Chapter 261 – The Battle for Frontier City Akela (9): The Price

Chapter 261

The Battle for Frontier City Akela (9): The Price

Date : Day 18 of Firstthaw 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.

Hyoren stood at the foot of the hill, breathing hard.

Dawn Breaker was still gripped in both hands, its point lowered toward the earth. The colossal blade of light was gone. Only the white steel remained, faintly warm, its edge still shimmering with the last traces of Magic Blade.

His breaths came short and shallow. His heart pounded against his ribs so hard he could feel it in his throat. His Aethell Core felt hollow, scraped down to almost nothing. That final Lumen Severance had devoured nearly everything he had left.

His legs trembled.

He was only standing because Berserker was still burning through his body, and because he refused to fall. Not yet. Not here.

He lifted his eyes to the crater.

It was still smoking. A shallow bowl of scorched, glassy earth where the Goblin Chieftain had stood only moments ago, its edges glowing a faint, fading gold. Wisps of smoke curled up from the seared ground.

At the very center lay a single object.

A Magic Stone the size of a fist, faintly pulsing.

Nothing else.

Surface monsters left their corpses behind when they died. That was how it had always been. But Lumen Severance's discharge had erased the Chieftain completely. Its body, its fitted armor, the great horn on its back. All of it had been vaporized. Only the Magic Stone had survived.

Around the rim of the crater lay what was left of its guards.

The four shield-bearing Lords lay where they had fallen, scattered in heaps around the edge. Their massive square shields had been bisected cleanly in two, sliced straight through the middle. Their bodies had been cut the same way. The two halves of each lay side by side, smoking, their glowing shields gone dark.

For a moment, there was no sound at all.

Then a roar exploded behind him.

"GYAHAHAHA! HE DID IT! THE LAD DID IT!"

Jigor's voice boomed across the foot of the hill. The dwarf thrust his hammer into the air with both hands, his braided beard whipping as he threw his head back and laughed.

"By Gravok's beard! He cut that blasted Chieftain clean in half! WITH ITS GUARDS!"

Beside him, Fits lowered his thin greatsword. His shoulders sagged, all the tension draining out of them at once. Then a breathless laugh escaped him, the first genuine laugh Hyoren had heard from him all day.

"He actually… he actually did it…"

He raised his sword high.

"THE CHIEFTAIN IS DEAD!"

The dwarf woman of Shining Force slammed her hammer against her shield over and over, roaring wordlessly. The Lion-clan scout leapt onto a pile of goblin corpses, threw both daggers into the air, caught them and howled at the sky.

The cheer spread.

It rolled back down the stone road and out along the jagged walls. From the knights to the adventurers, from the night riders to the fledglings, one voice after another picked it up until it became a single thundering roar.

"THE CHIEFTAIN'S DEAD!"

"THE FIELD COMMANDER KILLED IT!"

"WE DID IT! WE DID IT!"

Hyoren turned slowly and looked back across the battlefield.

He didn't cheer. He didn't raise his sword. He simply stood in silence, chest heaving, and watched.

Far beyond the plain, the city wall stood gray against the sky. From here, it was only a thin line. He couldn’t make out a single figure on it.

Arianna… Elise…

Both of them had paid for this victory. He had watched Arianna fall. And Elise had fired Sacred Wind twice—he knew exactly what that would have cost her.

But they’re not alone up there… The Baron is with them... Oria too... And plenty of others…

They would be exhausted. Maybe even unconscious. But they would be safe.

Wait for me a little longer… I’ll be there soon…

He turned his gaze back to the plain.

The change was instantaneous.

A moment ago, the goblins had been charging the defenders without hesitation. They had thrown themselves against the jagged walls and climbed over their own dead, their eyes blank and fixed forward, driven by something stronger than fear.

Now that something was gone.

The Leadership Aura had vanished with the Chieftain. And without it, there was nothing left holding them together.

It started at the edges of the horde. A single goblin stopped mid-charge and looked around wildly, as if waking from a dream. Then another. Then a dozen. Their snarls faltered. The fierce, guttural roars that had filled the battlefield all day broke apart into something else. Shrill yelps. Panicked chittering. The sound of terror.

And then they ran.

All at once, the horde broke apart like a shattered dam.

There was no order. No formation. No squads moving in measured waves. Somewhere between two and two and a half thousand goblins, each one desperate to save its own life. They scattered in every direction, shoving and clawing at each other to get away. Goblins crashed into each other headlong and went down in tangled heaps. Others slipped in the blood and gore of their fallen kin and were trampled by the ones behind them. Weapons were dropped and abandoned in the mud. Some of them were screaming.

