Spectre of the Sinner - Chapter 3 part 2: A wanderer becomes the Hero
Halfway through, I received the live visual from the soaring drone. An astonishingly breathtaking scene streamed directly into my brain: a lady knight warrior was heroically soloing a hideously mutated [Ogre] specimen despite being all alone, as the corpses of her comrades and members of the [Ogre] troop could be seen being messily strewn around, bloodied, and mangled. The knight calmly pointed her fine longsword at her opponent, invoking a lightning spell at the ogre.
“Did she take that damn long just to squirt out the [Lightning Lance]? Even more so, directly using your weapons as a wand? Now that’s interesting. I should find a way to talk to her about that… and about that damn [Ogre] as well.”
As I was musing over such matters, the lady knight had already closed in, delivering a slash at the humanoid beast’s thigh while the surviving [Ogre] was still reeling from the shock of the spell. The mutant [Ogre] understandably let out an agonized roar as it swung its creepily elongated arm in retaliation, only to pathetically missed the mark as the monster’s wounds backstabbed it. Further enraged by the near miss, the monstrous mutant gave chase to the knight, unaware that the knight already had a trap in waiting. Just a stride away from the lady knight, an enlarged bear trap snapped its rusty jaws at the charging beast, sending it tumbling down the ground. The knight hastily dodged out of the tumbling monster’s path before she also charged into the fallen with her longsword in a position to deliver the deciding blow.
Yet just before the blade could connect with the target, the [Ogre] suddenly swung its gangly arm, swatting away the lady knight a distance away. The armored rag doll was sent tumbling to the ground until she hit the wrecked carriages, generating a cloud of dust. Sensing that the table had turned for the worse, it was time for me to make haste to the scene.
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POV: Freida von Wagner, secunda hora matutina, Nebioso Wald, Mellanphalia Kingdom
“Ugh… To think that… I was this careless… Should’ve… Walked in slowly and… Finish the darn [Ravenous Ogre]. Hope that… The Prime Minister has… Run to safety.”
Desperately trying to draw breath as I squeezed out those words of regret, I found myself lying helplessly amidst the wreckage. My right arm, which received the full brunt of that swing, was now stubbornly refused to move a bit. A tinge of pain ran through my being, forcing me to pour a bit of [Mana] in to ease it. The numbed body refused to budge a bit, no matter how much I tried to. Creaking metal could be heard mixing with the pained groans from the monster’s direction, and after a short struggle, an intense snapping sound reverberated across the forest.
“Darn it… That monster was way beyond what I expected. If only I wasn’t… Too careless,” a wheezing cough escaped my dry mouth.
The rumbling footsteps of the massive [Ravenous Ogre] crept closer, making me aware of my impending doom. I briefly chuckled at the thought of begging it to end my life quickly, not noticing that a single tear had been shed. While my vision was becoming blurry, the monster’s silhouette could be seen sluggishly dragging its feet toward me. Its beastly gaze hungrily licked over my being, sending a deathly chill down my spine.
“No way… It still can think of… Doing that thing to me, right?”
Distraught by the ugly thoughts, I desperately urged my body to move to stave off the grim fate. Groping around the broken carriage, I hauled my heavy body to my comrade’s broken spear. Once I grabbed the weapon with my intact hand, the spear was used as a support to prop me up. Even though I knew it was futile, I still put on a brave face. I let out a hoarse war cry as I pointed the pointy end toward the monstrous [Ravenous Ogre], challenging it to my last dance.
Just as the gangly monstrous being roared in response to my challenge, a faint distant pop could be heard. Both contestants to the death duel puzzledly strained their eyes toward the sound, and soon the answer arrived. A faint trail of white smoke could be briefly seen whizzing before it slammed into the monster.
Boom!
A vicious explosion robbed my senses as a thick cloud of smoke covered the arena. Being pushed to the ground due to the explosive force, I dryly coughed as I tried to regain my stance, readying the spear for the intruder. Without waiting for the smoke to clear, the one-horned monster had already roared in utter agony as something else had already been tearing it apart from afar. A series of sharp rhythmic cracks resonated across the woodland, each time dotting another bloody red hole in the beast’s body. Reflexively covering my ears, I tried to locate the source of the ear-piercing bangs as the smoke gradually cleared. In the meantime, blood, gore, and agonized scream filled the air with each outburst, pushing the [Ravenous Ogre] closer to death’s door.
