Synthetic Survivor: Machine Age - Chapter 149

To march into battle, a man must be ready to embrace the idea of death. Not just the death of one’s own body but the death of those who the person will fight, either by his hands, or the hands of others.

The realities of war were emphasized clearly with their battle against the goblins. Their fight was equal, both sides fought hard, and used various strategies to try and one up the other.

But in the end, the deciding factor the battle was the man in black who stood among them, surrounded by a mysterious cloud of darkness from where his eyes shined through.

Yet, despite the seemingly hostile and unfathomable power of this man in black, he was their ally.

The knights and Toby were all tired and drained of much of their energy to move forward. The battle against the goblins lasted thirty minutes, non stop fighting, horde upon horde of these tiny green creatures.

But as their leader stood on top of the hobgoblin victorious, their resolves were strengthened and remained.

One allowed his men to rest for an hour, mainly to help Toby replenish most of his mana before they head out to the nearest village which was just down this here road.

The reality that the goblins may had already ran amok and devastated the villages were now engraved into their minds. Some wanted to venture forth without so much as a good rest but One made sure to convince them otherwise.

An army who fought with half its strength would falter against an army who fought with all of its strength.

There was not much talking between the knights and Toby. The only times they spoke were if One would relay an order through Toby and then Toby would direct it to the knights.

They continued their journey after an hour of rest. Soon, they arrived at the first eastern village down the path.

As One had suspected, it had been overrun.

The village was not surrounded by any wall, instead, wheat fields and several other crop farms surrounded it. Judging by the state of the harvest, it seemed that they were attacked while the villagers were in the middle of harvesting their food.

The group entered the village proper and found the remains of the villagers. Men, women, and children, none were spared.

“Check everything,” One ordered. His men then scattered about in search for survivors and anything that could be of use.

As One walked by the village well conveniently situated in the middle of the settlement, One leaned over and looked down to see if some soul managed to jump over.

To his luck, there was somebody down there.

But that somebody was dead. Standing atop of its lifeless body drenched by the waters of the well was a surviving goblin.

Using his heat detector and night vision, he saw through the dark chamber of the well.

“I wonder if these creatures could be interrogated?” One asked Hailey.

[Since they’re different from their more nomadic cousins down to the south, maybe?] Hailey answered.

“It’s worth a shot,” One said before taking out a small plasma rifle from a pocket over his buŧŧȯċks.

[You’ve never used that gun] Hailey pointed out.

“It’s because I never had a use for it, well now I could just use my palm weaponry but I’ll give this gun a try,” One said.

He aimed the rectangular barrel over the goblin’s right shoulder and pulled the trigger. A concentrated beam then escape from the rectangular barrel and pierced the goblin’s right shoulder like a clean cut from a sharp blade.

The goblin squealed and then began jumping around the well and in a last ditch effort to save itself, tried to use the dead girl’s body beneath him as a shield.

But One was faster than his one good arm. He aimed at the goblin’s left shoulder and pulled the trigger. The same rectangular beam destroyed his shoulder and the goblin again cried out in pain.

Toby and the knights heard the goblin squeal and immediately rushed to the scene only to find One had shot off its arms using a strange magical weapon.

“Haul him over,” One said.

The knights then found a piece of roping, tied it around one of the knights and then pulled him down.

The knight then grabbed hold of the goblin as it flailed about and tried to claw the knight with its feet.

The now unconscious goblin was slowly bleeding to death.

“Tend its wounds and bring it to me by the next hour,” One said.

Confused but worh no courage to ask why One  said such a bizarre order, the knights and Toby complied and went out to patch up the goblin’s wounds.

The goblin had two missing limbs, his left and right arms. Without them, it was doomed to die anyway in the wild with no method of fight back its enemies or ability to find a food source that was stable enough.

One had no plans in saving it really, the goblin was merely a tool that he was going to use. One needed information about his green enemies and if these creatures were indeed more intelligent than their savage cousins to the south, then it would he worth the time to torture it.

One continued walking around the village in search of survivors but alas, only dead bodies, mutilated corpses, and several dead goblins were to be found.

As One kicked one of the goblin corpses that was in his way, he lamented.

“I was too late,”