CHAPTER 13: THE MONSTER HORDES

The northern fringes of the human territory known as ‘the Enclave’ was actually a heavily forested area with a big lake called the ‘Great Lake of Cherwind’ and a system of rivers forming a natural barrier against the ‘untamed’ lands of further north. However, the human colonies wouldn’t take their chances, and so they erected a long stone wall to the southern side of the lake that eventually became the ‘Outer Wall’.

It was here, along its stretch, that we found the horde of leviathans approaching our village to the north. We could feel the ground shake as we watched the colossal monsters run away from the group of groundworms that were feeding on them.

“…”

I could see the fear and apprehension in the eyes of my companions as we slowly approached the hordes.

“Remember the plan guys,” I reminded them, “We fight these monsters here, or our village would be obliterated, just like what happened to the refugees who came to us before.”

The villagers—now armed with the palisade logs we turned into makeshift spears—steeled their resolve and prepared for battle. Just like our arrangement, one group fell on the command of Konka, and another to Banu and Ursura.

I would supervise the course of battle in the frontlines, as well as heal any injuries.

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Once the contingent under Banu and Ursura got into their positions, I took a deep breath, and bellowed the order, “Beastmen of Cherwind! Here’s to our victory! Advance!”

The leviathan forces began their assault with war cries and stomping their feet, reminiscent of the Maori ‘haka’ back on Earth. The noises they made not only disoriented the leviathans but also instilled confidence and high morale in everyone who could hear their terrible, yet magnificent, chants.

“Attack!” Banu then led the charge of their men once their war cries ended.

Ursura herself was at the front, and the moment she reached the proper distance, she hurled her log-spear towards the incoming leviathans. Soon, the others followed her example, and rain of log-spears took a toll on the giant monsters.

“Gwoooooohhh!!!”

The cries of pain from the leviathans were ear-piercing; it also disoriented our forces attacking them. But the men under Banu and Ursura were quick to press in towards the injured creatures. Blood and guts flew as the beastmen and leviathans battled it out to death.

Our men didn’t show any mercy. Once the leviathan was wounded by our log-spears, the beastmen would exploit the injury and tear the creature apart. I specifically told them to target the limbs, so that it would incapacitate the leviathan, and the groundworms would deliver the final kill by devouring its colossal body.

I also did not miss the opportunity to observe those monsters…

“…”

I think the groundworms were easily attracted by the smell of blood. Once a leviathan was injured, these monsters would prioritize attacking the wounded creature and eat it.

I guess this would be useful information in the future, should I encounter those monsters again…

In this way, we slowly reduced the number of the monsters making their way into our territory, while keeping our casualty count to the minimum.

Soon, the leviathan horde was significantly decreased in size. The beastmen, led by Ursura and Banu, became even more confident for each leviathan they could ‘kill’. Throw the log-spear, skewer the monster, tear-off the limbs, pick up the log-spear, retreat, and let the groundworms eat its meal. Then, repeat the whole process once again.

Well, this is the advantage of fighting monsters. They can’t adapt fast to the conditions of the battlefield, and thus, can easily be slain methodologically.

I could feel the happiness and excitement of the beastmen contingent of Konka behind me. They kept on shouting and encouraging their comrades fighting the leviathans, and a good number of them were urging their leader to convince me to let them fight.

However, they need to be held back until the groundworms finished the leviathan horde…

“We could win this,” I told Konka, “Just follow my instructions.”

The insect-woman was silent. However, she was smiling as she watched the course of the battle.

And this is where it went wrong…

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The attack was going well. Ursura and Banu’s contingent never let up on their offensive, slowly shaving off the leviathan numbers with their hit-and-run tactics. What’s better was that we could keep our casualties to just a few people injured, which I could heal with the Human Saint’s god power in a flash.

Soon, those beastfolk were back into action.

“Kuro! When will you let us attack? The men are getting impatient,” the insect-woman asked; I realized she was also itching to fight.

“Calm down; your time will come.”

Konka retreated once again, but I could tell that she was getting annoyed the more I held them back. It’s much better if that happened though; it’d make them more aggressive to fight.

