Lore/Story For The Wynn (12)

Spoiler: Defending Detlas

Smoke and dust kicked up into the air, the ground shaking in sync with every step the gigantic zombie made. Strong Zombies launched nearby zombies ahead, closing the distance between them and the defenders. The archers from both sides stood at the back of their respective armada and fired arrows. Projectiles launched from the mages and shamans joined forces to neutralize the fireballs, water orbs and small rocks tossed by Fire Zombies, Water Zombies and Earth Zombies. At the same time, the assassins and warriors worked together to fend off the Zombie Raiders, Weak Zombies and Zombies. A Warrior Zombie's spear clashed with a glowing red, hot knife 'Spicy' as the ninja quickly kicked the zombie. It lifted its spear and aimed for his foot, to which the ninja jumped cleared and slashed at the zombie.


Besides him, a knight held her lance 'Deracine'. A faint blue cloak of water surrounded the weapon as she pierced through a cluster of mobs. Zombie Assassins made their way to attack her. Their groans, however, gave away their position and alerted her to their presence. With a yell, she swung her watery blade like a bat widely, batting them away. She was catching her breath when gunk spat out from a Spitting Zombie and hit her, glueing her hand to the ground. It was about to shoot her again when one of the Detlas' admirals used a War Scream to diverge the attack's trajectory, knocking both the gunk and caster back. A nearby skyseer used 'Sky Emblem' and launched a totem in front of the recovering knight, healing her as the totem blocked some of the incoming attacks. The admiral freed her by slashing the gunk away with her scythe 'The Head Ripper'. The knight thanked the admiral's help and they charged at the horde.


Herobrine chuckled while sitting on one of the branches. The dense foliage was enough to keep him well hidden without going invisible. He and Mama Zomble were at the back of the horde watching the zombies relentlessly attacking the human's defences. He had decided to stay at the back while the giant zombie continuously summoned zombies. If some soldiers decided to attack them from behind, those humans would be quickly disposed of before they could even report his presence. The soldiers were fending the horde off better than he anticipated though. 'Still nowhere in sight...' He thought, he let out a sigh. 'Well too bad for them. Mama Zombie, will you...'


The giant zombie roared crossly, offended by his mistake. The sound waves were strong enough to rattle the nearby trees; some zombies close to them were knocked to the ground. The humans covered their ears from the sonic attack, several screamed in agony. The undead didn't have ringing in the ears or as much pain and discomfort as the humans. Seizing the opportunity, they attacked savagely as the humans were still recovering from the unexpected sound attack. Being the tougher batch, the entire Detlas army's higher-ranking soldiers tried their best to protect as many soldiers as they could. Particles of different colours were released everywhere.


'Multihit!'


'Leap!'


'Dagger Aura!'


'Haul!'


'Heal!'


Yet despite all this, they were overwhelmed. One of the generals was caught in an explosion and his body was set aflame; his smoking body crashed into the floor in front of several bleeding soldiers. Nearby dark wizards attempt to heal him as best as they can, but his life force fades away with every second. A hunter captain was shot while using 'Spider Jump' by some Zombie Archers and Dead Lumberjacks. His body plummeted lifelessly to nearby farmland. A Spitting Zombie had successfully stuck a ninja admiral to the stone pathway, unable to dodge or utilise her speed, her 'Nucleoken' was snatched and was used by several Zombie Raiders and Warrior Zombies to behead her. A Resurrected Ragni Soldier was able to backstab one of the lieutenants as she was protecting her fellow general.


'Mama Zomble. Throw your children at the humans and across their walls.' The enormous zombie grunted and spawned some zombies near her with a growl. The zombies were picked up and thrown. They landed within the city streets and battled the human soldiers stationed inside.


'Incoming!' A general shouted, in time for the others to regain some stamina. He and alongside a small group of mages and dark wizards cast 'Ice Snake' and 'Crystal Reptile' to repel the monsters away from them while simultaneously reducing the workload for those in the city. The serpent-like attacks circled around the frontlines and above them, acting as a moving shield made of shiny tendrils. This stopped the advancement of the larger foes, but the smaller sized Zombie Grooks and Goblin Scouts slipped through the gaps, to which the humans retaliated.


