Chapter 13: Out into the World (3)
Chapter 13: Out into the World (3)
"Die!"
The arrow Aul loosed struck the wolf. It wasn't a fatal hit, but it was enough to make the creature limp, rendering it no further threat.
Yelp!
Homi scored another one-shot kill.
But at the cost of that sacrifice, the wolves were able to close in on the defensive line.
As the two marksmen fell back, the mercenaries stepped forward with their shields raised to block them.
"They're coming!"
"Trust your shields and hold! Watch your ankles!"
In a fight against beasts, you had to guard the places that were hard to protect, like ankles and thighs. Even more so when you were wearing armor as flimsy as their own!
Grrrr!
As if mocking their caution, the lead wolf leaped high, aiming for Beard's throat.
And then Eugene swung his flail from within the defensive line.
Whoosh!
The iron rod hurtled forward with a tremendous air-splitting whoosh and smashed into the charging wolf's cheek.
What the mercenaries witnessed next was something none of them had ever seen in their lives.
The wolf struck by the flail went spinning through the air and was hurled into a spot roughly five meters away. It looked like it had done at least four full barrel rolls mid-flight.
"Pfft!"
Despite the dire situation, some mercenaries let out involuntary laughs at the absurd sight of the creature's trajectory.
In that instant, another wolf lunged. The flail came down over its head with a violent whistle, as though tearing the air apart.
CRACK!
The wolf's head snapped at a grotesque angle as it crashed to the ground. The momentum of its charge drove its skull into the earth like a plow, digging a furrow a meter long before it finally stopped.
'I'm alive!'
Beard cried out inwardly.
Counting the new wolves he could see, their number was close to twenty. That alone was a mortal threat, and the warg was still present.
Yet seeing the overwhelming might of the knight fighting alongside them, this did not seem to be the day he would die.
"Don't overextend trying to attack! Focus on holding the defense! We're here to support the knight so he can fight freely!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Their morale surging, the mercenaries kept their shields forward, thrusting with spears and swinging axes to keep the wolves at bay.
Whoosh!
Yelp!
Above them, Eugene swung his flail, and with every stroke, another wolf fell dead.
"Uwah!"
A few of the mercenaries flinched as the flail swept just over their heads with a brutal whistle.
'What a monstrous knight!'
'How can a man possess such strength...'
No matter how great knights were said to be, they felt that the one fighting beside them was something beyond the norm.
Fighting wolves was tricky; you had to swing your weapon low, and their movements were fast.
Trying to strike with a sword or axe meant breaking your stance and bending your knees, and by then, the beast was often already gone and your weapon was slicing empty air.
Countless men had been wounded or killed after exposing themselves that way, whether by having an ankle torn apart or a throat bitten through.
But Eugene was different.
Holding the end of the huge flail in one hand, Eugene swung it from horseback with monstrous strength, giving it terrifying reach and allowing him to vary the point of impact at will.
THUD!
A wolf that had retreated and flattened itself to the ground to avoid a blow was caught in the ribs and sent tumbling end over end.
Gurgle...
Its left side was hideously caved in, as if all its ribs had been shattered. The wolf convulsed, frothing pink blood as its lungs were shredded by the shards of broken bone.
Twang!
Thwip!
Meanwhile, Aul and Homi kept firing, and the wolves dropped helplessly one after another.
In the end, unable to hold, the beasts began to flee.
In moments, more than ten wolves were dead while their side had not suffered so much as a scratch. It was an overwhelming victory.
"I-Is it over now?"
"Over, my ass! The warg's still out there!"
When the rookie asked in a trembling voice, Beard shouted back.
There was still a long way to Bonyard. If the warg attacked while they were camped at night, it would be hell.
Eugene spurred his horse and rode out beyond the mercenaries' defensive line.
"Come out!"
The knight's shout echoed thunderously through the forest.
It was more than just a loud voice. There was a power in it, like a beast's roar, that cowed the spirit of those who heard it.
But unlike the awestruck mercenaries, the warg seemed only more eager for a fight.
Grrrr...
A massive wolf with a twisted face emerged from the underbrush, its bulk more than twice the size of the dead wolves.
"Damn it! What's a warg doing in a backwater like this?"
"Shut up and focus. Hold the line, and if it comes to it, we make space for the knight to fall back!"
Beard barked at his men.
The warg held the throat of one of the wolves that had fled and disobeyed its command in its jaws.
