Hey guys! Sorry for the LONG wait! Originally I intended on releasing this chapter at the start of the month but got swept up in a few things and kept forgetting! Well better late then never. The last time I saw you, Adam and Hannah were having the time of their lives until they watched the town fall under attack from the Dark Territory. Now if you watched SAO you can see how we're starting to get caught up in the timeline during the War Of Underlworld arc! Anyway, enjoy this chapter which is meant to be the BIGGEST chapter so far!
CHAPTER 8: The Flames Of War
A blood curdling scream could be heard for miles as Hannah wrapped her hands around her stomach and fell to her knees while she watched the town of Arbane burn to the ground. The fires could be seen for miles for its flaming glow lit up the night sky while smoke quickly polluted it. The screams of men, women, and children could be heard from all around as the creatures of the Dark Territory were plaguing them.
Adam could not believe his eyes as he watched the flames engulf Hannah's home. In a moment of weakness, the knight had allowed his mouth to hang open while he looked down and saw Hannah almost wrap in tears knowing that the unthinkable may have happened. Had the two of them had not spent this knight with one another, than they wouldn't be far enough to help the people of the town.
With the Dark Territory launching their attack on Arbane, Adam's moment of vulnerability faded away as he clenched his fists and marched over to Hiroshi. Knowing that Hannah's brother and sister were in the small town, the young knight wasted no time in mounting on top of his dragon. "Hannah, I need you to stay here!"
"What?" Hannah asked in disbelief as she turned around and saw Adam ready the reigns of Hiroshi. "No, I'm coming with you!"
"This is not up for discussion."
"My family is danger! They need me!"
"And I need you to be safe!" The knight shouted which frightened the farm girl. "Hannah, I promise you, I will find them."
With the flick of his wrists Adam wasted no time in getting Hiroshi off the ground and into the air. Hannah watched her fiancé fly his dragon towards the town that was set ablaze. Knowing that her brother and sister were in danger, the young girl chose to ignore the Knight's words and quickly runs towards the burning town. However, she was miles away from home, but the night was long and was only just beginning.
The cold wind of the night grew hotter and hotter by the second as Adam and Hiroshi flew closer to Arbane. But before they reached the town, the Knight knew that if he was to rescue both James and Freya, he would need to take up arms in order to protect them from the beasts of the Dark Territory. This meant that he would need to unsheathe his sword. The sword that had the power to crack the sky. The sword, whose power he misused. The sword who not broke his body but also his spirit. He would need to set his fears aside if he was to save James and Freya.
As the two friends flew closer to the farm, Adam jumped off his dragon and ran through the door as he made his way to his room. Despite the fact that the fires were only a few miles away from them, the glowing smoke made the air hard to breath as he did his best to hold in several coughs. But as he made his way to his bedroom, the fires were so bright that even his own room was bright as day. This made it easy for him to locate his sword.
Once he had his sword, the knight runs through the house, only to see Henry run from outside the barn and over to Hiroshi. The old man is in fear as he looks at the knight. "Adam! What's going on?"
"We're under attack!" Adam said. "The Dark Territory is attacking Arbane!"
"Where's Hannah?"
"I left her a few miles east of here. Don't worry she's safe, and I'm going to rescue James and Freya."
"I'm going with you."
"Follow me!" Adam said for he knew better than to argue with a father whose children were in danger. Henry did not care what dangers lied ahead him. If James and Freya were in need in help, Henry would walk through fire in order to save them. It seemed that moment would come sooner rather than later as he and Adam both got on top of Hiroshi before the dragon took off into the sky. Hang on kids! We're coming!
If his children weren't in danger, Henry would be amazed of his first time flying with Adam and Hiroshi. The old man felt large gusts of wind rush against his face. But these winds were filled with ash from the burning town as the two began to cough and cover their mouths. Hiroshi struggled as well while he flew through large clouds of smoke. The dragon coughed and roared as it could not bare the scent of smoke filling up his lungs. This often led to several moments where the dragon would stop in his tracks in order to catch his breath.
With particles of ash floating in the air, Adam, Henry, and Hiroshi began to collet large amounts of the unbearable dust on their bodies. As they flew closer to the town, both Adam and Henry felt their eyes sting with pain as ash began to collect in their eyes. Hiroshi felt this pain too and would unintentional lose sight of where they were flying. But there was no mistake that they had reached the town for their skins could feel the heat from the flames that were set ablaze.
While Adam and their father were on their way to the town, hordes of goblins ravaged the town as they laughed and licked their lips for they were craving man flesh. Their eyes glowed yellow just like the flames that were burning buildings to the ground as they looked at the some of the townsfolk who could not escape the burning town. Their faces were locked in horror while the goblins smiled with glee before they brought down their blades on several humans. Splashes of red blood splattered all over the floor from the humans who were chopped up into bite size pieces.
Alongside the goblins were several ogres aiding the attack. But their numbers were no match for the goblins given how there were very few of these black furred beasts. However, despite their lack of numbers, it seemed that they were giving orders to the goblins. This wasn't just a random attack on the village, this was a coordinated strike against the Human Empire.
The ogres and goblins would first arrive before the ogres would order the goblins to search and seize any humans hiding from them. Those that were able to find any survivors, these beasts would shout in glee as they would have a nice meal lay before them. But if the creatures of the Dark Territory were unable to locate any humans, the goblins would set fire to the homes in order to flush out or incinerate any survivors.
Even though the ogres were the ones ordering the goblins, they were not the ones calling the shots.
Across the town, an ogre watched several goblins fight over a piece of meat while others were searching the burnt homes for any survivors. But as the raid went on, the ground began to shake with each step being took. The ogres looks back and sees a large figure approach him before moving aside to allow a single giant walk past him. This giant carried a large mace as he looked around and saw the town burn to the ground.
With word that Dark Emperor Vecta had returned, this giant had been ordered to take a horde of goblins and several ogres to raid and pillage any lands claimed by the Human Empire in the name of Vecta. The Emperor's single command had been to spread blood and terror across the human empire which was happening in the town of Arbane. Blood was being spilt on the roads of the town as screams of terror could be heard for miles.