I turned my attention back to the battle. By this time, the leviathan hordes were much smaller than it was before, but I guess they’d still were formidable. Ursura and Banu’s men fought like it’s their last; however, everyone had smiles on their faces smeared with monster blood.

It’s like I’m watching a battalion of berserkers doing a suicidal charge against their enemies.

However…

“What the fuck?” I blurted out, “I told them to just incapacitate those monsters! I didn’t tell them to attack and kill it!”

I think the beastmen fighting the leviathans got way too confident and went for the kill. Their actions messed up our plans and a good number of them were getting killed, much to my horror.

“!!!”

But the others behind me kept on cheering their friends.

“We’re winning!” I heard Konka exclaimed, “It’ll be hard to call them back!”

I remained in silent horror as I watched the leviathan contingent fight. From my perspective, I didn’t like what I’m seeing. A few of the beastmen that were attacking got swiped by a tail of a struggling leviathan; I couldn’t describe the horror that I felt as I watched their corpses get trampled upon.

“Sir Kuro!” a pair of Beastmen warriors finally arrived in my location, bringing in an injured friend of theirs. The patient had already lost his right leg and was losing blood. I quickly healed the poor fellow.

“Who told you to attack the leviathans?” I angrily asked, “Didn’t our plans say that you’ll only incapacitate them?”

“Sir, it’s hard to trap those leviathans with our weapons alone. So, we’re attacking them outright.”

“Goddamn it! Aim for the flippers and legs, and then retreat as far as you could!” I ordered, “Or you’ll be annihilated! Tell this Banu and Ursura!”

The beastmen warriors exchanged confused glances as they run back to the battlefield. Fuck it! This is what I’m fearing about; I’m not their leader, and so they wouldn’t easily take orders from me!

“Kuro!” it was Konka, “The groundworms are also approaching near the leviathans. I’m afraid that if we don’t move in soon, the other contingent would be annihilated along with the leviathans. Should we attack too?”

Damn it! These beastmen wouldn’t follow my plans, all because of their foolish bravado! Should I send in Konka’s force?

Think Kuro, think.

“Konka, get your men and try to bait the groundworms away from the forces of Banu and Ursura.”

“What? That isn’t in our plan!”

“Just do what I say, or they’ll be wiped out along with the leviathans!”

The insect-woman then took her contingent and set out to attack the groundworms, a few distances away from the leviathan battlefield. Just like in our plans, they attacked the groundworms whenever the monsters would emerge from the ground to gobble up the soil, trees, and anything else that was caught in it…including a few unfortunate beastmen.

“…”

Fuck! This battle wasn’t what I had in mind. A lot of our men were being slaughtered, and the monsters kept on coming, with only a few setbacks. I’m afraid that soon, we’ll be forced to retreat…

“Milord!”

“Banu!” I quickly came to the rescue of the bear-man, as he limped back into my position. His arms were broken, and he could barely see with his bloodied eyes. I wasted no time in healing him, and soon he was back in tip-top condition again.

“Milord! We’re being overwhelmed by the leviathans!”

“Who told you to attack and go for the kill? Your forces ruined our plan!”

The bear-man was taken aback by my rebuke, “My apologies milord, but we beastmen simply could not retreat from a good battle.”

“Tch. Whether or not it’s a good battle, what’s important is you follow our plans! Look! We’re all messed up thanks to that attitude of yours!” We both watched in horror as Konka’s forces were slowly being devoured and decimated by the groundworms. I could still see that the insect-woman was alive, but she and her men needed to retreat as soon as possible.

“…”

And Ursura’s side isn’t doing well, either.

With those situations in mind, there’s a terrible mixed feeling in my chest that was slowly growing. Part of me wanted to continue fighting, and yet we urgently needed to fall back. The casualties were mounting, and we couldn’t afford any more killed or injured.

So, with a heavy heart, I told the bear-man, “Banu, sound the retreat.”

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The bear-man was even more horrified when I told him what I had in mind. His face had a ‘what-the-fuck’ expression written all over it as he tried to comprehend my words. By then, Konka’s forces were hard-pressed by the groundworms, while Ursura’s was badly mauled and were routing.

“You heard me; we’re retreating.”

