N/A: Good news everybody! This story is not dead, instead it's back from the limbo! But jokes aside, I'm sorry I've been leaving this story on a long hiatus, it was hard for me to get back to it when I was putting my other stories as priority and it took me a long time before I made the decision to go back to writing this fanfic. The good thing is I really missed this, so I worked so hard to finish it as soon as possible. And this couldn't be a good way to start the new year 2025 by bringing this story back on the road.
Also, I want to thank all of you who have been following my story even if it only had a chapter so far. It makes me glad to see many of you liking this idea and I hope you are excited to see more of this. So without keeping you distracted, here's the new chapter you've been waiting for!
Ever since Leo and the knights got out of the forest, they've been slowing down ever since the safety of the kidnapped women they rescued became a priority. While this didn't change their journey to the kingdom of Eos, Henrietta knew the women can't just stick around and put their lives at risk. So the plan was to take them to the next town, which also was on the border they're heading to. When the dusk was falling, Henrietta told the troops to halt and gave the order to set up a camp on a grove, just a few miles away from the road.
The captain then assigned a small team of hunters to get some additional meat. Leo and Roxy were among those who volunteered to join the hunt. By the time they finished setting up the camp, Leo and Roxy had returned from the woods, carrying a bunch of rabbits they just hunted. It came as a surprise that a couple of mercenaries could have brought more meat than anyone else.
After delivering the meat they could gather, Leo and Roxy went to pitch up their tent while waiting for the supper to be ready. They decided to pick a spot away from the camp, but Leo felt like someone was watching him. Turning his head over his shoulder, he spotted Henrietta looking at him resentfully while standing a few feet away from him. He was fully aware tensions had been brewing between them ever since they had an argument back at the camp. Ever since then, she never spoke to him and only gave a dirty look. Although he was surprised that she didn't apprehend him while she still had the chance.
"She looks very upset." Roxy said, also noticing Henrietta glaring at Leo before she walked away the moment they looked back at her.
"Don't worry about her. As long as we give her some space, she won't think about hanging us both by the tree." Leo sighed as he focused back on pitching the tent, but then he noticed Roxy was wearing a crestfallen face. "What's wrong?"
Roxy glanced up at him, but she was barely making eye contact, as if she was hesitant to answer. "I just… think I should have done something."
"What do you mean?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"Back at the goblin camp. When you and Lady Henrietta were arguing about the loot we found, I felt helpless." Roxy continued, letting out a sigh as her tone grew heavier. "I knew I had the chance to step in, but I only stood and watched until you took out your blade on her. If I could've reasoned with her, maybe she wouldn't be so mad at us right now."
Leo's face softened as he came to realize she's feeling responsible for what happened, but he wouldn't let her take the blame for his actions. Shifting himself close to her, he placed his hand gently on hers, snapping her out of her musing.
"Roxy, you really did. If you didn't stop me when I pulled out the blade on her, things might have gone worse from there." The demi-human opened her mouth, but Leo continued. "Yeah, you could've done more than that, but I know you're doing your best."
Roxy's eyes blinked in surprise at his encouraging words before she looked straight at him. The expression slowly vanished as she was about to say something degrading about herself again.
"You're one of the few things in this world that helps me keep sane. And to be honest, I wouldn't find anyone else I can trust more than you." Leo finished before he cupped his hand around her cheek.
"Leo…" She muttered with a flushed face, deeply moved by his gesture, she touched his hand and nuzzled into it.
He let out a chuckle as he caressed the side of her face, making Roxy hum like a happy puppy as he scratched her floppy dog-ear. She was more than just a companion to him, she's like his moral compass, the voice of conscience, and probably the only one who's dear to him that he would do anything to protect her in this cruel world.
Roxy let out a gentle breath as she stared at Leo with a smile, but then her expression changed when she looked over his shoulder. Noticing something caught her attention, Leo turned his head around and saw a couple of women approaching. He recognized them as the few of the kidnapped women they just rescued back at the goblin camp; at least Henrietta was too kind to provide them with new clothing. However, Leo also noticed each of them were carrying a bowl.
"Forgive us to disturb you, brave warriors. But… we thought you could be hungry, so we brought you some food." The auburn-haired woman said with a gentle smile before she and the other woman gave Leo and Roxy the bowls full of warm supper.
