Grem rolls his eyes.

"Sigh, incompetent trash..."

He gets off his horse and detaches his greataxe off his back.

Eric notes the large and sharp blade as Grem swings it over his shoulders and stretches.

"As always, i have to do everything myself."

Grem says to himself and walks towards Eric, his feet splashing on the muddy grass.

Eric walks back to his longsword which is sticking out of a bandit corpse.

He pulls it out and swings it to get rid of the blood on it.

"You must be their leader?"

He asks and raises his eyes to look at Grem, anger brewing within him.

Grem stops a safe distance away, looking around him with a smug look on his face.

"Yes, i'm the leader of these... worthless fools, unfortunately."

"You don't care about them?"

"Of course not. They have their uses but at the end of the day they're just lowly bandits, pawns to be used and who may die freely."

Grem looks down at the dead bandits around Eric.

"You've got quite the sword hand on you, where did you learn?"

"That's none of your business."

"Fair, it's just that i could use someone with your skills."

"Those days are over for me."

Grem raises his eyebrows.

"Oh, did you serve in the military? Figures. You don't get a physique and skills like that by working in some field. And considering you still have those skills means that you only retired recently."

Eric's eye twitches.

There he goes again, Grem's reading him like a god damn book.

"Heh, did i guess right?"

Infuriated, Eric inhales sharply through his nose.

"What're you doing here!? Why are you attacking our village and destroying our crops!?"

"For capital of course!"

Grem rubs his fingers together and slyly looks at Eric.

"And maybe to have some fun too."

Eric is about to take a step forward when Grem continues.

"But plans have changed. I see now that this village is worthless, aside from maybe small valuables. I mean, i was hoping to at least find a church for some quick and easy plunder!"

Eric looks more and more irritated the longer Grem talks.

Of course, this doesn't go unnoticed.

"Did that hit too close to home? Hmm, you may have gained your strength and skills from the military, but the way you just fought those ten bandits, how you were able to adapt to the situation, to their attacks, like you knew exactly how to move, counter-attack, use their weapons against them, all while not getting hit."

"Hmph, you'd be surprised how much the military can teach you."

"That's the thing! The military teaches you, but you only reach that level of adaptation by learning, something the military can't teach. You see, the military teaches structure and form, how you fight with whom you fight. It teaches you how to fight as a group, teaches you to trust your battle brothers to your left and right."

Grem paces back and forth.

"Adaptation on the other hand, is learned. It has no form, no structure, and how do you learn to adapt? By fighting alone and for yourself, unrestricted by the rules and order of the military. Now, where can you fight for yourself, fight without restraints and learn to adapt? There is only one place i know of, which allows this kind of complete freedom of combat and where you can learn to adapt, a mercenary company."

He stops and tilts his head at Eric, a devilish grin on his face.

"You were a mercenary, weren't you?"

"Tsk!"

Eric grinds his teeth.

"I thought so, and now you have settled here, hoping to bury your past and start anew. Kinda pathetic if you ask me..."

"Enough! Why are you here!?"

Eric shouts and points his sword at Grem.

Grem stops and drops his greataxe from his shoulders to the ground.

He looks at Eric, his expression having completely changed to that of creeping malice.

"I'm here, because of this."

He raises his left hand and points to his bleeding, bandaged left eye or rather, the empty socket with his thump.

"A few days ago, my scouts noticed a boy and a girl creeping the forest, so they captured them. I talked to them in my camp. The boy piqued my interest and i was intending to recruit him, but he chose to return my kindness with this! By driving a stake through my eye!"

Eric squints his eyes slightly.

"A boy and a girl? A stake? He can't possibly mean...?"

"So, i would really appreciate it, if you would hand him over, so that i can personally behead him and display his severed head on a spear."

Eric feels an aura coming off of Grem, an aura which tells him that Grem can, and will do it.

"His name was Alex, if that helps narrow it down. I saw him run this way, so i know he's here."

I stand up from the grass, my fists balled up and my heart racing.

Eric looks behind him and Anna raises her head from behind the stone fence.

"Alex? Alex!"

They both say my name when i come into view.

"Interesting, i take it you're his father? That makes this easy then. Hand him over."

"No!"

Eric's state of anger has been now replaced by panic.

"Step aside or i will cut you down!"

Grem grabs the base of his greataxe and points it Eric.

Eric widens his stance and readies his sword.

"Over my dead body! you will not touch my son or hurt my family!"

Suddenly, lightning strikes behind Grem and he sees Eric's face clearly and notices the large scar across his right eye.

"Wait, you look... familiar?"

Eric looks at him confused.

"What?"

"That scar... i know that scar!"

Eric searches his mind for a moment and then realizes.

"G-Grem, is that you?"

"Hm, long time no see Eric, or should i call you "The Blood-stained Blade"."

Eric's face becomes pale.

"Grem, please, not in front of my family."

"What's he talking about Eric?"

I ask him, my eyes darting between them.

