Chapter 1: Unlikely Heroes
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Chapter 1: Unlikely Heroes

And so came to pass what the kingdom feared the most. The princess has been taken and held hostage by the demon army.

The kingdom of Gehetto is a prosperous kingdom and is considered the world’s capital. The kingdom thrived from its agricultural produce and boasts the best scholars among the lands. It was the leader in terms of progress.

Everyone was living peacefully until it happened one day: the demon king has been resurrected and the world is now at the brink of war. For years, the Gehettian knights and warriors fought valiantly to drive back the monsters and demons --- who gained newfound strength and morale, but things are looking bleak. On top of that, the princess of the kingdom has been kidnapped by the demons.

One fateful day, inside the royal throne room, there were those fortunate enough to witness the ceremony that could change the fate of the world. The blinding flash of light subsides and in the middle of the hallway, three young people appeared.

“Wha--- what… where am I?” one of them said. He is a young man probably in his late teens. He had silken locks of jet black hair and hazel eyes. He had this otherworldly allure, probably his defined jawline, or his lean yet fit build. Needless to say, he is an attractive young man.

The two others with him are no joke either. One of them, a young woman, was petite and had wavy brown hair running down her back. She had a petite face, soft lips, and beautiful topaz-colored eyes. The last one, an older male had neatly trimmed hair, an athletic frame and sharp looking green eyes. They looked exactly like they were from another world.

The king knelt in front of them. The black haired hottie looked confused.

“Please, lend us your strength, legendary heroes!” the king proclaimed. Everyone in the throne room followed his lead and knelt down.

Naturally, I did it too.

Hey y’all.

Name’s Latisha. Tish for short. I live in the countryside of Gehetto. Scratch that, I actually live at the outskirts of Gehetto beyond the walls. I come from a poor family of farmers. Still, I can boast that we produce the best crops and vegetables in all of the kingdom.

Though… any farmer would say that.

But hey, my presence here in the royal castle is proof of that.

Actually, I was in the kitchen just a while ago delivering our produce. Apparently, the king has ordered a banquet. And now I know why. The heroes from another world, the heroes of legends foretold have been summoned, and I was privileged enough to be able to see it with my own eyes.

As I knelt down, I can hear the king speaking.
“O mighty heroes, please allow us to know your names.” he said.
The bewildered young ones looked at each other. The black haired young man ran a hand through his hair.

“I’m, uh, my name’s Hirokawa Mitsuhiro…” he says with a reluctant tone. Goodness he really is eye candy for the ladies. And it seems like I’m not alone as the royal maids are ogling him.

“Lord Mitsuhiro… the fabled Sword of the Heavens!” one of the court mages proclaim.
“What…?” Mitsuhiro says, stepping back a bit.
“And you, my lady?” the king asks, turning to the brown haired girl.
“I--- I’m---!” the young lady stammers.

“Wait, hold up!” the other young man intercepts. He had a deep sexy voice. “What is the meaning of this?! Who are you people?” he asks, his voice booming. The king winces and turns to his aides. They all nod reluctantly.

The king explains the situation to the summoned youngsters, that the world is on the brink of war, that the princess was kidnapped, and so on. The king then insists that only they, the legendary heroes, can save this world.

“So you’re meaning to say…” Mr. Deep sexy voice began, “That you abducted us from OUR world, in order to save yours?!”

Oof. That’s correct young man.

“But there was no other choice. You will be compensated handsomely, of course.” the king says.
“No, that’s unreasonable! No, this is beyond all logic!” deep voice argues. “You expect us to just stand here and believe all this?”
“H-hey…” miss brown hair whispers.
“We understand how you’re feeling, heroes… and I promise you this. We will, in our capacity, help you get back to your world once this all ends.” the king says.
“The summoning ceremony took the combined efforts of the kingdom’s mages. And with the demon king abound, we doubt we can pull off another powerful spell.” one of the court mages say.
“So you’re saying we’re pretty much trapped here?” deep voice says, wincing.
“Hey, if that’s the case, we might as well help out, right?” Mitsuhiro says. Deep voice clicks his tongue while miss brown hair lets out a soft whimper.

