Guardian: Derek Walker 3
Luna and I stepped out of the carriage together. Before us stretched a vast plain that extended straight ahead as far as the eye could see. With the unobstructed view, the air felt incredibly refreshing.
Luna, Kelly, and I settled under a large tree. Crit, Kelly's spirit in its armadillo form, waddled along behind us.
Luna spread out a mat. I pulled a picnic basket from my inventory—one personally packed by Belia, the castle chef. It was stuffed with delicious steak sandwiches. Cola would pair perfectly with them.
"How far have we come? Are we in the Dove Kingdom yet?"
Kelly asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.
"We've got a long way to go still."
If we stuck to the plan, it'd be over a week more. We killed time leisurely, taking our rest.
I leaned against the tree, feeling the gentle breeze, and was about to close my eyes for a moment when I spotted a horse approaching in the distance, hooves clopping urgently. A rider with a frantic expression whipped the galloping steed across the plain. Something smelled like trouble.
"Ah! You there!"
The mounted rider shouted toward us. Our eyes naturally turned his way. The feather in his cap fluttered wildly side to side.
"Get out of here, quick! A horde of orcs is attacking!"
"Orc horde?"
At his words, I unfolded the map. This was the edge of Baron Tarsion's territory, right up against the northern border of Coolong County. Our spot was known as the Mallak Plains.
The plains hosted a significant number of orc settlements. In the original game, Mallak Plains was a famous orc hunting ground.
In the Solari World, orcs were treated differently depending on the region. Some places viewed them like beastkin subraces, while others saw them as monsters. The game featured orcs as both monsters and NPCs.
Baron Tarsion's lands likely classified them as monsters. That's why the territory ran periodic extermination ops—but wiping them out completely was next to impossible. Like in most fantasies, orcs bred like cockroaches.
"Our village is under attack by the orc horde. I'm spreading the word to the other villages!"
"I see."
I nodded nonchalantly.
Orcs were infamous for their breeding, not their combat prowess. I wasn't green enough to fear orc whelps. Special variant orcs from unique areas or boss monsters were another story.
"So hurry—flee!"
He spurred his horse onward. It kicked off powerfully once more.
The man vanished quickly. Once he was fully out of sight, Kelly turned to me.
"What do you plan to do?"
"I don't want to waste time on orcs. But turning back here doesn't sit right either. I have no clue where their settlements are or how they're structured—heading back might actually be efficient."
"So, stick to the original plan?"
"Yeah. Orcs like that aren't a match for us anyway."
I glanced at Luna. She nodded calmly. She could steamroll an orc village single-handedly.
We pressed on. The fresh scenery dragged on to the point of boredom. At the edge of the open plain, a village with smoke rising came into view. Probably the one that rider had come from.
"That it?"
"Are they fighting?"
"Looks like it. Coachman! Pick up the pace."
"Yes, milord!"
Even before the coachman signaled, Poseidon understood and accelerated. What a smart beast.
As the carriage neared the village, Luna suddenly tilted her head.
"Master. Do you feel anything strange?"
"Strange?"
"Yes. Might be my imagination, but I feel a chill."
Luna sensing a chill? That was new. I couldn't brush this off lightly.
Not like she's caught a cold. If Luna feels a chill, maybe there's something special in that village?
I recalled the original story. Anything special in Mallak Plains? Besides the orcs...
Ah, right! The Moonshadow farming spot—that village's where it is!
Moonshadow
The Moon Clan's leadership divided into the Four Heavenly Kings and five legion commanders. Spicul Bluemoon, whom I'd met before, was one of the commanders.
Moonshadow referred to a previous generation's Heavenly King. In the game, Luna could kill it, absorb its power, and grow stronger. But Heavenly King farming was a bit off the efficient route, so most guides skipped it.
Not a bad idea to take down Moonshadow here and power up Luna.
The攻略 guide was my edge. Using the original's advanced info, I'd come this far. But I didn't have to follow it to the letter. This was my reality now.
The reason I poured credits into the Solari World was simple: boosting my status or power here strengthened me. Luna didn't need to hit just the power level for taking down the Moon Demon King like in the guide. Her strength was mine.
Perfect. Now I've got a solid reason to head to the village.
"Damn it! This is way faster than planned!"