A large mass of them fled north.

They ran blindly, heads down, never once looking where they were going. Straight toward the kilometer-and-a-half chasm Arianna had carved across the plain earlier. The ones in front reached the edge, and the ones behind didn't stop. The front ranks were pushed over the brink by the panicked mass at their backs. They fell into the dark one after another, shrieking, their cries cut short far below. And still more kept running into it.

Others fled south, toward the Akela River.

They hurled themselves into the water without hesitation, as if the current were safer than the battlefield behind them. The river took them. The cold, fast water swept them off their feet and dragged them under, carrying them away downstream in a churning tangle of green limbs and flailing arms. Some surfaced, sputtering and clawing at the water. Most didn't.

Many more ran southeast, back toward the forest they had come from.

Their path took them close to the foot of the hill, close to Hyoren. As they streamed past, they caught sight of him. The towering, crimson-streaked figure standing beside the smoking crater where their leader had died, steam and dark mist still curling off his body. They shrieked and veered away from him in terror, scrambling over each other to put as much distance between them and him as they could.

And another group ran east.

Away from the battlefield and toward the King's Highway. Toward the villages and settlements that lay along it, undefended and unaware of what was coming.

And a few had lost their minds entirely. Without the Chieftain's will in their heads, something in them had snapped. They hurled themselves at the defenders with wild, frothing snarls, swinging their weapons blindly, attacking anything that moved. They weren't fighting to win. They were simply fighting because they no longer knew what else to do.

On the left side of the battlefield, Fiona tore her greatsword out of a goblin's chest and raised it high above her head.

"You lot! The Field Commander killed the Chieftain!"

Her voice cracked across the battlefield like thunder. The adventurers around her roared in answer.

She swung her greatsword around, pointing it toward the fleeing goblins.

"Anyone who can still move, CHASE THEM! But don't you fucking overextend yourselves!"

Her blazing eyes swept over the young Wood and Iron ranks scattered among her veterans.

"Especially you fledglings! Stay here! Get the wounded back to the medic tent! That's your job now!"

Then she jabbed her greatsword east.

"Prioritize the ones running east! They're heading for the King's Highway and the villages! Ignore the ones running back to the Forest of No Return!"

The adventurers surged forward with newfound morale and energy.

"YES, GUILD MASTER!”

On the right flank, Captain Yugold raised his sword and turned to face his knights.

"Knights! The enemy commander has fallen! The enemy is broken!"

His voice rang out over the clamor.

"Break formation and pursue! Cut down every goblin heading east! Do not let a single one of them reach the King's Highway!"

The knights’ answer rang across the plain.

"YES, CAPTAIN!"

The knights' shields parted. The Templar Knights surged to the front, their golden glow flaring bright once more, and the whole column broke into a run.

At the edges of the battlefield, the night riders wheeled their horses around. At their head, Filipe Tartard raised his spear high.

"Riders! East! Run them down before they reach the highway! For Akela!"

"FOR AKELA!"

Hooves thundered across the churned earth as the cavalry broke into a full gallop. The horses tore across the plain in a long, sweeping line, curving around the fleeing mass to cut it off. Crossbow bolts flew. Spears flashed. Goblins scattered before them, shrieking.

And all across the battlefield, the defenders of Akela poured out after the broken horde.

Cheering. Shouting. Chasing.

Hyoren stood alone at the foot of the hill, beside the smoking crater. Dawn Breaker hung from his trembling hands, and the white banner fluttered on its planted spear.

***

Hyoren's eyes swept across the foot of the hill and finally landed on them.

A short distance away, the Ox-clan Beastkin was kneeling in the dirt. She had a tabby Cat-clan Beastkin cradled in her arms, his head resting in her lap. Her shoulders were shaking. Even from here, Hyoren could hear her sobbing.

Jigor stood beside them with his arms crossed over his chest. His hammer was hooked on his belt, his glowing shield gone dark. His expression was grim beneath his bushy brows.

Before Hyoren could move toward them, footsteps approached.

Fits jogged up to him with the dwarf woman and the Lion-clan scout at his heels. All three were battered, bloodied and gasping for breath, but grinning. The red-haired swordsman raised his hand high as he passed.

Hyoren raised his own, and their palms met with a loud smack.

"Leave the cleanup to us! You lot have earned your rest!"

A tired smile tugged at Hyoren's lips. He nodded.

"Thank you, Fits. Don't push yourself too hard."