"Oh, he doesn't know? You see boy, this is the general i was talking about, the man who killed my brother and destroyed our company!"

My eyes snap to Eric, it was him?

Grem slaps his knee.

"Hah! So this is where you decided to run off to! Did you seriously think you could just bury your past and move on? Pathetic!"

"Is it true Eric? Did you serve under Grem's brother when you were a mercenary?"

"...Yes, i did."

He answers begrudgingly.

Grem rubs his chin.

"You didn't tell him the whole truth? Maybe i should enlighten him and reveal the origin of your nickname?"

"Grem, don't! They don't need to know about my past!"

"Well, i'm going to tell them anyway! Consider it a tasting of my revenge!"

He lowers his greataxe on the ground and grins.

"It was nine years ago, when our company was strong and prosperous. Me and Eric served under my older brother, Ragnvald, and he ordered us to gather a raid party and attack an enemy village, which was part of an kingdom we were employed to fight against. Much to my disappointment, Eric was chosen to lead the raid, due to his skills and talent and i was the second in command. During the raid i witnessed first hand why Eric rose the ranks so quickly. With his sword, he destroyed most of the village guard by himself."

Eric's eyes look dark, his silence makes it hard to make out what he's thinking.

"The next step of course, was to kill the villagers, so we did. They way he dashed around the village, cutting down any villagers he came across. That night was glorious! At the end of it, he was covered in blood, and here's the kicker, while he was slaughtering them all, he had widest grin on his face!"

Grem's smile widens.

"When we returned from the raid, we went to Ragnvald to talk about our success and our next raid target. During our talk, Ragnvald revealed that the village wasn't actually part of the enemy kingdom. Haha! I wish you could've seen Eric's face, when he realized he'd murdered a whole village in cold-blood! And he enjoyed it! Thus earning the nickname "The blood-stained Blade"."

I look behind to look at Anna, who is quite shocked by this revelation, i guess it's understandable why Eric kept it a secret.

I on the other hand don't know what to think, so i will remain neutral for now.

"Some time after that, he approached me and Ragnvald to talk about something. He told us that he had a change of heart and couldn't live with the fact that he killed innocent people, so he asked to leave the company so that he can settle down and start a family. Of course, my brother refused, as his skills were too valuable to let go. Your foolish father then decided to challenge Ragnvald to a duel to the death. My brother lost the duel and Eric escaped. I tried to retake control but failed, and it only took two years for the company to completely fall apart. Thanks to your father, i was left with nothing!"

Grem lifts his greataxe and grabs it with both hands.

"And that's why Eric, the lives of yours and your family end today! The Black Marauders shall rise again, starting with your death!"

Eric breaks his silence and turns to me.

"Alex, get back in the house!"

"I don't think so! Fire!"

Grem snaps his fingers and the bandits light up arrows and shoot them at our house.

"NO!"

Eric shouts.

Some of the arrows go through the windows and begin burning inside.

I run towards the fence, jump over it and watch them.

"Alex, keep an eye on Ava, i'm going to try and put out the fire!"

Anna sets Ava down next to me and runs inside the house.

 

Eric widens his stance, holding his longsword in front of him.

Grem also widens his stance but bring his left foot forward.

He rests his greataxe on top of his right shoulder, holding it in place with his right hand.

His other hand is free, its fingers bent like claws.

Eric's opens his eyes in surprise but he quickly regains his composure and focuses.

"Berserker stance!? He's just like his brother back then. This is bad. Berserker stance focuses on overwhelming power and speed. it can also be highly unpredictable."

They stare each other down, who will make the first move?

"Here i come Eric! Prepare to die!"

Grem initates and charges towards Eric.

He grabs his greataxe with both hands and Eric prepares his next move.

"Overhead swing or a side-ways swing?"

Grem drops the greataxe behind his back and prepares to strike down.

"Overhead! Dodge!"

Eric steps out of the way and Grem slams his greataxe into the ground with extreme force.

Dirt and stones fly out in all directions as the weapon leaves a deep hole in the ground.

While Eric is stepping away, Grem brings his greataxe to his side and attacks with a side-ways swing.

Eric managed to get some distance and dodges the swing by jumping over it.

"You're wide open!"

He swings his sword down, aiming for Grem's neck.

Grem reacts fast and blocks it with the handle of his greataxe.

Eric lands on his feet and they push their weapons against each other.

The ground is slippery and they both struggle to get a proper footing.

"Ngh... RAAAH!"

Grem shouts and shoves Eric, causing him to stumble backwards.

He doesn't waste time and begins swinging his greataxe left and right.

Eric blocks a few strikes with his sword, but the impacts travel through it into his hands, causing pain.

He decides to retreat by jumping back and creating some distance.

He looks at the blade and sees the nicks and cracks.

No more blocking for him, anymore and his sword will surely break apart.

"What's wrong Eric? Getting tired, hahaha!"

Grem taunts him as he gets closer, tapping the greataxe against his hand.

