The two new arrivals were confused and frustrated as Cypher held them at bay. He wouldn’t allow them to enter the mayor’s house no matter what happened. His skills were still developing but against these common bandits, he might as well have been a fully trained soldier. These two new bandits were somewhat more potent than the first two had been and their skills showed.

The first bandit had abandoned trying to free his blade and had drawn a long, but rusty dagger. The other stood with his weapon at the ready. Cypher wasn’t sure how to proceed from here, but at least the two of them were now in front of him instead of flanking him on either side.

Keeping them in his line of sight was very important. Even if there was a gap in the strength between him and them he was still outnumbered. He would have to keep his wits about him. However, given his earlier display, the two bandits were quite frustrated, and adding their confusion at being bested by a child he knew that he still held the advantage.

The dagger-wielding bandit drove his weapon forward and Cypher parried it to the side with his own blade before sending a punch into his jaw again. The second bandit followed it up with an arcing slash and Cypher pivoted to the side to dodge it while ramming his shoulder into the man’s chest to knock him off balance.

The tactic kept the two bandits at a distance and a few more exchanges happened before they backed off. Now that they had seen him in action, they were warier of their small foe. The two exchanged glances before resuming their attack. A flurry of blows rained down on Cypher. He was doing well but even still, he took a few glancing strikes. Thankfully his armor absorbed most of the attacks leaving scuffs and cuts in the leather.

However, even at their best and with their newly coordinated efforts they proved to be no match for the young boy. Jelroy had trained him well. After another few attacks, the two bandits found themselves completely disarmed and sprawled about on the ground at his feet.

Cypher remained unharmed and stood above them confidently as they scrambled to their feet and dashed off back towards the main gate to the village. He didn’t dare lower his guard though. This raid of theirs was far from over as he could still hear the faint sounds of battle in the distance. Of course, he wasn’t sure what to do now.

The immediate threat had been handled but the danger still hadn’t passed just yet. Perhaps the two had run off to get help from their comrades. All he knew was that he would hold his ground and protect the villagers inside no matter what. After all, there wasn’t anyone else who could at the moment. All the other guards who had remained behind in Gett were fighting off the main force at the gates or engaged in battle around the village.

Minutes passed as Cypher held his sword aloft. He hadn’t taken any actual damage in the last attack but he was feeling a bit winded after fighting off four grown men. Still, his reserves of stamina were quite high and he felt confident that he could hold off another wave of enemies without any trouble.

The door behind him opened with a creak and he turned to see Glenis staring at him concerned.

“Are you okay? I saw what happened! You were incredible for someone so young!” she said, her eyes darting around the area.

“I’m fine, how is everyone inside? Are they safe?” replied Cypher as he turned to face her.

“Yes, everyone in here is fine. They’ve all made it into the cellar and a few of the men have armed themselves just in case. We don’t often get attacked quite like this but it’s nice to have a safe place to escape to for times like these. Do you know how the others are doing?” Glenis forced a smile and Cypher returned the gesture and shrugged.

“I wish I did. Right now the best I can do is guard this door. I’d have chased after those two who ran away but I didn’t want to leave you all unprotected.” He glanced around for a moment before returning his gaze to Glenis.

“Well if you keep fighting like that I don’t think we’ll have much to worry about. Thank you. I know it must be scary and I feel ashamed to be leaving the defense of our village to a child like yourself.”

“Think nothing of it,” replied Cypher. “For now, this is my job and I’ve been trained by one of the best there is! We’ll make sure to drive these guys off and get everyone back home safely. I can’t promise they won’t make off with anything from the other houses though…”

“It’s fine. We don’t have much to steal aside from some food and supplies. Anything else can be easily replaced. Most of the other valuables in this village are actually in here so you’re doing a fine job of keeping us and our goods safe from harm,” Glenis offered him another smile and he nodded.

Cypher cocked his head questioningly as a thought occurred to him.

“Just what is so valuable that these bandits would attack a guarded village like this?” he asked. “I don’t understand why they would risk an attack when they could just as easily avoid bloodshed and find another, easier target.”

Glenis sighed and leaned against the door frame. She was silent for a moment before answering, and when she did it was with a clear exhaustion that showed just how often she was forced to face a situation like this.

