Vol. 2 Ch. 1 : Terror Birds

Author's note:
Recurring characters: 

Sasha: A friend of Peter. Naginata user. One of the most talented youngsters in the Simon village. 

Victor: Father of Sasha. A guard of Simon village. 

James: A friend of Peter. Has the Tracker class. 

Paul: A friend of Peter. Has the Woodsman class.  

English is not my first language. If you notice any errors, point them out to me. Thank you. 

Proof/Beta read and edited by Snazzycub

...

Sabine raised her hand and closed it into a fist. “Halt!”

She nudged her mount with her left foot. The bird understood the signal and loped forward slowly, veering slightly to the right, allowing her to survey her contingent. A smile bloomed on her lips, and her heart swelled with well-deserved pride as she looked at the confident faces of her retinue. The journey had not been easy, especially with the constant urging of the high priest tagging along.

“We will rest for ten minutes. Use it wisely,” she said, alighting from her loyal Titanis Walleri. A sharp look from her stopped the high priest from questioning her authority.

‘To think a man like Thomelin could wear such a distressed expression,’ she thought, half expecting him to rush into the village alone. Her worries, however, proved unfounded as the servant of Avaris closed his eyes and began to pray. She sighed in relief.

Sabine left him with his goddess and turned her attention to the approaching adjutant. With a wave of her hand, she signalled the woman to follow. Ilyana nodded curtly and quickened her pace. Drawing up beside her she said, “The situation doesn’t look good, Dame.”

Sabine nodded with a grim look, “What can you tell?” As an Arcane Savant, Ilyana was adept at noticing irregularities in the ambient mana.

‘If only my classes were less restrictive with magical skills,’ Sabine thought, looking at her status.

Status...
Name: Sabine d'Alric
Title: Baroness
Class: Knight {Unusual} lv. 100 Valkyrie {Unusual} lv. 12

“I would caution against rushing headfirst into the village,” Ilyana murmured, glancing at the praying old man before continuing, “The closer we move toward the village, the more sluggish atmospheric mana becomes. I am sure you have noticed it too.”

Sabine nodded, ‘Levelling an unaligned skill was not easy, but my mana sense can tell that much’

“It’s hard to tell what’s causing it from a distance, but that’s not all. The mana—it’s polluted. I am not sure about the kind of pollution it is, but it’s a point of concern,” Ilyana frowned while observing the village. “I am glad that the Count decided to send you, Dame. Your martial prowess does calm my nerves a bit.”

Sabine shook her head with a mocking smile, “He will do anything to keep me away from his seat of power. Not that I’m complaining. Politics is not my calling. The sooner he understands that, the sooner he’ll be at peace.”

Ilyana laughed, a sound like the ringing of tiny bells, “His paranoia is not totally unfounded, Dame. With his son failing to get anything beyond a common class, it is natural for him to be suspicious of your motives.”

“Let us not get distracted,” Sabine said, “We’ll wait for Ser Darian before investigating further.”

“He must make haste then.” a voice said from behind. Both women turned around and welcomed the priest with curious eyes. Thomelin regarded them both with reddened eyes and a clenched jaw.

Ilyana locked eyes with Sabine before rounding on the old man, “Forgive me, high priest. You must sate my curiosity. It is an unjustified tragedy that has befallen this village, and we must all grieve for the lives lost. Still, your reaction is a bit too on the nose. Do tell me what is so special about this particular village?”

Thomelin didn’t answer at once. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, gaze dropping to the floor. When he finally met their eyes again, the weariness in them was unmistakable. “There is no point hiding it any further,” he said, voice low and cracked like dried parchment.

“Just like Dame Sabine, the priestess at the village had an unusual class: Tamer.” He said. A soft gasp slipped from Ilyana’s lips. Beside her, Sabine’s eyes snapped to the priest, her expression stiffening with alarm. Thomelin gave a slow, grim nod.

“What is someone like that doing in such a small village?” Ilyana asked, disbelief colouring her voice. Her gaze bore into the old man as though trying to peel back the truth.

Sabine stepped forward, voice sharpening like a blade. “And the Kobolds—” she said, her tone icy. “What are the chances their sudden appearance has anything to do with your priestess?”

Thomelin’s lips parted, but no sound came at first. He glanced aside, throat working in a dry swallow. Sweat gathered at his temples and glistened along his brow as he ran a shaking hand over his robe.

“I… I don’t know,” he stammered, eyes flicking between the two women without settling. “But—with the mana in the air polluted with abyssal mana—it’s not impossible.”

“Abyssal mana, you say?” Sabine narrowed her eyes, her voice low and threatening.

The thundering of hoofbeats cut the conversation short. All eyes turned north as a dozen riders surged into view, with Ser Darian leading the charge atop his Titanis Walleri. As they closed the distance, it became clear that each steed bore two riders. Dust billowed in their wake, curling through the air like smoke. When they finally reined the horses in a few paces from the gathering, the trailing cloud swept over the contingent.

“In all honesty, Ser Darian, you could have stopped some distance away to spare your fellow warriors from dust,” Ilyana remarked sarcastically, giving the young man a pointed look.

Darian dismounted, cheeks reddened with embarrassment, and offered a quick apology before hastily approaching Sabine. “As requested, I have brought the leaders of the nearby villages, Dame. To my surprise, I have found a few survivors.”

Darian immediately looked back and motioned to the people that he brought back with him. With hesitant steps and wary eyes, the group slowly approached, huddled together, gaze constantly surveying their surroundings.

“You did well, Darian,” Sabine said, her gaze steady as she nodded to the young Spellblade. Then she turned her attention to the villagers, silently joining the others in taking their measure.

