CHAPTER 12: CONSEQUENCES

I guess it’s been several (Chersean) days since I arrived here at Konka’s refugee camp. So far, I’ve gone through three long sleeps, and on the second ‘long sleep’, they finally gave me some private space to call my own.

“Humans are, uh, concerned about their privacy, right?” Konka asked me for confirmation before.

Of course, I agreed with her. I’m pretty much a private person. While I do interact with people from time to time, there were moments I’d rather spend my days in solitude.

And speaking of solitude, it’s been a while since I’m with myself…

In any case, while I’m with the beastmen, I observed their way of life and culture. Not only was it one of my interests, but I guess it also wouldn’t hurt to learn about the people I’d spend my ‘days’ for the time being.

“…”

I’d say, the beastmen culture was radically different from what I’ve seen and experienced in the human realms. For one, the beastfolk households from the same tribe would stay with each other in a single house. I was also told that in their original setting, those who hail from the same clan—or closely related clans—live in a single compound.

The second was that the beastfolk concept of ‘family’ was virtually non-existent. I mean, there were certain limitations to beastmen relations (such as intimate relationships between other tribes were forbidden); nevertheless, beastmen engage in sexual practices with almost everyone, as long as they were in the ‘heat’ of the moment.

Really, sometimes I have to excuse myself from such a sight. No wonder the other humans would misinterpret that certain aspect of their culture as debauched or promiscuous.

Third, the beastfolk admire strength over learning. In fact, parents would train their children to hone their bodies from their youth, and young beastmen would often go hunting to help in their families’ needs. That’s why these people won’t believe me with my ideas; compared to them, I look like a stick, and the only thing I did to them was to heal their loved ones.

According to their book, such actions warranted friendship, but not respect.

Well, I guess those were what makes the beastfolk, a ‘beastfolk’. While I never intended to interfere with their way of living, maybe I could teach them a thing or two they could use when interacting with humans…

“!!!”

My train of thoughts was interrupted when I heard loud knocks from my doorway. See, the hut they gave me only had curtains for doors, and I had to emphasize repeatedly that they should knock whenever they would enter my place. At first, it was pretty annoying to remind them from time to time, but then the beastfolk finally learned to knock.

“Hello, Sir Lord Kuro!” a pair of rabbit-women entered my hut, bringing in some fruits with them, “Would you like some Red Pome Fruit?”

“Oh?” I got up from my cot and reached out for their basket, “Thanks! But you didn’t have to do this; I’m just trying to help.”

“Please accept them!” one of the rabbit-women insisted, “Our tribe’s elder would like to thank you for your hard work in healing some of our members.”

“Plus, when we followed your suggestions, the cases of those who were getting sick among us disappeared!”

“I told you it’s effective!” I felt some sense of pride as I listen to their success stories. After my speech exhorting them to take action about their hygiene and surroundings, the beastfolk followed my recommendations, though some were still reluctant.

As a result, the new cases of cholera and other illnesses virtually vanished. Most of the villagers were happy and thankful for my ‘contributions’ and offered me any reward I wished.

However, I didn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the other humans who went before me. I refused their offers and preferred to live along with my new beastmen friends.

“…”

Though honestly, I find this ‘peaceful’ life quite worrying. I mean, I’m on the run from Ruro, right? If so, then why would there be no one else running after me? Did she give up on looking?

“…”

That’d be impossible, though. If Ruro had finally given up, then the crossing to Chersea should be open by now. I could confirm this because Konka would send spies to Malvette to check on the caravan movements, and so far, the caravans remained stuck inside the human city.

“Sir Lord Kuro?”

“Hm?”

“Are you alright? You’ve been silent for a while now…”

“Oh, I’m good. I’m just thinking about some things.”

“Yeah, you’re always like that, you know?”

A familiar voice rang out from behind the rabbit-women. I turned to look, and I found Ursura standing at the doorway.

“Hey! What’s up, Kuro?” she greeted, “Aren’t you too glad you’re the new talk of the village?”

“Huh? I’m not aware of it,” I stared at the rabbit-women. They just smiled and nodded in agreement to her statement.

“Well, the children had been singing songs about you healing them and all,” Ursura explained, “And the adults were speaking highly of you. Guess you really turned their opinions around, huh?”