While the monsters of the dark territory ravaged through the town, standing tall at the center of Arbane was a bell tower that sat near a much smaller building that resembled close to a church, it was the school where Hannah worked. With the town being under attack by goblins and ogres, several children had taken refuge in the small school. Among them were James and Freya who were frightened beyond belief as they heard the screams of several townsfolk that were being slaughtered like animals.
From inside the school, James held Freya as tight and as close to him as possible while they stared at the entrance of the school. Several desks and chairs were used to barricade the door. In moments like this, a child could be surprised to know just how strong they are when they are scared beyond belief. It would seem the twins as well as other children were in disbelief that they were able to push large tables and several chairs against the door to separate them from the monsters outside. All they had to do now was to pray that that someone would come to save them.
As the long night dragged on, Adam, Henry, and Hiroshi at the scene with the knight looking down below and spots several survivors cross a bridge to leave the town. The knight lowers his dragon, and three make their decent before the knight, farmer, and dragon land in front of several frightened townsfolk. Henry wasted no time as he jumped off Hiroshi and began to search among the crowd of survivors. "James! Freya! Has anyone seen my children?"
A woman who was covered in ash, blood, and soot limped her way over to Henry. "The last time I saw them they were playing with several children near the school!"
"Where is the school located?" Adam asked as he approached Henry from behind and spoke to the woman.
"It's right at the center of town!" The woman said. "But it's overrun by goblins and ogres!"
Knowing that the town was being attacked by who knows how many monsters, if Adam was going to send a chance against these creatures, he would need his armor. The question was where was the blacksmith located? If he could get his armor, he'll be able to protect Henry's family. He didn't like this but in order to save these people, he needed his armor. "Henry, where is the blacksmith located?"
"Not too far from here." The farmer said. "We might pass by it if we make our way to the school. Why do you ask?"
"Henry I need my armor. If we can-"
"We're not having this discussion!"
"Henry without my armor, I can't protect you and the kids."
"Are you asking me to leave my children?"
"I am asking you to trust me!" Adam said as he watched the old man let out a grunt of distaste. '"I don't like it but if we're going to make it out of this, I need my armor!"
"Fine! Let's go!" Henry said with a small taste of anger leaving his mouth for he did not want for his kids to wait any longer in this burning hell.. Adam also didn't like the thought of having James and Freya wait but if was to stand a chance against these creatures he was going to need some extra protection.
Before Adam and Henry rand into the burning town the knight looks at his dragon. "Hiroshi, use your wings to blow some of the smoke away! Protect the people!"
The dragon let our a loud roar as he took flight and began to flap his wings. Large gusts of winds blew over the town that was set ablaze as the the smoke began to blow away. This would make things easier for Adam to locate the children. Had he not order his drawing, not only would the night have trouble finding the kids but the falling ash would make it hard for him to locate monsters.
If the circumstances were different, Adam would have gladly ordered his dragon to burn every single monster in sight. But because there were still people inside the town, including James and Henry, Adam did not want to risk the chance of having them get hurt by Hiroshi's rage. Having the dragon stand guard outside the town and watch over the townsfolk seemed like the best idea. With Hiroshi hovering outside the town, away from any flames and away from any archers, Adam knew that the people were in good hands. Not a moment later, Adam and Henry stared deep into the fires and ran feet first into Hell.
Several young boys who looked like they were in their late teens, were covered in ash, soot, and blood for they hd barely escaped with their lives. But as they were catching their breath, they quickly spotted someone carrying a sword run towards the town with a much older gentleman. They and several townspeople were at a loss for words for the bravery they were witnessing before them.
With red and orange flames dancing throughout the town, Adam and Henry covered their faces to shield themselves from the burning embers that were floating freely from the burning buildings. Not a moment later, Adam's eyes widened as he quickly spotted a claw peaking itself from around the corner. The knight acts fast and uses his right arm to stop Henry in his tracks as he used his left arm to draw his sword.
In the blink of an eye, Henry watched a goblin appear from out of the darkness. Words could not express the amount of fear that rushed through him for he had heard stories about how vile and evil goblins were at an early age. Seeing one in person was the stuff of nightmares.
With the creating lunging at them with a dagger, Adam is able to deflect the attack with his sword. The green creature tumbles across the floor giving the knight the perfect opportunity to land a killing blow. Adam wastes no time and swings his sword with all his might to decapitate the goblin's head clean off. Henry was at a loss for words as he watched the young man who stayed on his farm, become a knight right before his eyes.
Because it had been so long since he last swung his sword, this first attack took a lot of breath out of Adam. But as he was recovering from the attack, his vision focused on the dark alley from where the goblin came from and wastes no time in grabbing the dagger off the ground to through it past Henry's face. For a split second, Henry believed that Adam had grown delusional and mistaken him for a foe as he watched the knife fly past his face, just barely missing his grey hair before he turned around and saw the blade land dead center at a goblins face. The farmer watched the little monster fall to floor while his butcher knife fell beside him.
"Come on. More will come." Adam said to which Henry responded with a quick nod. In the span of a minute, the knight had managed to save this farmer's life twice. With no weapon to defend himself, Henry felt like a burden to Adam. No more, he decided as he looked at the fallen goblin behind him and grabbed the dagger and pulled it out of the creatures skull. Adam watched his friend, ready himself for battle and was glad to see the old man take up arms. Now that Henry had a weapon, the knight would not have to worry about protecting him. With the farmer now able to defend himself, the two continued their way towards the blacksmith's shop.
Flames danced across the town as more homes were being lit by the goblins. As Adam and Henry ran through the streets, the two were drenched in sweat. The fires burned so hot, it was as if the two were in an oven from Hell. Feeling the air brush against their faces as they ran in the streets, the two men felt the heat of the air cook their faces. It was as if the sun was burning right in front of them as they were helpless to avoid the fires that burned bright on this night.