"Oh, thank you! You didn't have to do that." Roxy said as she took the bowls, sniffing at the delicious smell of the food.
"We want to. This is our gratitude for saving our lives. If you and the knights wouldn't find us sooner… we would've suffered the worst fate than death…" The raven-haired woman muttered with her lips trembling, which the auburn-haired one noticed and comforted her.
Leo's expression slightly softened, as he could tell they're still reeling from their trauma, who knows how long they've been in captive by the goblins and what kind of torture they endured. "How are you both and the others feeling right now?" He asked, showing a hint of concern in his tone.
"We're doing fine, but… I don't think all of us are going to be the same after this, especially the poor young one." The auburn-haired woman replied as her expression grew solemn. "She saw her fiance and her father being brutally murder by those savages. We tried to comfort her, but she was very devastated."
"I think I remember the last time she could talk to us. She said her fiance gave her a beautiful silver ring when he came to propose to her, but now she lost it because the monsters took it away from her. I know this doesn't sound important at all, but it was the only thing she had left of him. It's like without it, she just lost her meaning to live."
Leo's eyes blinked as he soon realized what they were talking about. His face frowned in deep thought as he came to a conclusion. "Did she ever tell you what's her name by any chance?" He asked, earning a puzzled look from Roxy and the other two women.
"Um… I think her name was Nora." The raven-haired one said, albeit curious to know why this mercenary asked that question.
He fished out of his pocket the same silver ring he found in a chest back at the orc's hut, as he remembered there was something engraved on it. Looking at the inner side of the ring, he found some small words that said the following:
"To my beloved Nora"
There was no doubt, it's the same name the woman just said.
Raising up to his feet, he approached the couple and handed the ring to them, though right now they're more confused. "I think this belongs to her. I found it back at the goblin's camp."
The women were completely stunned not only because of his words, but also the fact that he's giving them a piece of jewelry he could sell for coins. Roxy on the other hand was smiling at the selfless decision he just made, and she could tell he deeply understands how that feels.
The raven-haired young woman took the ring from Leo and had a closer look until she found the name. "H-He's right! That's her wedding ring she talked about! A-Are you sure you want us to give it to her?" She asked almost in disbelief, which Leo just nodded.
"Thank you so much! Not only you have saved that poor girl's life, you gave her the chance to keep the memories of the loved ones she lost! May Mother Larentia bless your soul, brave warrior!" The auburn-haired one said with a soft smile and bowed her head to him.
"We'll never forget you, good sire!" The raven-haired also bowed her head, before they both walked away in a haste, surely to find Nora so they could give that ring to her.
Leo let out a sigh as he sat back down on the ground to feel the warmth from the bonfire again. "What do you think, Roxy? Was this all just a coincidence?" He asked as he picked up his bowl of supper.
"Whether be or not, you still made a noble decision for that poor woman, and you showed them you have kindness in your heart, which not many people have in this world." Roxy said as she scooted over and snuggled against his side. "It really makes me happy to stay by your side, Leo."
Leo remained silent as he wrapped his arm around her waist to hold her close to him, feeling himself moved by her words that always helps him to see everything from a different perspective. He looked up into the night sky, wondering to himself if he and Roxy can be prepared for whatever is coming next tomorrow. Right now though, what he really needs is to have a peaceful dream with a beautiful companion and hopefully Henrietta is not thinking of sending an assassin to slit his throat in his sleep.
It was a cloudy morning to start the day, as Henrietta gathered her men to prepare to continue their long journey. However, she sent some of her men with a new task of escorting the women to the nearby town where it's just a short way to the South. Leo of course couldn't argue the logic as who knows if they'll encounter more danger on their way. As he and Roxy mounted up and met up with the cavalry, they were greeted by the rescued women who were bidding farewell to them and the other knights as they were taken by the other platoon to the opposite direction.
Leo then glanced towards the captain, Henrietta looked back at him with a sharpened glare, at the very least she didn't appear more furious like she was a day ago. Still, Leo was surprised that she's letting them come along despite the fallout between them, though for now it's best to not add fuel to the fire and keep his distance away from her just in case.
"Alright, men. Let's move out!" Henrietta shouted and took the lead, before the cavalry rode along her across the plains with Leo and Roxy following her from behind.