Mama Zomble was not pleased with its 'children' being knocked away like nothing. A captain noticed it drawing breath and immediately notified the comrades to brace for impact. The giant roared again, letting out visible sound waves across the battlefield once more. Some recruits held strong and endured despite their ears bleeding, they covered their ears and kicked the zombies away instead. Those who aren't unfortunately slaughtered already, have recovered and started aiding the high ranking officers. Skyseers, shamans, dark wizards and mages heal their allies while buffing them.


Seizing the opportunity, a few generals and admirals formulated a plan to do serious damage on the giant zombie and quickly spread the word. The captains and lieutenants received orders regarding how to position themselves.


'Aim at the Mama Zomble,' a general shouted while waving his wand. 'We need to take it down as fast as we can.' He and a few mages cast Dead Star at the Mama Zomble. The giant zombie caught the giant rock before it impacted, skidding back a few meters. The Mama Zomble growled and threw the large rock back at the group.


The humans had anticipated this however. 'Now, all of you!' They quickly unleashed their Dead Star and Meteor spells constantly at the empty-handed giant. As if everyone were of one mind, the front lines immediately retreated to a safe distance, using spells to group the mobs together and push them back much more effectively within the incoming meteors. The archers and hunters chipping the incoming rock that the zombie threw at them as best as they can. Mage Zombies, Zombified Guards and Underground Zombies fruitlessly tried to escape but were squashed by the falling rocks.


It was a very successful assault, but it left all the humans fatigued. The Mama Zomble roared as it tried to get up; the attack completely obliterated one of her arms and heavily injured the other, severely diminishing her ability to throw and summon the zombies.


Herobrine stayed motionless, still hiding within the trees. 'Mama Zomble! Get up! Smash their gate. Let Bob hear their screams of terror.'

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The city of trade was nothing but a ghost town. Apart from the fighting, everything else seemed to be lifeless; even more so than the undead creatures.


'I never thought of this before but...' Krisstal asked as they hurried to the gate. 'But how do we identify Detlas's and Ragni's army from each other?'


'We have city flags stitched on the helmets in this case. It's a bit hidden so it's entirely possible to miss it.' Commander Dorte replied. 'Raids were usually manageable by the nearest city on their own, so usually, it wasn't a concern.'


'Even so,' the lieutenant turned to them while rushing forward. 'The leaders from each city held a meeting a week ago, stating they will update and change the armour for every soldier soon. The brown leather will be dyed with a specific colour for each city, and the city's logo will be sewed to the front and back rather than just the helmet.'


'Cut the chatter.' General Cora ordered. 'Focus! Commander, take half the squad and assist the soldiers in the city. The rest will aid the frontlines at the gate.'


Commander Dorte nodded and waved her 'Emotion' in the air. With a shout, she strode off with a detail of soldiers. The remaining soldiers immediately rushed ahead to aid the frontlines, just in time to see a giant zombie pushed back. Its knees buckled and fell on its back with a large crash.


'Ragni Alpha Team? What took you?' A high ranking Skyseer asked, using a spell to change a small area of the cobblestone path into sand, causing some Battered Warriors and Putrid Zombies to slip.


'We need to make more preparations than expected. Our sincere apologies.' General Cora replied. 'Healers, focus on healing the injured. We need numbers on our side.' She rushed forward at the frontlines, slashing at several Decaying Zombies with her 'Clawctus'. The mages and dark wizards immediately give out health potions to the surrounding recruits and heal back some of the minor wounds.


'Yes, general.' Lieutenant Caitlyn jumped up and pointed her 'Albakaya' at a group of Rotten Zombies, a laser beam fired out from her wand and decimated her targets.

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Herobrine jumped down from the tree and rushed forward with his Gemini. His frontlines have begun dwindling significantly due to Mama Zomble's weaken summoning. 'I'll leave the city another scar then.'


'Hey, who's that?' A soldier near Skywalker asked. Some nearby recruits also saw a man running towards them.


'He... Herobrine?' Skywalker shuddered, he couldn't believe the promise he made to Enzan would be broken within an hour. He squinted a bit to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. The man had a strange weapon but his eyes aren't glowing white; skin colour and appearance is completely different as well. Skywalker mentally slapped himself, relieved it wasn't Herobrine. Though he wondered why would the person be running towards them in such a chaotic state.


The stranger ran towards them from nearby farmland, looking distressed. 'Hey!' An archer asked. 'What are you doing here? It's dangerous.' She cleared some zombies near him. She was about to hand him a healing potion when a lieutenant's warning reached her ears.


