Chapter 19 : Laktans

Suddenly, the tolls of a bell could be heard. It came from the East gate, where Mason was stationed. Nobody was screaming, nor was there any sort of commotion. Soldiers in the area all rushed towards the Eastern gate.

“That’s the Laktan bell,” Ren said, patting himself off.

“What’s a “Laktan” bell?”

“You don’t know what a Laktan bell is? Haven’t you lived here for a while already..? Oh, whatever. It’s like the bell that rings when the Laktans come to attack us,” the boy said calmly.

…

“What’s a Laktan..?” Kieran sheepishly asked, trying to laugh it off

Sigh…

“Are you serious right now? Laktans are those monsters that my dad and the watchmen fight all the time! How do you not know this?” Ren had asked, really confused.

From Kieran’s memories, a lot of things were blocked off. He only remembered small things, and things mostly related to his mother and brother. Edward didn’t inherit the full life of Kieran Morisson, and so he didn’t know certain information, however basic it may have been.

“Sorry, I’m just kind of tired,” Kieran replied, “But if the monsters are invading, why isn’t anyone freaking out?”

There was a silence as Ren stared at Kieran.

“Because the Watchmen take care of them? Why do you think my dad’s in there? He’s going to kill all of the monsters and keep us all safe!”

Ren grabbed Kieran’s hand and ran towards the Eastern gate.

“C’mon! If we don’t hurry, we’ll miss the action!”

The two boys ran off, leaving the training grounds behind, going street to street trying to find their way to the Eastern gate, where all the commotion was. As they neared the area, they could hear cheering and shouting.

“GET THAT ONE!”

“ARCHERS, PREPARE TO FIRE!”

“GET OUT OF THE WAY DUMBASS!”

As Kieran and Ren were running towards the gate, Kieran wondered what the Laktans looked like. Were they big, terrible beings? Otherworldly? Were they like the type of monsters he’d face in the RPG’s he played back at home? Skeletons? Undead? They approached the gate, where the crowd was. Ren saw Gary, and ran towards him.

“Uncle Gary!” He said, “Can we please watch my dad? Pretty please?”

Gary looked down at Ren, and agreed. Since his father was fighting on the frontlines, it’s only fair his son watched from the best view. He brought the two boys up, they climbed the ladder and reached the top of the post. Ren hurriedly moved to the edge of the post to look for his dad. As Kieran climbed up, he looked around him. He never realized that they were in the middle of a vast grassland. Since he had no memories of going outside, this was the first time he had seen a part of the world. He looked around and saw the Laktans, as well as the Watchmen fighting. The Laktans were fierce. All of them were a bit different from each other, not like a copy and paste. Some had canine traits, a huge amount of fur, sharp, canine teeth, claws that looked like they could scratch through metal. Some had more feline traits, more agile, nimble, but equally as dangerous. Some had other types of beast like features, and as Kieran saw this, he couldn’t help but mutter

“Beastfolk…”

“What did you say?” Ren asked, in which Kieran dismissed it and said that he didn’t say anything.

He looked around the open battlefield, and noticed that there were only a few Laktans on the battlefield. The watchmen were in battle, and a few of them were injured. It didn’t seem like anyone died, but it was definitely a battle. One of the Laktans charged in, targeting a Watchman with a spear. The Laktan instantly snapped the spear, and was about to claw his way through when all of a sudden, a spear went through his head. Everybody looked at where the spear had come from, and there Mason was. He ran to the Laktan that had charged, grabbed his spear, and charged at the rest. With Mason charging, the rest of them charged as well, weapons up, roaring in unison. Mason was the center of it, he was what gave them confidence and the hope to win. Anyone could tell that.

Mason moved swiftly, slashing Laktan's arm off. When the Laktan was about to bite off his head, Mason simply gave it an uppercut then stabbed it through the throat. All the other Watchmen needed around three to four men to subdue one Laktan, but Mason just needed himself. The way he swung and twirled the spear around was beautiful. It was striking, fast, but basic and simple. It was the foundation of spearmanship, trained hard down to its basics. No flashy movements, no ego moves, simply the basics. Ren awed his father, and Kieran understood why he liked the spear. Even so, the sword was more fitting for Kieran. The battle went on, and Mason had killed the last Laktan. There were a total of 7 Laktans, each needing 4 men to subdue. However, there were no casualties. They all worked together as a team. Kieran noticed the way they fought against the Laktans. In a team of 4, there was an archer, who sniped when there was a free shot or needed to create a distraction, A swordsman with a shield who took the brunt of the attack, and two spearsmans who attacked when the beast was distracted. It was a perfect harmony, with each role backing the other up. They knew the tactics, and knew what to do. It was as if they had done this for a long time already. But instead of thinking about teamwork, Kieran thought about Mason. He didn’t need any help. What took four men to kill only took himself. That’s what Kieran wanted to be.

“FREE DRINKS AT THE PUB, ON ME!” someone had yelled.

It was Larry, the owner of the pub. It seemed that everybody respected the Watchmen, since they were the ones who were actually in danger. Everyone else was in the safety of society, while the Watchmen were the ones dealing with these monsters. They were appreciated, and often received gifts as thanks.

As Ren and Kieran eventually headed down from the watchpost, Mason happened to walk past and notice them.

“Ren! Kieran! What are you two doing here? Do you know how dangerous it could be?” Mason asked

“Yeah, but you dealt with it right?” Ren replied, confident in his father.

Mason rubbed his eyes, unsure of what to say.

“Yes, I may have dealt with it, but I told you before, Ren! There may come a day where even I can’t do anything! I don’t want you over here dying on me!” he exclaimed.

“Just don’t do this again, okay Ren? You too, Kieran. Promise me.”

The two boys promised Mason that they wouldn’t go to another gate during the ringing of a bell. Mason sighed, and brought the two boys home. They both stayed in their rooms, grounded by Sarah, who was extremely furious and disappointed. Though, not so much towards Kieran since he didn’t know. Ren was sad, but also happy that he was able to do so much in just a day.

“Are you okay, Ren?” Kieran asked, “Your mom yelled at you, but you seem pretty happy for some reason..”

Ren looked at Kieran, smiling,

“Yeah, today was a good day.” (Good day starts playing lol)