Gloom

Thick clouds covered the sky, and not a breeze stirred. The weather was just right.

At the eastern edge of Agheel Lake, a dark mass of wagons and troops slowly approached along the distant stone road.

At the head were two Troll Giants, each six or seven meters tall, with iron spikes driven into their bellies and chains tethering them to the heavy Black Carriage they pulled.

The escort consisted mainly of skeletal nobles, mixed with Kaiden Sellswords and Godrick Soldiers. They were hardly difficult enemies in the game, but...

"Chirp, chirp~" Patches imitated a birdcall, signaling his accomplices hidden all around.

I tightened my grip on my Straight Sword and silently took several deep breaths, but my arms still trembled slightly.

"Hey, don't be nervous." Patches reached out and patted my shoulder. "These fellows retreated from the Weeping Peninsula. They're exhausted and have let their guard down. Stick to the plan, and we'll be fine."

I gave a bitter smile. "Let's hope so."

Boom!

As we spoke, the poison mist traps we had buried beneath the paving stones detonated.

At once, restless neighing, horns, and shouts rose from the convoy... Everything descended into deafening chaos.

"Cough, cough! This gas is poisonous! Spread out!" someone shouted from within the convoy.

But the arrows flying in from every direction soon silenced him.

"Get them, lads!" With spear in hand and greatshield raised, Patches charged.

I hurried after him-the main task Patches had assigned me was to stop the Trolls and keep the convoy from advancing.

"This couldn't be simpler!" I readied my Straight Sword, circled swiftly behind the exhausted Troll Giants while they weren't paying attention, then slashed across their heels!

Pain shot through their heels, and the Trolls dropped to their knees.

Done!

As long as the two pulling the carriage took damage, they would stop moving. Attacking them further would only provoke fierce resistance-far more trouble than it was worth.

I turned to look toward the rear of the convoy.

Patches's bandits were already locked in an evenly matched battle with the nobles and Godrick's soldiers. Patches himself was tied up with a mounted Kaiden Sellsword, whose mobility kept their fight at a stalemate.

-So I should only have to hold the front of the carriage, right?

Huh? Footsteps!

I spun around warily to find that a Godrick Soldier had circled around the other side of the Black Carriage and was bringing his blade down at me.

I hastily backed away to dodge.

Rather than pursue me immediately, he shouted at the Troll Giants, ordering them to get up and keep moving.

No way. I'm not letting you do that!

I drew a breath, gripped my Straight Sword with both hands, and swung at him.

The Godrick Soldier bent his arm and raised his brass shield. After blocking my attack with all his strength, he actually shoved me back.

"A guard counter? This guy's really good at it!" I was slightly startled, and his Straight Sword was already coming down over my head.

Fortunately, I was holding my sword in both hands, so the shove hadn't staggered me much. I hurriedly raised my blade to block.

Then I drove a kick straight into the Godrick Soldier, forcing him away while I retreated a short distance myself.

-This isn't a game. I have to stay alert, even against an ordinary soldier.

I steadied myself again.

Meanwhile, my opponent once more urged the Troll Giants to hurry up and move.

"Rooar-" Following his orders, the Trolls roared, endured the pain in their ankles, and stood up to move forward again.

"Not a chance!"

I had no choice but to get more vicious-Square Off, leading into a heavy attack. With my Straight Sword leveled, I rushed toward one of the Troll Giants. Before the Troll Giant could lift a foot, I drove my blade deep into the back of that ankle, perhaps even severing the tendon.

"Roar!" The Troll bellowed in pain again.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of steel coming toward me and had to release my sword at once to dodge the Godrick Soldier's attack.

Seeing that I was unarmed, he seized his chance and attacked relentlessly.

Well, try this!

I pulled the Cracked Pot I had scavenged from Groveside Cave out of my waist pouch. Of course, I had since stuffed it with mushrooms and Smoldering Butterflies, turning it into a Fire Pot!

Boom!

The Godrick Soldier swung his sword and struck the Cracked Pot I had thrown.

Fire splashed out like water, spilling all over Godrick's soldier and burning fiercely.

"Aaaargh-" He screamed, his eyes smoked shut. Stumbling blindly, he walked straight beneath the Troll Giant's foot.

"Hey, watch out!" I shouted instinctively.

But... with a dull footfall, the soldier was crushed into the paving stones.

A sharp, rusty smell flooded my nose, and vivid red pierced deep into my mind... I... I killed someone.

Buried memories seemed to explode at that moment: Nerijus raising his hand to beg for mercy, the wounded Dragon Beastman's severed wrist, corpses mauled by wolves, blades and stones stained with rabbits' blood, the heaps of pale bones in the Chapel of Anticipation's courtyard... All of it, every last thing, became an immense void called "death."

I stood within it, cold to the marrow, as though I had fallen into an ice cellar.

They howled from below, clutching my legs and feet, refusing to let me leave.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

It was the sound of the tide!

A crimson tide surged toward me, spreading like a vast, man-eating maw that swallowed me whole.

The entire world was devoured by that thick, sticky crimson!

"Urgh! Urgh!" I couldn't stop dry-heaving, my stomach churning violently.

Just then, something struck my back, followed by pain that seemed to burrow into my flesh.

I fell to the ground.

I looked back. A Noble Sorcerer!

Blue light shone from his Glintstone Staff as Glintstone Stars shot toward me again.

-Death!

Dodge? How was I supposed to dodge?

Fear had eaten into the marrow of every bone in my body, leaving me as stiff as a rusted machine, unable to move.

The glintstone projectiles were about to hit me.

I even saw an image of my own death before my eyes-a nauseating scene of me lying in a crimson pool of blood, just like that crushed Godrick Soldier.

"Neigh-"

But just then, a streak of blue light leaped from between my fingers, forming what seemed like an indestructible wall.

"To-Torrent."

Without even waiting for my call, Torrent had come out on his own and blocked the sorcerer's glintstone attack for me.

"Neigh!"

Then Torrent lowered his head, bit down on my collar, and flung his head upward, tossing me into the air before catching me securely on his back.

"W-wait!" I was utterly weak and hadn't had time to react any further.

Torrent was already galloping, carrying me swiftly away from that chaotic place and racing down the road into the distance.