“Be at ease,” she added, offering a brief smile. With a subtle pulse of her leadership skill, Knight’s Assurance, the anxious murmurs faded. Fidgeting ceased. Shallow breaths deepened. Shoulders slowly unknotted as the crowd fell into an uneasy calm.

Sabine shifted her stance, invoking Aura of Command. Her voice rang out with sharpened authority. “We are here to help. For that, we require knowledge of what transpired here.” The weight of her presence settled over the villagers like a descending fog, both oppressive and inescapable. “Fret not,” she said, eyes sweeping the crowd, “you have my word. None shall be harmed, so long as you cooperate.”

Sabine stared at the group until individual nods were returned before continuing, “Survivors of the village behind me,” she said, her tone neutral, “step forward and make yourselves known.” She didn’t have to wait long. A man and three youngsters stepped out of the group. Sabine studied their faces.

Despite the sunken eyes and dark circles, the man and the girl stood straight. They seemed fine, if a bit haunted by the week-old experience. The same couldn’t be said about the boys, judging from their constant shivering and paleness of their faces. They looked like they were on the verge of collapse.

“I won’t be needing you two,” Sabine said, her voice betraying the pity she felt for them. She turned to her right, “High Priest, if you may.”

Thomelin nodded at her in understanding before smiling kindly at the boys, “Follow me,” he said, wrapping his arms around the shoulders of both youngsters before taking them to the side.

‘I hope they can conquer this trauma,’ Sabine thought, looking at the old man slowly working his healing magic on them. Healing the mind was not an easy task, even for a high priest. It was a long process, often requiring the patient wanting to recover.

Wishing them luck, Sabine turned her attention back to the remaining duo. “Introduce yourselves,” she said, her tone carrying urgency. With the earlier revelation by the high priest, she felt the need to act act quickly.

‘Abyssal mana and a potential rogue tamer. By the gods!’ She bit her lower lip in frustration.

“My lady. – This-this is my daughter, Sasha. This lowly peasant is called Victor. I-I was the first one to notice the kobolds!” Victor pushed Sasha to bow down with him, head lowered to stare at the ground.

Sabine frowned at the excessive grovelling. “Be at ease. As long as you cooperate, no one will be harmed.” She waited for them to stand taller. “You said that you were the first to notice the kobolds. Tell me more about it.”

“Yes, yes, my lady. That night-no, you see. I am one of the guards. That night, like any other night, you see, I was out patrolling the perimeter of the village. In the middle of my patrol, I noticed-noticed them approaching,” Victor recounted, swinging his arms to paint a vivid picture with widened eyes and a desperate voice.

He raised his palm chest-height, “They looked around this tall in the darkness, and in vast numbers as they rushed towards the village from the forest. I immediately used Night Vision to investigate and sounded the alarms as I rushed inside.”

Sabine raised her palm to stop him, “From the forest, you say? Not from inside?”

“Inside? Why would they be inside, my lady?” Victor stared at her in confusion before continuing while leaning forward, “No, my lady. They came from the forest and mounted a siege on the village. We tried our best, but once the walls were breached, chaos spread”

Sabine nodded before asking, “What happened to the priestess?”

“The priestess?” Victor wiped his forehead before scratching his arms, “Amelia was there with her familiar. We tried to help her—” Sabine slapped him, Victor’s head jerked sideways, and blood droplets fell on the soil with a tooth.

“You lie,” Sabine stated, her voice dry and eyes narrowed as Sasha supported her father while glaring hatefully at the Baroness.

Ilyana raised an eyebrow, “I would advise you to lower your gaze, girl. Your father had been warned. No harm will come to you if you cooperate.”

“Every noble worth their salt has a truth detection skill in their arsenal.” Darian said, an edge in his tone, and a promise of more violence in his gaze as he looked at the crouching man. “You are standing in front of the knight commander of Draymore County, Sabine d’Alric. Show some respect.”

“Forgiveness, my lady, forgiveness,” Victor pleaded, prostrating himself to the ground. “I was afraid for my daughter, my lady. She is my everything after her mother’s death. This father couldn’t gather enough courage to try saving the priestess. I was more focused on pulling my daughter away from harm. She died a gruesome death in front of our eyes as we were escaping.”

“May the light of Avaris shine upon the poor soul!” Thomelin muttered, hands clasped in a prayer as he approached. “Forgive me, Amelia. This old man shouldn’t have doubted your faith in the holy mother.”

“May she rest in peace,” Ilyana said, before sighing in relief, “We don’t have to worry about a corrupted tamer at least.”

“Corrupted tamer? Did I miss something?” Darian asked in bewilderment.

“You did, Ser Darian.” Sabine turned toward him, and he hastily fixed his posture. “We will be moving into the village soon. I am tasking you with the responsibility of leading the warriors you brought along. Can I trust you with this?”

Darian inflated his chest, his hands resting on his sword’s pommel as he nodded with a confident smile, “Yes, Dame. You will not be disappointed.” Eager to test his new authority, Darian led the villagers to the side with spring in his steps.

“Thomas!” Sabine shouted, marching toward her contingent. A man in his late twenties rushed to meet her halfway, “Yes, Dame”

“If I remember correctly, your class, Fatebound Traveller, comes with a Divination skill, right?” Sabine asked, facing him. Thomas gave a respectful nod.

“Good. I want you to use it to investigate the village before we mount an assault.” She instructed, climbing on her Titanis Walleri.

...End Of Chapter....

Titanis Walleri is a prehistoric bird, better known as Terror bird.