we have magic! Some of them might be invulnerable to both but we shall bring them down even knowing that! For we are the army of Euin! For we are the honor and pride of Euin! Now stand fast and tall and wait for the battle of the century! Wait for the fight that every warrior wants to fight! Wait for the battle what bards will talk about for hundreds of years to come!"
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The entire army starts shouting like they are encouraged by my words. I spot a team of demons flying at me. When they get close to me I kill them with my blade.
Quinn: "Men! Assemble formations! Fight as one! Kill as one! And if neccesary die taking down twenty enemies! We are warriors of Euin! We are the pride of Euin! We are the honor of Euin!"
The men repeat the last two sentences while getting into formation. I jump down and head to the camp. Apparently Rachael and Gonzo heard the speech and were impressed.
Gonzo: "Marvelous! I didn't know you can rally one point five million men with a speech! You are certainly a man worthy of commanding the biggest army of Euin Quinn!"
Rachael: "Truly wonderful Quinn! I doubt any king or strategist is good enough to make such a speech! Well we should get to battle now right? The demons already instigated the first attack."
Quinn: "Let us go then. You guys handle the tactics. I like brute force..."
Gonzo: "Affirmative Count Quinn."
I head out from the camp and go to the front. The men look at me as they are looking at a demi-god. They all are prepeared to lay down their lives for the kingdom of Euin. I might've even riled some of them up too much.
The demons don't seem as enthusiastic about their little attack.... Gonzo and Rachael split the one point five million man army into two halves and each commanded one half.
I was at the middle front. Every line behind me. The sound of the waves coming to the beach just before one of the most bloodiest battles in the world... The sound of the calm breeze... Just before the storm...
And then... It starts. I almost instantly use all my speed to 'teleport' infront of the demons. Upcourse they were taken by surprise by my sudden insta-attack and the humans were confused too but soon started attacking. The ones who couldn't reach the demons waited until they came down. It was an even battle. I cut through demon after demon. The calm breeze wasn't so calm anymore. The speeds of attack changed it... The sound of the waves... It was still there... But red due to the blood of demons and humans alike. Then I spot something what looked like commanding their entire army. I keep cutting through enemies... Their blood everywhere... Their insides flying out... I even occasionaly when my blade was away tore out a few hearts... Demon heads flew before me. I use the falling demon bodies to help me stay in the air. I didn't know any magic after all. I jumped from demon to demon killing them. I look behind me to find human and demon heads flying in the air. Bodies everywhere... I don't know how long we were fighting them... I got closer and closer to the commander of the enemies... Until I reach it. I grabbed it and threw it to the cliff while using its comrades body to propel myself towards it. When it got up my blade was already cutting it's left arm. I landed on the left side of it with its arm cut off and two huge craters were made on that cliff. I swung my blade and it dodged. It hit me in the stomach with its claw. Luckily the claws avoided anything vital. I swung and cut off its left horn. It sounded in intense pain. Then it pulled out its claw and swung towards my right arm. I barely dodged becuase my blade was heavy and I was in pain. It grazes my arm though... I then swing my blade and cut off its right horn. Before the right horn could fall down I grabbed it with my left arm. I usually swung my blade with both hands but can also swing it with one... So I stabbed its own right horn into its right thigh and swung from the left cutting off his left leg. He falls to the ground and I stand above it. I throw away the horns and grab my black blade with both arms. I then cut off its head slowly but surely. I also make sure to kick it in the horns to make it scream. The demons are losing by a long shot now. They lost all order and started attacking at random but they died fast because they were attacking a group with only one demon. The battle continues for five hours... I fight for five hours with a hole through my chest. When the battle ends I go back to the spot where I started the battle and put my blade into the ground. Gonzo and Rachael approach me with some wounds on their arms and chest and legs...
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Gonzo: "Quinn... You... We need to heal you now!"
Quinn: "Keep the demon leader body here... Keep me here too... Nobody can wield my black blade... And I want to consume the demon leaders energy..."
Gonzo: "As is your prize... Leader."
I fall unconcious. The last thing I hear is every man screaming: "Count!" or "Leader!"
I wake up ten days later... On the same beach next to my sword imbedded into the sand and the demon leaders corpse next to me. I was constantly consuming its mana while being unconcious so it is now just a dry husk devoured of its mana.
I wake up just to see Rachael attending to my countless smaller wounds I recieved without noticing. My bigger wound was healing but it seemed certain that a scar was going to be left... If I weren't a dungeon I would be certainly one hundred percent dead.
Quinn: "We won right..."
Rachael: "Count! You woke!"
Quinn: "Hahaha... Why would you think... I was going to die?"
Rachael: "That wound in your stomach! It was most certainly a blow what would've taken any man, no matter how powerful or persistent, down! But you fought for five hours after that! You really are a demi-god of war!"
Quinn: "Hahah... May I get up now...?"
Rachael: "Stay down you bastard! You got such a wound and want to move so soon! It will take months to heal!"
Quinn: "Can you then take me to my blade... And take me back to the academy? My two 'wives' should be waiting for me..."
Rachael: "Wives...?"
Quinn: "They act like they are my wives... They aren't yet."
