2021-12-08 19:13:35Edvard too was shocked by what he had just done, yet he found that it was easy to kill. He felt no remorse for the scum of a knight, it felt no different from when he was fighting for survival against the orcs.
It felt just the same...
It didn't even feel as emotionally taxing as when he first killed the goblins. And this scared him for a moment. He had always thought it would be hard to kill another human. Yet, he found that it was easy. Too easy.
"The fuck did you just do!?" One of the other knights shouted after overcoming his shock, he too charged at Edvard in rage. The galloping hooves filled the silence. The knight ready to cut this commoner in half.
Edvard smirked as he turned to the charging knight. The sight was not intimidating to him, not even close to. What was it compared to a massive orc riding a tiger? It was nothing compared to that.
Just as the knight was about to reach him, Edvard ducked down and took out the horse's front leg.
The horse went down immediately, sending the knight flying. A sharp snap filled the silence as the man rolled a few meters. Never to stand again.
Standing up from his attack, Edvard looked at the other four knights. He showed no fear, the blood covering him made him appear like a demon to the knights and villagers alike.
"I deem you lesser than orcs and goblins," Edvard said, softly. Yet, his statement filled the air and filled the remaining knights with even more anger, and more importantly; embarrassment.
Yet, they did not rush at him immediately. The ease with which he had killed their companions instilled fear in them too. His calmness at the moment only compounded this fear.
They had never heard of something like this. They had never encountered a situation where they were the weak. Most of them simply wished to run away, to escape with their lives. Yet, they stood as the little discipline they had kept them from deserting.
Sir Josip frowned as he realized that Edvard was far too skilled for a commoner. His sword was also amazing, something not even his lord had an equal to.
"How dare you raise your blade?" Sir Josip asked, taking the lead and charging towards Edvard.
With his charge, the other knights also charged, but not toward Edvard. They charged into the villagers and started slaughtering them. Shouting that the village was corrupted by a devil as they did. Calling for a holy cleansing.
Edvard froze as he saw them starting to slaughter the innocent, filling him with all the more hatred. Yet, he could not do anything before dealing with the captain.
Sir Josip did not repeat the mistake of the other knight and as such did not charge straight at Edvard. He tried to use the range of his bastard sword to kill Edvard without giving him any chance.
Edvard though simply rushed at him, stabbing his sword into the horse's underbelly that was not protected by armor, sliding under it and then quickly standing up again.
Sir Josip recovered quickly from his fall. His pride hurt at being dismounted, but not one to let it cloud his judgment. Standing up he stared at Edvard in hatred, charging after a few seconds.
As he charged his sword took on a peculiar shine, making Edvard warry of the blade. At the same time, Sir Josep's speed nearly doubled, bringing it close to that of an orc.
Shocked, Edvard prioritized dodging. His strength was still lacking so he dared not compare strength, instead he moved fast to get into the knight's blindspot.
Sir Josip clearly lacked training, or at the very least he lacked experience. True experience. He attacked at Edvard expecting Edvard to return the favor of a straightforward attack. Instead, Edvard continued to dodge his attacks and slip past his guard.
If not for him being nearly twice as fast, Sir Josip realized he would have long since been dead.
'Just who is this man?' He wondered as fear started growing in him too. Especially when again he felt the strange blade of Edvard hitting his armor. If not for its protection, he would have died regardless of how fast he was.
This continued for a few seconds until Edvard found that his opponent was already running out of steam. Smirking he suddenly changed direction and slipped into the opposite blind spot.
Before Sir Josep could react, he found a blade sliding in underneath his arm. With ease, the blade cut through the chainmail as Edvard put all his strength into it.
Jumping back, Edvard observed his opponent who screamed in pain and turned to him in rage. His clumsy swing out of anger was his last. Moving past it, Edvard first landed a palm strike, knocking back the knight's head and opening a gap for his sword.
The blade followed the strike, slipping into the gap between his breastplate and helmet. His sword slid through as if it was cutting the air. In one swift motion, Edvard turned the thrust into a slash, ending the fight as the blade ripped through the knight's neck. Nearly beheading him.
Sir Josep stood for a second, before falling forward.
His collapse again caused silence to fill the air. The knights stopped their slaughter and looked at Edvard in absolute horror.
Edvard did not care for their stupor, without mercy he sprang for the nearest knight, who only barely managed to block one strike. Edvard used the same sequence of strikes to end the man's life.
Seeing another of their companions fall within just a few seconds, the last two knights quickly tried to group. Naturally, Edvard would not give them the chance.
He charged the next closest, attacking with all his strength and sending the man rolling on the ground. Before he could finish his target the others charged him.
Jumping away, Edvard picked up a handful of sand and threw it at the new arrival. The dirt clogged the man's sight as Edvard ended the other who had yet to regain his footing.
Hearing the sound of his companion's last gurgling breathes, the last knight threw down his sword and begged for mercy. Edvard did not care for it. He did not even pause for a second, pushing his blade through the man's neck all the same.
Standing up, Edvard turned to look at the village. Already expecting it, but seeing it still hurt. The fear in their eyes, but he understood.
He certainly looked like a devil, covered in blood and killing a pleading knight without any remorse.
"I am sorry," He said, turning around and starting to leave. He could see it clearly, all the villagers looked at him in fear and despair. Certainly, they blamed him for the slaughter. For all the death that had happened.
As he walked away, Edvard could not help but reflect that it had been too easy. That killing was far too easy.
He didn't blame the villagers for their reaction. He hadn't done it to be praised, he had expected to be shunned. Yet, even knowing how it would end, he couldn't let the knights' cruelty stand.