“I see…” though I’m trying to hide it, I couldn’t help but smile at the fact that the villagers’ hearts were now accepting me…though I may be human.

“Ah, anyway, listen,” Ursura entered my hut and said, “Lady Konka sent me to fetch you. Seems like she had another request for you this time.”

“Oh? Do you know what is it all about?”

The bear-woman shook her head, “I don’t know. But it’s urgent, she said.”

----------

The next thing that happened was I stood before a crowd of newly-arrived refugees. Konka, along with Banu and her guards, was having a hard time keeping the order as every person in that group needed something. Some villagers also helped, but there are simply not enough hands to keep up with the demands of the situation.

“Thank goodness Kuro and Ursura! You finally came!” Konka greeted me with a sigh of relief, “Another group of refugees had just come from the north.”

“What help would you like me to do?”

“Can you heal the others who were injured? We already separated them.”

I turned to the hut Konka pointed at and asked Ursura to come with me. Upon entering the makeshift infirmary, we were confronted by several injured beastmen—some of which bore severe wounds.

We wasted no time. I quickly chanted a healing spell that solved the problem, while Ursura helped bring the patients some food and water. And then…

“Sire! You, you’re a human!” one of them finally recognized my race, probably from my smell. Everyone’s eyes in that hut fell on me.

“I am a human, but I’m a friend to your people,” I explained to them, “For if otherwise, you won’t be alive right now.”

“But…you could heal us instantly!” one of them blurted out, “Are you the Human Saint?”

“No, you fool!” Ursura countered, “Can’t you see he’s a man? All saints are women!”

“It’s true,” I backed her up, “I’m no saint, but I’m a friend to the human saint! Please be at ease.”

And upon hearing that, the beastfolk patients suddenly got off their cots and kneeled before me, much to my—and Ursura’s—surprise. Several of them wept terribly, as if they were afraid of something.

“Please! Friend of the Human Saint, save us!” they pleaded.

“Err…” I took a confused look at Ursura, who was probably as confused as me, “Well, I already healed you, so you’ll probably be fine…”

“No, Sire! Please listen to us!” one patient fell crying on my feet, “We had just come from another beastfolk village several distances away from this place, and that village was no more!”

“What do you mean?” Ursura asked.

“Hordes of groundworms and leviathans attacked and destroyed that village, and those monsters were hunting us for food!”

“What? How could it be possible?” the bear-woman went pale when she heard that, “Leviathans and groundworms are like oil and water; they can’t join forces.”

“The leviathans were rampaging from the north, while the groundworms were running after them, devouring everything on their path…including us. They already breached the Outer Wall, and were making its way towards the south.”

“Tell me, how many sleeps did you journey to come here?” Ursura asked him again.

“I’m afraid we don’t have enough time!” the patient answered, “Please, you need to prepare your defenses. Those monsters were coming!”

“Ursura?” I wanted answers as well, “What does this guy mean by ‘monsters’?”

“It is what you heard it is, Kuro,” the bear-woman had a grave expression on her face, “Here in Cherwind, you would be killed by two kinds of enemies: first, the humans who were out to grab your land. And second, the untamed, wandering monsters of this realm, hungry for your flesh. It’s the very reason we invited your people to come here: to help us remove the monster threat.”

I could only swallow my fear upon hearing that. Knowing that the defenses of this village—the wooden palisades and the small number of armed beastmen—were quite inadequate even for a human army, I doubt if it would hold against a horde of leviathans. I mean, those monsters were huge.

I haven’t seen a groundworm yet, but based on these guys’ reactions, I bet those are horrific creatures as well…

“My only question is…” I heard Ursura mutter, “…those monsters were being kept at bay by the stone wall built around the boundaries of the Enclave. And this place, though it was a hidden beastman village, was well within the limits of the human territory. How did those monsters breach the walls?”

“My lady, if you’re referring to the human soldiers guarding the Outer Walls, they were pulled back to Malvette,” the patient told us.

Another patient spoke up after him, “We heard that there’s a rebel attack that happened back there some time ago, and the army of the Duchess of Malvette was decimated, so she needed reinforcements. She left us to fend for ourselves!”

Ursura and I exchanged glances. From the looks of it, we were the ones who caused this situation we’re in. That ‘rebel attack’ was surely our ‘jailbreak’, which led to the deaths of many of the Duchess’ men…

Goodness, this is all my fault!