Leo thought this ride was gonna take all day before they'd make another stop, which could be pretty exhausting unless they find an unexpected event on the way. On the other hand, he noticed that the cavalry's pace is moderately hasty than yesterday, as if this time they're now in a bit of hurry.
"Roxy, did you happen to hear any news back at the camp?" Leo asked his companion as he made sure the nearby knights wouldn't overhear their conversation.
"It was all just gossip, but what I could gather is that the main forces in Eos are still trying to repel the Legion's advance, but there's rumors that the monster army's number is starting growing, and that their new leader is a powerful dark sorceress. That's all I could hear, Leo." Roxy replied while glancing back at him.
"A sorceress, huh?" Leo frowned in deep thought, thinking that somehow that the so-called sorceress might be related to what that orc said in his last breath, but he still needed more details. "Did you hear anyone mention something about a fortress?"
Roxy turned her gaze forward as she tried to remember if she caught that word before. "I believe so, but the only thing I could hear about that was that the leaders of Eos' army started building fortresses around the Northlands even before the war broke out, as if they somehow knew the monsters planned the invasion. I'm sorry I couldn't get any more info you need."
"It's okay, Roxy. I'm sure we'll find out more when we get there, so long as Henrietta still needs us." Leo replied as he glanced towards Henrietta. While he didn't have a clear look to her face, he could tell she's more focused on reaching their destination as soon as possible
"Leo, if I may ask, what exactly are we looking for in Eos?" Roxy asked, as she remembered her master was being more skeptical about this matter.
"I'm not gonna lie, I'm not even sure. But something is really bothering me ever since that orc… talked to me. Maybe I'm just using that as an excuse, but I get the feeling that whatever that monster told me, it has something to do with me and why I'm here. I just can't let this opportunity go to waste." Leo said with a conflicted look on his face, which almost surprised Roxy since he rarely becomes motivated for something.
"HALT!" Henrietta's voice boomed as she stopped the horse, before the entire formation of the cavalry slowed down to stop.
"Why did we stop?" Roxy asked as she looked around with full alert.
Leo was wondering the same thing, but then he noticed from afar some dark smoke coming out behind the hills at the northeast. He has seen this more than a few times, and this could only mean that a village or town is under attack by an unknown party, though it's most likely monsters or bandits.
"What are your orders, Captain?" One of her men asked.
Henrietta didn't say a word at the moment as she kept looking at the smoke. Leo could tell she's feeling troubled because she had an important mission, yet she just cannot turn a blind eye when she finds a disturbance around these parts of the country she swore to protect. Of course, he wasn't in a position to voice his opinion even if she would ask him. After all, he's just a mercenary, and whatever decision she makes, he will have to follow whether he likes it or not.
"Our people must be in trouble, and we have to do something fast." Henrietta finally spoke with her voice full of resolve, before glancing back at her unit. "Knights, ready your weapons and follow me!" She then whipped the reins and rode down the slope.
The cavalry followed the command without hesitation and followed the captain off the main path and straight to the smoke. As Leo and Roxy caught up with them, he couldn't help but give Henrietta credit for making a quick decision, though he wondered if they'd arrive in time to find out what's going on over the hills or if it would be too late.
As they were taking a narrow path up on a forested hill, Roxy began to pick up a scent as she sniffed a few times, "Leo, I'm getting a scent of wood burning from there."
"What else can you smell?" Leo inquired as he kept close to her.
Roxy sniffed once more, before growing a grimace on her visage. "Blood… And it's growing stronger." Leo frowned at the thought that it could mean that a massacre must be happening over there.
Meanwhile, Henrietta also began to notice the burning smell as she reached the top of a hillock where she could overlook a rolling field of dry grass, but then her heart sank when she spotted a small farming village in flames, just as she feared from the beginning. Knowing she can't waste any more time, she galloped down the hill with the cavalry behind her and they headed straight to the village.
"Cover the right flank with some of your men!" Henrietta barked an order to one of her high-ranking knights, which he nodded in response and went to the other side with a quarter of the cavalry.
Noticing that, Leo chose to follow them as the cavalry surrounded the village in a single file. Soon, the screams reached his ears before Leo saw some villagers trying to flee out of the village, but suddenly one of them was stabbed by a spear flying through the back. Looking to the side where the spear was thrown, Leo saw a raider wearing only leather armor and leather cuisses with a codpiece between his legs. But then he saw more of the bandits burning other huts, others were dragging innocent women and children along with them while killing the elder and the men. They were not just bandits, they were a package of bandits whose fun is only pillaging and raping, and Leo always hated to find these types.
