Chapter 23: To Send A Giant To Heaven

“Please sir, our village needs your help. Without your warstriders, how could we survive?” A man who appeared to be in his late 40s pleaded on his knees in front of the Second Patrol Commander, Eranor Landel.

“Why do you even stay there anymore? Just move out!” Eranor Landel spoke in annoyance.

When the guard at the gate told him that a villager needed a lance of warstriders sent to his village, he thought the blasted Gurns were finally attacking. But it turned out to be just another mountain beast outbreak at Wyrmrest Hollow. He didn’t understand why anyone would stay there. There was nothing there, even farming was difficult.

Besides, there were mountain beasts there. He could fight humans in their warstriders, even two at once if he had to. But those giant mountain beasts scared him to death. Scary appearances aside, they were so vicious to the point that practically every part of their bodies could be a weapon. He had fought them twice before he became a Patrol Commander and he really wished he wouldn’t have to fight them again. Just the repair bill alone was too much to handle.

He didn’t understand why the late Lance Captain Runan was always so eager to go there every time there was a request. Those giant beasts weren’t something that just anyone could deal with. And now he even died there.

How foolish!

“Please sir, you’re the only one we can count on. Or maybe you can direct me to another leader?” the pitiful man grovelled on his knees, begging the commander for assistance.

Eranor was not someone made of stone. But he was something of a realist. There was no benefit to him going there at all. In fact, there were only losses. As this wasn’t going to be an order from the fort commander or the force commander, so he won’t be compensated for the damages.

“Enough! Just go home and move elsewhere.”

“Where would we go, sir? Everywhere is the same, please sir!”

“No! We don’t have the manpower. We can’t help. I suggest you pack up whatever you have left and flee to the south or west.”

“But sir…”

“Guards! Throw him out!”

“Sir! Please, sir!” the old man cried as he was dragged out of the base.

Darus Kael, now Lance Captain, coincidentally walked past and came across the scene of a man being dragged out from the Patrol Commander’s office. He went inside, saluted and gave his report on the search for his teammates, noting that the late Captain Runan’s son had agreed to join his lance. Unfortunately, due to the extensive damage on his father’s strider, he would not be able to be ready for service for at least another month.

“Understood, carry on, captain,” Patrol Commander Eranor acknowledged Darus’s report and saluted, a sign that he’s asking the captain to leave.

But Darus, feeling curious, asked, “What was that about, sir?”

“Eh, just some villager from the village in the mountains… Wyrmrest, wasn’t it?”

Hearing the word ‘Wyrmrest’, Darus’s heart skipped a beat. He didn’t have the money to pay for the debt on his repairs, so he paid a local merchant to deliver one silver’s worth of foodstuff to the Virell house yesterday. When he arrived at the base, he had half-considered delaying the payments.

After all, he was safely inside the base, what could she do about it? And who would believe her if she came demanding payment for strider repairs? Yes, he did make a vow of lightning, but he didn’t believe in that god anyway, so he didn’t believe anything would happen to him even if he refused to pay. But when the technicians excitedly talked to him about the modifications to his strider and asked which specialist workshop added them, he was at a loss.

How could a village woman from the countryside do something that even master technicians, proficient in their fields, couldn't do? In fact, since he brought his strider home, asking for maintenance done, they had done nothing but admire the interior of his strider. Everytime he went to the hangar, there was always someone studying his strider.

Who was that woman? And why did she know so much about warstriders?

“What did he want, sir?” Darus asked, curious about the reason he would come so far.

Branvar Hold wasn’t something one could reach just by walking. There was a mountain to climb and ravines to cross. Taking the road on foot meant a whole day of taking the long, winding dirt road, a distance much farther than just simply crossing the mountains.

“There was a sighting of a giant beast in the area. He wanted us to go fight it.”

“Again?”

“That’s what I said. If you ask me, that place is a waste of resources. We’re just wasting time helping them out every time. We need all our able men here instead, now that the Gurns are massing forces on the border. Who knows when they would attack.”

