Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Last Line of Defence

We departed from Winterwatch Tower after dawn and went past the vast Redcliffe Farm. We ride the horses lent by Dennet. We ride five horses. Selene is riding with me Ivanna as she has no horse skills. She covers her head with robe. Brita who also lack horse skills rides with Dennet's daughter, Mabel Drake. The rest of us, Irijina, Sekrit, Clementine, and me ride a horse. 

There are seven girls accompanying me for this mission.

We arrive at the end of Redcliffe farm before noon.

We had passed various farms and we found something weird. 

The peasants who was manning the farm look obviously lethargic. 

"Usually, there are children playing around at this time.." Mabel seems perplexed. 

Riding the steeds, we move along the street between houses. 

The houses are made of wood and those small buildings are more suited to be called as shacks. 

Distance between shacks are very close to each other. Houses and streets are separated by palisades. 

The shacks are not similar in size. Some are larger than the others. There are many hills or elevated lands. The houses on higher land are usually made of bricks and a lot bigger than the shacks on the low ground. 

I also could see many wells. 

There are barely any children outside the houses. There are many women and some men but like the peasants at the farm, the villagers are obviously lethargic. 

Venturing further, I realize that Redcliffe Village is vast although the refugees settlement could be bigger.

There are rocky hills further to the side of the village. A large palace is there. 

I am enjoying the beautiful scenery of the castle but suddenly interrupted by a girly voice.

"Weird." 

"Why Mabel?" I ask the perplexed girl with dark navy hair. 

"The village is not hectic as usual. Too quiet."

She laments.

Reaching a tall hill protruding between shacks, Mabel stops her horse and turns it towards me. 

"Look. Could we talk for a moment."

We stop without problem as the street is quite vacant. 

"Hm. I need to tell you something. We should have probably told you earlier." 

"What's it?" Sekrit asks her. Look like she is annoyed by the sudden halt.

"I told you before I was raised in Redcliffe village, right." Mabel looks at me.

"Actually, my father and I lived in the castle. The late Teagan Guerrin raised me like own daughter. The reason we live there was...mmm...I came from Baron ranked noble family while my father was the lord's official Horse master."

"Why you didn't tell us such important thing?" Ivanna seems disatisfied. 

"My father didn't tell you that. He thought that wouldn't matter but I personally believe it matters." Mabel confesses.

"Why he did that I wonder?" I ask.

"Maybe he wanted it to be kept as secret. We know the secret of the castle. If someone with bad intention find out, they would abduct us."

"I will protect you. Don't worry " I tease her.

Mabel blushes and turn away.

"Anyway, that's all I wanted to tell you."

"Can we move on, you player." Ivanna lightly kicks my leg and they advance. 

A man stands in the middle of the street and waves his hands as cue to stop our movement. From his equipment, he should be the town guard.

"I thought I saw travellers coming down the road. Have you came to help us?" He looks relieved seeing us.

Mabel closes in on him and asks, "What do you mean by helping?"

He immediately becomes puzzled.

"So..you... don't know..Has anybody out there heard?"

After fidgeting, he continues, "We are under attack. Monsters come out from the ground..every night. And attack us until dawn... everyone has been fighting. Many were wounded. Some were killed. Those remaining are terrified they could be next. We lack armies to defend us. No Marquis. No king to send us help."

"H..hold on. What's this evil you are talking about?" Mabel interjects and almost yelling.

The guard furrows his eyebrows and shakes his head, "I don't rightly know. I'm sorry. Nobody does. I should take you to the chapel. The aristocrats are there, holding us together. Lord Harrith Drake is there. He needs all the help he can get."

"You mean uncle Harrith?" It seems the guard don't recognize Mabel.

"He is the nephew of lord's former horse master. Come with me. It's not far from here."

We follow the walking man to a church. After about a kilometre, we arrive at the half-wooden, half-brick building.

Outside the church, there are several villagers swinging sticks. It seems like a training area. Near the door, there are swords and shields piling. Upon unmounting, we enter the church. 

It is a big church but it reminds me to a hospital as there are dozens of men lying on the floor with bandages. There are female villagers treating them. We proceed deeper into the building.