"Pegasus Knights! Let's make those barbarians pay for this!" The leading knight shouted and signaled the cavalry to attack.
Leo unsheathed his sword and swung the blade towards a nearby bandit, cutting off the arm before he was about to strike a defenseless farmer, and used his horse to crash into a couple of bandits who were trying to pursue a young maiden, but he didn't stop from there as he turned the horse around and let it stomp on the fallen bandits, hearing the sickening crack of the hooves crushing the bones.
He then noticed another bandit charging at him with a spear, but Leo turned his horse around and made the stallion kick the bandit away from behind. Hopping off his mount with his weapon ready, Leo paced around and watched more bandits being slayed by the Pegasus Cavalry as they're taking advantage of the element of surprise. He also saw Roxy slashing one of the bandits's throat and punching another who tried to attack her from the side, and he was still by her immeasurable strength as Roxy sent that bandit crashing into a burning house, clearly he wouldn't survive after receiving that brutal blow.
A bearded man wearing only a pig pelt and a pair of underpants charged recklessly at Leo with an ax. Leo reacted quickly as he blocked a downward slash with his sword and kicked to the torso, making the bandit fall to the ground. But suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, saw another thug about to attack him. He parried the bandit's sword and moved the blade aside with his own before he would get stabbed between his eyes. Leo then made a risky move by stepping closer to the bandit, keeping their blades locked while grabbing the bandit by his arm so he wouldn't move his weapon; this was to give Leo a moment to glance behind. The other raider Leo was dealing with just a second ago was getting back to his feet and went to strike him from behind. Turning back to the bandit, he reached with his arm around the back, spun around and pushed the bandit into the other one. When both of them collided against each other, Leo used the chance to thrust his blade into the back and stabbed the two bandits.
Pulling the sword back, he looked around once more to notice the bandits were now running away after realizing they're outnumbered. But then he spotted one of them dragging a young woman with him, no doubt using her as a hostage so he could slip away. Leo of course wouldn't let that guy get an easy way out, so he picked the ax from the bandit's cold hands and then threw it.
The raider failed to realize the ax was flying towards him until his face got split open by the blade, killing him instantly and fell to the ground in a heap with the young woman with him. After that, Leo went to check the poor woman and maybe help her to find a safe place to hide until this is all over. When he approached her, the woman looked at him with fear in her eyes.
"It's okay, I'm here to help you!" Leo said as he held out his hand to her. The woman was hesitant at first, but she grabbed his hand and Leo pulled her back to her feet and into his arms to shield her from the dangers of the scuffle.
"Get your filthy hands off her!"
"What?" Leo was taken aback by the female shouting, but his instincts alarmed him at this very moment that he immediately reacted by pushing the young woman away and jumped back before a large two-bladed ax almost cut his head off. The villager didn't want to stick around as she got back to her feet and ran away, hopefully she can find somewhere safe.
He stood in a defensive stance as he faced forward to confront his attacker, who happened to be a tall, dark-skinned woman with short ashen hair and a rugged figure. She was wearing some unusual, if not revealing clothing, which was a dark leather jacket with collared fur and straps around the sleeves, but they could barely cover her massive chest as she wore a white-trimmed red bikini. Her tight shorts were also unbuttoned that gave away a glimpse of her loincloth with white straps hanging up around her waist. The only protection she was wearing was a pair of spiky vambraces and greaves over her high-knee boots. Though the most peculiar thing he also noticed was a pair of horns protruding out of the sides of her head.
While this wasn't the right time to ponder, Leo couldn't help but wonder if she's a demi-human or rather she's just wearing an accessory. He broke out of his thoughts when the ashen-haired woman charged and swung her massive ax diagonally at him. Leo weaved to a side and went to slash her side, only to be elbowed in the face when the tall woman knew what he was about to do. He stumbled back as he tried to shake off the blow he just received, only to notice she was about to launch another fierce attack.
