Chapter 3: The Hedge Knight

Suddenly he heard a loud clang and didn't feel the spear.

Surprised he opened his eyes and saw a man.

He stood about six foot four wearing a chainmail hauberk over his gambeson with a barbute and wielded an iron, strapped-on, round shield and spatha sword crouching next to him where the lance would have struck and a few feet away from him was the rider bleeding on the ground with his mount having a deep gash through its midsection.

"Are you alright," he asked before looking at his wound.

He quickly kneels and puts his hand on Kurgren shoulder.

"Valla."

Kurgren immediately feels a strange sense of bliss before realizing his wound began stitching itself close.

The man then stretches out his shield hand and pulled Kurgren up before handing him an orb.

"The names Ardent. And I believe you dropped this."

Kurgren took the orb and pocketed it before picking up his staff and then hears a loud horn.

To the streets, he saw another wave of Goblins but unlike mass horde of fifty, there were only fifteen and are wearing black tunics, upon which a symbol of a silver hand is emblazoned in front, with chainmail vests and brandishing iron scimitars and bucklers, all of which have base enchantments, charging at him.

Kurgren blocks and counters the first Goblin strike before another flank him.

Ardent quickly strikes down the flanking goblin as both him and Kurgren begin defending themselves against the better-equipped goblins.

Unlike the other Goblins who charged in a disorganized mob these better equipped Goblins are using simple tactics of flanking and feints, taking better advantages of their arms longer reach and flexibility, but the most surprising of all is that the majority of them focus on Kurgren.

Upon downing another, who reaching for his bandolier Kurgren had a realization.

"Are they after the orb." before blocking from another attack and looking around the battlefield where, to his horror, had sawed the remaining twenty Goblins coming to their brethren's aid.

But fortunately, he had distracted the army long enough for the remaining watch and mercenaries to regroup and attack the Goblins from behind.

The goblins quickly falter at the charging forces and begins to break and retreat as the slow or stubborn ones are chopped down by the combined forces.

Kurgren steadies himself as he sees the pile of Goblin corpses and the villagers and soldiers briefly celebrate over their victory before the deaths sink in. And the mourning came as they began repairing the town.

The sun began to rise as the last of the building were extinguished and the dead were gathered, about more than thirty by Kurgren count, before one of them looked at him during the wake.

"It was you, you're the one who caused this!" A villager yelled pointing an accusing finger at Kurgren.

"I saw it! When the Goblins saw you, they chased you! You have brought this attack, this curse, to our town foul demonspawn!" he bellows as the other people begin to cry out for blood and pull out their weapons, or the closest they got.

A watchman then charges with axe upraised and Kurgren brace. When Ardent dives in and block the strike, and retaliate with a punch.

"Why are siding with a demonspawn knight!"

"Because what you are saying is that of accusation." Ardent bellows before raising his shield.

"LYNCH HIM!" One of the villagers yelled as the mob charges. When thirty soldiers, including Ardent, form a shieldwall and retaliates with punches and non-lethal bludgeoning.

But the mob then began to overwhelm and chaos ensures.

Most of the mob then charge towards Kurgren, others trying to hold down the guards.

Kurgren quickly blocks an attack, knocking her down with a knee to the groin, and defends against the encircling mob, controlling his strength to not kill them.

When he then knocks down a man and, upon recognizing him as one of the tax collectors' guards, swings his staff to kill.

But at the last second, he stopped. Despite the villager's hatred towards him, and his mutual hate towards most of them, he couldn't kill an innocent, a line, and vow to his father, he will not cross.

But his hesitation had caused the mob to pile on him, and for each one he knocked away two came in, as the thirty tries to help.

"STOP THIS INSTANT!" A man bellowed and the mob dispersed.

Kurgren then saw the mayor, dressed in ceremonial garbs for the wake, with a few elite guards.

Kurgren tries to stand up when a guard kicks him down and handcuffed him.

"You're under arrest for disturbance of peace and disrespecting the deceased." The mayor said.

Kurgren then thrash against it, nearly throwing the guardsman before his companions came to aid, and he quickly whispers.

"Please don't fight. We're here to help."

Kurgren the looks to the mayor, remembering that he was responsible for him and his mother stay in the first place and helped him as best as he could, and saw his pleading eyes. And accepted.

He was then thrown to jail, hearing the mobs outrage for such leniency, with his equipment stripped until further notice.