Thankfully, the hazard of smoke was taken care of. With small winds blowing, the smoke rose above the town as it made the sky glow a sickly orange. But with the help of Hiroshi, Adam and Henry were able to see the knight sky as the smoke was being blown away by the dragon's wings.
With time of the essence, the knight and farmer made their way through various streets and alleyways that were safe from the flames. But while they found safe passage away from the fires, this would ultimately lead them into small bands of ogres and goblins.
As Adam and Henry ran into a small alleyway, the two came across an ogre leading four goblins. The large beast pulls aims his crossbow and fires a single shot at the knight. With only one arrow heading straight for him, Adam's senses are heightened as he quickly sees the arrow approach his face before using his sword to deflect the oncoming shot.
The moment the arrow deflected off of the sword, both Henry and Adam could hear a gentle humming sound come from the blade. It had been far too long since he heard that noise and before the ogre could get off another shot, the young knight heads towards the crowd. The large ogre is unable to reload his crossbow and soon pulls out a curved sword and blocks on oncoming strike from Adam. The two locked blades as neither of them were giving way.
Because the alleyway was so narrow, both Adam and the ogre were blocking Henry and the goblins from passing through. The knight knew that it was going to be only a matter of time before the goblins would find a way to surround them and with James' and Freya's lives on the line, he had to make this quick.
Seeing as how both were locked in place, Adam looks around and sees an opening. He looks beneath the ogres belt and land a blow monsters genital area using his knee. The beasts eyes widened and soon fell to his knees to recover from the blow, giving Adam the perfect opportunity to behead him. The knight gives a clean cut across the neck and just before the beast's head could roll off his should, Adam grabs hold of it and throws it at the crowd of goblins as a form of distraction.
Blood splattered across their eyes as they were blinded for a moment. But that moment was all Adam needed as he quickly charged into the group, knocking them all down as he thrusted his sword into the belly of one unfortunate goblin. But as he began to retract his sword, one of the goblins managed to get up and raised his hands the carried a large ax. Before Adam could respond, Henry charge the creature form the side and managed to thrust his dagger underneath the monster's left armpit, and straight through the heart.
Adam is impressed with Henry's work and grabs the ax to kill the last remaining goblin that was behind him. In a split moment, Adam was able to bring down the ax and watched the goblin's skull split in two as large amounts of blood began to gush out. Hot and covered in blood the two men had no time for rest as their path was cleared and were only a few blocks away from the shop.
With the fires burning bright, Hannah had managed to return to Arbane as she was tired and out of breath. She ran as fast as the wind could carry her for she knew that her family was in mortal danger. But because her journey was long, she did not have enough breath in her lungs to cry out for anyone as she wondered through the crowd of survivors. Her sweat mixed with her tears that traveled down her face for she was beyond worried for her family. Using whatever clean air she had in her lungs, the young girl began to cry out the names of her family. "James! Freya! Papa! Adam!"
Her cries were answered with the sound of a dragon roar as she looked up in the sky and saw Hiroshi flapping his wings to blow the smoke away from the survivors. Hannah was relieved to see a familiar face as she ran toward the creature in the sky. The moment everyone heard the dragon roar, they all coward in fear knowing that their homes were being burnt by monsters.
"Hiroshi!" Hannah yelled as the two locked eyes with Hiroshi hovering above the townsfolk and Hannah being right below him. "Where's Adam?"
The dragon roared and started at the burning city, making Hannah worried even more. The young girl looked at the fires burning Arbane before turning towards some of the towns people. "Has anyone seen my fiancé?"
"Fiancé?" A young man asked. "If you're talking about the man who rode in with that dragon, the last time I saw him he ran into the town with another, an old man."
"Papa's there too?" The moment she heard word that her father was with Adam, Hannah felt her heart sank into a cold dark abyss as she stared at the burning flames that ravaged her town. The smallest moment in her life felt like ages echoing in her mind as she processed what was happening before her. If Adam had gone to save her brother and sister it seemed likely that her father would join the rescue. Knowing that her family needed her now more than ever, Hannah's fears went away as she clenched her fists and rain towards the town set ablaze.
The young man, who carried a sword on his belt, watched this young defenseless girl run towards the fires the same way he watched the two men run into Arbane earlier. Knowing that she would surely be killed, the young man runs behind the girl and wraps his arms around her, preventing her from going into the town. "Wait! Don't! It's too dangerous!"
"My family needs me!" Hannah said as she struggled to break free from the man's grip. Even when the two fell to the grass beneath them, she kicked and crawled her way toward the bridge before a burst of flame prevented them from entering the town. All Hannah could do is watch and pray that her family would come back to her.
After running through the town, and after several small brief encounters with several goblins, Adam and Henry had managed to make their way to the blacksmith. The two wasted no time in breaking into the shop to search for Adam's armor. With the shopkeeper gone, hopefully among the survivors, Adam had no problem with tearing the place apart to search for his armor. If anything he could always blame it on the goblins. That is when it hit him.
Seeing that this shop had not been raided, the young knight knew that it would be only a matter of time before this shop was going to be overrun by goblins. He needed to find and strap on his armor as fast as possible before the monster would arrive. "Henry, stay on watch! Let me know if there are any creatures coming!"
The old farmer responded with a simple nod as he placed his dagger on the side of his belt before picking up a small short sword. Adam around the shop in a frantic mood until he came across a large door that had a lock. Seeing that he hand no time to search for a key, the knight used his sword the cut the lock off with ease. He opens the door and sees various weapons of all shapes and sizes before seeing his armor standing before him.
While Adam began strap on his armor, Henry looked outside the window and spotted several torches emitting a fain glow in the street. He looked carefully and saw that there was a small horde of globes heading their away, along with a couple of ogres. "Adam! We're gonna have company soon!"
Shit! Adam thought to himself as he had just started to put on his boots. Knowing that they were about to have a horde of goblins raid this shop, the knight strapped on his armor faster than before. Not once in the axiom church had he changed into his armor this fast. Sure he had drills with his mentor but that was nothing compared to the speed he had in this moment.