Rachael then brings in Gonzo with a stretcher made from wood and some strong cloth... They put me on it and bring me to my sword. I pick it up with ease and put it ontop of myself... I cannot hold it while they are transporting me. They carry me and the sword what changed its weight to better accomodate the people carrying me on a stretcher. I see tent after tent I also see rows of men bowing to me. They see that I am awake and alive. I know this wound will heal in a matter of days and i'll be back to my energetic ways. They bring me to a carriage and I cannot keep count of the hours what go by. After what seems a few hours are actually another twenty days to take me back to my manor in the academy. When I reach it the headmaster is the first to greet me. But when he sees me on a stretcher and being carried out of the carriage alive... He knows that I didn't come out unharmed. The headmaster shows the commander and the captain the way to my manor where I see Mirikin and Akuna unpatiently waiting for me. When they see the headmaster and two unknown people with a stretcher and a black sword ontop of it they rush over here. They immediatly run to me and look at me.
Quinn: "Hahha... I'm alive don't worry. I'll be back to my energetic ways in a few days..."
Akuna: "Quinn.. I thought you left me for good when you came back on a stretcher..."
Quinn: "I'll never leave you... After all I still have to take care of you, put back together that thing and then find Mayu that thing..."
Mirikin is crying on my left and holding my arm while the others are transporting me to my bedroom. I am put down on the bed after I put my sword on the wall near the bed. If anybody would see this situation they would think of a dying man and his last moments next to his small party of trusted people. Fortunately it wasn't like that. I was just in a weakened state.
Two days after I came back to the mansion a girl came to visit me. She introduced herself as Jenica, a princess. Ah... The annoyance I heard about... Luckily I am not too weakned right now. I could fight the royal guards in a one vs thirty fight. The weird thing is... My mana pool has never gone down since my core was broken into pieces. My mana pool just keeps increasing and increasing... Is it because I haven't used magic? And don't apples take mana to come to life? Or is that just the smallest sliver that I don't notice it...?
Right now Jenica is right next to me, sitting on my bed... Mirikin and Akuna are on the other side of the bed. Well Akuna isn't sitting... She is actually asleep on my arm. I am talking to both Jenica and Mirikin.
Jenica: "So... Quinn... You do know about our families... Tendency?"
Quinn: "Yes, I do... You royal family members tend to marry your princesses off to strong men and princes to important women. I am guessing you are going to be my forcefully engaged princess."
Jenica: "Hmph... My father knows that you are not worthy of me but because no man is worthy enough of me I will have to put up with you. After all that is what my father wishes."
Quinn: "Mirikin... Are you fine with that?"
Mirikin: "Absoloutely... Not! Quinn is Mayus and Akunas! And mine..."
The last part was whispered but I still heard it. Akuna is still soundly sleeping next to me.
Jenica: "Well you shall be fine with it! Or I will have you decapitated for not listening to me and becoming a rebel!"
Quinn: "And then dare fighting me...?"
Jenica: "Yes! Because you deffinetly cannot be as strong as the stories make you to be! Even though you have horns and a weird hair color you cannot take down a demon leader single-handedly! I bet you beat every opponent with luck!"
I smirk at that fact and drift off to sleep. No reasoning with an arrogant princess who knows nothing of reality... Just before I lose all conciousness I hear the princess running off fuming and Mirikin comes to the other side where Jenica was sitting and falls asleep.
I should resume classes soon...
Mayu: "Hahahah! So what did you hear then!?"
Acila: "The man then jumped out the window into the pond just to get the red ants off himself!"
Mayu: "It's funny hearing your past life! And some of Quinns too... I cannot access his memories directly... I can only gather the more recent ones. Not even Innver can get into his memories. How can you Acila?"
Acila: "I don't know mother. I just... Can."
Quinn: "You tapped into my memories, Acila...?"
Acila: "F..Father! I didn't know you were listening in! I thought you still had to handle that arrogant princess!"
Quinn: "I got bored listening to such an arrogant person... I doubt she listens to anything reasonable... And the king wants me betrothed to her!? Hahaha! I doubt she will accept the ceremony and just refuses it in the middle of it! I cannot refuse because the king would exile me then and It would be troublesome."
Innver: "Yeah. That woman does seem especcially annoying. Even compared to other dungeons and dungeon voices what can be really annoying..."
I talk to my 'daughter' Acila, my 'wife' Mayu and my inner voice, Innver. Tomorrow I'll go back and try to find the ability tomes. And the stories about that battle have already spread too? Ahh... Tomorrow is going to be hell... I am going to be bombarded by questions about the battle most likely... Or they all will be too scared to even stand in the same room as me. Ahh... Such annoying things... We will see what tomorow brings though.
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Adventure. Coin. Danger. Treasure. Seven strangers join up for one job, and catch the adventuring bug. They get certified by the Sylph Heart Circle, they get a name, and then they're let loose on an unsuspecting world. Can they manage to stop getting in their own way long enough to actually do the job? Will their past be a hindrance or a help? In a world of magic, anything can happen. In a world of treasure, greed in inevitable. And in a world of conflict, death is unavoidable. Volume one of this fantasy campaign-style tale has our fledging heroes get their feet wet in a world inspired by class roleplaying adventures. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/misstepsstory Discord: https://discord.gg/fQECFhBjV7Twitter: https://twitter.com/MisstepsStoryFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/misstepsstory Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misstepsstory/
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