When Aldric had said he wanted fifteen soldiers to go with him for the monster subjugation, Connor had thought his lordship was mad. They'd be dealing with hordes of orcs and trolls, and thirty of even the strongest Norsewood warriors wouldn't even be able to withstand the attacks, let alone half that. But alas, it was Aldric, a Templeton with blood blessed by Isaris, the Goddess of Strength and War, the man who had been through many battles and came out not only alive, but the winner, too, and Connor obliged, recruiting only those who were very lightly injured. Indeed, he had been surprised when Aldric alone had charged off upon their encounter with a group of orcs. In fear for the lord's life, he shouted at the men to charge, too, as he himself took off, but only to halt again when Theo's voice rang out commandingly, "Stop! Don't move."
Hence, Connor and the men watched, stunned, at the sight of their lord swiftly and lethally slaying every single one of the fifty orcs within a mere few minutes.
Connor had wanted to ask Theo what had happened to their lord after a year away in battle at Forddon but knew now was not the time. Cleaning up the woods was a top priority, for orcs' blood and corpses, with their diseases, were detrimental to the environment. Burning them with magical flames immediately was the only safe method of cleansing the area.
Theo summoned his fire magic as well as Connor, the only two of the five captains of Norsewood warriors blessed with elemental magic abilities, and after the piles of corpses turned into ashes, they moved on, deeper into the woods, closer to Blackfield territory, thus pushing monsters that had invaded Norsewood back.
During the course of the next five hours, they had encountered many hordes of orcs and trolls, at the speed in which Connor could never imagine was possible. To get this far and annihilate this many hordes, they normally needed at least five hundred experienced, strong warriors and a two to three months' time frame to complete the task. Aldric, and occasionally with the aid of Vincent and Theo, however, could do so with a mere half a day?
Connor, alert as usual, watched Aldric jumping into the air and then lightly landing once again on the ground as he swung his mighty sword, precisely and cleanly slicing through a troll's neck, decapitating it, its body and head falling to the ground separately. When he swung his sword again, it was to halve another troll and then another and another.
Despite his trained eye, having around thirty years of experience as a Norsewood warrior and having been through many battles, both with humans and monsters, Connor found it hard to keep up with Aldric's swift movements. Indeed, the more the lord fought, the faster he seemed to move, so much so that at times Connor missed Aldric's position entirely, only to sense the man again some distance away a split second later. Once again, he wondered just how was that possible. And he marveled at how strong their lord had become. If the man's strength were to keep growing just that little bit more, he just might be able to battle head-on with Hellfire, the ancient dragon that had destroyed their town four years ago.
Connor glanced at the men, noting that some looked lost and confused as well as awed. Those with less experience in battles couldn't keep up with the fight, and they were shocked when Aldric returned moments later, the monsters falling to the ground around him, dead.
Because he damn well couldn't help himself, Connor asked Theo, "What the hell happened to our lord? How is it possible that he became such a monster himself? Was it because of his experience at Forddon?"
Theo burst out laughing and slapped the friend at the back. "No need to be so shocked, Connor. You've seen him kill many monsters for the past half a day."
Connor shook his head. "No, I'm still very much shocked." He looked around and noted that the other men were dazed, and the younger ones had sparkles in their eyes. It was obvious they were now idolizing their lordship.
Theo said, "It has nothing to do with Forddon and everything to do with Lady Quinn."
"Our new countess," Connor said.
Theo nodded, and then he said, "He's healed, Connor."
Connor turned to look at Theo, his brows raised. "He's healed? His wound from the dragon?"
Theo nodded.
"The high priest in the capital," Connor said, thinking of the one and only renowned high priest serving the kingdom's court.
Theo shook his head. "Nay, not the high priest. Aldric did have his wound looked at by the man, but it was for naught. The priest himself admitted he has no power to heal such a fatal wound from an ancient dragon. Aldric was told he'd have five years to live, at most."
Connor frowned. "Then..."
"Lady Quinn," Theo said. "She healed him."
Connor was stunned, and the expression on his face said so.
Chuckling, Theo said, "What do you think that makes our new countess? If she could heal a wound even the most renowned high priest couldn't?"
"She's that powerful?" Connor asked.
"Aye," Theo said. "I've seen her heal, Connor. To her, 'tis nothing. All the injured back at Norsewood have been healed. Burned wounds became normal skin. Scarred faces became normal, beautiful faces..." He shook his head, as if he, too, marveled at the magic of it all. "All our injured soldiers here, they'll soon be healed, too."
Connor not only felt hope at hearing Theo's words, but a sense of joy and blessed as well, feelings he had not felt since the dungeon break four years ago.
Everyone was healed back at Norsewood Manor. Didn't that mean his wife Hannah and their children Josh and Declan...
Suddenly, he felt tears brewing in his eyes. Yes, his children, it was very possible they didn't need to lie facedown, flat on the floor any longer. Perhaps they could walk even, and he was desperate to see them again.
The team returned to the northern station late in the afternoon when daylight started to fade, and Connor noted that there were two new carriages posted in front of the building, indicating the rest of the soldiers from Norsewood Manor had arrived. Once they entered the hall, all eyes fell on them, along with the desperate need to know how the subjugation fared.
Connor, never before feeling so elated to spread the news in his life, said, "Lord Norsewood had annihilated fifty of the one hundred hordes of monsters invading our land. Tomorrow, we finish them off and return home."
Astonished looks spread around the hall, followed by an eruption of cheering and some with tears flowing.
While Aldric went to wash off the monsters' bloodstains on his skin and clothing, Connor eagerly got himself a mug of hot coffee, now his new favorite drink. He went to sit down on the chair next to the glowing hearth where Elio and Theo joined him.