"They're coming!" Henry said as he looked at the street and saw how the creatures had now spotted the shop and were now running towards them. The old man acted quick and ran to the back of the shop where Adam was at and locked the door behind him and even barricaded it in order to give the knight more time. He looked back and saw how Adam was almost finished with strapping on his armor but knew that he needed help to finish before they were going to be attacked "Here! Let me help!"
The two men were silent as they worked together as quick as possible before they suddenly heard the entrance of the shop get demolished. They looked at the locked door in front of them and heard several goblins pillaging through the shop. While the creatures raided the weapons held at the front, Adam and Henry worked like Hell to get the last pieces strapped onto the knight. A moment of silence fell between the two men as the raid quickly stopped before they saw the locked door nod begin to turn - their time was up.
With madness spreading throughout the town, James and Freya held each other close when they saw the barricaded door in front of them begin to move. The both of them, along with the rest of the children in the school had realized that their worst fears were now becoming a reality. Without warning, an axe cut a small gapping hole in the door, and the children began to panic. Their hearts raced as multiple strikes were made upon the door. No matter how strong their fortress was, the wood was nothing compared to an iron forged ax. After several strikes were made upon the door, the children screamed in terror when they saw a pair of yellow eyes peak inside the room.
The children screamed at the top of their lungs when they looked into the eyes of a hungry goblin. They had heard stories from their parents of how misbehaving children were swept away from goblins. Those childhood stories were met with reality as the children looked into those souls eyes. Looking around the room, James finds a book and throws it at the door while some of the other children followed his lead, hoping that the monster would go away.
Their attempts were futile as this only made the goblin savor the moment even more. Oh how goblins loved feasting on human flesh, especially children. What was told about them was true, for goblins loved snatching up children when their parents were far from them. The sound of a Childs scream was music to their pointed ears as their fears salted their meat just the way the creatures liked it. While an adult human had more body fat and muscle, children flesh were more salted.
Watching the children tried to ward him away was enjoyable to watch as it salivated his mouth. Drool fell between his sharp teeth while his long fingers dug deep into wooden door in front of him. He laughed at the sight of these children trying to be brave. He was very excited to have some fun with these children starting with the brat who threw the first book at him. His eyes widened while an evil smile stretched across his face when the thought of torturing the young boy creeped into his mind. Images of horrendous acts of evil motivated the goblin to grip his ax tight and start swinging away at the door.
From inside, James and Freya screamed in horror as they saw the ax begin to chop away pieces at the door. However as the goblin peaked his head one more time, the creatures eyes widened. But not out of excitement, but out of shock. His smile vanished in an instant as he was yanked away from the door by an unknown force before several noises could be heard outside. James, Freya, and the rest of the children were confused as to what was happening outside the door.
Gushes of blood splatted across the door before the children saw several strikes being made at the door. But these strikes were not made intentionally. It was as if a fight was brewing outside and the door was unintentionally hit during the commotion. Several arrows managed to pierce the door while an ax wedged itself onto the door but was stuck before more blood splattered onto the door. The sound of swords clashing could be heard while the cries of several goblins and ogres were heard amongst the brawl. Suddenly the scene fell silent.
With the fighting stopped, James loosens his grip on Freya for only a moment for he was curious as to what just happened. Before he could bare another thought the sound of metal boots could be heard approaching he door at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, the barricade of desks and chairs were all but destroyed as the doors to the school flung wide open.
To the children's surprise, standing before them was an Integrity Knight. His armor shined bright before them as mirrored reflections of the burning flames danced all around it. His cape was red like roses that had just bloomed in spring while his sword shined but had dripping crimson blood from the goblins that terrorized them. James and Freya widened their eyes while their mouths hang open when they saw that this particular knight wore glasses that were all too familiar to them. Standing before them was Adam who appeared like the hero of stories Hannah would tell them.
"James! Freya!" Adam shouted in sync with another familiar voice. To the children's surprise, Henry arrived shortly after the door came down and the two men were relieved that none of the children in the room were hurt.
"Adam! Papa!" James and Freya shouted together as they ran over to their father and friend. The knight and farmer fell to their knees with arms wide open as they watched the two children run towards them. While Freya ran into her father's arms, James tightly hugged Adam. Despite wearing his armor, the knight could feel the warm hug this boy was embracing.
Not a moment later the children were in tears for they feared that they were almost about to become a goblin's next dinner. While Henry was used to comforting the children, this experience was entirely new for Adam. But for some reason the knight some how knew how to comfort the crying boy in his arms. The Integrity Knight wraps his arms around the boy and gently pats his head with his metal gauntlets. "It's okay, you're safe."
"What took you guys so long?" Freya asked in a stubborn way which made the two men laugh.
"Where's Hannah? Is she safe?" James also asked.
"Hannah is fine." Henry said to his son. "We're going to get you all out of here but you need to do exactly what Adam tells you."
"Yes Papa!" The two children responded who then looked toward Adam for guidance. The knight was at first honored to see how much Henry respected him and he even gave the two children a look of confidence knowing that it would make the children feel safe. But this only lasted for a moment, for the knight knew that more creatures would come and he had a lot more people to protect.
"Kids, I need you all to follow me and stay as close as possible!" Adam shouted as he drew his sword and led the children out of the school. Knowing that both he and Henry had already cleared a path to get to the school, it might be safe to follow down that path to get out of the town. But while this journey could be done very quickly with two people, leading a group of children would prove to be more difficult.
Oh how Adam hated being right for not a moment after they left the school, the group of survivors uncounted a small pack pf goblins being led by a single ogre. The beast aimed his crossbow at the group and fired a single shot. The arrow board through the sky and was about to hit Freya until the little girl saw a large sword separate her from the oncoming arrow. A sound of two metal objects rang through her ears as she watched Adam deflect the shot before waving his hand infant of the pack.