It was too late however, Herobrine smirked as he quickly took his weapon out and slit her throat. A few archers caught on to what had happened, to which he used her lifeless body as a shield to block some of the incoming attacks. With his disguise on, no one knew who he really is. Skywalker was about to intervene when he heard a general requesting aid to help defeat the zombies inside the city. Believing the soldiers can handle the assaulter, he rushed through the western gate to help his comrades.


The nearby soldiers caught on what had happened and dashed towards the new enemy. Herobrine, however, threw the corpse at them, which knocked one of them to the ground. The other two brought their weapons down upon the double scimitar. Herobrine gripped the brick red handle tightly, as his weapons' white blades and blue cores strained against the attacks. The weapon had electrical pulses running across its blades. Every time the electricity pulsates, the blue cores have a white light running from the base of the core to the tip of the blades.



He jumped to the side while spinning his weapon like a saw blade. With a twist of his footwork, he outwitted the hammer-wielder and elbowed him at his nose. The hammer sent small pieces of dirt flying as it smashed the ground. His companion tried to unleash a 'Bash' spell at Herobrine, but her attempts were met with a pitiful laugh. Countering the attack with his own spell 'Seismic wave', he struck his weapon onto the ground, sending a wave of incredible force forward. The soldier tried to get away but it was too late. She took the attack head-on and was sent flying, her claw-like weapon detached from her broken wrist when she crashed onto the path forcefully.


Her friends screamed as they saw her unconscious body flattened by Mama Zomble, who finally managed to get up. Its remaining arm dangling, barely attached to her shoulder if not for the thin strands of rotten flesh and fractured bones. One of the shamans stopped to look across the battlefield. Corpses laid everywhere, the dread of corruption never-ending, destruction and smoke from surrounded the razed environment.

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Mama Zomble charged at the humans, for it is them who had scarred its body to such a disgraceful extent. How dare they! The defenders once again tried their best to block its path of destruction, arrows and projectiles accompanied the soldiers who had launched themselves high into the air to cut the enormous zombie. Krisstal stopped and looked at awe at the scene, it was sad and yet... beautiful at the same time. How everyone worked together for a common goal.


'Spirit Summon.' Some spirits rushed ahead to aid the soldiers in every way possible.


'Laserbeam.'


'Piercing Arrow.'


'Impenetrable.' A group of warriors and knights stepped up front and braced themselves for impact.


'Blitz Barrage.' The assassins jumped around the lower extremities, slicing and slashing as they bounced around the field.


Herobrine was occupied by his own enemies, when he saw what is happening, he knew Mama Zomble is done for. One of the lieutenants ordered an attack for the remaining arm, after observing that the giant couldn't use it to swat the assassins and ninjas away despite the close distance. Krisstal joined the fray, holding her spear tightly as she rushed forward with the others. Swords, spears, claws, tridents... Blades from all kinds of weaponry slashed at the remaining rotting tissue, the smell is beyond disgusting; yet the attackers held on and focused. With one final slash from her spear, Krisstal screamed loudly as she let the finishing blow to the arm, causing it to fall off from the barely distinguishable shoulder. Some soldiers cheered at their small victory but immediately focused as they went to battle the remaining zombies and the strange human.


A new command was issued across the battlefield immediately. 'Throw it off balance and it won't be a threat anymore. It won't be getting up without its arms.'


Krisstal nodded and she alongside some recruits once again aimed for its legs. Bit by bit, they created deeper and deeper cuts. The giant zombie roared in anguish but was unable to do anything about it. Using the last of its strength, it let out one last roar to disorientate the humans and summon the last zombies. Its knees buckled and collapsed as the enormous mob laid motionless on the ground.

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Skywalker finished off a group of Miner Zombies as he saw a fireball forming from a Fire Zombie. Rolling to the side, he jabbed forcefully into its arm and twisted it with his claws. Its fireball now shot incorrectly at a Water Zombie and Earth Zombie. They growled and retaliated, Skywalker let go of his weapon and jumped away, letting the three zombies strike their elemental volleys at each other.


'Wow...' He panted, he turned just in time to see Krisstal landed the finishing blow at the arm. 'Attagirl.'


