The Forgotten Village

*BZZZZZ* *BZZZZ*, The chorus of cicadas buzzing loudly in the rural countryside continued until the sound of a car broke the ensemble.

"It's so hot," Satoru Kameyama (28) complained as he fanned out his sweat-soaked plain grey t-shirt. "I forgot how hot it gets in the countryside," as he checked the outside temperature gauge on his car, which was reading 90°F (32°C). 

Suddenly, the car began to rumble, then violently shake as it took off for a split second and landed with a loud scraping sound, the front bumper scraping the road. 

"WHOA, WHOA," Satoru exclaimed, gripping the steering wheel tightly, slowly coming to a complete stop as he placed it into park underneath a shade of a tree, and turned off the ignition. "I guess one of the first things we should do is fix the road," he determined, as he stepped out of the car and saw the broken, cracked asphalt road, with some large pieces of it uprooted. On the side of the streets were rows of knocked-over power lines followed by overgrown vegetation as they spilled in, and in the distance were the remains of an old village.

"I'm home," Satoru softly whispered.

As Satoru continued to admire the nostalgic scenery, a medium-sized Horned Rabbit (E-Rank) monster jumped out of a nearby bush and began to lunge toward his head.

*Swish*, a large black wolf with a crescent yellow moon around its prosternum, suddenly jumped out of its shadows as it took hold of the rabbit in its large white teeth, biting down and beginning to chew it. 

"Pathetic," the black wolf grumbled, "This area is filled with monsters, and you are standing here reminiscing like a fool." As he continued to chew before spitting out the horn and a small purple stone. 

"Doesn't that make you a fool too, seeing as I'm your master, Lycaon?" Satoru asked, "I know you always have my back no matter what, so," he crouched down and attempted to pet the black wolf's head as he distanced himself away from him.

"Don't try to pet me like I'm some sort of household pet," Lycaon complained. "I still have my pride as a Wolf King (Former Shadow Wolf King, A-Rank)," he argued. 

"Don't be so stubborn, Lycaon," a voice suggested, as an Undead Skeleton Lich rose from Satoru's shadow.

The Undead Skeleton Lich (Lich Lord, S-Rank) was wearing a black mozzetta, a white rochet with golden embroidery, and a black cassock that draped down toward the ground. The Lich didn't have a lower torso, so instead of walking, he floats or hovers in place. 

 "You need to learn how to be more flexible and understanding in these situations," the Lich added.

"Whatever," Lycaon replied, letting out a big yawn and beginning to stretch, "If you are going to stand around like a fool, you don't mind if I go hunting, right?" he asked. 

"Be my guest," Satoru answered, "I'm going to take a small stroll around the village too, so Baise, can you place a barrier around my car?" he requested the Lich Lord.

"Of course, my Lord," Baise bowed as he held up his right skeletal hand. "Holy Field!" he chanted as a spherical orb of light appeared around the small sedan. 

"Talk about overkill," Lycaon huffed, "A holy barrier that can withstand a dragon's breath is protecting a piece of junk, talk about a waste of mana." he sighed.

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL MY CAR WORTHLESS!" Satoru yelled, startling Lycaon and Baise, "I HAVE AiKA'S LIMITED EDITIONS GOOD IN MY CAR, AND EVEN THIS BARRIER ISN'T ENOUGH TO KEEP IT SAFE!" he stated. "REINHARDT, TRISTAN, GALFORD, COME OUT!" he called as three Medieval Knights dressed in black armor appeared from Baise's shadow. 

"Yes, my Lord," as the three Knights knelt in front of him. 

Reinhardt, Undead Holy Commander (A-Rank) Swordsman. 
Tristan, Undead Holy Knight (B-Rank) Archer & Scout.
Galford, an Undead Holy Knight (B-Rank) Heavy Tank who uses a large shield and heavy mace. 

"Protect this car with your life," Satoru firmly ordered as the knights entered battle formation.

The three knights stood around for a few moments, but with no enemies detected, they realized it was one of those orders and proceeded to store their weapons. 