Fits barked out a laugh and jabbed a finger at him.

"You should take a look in the mirror before you say that! This victory wouldn't have been possible without what you did!"

His grin widened, and he thumped a fist against his own chest.

"You've earned the respect of every single person in Akela City, Hyoren. Including mine."

Beside him, the dwarf woman slammed her hammer against her shield in agreement. The Lion-clan scout flashed Hyoren a fanged grin and a quick salute with one of her daggers.

Then Fits spun on his heel.

"Shining Force! Let's go!"

The three of them darted off across the plain, chasing after the goblins fleeing east.

Hyoren watched them go. Then he let out a long breath and turned his attention inward.

One by one, he released his skills.

Mist Dispersion faded first. The dark mist that had clung to his body all day thinned and dissolved into the air. Then Magic Blade, its faint shimmer vanishing from Dawn Breaker's edge. Then Accel Zone, the soft golden light around him flickering out. Strong Legs ebbed from his limbs. Enchant Maledict had already expired some time ago.

He left only Berserker.

The crimson streaks still blazed across his skin. Steam still rose from his swollen muscles. It wasn't time to release it yet. Not until he was somewhere safe. Not until he was sure the fight was truly over.

His gaze drifted to the mithril spear still planted upright in the earth a few steps away. The white banner fluttered in the wind above it, the black Aetovacus soaring proudly against the sky.

He walked over and pulled Étendard Sacré du Lys free from the ground. He held it for a moment, looking up at the banner. Then he focused on the Ring of Arsenal on his finger.

"Store Spear."

The spear and its banner vanished from his hand.

Its job was done. The defenders chasing the goblins across the plain would be too far away to see it anyway, and its blessing only reached those who could see it. There was no need for it now.

He slid Dawn Breaker into its pure white sheath.

Then he walked toward Jackey, Killa and Jigor.

His brow furrowed as he drew closer.

Jackey lay completely still in Killa's lap. At first glance, he didn't even look badly hurt. A few small scratches, some bruises, nothing more. Two empty potion vials lay discarded in the dirt beside him. The potions had closed most of his visible wounds.

But every few moments, his body twitched. It was a small, involuntary jolt, his fingers jerking, his shoulders flinching, as though something inside him was still being torn apart.

Dried blood was crusted beneath his ears, below his nose and at the corners of his mouth. Two faint, dark lines ran down his cheeks from the corners of his eyes. The bleeding had stopped. But the traces were still there.

Killa was stroking his hair with trembling fingers, tears streaming down her face.

Hyoren turned to Jigor.

"What happened?"

The dwarf uncrossed his arms, then crossed them again. He let out a heavy breath through his nose.

"I'm not entirely sure myself, lad."

He glanced down at the unconscious Cat-clan Beastkin.

"While you were busy with the Chieftain, the cat was guarding your back. Twelve of those Lords broke off to come after you, and there were five Archers on the slope, all of them aiming at you."

He shook his head slowly, as if he still couldn't quite believe what he'd seen.

"I've never seen a skill like that in my life. He wasn't just a blur anymore. It was like he was teleporting. One moment he'd be in one spot, and the next, twenty meters away. Each time, he left a small crater in the ground where he'd been standing."

His voice lowered.

"And with it, he took down ten goblins scattered all over that slope in a few seconds. Five Lords and five Archers. Before any of them could touch you."

Hyoren's eyes widened.

Jackey… did that…? While I was fighting the barrier…?

Killa sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

"I know that skill… hic…"

She gently stroked the top of Jackey's head.

"It's a legendary skill among us Beastkin… hic… Only a handful of people have ever learned it. And most of them were blessed by our god. By Zalkier."

She looked up at Hyoren. Her face was a mess of tears and snot, her eyes red and swollen.

"It's called Ground Shrink."

Jigor's bushy eyebrows shot up.

"A legendary skill? Blessed by Zalkier? By Gravok's beard… that cat? The one who never shuts up about whacking skulkers?"

Killa let out a choked, wet laugh despite herself.

"That's… that's exactly why it's unbelievable…"

Hyoren narrowed his eyes.

Ground Shrink… Shukuchi…?

The name stirred something from his old life. A mythical rapid movement technique. Stories of martial masters crossing great distances in a single step. Many of the games he’d played had skills like that. Shukuchi, Blink, Shrinking the Earth, and any other name.

But that only raised more questions.

Then why did it do this to him…?

He looked back at Killa.

"Does the skill have a price, Killa?"

She nodded, her lower lip trembling.