He went to get his claws back from the corpses, taking a look at the city. Most of the buildings were safely left intact, although a few collapsed from being burnt to a crisp, the debris still letting off some smoke. Apart from several broken windows and dents on the structure's roofs, most likely caused by Mama Zomble's screech and the zombies thrown by it. He looked around to see Commander Dorte using her totems to kill off the remaining mobs alongside the Detlas and Ragni soldiers.


'We are done here. Stay here and defend the city, search for anyone that might be trapped in the rubble. Move all the dead into one big pile here.' She signalled him to come closer. 'Skywalker, is it?'


The ninja nodded and asked how he could be of service. 'Help me take a look outside. Report back how the battle outside is going.'


'Yes, commander.' Skywalker hurried across the empty streets, careful not to trip over the dead bodies of soldiers.


He believed the battle should be over by now, everything seemed to have quiet down after the giant zombie fell. His gaze, however, was met with more dead soldiers.


'What the...' He hurried and saw a Captain who had his hand and an eye cut cleanly. Some nearby healers were treating him, they were all looking pale white.


'He... He is too powerful.' The captain replied, his voice was shaky.


'Where are they?' Skywalker forced his panic down, something is clearly wrong.


'Go up ahead now. He ran ahead towards the north so the others chased after him... He mowed through us with his strange weapon like nothing...'


'Wait here, I'll get Commander Dorte...'


'Soldier, I'm giving you a direct order.' His voice hardened. Skywalker could now hear yelling and spells unleashed up ahead, slightly hidden in view by the bushes and trees.


'I'll report to Commander Dorte, I know her.' The healers helped him up while he leaned on them.


As Skywalker ran ahead, the sounds of metal clashing and painful screams became more clear.


The strange man strong enough to muscle through a team of the toughest melee, faster than the speedy assassins. His arsenal of spells was unlike any other.


Skywalker could recognise his use of 'Spin Attack', but there are many more he wasn't familiar with. He was able to create shockwaves on the ground. When attacked, he could form a green chain and connect it with one of the soldiers to teleport near them, avoiding the attack. Even when the soldier with the chain pierced him, it didn't seem to even phase him. He kicked the confused soldier away as he jumped across the field and knocked more soldiers off-balance. In the distance, he can still see Krisstal handing out health potions to the others, using 'Charge' to get across the area quickly. Most soldiers were alive, but probably too tired to continue the battle. The high ranking officers could barely move after exhausting so much energy and stamina to defend their comrades against the colossal Mama Zomble prior.


Herobrine's eyes turned to meet Skywalker's, who still had no idea who he truly was.


'He's quick..' He thought, looking at his current weapon. 'Maybe using something when a longer reach will be better.' He took out the pike that he found at the secret library, hoping that he can still use his own two spells while using this.


'Oh?' The stranger spoke with great interest. 'Nice pike you got there.'


Skywalker remained silent as he tried to anticipate his next move. Krisstal and the remaining soldiers who can battle circled around the stranger, not giving up until their last breath.


The stranger was about to attack when he winced and stumbled a bit. Everyone braced themselves as the stranger suddenly began fading in and out of existence.


'I don't have much time, I need to return to the portal as soon as possible.' Herobrine thought to himself. 'I'll have to get the pike another time.'


Herobrine immediately sent shockwaves in every direction and leapt to the air. Skywalker could swear he heard a whisper as their enemy made their escape and turned invisible. 'Until next time...'


Skywalker, however, wouldn't allow him to escape so easily. Although he had turned invisible, he had a feeling he could still try to catch up to him.


The battle has been won, though with a heavy price. The remaining soldiers began treating the injured as they sat down to rest. Krisstal saw her friend racing towards the south, she got up and too began to chase after him, wondering what he was up to.


'Skywalker, wait up!' She shouted, letting out a cough after raising her voice too much. 'Where are you going?'


'He's escaping this way,' came the reply. 'If we can catch up, we can catch him.'


'But there's nothing there...'


'He had turned invisible.'


'But then it means you don't know where...' She gave up telling her friend to think this through. She forced herself to run even though her warning fell on deaf ears.

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Herobrine had turned visible once his invisible spell had timed out. He could hear two people following him, and he had an idea who. He stopped for a bit as his body faded in and out once more. The tall grass here was as high as their waist, but he didn't feel annoyed by the prickling grass.


'You really are annoying.' Herobrine's back faced the two humans who had caught up to him. He drew his weapon out and looked at them.