"Yes, my Lord," Reinhardt answered as they proceeded underneath a nearby tree where the car was parked and took out some playing cards. 

"BWAHAHHAHA," Lycaon laughed while rolling on the ground. "To think the Former Holy Knight of Avasta is guarding a piece of junk!!" He rolled back and stood up. "That was a good laugh," as he began running towards the forest. 

"BRING BACK ALL THE MONSTERS YOU DEFEATED SO WE CAN DISMANTLE THEM!!" Satoru yelled, followed by a distant bark. 

"My Lord, what should I do in the meantime?" Baise asked.

"I want you to survey this entire village and bring me a detailed report regarding the state of the terrain, buildings, and any possible Gates that may still be here. If you find any monsters, do as you please with them," Satoru ordered. "If you find any human remains, I want you to recover them carefully and bring them back to me," he added. "Don't you dare attempt to turn them into undead," he warned as his brown eyes were full of anger. 

"Of course, my Lord," Baise bowed and disappeared into the shadows. 

"I guess, I'll take my walk now," Satoru sighed as he took out a long spear from his metal cuff bracelet and waved to the Knights. "GAHHH! It's so hot!" he exclaimed as he stepped out of the shade. 



"GOD DAMN IT!" Satoru yelled, getting irritated from killing Goblins (D-Rank) and Horn Rabbits as they continued to ambush him as he walked toward the stone staircase. "The Adventurer Association warned me that there were a lot of monsters roaming in the rural area, but this is just insane!" as he cut another Goblin down. 

Satoru began walking up the stone staircase and arrived at a partially collapsed temple, barely holding up.  


"THOSE BASTARDS!" Satoru muttered as he bit his lip, "Baise, I want you to keep all the monsters away from me for a bit," he ordered, and a small barrier formed around the temple grounds. 

Satoru walked around the back of the destroyed temple, headed towards a stone walkway, and entered the Village Cemetery grounds. He approached a large black gravestone, cleaning it lightly before kneeling. He placed a can of beer & rice cracker and began to burn incense, offering a small prayer.

Satoru took a deep breath, and his mouth began to tremble as he tried to hold his tears in. 

"Baa-chan, I'm home," Satoru softly greeted. "I know I promised to visit at least twice a year, but things have been a bit crazy around the world, as you probably can see from above." He chuckled, tears falling. "I'm sorry for not bringing any better offering, but I wanted to give you some good news!" he stood up proudly.

"I am officially the Village's Mayor!" Staoru stated. "I'm also this village's only resident too..., but don't worry, I promise I will revitalize this place in no time!" he smiled, as he broke out in complete tears and began sobbing, ranting about all the things he had to deal with and the lives he had to take.

After pouring out his soul, he wipes away his tears. "I'll be back soon with better offerings, Baa-chan," as he stood up and walked away from the gravestone. 

"I would have preferred you brought home a wife & grandkids with you instead, but I'll settle for wasabi senbei (rice cracker) & more cold beer in the meantime," an elderly female voice cackled, as a gentle breeze blew by.  

"Yes, I remember your favorites," Satoru smiled, bringing out his spear again. "Baise, Lycaon, how are we looking at in terms of cleaning up the remaining monsters on this mountain?"

"I've cleaned up the majority of small fries from here, but there is a nest of goblins inside a nearby warehouse and a pack of wolves inside what looks to be a school," Lycaon reported, as he sat in front of the temple entrance. "I didn't want to risk destroying the rest of this place in my attempt to clean them up, so I refrained." 

"I've located no active Gates inside this village, but there is a Monster House that I've sealed up," Baise reported. "I recommend cleaning out monsters before we do anything else."

"Sounds like we have our work cut out for us," Satoru sighed. "Let's return to the car and get the others to help us," he suggested as the three began to leave the temple grounds.


"By the way, how long are you going to walk around with bird poop in your hair?" Lycaon asked, "It's really bothering me how green the poop is," he laughed. 

"WAIT, WHAT?!!?!?!" Satoru yelled as he reached up to his head and touched the green poop. "GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!" as he chased after Lycaon, attempting to wipe the poop on his black fur.