Arc 1 - Warrior Association

“The tribes of Mundus have always been blessed by ignorant peace—especially those humans who dwell in the lush green flat lands of the western region. They have yet to learn the true terrors of the world… and why curiosity must always remain a mystery.”  

…

Hitto sat atop a tree stump overlooking the slain forest with strained muscles. He drank excessively from his flask, reminding himself that today was, in fact, the day.

Well then, he thought.

A groan escaped his mouth as he rose to his feet, letting out a little stretch. He then located his old, tattered axe that rested snugly beside his makeshift seating. It was time to start again.

A quick scan of the forest gave the boy his next victim—a rather imposing oak tree with a stem the size of a large convoy wagon. It utterly dwarfed him, casting an immense shadow as he marvelled at its grandeur.

Hitto readied the axe by its base as focus consumed him. He drew back with furrowed brows and swung down onto the juggernaut with excessive force. The impact cleaved its way into the bark as he repeated the frenzy until it fell amidst a mass of dust.

He then took a step back to appreciate his handiwork. The boy knew that he was the only one at Stenner’s Grove who could possibly achieve this feat. A triumphant toot escaped his mouth as he rewarded himself with more water.

Shoot, he thought. Nothing but droplets touched his tongue.

 Hitto clicked his teeth as he dreaded returning to the town square just to refill. Having someone on standby to do it at the camp would be highly convenient. If he wasn’t mistaken, many other compound districts had this basic amenity, just not the loggers.

His bothered state returned as he trudged along the dirt trails of the lush forest. How was today supposed to be his final day if he was constantly interrupted by such redundant tasks? And where are all the other loggers? Odd.

The thought began to consume him. Sure, he left the barracks before morning announcements to get started instantly, but by midday, other loggers should have already started filling their quotas. 

“Hitto? Is that you?”

The voice caught the boy off, who looked back instantly in the direction it came. Emerging from the dense thickets was a frail middle-aged man shrouded in an all-black cloak. He waved excitedly at the boy.

“It is! Looks like you’ve been collecting your quota.”

“I have,” he answered. “But who are you?”

The rather suspicious-looking man reluctantly grabbed onto his hood and stood there without moving. In response, Hitto tightened the grip on his axe. He was already running out of time for today.

“D-Don’t be alarmed!” the man stammered.

He quickly pulled down the hood, revealing a withered face with a distinct mole underneath his brown eyes that were covered by a set of messy black curls.

“Sunja?” The boy questioned.

He wasn’t too sure. It could be. Or, for all he knew, it may even be someone else. When it came to remembering names and faces, if they didn’t leave a lasting impression, they weren’t someone Hitto bothered to remember much of.

“Yes, that’s me! I’m glad you didn’t forget!”

Oh, he had forgotten, but he was just reminded. Sunja was someone he was pretty familiar with at Stenner’s Grove. He and a few of his lackeys always took portions of people's lumber as some sort of ‘convenience payment.’ As Hitto was still relatively new to the Grove, he always followed suit and gave in to the commands.

“Are you here to take a portion of my lumber?” Hitto deduced. He crossed his arms in protest and purposely flashed the axe, “You can’t today. I have to reach above my quota, and I plan to leave the compound the day after tomorrow.”

“So?” Sunja shrugged. “You already know how it works here. Just hand over the lumber.”

There was aggression in his voice as a long, tense pause befell the forest. Usually, this sort of thing never happens, but today was different. The thought of staying another day was something Hitto just couldn’t entertain.  He was leaving. Today.

“You can’t today,” he repeated. “I won't say it again.”

“Yes, you won’t have to,” Sunja sighed. “Farwell.”

Hitto spun on his feet, still sensing Sunja’s presence behind him as he continued through the forest. The rather suspicious figure didn’t follow him, but the encounter did leave a sour taste in the lumberjack's mouth.

Is he the reason there are no other loggers out today? Hitto thought.

It could be. For all he knew, they were extorted for fighting back or some other silly reason. Regardless, the task at hand remained the same: getting some water and continuing to fill above today's quota.

It was very sudden and caught Hitto completely off guard. A stray dagger grazed his cheek from behind and disappeared into the wildlife ahead of him. His eyes widened. If it weren’t for his animal-like reflexes, he wouldn’t have dodged that attack. The lumberjack’s body tensed as he turned around to face his enemy, who wasn’t there. His eyes scattered throughout the forest quickly, reacting to any slight movements.

“I know it's you, Sunja,” the boy cried. “What kind of sly move is this?”

Another dagger came darting towards him. This time, it was spotted from a mile away as Hitto bent out of its path. His eyes followed where the blade had come from as he spotted his cloaked foe amidst the bushes to his right.

Another dagger came flurrying out from the same spot – which he expected and easily parried away with the axe. However, before he could close in, Sunja had already leapt out of the bushes and into the air.

Hitto’s eyes widened as his attacker flared open his cloak and shot two daggers at him from point-blank range. The first one grazed Hitto’s primary arm, and he dodged the second by a hair.

Sunja took the opportunity to close the distance as the two exchanged a definitive blow. The sound of metal clashing vibrated throughout the forest as they both looked for an opportunity to one-up the other.

Despite his overwhelming speed, Hitto could keep up and even began to overpower the dagger user. The way he fought was utterly primal, like an animal attacking its prey. He slowly sank his teeth into Sunja, who was forced to retreat from the close-quarters fight.