'If you die here, no one will know...' Unfazed by his death threat, Krisstal held her 'Dern's Shadow' tightly.


Skywalker spun his own pike and prepared himself. 'Who are you? You're no farmer.'


'I don't know, we all have amnesia.' Herobrine replied, his voice darkened.


'I can't waste time here, if I keep running away, they'll end up too close to the portal and the mobs there will surely slaughter them. I'll have to stop them here. Might as well get the pike and leave since it came to this.' He thought to himself, his power withering with each passing moment. He had to conserve his energy for turning invisible again, not that he would need spells to stop them.


Skywalker and Krisstal dashed ahead, their pikes aimed precisely at their prey. Krisstal tried to jab at the angles while Skywalker aimed for the head. The 'farmer' caught Skywalker's pike and lifted him overhead, sending him crashing to the ground. He jumped so Krisstal would miss her initial jab. With Skywalker on the ground, Krisstal had to abruptly stop herself from piercing her friend's head. Falling down and stepping on her spear, Herobrine immediately elbowed her in the head and sent a strong punch that sent her to the ground as well. She tried to get up but Herobrine had grabbed her by her hair. Lifting his leg high, he sent a kick that connected with her skull and left her unconscious body on the tall grass.


Skywalker bounced up as soon as he could, enraged to see her friend injured. The promise he made to Enzan was truly broken now, and he felt flames burning inside of him. He couldn't protect his friends, he was just that pathetically weak.


'Argh!' Skywalker shouted as he charged forward. All he needs is one good attack, he desperately prayed that he could land one. But it was no good.


Herobrine simply let out a sad laugh and sent another powerful kick that caused Skywalker to cough out some blood. He fell to the ground, gripping his abdomen tightly and he yelled in agony.


Herobrine picked up his pike and walked towards him, once again disappearing and appearing. 'I, however, still have some energy to do this.' Herobrine looked down on the injured soldier, his eyes glowed white once again as he poked Skywalker's eyes again as he did in the sewers, sending forth some unknown energy towards him. Skywalker was too weak and in pain to let out any noise anymore.


'You're... Herobrine...' Skywalker said weakly as he felt his consciousness slipping away.


'Yes, I am.' He picked up the pike and turned invisible, leaving the two soldiers on the ground.


Herobrine made his way across the land as quickly as possible and went through the portal. His body stopped flickering and fading, his strength now returning.


'And this disguise is now unusable in the future. Better get rid of it.'

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'It's alright now. You can leave.' Commander Dorte said. She and her squad opened the hatch of the basements and the citizens finally left their hiding spots.


'Finally, I was wondering if we need to live here forever.' Hearolie shielded his eyes from the sun's rays. He, Localcolt and Reygina climbed up the ladder and surfaced back at the Rusty Recruit. The small restaurant at the corner was mostly undamaged, much to the owner's relief. An airship had crashed and destroyed some of the large buildings near the southern gate, the poor owners sobbed and cried, knowing their belongings and fond memories of their lovely home were destroyed in this attack. The airship has arrows sticking out of the deflated balloon, Reygina wondered how the arrows got shot that high up. There were lots of broken glass all over the street, some dangerously dangling on the broken window frames, ready to fall at any moment. Some buildings were still smoking, but any source of fire had been put out by the soldiers in the city.


Hearolie wondered how long the rebuilding would take. Weeks? Months? He hoped the citizens could return to their normal lives as soon as possible.


Localcolt looked sad, it wasn't his first time seeing such raids that attacked Detlas. But one as devastating as this is a first. Usually, most of them have a few or none casualties, and the raids were more of an annoyance than a real threat.


'Calo? Oh! Thank Salted that your airship is fine!'


'How many people died this time now...' A villager asked a young lady next to him, the lady simply shrugged.


'I hope our son's okay...' An older lady sniffed. Her husband patted her in the back. 'We raised him, he'll be fine.'


'Yeah, but what if...' The old lady cried once again, letting it all out. The elderly man helplessly calmed her down.


Everyone suddenly began to rush towards the town's centre next to the Hourglass Tower, as more and more people circled around, the voices of sobs and cries were louder.


'No. No. No... Why did you have to leave us? You promised you'll come back.'


Reygina looked and saw a mother carrying a baby kneeled. Her feeble hand grasped one of the corpse's hands tightly, despite who seemed to be her mother comforting her, her sobs just became louder.