Leo parried the ax to avoid full contact with his blade and thrust his sword straight at her, but the ashen-haired woman leaned herself back before the tip could stab in her throat. He then attempted to pressure her by throwing some quick slashes, which she had to block with the shaft of her weapon before she moved her ax to ward off a stroke and tried to hack his stomach. Leo blocked it before wedging the blade under the hook of the ax so she wouldn't pull it back, and the next thing he could only think was throwing a headbutt at her. However, the woman had the same idea and their heads collided against each other.
This became a disadvantage for Leo as he found himself stunned by the blow, but the warrior woman was seemingly unfazed which she used the chance to kick him away so strong to handle that he lost the grip of his sword. Leo stumbled backwards as he held his head in pain and felt like something was trickling down his forehead, but by the time he recovered his senses, his eyes widened as he watched the woman holding her weapon in both hands and over her head. Without having the time to think, Leo lunged and tackled her, taking the ax-wielding one by surprise, and before she could try to push him away, Leo used his legs to take her down.
When she landed hard on her back to the muddy ground, Leo got on top of her and pressed the blade on her neck, forcing her to stop struggling. For a moment he thought about just ending her life already, but there was something that didn't make sense, and he could tell judging by the furious expression on the ashen-haired woman's demeanor.
"What are you waiting for? If you think you're gonna take me to your other pigs, I'd rather die!" She spat as her throat pressed further against Leo's sword, making herself clear that she's not bluffing.
Leo raised an eyebrow at her claim, but at the same time he was almost surprised that now he began to understand what's going on. "You're not with them, are you?" He asked plainly, as he removed his sword off her neck.
"What?" The ashen-haired woman blinked as her glare gradually faded.
He let out a sigh at her confused expression, as he got off her and stood up. "I thought you were one of those bandits. And before you ask, I'm not with them either."
The tall woman gave him a suspicious look as she sat up, but when she looked around to see the raiders fleeing while the mounting knights gathered around, everything was now getting clear for her. "I didn't realize help had just arrived until now. Were you actually helping her?" She turned back at Leo.
Leo nodded. "A bastard was trying to take her with him, but I saved her and was about to help her find a place to hide. And then you came out of nowhere."
"So I was barking at the wrong tree…" She shook her head in disbelief and raised up to her feet But then she gasped as she immediately remembered something that troubled her. "Wait, where is she? Where are the others?!"
Leo couldn't make an answer when she ran past while bumping his shoulder. He turned around to watch her searching all over the village with an anxious look on her face, wondering to himself what's her history with this place.
"Master!" He perked up at the familiar voice before he looked behind and saw Roxy approaching him with a frown of concern. "Are you okay? You're bleeding!"
The young man blinked before touching his head and looked at the blood on his fingers. No doubt the exchanging headbutt he had with that woman left him busted open, but she would probably split her skull if she even tried it. "It's okay, I just bumped my head. Is the village safe?" He asked with a weary tone.
Roxy's demeanour turned dejected as she and Leo looked around the razed village with all of the dwellings burnt to the ground, but the most unsettling sight was the bodies of the villagers littering the road with puddles of blood. He also spotted the ashen-haired warrior comforting the young woman he rescued earlier, sobbing over the body of a man who might have been her loved one. Leo has seen this so many times that he can't count in his travels with Roxy, but this still makes his skin crawl.
"Spread out and look for survivors! If they're trapped in the dwellings on fire, get them out of there and fast!" Henrietta shouted as she got off her horse and paced around, trying to hold back the emotions she's feeling as she passed the corpses of her people. But then she found the body of a dead bandit next to Leo and Roxy, a furious look grew on her face. "Not these bastards again…"
"You know who these bandits are, my Lady?" Roxy asked.
Henrietta glanced at the mercenaries as if she felt hesitated to share some information with them, but at this moment she felt like she needed to get this out of her system no matter with whom. "I've fought against them more than a few times, I even can recognize those pig pelts they're wearing. They're marauders. Savages from the mountains who lives by killing, stealing, and raping any settlement they can find. Of course, it's easier for them to raid a settlement with no walls and guards like the one we're standing…"
"So they're even worse as monsters…" Leo muttered with a hint of bitterness in his tone.
Henrietta glanced towards Leo in surprise, but at that moment she couldn't rebut that remark, as much as she hated to agree with him. "Yeah… You could say that. But I can't help but wonder why would they pick this village that's a little far away from the mountains they're hiding."