"Yes. It's powerful… but it wrecks the body of the one who uses it. They say using it more than three times in a row can kill you."

Her voice cracked.

"And Jackey used it four times."

She looked down at the empty vials in the dirt.

"I've already given him two high-grade potions. But he still won't wake up…"

Jigor let out a low whistle and shook his head.

"Four times… That reckless fool. He really doesn't know the meaning of holding back."

But there was no mockery in his voice. Only a gruff, reluctant respect.

Hyoren finally understood.

He crouched beside them and activated his Magic Eyes : Diagnostic Sight.

The information unfolded before his crimson-tinged vision.

State: Overexertion from repeated skill use. Ruptured eardrums (healed). Broken capillaries in nose (healed). Broken capillaries in eyes (healed). Multiple organ damage (partially healed).

Hyoren studied it carefully.

Almost all of Jackey's injuries had been caused by the skill itself. The two high-grade potions had already repaired most of the physical damage. But the true price, the magical cost of the skill, hadn't been paid yet. That was what kept him unconscious. That was what still made his body twitch.

Hyoren knew that feeling better than anyone. Berserker was the same.

He reached out and rested his hand on Jackey's shoulder. Beneath his palm, he felt another small, shuddering twitch.

You idiot little brother… You really pushed yourself all the way for me, huh…

He looked up at Killa and made his voice as steady and reassuring as he could.

"He should be… fine. At least his life isn't in danger anymore."

Killa's breath hitched.

"Really…?"

Hyoren nodded.

"It might take him some time to wake up. But we'll ask Archbishop Sherine for help once this is over."

Killa stared at him for a long moment. Then her shoulders slowly loosened. Her sobs quieted to soft sniffles. She bowed her head over Jackey and kept stroking his hair, more gently now.

"Thank you… thank you, Hyoren…"

Hyoren stood and turned to Jigor.

"Good work, Jigor."

The dwarf barked out a laugh and thumped Hyoren on the arm with his free hand.

"No, no. Good work, lad. You're the one who carved that blasted Chieftain in half."

As they spoke, more and more defenders streamed past them across the foot of the hill. Adventurers and knights, bloodied and exhausted but running, chasing the goblins fleeing east toward the King's Highway.

And as they passed, they looked at Hyoren.

A young Bronze-rank swordsman slowed just long enough to raise his blade.

"Thank you, Field Commander! You saved us all!"

A grizzled adventurer with a bandaged arm pumped his fist as he ran.

"That light sword! I'll be telling my grandkids about that one!"

A pair of knights saluted him crisply as they jogged past, their armor clanking.

"Commander!"

A Templar Knight paused for a moment and bowed his head, his golden glow dim with exhaustion.

"May Luminara's light be with you, Field Commander."

Then more voices, overlapping one another as group after group ran by.

"FIELD COMMANDER!"

"AKELA IS SAVED!"

Hyoren raised a hand to them, a little awkward, a little embarrassed, a small wry smile on his face. Some of them cheered louder at that.

Then a young Copper-rank adventurer slowed as he passed. His leather armor was torn, and a bloody bandage was wrapped around his forehead. He stared at Hyoren with wide, shining eyes, as if he were looking at something out of a bard's tale.

"You're… you're a hero…"

He said it softly at first, almost to himself. Then louder, his voice cracking with emotion.

"You're a hero! The Hero of Akela!"

Hyoren blinked.

He quickly raised both hands and shook his head.

"No, no, I'm not a hero. I just did what I had to. Everyone here fought just as hard…"

But the young adventurer was already running on, and his words had been heard.

A burly axeman behind him took up the cry, thrusting his weapon into the air.

"HERO OF AKELA!"

A pair of female adventurers jogging side by side laughed and joined in.

"The Hero of Akela!"

"Thank you, Hero!"

Hyoren scratched his cheek, his face growing warm beneath the crimson streaks.

"I really am not a hero…"

But nobody was listening.

The name spread through the defenders streaming past like fire through dry grass. Group after group took it up, shouting it over their shoulders as they ran east after the fleeing goblins.

"HERO OF AKELA!"

"HYOREN! HYOREN!"

“FREEDOM PARTY! HERO PARTY!”

Even a few knights, usually so stiff and disciplined, raised their spears as they passed and called out the name with grins on their tired faces.

Hyoren stood there helplessly and let out a long sigh.

I'm not a hero... I'm just someone who couldn't stand by and watch…

But the cheers kept coming, rolling across the battlefield, his name and that single word ringing out over and over until it seemed the entire plain was shouting them.