“Don’t worry, esteemed heroes. We will make sure that your stay in our world will be as comfortable and as luxurious as you want! We will accommodate all of your needs, I can assure you that!” The king proclaims.

The heroes are ushered to the dining hall where a banquet has been prepared.

I sneak one last look at Lord Mitsuhiro. Gosh! He really makes my heart flutter. I make my way out of the castle and head home.

I, Tish, am all too familiar with this story. My granny used to tell me this story all the time, about how three legendary heroes will save our world when it’s at its crisis; how the wielder of the Sword of the Heavens will tear through space itself, or about how powerful the Saintess of Light whose divine powers can pierce through the abyss, and about how the Divine Knight can take on an entire army with only his trusty hammer. Yes, Lord Mitsuhiro, Lady Serika, and Lord Kentarou are the fabled heroes. And to have seen them face-to-face, it has left me on cloud nine…

I feel like I could float! I hum to myself as I frolick down the stone path, as a trek down the dirt road until I reach home.

“Well? What’s with all the ruckus at the kingdom?” my mother asked me as I reach our humble shack.
“Ma, Pa! Listen to this!!! You won’t believe it!” I announce excitedly, hopping up and down like a little girl.
“Pipe down, Tish. Ye ain’t a young’un anymore!” father voices out.

I roll my eyes. I know, I’m not young anymore. I’m almost at my thirties…

I’ve mentioned this before, but we live on the outskirts of the kingdom where the lands are vast, perfect for farms. Our house is but a humble shack lit up by candles and lamps but it’s as much as a home as any other house. What we ARE proud of are our star quality vegetables. And besides, the cool breeze from the yonder forest, the hooting of owls, the chirping of insects, the soft glow of fireflies, and the bright stars in the sky already make me feel like I live in the best house in the world.

“You won’t believe it ‘ma…” I began as I help my mom set the table for dinner.
“Hmm?” she mumbled as she heaves the pot from the cooking spit onto our table.
“Remember the heroes that granny used to tell us about? They’re real! The court mages at the castle have summoned them! I saw them!” I tell my parents excitedly.

My mother and father both look at me curiously. Father even had an amused smile curled upon his lips.

“What, now?” father asked, poking his ears with his pinky finger.
“It’s true! They’re here to save us!”
“Oh come now honeybun, those are just children's stories that your gran used to tell. And besides, the knights and soldiers of Gehetto are doing more than enough to protect us from the menace.”
“B-But they were there!” I insist.
“Hmpph, whether they are o’ not, this thing does not concern us.” father scoffs. “Listen, Tish. We dun’ have the luxury of celebratin’ and whatnot. What we do is we provide for the kingdom. We farmers, we are the backbone of this kingdom. Whether there’s a hero or not, we continue to do what we always do, you hear me?”

I sigh. I’m aware, of course. I just felt like I was lucky enough to see history before my very eyes. And of course, no one would easily believe a tale as tall as mine. Besides, what father says is the truth. Whether there are heroes or not, we have a task to do. We all have our role to play. And I am a proud farmer all the way.

“Yes, pa.” I reply.

After we finish our dinner, I take my bath outdoors. We have this small shed where we keep this giant tub that we use for baths. Ah yes, a hot bath in the cold night beneath the stars. This is the life! Except, I’m bathing next to Bartha, our oxen.

Now, Bartha is an important beast of burden as it helps us with tilling our lands, carrying our produce, and provides milk from time to time. One can say that Bartha is vital to the farm.

“Hey Bartha, you see the skies?” I talk to the oxen. The night sky is a deep gray blue hue with specks of twinkling white and greenish blue nebulas.
“Somewhere out there, the heroes live. And today, they came here to save us all.” A shooting star passes by. I clasp my hands together.
“I wish things will become better from now on… and that things will become even more fun.” I wish on a whim, “... or something!”

After my bath, I hit the sack, ready for what tomorrow brings.

….....

But tomorrow did not bring anything good.

I woke up to the sound of my mother hollering.
“Bartha?! BARTHA! Where are you?!” I can hear her worried voice.