After a sip, he said, "The injured soldiers don't look like they're in as much agony as before and their wounds are very clean. Not a bit of bloodstain on the bandages. Those with severe bleeding are no longer bleeding. Their lives are no longer in danger."
"Thanks to Liam's handiwork," Theo said. "The boy's gifted in the medic field. We're lucky to have one such as him. The others learned well from him, too."
"That medicine from the first aid kit thing," Elio said. "Liam said it's to help with easing the pain. A number of soldiers mentioned their pain completely disappeared once they took it."
"Remarkable, isn't it?" Theo said. "Such powerful medicine doesn't even exist in the capital."
"I tell you, he slayed a horde of fifty trolls in a mere few minutes," one of the young soldiers said. "I've never seen the likes. I mean I knew Lord Aldric was strong, but I didn't expect him to be this strong. It was amazing to watch, I tell you."
"Tell us more," one said.
"Did he really take down fifty hordes within a day?" Another asked. "That's incredible. Even..."
Connor shook his head. It looked like the stories of Lord Aldric slaying hundreds of monsters within a day would spread far and wide, and undoubtedly, be dubbed as a legend of its own, for no man alone had even managed a horde himself, let alone fifty within a day. Or rather, half a day.
Dinner that night was full of loud cheers and laughter, and the injured ones from upstairs even came down to join if they could manage the walk and the stairs after their treatment from Liam.
It was roast pork with roast root vegetables for the mains, and for dessert, berries puff with custard sauce. This was indeed heavenly, a far cry compared to the usual hard rye bread with cheese and bland vegetable soup they usually had for most of the meals when they managed to get some.
The taste of juicy, soft pork morsel brought tears of joy to many of the men, for meat had not been on the menu since after the raid, and few and far between after the dungeon break. As for the roast vegetables, they were soft, sweet, juicy, and simply tasty with the added spices and herbs. Now, for the berries puff, it was divine, and every one of the men fell in love with berries and wondered why they hadn't added the fruits into their diet sooner.
After the hearty meal, the men slept well that night, in their cozy sleeping bags, feeling content and warmth for the second night since winter had set in and the temperature dropped far below freezing this far up north. Come morning, there was a sense of anticipation and excitement, as those who had not been selected to join the subjugated team the day before raised their hands to join, desiring to see Lord Aldric in action with their very own eyes. Hence, the lucky ones who weren't seriously injured and were well enough to ride a horse and fight, if need be, were allowed to tag along.
Once they encountered hordes of monsters and witnessed their lord swiftly and lethally slaying them at speeds most eyes couldn't even keep up with without breaking a sweat, they were awed, and by the end of the day, all the monsters in Norsewood land were slaughtered and those weaker ones were sneaking about back into the depth of Blackfield. Indeed, this would serve as a warning for those monsters that stepping foot into Norsewood would be rewarded with consequences, and that was death.
A small celebration of victory and mission accomplished was held that night, eating chicken curry rice and chocolate cake and drinking coffee or hot cocoa. In the morning, preparations were made, and the injured soldiers were carried or aided into the coaches, fitting at least ten to twelve in one.
Since he was worried for the injured soldiers, Aldric had deliberately made the pace of their return slow, but of course, he had no need to worry about that. The carriage, to the soldiers' astonishment, was not only warm and comfortable with soft seating, but the ride very smooth, too, the likes of which they had never experienced before.
They arrived back at Norsewood Manor in the afternoon, and the sight of the devastation once again made them solemn. Once their carriages were in sight, those inside the great hall came rushing out, in clothing and shoes the soldiers had never seen before, which surprised them. But that didn't last long because the moment they saw their loved ones, tears flowed and bursts of laughter enthused. Ryan was crying and chuckling at the same time at the sight of his wife and children and the fact that both Michael and Lisa were no longer groaning in pain due to their burned skin and were now running and hugging him and calling him Papa animatedly. With their wounds healed, they were absolutely beautiful, and he couldn't help but thank their lady for that. He was blessed to have her come into their lives, despite that he himself had yet to meet her.
Connor chuckled at the chaotic, merry sight before him as he got down from his stallion. It was then he saw his wife, Hannah, and two children, Josh and Declan, both young at aged nine and seven respectively, and he nearly fell to his knees at the shock of seeing them so... healthy and normal, as they used to be before the raid.
Hannah threw herself into his arms and started crying while their sons jumped up and down and chanted, "Papa! Papa!"
"I'm back," he said, kissing the woman on her forehead. "I'm back." His eyes were on the boys, shaking his head in disbelief that they were walking and jumping and not crippled and lying on the cold stone floor facedown, crying in pain.
When Hannah finally moved back, he picked up both boys in his mighty arms and hugged them tightly, his heart filled to the brim with relief and gratitude. He felt... blessed to have his family healthy and normal once again.
It was then they heard a loud hum echo across the area, followed by bright golden light that burst up into the sky in the distance. Instantly, everyone around turned their attention to the light, Connor included. He saw Aldric running up the slope toward the hill, and many others followed him.
"Let's go look, Papa!" Josh said. "The lady is doing her magic again."
The lady? The boy must mean Lady Quinn.
Intrigued, Connor followed his family and the others, and up on the hill, he encountered a sight like no other. A petite, beautiful girl was crouching on the ground, and beneath her, expanding across the space was an enormous magic circle, with light glowing and the signs, symbols, and scripts turning. Then suddenly, she collapsed, and Aldric rushed forward, taking her into his arms.
As the lord took his bride away to be taken care of, Connor saw men—magical beings—materializing out of the circle. Then they began working, commanding what looked like mechanical beasts, the likes of which none of them had ever seen before as they dug the ground, and soon, what looked like a stone floor was laid, and Connor, his eyes glued to the scene before him, chuckled. This, he thought, was certainly something out of this world.