Allen Village sat on the Mallak Plains—a sleepy little hamlet whose specialties were clear skies and stars. Oh, and orcs, if you wanted to add one more.
Mallak Plains was orc heaven. Bloom Forest within it was their habitat. The territory forces ran periodic purges, but the orcs' insane breeding rate meant they bounced back yearly to raid other villages on the plains.
The silver lining? Their breeding cycle was predictable. Attacks hit at set times each year, and villages hunkered down with defenses. It was a decades-old tradition.
But this year was different. The invasion started two months early. Last year's quiet had lulled them—turns out it was prep for this massive assault.
Mallak Plains wasn't a priority for Baron Tarsion, so purge budgets shrank yearly. And now it had snowballed into this disaster.
Village chief Gibs mobilized every young villager to build defenses.
Scouts spotted over ten orc settlements. Each held fifty to sixty orcs—over six hundred total, easy.
About forty percent would fight, so over two hundred combatants. Even all the village youth together numbered under two hundred.
"Damn! Drobin! How many arrows in the armory?"
"Even pooling the hunting arrows, not over five hundred."
Arrows were the most efficient anti-orc weapon. In close quarters, only mana users could beat orcs. For normals, grappling one was suicide.
No knights or mages in a backwater like Allen Village. Arrows were their sole reliance.
They pooled coins yearly for arrows before invasion season. But this attack was so sudden, they lacked even that.
"Damn! Fortify the palisades! When do you think they'll hit?"
"Jacob spotted orcs carving clubs in Bloom Forest... Latest before lunch."
"Ugh! We're short on time—way too short!"
"Sent Woodword as messenger, but reinforcements won't arrive for at least two or three days."
Word didn't mean instant aid. By the time territory troops mobilized and arrived, the village would be ashes.
"We'll have to fight to the last."
Gibs rallied the youth, but morale was in the dirt. Rumors swirled; some had already fled.
"Together, we can make miracles happen! We've lived here decades! Who can drive us out!? We'll defend this land!"
"Can we really?"
"I don't wanna die here. Haven't even married..."
"Should've moved to the city!"
"Heard there are over ten settlements—is that true?"
The village was in chaos. Gibs assigned youth to posts, then headed to his basement.
Fuck! We'd barely scraped by, and now this!
His basement held a pouch stuffed with silver coins—skimmed from armament funds.
As chief, he'd embezzled bit by bit. Five more years, and he'd have enough for a cushy city life. This ruin stung.
Still, not bad. For a hick born and raised here, it's a haul. Think positive! Planned to ditch this shithole someday anyway!
He grabbed his prepped getaway bag. Meant for a planned exit; it was sparse for this emergency, but the coin pouch mattered most.
"Orcs! Get ready!"
"Damn! Arrows too few—conserve 'em!"
Crack! Thud! Boom!
The orc assault began. In this mess, slipping away would go unnoticed. Escapes thrived on chaos.
Gibs crept onward, glancing around. Youths' screams filled the air, but he turned away coldly.
Their deaths meant nothing. He just hoped they dragged it out.
"This the place? Battle's raging, huh."
A stranger's voice rang out. Gibs knew everyone in Allen—no unknowns. The sudden outsiders startled him.
The group: one man, two women. The man had a plump, piggish build—hardly fighter material.
Gibs ignored them, hurrying on. No time for them. But the pig-man's gaze locked on him.
"Hey, old timer. Fighting orcs, right?"
Caught off-guard, Gibs stammered.
"Uh! Y-yes."
The man addressed him casually, like a junior. The familiar tone screamed non-commoner—likely a rich noble, not a knight by his build.
"Got it. So what're you doing? Fleeing?"
"N-no way! I was just heading to spread word to other villages..."
"Huh? Wasn't that messenger we met on the way from this village?"
They met him!
Timing this bad? Gibs cringed, turning. The pig-man eyed the fierce outskirts battle.
He scanned the bloodied youths.
"Hm. No women?"
"Kids and women are all hidden..."
The man's subtle pressure yanked the answer out. He nodded, turning to the stunning maid beside him.
"Gotta clear this mess to pass anyway. Luna. Handle it."
"Yes."
The beauty's brown hair whipped as she headed to the fray. Village youths fired scarce arrows, barely holding the line.