Sinful Pride - Volume 1 Chapter 12 The End Of A Long Night

Just a few days ago, Yozu was playing with his friends without a care in the world around this bridge. They sometimes went to the Aerch Militia headquarters and watch the soldiers, filled with dreams of future exploits. It was normal for a young boy to be attracted to heroic tales of the past. He looked up to the Heroes he heard in bedtime stories. Heroes who started from nothing, as just another rookie in the Militia.

Today was different. He could not understand how things ended up like this. Being in one of the battles he so much liked to hear about was different from taking part in one. The smell. That was the first thing he noticed. The stories never said anything about how bad the smell was. Also the blood. Why was there so much blood?

“The Militia will protect us.” his father said when they decided to stay in this city. But where was the Militia now? His father was dead and his mother had taken up his spear and was fighting. Around him there were old people, women and children, just a few years older than him, trying to fight against the Orcs who were laughing as they slaughtered them. How can something like this be called a battle?

‘Where are the heroes?’ he asked himself time and time again. A human hero hasn’t appeared for more than fifty years. There were none to save him. His eyes were glued to the ground. He was behind the barricade, next to his mother who was trying to stab Orcs.

“Yozu, run!” he heard his mother cry. She was grabbed by an Orc and was struggling to get free. Punching the giant’s hand as hard as she could. The Orc pulled her over the barricade while laughing. They were all laughing. What’s going to happen to her? Is she going to be killed like dad? Why are they all laughing?

Yozu’s body was moving on it’s own. He climbed over the barricade and grabbed his mother’s dress.

“Mom!” he screamed as he tried to pull her with all his strength, with tears on his eyes. If there were no heroes in this world to save him, he just had to become one.

“Kid, what are you doing?” an elder’s voice rang. “Come back, you are going to die!” the elder yelled. But Yozu paid no mind to it. All he could hear were his mother’s screams, as she struggled to get free.

“…”he felt a giant hand squeeze his whole body. Another Orc grabbed him, still laughing. There were so many of them. And why are they all laughing?

“Yozu!” his mother screamed.

‘It’s over…’ he thought. ‘I am going to die.’

He finally realized. Why the Orcs were all laughing. It was over. This battle. His life. It was all over. The Orcs won. Then…

TONK!

He heard a sound coming from the Orc that grabbed him. Something hit it’s head. Something heavy. The object fell next to Yozu, hitting the wooden bridge. It was round, with what seemed like… black hair.

The Orc, released it’s grip as it looked at the object. It wasn’t laughing any more. It was staring at it with a stupid expression on it’s face. Something else came flying, this time hitting the Orc that had it’s hand around Yozu’s mother. It was heavier than the last one. It seemed like a red rock in the shape of a giant axe. The Orc hit by the axe fell down and wasn’t moving.

Yozu’s mom, pushed the heavy arm aside and run to him, hugging him and crying.

Silence.

The Orcs stopped laughing. They stopped attacking. All of them were as still as statues, staring at the object and the axe that came flying over. They shifted their gazes, at the direction they came from but there was nothing there. But Yozu saw it. Something… Someone flying. He was above the Orcs and landed just in front of him. His clothes were charred and missing parts, as if someone threw them in the fire. His face and what skin was revealed, was a discolored red. It seemed painful.

The man muttered something and his blade was enveloped in a brilliant light. With a slash leaving a trail of white, the Orc in front of him – the one that grabbed Yozu – had it’s head removed from it’s shoulders. ‘With just one hand! He was able to cut an Orc’s head with just one hand!’ Yozu thought in surprise. As it fell, the thirty something Orcs flinched and turned their heads.

The man thrust his blade on the wooden bridge and put his hand at the end of the handle.

‘His back… It looks so big’ Yozu thought as he was staring at the man in front of him.

“None of you will pass this point! These humans are under my protection!” a clear voice could be heard. He was younger than Yozu thought. “Your leader is dead.” He shouted at the Orcs. “Go back to your owner!” He sounded confident and kinda scary, to Yozu. Also a bit condescending.

The Orcs couldn’t understand what he was saying but they weren’t stupid as opposed to popular opinion. They did elect their leaders based on strength and they were war mongers, but their leaders surrounded themselves with Orcs that understood tactics. Shamans, slavers and merchants. A leader’s intelligence could often be measured by the people he has around him.

They saw their leader’s head and weapon and that was enough to understand their situation.

The Orcs, looked at each other. Some nodded and then they started to move. The Orc that was hit with the axe, got up, grabbed it and then…

They all run away. The one with the axe was leading and the rest were following, glancing behind them at the man’s direction.

“…” the man didn’t move. Was it Yozu’s imagination? He felt as if he heard something coming from his mouth.

The elder’s voice that tried to stop Yozu, could be heard behind the barricade.

“You are…” the elder said.

“My name is Keita Raigon. I came to help.” the man half turned his head, revealing just how badly his burns were.

“That axe…” the elder tried to question but he was once again interrupted by the man, apparently named Keita.

“It’s fine, it’s all part of the plan. I will retrieve it before they leave the city. More importantly, take care of your wounded now. Stab all the Orcs that fell, even if you are sure they are dead. Also send one person at the North bridge. There are still a few soldiers there. Tell them that you need reinforcements. Also tell the commander that there are still some men fighting at the plaza just past the shopping district. They are skilled but they will need to take a rest soon. Tell him to use that information as he pleases. I will be going back on the attack. The rest of you… Well do your best. The battle is almost over but don’t get careless. Just a little bit more. Make sure you all survive just a little bit more and all will be over.” he gave commands at fast pace. “Did you get all that elder?”