I rub my eyes, put on my ragged jacket and head out. The sun has just risen, and the area is covered with early morning fog.
“What’s the matter ‘ma?” I ask, yawning.
“It’s Bartha---! She’s wandered off again!” My mother said in a panic.
“Damn’d cow! Shite, I forgot to put ‘er on a leash!” Father spat.
“Huh? Then today’s harvest---?!” I’m starting to feel a pit in my stomach…
“Ain’t it obvious, girl? We gotta find that damn cow!” Father angrily says. As he does so, a series of coughs forces him on his knees.
“Pa!”
“I’m fine!” he says, but he’s obviously not. I grit my teeth.
“You both stay at the house. I’ll look for Bartha.” I say, tying back my messy ash hair.
“Tish, it’s dangerous!” Mother calls as she escorts father back into the house.
“I’ll be fine.” I call back. “I’m sure Bartha hasn’t wandered off somewhere far. Besides, no point in sitting around!”
“This dumb girl!” was the last I hear from father’s fading voice as I head off into the mist.

Okay… I don’t think this was a good idea. I realize this now when I’m already deep in the fog and my feet tread on mossy forest floor.
I called out to Bartha over and over… but all that met me was the echo of my own voice followed by eerie silence…
I wrap my jacket tighter around me. I can see my breath fogging in the cold.

“Where’s that ox…?” I find myself muttering to myself.

I keep walking, in all directions inside the thick mist, calling to Bartha at every turn. I know the lands like the back of my hand so I’m not too worried about getting lost. The pit in my stomach grew deeper. My began making up various scenarios. What if Bartha had been eaten by wild animals? What if she fell off some ledge? The what ifs are beginning to pile up, and I can feel a lump in my throat and a heavy feeling in my chest.

No! Keep it together Latisha! I give myself a few wake up slaps and I pump my fists in front of my chest.
“Come on Bartha! Where are you?!” I desperately call. Then I heard it. That all too familiar snorting and low rumbling sound.
My legs carry me towards the sound. “Bartha! Bartha?!”
And just like that, there she was… standing before me… munching on morning dew grass.

I let out a big sigh while leaning on my knees. “You had us all worried, Bartha.” I rub her behind the ears and she snuggles her nose onto my face. I can’t help but let out a giggle.

“Come on, let’s go home.”
A sudden jolt of pain hits my head. I felt myself falling on the ground…

What’s this…?

Everything’s turning black…

In glimpses… Bartha was running back home…

Green skinned beings… boar like tusks… humanoid…?

Shite, I can’t keep it together… Something’s pulling me…? Damn…. I can’t...






..

.
“... hey…”

Eurgh… what…? There’s a dull light…

“... psst… Wake up…” I could feel a dull pinching on my cheek… what…?

My head still hurts, and my vision is blurry… wha-- what happened?

I rub my eyes, and then there it is again! The jolting pain on my head! I groan loudly.

“Take it easy!” A female voice says in a hushed tone. There is a damp stench in the air. It’s musty, and I can smell charred meat… Something warm caresses my head…

“Careful now.” the female voice says. As my vision clears, I meet face-to-face with a young lady. She had golden locks of hair tied back by a ribbon, porcelain like skin, and soft pink lips. She had beautiful amethyst colored eyes… Something looks vaguely familiar about her, but I can’t tell.

She was wearing a worn out pink dress that had probably seen better days.

“You alright?” she asks.
“Y-yeah, I guess…” I say, rubbing my head.

I was finally able to collect myself.

I’m inside a cave… its walls are lined with torches dimly lighting the interior… I confirm what I’ve been smelling: there’s a musty smell in here, then there’s this faint stench, and what bothers me is the smell of charred meat.

I suddenly feel this big lump in my stomach… I feel this unease when I realize I’m inside some sort of wooden cage!

“Wh-what?! Where am I?!” I scream involuntarily. Soft hands grip onto my shoulders and violently shake me back and forth.
“Shhh! You don’t want to draw attention!” the girl inside the cage with me says.
“How’d you end up here?” she asks me.

Giving her little attention, I shake my head. “I don’t know… last thing I remember was that I’m looking for our oxen… then there’s this pain… the next thing I know, I’m in here…”

“Well, maybe we can help each other out.” she says, “What’s your name?”

Somehow, having someone to talk to calms me down. I take a deep breath and I face her. “My name’s Latisha…” my voice trails off.