Beside him, Jigor threw his head back and roared with laughter.

"Gyahaha! Give it up, lad! You can't stop a crowd once it's decided something!"

He clapped Hyoren hard on the back.

"Like it or not, you're the Hero of Akela now!"

Hyoren could only smile wryly and shake his head.

"Good grief…"

He tried to change the subject as the adventurers cheered while passing them.

"Aren't you going to chase them too, Jigor?"

The dwarf threw his head back and roared with laughter.

"Gyahaha! With these stubby legs? Those goblins would be halfway to the next village before I caught up!"

He slapped a hand against his battered shield.

"My job's being a wall, lad. Not running down goblins. I'll leave that to the long-legged lot."

Hyoren chuckled softly.

Then heavy footsteps approached, and a familiar red-haired figure strode toward them, her greatsword resting on her shoulder.

Fiona.

She was covered in blood and grime from head to toe. Her hair was matted, her armor dented and scratched in a dozen places. But her eyes were bright, and there was a fierce, satisfied grin on her face.

She stopped in front of Hyoren.

"You did a good job, Field Commander…”

She paused then smirked.

“No… Hero of Akela. HAHAHA!”

She laughed so hard her wolf-cut crimson hair shook wildly.

Hyoren scratched his cheek.

“Not you too, Guild Master.”

Fiona’s smirk softened into a smile.

“You truly did a good job though.”

She jerked her chin toward Jackey and Killa.

"Now go take your passed-out one and get some rest. You've earned it. Leave the cleanup to us. It's the least we can do."

Then her gaze traveled over him. The crimson streaks across his skin. The swollen muscles. The steam still rising from his body.

She smirked again.

"So that's what your Unique Skill looks like up close. Haha."

She shook her head.

"Now I know asking to spar with you while you were using that was foolish. I'd lose. Badly. Haha!"

Jigor snorted beside her.

"Gyahaha! Only now you figure that out, Guild Master? I could've told you that this morning!"

Fiona shot him a look and jabbed the pommel of her greatsword lightly against his shoulder.

"Oh, shut it, Jigor. Like you'd last a minute against him either."

Jigor raised his finger.

"Never claimed I would!"

The two of them laughed, rough and tired.

Then Fiona's gaze dropped to Jackey, still lying in Killa's lap, still twitching. Her smirk softened.

"Take good care of that one. He did something incredible today."

Killa nodded quickly, wiping at her eyes.

Fiona gave Hyoren one last nod, hefted her greatsword and bolted off across the plain after the fleeing goblins, her crimson hair streaming behind her.

Hyoren watched her go.

He could see it in her stride, the slight unevenness in her steps, the way her shoulders sagged when she thought no one was looking. She was exhausted. Probably more exhausted than she would ever admit.

But she was still running.

Because she felt responsible. For this city. For the adventurers who had fought and bled under her command. For every single one who hadn't come back.

***

Hyoren pulled his gaze away from Fiona's retreating back and turned toward Jackey again.

The Cat-clan Beastkin hadn't moved. He still lay with his head in Killa's lap, his chest rising and falling in slow, shallow breaths. Every so often, another small twitch ran through his body.

"Jackey."

Hyoren crouched beside him and spoke softly, even though he knew Jackey couldn't hear him.

"Let's get you to the medic tent. We'll have Archbishop Sherine take a look at you."

He reached down to lift him.

But Killa's arms tightened around Jackey. She shook her head quickly, her drooping ears swaying.

"Please… let me."

Her voice was hoarse from crying, but steady.

"Let me carry him. It's… it's the least I can do."

She looked down at Jackey's face, at the dried blood on his cheeks.

"To atone for at least a little of what I did to him."

Hyoren studied her face.

Her eyes were red and swollen, her cheeks streaked with tears and dirt. But beneath all of it was something hard and unwavering—grim determination.

She really is a good girl inside… just like Ina said.

He watched her brush a strand of hair from Jackey's forehead with a trembling finger.

I’m not going to judge… But maybe what she did to Jackey was just a mistake of youth… I hope the two of them can reconcile someday… Or at least part on good terms…

Then he thought of a certain crimson-haired mage, unconscious on the city wall, who couldn't stand the sight of this girl.

Though Arianna still can’t stand her… But she isn’t someone to hold a grudge forever… She’ll be rational about it… I hope… 

He let out a quiet breath and nodded.

"Well, if you insist. He should be fine on your back."

Killa nodded firmly.