Reygina clenched her fist, feeling a wave of sadness and desperation washing all over her. It was painful to see a corpse, even more so to see the corpse of a close one.


The older couple they saw was much lucky, their son had managed to survive the battle, albeit with a lot of wounds and one of his fingers was broken. The old couple embraced their son, the soldier smiled and returned the hug.


A woman who looked like she was in her twenties walked forward and held a dead archer's hand who had a slit opened neck. She wiped away some tears before praying for a safe journey for her deceased friend.


When all the bodies had been recognised, everyone put a specific pink flower around the corpses in a circle, raising Reygina's interest.


'What are those flowers? They're beautiful.' Reygina exclaimed but kept her voice down.


'They are called Aerolia Flowers.' Localcolt replied softly. 'They are harvested and only found in caves around the magical Time Valley. Since the flowers were near the valley where time seems to slow down. The people use these flowers to symbolise they will never forget no matter how much time has passed.'


The remaining soldiers took off the corpses' helmets. They cleaned and gave them to their respective families and friends. Localcolt nudged Hearolie who looked to see a human male walking towards the pile of carcasses, with several guards accompanying him.


'That's Detlas's leader. He's the one who ensures everything runs smoothly here. Similar to Ragni's King in position.' Localcolt whispered to his two friends.


The people greeted their leader despite their mourning. He paid his deepest sympathies to them and handed the affected families a rose.


'I'm sorry for your loss.'


'Thank you, I'm proud that he died for a noble cause.'


Once he had comforted them, he turned to thank the remaining soldiers who survived the battle.


'Thank you for everything, Detlas wouldn't be standing without you.'


'It's an honour, Sir.'


Once everyone has been praised, he gave a speech on how grateful these brave souls are and how noble their sacrifices are. Hearolie felt touched by the brave actions of the soldiers, he wondered if he could ever live up to their expectations if he were to join an army.


'Now, we will let them be put to rest.' The leader lit up a torch and placed it gently at the pile. The flames burn slowly as the flowers and corpses are set on fire. Seeing this, some of the people cried once more, saying their final goodbyes.


'These are much more common in the past. Thankfully, more spells were developed and better gear was created to combat the undead and corruption. So these ceremonies were much rarer.' Localcolt whispered, telling them what he had learned from his stay in Detlas.


Reygina wiped a tear while Hearolie remained motionless. The painfully sad reality of war finally dawned on them.


'I'm just glad these are rare... I wish there will never be a next time. I don't want to see them again.' Reygina thought to herself.


She felt the warmth of the flames slightly comforting yet horrifying at the same time, though she wondered if it would be of any use to those who had to say goodbye.

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Skywalker finally woke up. He groaned and immediately apprehended where he was, wiping the blood that had dried near his mouth. He jumped up and looked around to look for Herobrine, but nothing was at sight. He felt lucky that they battled in tall grass, possibly because the mobs couldn't detect them since they were covered well by the greenery.


He looked around and saw Krisstal still motionless. Carefully, he walked forward to wake her up.


'Krisstal? Krisstal!'


Her eyes snapped open as she immediately punched forward, hitting his head.


'Oh it's you...' Krisstal said once she realised what woke her up. She punched him again. 'What were you thinking?'


'What?'


'You could have gotten us both killed.'


'Well, he was getting away...'


'And how do you plan to stop him? He's gone anyways and we're lucky to be even alive' She screamed. She began to sniff and tears rolled from her eyes.


Skywalker tried to say something but realised she wasn't wrong. He had acted impulsively again despite good intentions.


'I'm sorry...'


'Yeah, thank salted I'm alive to hear that.' She snapped and found her own pike nearby. 'Where's your pike?'


'My pike?' Skywalker frantically looked around, it was nowhere to be seen.


'Herobrine must have taken it...' He accidentally said it out loud. It was too late for him to realise his mistake, Krisstal had already heard it.


'Herobrine? Who's Herobrine?' She asked.


'It's... nothing.' Skywalker looked away, pretending to find his pike.


'Tell me now, or we won't be leaving here.' Krisstal said harshly. She grabbed Skywalker's shirt, preventing him from taking a step further.


He could feel the heat being let off by her. He knew he had to confess, despite Herobrine's warning.