I know exactly who she is.
Now she’s right in front of me, all regal. Well, except her clothes are dirty and almost tattered.

Now I know why she looked so familiar, there’s no mistaking it!

“You-you--!!!” I point a shaking finger at her, my mouth agape.
She smiles gently.
“My name is Stella du Gehettia.” she says in a formal and ladylike manner.
“PRINCESS STELLA?!” I instinctively shout, but before I could say anything else, she pushes her hands against my mouth.
“Shhhhh!”

She smiles at me sweetly.
I swallow hard and bow down before her. “Y-your highness!”
But how? I thought she was kidnapped by the demon king? Does that mean I’m in the demon castle right now?!
“Please raise your head. In here, status means nothing. We’re both prisoners in here.” She says.

I still can’t bear to look her in the eye.
“Pardon me, ma’am, but are we inside the demon king’s castle?” I ask cautiously.
She blinks at me then she giggles. “No, we’re not.”
“Then how are you here?”
“By the stroke of luck, I somehow escaped…” she says, then she sighs, “And of course, only to be caught again by these orcs.”

My stomach almost turned at the sound of that. Orcs! We were captured by orcs!
In case some do not know, orcs are notorious warriors. Hardy and strong, they are warrior beasts who have a taste for human flesh!

My knees start shaking.

“Hey, hey… we’re going to get out of here, alright?” the princess tells me.
“Princess…”
“Hey, just Stella, alright?” she says.

I don’t know why she’s saying that but maybe she’s trying to calm me down. It kind of works. I took deep breaths.

“We’re going to get eaten…!” I whimper. I hug myself tightly.

It’s not working.

My mind is going blank… and just the thought of being butchered like a pig and being feasted on… and as my mind spirals into thoughts of carnage, I hear a twisted scream of agony.

No!
No more…
Please!!!

I start crying uncontrollably.

I could barely see the princess --- Stella --- she’s shaking me.

She seems to be calling out to me. But I can’t. I feel like I’m breaking down. Lord Mitsuhiro save me!!!!

Her palm suddenly lands squarely on my left cheek. It stings. I snap back to reality.

I am face-to-face with Princess Stella, as she rubs her right hand. Did she just slap me…? I hold a palm to my cheek.

“Sorry!” the princess quickly apologizes, flailing her hands in front of me. I quickly shake my head.

“No, no, I’M sorry…” I reply. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that we’re trapped in here.

To make matters worse, an orc, seemingly a guard, seems to be patrolling back and forth. From time to time, it would glance at us and it would bare its rotting teeth at us and it would lick its lips. It sends a chill down my spine.

“Orcs, huh…? From what I know, they are strong but not very intelligent…” princess Stella mumbles… “And they are always energetic… meaning their blood circulation is fast… in that case…” she says to herself. I have no idea what she’s talking about.

She starts looking around. I do too.

The interior of this stony cave is mossy… and dripping water can be heard… there are a few fungal growths on the stone walls. I can hear several animal cries echoing from the outside. A few insects, reptiles, and amphibians have gathered inside the cave. Heck, I can even see large lizards, centipedes, and all sorts of frogs in here. Our cage is connected to the wall behind us, and a soft stream of water runs down.

Damn… there’s nothing we can use to escape. No weapons either… All I can see are rusty nails and splinters on our crudely crafted yet sturdy cage. Even then, we can’t even wedge those out… I try shaking the wooden railings. Nope.

“Miss Latisha.” the princess turns to me.
“Yes, Your Highness?” I reply promptly.
“Please, I insist just call me Stella. Anyway… correct me if I’m wrong, but we seem to be deep inside some sort of rainforest?”
“Yes, why?” I reply, judging from the sound of echoing animals and the presence of these amphibians...

“Hey! Kuwayet daouwn!” one of the orcs shout at us.

The princess and I wince, but a half smile crawls on her face. “It might just work…” She starts looking around.

She then tugs at my sleeve. “Look there!” she points to something near the rocks just an arm’s length outside our cage.

I don’t see anything…

“Princess--- I- I mean Madame Stella… what?”
“Look closely! Is that a frog I see?”

Indeed, there’s a frog near the rocks… but those are bad news. It was black and had red stripes all over its body.