"System Call. Generate Thermal Element. Form element, arrow shape. Fly straight. Discharge." In the blink of an eye, the little girl watched small arrows of fire form at the finger tips of her dear friend. Not a moment later, Adam launched his attack and managed to take out four goblins with four arrows, each one landing its mark. But there were still two goblins left, and one ogre to take care of.
Wasting no time, the knight charged at the three monsters ahead of them and attacked with all his might. He first went straight for the ogre, seeing how he dis not want the monster to reload his crossbow with another arrow. He throws a powerful swing to try to chop off the wolf's head but his sword is blocked by another when the beast held up a large axe to protect his neck.
In an instant, Adam saw the two remaining goblins turn their attention to him and try to trust their spears and daggers into the knight. Adam reacts quick enough and pushes the ogre away to focus on the two goblins. With one thrusting a long speed towards him, the knight manages to get a hold of the weapon and redirects it at the unsuspected goblin carrying a knife. Blood squirted everywhere as Adam the turned his attention at the first goblin and chopped its head clean off.
The ogre jumps in on the fight and grabs the knight by his cape and pulls him onto the ground to drive his ax right in the middle of his neck. Adam looks around and pulls the dead goblin's corpse towards him and uses it as a shield. With the attack a filled attempt, the ogre snarls his teeth in anger before Adam grabs a fallen dagger and thrusts it right besom the beast's neck.
Before Adam could recover from the attack, the sound of a girl screaming shook him to his core when he saw a goblin jump from a dark alley. Seeing as how the ogre had already loaded an arrow into his crossbow, the young knight times it at the lunging goblin and fires a single arrow. The skinny piece of wood with an iron tip soared through the air and manages to hit the hand of the goblin. The small creature roared in pain as he dropped his weapon but still managed to get a hold of one of the children. Henry acts quick and thrusts his short sword into the beast before it could do any arm.
As Adam got up, he saw another small band of goblins approach the group from behind. With all the strength of his legs the knight ran as fast as he could to intercept the beasts. James watched his friend race past him with his cape flowing in the air while blood and sweat poured down his face. Never before had he seen someone as heroic as Adam.
"Henry! Lead the way! I'll hold them off!" The knight shouted before he charged straight into another pack of goblins. With the farmer now taking point on the journey out, Adam did not want to waste any time. The longer they stayed in one spot, the more likely they were all going to die. He needed to make sure that they were all at least were close enough to the exit. The knight then held up his hand for another sacred art. "System Call. Generate luminous element. Burst element. Discharge."
In the blink of an eye, Adam shot a small burst of light that managed to temporarily blind the goblins. With all the little green monsters unable to see the knight seized this moment of opportunity to cut each of them down like trees. One by one, they were all chopped into bits before the streets were soaked in blood.
While Henry led the children to safety, their trip came to a quick halt when they saw two ogres with another band of goblins. Fear fell upon Henry's face but those worries were short lived when a spear flew from behind him and impaled one of the two ogres. Running past him was Adam who was covered head to toe in blood who ran into the horde like a mad man as he went straight for the second ogre.
The beast aimed his crossbow and fired a single shot and was able to make contact with the knight. But thanks to his armor, Adam was unharmed for his armor was strong enough to handle suck a strike. This made the knight attack with all his might as he brought his sword down at the unfortunate ogre and split the creature's head in two.
With both ogres taken down, Adam focused his attention on the goblins. But before he ran past them, they were able to focus their attention on the group. This was a terrible mistake. Had he had taken care of this creatures first, none of them would be able to lay a finger on the survivors. Because of his mistake, one goblin ran to the group with a large club. Henry anticipated this and blocked the attack with his short sword but with his weapon locked with another, this meant that the children were now exposed towards the little green monsters.
One goblin in particular ran past Henry and went straight for a child. Before the monster could do any harm, Adam throws a dagger he picked off from the ogre and watched it spin through the air before it slammed against the side of the goblin's head. The remaining goblins turned around and saw an enraged knight chop several of their comrades to bits. The goblin locked with Henry somehow lost its focus as it was turned back to look at Adam. This gave Henry the opportunity to strike. Reaching for the dagger in his belt, Henry thrusts the blade into the goblins belly and watches the monster gasp for breath before falling onto the ground.
Henry and the children watched as Adam took care of each of these goblins. Using his metal gauntlets, the knight was able to block several strikes while at the same time, swing his sword to cut several of these monsters in half. One goblin charged at him with a small sword while another lunged towards him with a large ax. The knight sides steps and grabs hold of the goblin carrying the sword and uses him as a shield to block the attack from the other goblin. Blood splattered everywhere as Adam watched this goblin kill his friend by accident before thrusting his blade into the mouth of the beast.
Another goblin came from behind him and tried to land a killer blow with a spear but was swatted away by Adam's metal fist. Blood and teeth flew out of the creature's mouth when he felt the full force of an Integrity Knight's back hand. Adam looked behind him and saw several goblins approaching the group from behind. Thinking quickly he grabbed the fallen spear and threw it across the air before charging the second group.
Any man would be tired from all of this fighting, but for Adam, this is what he was trained to do. As he fought the goblins from behind, he clashed his sword with several blades while blood soaked the streets as the knight was able to fend off another horde of monsters. Henry did his part and killed as many of these green demons as he could but while the two fought for the protection of these children James and Freya were amazed to see their friend and father act so brave.
Their moment of praise soon turned into a moment of terror as one goblin lunged out from a nearby alleyway and jumped straight towards them. Fear filled their eyes as they watched this monster come at them with a butcher knife. Henry experienced the greatest fear in his life as he was helpless to reach his children in time. Adam heard their screams as he managed to kill the last of the goblins from behind and ran towards the two children. James and Freya quickly shut their eyes as they embraced each other for a painful end until they heard the sound of metal clashing against a large object.
