Chapter 32: Dawn [1]

In the past, the village had served as a garrison against a great monster. It only became a tenable land after continuous subjugation missions sent to the forest of wilderness. Of course, it came at a heavy price. They wasted thousands of young life for years just to end the menace.

The nations once dubbed the interlinking forest as the ‘Nightmare of Rutherford’.

The nations once listed the forest of wilderness among the Ten Great Forbidden areas of Eudoria. The den of calamity level beast. A monster-infested area that no ordinary human dared to trespass. It was like a noose on the neck of the Kings of Rutherford.

The Rutherfordian kings and the nobles of the old truly feared the place. But most of them failed to quell the monsters in the forest. They could only expand the land step by step. Even during the era of the first Virtuous King Erik, they could only open up a little of the land.

The Rutherfordian royals knew the ticking trouble lying within their backyard. The monster overflows had caused the yearly mass conscription of soldiers. To suppress the beast tides from the forest, the royals even decreed the annual draft. Thus, the beginning of the hundred-year monster subjugation. One for the soldiers’ training, but the second one to clean the pest in territories owned by Rutherford.

The years of continuous monster subjugations led to its return to normalcy. The threat of the forest of wilderness dwindled, and now the old stone walls served as a light reminder. The subjugation mission officially ended after that they could suppress the monsters of the forest. The last monster subjugation led to the rise of this village.

Now, the forest of the wilderness was only a husk of its former power. There were still a lot of monsters within, but now mostly limited to the common beast. The monster stampedes were the only thing concern left for the current royals.

***

The crown of sunlight raised its banner on the lands of Rutherford. Blinding light fell from the dark skies, washing away the dark lands once again. It was a beacon of hope for another day.

It was also what the Knight and everyone were waiting for. The gleam of heaven had revealed the dark-furred beast camouflaging through night’s guise.

The Death wolves stood like walking targets under the sun. There were no more shadows to hide. The rising sun had revealed the entire pack in front of their eyes. The monsters resembled were like inkblots as they stood naked under the sun’s duress.

The Madam’s eyes flickered. It was time. She immediately raised the signal, letting hundreds of arrows shower down from the walls. After one company released their arrows, another one would step forward to release another batch. The whistling arrows turned the Death wolves into hedgehogs.

Dawn had invigorated the tired soldiers. Gritting their teeth, they pushed for the last sprint, not allowing any Death wolves in their sight to escape.

Soon enough, carcasses of Death wolves piled around the stone walls. It was a chilling sight, enough to send shivers for any passing eyes.

“Awooh!”

The herald of a new day signaled the retreat of the Death wolves. The night was theirs, but the day was for the mortals. The Death wolves stopped their suicide mission. With the signal of the wolf lord, the pack dashed into the depths of the forest.

The massive alpha wolf looked at the stone walls and huffed. A glint of irritation flickered in its emerald-hued eyes. Turning its back from the battlefield, it retreated into the shadows of the forest. For now…

***

On the outskirts of the village.

The old stone walls.

The end of the battle was nothing but sudden. It was a victory. Still, there were no cheers. As soon as the Deaths wolves left, the dead tired soldiers immediately fell to the ground, huffing.

When the last wolf vanished into the forest, the soldiers finally lowered their guard and fell flat on the blood-filled grass. A few soldiers shut their eyes, falling asleep without needing to count sheep.

The night had put a great toll on them. Fighting against the endless Death wolves was a nightmare. If they kill one another would follow. It felt like they were mowing weeds that would grow once again. It offered nothing but frustration.

Knight Levo still stood on the battlefield. He glared at the retreating shadows. His sword stuck on the ground, and behind him laid a mountain of dead wolves. The stench of dry blood wafted out as innards of beast filled the grassland into a crimson mess.

He then glanced at the tired soldiers. The knight’s spirit still burning along with the rising sun. There was not a hint of exhaustion at all. “Great work, men!” He stopped for a moment and continued his words. “Take a good rest.”

Without waiting for any reply, he sheathed his sword back to its scabbard and gave the forest of the wilderness a sharp glare before turning his back.

Striding towards Madam, the knight’s armor clanked along with each step. The blunt damage and deep scratches in his armor served as proof of how tough the battle was.

Knight Levo gestured Madam and Lady Leine to go to the makeshift camp headquarters.

The two nodded and moved to call the others. There was no time to waste. An after-battle assessment of the current situation was a must. They must plan for all scenarios. On the battlefield, crafting a good plan was a matter of spell life and death. 

Levo, Annis, and Leine knew that the current situation wasn’t so favorable. They had repelled the death wolves tonight. But could they do it again? And for how long? If not for the walls, they might not have even survived the night. 

***

The knight soon arrived at the headquarters. It was a large tent with a sand map filled with carved pieces of wood. A few scrolls and parchments littered the ground, while most of it was still in an old wooden cabinet. In the middle was a carved chair covered with soft red-dyed wool.

Levo removed his armor and sword in the rack near the door of the tent. He took a bowl from a nearby vat and the towel lying in wait.

Levo washed his face with the cold water, wiping away the filth, blood, and dust stuck to his body. Cleaning himself from the muck of dried wolf blood made him frown. It was a hassle. Still, he continued.

Anyway, the battle against the wolves made his blood boil. It had been years since he felt like this.

He remembered the rushing wolves and a light grin slipped out of his freshly washed face. “That was exciting.”