Jagged teeth showed through its blood-soaked muzzle, each one as large as a man's thumb.
Gulp.
The mercenaries swallowed hard from the tension.
Meanwhile, Eugene was marveling at his horse. It stood unperturbed, not just when they were surrounded by wolves, but now facing a warg as well.
'Now I understand why Master said Barsian horses were the best.'
-In Barsia, foals are exposed to specially treated blood scents from a young age. Warhorses raised that way are less skittish than ordinary horses. On a battlefield, the scent of blood keeps them obedient to their rider even with a huge monster right in front of them.
The scent of blood wafting from the wolf carcasses strewn about was lending Might courage.
Behind the warg, the wolves followed in a cowed huddle.
They had fled Eugene in fear, but after the warg brutally killed one as an example, the rest had been forced to follow. One female's belly was swollen, apparently pregnant.
GRRROOOAR!
The warg roared and charged.
Twang!
Thwip!
It blocked the incoming arrow and bolt with the wolf carcass in its jaws. It was clearly practiced at the trick.
In the blink of an eye, it was upon them, and it suddenly switched to a bipedal stance.
Ptoo!
It spat out the carcass and tried to swing its long arms, but Eugene struck first. His prodigious strength let him launch a powerful surprise attack without any windup.
CRACK!
The warg's claws shattered against the flail. Yet even as it bled, the beast leaped, intent on biting Eugene.
As the distance closed, the twisted monster's mouth curled into a grin. They were now too close for Eugene to use a long weapon effectively.
"It's no use, you fool."
But Eugene had kept the longsword drawn in his left hand hidden from view. He drove it straight into the creature's exposed chest.
GRAAAH—!
With its chest impaled, the warg dangled in midair.
The mercenaries could not even join the fight; they could only stare in stunned silence.
His lightning-fast reaction was incredible enough, but he had also impaled that massive creature and lifted it with one hand. The strength was absurd.
Eugene kicked the thrashing monster in the belly.
WHUMP!
With a sound like a leather sack bursting, the body tore free of the blade and went flying. The recoil forced Might back several steps.
Through the sole of his boot, Eugene vividly felt the beast's organs being violently jarred. The kick had probably dealt a wound as lethal as the sword thrust.
Awooo...
The warg's ferocity vanished. Terrified of death, it dropped back to all fours and tried to limp away.
Clop. Clop.
Eugene spurred Might and chased after it.
"It's useless. How do you expect to survive by turning your back on a mounted knight?"
"You're dead, you son of a bitch!"
Beard and Aul jeered with murderous glee.
Had that knight been chasing them, they would have pissed themselves in terror, but watching him chase down their enemy from their own side gave them an utterly exhilarating thrill.
Catching up in an instant, Eugene swung his arm, and the flail crushed the back of the warg's skull. Pulped brain and blood spurted from the caved-in cranium.
Splatter!
The knight swept both arms outward in a broad X, flinging blood from his longsword and flail. It looked like a scene from a masterpiece come to life.
'This is incredible!'
Sorin completely forgot his regret over losing Goffrey. His disciple was a far more formidable knight than he had ever expected.
With the warg dead, the wolves that had been lurking cautiously raised their heads. There was no trace of any will to fight left in them.
Their leader, whom they had served out of fear and hatred, was dead. There was no longer any point in fighting the humans.
A pregnant female wolf stepped forward and looked directly at Eugene.
"You should be running. You're that desperate to die?"
Aul aimed his arrow, intending to shoot.
"Wait! Stop."
"Yes, Sir Knight!"
As soon as Eugene raised his hand, Aul lowered his bow.
Eugene sensed no hostility from the approaching female wolf—only a little relief and overwhelming grief.
Auwooo-.
Looking at the dead wolves, the female raised her head high and howled.
Auwooooo-.
As if in answer, the other wolves howled one after another.
"Damn."
Even the rough mercenaries seemed to realize something, lowering their weapons and cursing under their breath.
"I know that feeling."
Gamba, a veteran who had been drafted in his youth and lost an eye, looked on with a complex expression.
After the funeral dirge was over, the female wolf watched Eugene for a moment, then turned and left. The rest of the pack vanished into the undergrowth as well.
Even after the battle ended, Eugene's heart remained calm.
A pack of wolves and a warg had attacked them. Even veteran mercenaries would have been terrified, yet all Eugene had felt was a quiet fighting spirit.
"Homi?"