"Big mistake!" The two opened their eyes and saw the back of Adam's red cape flap in the air revealing that he had used his chest plate as a shield to protect the two children. Enraged, the young knight grabbed the goblin by the throat and slammed the monster onto the ground with all his strength as the sound of bones cracking could be heard from all around. With his sword on the ground, Adam used his fists to beat the goblin to a bloody pulp as he was wanted to make sure that this monster would not harm James and Freya.
Henry watched his friend slam his fist repeatedly into the already dead goblin and saw Adam's true emotions. His son and daughter meant so much to the Integrity Knight, that he was willing to protect them at any cost, even if it meant putting his life on the line. But as Henry saw Adam express his anger, the farmer ran over to his friend to pull him out of this rage that he had lost himself in. He grabbed Adam's left arm to stop the knight from beating his fist into the puddle of brain and blood. "Adam! Stop!"
Adam's moment of anger and terror was short lived as he turned around to face another foe but saw the face of a friend. He felt his anger dissipate as he began to catch his breath.
"It's okay! James and Freya are safe." Henry said in a calm manner before losing his composure when he realized just how close he was to losing his two children. "Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me."
"Yes I do." Henry responded as he pulled Adam off the blood soaked ground. "Adam, I am forever in your debt."
"Let's focus on getting out of here." Adam responded with a warm smile for he did not expect Henry's thanks to feel so warm and comforting. Hearing how thankful Henry was, it made the knight realize how important these children were to the farmer. In all his years as a knight, Adam had saved countless lives and had heard several meaningful thanks but never bothered to pay attention to them. Now he truly understood why he puts his body on the line. Today he fought not for the protection of the Human Empire but for the protection of the people he loved. He turned his attention to the children and was embarrassed. "Sorry you two had to see that?"
"Big Brother you are so cool!" James and Freya said at the same time who were excited to see just how cool it was t see an Integrity Knight save them. Granted the two were almost killed but thanks to Adam they were both safe.
"Big Brother?" Adam asked. The moment he heard those words the knight was in shock. For all his life he never had a family. And while the Integrity Knights were the only family he knew, Adam never had a true family. Hearing those words leave James and Freya, Adam felt his heart melt underneath his armor as he felt tears flow down from his face. Out of instinct, he wrapped his arms around the two small children and cried his heart out for now he just realized that he was close to losing his little brother and sister. While James and Freya were confused as to why Adam was crying, they heard their new brother cry out several words as tears flowed from his eyes. "I promise to be the best big brother you two could ask for!"
Before the two could respond, the sound of a girl's cry could be heard as everyone looked outside the alley and saw another horde of goblins reach for them. Drool came down their sharp teeth as they ran towards one little girl who was far from both Adam and Henry.
"No!" The two men shouted as they watched these beasts run toward the little girl. Adam did his best to make his way past his children but he was too far and would not be able to reach her. This little girl was going to die.
Running to the little girl's aid was a young man in small armor who carried a small sword. He reaches the little girl in time and is able to block the attack of the goblin before several other young men carrying swords run past them to attack the goblin pack. Adam was shocked to see these young men risk their lives for these children, "Who are these guys?"
"These must be the gatekeepers to the town!" Henry said.
"Which means we must be near the exit."
"Hurry! Get the kids over the bridge! We'll hold them off!" The young man said as he stood his ground to fight the goblins head on.
With the goblins occupied, Henry and Adam wasted no time in getting the children to safety as they soon saw the bridge that acted as the town's back exit. Several other men carrying spears and farming tools guided the group out of harms way. "Come on! We'll get you kids back to your families!"
Each and every child ran as fast as the wind could carry them as they saw clear skies above them while a dragon flapped his wings to prevent smoke from getting out of town. James and Freya, spotted Hannah among the crowd of survivors and ran straight toward their big sister. "Hannah!"
"James! Freya!" Hannah cried as she ran toward her little brother and sister and embraced them as hard as she could while she wept in tears. Feeling her brother and sister in her arms made the young woman thank Stacia and all the other goddess that the two most important people in her life were safe. Henry soon walked over to his family and immediately felt Hannah's fist bang against his arms. "You idiot! How could you do something so reckless."
Henry did not argue and embraced his children while Adam stood on the bridge and watched this family be whole again. But as he enjoyed the moment, everyone soon heard a loud roar come across the town. The goblins who were fighting several of the humans had a wicked smile crawl across their face as hey soon retreated back into the burning town. Adam did not like this one bit. Soon the ground began to shake as everyone looked past the smoke and flames and saw a large shadowy figure walk towards them. "Kid! Get your friends out of there! Now!"
From out of the flames stood a giant of great size. He carried a large mace and let it drag across the streets as it tore up the paved roads these good people once laid. Before Adam could shout another word, From the corner of his eye, the last remaining goblins and ogres dove into the creek and swam their way to the fields where the remaining survivors were. With everyone exposed in a big open field, there was no way that the knight could protect everyone everywhere from everything. On top of that he had to deal with the giant and whatever remaining monsters that were still in town.
"Protect the people!" The knight said as the last of the gatekeepers crossed over the bridge. Several men, who had never even held a sword, took up arms as they grabbed whatever they could find to fend off these beasts from their families, but Adam knew that it wasn't enough. Looking up to the sky, the knight called upon his dragon. "Hiroshi!"
The dragon gave a loud roar as the divine creature flew toward the ground and showed his teeth to the monsters of the Dark Territory. In the blink of an eye the dragon opened its mouth an unleashed a breath of flame unlike any other. Its fire was as blue as the ocean and as bright as a shining crystal being held toward the sun as several goblins and ogres were reduced to ash.
Adam looked ahead and saw the giant taunting the knight to step forward as the large creature held out his arms, welcoming the fight. With Hiroshi, the gatekeepers, and the men of the town protecting the women and children, the young knight knew that these people were in good hands.
Before he took a step forward, he felt a firm hand grab his arm. The knight turned around and saw Henry stopping him in his tracks. "You're not thinking about fighting him."
"He's the leader. If he falls, then this night will be over."
"Very well, then I shall join you."