She shifted onto her knees, carefully pulled Jackey's arms over her shoulders and hoisted him onto her back. She grunted with the effort, set her feet, and rose.

It was almost comical. The small Ox-clan Beastkin, barely a hundred and fifty centimeters tall, with the much larger Cat-clan Beastkin slung across her back. Jackey's boots dragged against the dirt behind her. His tabby cat tail hung limp, its tip brushing the ground. His head lolled against her shoulder, his cheek resting against her small horns.

But Killa didn't stagger. She adjusted her grip, hooked her arms under his legs and stood firm.

Jigor watched her and let out a low grunt of approval.

"Hmph. Strong lass."

Hyoren turned to him.

"Shall we go, Jigor?"

The dwarf nodded and hefted his battered shield onto his back.

"Aye. Let's head back."

The three of them began walking back toward the city. Hyoren in front, Killa with Jackey on her back in the middle, Jigor bringing up the rear.

***

As they walked, Hyoren looked around.

For the first time all day, he could truly see the battlefield.

The plain east of Akela was unrecognizable.

That morning, it had been grassland. Open and green, the frost on the grass glittering under the rising suns. Now there was hardly any green left at all, except for the goblins.

They were everywhere. Their corpses lay scattered across the plain in heaps and drifts, thousands upon thousands of twisted green bodies. Some lay alone, curled in the mud. Others were piled so high they formed small hills. Rusted blades and broken spears jutted out of the gore. 

The smell was overwhelming. Blood. Rot. Opened bowels. Smoke. It hung over the plain in a thick, choking haze that clung to the back of Hyoren's throat with every breath.

Beyond the corpses, the earth itself bore the scars of the battle.

Vast stretches of the plain had been scorched black, the soil burned to ash by Hellfire. Smoke still curled up from the blackened ground in thin gray threads. Charred bodies lay half-buried in the soot, their shapes barely recognizable.

Craters pocked the ground everywhere, some shallow, some deep, all of them ringed with blasted earth. Dennis's Infernal Constellation had left them scattered across the plain like the marks of a meteor shower.

Toward the south, the bank of the Akela River had turned into a marsh. Oria hadn't cast another Flash Flood, but Hydro Pump after Hydro Pump from Elsylua throughout the battle had soaked the earth so thoroughly that it had pooled into a small, muddy lake. Drowned goblins floated in the shallows, bobbing gently in the brown water.

Farther out, deep in the heart of the plain, lay the two craters left by Arianna's Rods of God. Raw and smoking, their walls still glinting where the earth had fused into glass, surrounded by wide rings of broken ground and scattered bodies.

And then there were the three new landmarks Akela's eastern plain would carry for the rest of its days.

In the middle of the plain lay the first Earth Fissure from the opening bombardment. A massive chasm thirty meters wide and a hundred and fifty meters long, gaping open like a wound in the earth.

To the north, along the foot of the cliffs, stretched the second. The kilometer-and-a-half chasm, narrow but so deep its bottom was lost in shadow, jagged stone lining both edges like broken teeth.

And beside them now ran the third. The eight-hundred-meter "road," pressed flat into the earth and walled in by towering spikes of jagged stone on both sides.

Those three new landmarks were courtesy of Arianna's Earth Fissures.

Hyoren looked across them.

Terraforma Magic's changes are permanent… These will be here for years. Maybe forever.

Not every adventurer had joined the chase. Scattered across the plain, groups of adventurers too exhausted to run any farther sat on rocks or the edges of craters, or simply lay on their backs in the dirt, staring at the sky. Some passed waterskins back and forth. Some were bandaging each other's wounds. A few had begun to laugh, the shaky, disbelieving laughter of people who had just realized they were still alive.

A group of them had gathered near the edge of the massive chasm in the middle of the plain, staring down into it.

A lanky Bronze-rank spearman scratched the back of his head.

"Think the Baron's gonna fill this thing up?"

The woman beside him shook her head, leaning heavily on her sword.

"Fill that? Are you mad? It'd take years. And half the dirt in the barony."

A broad-shouldered axeman turned and squinted north, toward the long, narrow chasm along the cliffs.

"That one's even worse. Somebody's gonna fall in it someday."

The woman snorted.

"With those jagged stones along the edge? Only an idiot would manage that."

"So… you, then?"

"Shut up."

Then the spearman's gaze slid to the long stone road and its towering walls of spikes. A slow grin spread across his face.

"Now that one… that could be a tourist attraction. 'Walk the Road of the Hero!' Charge two coppers a head!"