“Every season during the Celebration of the Sun, Lord Galvan sends each of the villages like ours in his domain a boon. With those funds, we are able to purchase grain and seeds for the following year, hire workers to help harvest the crops we grow, and pay off any outstanding debt we might owe. We do quite well during the harvest season, and are usually able to pay all of our taxes in full as well as make a return on this boon Lord Galvan graciously provides.”

“Crops aren’t our only yield here in Gett. Despite this village’s humble appearance, we are actually one of the main producers of high-quality leather and hemp. A little over half of what we make in any given year goes directly to the Galvan estate as part of our taxes to the kingdom. But, that does get a little too expensive sometimes.”

“With the way the system is set up, you could consider our boon a loan in advance for the previous year. In this way, we can focus on growing crops or livestock and keep ourselves fed without concern, while also making sure that our domain produces enough goods to remain profitable. This boon gives us plenty of leeway in case of things like poor weather or blights that could reduce the usual yield in our area. Additionally, if we are behind or lacking in any way, rather than having to pay that cost upfront, it gets added onto next year’s expenses and saves us from suffering during the harsh winters.”

Glenis sighed again and continued, “With an entire season to prepare and make sure that the next yield is full and healthy we don’t have to worry nearly as much as we used to. It’s because of these boons that this village has continued to grow. That is the real reason you’re even here; To make sure that this boon arrives safely and to ensure that until the main bulk of our forces returns, we can defend it properly.”

“I see, that makes sense if I think about it,” replied Cypher. He felt differently about his mission here after hearing this. He had thought that this was simply a throwaway task to keep him busy or out of their hair during the celebration at the manor, while also serving as a test of his growing skills.

In the past he had been resigned to his room, never allowed to leave or roam as he usually did during this celebratory time. Even his chores were put on hold. While had enjoyed the time off, it still didn’t sit well with him to be cooped up in his room while everyone else in the mansion was enjoying themselves. Of course, Molly was always there to celebrate with him once the main festivities had died down and he didn’t feel quite as alone whenever she would come to see him.

Glenis continued by saying, “Before lord Galvan took over as the lord of this domain this village was even smaller. The people were suffering and starving and it was hard to etch out a living in this harsh environment. We couldn’t afford to hire or train proper defenders, and Zightbeast attacks were quite frequent. But once he started sending us our yearly boon things started to turn around. Now, the people here can live happily. We can strive for a better future for ourselves. Things are gradually getting better. Our children are able to actually grow up and start families of their own instead of succumbing to the harsh winters or fell beasts.”

“Being able to afford medicine, see healers, and defend ourselves have made things much better overall here in Gett, and I can only imagine that it’s the same for other villages in lord Galvan’s domain. When I was a little girl it was much worse. I’ve lost…” she paused and recomposed herself before continuing. Though, Cypher could see a hint of pain hiding behind her expression.

“We’ve all lost people to the elements or Zightbeast here in Gett. Life was a struggle and simply finding enough to eat was a task all on its own. Lord Galvan has given us a chance to truly become something more than what we were. This building here is proof of that. Just twenty years ago it was little more than an oversized barn. But because of the way things are now, we were able to build it up and remake it into what it is today. There are even plans to make the rest of the buildings in Gett just as grand.” Glenis finished speaking with a soft but wary smile on her face and Cypher could only reassess his opinion of Galex.

To him, things hadn’t ever been this clear before. From his perspective, the Galvans were just a greedy noble family. Then again he had only ever lived his life in the manor. He had never been exposed to the outside world and had no idea of how things really worked. Eiden might still be a little shit, but it seemed as though his father was somewhat of a good man and a proper leader for his people.

In fact, it made Cypher resent Eiden even more. Despite his father being a good leader and decent man, Eiden was, in comparison, a spoiled and rotten child. It was hard to imagine how he had managed to turn out this way and Cypher wondered what could have happened to make him act the way he did.

It was a small change, but Cypher was starting to feel quite differently toward the Galvans, at least, when it came to Galex. Perhaps things weren’t as bad as he had imagined. However, Cypher’s thoughts were quickly cast aside as he heard the sound of Agnad’s booming voice fill the square.

“BACK! FALL BACK, EVERYONE!!”