"You're a good man Henry, but this is my fight." Adam said with a warm smile before he grabbed hold of the hold man and pushed him back. Adam looked his dragon and called out his name once more. "Hiroshi!"
Before Henry could get back up on his feet, he watched a wall of fire separate him and Adam, sealing the knight inside the burning town with the monsters that set it ablaze. "No! Adam! You damn fool!"
"Brother!" James and Freya screamed with tears in their eyes as they watched their big brother disappear into the fire.
With the town now sealed off in a ring of fire, all the monsters that were still alive were locked inside with him. But this also meant that if there were any survivors still trapped inside the town, they would have to remain hidden until the fighting was finally over. This meant that Adam could not rely on his dragon on this fight. While he would gladly have Hiroshi burn every monster in town to a crisp, he could not take the chance knowing that there may be some people still hiding in town who were not able to escape. This fight would now come down to flesh and steel.
With a look of determination on his face, the young knight stared down the gruesome giant. His slowly stepped towards the beast as the flames continued to rage on throughout the town. But those steps soon began to pick up some speed as Adam slowly strengthen his strides and was now charging towards the giant who welcomed the fight. But to the knight's surprise the giant still had troops at his disposal as two ogres and several goblins came from behind the large monster and charged at Adam.
The Integrity Knight was at first caught off guard as he soon switched from offense to defense. With several goblins carrying swords, daggers, and axes came charging towards him, Adam blocked several oncoming strikes from multiple directions. But with five goblins surrounding him, several blows managed to land their mark.
If Adam was able to defend a blow coming from an oncoming ax, a spear managed to stab him from the side. When he managed to break the spear and behead the goblin wielding it, another goblin would come from behind and use his dagger to land a blow on the shoulder. With his armor holding its strength, no matter how many times Adam was slashed or stabbed, no blade was able to penetrate his armor. But how long would this last. The night had been long, and this knight was tired from the constant fighting, as it could be seen in front of the eyes of these creatures.
While Adam mangled to fend off several goblins, and kill a few in the process, the two ogres standing beside the giant aimed their crossbows at the knight. Arrows were fired and soon flew through the air while Adam defended himself against the goblins. After killing another goblin by splitting its gut open, the two arrows struck the knight in the shoulder and gut. While it may have not have killed him, it certainly knocked the wind out of Adam.
The last two remaining goblins took this opportunity to grab hold of Adam's cape and pull him onto the ground before the two ogres joined in on the fight. When one goblin tried to slit his throat open, Adam uses his forearm to block the strike before using his legs to knee the other goblin. Now able to stand, the knight looks around for his sword but is attacked by the remains goblin and two ogres.
The first ogre draws out his ax and brings it down on the knight. But Adam is quick enough to act and pulls the last goblin in front of him to take the blow. Blood sprayed everywhere as the little green monsters was cleaved in half from its should to it feet as its body was split in two. Adam took this moment to reach for his sword but once he picked it off the floor, he felt the feet of an ogre press hardly against his chest before sending him rolling back onto the floor.
The young knight used this momentum to separate himself from the two monsters. Now that he had his sword, he could get back into the fight. But while he stood his ground to face the two ogres he noticed something strange, the giant was gone.
From out of the corner of his eye, Adam saw a large figure two steps away from him and hears the roar of an enraged giant. With little to no time to prepare, the knight holds his sword close to him and braces for a large impact. Using his mace made of wood and horde stone, the giant slams the head of the weapon against Adam. With his sword taking most of the blow Adam could hear a loud ringing noise come from bis blade that masked the sound of his armor cracking. If it not for his sword taking most of the force, Adam's body would have exploded upon impact. Now he had to rely on the strength of his armor as the knight's body was thrown into the air.
"Adam!" Hannah cried out as she saw her knight fly high above the sky. The force was so strong that it has cause Adam to spit blood from out of his mouth as he looked below and saw buildings beneath him while he felt the wind blow through his cape. His moment in the sky was shortly lived as he looked down and saw that he was heading straight for roof was burned from the fires. He braced for impact and went straight through two floors of a building that was once someone's home.
With his armor taking most of the impact, Adam's fall finally came to a stop when he landed on the ground floor that was destroyed from the fires that ravaged it at the start of the night. As he looked up at the holes that he created from the roof and second floor, the knight had eyes that were as wide open when he realized what kind of ride he had just been through. Never before in his years as a knight had he experienced such a blow.
"Okay, that really hurt." Adam said as he struggled to get back up his feet from such a devastating strike. But while tried to recover from the attack he felt his knees buckle before the knight fall on them. He truly had never experienced something like this before. He remembers seeing the rage in that giant's eyes. It was something that shook him to his core. "Those damn beasts, letting their rage take over, as if they weren't savages enough."
Adam's eyes widened as he looked beneath him and saw a reflection of himself through a broken mirror. Memories began to rush through his mind as he began to remember all of the times he got lost in his most rageful moments. He remembers the battle at the North East boarders of the Human Empire, and how he broke his sword during that fight because of his anger. He then begins to remember the temple on top of the mountain to where he was sent and how he was drenched head to toe in goblin blood. Finally, memories of this night reminded him of how he lost himself in his rage when he beaten a goblin to a bloody pulp with his bare hands. In all his years of service, he always relied on his anger to finish the fight.
"No. I am not the man I once was." Adam said to his reflection, realizing that his past was soaked in blood and was now ready to acknowledge his mistakes. He regains his strength and manages to stand up while never breaking eye contact with his reflection. "Like fire, anger consumes all. It destroys everything. I am done letting it destroy me. I am an Integrity Knight, and I will defend the innocent."
With the fires raging on, the giant looks put past beyond the town and sees how the survivors are managing to hold their ground against the remaining forces. Henry fought along side the gatekeepers while Hannah and her siblings stood close to Hiroshi. The fires separating the humans from himself was nothing as the giant could easily walk through it without any problem. But he wanted to savor this moment, for this night should have been a quick and easy raid. But because of the knight, the giant had lost most of his forces. What he was about to do to these humans, he was going to enjoy it, starting with the farmer's family.