'Perimeter secure. Enemy retreated.'
Instead of ordinary sign language, Homi used combat hand signals to tell him there was no other presence nearby and the enemy had retreated.
Eugene nodded and handed his flail over to her care.
Homi wiped the blood, fur, and flesh clinging to the chain and the head of the haft with a cloth. Then she applied a mixture of grease from yesterday's rabbit hunt blended with forge oil.
Eugene, too, returned to the group while polishing his sword blade from horseback.
Leaving both one's primary and secondary weapon with one's squire in the field was no way for a knight to behave. One must always keep at least one weapon on hand.
'Having a squire certainly makes things convenient.'
Eugene looked at Homi with proud approval.
"You've done well, Sir! Your martial prowess is truly magnificent!"
Sorin approached, soothing his packhorse, which was trembling with fear.
"Are there any wounded? If so, I have some good medicine to share."
"Oh goodness, just the fine food you gave us is already more than we deserve, let alone medicine! For the likes of us, bandages are plenty!"
"We are unharmed thanks to you, Sir. The rookies in the rear probably didn't even break a sweat."
Beard and Aul replied with genial smiles.
Their words were a far cry from the usual flattery mercenaries offered a knight. Their awe was entirely genuine.
It was because Eugene was not merely a fighter of extraordinary skill, but a fine knight who showed them consideration in every way.
A mercenary who wanted to die peacefully in bed should serve under a strong and merciful man like this.
"We've lost time. If no one's hurt, shall we resume our march?"
"Sir Knight, I don't know about the wolves, but what of taking that warg with us?"
Aul spoke carefully.
"Is it worth money?"
Monster hide was an excellent material for armor. Since Goffrey had never talked about the quality of warg leather, Eugene asked with a hint of expectation.
"The hide is plentiful and a bit tougher, but the difference in quality from wolf leather isn't that great."
Aul glanced regretfully at the wolf carcasses scattered around them.
They would fetch a good price if skinned, but there were too many to take. One or two would have been manageable, not all of them.
And if they did skin them, they would have to hand over most of the haul to the knight and his squire before them.
If they failed to do so, the same iron club that had caved in those wolf skulls might well come crashing down on their own heads.
There were countless stories of mercenaries who had let their guard down around a merciful and amiable knight, only to step over the line by mistake and be cut down.
"If it's not much different from wolf leather, is there a point?"
"But it is much larger and slightly thicker, so it's good to sleep under at night. It keeps out the cold and dew, and it also makes a fine cloak. It's especially popular with knights from Gord."
Beard was already carrying the warg carcass over with his men.
"That is a good point. Thank you for the advice."
"Don't mention it. It is still nothing compared to the value of our lives."
"So how do we transport this thing? It's not convenient to skin it here, and it would take too long."
Sorin immediately dismounted.
"I will walk. Please tie it to my horse and drag it along."
"I'd feel bad making you walk."
"I alone did nothing, so I must at least be of some help."
Before Eugene could refuse, Sorin quickly signaled the mercenaries with his eyes.
The veteran mercenaries wrapped the warg carcass in the rookies' blankets to protect it, then tied it with ropes and secured it to Sorin's saddle.
"Oh, for pity's sake."
The rookies could only look miserable, unable to offer any protest.
"There's a stream at our next campsite. We can do the work there in the evening."
"All right, I'll leave it to you. How much do you want for the work?"
"Oh, you don't have to pay us."
Aul had been thinking he didn't want to do the work for free either, but considered it repayment for having their lives saved. It also wouldn't hurt to look good in Sorin's eyes, given that Bonyard was their home base.
A nod.
Sorin was already sending Aul a satisfied smile.
"One may accept goodwill for free, but not a man's labor. Do not refuse my gesture of thanks."
"Thank you!"
But the knight before them was a man whose generosity matched his martial strength.
With his biggest expense—the warhorse—already taken care of, Eugene could easily afford it. He also wanted his diligent squire to have some time to rest.
"..."
However, Homi stepped up next to Aul.
"Ah, that is messy work for you, Squire."
Homi handled her dagger with dazzling dexterity, her expression resolute.
"Then we will do it together. Wouldn't that make the work twice as fast?"
"I'll leave it to you, then."
Eugene nodded as he looked at his two reliable hunters.
With the journey wrapping up ahead of schedule, a deadly danger behind them, and extra pay now on the table, Aul grinned at the warg carcass.