Return of the Fallen Volume 9 Chapter 4
(Master was pretty upset. I lost focus and ruined his concoction. Still, even though he scolded me, he was still patient enough to answer the rest of my questions. He can get pretty irritated but he’s not bad.)
Zephris left his master’s house nearly an hour ago and was on his way back home. As he walked alone through the great forest, the edge of light collecting at the top of the trees began to rise and disappear as the day transitioned into night.
Most kids his age would be terrified of being alone in the middle of an expansive forest but not Zephris. He had made this trip every single day without fail from the age of 6 until now.
Picking up a nearby stick, he swung it about nonchalantly as he thought about alchemy.
(Master said it wasn’t impossible to make an indestructible sword but the requirements one would need first and foremost are ingredients cast from the stars themselves. Next, one needs to be powerful in magic. So powerful that one can move the world.)
As Zephris was lost in thought, his swinging of the stick became more and more fluid. No doubt his father’s teachings coming out without notice.
It was at this time that Zephris heard something to the left of him.
*GRRRR*
The moment this noise rang out not to far away from him, Zephris instinctually held the stick in his hands like a sword and whipped his body in that direction.
Not a second later a large wolf broke out from the tree line and charged directly at him. The wolf itself was nearly 10 feet long and 6 feet tall. Its body was extremely agile and it was upon Zephris in almost an instant. Any other 8 year old would be petrified seeing a wolf bearing its fangs and would be unable to move.
Zephris though was no ordinary boy. Instead of running away or falling backward, the youth took a step forward and flexed his body until it was taught like a coil. The moment the wolf tried to bite down and crush the boy’s head with its sharp teeth, the boy swung the simple stick down and unleashed all of that wound-up tension with all the force in his body.
*THWACK*
The stick broke on impact and smashed the wolf directly in the face, sending it flying backward, knocking it into a nearby tree.
*Thud*
The wolf hit the tree and shook it, causing a few loose leaves to fall down. After that, the wolf tried to stand but its back was broken. The pain hit it right as it tried to stand and it howled in agony. Zephris walked up to it and felt no pity.
“Those that attack must always be prepared for a counter-attack. At least that’s what father always says.”
Zephris wore a sour expression as he realized he was quoting his father.
“Great now I’m repeating that guy’s words.”
Pointing at the badly hurt wolf, Zephirs snapped his fingers.
*Whoosh*
A blade of wind nearly a foot long flew out and decapitated the wolf, sending its head rolling a few feet away.
“Mama can use this pelt and maybe make Alta something nice from it. That brat better appreciates her big brother’s gift.”
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“Grek’s, don’t be foolish. The great forest has had it simple all this time while nearly everywhere else, people have been suffering. Answer my master’s call and fight for him and my master will spare you and yours. Continue to refuse, and you know what will happen.”
A group of people wearing full suits of armor and riding fierce-looking stallions surrounded a large man. Behind them was the village. Many people were terrified when they saw this but no one was willing to step in against fully equipped knights.
The man called Grek’s though was not intimidated in the least. He took a strong step forward and the horses started to freak out. It was as if they were terrified of his very presence.
“If your master takes even a single move toward me or my family, I will take his head from his shoulders. Send these words back to him and see if he dares cross me.”
The villagers were shocked by Grek’s words and the knights were furious.
There were 12 of them and half of them had drawn their swords and spears the moment Grek’s threatened their lord.
The one leading these knights held up a hand and they all stopped in their tracks. He turned back to Grek’s and sized him up before promptly stepping down from his horse. Taking a few steps forward he came face to face with Grek’s. The two men were similar in stature but the knight held a slight advantage in build.
“Even if you wished to refuse my lord that is fine certainly but you have actually threatened him and that is something my honor will not allow. Therefore I challenge you to a duel. If you win I will go back to my master and tell him of your refusal and I won’t mention your threats. Lose to me though and you will not only submit yourself to my lord and serve him loyally but so too will your family. That will be your punishment for the threats. What say you, Grek’s the thousand man slayer.”
Those in the village heard this title and many of the older ones looked shocked at Grek’s. The children and younger folk didn’t understand why their elders suddenly went blanked faced but they knew it couldn’t be good.
Grek sighed hearing that old name. He had hoped not to hear it ever again but it seems his past was catching up with him.
“You know of my past and yet you still entered my den. Fine, I accept.”
The kights surrounding the two started to laugh after they heard this but again the leader held up his hand and they went silent.
The leader slowly drew a long thick blade from his back. It was nearly 5 feet in length and almost a foot wide until the end where the blade narrowed into a point.
“My name is Denrow, draw your blade and face me fairly in front of these witnesses.”
Grek didn’t draw the sword at his waist, instead, he casually picked up a stick from the ground. The stick itself was only a few feet long and was too thin to be considered a walking stick. It looked very dry as if it would crumble right away if one were to grip it too firmly. With a small swing, Grek nodded.
“I’m ready.”
The knights all looked insulted and began to rage. The villagers as well saw this and thought Grek had gone mad. They all knew he was a fighter and were glad to have him but what could a man with a stick do against another with a real sword.
A few of the villagers couldn’t help but voice their concerns.
“Grek don’t do it!”
“Grek just give up! That human is a knight, aren’t knights supposed to be ridiculously strong!?”
Even though these villagers had not stood up for Grek’s it’s not like they hated the man. More like they just didn’t wish to get involved with outsider affairs. Seeing Grek pick up a stick to fight though, they could hold their tongues no longer.
Ignoring them, Grek looked at the knight.
“If you stand still, it will be too late for regrets. Come at me or have you realized your own mistake in challenging me?”
The leader of the knights was both mad and confused. To accept a duel and then use a stick was incredibly insulting. At the same time, the man standing in front of him knew of war and battle better than most. Was Grek simply overconfident?
(After surviving so many battles, has everything gone to his head, or is he simply looking down on me to such a foul degree that he sees me as nothing. Which is it, confidence or looking down upon me. The thousand-man slayer, he didn’t just get that name for nothing. Slaying a thousand men in a single battle. Only someone with extreme skill is capable of that. Who am I though, I have won every battle myself and come so far. I can tell our strengths are close but how close exactly. This man before me, after living in a forest for a decade and settling down, has family life dulled your blade or sharpened it?)
As the knight was lost in thought, he suddenly found Grek to be unfathomable. Sizing him up a moment ago to now when he held a simple stick in his hand, the knight could find no openings, no weaknesses of any kind.
“I guess I’ll make the first move since you refuse to.”
The moment Grek said this, all the hair on the knight’s body stood on end and some basic instinct within him screamed to run away.
(No, I can’t run, but at the same time if I allow this man to make the first move, that can only end in tragedy. I must move first, I must attack with everything I have RIGHT NOW!!)
He thought this but his body refused to move forward or back. At this exact time when he was seemingly frozen, Zephris exited the deeper parts of the Great forest and found himself besides all of the knights and his father. The moment he appeared, Grek looked over.
“Son, that wolf?”
Zephris carried the large wolf on his back, its body weighing several hundred pounds yet he transported it with ease.
The moment Grek was distracted, the knight ignored this new presence and rushed at Grek. His blade high above his head a slight magic glow ran through his sword making his sword harder and sharper. Swinging his sword down in a slash he shouted.
“DIE!”
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