"Captain! We have a problem!" The knight and the mercenaries turned at one of the cavalry's soldiers approaching them.
"What's going on?" Henrietta asked with a serious look.
"The remaining raiders have barricaded themselves inside of a chapel with the villagers! They're threatening to kill them if we don't give them a chance to leave!"
Henrietta's eyes widened at the news, but then her expression turned from shock to livid. "Where's the chapel? Take me there right now!" She demanded, the soldier nodded and led her to the other part of the village.
Leo and Roxy followed her, but little did they know that the ashen-haired woman was also following them when she heard the commotion. They reached the upper side of the village where a small unit of the cavalry was surrounding a small wooden building with a bell tower standing on the tiled rooftop and a spire with the icon of the church aiming at the sky. Out of all the dwells of the village that've been burnt down, this one was intact, which is a cruel irony that apparently it's being used by the marauders to hide themselves from justice.
"Are they still inside?" Henrietta asked one of the knights as she strode over to her unit.
"Yes, but they have locked the doors, and before we even tried to barge in, we heard the screams inside. One of the barbarians just said they have some civilians inside and if we're not gonna leave here, they'll start killing them all." The knight said with his visor open.
Henrietta clicked her tongue disdainfully as she looked over the chapel, but she couldn't see what was going on inside since the pews were flipped and stacked to cover the windows and doors. No idol or piece was spared. They were either broken or used as door stoppers for their makeshift last stand.
"They're really thinking we're gonna let them get away? After what they have done? No, that's not gonna happen. We're gonna make sure they'll pay for this with blood." She seethed with her fists clenching.
"What about the villagers inside?" The knight asked, while Leo was hearing their conversation before approaching them.
"We'll rescue them! But there must be a way to draw the animals out of the chapel without getting them hurt!" Henrietta said with her brows furrowed in frustration. Then, she turned around to face Leo and walked towards him. "Leo, I'm going to need your help."
"What?" Leo said, genuinely taken aback.
Henrietta let out a sigh and continued. "Listen, I still don't trust you and I still wish you should've left when I warned you, but right now this is the time I should let this slide so we can focus on how we rescue these innocent people."
This was definitely unexpected for Leo as he couldn't recall when was the last time a knight wanted to end a quarrel with him. On the other hand, he can see how this was a very serious situation as he looked at the chapel. Who knows what's going on inside, but it's possible that there's women and children, and he hates to imagine what's gonna happen to them if they don't act quickly.
"Can we count on you?" She said firmly while staring at Leo with a stern look, getting impatient to hear his answer.
Leo glanced at Roxy to ask her opinion, but he already knew that she's more willing to help. He turned back to Henrietta and responded. "You got it."
"Let me in!"
Everyone turned at the incoming voice, and to the surprise of Leo, the ashen-haired warrior walked up to them while gripping the handle of her ax.
"Who are you?" Henrietta asked bluntly, as she didn't remember seeing that woman before ever since coming here.
"My name doesn't matter, but I'm on your side. All I want, as of this moment, is to take revenge on those fucking scumbags!" The dark-skinned warrior replied, gritting her teeth to contain her anger until the right time.
While Henrietta wasn't sure about accepting that request, she could see this stranger was speaking the truth. Not to mention she really looked like a powerful warrior. "Very well, but we'll have a talk after this. Now Leo, do you have any ideas what we can do?"
Leo bit his bottom lip as he hated to be put in charge once more. He looked around carefully as he tried to come up with a plan to sneak into the chapel, but it would be a problem because the raiders have blocked the windows and they can't even reach up to the bell tower to get in. So this wasn't an option. However, they have some advantage because the raiders don't even have any idea what's going on outside. After all, they're just waiting to hear the response. Then, he remembered that they're in a farming village, but when he paid attention to a cart full of hay that was near a hut, it just hit him.
"Alright, I think I have one, but I need you to listen."
"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Henrietta asked as she watched her soldiers burning the hay they piled up around the chapel, but they made sure the fire wouldn't catch on to the church and instead the smoke would travel through the cracks of the doors, windows and walls.
"I'm not completely sure, to be honest with you. But at this point, our best option is playing some mind tricks on them. If this will make them think we'll do something crazy like burning them alive inside, they're gonna burst out of the doors for sure." Leo replied as he tried to stay optimistic about this strategy.