----------

Just as we went out of the makeshift infirmary, Konka was already there, waiting for us.

“Have you heard about the incoming hordes?” she asked.

“Yes…” I answered, not sure if I should say anything else or not.

“Well, what do you think?”

“Start packing our things and escape from here?”

“I’d like to, but we cannot simply run away,” Konka explained, “Those monsters have already tasted beastmen flesh, and would surely hunt us down for food, even if we escape for now. In the first place, it’s for that purpose that the humans left us out of the Inner Walls of the Enclave; to bait those monsters away from their settlements. We need to stand and fight, and I guess there’s no other place to do that, than here!”

“Well, why don’t we lead those monsters to the human settlements, so they obliterate them?” I suggested.

“And ask for the mercy of humans?” Konka suddenly got irritated, “Do you think your people would concern themselves about us? Never!”

“Then, what are you trying to tell me?”

“Aren’t you the commoner general, Kuro of Arles?” Konka reminded me, “Didn’t you save Chersea from a horde of the undead? Lead us in defending this place from the hordes of monsters.”

“Are you sure you should be telling me that?” I countered her, “I’m a human; your people may have been trusting me and all, but it’s too early for me to lead them. And honestly, I don’t know what enemies we’re about to deal with.”

“Kuro…” it was Ursura, “You led us to freedom back in Malvette. If you can do it before, I’m sure you can do it now. We just need to tell you about those monsters we’ll be fighting, right?”

“And no matter what you think, my people are trusting you and your judgment,” Konka bowed before me, pleading, “I’m not one fit for commanding armies, so please lead us to battle, Kuro.”

Truth be told, I’m having my doubts about whether or not I could lead them to victory. This was the first time—if ever—that I’m going to fight Cherwind’s monsters…all without prior experience in battling those creatures. However, right now, I’ll be needing Konka’s help, if ever I would think of returning to Chersea…

“…”

And…I guess, I shouldn’t abandon the people whom am I going to entrust my life, huh?

----------

The leviathan was a slow, colossal monster that was native to Chersea and Cherwind, even before the last Human-Demon War. Based on the illustrations and drawings I’ve seen in the books back in Chersea, it resembled a ‘Loch Ness’ monster, the only difference was it could walk on land. The creature possessed a powerful tail and an armored head, which the Cherseans (particularly the Imperials) would use as a siege weapon.

While the Chersean leviathan was a docile monster, the ones living in Cherwind were wild and could cause extensive damage on land whenever it rampages.

“…”

The last of my worries was the leviathan. The groundworm, however, was a different matter. Back in Chersea, I found no reference to such a creature in the books. Whatever knowledge that I gained about it was from the first-hand accounts of the beastmen who encountered them. According to the information available, a groundworm was even bigger than a leviathan and possessed a set of razor-sharp teeth at its ‘head’. Its body looked like a regular worm back on Earth; the only difference was, it would spin whenever it would bury itself in the ground.

“Any weakness for these creatures?” I asked Konka, “How would you guys fight these monsters?”

“We would form parties to hunt a couple of these down,” it was Ursura who answered, “However, it’s been normal for us to expect casualties from one expedition because these creatures are just that strong.”

“And how many people would you include in your party?”

“A hundred well-armed beastfolk would do well in such missions…usually dealing with two to three monsters.”

“We’re talking of a horde here…” Banu reiterated, “That’s around 20 or more of these accursed creatures coming to our lands.”

My eyes inevitably fell on Konka. I wanted to ask her about the numbers of her men.

“The village could provide 250 able-bodied beastfolk,” she told us, “However, our weapons are in a poor state. You see, this place is ready to defend itself against human attacks, but is ill-prepared against monsters.”

“And you expect me to lead you to fight them in those conditions?” shocked at what I learned, I bluntly asked her.

“Kuro, we beastmen have our own pride to take care of. A human like you wouldn’t simply understand,” Konka replied.

“Then why were you asking me, a human, to lead your people?”

“I told you before, didn’t I? I’m not one fit for commanding armies to battle,” there was a hint of annoyance in the insect-woman’s voice, “Besides, aren’t you the one who needs my help in crossing to Chersea? If my people would be annihilated here, I guess I’m going with them.”

I could feel my chest tighten; it’s as if I’m being held hostage here, “Then, tell me. How did the humans of Cherwind fend off the attacks from these creatures?”