A tall muscular man with commando like hairstyle is giving commands to several men. We wait until he is alone. 

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The guard bows to him,

"Lord Haddock. I have brought outsiders. They might be able to help."

The Haddock person stares at us one by one.

"My lord." A man whose hair is combed to the left walks to him and then turns his sight to us.

"Baron. We have visitors."

"Uncle Harrith!" Mabel calls and runs to him.

The Baron Harrith watches her in surprise.

"You know this girl, Baron."

"Yes. My lord. She is Dennet's daughter."

"Oooo. Is Dennet in the village."

She shakes her head, "No. Only me "

Baron Harrith study us from head to toe.

"Greetings, friends. My name is Viscount Brian Haddock. Commander in chief of Redcliffe military. Pleasure to meet you. I am sorry we couldn't meet in better circumstances."

"It's fine, my lord." I step forward as Brian seems assuming I am the leader of the group.

"My name is Hiro  Actually we came here to ask for help." 

"Help? Forgive me. As you see, we are in no state in even helping ourselves." The viscount apologizes.

"What actually happens?" I ask.

"The attack started three nights ago. Evil things surge from the ground. We kept destroying them but many were wounded, some were killed."

"Evil things?"

"Some called them undead. Skeletons. They hit again the next night. Each night they appeared with greater number. With Lord Eamon and Teagan dead, King Cailan bedridden, everyone is 'wait and see' state. I have tonight, it will be the worst yet. I hate to ask this, but we desperately need your help. What do you say?"

"We shall help. We hope to forge friendly relations with you." I offer my hand and Viscount quickly shakes my hand.

"Thank you. Thank you. This means more to me than you can guess."

Two men approach the viscount and whisper something to him. His expression changes.

"Forgive me, there is much to do before the night falls. Baron Harrith Drake, please show them the way."

After he left, Harrith strides towards the front door.

"I put men in charge of the defence. Mayor Murdock is somewhere outside the church. You should meet him."

"This is our last line of defence if everything is defeated." Harrith says before exiting.

Being left there, I notice there is a woman wearing the same attire as Anais, attending to a wounded man. A white aura comes from her hand to his body.

"That's healing magic." Selene whispers to me.

The woman with bunned-up hair stands up as I approach her.

"We are here to help tonight." I smile at her.

"You are a stranger among us. You still defend our home in the darkest hour. We are grateful. Allow me to introduce myself. I am chanter Farrah, the one taking care of this church, that is at the moment the place for treatment of the wounded men." 

"Surely, this cannot be the entire village?" Ivanna asks. 

"Those who cannot defend themselves will assemble here before dusk. But I fear the wall won't keep them safe. Still, it is still the most spacious building in the village. Women, children and elderly gather here while militiamen and knights fight. They build a make shift barricade outside to block the monsters from approaching here. If anything gets in, Viscount Brian Haddock is the only one here, fighting. Please, have mercy to these people. Do whatever you can. If possible, I would go outside fighting."

I grab her delicate shoulders' tightly.

"I will not say that you do not have any responsibility in this. All people bear a degree of responsibility. But if you’re planning to sacrifice yourself out of responsibility, I won’t protect the people.”

“But I…”

“If you really want me, Hiro to protect the villagers, consider it a debt. You’ll have to pay it back, together with us saving your life and all. Don’t even think you can go die on your own, all right?”

“...you are certainly right. After you saved my life, I could not possibly die before repaying this debt of gratitude.”

Farrah’s face then brightens in a beautiful smile, like a blooming flower kissed by sunlight.

“Yes, I will definitely repay this debt. Everything I have now, anything I might obtain in the future, I will offer it all to you, Mister Hiro..”

“Well said, very well said. I am going to reclaim every last thing, so look forward to it.” I say it while closing my face to hers.

“Hehe, I certainly will.”

Chanter Farra smiles cheerfully; she probably fails to realize the extent of the contract she had just signed.

I now have her pledge, though: once the undead business is done, I am going to savour it to my heart’s content.

"Ehemm." The girls stare at me suspiciously.

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