"And what if the villagers will also panic?" Henrietta questioned with a glare..
"Then that should be enough to make them lose their shit, but as long as you keep the raiders from going back in, you'll be able to save them." Leo said with a surprising reassuring tone.
Henrietta still had reasons to doubt, but at this point there weren't any more options left, so she could do nothing but wait and hope for the best. While it's been only a few minutes, she and the other knights stood anxiously while watching the flames surrounding the church, feeling like they're just an inch from committing a terrible sin such as burning down a holy place.
Suddenly, before everyone was preparing for the worst, some chattering and screaming began to be heard from inside the chapel, meaning they just started to smell the smoke or feel the heat of the flames. This was exactly what Leo was waiting for, as he unsheathed his sword.
"Get ready!" He shouted, as Roxy and the warrior also prepared their weapons.
Before Henrietta would say something, she heard some banging on the door until a small group of marauders burst out of the chapel, coughing and shouting curses. Her eyes widened as she witnessed the opportunity arising, and without a second thought, she drew her sword out and pointed at the shocked and confused thugs. "ATTACK!"
Leo, Roxy and the ax-wielding warrior were the first to charge, cutting, slashing and hacking the bandits. Three of them remained turned around and tried to run back into the chapel, but they skidded to a halt where they saw the entrance was now blocked by soldiers holding their shields and pointed their shields at them.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
A man with a dirty beard was the first to hear those words, but he didn't have the time to react when the double-headed ax cut through his skull and brains, killing him in the blink of an eye. The last two were shook by this gruesome sight and saw the tall woman pulling her ax back off their fallen comrade's head.
"You fecking bitch!" A guy with a crooked nose yelled and went to wack her with a mace, only to be stabbed in the chest when Leo passed by and thrust his sword at him. "Gaaahh…"
"Oh the hell with this!" The last marauder shouted and tried to make a run to leave the village, but his attempt would prove to be useless when Henrietta flanked him and cut off his head. His headless body stumbled before collapsing to the ground with blood gushing out of his severed neck.
Henrietta huffed out of her breath and looked back at the chapel to see her soldiers taking out the surviving villagers. A newfound sense of relief washed over her as she turned to face Leo, as he was looting one of the bandit's corpses. At first she wanted to feel displeased, but when she took a moment to consider that his actions just saved lives, she thought maybe it's best to let him do whatever he wants.
"Captain, we already took the villagers out of the chapel, they're all shaken, but they're not harmed." The knight she spoke with moments ago gave her a report.
Henrietta nodded as she wiped the blood off her sword with a cloth. "Good. Take them to the rest of the survivors and get them out of this place. There's not much we can do about it…" She said, trying to keep her face straight while looking over the destroyed village. The knight nodded and escorted the survivors away from the carnage.
"What's gonna happen to them?" Leo asked as he raised up and watched the villagers who are still devastated after losing everything because of the attack.
Henrietta glanced at him with an almost surprised expression by his question, but let out a sigh before looking back at her people. "They can't stay here, but they can't come with us either. I guess the only choice I have is to spare some of my scouts to lead them to the capital. I just wish I could do something more for them."
"Yeah, that oughta do it." Leo began to walk away to give Henrietta some space.
"Leo?"
He stopped in his tracks and turned back at Henrietta, as she seemed to struggle to say something to him, but then she gave her some simple words. "Thank you for your assistance." She said politely.
Leo blinked in puzzlement at her gesture, but he nodded back to her and moved on to meet up with Roxy. But as they were going to exchange some of the loot they gathered from the dead bandits, they noticed the ashen-haired woman standing still while looking at the bodies of the dead marauders they just killed. He could see she's wearing a mix of emotions on her face, even though she could fulfill her revenge.
Without a second thought, Leo walked towards the female warrior. "Hey…"
She snapped out of her trance and looked at Leo in surprise, but her gloomy expression returned as she turned towards him. "I didn't grow up in this village. I didn't even know the people here. But they took me here when they found me wounded. They gave me food, cleaned my wounds, even they were so nice to me as if I wasn't a stranger to them. I thought I could repay them back somehow, so I went out to hunt some boars in the woods. But when I returned… I saw the smoke rising to the sky. If only I should've stayed here… I could've avoided this! Damn it!" She said bitterly while clenching her fist, no doubt feeling angry about herself.