“In the past, they would band together in huge armies that go into expeditions to defeat them. I think it’s how they could wipe out the monster population back in Chersea,” Banu revealed, “However, with the appearance of demon weapons, they began using it to kill those monsters from afar.”

“What do you mean ‘defeat from afar’?”

“Well, the humans would create crates filled with explosives, and then hurl these towards the hordes of monsters attacking the Outer Wall using catapults,” Banu explained, “The explosion was enough to injure some monsters, which they would attack with magic spells until it was killed. The noise would also disorient the survivors and that would be enough to single them out.”

“I see…and what about the groundworms?”

“The humans would kill them with a fire spell aimed inside its mouth whenever it tries to attack.”

“I could tell that the humans were both using demon weapons and magic to fend off the horde attacks,” I observed, “However, we couldn’t afford to emulate their tactics; your people can’t use magic after all, right?”

“Yes, milord. Only Lady Konka and Ruro were granted the blessing to use magic among the beastmen—a proof that they were chosen to be saint-candidates.”

With limited information and forces in my hand, I was thinking of using the power of weather to rain down hailstones against the monster horde. However, there’s this part within me that kept on telling me I should only use it as a last resort since I couldn’t control this god-power. I’m afraid it could do more damage than saving my allies.

I looked around at the village. The beastfolk villagers had been preparing for the worst; some of them reinforced the wooden palisades with more wood. Others were sharpening the spearheads, while the rest were gathering the children and old people (those who couldn’t fight) together to keep them safe.

“Damn…we don’t have time to build stone walls…” I couldn’t help but mutter, “Nor do we have enough gunpowder to create noises loud enough to disorient the leviathans.”

All that we had in this place was wood and thatch.

“…”

Wood and thatch…

“Konka, can your men dismantle the palisades?”

“Huh? Wouldn’t that be, uh, dangerous?”

“Well, those wooden logs would be useless against the monster attacks, so why don’t we put them to use in another way?”

“What do you plan to do, Kuro?” Ursura’s eyes suddenly sparkled with interest.

“If I understood the situation correctly, the leviathans were being pursued by the groundworms for food,” I explained, “And since the leviathans are quite slow, we could lead these creatures away from this place.”

“You mean a pre-emptive strike?”

I nodded.

“It’s possible…” Konka agreed, “But how do you plan to do that?”

“Sharpen the palisade logs at one end,” I explained, “Your people are physically strong enough to hurl them in battle, right? Here’s how we do it. If my hunches are correct, the leviathans hated noises and they would be disoriented when they hear loud sounds. We’ll distract those creatures by creating noise—war cries, shouting, or clanging sounds, whatever noise we can create. Then, once the leviathans are disoriented, we will use the logs to skewer the monsters and trap them for food to the groundworms.”

“And once we dealt with the leviathans, what about the groundworms?”

“For the groundworms, remove the thatch from the rooftops and wrap some logs with it. When those monsters finished feeding, hurl the logs with thatch inside the monsters’ mouths, and, Konka, you will set the thatch on fire.”

“So, uh, I’ll be leading the men who’ll be dealing with the groundworms?” Konka raised that point.

“Yep. Your magic would be needed in fighting those creatures.”

“What about me?” Ursura asked.

“Since you’re fast and physically powerful, you’ll be the one leading the forces that would deal with the leviathans, along with Banu,” I told her, “I understand that while you guys are strong, the battle might tire you out, so I’m dividing our forces into two—those who will deal with the leviathans, and those who will fight the groundworms.”

“Interesting way of fighting, milord!” Banu commented, “Truly, you deserve the legends about you.”

“Not yet, Banu. We’re still unsure of what might happen during battle,” I reminded him, “In any case, our priority is to fight these creatures as far as we could engage them from here. Remember, don’t let those monsters come in this place. Let’s fight them in separate fields.”

“But will this plan work, Kuro?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted to them, “I’m only basing it on whatever information I gathered…nevertheless, it’s better than we don’t have any plans at all.”

Konka, Banu, and Ursura gave their nods and immediately set out to prepare the villagers for the upcoming struggle. I went back to the hut where I’m staying and grabbed the dagger, the matchlock pistol, and the remaining gunpowder that I had…

And here’s to me praying that, hopefully, my plan will succeed.