Eric inhales sharply and dashes towards him, his sword pointing forward for a piercing attack.

Grem swings his greataxe over his head and strikes down diagonally from the right.

But it was a feint and Eric stops just before it hits him, causing Grem to miss and strike the ground.

"You're wide open!"

Eric seizes the opportunity and swings towards Grem's right-side, which is exposed.

His sword is about to hit the mark when suddenly Grem strikes his face with the blunt end of the greataxe.

"GAH!"

The blow leaves Eric disoriented and reeling.

"Hah! Did you seriously think that would work on me!? Try again!"

"RAAH!"

Eric shouts and they both charge at each other.

They strike at the same time and their blades clash and produce sparks.

Now in each others range, they exchange blows at rapid speeds, but neither of them can't get a direct hit in.

Eric swings from right to left, but Grem ducks under it.

Next, he brings the handle of his greataxe behind Eric's knee and pulls up, causing him to fall on his back.

Eric opens his eyes and sees that Grem is already attempting to strike him while he's on the ground.

He rolls out of the way just before it hits and quickly gets up.

"Fuck!"

Grem curses, the blade of his greataxe is stuck on the ground.

He tries to get it free but quickly looks up.

He sees Eric's oncoming blade and he barely manages to dodge it, the tip of Eric's sword slashes his cheek open and forcing him to back away from his greataxe.

"Hmph, i guess family life didn't dull your skills as much as i thought."

He wipes his bleeding cheek on his hand and looks at it.

"But you're a fool if you think disarming me would give you an advantage. While you were wasting away doing pathetic fieldwork, i did some training on my own!"

He crosses his arms in front of him and breaths in deep until his lungs are full.

"GrrrRAAAH!"

He spreads his arms wide and roars into the sky.

The volume is deafening and it rings in my ears.

He leans back towards Eric, breathing heavily.

That roar did something to him, his muscles look bigger, especially in his arms, veins becoming visible.

Even his skin looks a little red and i can feel an aura of violence emanating from him.

Eric keeps his sword ready but he feels nervous.

"Shit, that's 'Enrage' a technique used by berserkers! Is he training to become one? It channels the user's rage and enhances their physical capabilities, making them stronger, faster and tougher."

"RAAAH!"

Grem charges forth, his hands ready to grab him.

Eric focuses and swings downward, aiming for Grem's left shoulder.

Grem's enhanced speed allows him to catch the blade in his left hand and stop it.

Despite the power Eric put into it, it doesn't pierce his skin.

At the same time, Grem pulls the sword and Eric with it towards him and strikes straight into Eric's stomach.

The blow raises Eric off the ground and makes him vomit blood.

He falls to his knees, stunned and still holding onto his sword.

Grem picks him up by his collar, brings his head back before slamming it straight into Eric's face.

The force makes him let go of his sword and he lands on his back.

Although his vision is still blurry, he sees Grem diving towards him, ready to strike with his right fist.

Just in time, Eric blocks it by guarding with his forearms.

Grem has him pinned under him and takes a deep breath.

He then launches a barrage of blows at Eric, trying to break his guard.

"RAAAHAHAHAA!"

"NGH!"

Eric grunts in agony as he tries to endure.

He can feel and hear his bones cracking.

What feels like an eternity, Grem finally halts his assault in exhaustion and Eric seizes the moment to counter-attack.

He strikes Grem's throat, momentarily stunning him.

Then he grabs his collar and returns the favor of headbutting him, pushing him off.

Grem holds his throat, trying to breath while his nose is bleeding too.

Eric gets up and now has the advantage.

Right hook to Grem's head.

Left hook to the jaw but it doesn't knock him out.

Another right hook to a left uppercut combination.

Eric wraps his right arm around Grem's neck and begins striking rapidly at his right side and stomach.

"HAA!"

Grem vomits blood as his ribs begin to crack.

He gathers his strength and takes a hold of Eric, trying to wrestle him to the ground.

He strikes Eric's stomach with his knee, but Eric won't let go.

Eric strikes back by kicking the side of Grem's left knee, making him almost lose his footing.

He kicks again, this time aiming for Grem's testicles.

His foot reaches its mark and Grem shouts in pain.

"AH, YOU FUCKER!"

Grem drops to the ground, pulling Eric with him.

He lands on his back and uses hit foot throw Eric behind him.

Slowly, they both struggle to get up, but when they do, they realize they have landed back to their weapons.

Grem grabs the base of his greataxe and pulls it free and Eric does the same, picking up his sword off the ground.

Grem looks visibly hurt and exhausted, his muscles aren't swollen anymore.

"He's running out of stamina, any boost he gained from that technique is now gone."

Eric thinks and observes.

But he's not undamaged either, his face and mid-section hurts and his forearms most likely have cracked bones, making it hard to wield his sword.

But as long as he knows Grem can be defeated, he won't give up.

He will protect the family he worked so hard to obtain.