The whole group burst out laughing. Someone threw a clump of dirt at him. He ducked, still grinning.

It was the first real laughter Hyoren had heard all day. They had won. They had survived. And slowly, the adventurers were beginning to remember how to joke again.

One of them spotted him walking past and shot to his feet.

"Hey! It's the Hero of Akela!"

The others turned. Fists shot into the air.

Hyoren raised a hand and waved back at them, a little awkwardly. They cheered louder.

Behind him, Jigor chuckled.

"Gyahaha! Listen to them, lad. Hero of Akela. Sounds rather nice, doesn't it?"

Hyoren sighed.

"I already told them I'm not a hero…"

Jigor grinned wickedly. 

"Too late for that! Once the bards get hold of it, you'll be the Hero of Akela in every tavern from here to the capital!" 

He gestured with his hand.

"I can already hear the songs. 'The Hero and his Shining Blade of Light!'"

Hyoren shook his head.

"Please don't."

Jigor's grin widened.

"'He split the Chieftain clean in twain!'"

Hyoren looked at the dwarf sharply.

"Jigor."

igor looked up at the sky, then couldn’t hold it in any longer.

"Gyahaha!"

Behind them, Killa said nothing. She simply kept walking, her eyes fixed on the ground ahead of her, Jackey's head resting against her shoulder.

***

They followed the line of the stone road back toward the city, walking alongside it. The jagged walls towered five meters high on their left, casting long, sharp shadows across their path. Beyond them, the city wall of Akela rose gray and battered against the sky, Gate of Guts standing open at its center.

But the closer they came to the wall, the more the mood around them changed.

Out on the plain, there had been laughter. Jokes. Cheering.

Here, near the gate, there was crying.

The joyful voices faded behind them one by one. In their place came other sounds. Sobbing. Groaning. Someone screaming in pain. Someone else calling a name over and over, louder and louder, getting no answer.

Hyoren's steps slowed.

All around the gate, the wounded were being carried in. They came on stretchers, on makeshift litters of cloaks and spear shafts, slung over their comrades' shoulders. One man had lost his right arm below the elbow, the stump wrapped in a blood-soaked rag. He stared ahead blankly, his face gray, as two others half-dragged him toward the medic tent. A young woman was being carried past with both legs bound tightly in bloodied bandages, her eyes squeezed shut, her lips moving in a silent prayer.

Somewhere nearby, a voice was shrieking.

"STRETCHER! I NEED A STRETCHER OVER HERE!"

Hyoren turned toward it.

A young Iron-rank swordsman was kneeling in the mud beside another boy. Both of his hands were pressed against his friend's stomach, and blood was welling up between his fingers, dark and fast.

"Please! Someone! He's bleeding! He's bleeding so much! PLEASE!"

Two adventurers rushed over with a stretcher, and together they heaved the wounded boy onto it. The swordsman ran alongside, still pressing his hands to his friend's stomach, still sobbing, as they carried him toward the gate.

Hyoren's hand twitched toward his belt.

But his storage bag was empty of healing potions. He'd already used them all. And his Aethell was nearly gone. He couldn't cast Healing Light, not even once.

He grimaced. His fists clenched.

I can't do anything for them…

And it went on.

Near the wall, an Iron-rank adventurer sat crouched on the ground with another boy cradled in his arms. The boy in his arms wasn't moving. His eyes were open, staring at the sky, empty. The Iron-rank was rocking back and forth, hugging him tightly, his face buried in his comrade's shoulder. He wasn't making any sound at all.

A little farther along, three Iron-rank adventurers knelt around a fourth lying on a stretcher. A girl was holding his hand, tears streaming down her face. One of the boys was trying to say something, but his voice kept breaking. The one on the stretcher was gasping, each breath shorter than the last, his chest barely rising.

Their party had been four. Soon it would be three.

And close to the gate, a small group of Wood and Iron ranks stood around three shapes laid side by side on the ground, covered with cloaks.

Hyoren didn't need to look beneath them to know.

A Wood-rank party.... All three of them…

One of the Iron-rank girls standing over them was speaking quietly, her voice trembling.

"They were the first to run out after Reon… They didn't even hesitate… They were so brave…"

The others around her bowed their heads. One of them laid a small, wilted wildflower on top of the cloaks.

More and more of them appeared the closer they came to the gate. Wounded. Dying. Dead. The true cost of the battle was laid out on the ground before them, bloodied and broken.

Hyoren's expression hardened, his face turning grim.