Before the giant could have any thoughts for the most creative of endings, he heard the sound of boots walking behind him. He turns around and sees Adam standing calmly in the middle of the street with his sword held tight in his left hand. This giant had enough of this knight as he roared at the top of his lungs and pointed his weapon toward the knight, ordering every last remaining goblin and ogre to attack Adam at once.
The beasts that were once fighting the human survivors, now turned their attention to Adam, as they ran across the field, over the creak, and back into the city to face the lone Integrity Knight. Adam looked towards him and saw that there had to be at least twenty goblins, and five remaining ogres. All of which had swords, spears, clubs, axes, bows, and arrows.
Not wasting any moment the goblins make their final assault and all of the townsfolk watch this brave knight face off an army of monsters. Hannah feared for her lovers life as she watched him stand his ground. Adam also looked past the creatures of the Dark Territory and saw his future wife starring at him. What he was about to do was to not only protect his wife and family, but to protect the world they call home. It was time to show everyone what kind of knight he truly is.
I never had the chance to name my divine object. Adam thought to himself as he stood his ground. With the first goblins running towards him, the young knight only had to swing his swing his sword three times to cut three goblins down in front of him while others rushed towards him. Knowing that the odds were stacked against him, he needed to overcome his fears and call upon the power fro his sword. So let it be known from this moment on as The Storm Blade!
"Enhance Armament!" Adam shouted as he pointed his sword towards the sky before the sound of rumbling thunder could be heard above the town. Hannah and her family watched storm clouds form above them while light began to flash and dance across the sky. Geometric shapes appeared across The Storm Blade before thunder was struck down towards the tip of the divine object.
In the blink of an eye, lightning danced across Adam and the knight was unfazed by it. He remembered the first night he called upon this power and his lack of respect cost him dearly. Now, he truly understood what it meant to wield such power. With lightning bringing light into this unforgiving night, the monsters of the Dark Territory were nearly blinded by this power as well as the hum survivors who were watching from afar. Hannah was speechless when she saw Adam summon such power. It was as if Stacia had blessed this man with holy power that not anyone could wield.
With the wave of his sword, the Integrity Knight directed the lightning emitting from his sword and watched the bolts of light and energy travel across the street and electrocute the goblins and ogres that charged toward him. Screamed of pain and agony were lost in the sound of thunder rumbling across the town. Adam watched the giant change his emotions in the blink of an eye as he went from being a vengeful monster to a cowardly creature. With several of these monsters burnt to a crisp, Adam aimed his sword at the sky once more and summoned a bolt of lighting as he brought his sword down to the ground.
The giant looked up at the sky and saw flashes of white and blue rain down upon him before he felt searing heat burn the flesh off his bones. The remaining goblins and ogres were caught in the final strike for they two suffered just as much as their leader. Blots of lighting danced all around their bodies while the monsters begged for this pain to cease. Their wishes were granted for Adam watched these monsters die from their wounds before collapsing onto the ground.
With every monster from the Dark Territory finally defeated, Adam turned his attention to the town that was still burning and aims his sword at the sky one more time. Using whatever power he had left, the knight waves his sword in a circular motion and watches the sky above him begin to circulate as well. He stops and feels a single drop of water fall on top of his head. Not a moment later more drops begin to fall and before anyone knew it, it began to rain.
Pure rain water, fell from the sky and doused the fires that were burning Arbane. The large flames that were raging wildly across the town were reduced to small embers before slowly dying out. Smoke that was choking the town, had dissipated. Adam watched the burning light that could be seen for miles calmly die with a blanket of rain clouds that made the night more tranquil.
As the last of the fires passed away, Adam aimed his sword at the sky before cutting the clouds in half to stop the raining. He watched the clouds begin to separate and saw the moon bring a peaceful light that this town desperately needed to see. The moonlight made even the smallest of raindrops look like crystals. With puddles of water scattered across the streets, they were so clear, it was as if there were two story night skies.
Adam puts his sword back in his scabbard and turns around, only to see a group of townspeople staring at him in awe for they had witnessed something unlike any other. He walks through the crowd and feels the hands of all the men, women and children touch his armor and cape as if he was god sent from the heavens. They were so amazed by this knights strength and courage that no words could express their gratitude. This was all they could do.
The young knight smiled as he walked past through the children he had saved, the young men who came to their aid, and the other townspeople who risked their lives to protect their homes.
Adam look forward and saw Hannah standing beside her family who were at a loss of words. Henry could not believe his eyes after seeing such strength prevail in the darkest of times. Freya had her eyes wide open while her mouth hung down for her big brother was beyond cool. James who for years saw his father as the only man he admired, now saw his older brother as a man he wants to look up to and become as strong and brave as him. Finally, there was Hannah.
As she looked into the eyes of her beloved, she saw how all the blood washed away. In one night, Hannah believed that she had almost lost her entire world. In one night, Adam had managed to save not just her family, but the entire town as well. Words could not express how grateful she was to this knight, but sometimes words are not needed. Adam steps towards Hannah and places his hands beneath her cheeks and pulls her in for a passionate kiss. The young teacher is shocked at first but soon lets her heart guid her as she soon closed her eyes and pulled her knight for a more passionate kiss. The townspeople and Henry's family clapped and cheered at this beautiful moment for the night had been won and was finally over.
Okay guys! That's gonna be it for this chapter! WOW! I've been writing stories since 2013 and this was definitely, HANDS DOWN, the most epic chapter I've written in years! Holy Crap! If I had to describe this chapter in one word it would be EPIC. As for reference I always kept seeing Adam as a THOR character. Someone who is brash and arrogant, but soon sees his flaws and redeems himself in the most powerful way. This chapter also serves as an end to the FARMER Arc and what better way to end this part of the story than with a bang!
Well that's gonna be it for now. I need to recover from all the energy I expended but I will see you all back in November when I release Chapter 9: Night Has Fallen which serves as the beginning to the third and final act of the story, ACT III - KNIGHT.