The elder seemed a bit surprised that he was picked. Does that mean he is the leader now?

“Yes, we got it… Um…” the elder once again was interrupted.

“Save what you want to say after the battle. I am going.” the man said and started moving.

“Excuse me!” surprisingly Yozu’s mother was the one that shouted. Yozu thought she was still crying but her eyes were clear and had a light Yozu has never seen before.

“Thank you for saving us!” she yelled to the man who stopped and looked back.

He smiled and responded “It’s fine. We are all humans after all.”

“…?”

“Humans?”

The people at the barricade were muttering and whispering among themselves. They found something the man said out of place but Yozu didn’t seem to understand.

Yozu was looking at the man and saw his expression change a bit. His smile seemed to loosen. He didn’t quite understand why but the man in front of him was… weird.

The man turned around and started running ahead.

‘Is that what heroes are like?’ Yozu thought as he saw the man running towards the city on fire.

* * *

‘F.u.c.k! F.u.c.k!’ Keita cursed over and over in his head. ‘What the hell was I thinking tossing the weapon? If I have to fight against that again I’m going to die. For sure. My body hurts all over. What the f.u.c.k was I thinking? Telling them it was part of the plan… What plan? I should’ve just said that it was fine. What the hell I’m even doing?’ he thought as he run after the Orcs with Haste.

Actually he knew exactly why he tossed the weapon. It was an old reflex. In the past, every time he took the head of an enemy commander or a human Hero, he tossed their head to the troops, alongside his or her weapon. He laughed as the soldiers tried to protect the head and weapon. As if it was something important. At that time, no other weapon could ever measure against his. But now it was different. An axe like that, in the hands of an enemy… Keita shuddered at the thought of fighting against that again.

‘Confident and intimidating. Not proud and scary.’ was what he thought he should look like when he arrived.

‘Now I seem like an idiot’ he thought, dejected. ‘And what the hell was with these looks at the end? Did I say something wrong? I have no idea.’

He tried to seem heroic. He wanted to give hope to the people that he saved even if it was a little bit. He wanted others to feel at ease when seeing him but it all came crashing down.

‘Even if I force myself to change, I will be unmasked for what I really am. I don’t have what it takes to be a Hero nor do I deserve to be one. I know that better than anyone. I just wanted to help. I should stick with that instead of pretending to be something I am not. I don’t have to care if humans like me when I save them.’ he tried to convince himself.

The Orcs were just ahead. There were a lot of them. If they can use that weapon, it will probably not end well.

‘No, even if they can’t, these numbers and the way I am right now… It’s bad no matter how I look at it.’ his body was heavy. The wind felt like someone was rubbing his burned face with hard leather.

‘I can’t just let them have that axe though…’ he made his way towards the Orcs. Just one more turn and he was going to be able to see their backs.

‘This is the finishing line. Just a little more and I’ll finally be able to rest.

* * *

The sun finally rose, proclaiming the end of this long night. Keita was surrounded in dead Orcs. He was sitting against a building, hugging the giant axe and his sword, which was painted red with dried blood, in one hand.

‘I can’t move…’ he thought. There was a lot of blood. He was pushing a cut to his belly to keep it from gushing out. His right hand was red with his own blood.

Keita shifted his eyes towards the sun.

‘I don’t want to die…’ he thought, as if complaining to someone.

He heard some noise coming from his left. It was footsteps. He was so tired he didn’t even think to check for sources of magic power. Not that it would do him any good right now.

“Is he dead?” he heard a woman’s voice. She didn’t really sound concerned.

“That’s rude.” Keita responded in a low voice.

“Wah!” he heard a few let out a startled scream.

Keita raised his head and looked at the people around him. It was the Aerch Militia soldiers that he saw at the plaza. Four of them. Everything was blurry but he could make at least that much.

“Sorry… Is there a Priest among you? Can’t really see. I’m kinda bleeding out over here. My stomach…” he said in a trembling voice.

A man in blue and white robs knelled in front of him.

“Let me see.” he said.

‘Am I going to live?’ Keita questioned as he tried raising his right arm to show him the wound.

“By Arcione’s blessing, Greater Cure” the man made a few gestures with his hand in front of his forehead. A greenish light shined from his stomach.

Keita felt a comfort, as the pain around his wound disappeared. His muscles that were tense finally relaxed as he let out a long sigh.

‘This is heaven… Well, not literally but…’ he thought as the fear of dying left him.

“There are more Orcs here than we killed all night, right?” he once again heard the woman’s voice.

“Yeah… It looks like we are the same age but this…” now it was a man’s. “Just one man doing this… Is he a monster?”

“I am not a monster. Stop talking like I am not here.” Keita complained. Energy returned to his voice. “Thanks for healing me. You really save me. I will be sure to repay you later.” he told the Priest. His vision was still blurry.

“Never mind that. Let me see your other big injuries. I can’t do anything about your lost blood and stamina so you have to take it easy for a while.” the Priest responded.

‘He sounds a bit angry. I must really look like a corpse right now.’ Keita figured.

“Then can you heal my left foot and arm? It isn’t very serious but I think I broke a few toes when I kicked an Orc. Also the arm… Probably when I was blocking. Can’t remember.” he told him.

The Priest let out a sigh.

‘Are all Priests like that? It’s the first time I meet one. He is a bit… bossy…”