Chapter 6: Protecting The Merchant

We just exited the village, the merchant sat on his horce while I was on the right of the carriage and Jayden was on the left carriage. I looked behind to take one last look at Luminaria village, I hadn't taken a chance to look at the King and Queen.

Wonder what Silverhaven looks like

"Aldric, what does Silverhaven look like?" I asked Aldric

"Silverhaven is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, they have water fountains, plants everywhere, big houses and buildings everywhere, kind people like Luminaria village and more beautiful than Luminaria village, you'll soon see when we arrive" Aldric replied

More beautiful than Luminaria village? Okay then. We just walked in silence, only the moving of the carriage sound and every step of the horse.

*Yawn* I heard Jayden yawn from the other side, all we do was just walk.

"Hey Aldric, do you have any stories or any fairytales to give us? I just don't like to hear the horses and the carriage's sound again and again" Jayden said to Aldric

"Of course my child, this story is from Silverhaven village, it just made and spread just not long ago, one morning"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A girl named Anthanisia, a kind lovely girl and helps people around her, everyone loved her. One morning, she went to the forest nearby for an adventure.

She just entered the forest blindly just making her own path but still remember the way where she came from, she went deeper and deeper into the forest.

Suddenly, she stumbled upon a cabin, the cabin is small and beautiful like it just got cleaned recently or just made not long ago. Anthanisia thought why would someone live alone and away from the village.

Isn't it kind of depressing to be alone. Without hesitation, she is curious about the one who lives in the cabin and wants to get to know him or her.

She went to the door and kno-

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aldric stopped his story after we heard shouting, we looked around, it is a group of bandits coming towards us left and right.

"Ambush!!!" I heard Jayden from the other side of the carriage shouted

Aldric jumped down from his horse and ran behind the carriage and went inside to stay there. I readied my sword and shield, there is a bandit running towards me with his dagger ready to stab me.

I raised my sword

*Schlck*

I swung my sword and sliced the bandit's neck, the head flew and hit the ground with the thud, the body dropped in front of me. More bandits charging towards me, it looked like there were 12 of them. I looked to the right, there's a bandit 5 feet away from me charging at me.

I panicked and just dodged to the left, he missed. I just swing my sword at him blindly and hope to slice his head for a one shot.

*Schlck*

"AAAAAAGGGGHHHHH" the bandit screamed out of pain and agony

What did I just do, I looked behind, the bandit is holding his arm, her hand is on the ground. I didn't realize I cut off his hand. I raised my sword to cut off his head before more pain he will experience.

*Schlck*

Another clean cut to the neck, the head and the body fell to the ground. I looked behind me, there were 3 bandits in line charging towards me. I raised my shield and rested my sword on top of my shield.

I am going to charge at them like a buffalo but with a sharp weapon pointed at them. I charged at them and hid my face on my shield. I could hear panicking and screaming behind this shield.

*Schlck Schlck Schlck*

I penetrated the 3 of them with my sword, I raised my head to see, I penetrated them on their chest, they looked like barbeque in a sword ready to roast, I should not think of that.

They are screaming out of agony, pointed my sword to the ground to drop all of the three of them, I raised my sword to cut their head off.

*Schlck*

I cut their head simultaneously

*Thud...clack*

Someone pushed me from the front and we both fell to the ground. He went on top of me, it is a bandit, the bandit raised his dagger and used his other hand to take off my helmet to stab my face, I held on my helmet with my hands.

*Tick Tick Tick Tick Tick Tick*

He's stabbing my helmet, sh*t, the bandit kept on picking my helmet, my beautiful will get damaged and will have visible scratches or holes.

With adrenaline, I punched the bandit on the face multiple times, he fell beside me after I punched something that is part of his that made him shut down for a bit.

I took my sword that fell to my right, I stood on top of the bandit.

*Schlck*

I cut the bandit's head off, I took my shield and faced the incoming bandits.

*Schlck*

I took them one

*Schlck*

By

*Schlck*

One

I panted heavily and looked around me, the ground was full of decapitated bodies.

"AAAAAAAGGHHHHH" I heard a shout of pain from the other side of the carriage

What is Jayden doing? I went to see, there are a lot of bodies around, some of them are still breathing and most of them are dead.

"This is what you get for attacking us!" Jayden said to the bandit who he was on top of

Jayden is on top of a bandit with his dagger on the chest of the bandit, he rotated his dagger.

"AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" the bandit shouted again out of pain

Sh*t, I don't like seeing this. Maybe looting the bandits I killed will be a good idea while waiting for Jayden to kill them, I looted the bodies, I got 1,257 gold coins total.

"Aldric, it's clear now!" I shouted at Aldric

Aldric took a peek from his carriage's counter to see if it was clear. He went outside of his carriage and looked at the dead bodies.

"You decapitated their head to finish them instantly huh?" Aldric said to me

"Well, as a knight, I -"

"AAAAAHAAAAHAAAAHHHAAAAA" I got interrupted by a scream of pain from the other side of the carriage

Seriously? Jayden is still not finished. Me and Aldric waited for Jayden to finish his job and looted the bodies, we continued our journey again.....in silence.

"Oh right, your story Aldric,ni started to enjoy it but the bandits came and interrupted" Jayden said to Aldric

"Oh right, pardon me, where was I again? Oh yeah"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anthanisia knocked on the door cabin

"Who's there?" Someone shouted from the inside

"I just wanted to know who lived in this cabin, why are you out here alone? Isn't it boring to live on your own!?" Anthanisia shouted back

"I lived on my own because people hated me, they would kill me if they saw me" the guy inside shouted back

"But may I see you? I'm just curious" Anthanisia said to the guy

Anthanisia heard footsteps behind the door, the door opened, Anthanisia looked at the person.... Anthanisia's smile faded and eyes widened as he saw the human's clothes and appearance, it is...a warlock.

Anthanisia screamed and ran back to the village, she told the people about the warlock from the forest, the people are in fear. They warned and prevented people from going to the forest. They don't go to the woods ever again.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And that's the story"

"Why do the people at Silverhaven fear or hate warlocks?" I asked in curiousity

"Not long ago, the warlocks came and destroyed the village, a lot of people got killed, Anthanisia's parents are one of the victims, Anthanisia was adopted by a loving family. They killed the people for fun, remember that not all warlocks are bad, some of them are good" Aldric answered

"What are warlocks and what do they do and do they have powers?" Jayden asked

"They are typically depicted as practitioners of dark or forbidden magic, possessing knowledge of powerful spells and abilities that are often associated with malevolent forces. Warlocks are distinct from other magic users, such as wizards or sorcerers, due to their specific focus on dark arts and the use of demonic or forbidden sources of power." Aldric answered

"Can you me an example of their powers" Jayden asked again

"Some can summon demons, some can give curses and some can do mind control, reality warping, necromancy and a lot more" Aldric replied

Hmmm, warlock huh? Wonder if we'll meet one.