“Milord, please don’t be hasty—”

“Sound the retreat…or we’ll all be annihilated,” I reiterated, “I’ve got something in mind…”

Banu was surprised to see that my hands were already glowing golden-yellow. Then, he said, “Oh right! You have the power to control the skies, Lord Kuro! You can use it to rain down hailstones on those monsters.”

“That’s why I’m telling you to call off the attack!”

At once, the bear-man went back to the fray to warn our allies of what I’m about to do. Dark clouds formed rapidly above the battlefield, and there were flashes of lightning coming out from those. The leviathans were even more distracted by the noises.

This power is my ace to turn the tide of this desperate struggle…

I could feel mana rushing unto my hands. It wasn’t painful, but somehow, it felt like my hands were about to burst from the pent-up power. Regardless, I kept on ‘channeling’ the mana, so that I could achieve a maximum effect on what I’m about to unleash.

“Brought forth hailstones!”

However, nothing happened. Much to my horror, the mana kept on going and filling my hands. I felt something was about to go haywire. The golden-yellow glow of my hands went even more intense, as the dark clouds grew even wider and the lightning flashes became more frequent.

“!!!”

Shit! What’s happening?

The loud thunderous peals caused panic not only to the monsters we’re fighting, but also to our allies. The lightning bolts finally struck the ground, bringing in explosions and death to anyone it touched.

Fuck! I said hailstones, not thunderstorms!

By now, the storm clouds were almost everywhere my eyes could see. And then, instead of hailstones, a heavy downpour started which drenched every one of us. The lightning bolts continued to kill everyone it hits, and soon, we were on the run.

“It’s the curse of the Beastman Saint!” someone cried out, which was eventually drowned in the sea of confusion and noises.

The leviathans and groundworms were also being hit, and a good number of them were already fried to death. However, the downpour also killed our friends, much to my horror.

Goddamnit! How do I stop this thing?

“Kuro!”

“!!!”

Konka called out to me from the distance, as she tried to worm her way unto me amidst the confusion of the battlefield. Yes, if I remember, she could put a stop to my rampaging power back in Malvette…I should be fine—

“!!!”

Another flash of lightning temporarily blinded me and threw me off a few distances away from where I stood. It seemed like that strike was pretty close to where I was. However, checking my body for injuries was the least of my concern, as I saw the unconscious Konka before me…

“Konka!”

I checked her for injuries. Fortunately, only her eyeglass was damaged. Her body seemed fine; however, not taking chances, I pulled her to safety.

Well, fuck, there goes my helping hand…

The stormy weather intensified further, with heavy rains, frequent lightning strikes, and thunderclaps, and now gale-force winds adding to the chaos. The monster horde was wiped-out, and so were my beastmen friends, now injured or dead.

And my power still keeps on escalating…especially on my right hand.

I had to put a stop to this.

“…”

Desperate, I pulled the dagger I had with me. Looking at my hand, I was having my second thoughts. However, with such damage that I’ve done to this land, I guess this would only be a trivial sacrifice…

“!!!”

Atoning for my sins, I closed my eyes as I run through the sharp blade of my dagger down my right hand.

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***The Cauldron***

“!!!”

When she opened her eyes, Ruro was greeted by the gray ceiling of her room in her cave-palace at the Cauldron.

“…”

There was a little painful sensation on her right hand, and as a slave to her master, Kuro, she knew it wasn’t good.

“…”

The saint got up from her bed and put on her clothes. Then, without a moment’s delay after fixing herself, she went out of her cave-palace, in search of her captain of the guards. However, Kashca Telis was just waiting outside the saint’s private chambers.

“Your Holiness? You need something?”

“Telis…” the saint was far from her usual whimsical self. She was pale, and her captain of the guards could see it.

“Your Holiness, please drink this,” Kashca Telis wasted no time in fetching her something to drink, “Looks like you had a bad dream…”

“No Telis, I…my hand…my master!”

“What happened?”

Ruro shook her head, “I don’t know exactly, but something must’ve happened to him! Telis…he must be in danger!”

The fox-woman nodded, “Yes, Your Holiness. I’ll find and bring him back to you at once!”