Arc 7. Death to what came before
Road to a Hero:
Three Chances in Another World
Chapter 13. Walgonia’s route
Two people, a man and a Demi-human woman, with dog-like traits sit in front of a large wooden wagon and speak with each other. They’re masked by the pitch black sky and only the moon to see them. The giant green lizards pull them over the flat, cold, land covered in melting snow, but the freezing air is filled with the cries of scared children. This is because inside the wagon, inside large cages covered in sheets, are Demi-human children who are changed together, scared for their lives. Their parents try to console them from the other cages, but the woman guiding the wagon smacks on the bars, getting them to shut up.
Demi-woman: “Ugh, I hate it when they won’t shut up.”
Man: “How many times have you done the Walgonia run? This is my first go.”
Demi-woman: “Only six, but the last six times they haven’t stopped talking.”
The younger man looks behind the wagon, as he feels something approaching them. While he can’t see anything behind them, the slight rumble on the ground is scratching at his anxiety, though the woman laughs at this.
Demi-woman: “Look, this route is picked by the Baron and the Baron’s a genius. So no soldiers are gonna come past us, no knights come out this far, and there’s no villages near so no guild members and no guards. The only issue might be some random people, but I don’t think they’re gonna beat you or me.”
The younger man tussles his rust-colored hair while twiddling his thumbs, as he’s certain something’s following them.
Man: “I swear something’s out here! It’s got to be a spirit beast then. The winter season is riddled with random beasts! Snow golems, or the snow-covered spirit beasts! Snow golems are one thing, but you never know what the snow-covered ones will turn into!”
Demi-woman: “Would you shut up!? You’re more annoying than the merchandise. I’ma stop here, I gotta piss.”
Man: “NO! HELL NO!”
The Demi-woman pulls her large hand down her face, groaning at the man's words. Though, reluctantly, she obliges.
Demi-woman: “Whatever, if it makes you feel better I’ll wait until the drop-off point. You’re lucky we’re on the Walgonia route and not the Guard Fog route, because if you’re acting like this with nothin’ around, I’d kill myself listening to your screams when something is there.”
The man breathes a sigh of relief, though the woman is the one who begins to worry. While she was too busy telling the man she felt nothing, she failed to check, but now she feels what he felt. But the longer she waits to say anything, to prepare for a fight, it gets closer and closer. The ground begins to rumble and rumble, but it doesn't feel like the steps of a monster, but of something vibrating with vigor while also rolling across the ground.
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The man and the woman both lock eyes, grabbing the weapons by their feet. The woman grabs a large wooden spear, while the man uses his combat axe, both looking around frantically. The Demi-humans in the cages begin screaming for help, causing the now scared woman to yell out at them.
But right as she goes to do so, they see something in the distance. It’s not a monster, a man, or a carriage, it’s something they’ve never seen before. From their perspective, it’s a black iron box with wheels, leaking steam, and letting off the sound of a roar. As it barrels toward them at a booming speed, all they can do is get the lizards to move faster.
While the woman cracks lead over and over, they can’t move fast enough.
Man: “WHAT IS THAT!? AND IRON CARRIAGE!?”
Demi-woman: “I dunno and I don’t care! What it is, is coming right for us! GET READY!”
As they brace to be hit, the vehicle stops, pulling up to the ground. It slams into the side of them, but not fast enough the cleave through it, though it does flip it quite suddenly. The cages fall over, causing the Demi-humans inside to cry out, though the man and the woman jump onto the ground. They hold their weapons out, shaking with fear, and the man almost pisses his pants when the door of the vehicle opens.
A tall figure gets out, covered by a black cloak. They see a large metal object in place of where his right hand should be hanging out of the cloak, and a large broken blade on his back, which the figure grabs. The woman rushes in without question, thrusting the spear toward him. Her large, strong dog-like body would give her an advantage over normal men and even trained soldiers, but this is more than that. To them, the aura coming off of this beast in front of them isn’t one of a soldier, nor one of a true monster, this is a blood-lusted barbarian, a vagabond with a taste for battle. With only one set of movements, the man easily dispatches the woman with the skill and fluidity of a true warrior. He pushes his hand against the dull part of the spear's pointed blade, moving it out of the way. Due to the fact she had put all of her strength into the trust, this throws her off balance, but instead of moving in, he does something not so simple.
Continuing the momentum of such a simple push, he swings his bare hand up, through the hardened wood, breaking a quarter of the spear off. Before it can fly up into the air, he backhands it, sending it toward her at a high speed, bursting through her side. The living battle spirit turns his body to the man, stepping out of the way of his axe.
The man had swung at him, but with another backhand from the barbarian, he was flung into the air, tumbling over the flat ground, right into one of the cages. The starving, wounded, and hatred-filled Demi-humans grab onto the man, tearing at him. He screams for help, though the figure has no care for him, turning back to the woman. Filled with horror and the will to live, falls to her beastly urges, trying to bite her attacker with her naturally large sharp teeth.
He grabs her by the throat, stopping her fear-filled lunge, and holds her in the air. With his enormous strength, she knew he could crush her trembling windpipe with ease, so she doesn't struggle.
Demi-woman: “WHAT DO YOU WANT!?”
The figure begins to speak, revealing his manly, calming, almost noble-like voice.
“Why are you doing this, who do you work for?”
Demi-woman: “THE BARREN! HE PAYS US TO SHIP HIS THINGS!”
“Demi-humans are his things?”
The man strengthens his already tight grip, almost crushing her throat without thinking. She begins to struggle, gasping for air, so he lets up but keeps the angry tone of voice.
“Where were these people going? And why would you do this to your own race!?”
Demi-woman: “THE EVER-FOREST! AND HE PAYS BETTER THAN ANY JOB!”
“The Ever-forest you say? Lucky me, I’m already going there. But I don’t want word getting out.”
The man drops the woman, allowing her to breathe a slight breath of relief, before he uses the metal object in place of his right hand to smite her, crushing her skull in one blow. As he lets out a sigh, as if he just let out built-up steam, he wipes the blood off of his arm. He watches her gushing body convulse on the ground without remorse, turning around to see that the man had been ripped to shreds by the Demi-human's sharp teeth and claws. He had been so concerned with the woman, that he had completely ignored the man's blood-curdling screams. Though he doesn't care, as he opens all of the cages, patiently waiting for them to get out. He uses the dead man's axe to cut through the binding chains and then begins pointing to his right.
“If you go north, you should find a large town. Find guards and they should help you.”
He quickly walks away, getting back into his vehicle. As if he’s taking off a mask, he begins gasping for air, like it’s his first breath in years. He takes off his hood, revealing his identity to be Edward Van Helsing. He scratches at his jet-black hair, and wipes the blood off of his shivering face, but holds everything down so he can keep going. The emotions that were just overflowing settle, and he starts the car, and begins driving east, to the guard fog.
End of Chapter 13