“But… aren’t we duty-bound to protect them as the fort in charge of Ferradan’s Reach, sir?”

“Yes, if they have the village token. I heard the village was evacuated, the village token is with the village head leading his group to the west. In other words, that village might as well be an illegal settlement. We have no duty to protect illegal settlements.”

“There are people living there, sir.”

“That’s why I told him to get them to pack up and leave. What? Are you telling me you want to help?”

Darus felt conflicted. On one hand, if they moved, there was a good chance his debt would disappear. After all, there was no IOU signed. That woman wouldn’t have any ground to stand on if she insisted on claiming the debt.

On the other hand, they did save his life. “They saved me from a sure death, sir. I owe it to them.”

Eranor took a deep breath. He deliberated his options. While they were not duty-bound to assist illegal settlements, if word got out that he didn’t bother helping citizens of the empire, there could be backlash. His career could be affected.

But on the other hand, he couldn’t just send a lance there. Not when there was a looming threat from the Gurns.

But if Darus himself wants to go…

Eranor cleared his throat. “If you want to go, then go. I will do the paperwork. But understand I can’t send anyone else with you. It’s just you and your lance.”

A lance of one, Eranor smirked.

Darus Kael didn’t need to think about it. “Understood, sir. May I take some weapons from the armoury?”

Eranor simply turned around and waved his hand without a word.

Now getting his tacit approval, Darus saluted and walked out, readying himself for the coming battle.

Eranor grinned. Now nobody could accuse him of ignoring citizens in need. His career was secure.

At the same time in Wyrmrest Hollow, Rhielle and Irek were delivering the food supplies that the merchant cart delivered that morning when Aina came up to them. She asked Rhielle to accompany her to the mountains.

Hearing that she wanted to go up the mountain again, the same mountain where Old Hunter Gen sighted another mountain beast, they were equally afraid.

“Mother, there’s no need to kill yourself. Are you going to leave us again?” Irek said.

“Husband is right, mother. If you don’t like us sharing the food with the village, just say it. We will take it all back. You don’t have to kill yourself just because that,” Rhielle said as she held Aina’s hands firmly.

By this time, the other villagers who were tired after a hard day’s work were already back at the mansion. Their eyes were watching, but this time it wasn’t accusing her of any foul play, they were looking at her with eyes of sympathy and understanding. By right, this was all hers. It was Aina and her family who repaired that soldier’s warstrider. All they did was help carry some of the parts. At most they would have the right to less than one tenth of the food, not all of it.

Yet Rinia Virell decided to share all of the supplies with the rest of the village, against her normal personality. So they understand that she felt disgruntled from the affair. Maybe she truly did try to change by doing good deeds but her own wickedness clashed with her desire for change. And thus resulted in her trying to kill herself over and over again.

To most of the villagers watching the scene, they didn’t mind even if she wanted to take the supplies back. All they asked was a sack of grain so that they could live until the vegetables were ready for harvest. Surely Rinia Virell would agree to it.

Seeing so many eyes watching, Aina felt annoyed. She threw Rhielle’s hands up, exclaiming, “I’m not committing suicide! Why do you always think I’m committing suicide?!!!”

Rhielle pulled her hands back, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Then why do you want to go to the mountains, mother? Varn said there’s no wild vegetables or game animal there anymore.”

“Do you remember the paralyzing mushroom.. white thingy?” Aina asked, her arms crossed under her chest.

“White wings? Yes I do, why?” Rhielle asked, confused.

“Can it paralyze the mountain beasts?”

“I guess so, nobody has tried yet, though.”

“So what I’m thinking is, we grab those white wings and then turn it into a paralyzing drug and use it against the giant beast.”

“That’s why you want to go to the mountains, mother?” Irek asked.

“Yes! Let’s hurry before it gets dark,” Aina urged.

“We don’t need to go to the mountains for that, mother,” Rhielle said as she pulled Aina back.

“Where else would we get it if not the mountains?” Aina asked.

Rhielle smiled. “Remember the stuff you picked last time, mother? We have plenty of them growing in our trash heap.”