Then the last crack exploded distantly, ending the pathetic life of the monster by splitting its skull apart. Afterward, a nerve-wracking quietness enveloped the space, as if the previous concert of death didn’t happen in the first place, yet the scattered corpses of the participants weren’t lying at all.
A short moment later, a black-clad stranger cautiously approached the dead [Ogre] with a peculiar gait: his back hunched forward while aiming his weapon at the corpse as his legs moved with a vigilantly synchronized rhythm. Even though I knew it was futile as my mana reserve was running low, I still fearfully pointed the broken spear in the outlander’s direction, steeling myself for possible worst-case scenarios. Yet after sending my way a checking glance, the black knight continued to proceed toward the motionless body of the humanoid monster.
Upon examining the black knight closer, I instinctively clammed up at his imposing appearance. His figure easily towered over the late Commander, who was known for his striking figure amongst the [Western Command] of the [Order]. Dressed in all-black armor, the stranger’s most distinctive feature was his utterly alien-looking helmet. Located at the top of his helmet was a peculiar contraption where four tubes of goggles were arranged like a [Giant Spider]’s eyes, with two outer conduits angled outwardly. A bizarre set of hog-like muzzle devices adorned the helm’s mouth part, except for the hog’s snout was split into two identical equals. A cursory observation of his armor revealed that its basic shape was similar to ours, albeit much sleeker and more streamlined in design, with a crucial difference: it was adorned with rows of ladened pouches, all sewn from coarse-like material.
In his hands held an instrument of war that greatly resembled a metal crossbow, albeit without the bow, suggesting that it operated on a different mechanism. The armament, painted with a dull sand color, seemed to be made from an unknown material that looked lightweight without compromising structural durability in the slightest. Its long metal pipe had an aiming notch at the tip, suggesting a similar capability to accurately unleash projectiles at great combat ranges. The war tool mounted intriguing contraptions, one was a boxy and nearly flat apparatus that was mounted near the muzzle whose purpose was unclear, and the other one was a device consisting of a shortened monocular telescope paired with a boxlike aiming sight.
As I tried to recover my knightly dignity, I noticed that the stranger was stepping on the deceased monster’s head, coldly observing for any signs of life before stowing the weapon on his back.
“Easy now, miss,” the man lowered his body to approach me, his slightly raspy yet deep voice sounded strangely calming, “I’m here to help. Could you please lower your spear as well?”
Obeying his instruction despite my reservation, I slowly lowered the spear while keeping my eyes on the black knight.
“It seems that your dominant arm was broken, am I right? Then please stay still, as I’ll examine it right away. Also, if you have any other wounds or injuries, then please tell me ASAP, I mean, right away.”
Ignoring my astonished response, the man inspected my broken arm, tenderly handling it without causing further pain. To my utter surprise, there was no bleeding except for some bruises at the impact site. Yet, currently, the pain was barely controllable, thanks to my efforts in pouring in bits of my dwindling [Mana] reserve.
“You’re a lucky one to only suffer this much damage,” the man muttered, “Miss, please wait for me a bit. Keep your arm still, I’ll fetch some medical supplies.”
Wordlessly nodding at the man’s words, I obediently waited for him as he hurried back to where he came from. Poisonous thoughts slowly invaded my mind as I waited, yet I desperately resisted them in vain hope. A moment later, I was struck by the surprise realization of being that trusting toward a stranger, yet I persisted in believing his words.
“My apologies for making you have to wait,” the deep voice startled me yet again, cutting my thoughts short, “I will help stabilize the wound, then we’ll go to a settlement to get the required help, as I’m a foreigner stranding in an unfamiliar land. Please cooperate with me.”
Seeing the man start to unpack what I spied as medical supplies from a dark-colored sack, I gave him a consenting nod.