There were some Copper-ranks among the fallen. But most of them were the fledglings. The Wood and Iron ranks who had insisted on joining the fight. They had less experience. Lower levels. Worse gear. They had thrown themselves into the gaps of the wedge with nothing but their own bodies and their courage.

And they had paid for it.

If I had broken through faster…

His jaw clenched.

If I had found another way… If the plan had been better…

He was the field commander. Every single one of those deaths had happened under his command.

Beside him, Jigor's heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

Hyoren looked at him.

The dwarf wasn't laughing anymore. His bushy brows were drawn low, and his eyes were solemn beneath them.

"Don't, lad."

His voice was quiet. Gentler than Hyoren had ever heard it.

"I can see it on your face. You're thinking it's your fault."

Hyoren didn't answer.

Jigor shook his head slowly.

"It's sad. It's always sad. But this is war. People die in war. That's just how it is. It doesn't matter how good the plan is or how strong the commander is."

He nodded toward Gate of Guts. Toward the city wall. Toward the city beyond it.

"Look at that, lad. The wall is still standing. The city is still standing. Eleven thousand goblins came at us this morning, and the city is still standing."

His grip tightened on Hyoren's shoulder.

"You did your best. Better than anyone could've asked. You stopped the worst from happening. Without you, there wouldn't be anyone left to mourn these kids at all."

He let go and let out a heavy breath.

"We won, lad. But winning always has a price."

Hyoren looked back at the three cloaks on the ground. At the boy rocking his dead friend in his arms. At the stretchers being carried through the gate one after another.

His hands slowly clenched into fists. His knuckles went white.

"…I know."

His voice came out rough.

"I know, Jigor."

But knowing didn't make it any easier.

Beside them, Killa had stopped walking.

She stood with Jackey on her back, staring at the covered bodies of the Wood-rank party. Her lips were pressed tightly together. Her eyes were wide and unblinking. Her arms tightened around Jackey's legs, holding him closer against her back, as if she were afraid he might slip away too.

She didn't say a word.

But Hyoren could see it on her face. She was taking it all in. The wounded. The dying. The dead. The full weight of what this victory had cost.

After a long moment, Killa slowly started walking again, and the others followed. 

They were almost at the gate when Hyoren looked around once more.

And his steps faltered.

A little to the side of Gate of Guts, apart from the stretchers and the crowds, a girl was crouched in the mud.

Hyoren knew her at once.

She was kneeling over someone laid out on a tarp. Her shoulders were heaving. Her hands were clutching at the still figure in front of her.

A few steps away, two shields lay discarded in the dirt, tossed aside as if they no longer mattered. One was small and round, scratched and dented from a single day of fighting. The other was broad and heavy, its face battered and dented in a dozen places from years upon years of standing in front of others.

Hyoren knew that shield too.

Around the girl stood three men. Veterans. Their armor was scarred and dusty from a night of riding and a day of fighting. Hyoren recognized them. He had seen them at the briefing. He had seen them ride out of the gate only a few hours ago.

None of them were speaking. They simply stood there, heads bowed, faces gray and grim. One of them had turned away and was staring at the wall, his jaw clenched so hard it trembled.

The girl grabbed the still figure by the shoulders and shook him.

Once. Twice. Again.

"Papa! Papa!"

Her voice tore across the gate, raw and cracking.

"It's my fault! It's my fault! NOOO!!"

She shook him again, harder. His head lolled limply to the side.

"Please wake up! Please! Mama's waiting for you at home! Mama's waiting for us! PAPA!"

The figure on the tarp didn't move.

Hyoren's feet carried him forward on their own. One step. Then another. The noise of the gate faded around him. The crying, the groaning, the shouting for stretchers. All of it sank away until there was nothing left but the girl's sobbing and the pounding of his own heart.

He drew close enough to see the face of the man lying on the tarp.

His heart sank.

The calm, steady face that had told him "Slow and steady" so many times. The voice that had called him "lad." The man who had ridden all night around the goblin camp so that the city could have its dawn, and then stood on the second wall all day without giving an inch.

His eyes were closed.

His chest wasn't moving.

Behind Hyoren, Jigor stopped dead. His mouth opened, but no words came out. The dwarf who always had something to say, a laugh or a joke or a "By Gravok's beard," just stood there in silence.

Killa's arms went rigid around Jackey's legs. A small, choked sound escaped her throat.

Hyoren stood frozen. The crimson streaks still burned across his skin, and the steam still rose from his body. All the power of Berserker still roared inside him.

And none of it meant anything.

His lips parted. His voice came out as barely a whisper.

"Ronald…?"