“Yeah I see it.” I reply.
“Think you can catch that?” She asks, looking at me intently.

What?!
“Huh? Why would you--- hey, princess that thing is poisonous! Look, I get it you’re hungry--- but you can’t just eat--”
“I’m quite aware, and that’s exactly why I need you to get that frog! I can’t reach it…” She says, as she tries extending her arms. “Please, Miss Latisha, trust me on this.”

I have no other ideas… So I did as I was told… I tried to reach the frog… thankfully it wasn’t moving much.

I extend my arm, and my fingertips could barely reach it… “Come on…” I mutter under my breath.

It looks at my hands. Shite! Just as it was about to jump away, I caught its leg by a hair’s breadth and I was able to drag it back!

“Thanks.” Princess Stella says as she grabs the frog from me.

I kind of did not expect a princess to just grab a frog! I stare at her for a while. She looks at me as if asking ‘what’? I quickly turn away, realizing it was rude to stare.

“What do you plan on doing…?” I ask.

She gets to work. Her eyes dart around the cage. She moves over to the rusty nails that are crudely holding the wooden cage together. “I am familiar with these kinds of frogs… they are called Toxitoads and their poisons are potent.” She explains.

“I know that much.” I reply.

“They excrete toxins when threatened, just like now.” She says. True enough, the frog is oozing what seems to be clear liquid. “Did you know? One does not need to ingest its toxins to be afflicted… If it as much as enters your bloodstream…” She says.

And suddenly as if a light bulb lights up in my brain… I get what she’s trying to do!

She begins rubbing the frog all over the rusted nails, and on the splintered wood. She then plops down the agitated frog inside the cage.

“Now what do you think would happen if toxins enter a creature with fast blood circulation?” she grins.

As I process and realize what she’s planning to do---

“PLEASE! LET ME OUT!” Stella suddenly screams.
What? A few moments ago she was asking me to be quiet…

Heavy footfalls approach us.

“Wi sed kuwayet daown!” The orc guard roars.

“No! My father will send his army to search for me! You will pay for this!” Stella taunts the orc.

The orc lets out a roaring laughter. It lumbers towards the cage.

Princess Stella is looking intently at the splinters near the cage… I was too… if this stupid orc could just step on it…!

“Hehehehe… yu idiyat! No wan weel seyv yu. Wi eet yu!” The orc laughs.

This isn’t good. It’s not stepping on the splinters, nor scraping itself on the nails. I can see the Princess’s agitation as well.

But I had an idea. There were pebbles inside our cage. I take one and hurl it at the orc.

“Stupid orc! Stinky brute! With your brain half the size of a pea, there’s no way you can do anything to us!” I taunt the orc.
“Yeah! You savages! And I bet you’re the weakest among the bunch because all you have to do is guard helpless girls while the others are feasting! Lapdog!” Princess Stella joins in on the barrage of insults!

Its mouth transforms from a scornful laugh and curls into an angry frown and it roars thrashing about!

… exactly like we wanted! It scrapes itself on the iron nails and we saw the splinters embedded deep into the soles of its feet. It had no reaction whatsoever so it might not have noticed.

Princess Stella grins at me and I nod back nervously.
“Stoopid yumans! I eet yu naow!!!!” It roars as it pulls open the cage door. The princess and I hug each other tightly, screeching. The orc began pulling at our leg but we kick it away!

“NO! Don't come near us, you stupid oaf!” The princess shrieks.

“Hehe, I weel endiyoy eeting yuu---!!!” the orc snarls but was cut off when blood begins dripping from its nose. It seems bewildered and surprised.

It’s happening.

It lumbers backwards and rests itself against the wall. It couldn’t even scream as a gurgling sound rises from its mouth which foams red. Its body twitches for a few seconds… and then… it’s still.

The princess and I look at each other in shock. I could feel myself electrified, the good feeling!

We did it! Holy shite it actually worked!

“It worked…!” The princess whispers.
“Come on, let’s get out of here!” I tell princess Stella.

My knees are still shaky but the adrenaline from killing the orc pushed me forward! I carefully step out of the cage, and so does Stella.

“We make a good team.” She grins at me.

“Y-Yeah!”

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