"It's not your fault and you know it. If we weren't here, these bad men would surely have gotten away with it and no one else would be left alive, including you." Roxy replied as she stood beside Leo, trying to offer some words that could make the strong woman stop blaming herself.
"Yeah… You're probably right." She sighed and then raised her gaze up to look at Leo with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about trying to kill you just a moment ago. I was seeing everything in red that I just couldn't think straight."
"Eh, don't worry about it. It's not the first time someone tried to kill me so badly." Leo said with a nonchalant shrug. "So what are you gonna do now?
"I don't know… I guess I should go back traveling and maybe find a lord who's looking for a bodyguard or a sellsword, but I have no idea where to even begin. The world is a big place, you know." The amazonian-like woman said while staring at the fields.
"Then why don't you join us?" Henrietta spoke up and drew their attention as she approached them. "Sorry, I just couldn't help but overhear your conversation. My name is Henrietta Reinhard, commander of the Pegasus Cavalry, and I'm on an important mission. There's a war going on in the kingdom of Eos, and the people are trying to stand against the forces of darkness known as The Legion ravaging their holy land. But right now they appear to be in trouble to defend themselves, so they're calling to the other nations to get as much help as they can. We're heading there to answer their call."
The ashen-haired warrior tilted her head as she rested her ax on his shoulder. "Is that so? So how am I involved in this?"
Unexpectedly, Henrietta grew a smile. "You seem to be a strong warrior, and the Eostian army could use some people like you. If you could come with us, I can convince them to let you join their fight, and I can promise that you'll be rewarded handsomely if you help us fend the aberrant monsters off."
"As a mercenary, huh?" The warrior woman then looked at Leo and Roxy. "You guys are part of this too?"
"I guess we are. I mean, you could say we were on the trial period, but at this point we already passed, didn't we?" Leo glanced at Henrietta, which the knight blinked, but nodded in confirmation.
The ashen-haired warrior frowned in deep thought as she was thinking over the choice she was given, but she knew there was not much time for that as Henrietta implied that they're in a hurry to reach Eos. "Well, I actually don't have anywhere else to go or what to do next. So… yeah, I'm in." She gave her answer after she made up her mind.
Henrietta's smile grew at her answer and nodded her head. "Good. You can go ahead and find a horse around here, if not, we can provide one for you. Oh, and sorry, but can you tell us what's your name?"
"I'm Helga, pleasure to meet you, Miss Knight. And you too, uh…" The ax-wielding woman turned at the other two mercenaries.
"Leo, and this my partner, Roxy." The young man introduced himself and his beautiful companion.
"Nice to meet you." Roxy waved her hand with a bright smile.
"Right, well, it's nice to meet you too. And again, sorry about before, but I hope we can get along." Helga then began to walk away as she passed between Roxy and Leo.
"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" Leo asked with a hint of concern in his voice.
Helga stopped for a moment to face Leo with a surprised look, but then a small smile grew on her face. "I will be, don't worry about me. But… Thanks for your concern." She said reassuringly before continuing on her way.
Leo couldn't tell if she was telling the truth or not, but maybe she just needs some time before he could check on her just in case.
"Is everything okay, Leo?" Roxy asked softly as she grabbed his hand gently.
Leo blinked and turned back at her in puzzlement, but he clasped her hand in response and smiled at her. "Yeah, it's nothing. It's just… I just realized something."
"About what?" Henrietta asked in confusion.
"That we just got ourselves a new companion." Leo replied, but his answer only left Roxy and Henrietta puzzled. Of course, they didn't know what he exactly meant, but the fact is that Leo learned that he needs as much help as he can get if he wants to uncover the truth about whatever is going on in Eos.
N/A: So yeah, I thought this should be a good way to end the chapter, and I hope you enjoyed Helga's introduction cause you can bet she's gonna have a fun role in this story with Leo and Roxy!
And before you ask, yeah, for the next chapter, our heroes will finally arrive Eos and they'll meet the princess knights, but there'll be also some surprises that you don't wanna miss! I'll see if I can keep updating this story, but in the meantime I'd like to hear your thoughts.
So once again, I wanna thank you for your support, and I will appreciate if you follow me on my other sites, that will help me a lot to keep writing more stories like this!
Hope you had a very good Christmas and a Happy New Year!