He had to act, and he didn't regret it.
Luckily the villager deaths were only a handful, even so though. The trauma they experienced wasn't something that would easily be overcome.
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Epilogue (2)
It was like this energy was a part of him, yet it was clearly a foreign substance. Apparently, the first step to learning how to become a knight was channeling it into a blade. Most swords made for knights were made of special magical metals and enchanted. The glow that Edvard had seen so often was the process of the metal being filled with ether. Activating its magical properties, and naturally, the effects of the enchantments. Edvard’s blade was apparently different from the norm. It did not glow when he pushed the strange energy into it. Though, Edvard suspected that was because the amount he could gather and focus was too little to affect the magnificent blade. While Edvard still had a thing or two to nit-pick about regarding the Vespes prince, he had to accept that he was only alive thanks to the prince’s ‘gifts’. While hell, the illusion had truly prepared him for the harshness that this world was filled with. “Can you teach me how you form spells?” Edvard asked. “I can’t be
Epilogue (1)
Edvard stirred, his entire body afire. Grimacing, the previous events slowly came back to him. ‘So, I survived…’“Careful now.” Abigail instructed, bringing a cup to his mouth and having him take a few small sips.The herbal tea helped soothe the blazing fire in his throat, sadly it did little for the rest of the flames. Trying to force out any words caused his chest to explode in pain, so he remained quiet. Taking sips as Abigail offered them.“I can’t believe how reckless you were.” Abigail said, Edvard noticing that they were in the shade of some tree. The gentle sound of a stream was barely audible. “I really thought you were going to die on me when you didn’t stir for two days.”Unable to form any words, Edvard simply held his peace. Listening as Abigail detailed what had happened after he had lost consciousness. Atop the horse, she had rushed with him along the main road, heading deeper into the kingdom. Stopping long after night had arrived.That night, she had cleaned most of
The orc horde (Part 11)
“He made it…” Edvard forced out these words as he continued to shoot arrow after arrow. No longer was it possible to keep the rooftop clear of orcs. The best he could do was kill them as they gathered their footing.The continuous pulling of his bow was showing its strain on his untrained body. His shoulder acts, his fingers burned, and his arm trembled. Yet, he pushed on. He had to. He couldn’t die here.He still needed to find Yawen. He still needed to find a way home.The screams from below had long since died. The knights had fought valiantly. But valiance was not enough to turn the tide of a battle.“Are we going to die like this?” Abigail asked, forcing herself to stay calm and take deep, steady breaths. Collecting her focus and doing her best to gather the ether in the surrounding. Thanks to overusing magic and a lack of sleep, her mind was already foggy. Yet, she pushed on.“That… isn’t… part… of… the plan.” Edvard replied between the twang of his bow. Luckily, he had more tha
The orc horde (Part 10 – Salvation)
Edvard took a deep breath and calmed his heart. Abigail was next to him, responsible for blasting any orcs who made it to the roof, back to the ground. She was still tired. Unlike Edvard, she had no sudden recovery thanks to a strange magical sword.Yet, she was determined. She took deep, steady breaths, focusing on the surrounding and doing her best to remain calm. The destruction of her hometown had certainly sent her heart into shock. She was ready to accept that none of her family had made it out.Even so, she had many friends in the town. She hoped and prayed that some of them might still be alive.“You ready?” Edvard asked, his targets in his sights.“Yes, let’s do this!” Abigail replied, determined to fight to the last. Even if their mission ended up unsuccessful, she wanted to kill as many of these damned orcs as possible before her dying breath.“Right.” Taking another deep breath, Edvard could feel a strange energy filling his lungs. Distributing itself to the rose patterns
The orc horde (Part 9 – I’m no strategist)
The roses imprinting themselves into Edvard caused him to glow. Abigail gasped in awe at the sight, his entire body lighting up like he was some sort of angel. Until it all vanished, leaving only faint outlines of the roses. Like fading tattoos.“A-are you alright?” Abigail asked.“I feel great!” Edvard replied with a warm smile. Filled to the brim with energy and more confident than ever. “Let’s go see if the town is still holding out.”Edvard took the lead. The two followed the path created by the orcs when they had chased Edvard, having cut down all plants in their way, allowed the two to move swiftly and in an almost straight line. Their return taking them no time at all.Smoke was the first thing they noticed upon exiting the forest.“Ahhh—” Edvard moved quickly, stopping Abigail from making any further sounds.“Look carefully, the smoke isn’t acting normal. I think someone is controlling it to give cover to survivors.” Once he was sure she wasn’t about to shout in concern, Eldri
The orc horde (Part 8 – Tree of light)
Edvard slowly stirred, fighting the sleepiness that filled his entire body. He fought to simply stay conscious. Sleep was a tempting mistress, but his years in the illusion taught him never to let sleep dull his sense. He needed to confirm the situation. The last thing he recalled was seeing Abigail among the carnage.Abigail was sitting near a fire, her clothes a mess of blood and tears, having used her clothes as bandages for Edvard's wounds. Forcing himself upright, Edvard smiled. She was a beautiful girl, far too young for him, but he could at least enjoy the sight as the fire illuminated her hair. Her hair was no longer a shiny bright green but rather a deep dark green. Yet it was still enchanting as a shine would come through as the flames of the fire played in the wind. Edvard was lying atop some large leaves, close enough for the fire’s heat to reach him. His own clothes were tattered, his toning muscles reflecting the light of the fire. A few more months, and he would be at
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