Sunja took a moment to regather his breath, slightly rethinking his decision to attack this peculiar boy. There was no way he was about to enter his range again. If he did, he could be killed, and that thought made him shudder.

Would Hitto actually kill him? Right now, it looks like he would. That boy was always unhinged – sorry – different. His irregular ruby-red eyes never looked like they were looking at you, or anything for that matter. His stance was also that of a wild creature ready to attack at any moment. And to top it all off, he literally appeared out of nowhere just under a year ago. Sunja never liked him.

“You’re making things harder than they need to be. Just hand over the lumber, boy.”

Hitto didn’t even bother to speak. He simply shook his head in defiance.

Why is he being so difficult today? Usually, he just hands the wood over like everyone else. Sunja was starting to get impatient. They needed to hurry up and get here.

He raised his daggers once more as he charged into Hitto’s range. The lumberjack was ready. He swung the axe into the air and prepared himself to strike down. Sunja continued his stride, not fazed by the incoming attack at all. He quickly began to mutter some words under his breath before looking upright as he was about to get hit, “release,” he stated.

A round black diagram with incomprehensible words appeared above his head as Hitto’s axe struck it, fazing into it. What? There was no impact whatsoever. Sunja continued his dart past Hitto, slashing at his side torso on the way. The lumberjack clutched the wound instantly to examine it… thankfully, it was shallow.

The cloaked man finally came to a trudging stop as his boots scrapped in the mud. He quickly turned on an angle and darted back towards Hitto from behind – who was licking the blood off his hands with a disgustingly large smile. While his appearance bothered him, Sunja remained resolute and continued his advance. He began to mutter words to himself again, not reacting in time to the punch that had hit him square in the face.

His eyes felt like they were popping out of their sockets as the lumberjack drove the blow deeper in. He was rag-dolled back face first into a tree, slamming into it with force as he clutched his now fractured nose to stop the blood from seeping out.

Hitto slowly began to walk over towards him, still smiling grotesquely like a predator about to devour its prey. Sunja sunk into his cloak, eyes stricken with fear of the man who stood before him. He quickly extended his arms out, flailing them about in every direction.

“W-wait,” he spat.

“No,” Hitto replied. “You started this first.”

His grip on the axe tightened as he held it in the air, ready to strike down for the final time.

“Stop right there!” The lumberjack heard from behind.

His head twisted grudgingly to see the new visitors. A group of six men, all dressed in silver chainmail attire sporting a black vest with a golden dog on it – the Mercenary Guild, appeared from the wildlife. They quickly began to rush over once they noticed the battered Sunja.

Hitto shot them a little grin as they came before turning back over to Sunja and mouthing the words, you’re lucky. A little ‘eep’ escaped the frail man's lips as he hid behind his shaking hands.

One of the guards, who seemed to be the leader, stepped forward and came between the two of them. He used his gauntlets to grab the axe and flashed the lumberjack a stern look.

“Hitto, right?” he started. “What on earth do you think you’re doing?”

Hitto pulled his axe away from the guards' grip and sheathed it into his belt. He looked around at the other guards, who were clearly getting ready to apprehend him in case he tried anything. A frustrated sigh escaped his mouth.

“He attacked me first,” Hitto protested. “I’m just returning the favour… and how do you know my name?”

If Hitto’s memory serves him correctly, the Mercenary Guild was hired from the capital just three months ago at the request of the local Lord’s daughter. He had never had a conversation with them, let alone seen them until now. It was just a rumour that they were hired, a rumour which now turns out to be true.

“I don’t have to answer that,” the guard replied. “You’re under arrest for harming another individual.”

“What?”

Hitto gnashed his teeth. This was utterly ridiculous. Had the guard just completely ignored what he had said? That cowardly doofus is the one that should be taken in. 

“T-thank you,” Sunja spluttered. “He-he was about to kill me, I swear! He’s a demon!”

“A demon?” Hitto chuckled, barely believing the situation he found himself in.

“That’s enough,” The guard intervened. “You’re both being taken into custody.”

“What?” Sunja gaped. “What did I do?”

As he began to ramble gibberish that no one paid attention to, his eyes constantly drifted around the surrounding scenery as if waiting for something or someone to show up. The guard quickly caught note of this. 

“Don’t expect anything,” he smirked. “Nobody is coming to help you, Sunja.”

His heart sank as his voice went mute. Two of the other guards quickly apprehended him and began to drag him away. Hitto could not help but let out a slight chuckle for his pathetic appearance. Serves him right.

The other guards brought him back to his senses. It would still be a four-verse-one if he tried anything. But there was nothing wrong with trying, right? He thought for a moment, thinking about how hard he had worked to collect over today's quota of lumber. It was finally supposed to be the day he left this boring place.

The three other guards took out ropes and signalled for Hitto to extend his arms and give up his axe. He complied reluctantly. It would just remain a thought. Losing his life over something like this when he knew he wasn’t at fault was just stupid.

But why did the Mercenary Guild choose to show themselves today? And why are there still no other loggers out?

The thoughts pressed on as the ropes tightened around his wrists. He was then blindfolded and escorted out of the forest. His many questions, and most importantly, leaving Stenner’s Grove, would have to wait.