'Don't tell anyone else this, it might cause widespread panic. It began when...' A sudden rough but feminine voice called out interrupting Skywalker. The two recruits looked back to see who was heading their way.


'There you are! We've been looking all over for you two.' Commander Dorde exclaimed, a bit irritated. 'Where were you? We thought you were dead until someone told us that you were heading south, to the portal of all things.'


'Yeah...' Skywalker replied, skipping the part where they briefly fought Herobrine. 'We were following the strange farmer, he turned invisible before we could get to him.'


'You're lucky. If you're dead, we'll have to burn your bodies.'


'W... Why?'


'Because we fear the dead bodies will rise from the dead and attack us. I'm sure you encountered Resurrected Ragni Soldier before, here or in Nivla Woods. When we learn more about the corruption as time passes, we have taken measures and even changed traditions for the sake of our survival. One of which is how we set rules to handle the dead, burning them will prevent them from turning into zombies.' Their commander replied as they all headed back to the city. Hearing that, it reminded Krisstal Cevalus's father.


The return trip was relatively silent. Skywalker was still deep in thought on how to explain Herobrine to Krisstal, who was noticeably distancing herself from him. He tried to grab her attention but was promptly ignored, despite mouthing an apology. She wasn't in the mood to listen to his voice.


Skywalker just hated himself. He lost his pike, he lost Herobrine, and he now seems to lose his friend's trust. He felt miserable, with each step he took adding weight to his heart and soul. Krisstal wouldn't even look him in the eye, the guilt is eating him from the inside out. He was still deliberating on his next move when he smelled something burning. He looked ahead and saw a giant fire at the centre, burning corpses of fallen soldiers till they remain nothing but bones.



The meaning of Dorte's words suddenly hit him all the more clear. What she meant by burning them if they're dead. Seeing it first hand was two different things compared to what he imagined. The reality and consequences of war exposed more and more with each passing day.


He looked around and saw Krisstal missing.


'Where did she go?' He thought to himself, bumping a few people while he conducted a search.


He walked past Hearolie without noticing. 'Hey shorty, look up!'


'Hello there, you came here fast.' Skywalker rolled his eyes and saw the archer teasing his height again. Reygina and Krisstal hugged each other while she gave a friendly punch to the archer.


'Yeah, we hitched a ride. In fact, we helped collect some resources for the town itself. Too bad I'm stuck at the basement, I would have slaughtered them zombies, every single one of them.' Hearolie smirked. Krisstal nudged him, hinting him to be respectful. 'Still... I'm sure they put up a good fight. Kudos to their brave sacrifices.'


'Allow us to introduce Localcolt.' Reygina added, who greeted the two and introduced themselves to one another.

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'Krisstal, come on... I'm sorry.' Skywalker pleaded. Krisstal simply ignored him and walked out of the Crossroads Inn, which is located at the southeastern corner of the city. Skywalker is still sensing the tension and rage inside of her.



It was already nighttime. Localcolt, Reygina and Hearolie were sleeping soundly, having volunteered to help rebuild some of the town's damaged structures for the rest of the day after the funeral. Krisstal, however, said she wanted to walk around town to explore it first hand now that she is here. Skywalker opted to do the same in an attempt to consult with her, but she avoided him for the whole time, so he never got a good chance to speak with her.


'Krisstal...' Skywalker called out, this time gripping her hand. She struggled to get his hand off of hers but in vain.


Skywalker sighed and began to speak. 'It began with me going to the sewers.'


'Because?'


'No reason...'


'One last chance before I stop listening or talk to you.'


'I broke a prisoner named Ooni out of prison.'


Krisstal would have slapped him hard if not decided to listen to the full story first. Her friend has basically committed some sort of crime.


Skywalker told Krisstal the whole story from start to finish. The mysterious resistance, the strange choice and style of clothes Ooni and Waront wore, a strange organisation called 'WynnEx sth', his encounter with Herobrine in the sewers, the thing he did to his eyes and about increasing powers... He told everything he knew to her.


'That strange farmer we thought briefly earlier? I think that was Herobrine, although he doesn't look like that. He has dark brown hair and dark skin, and of course, the white glowy eyes. He's either a ghost or someone corrupted, really corrupted. That's all I know, honest.'


'Why didn't you tell me back when we were in Ragni?' Krisstal asked after he finished his encounters and incidents.


'He said, "a girl friend very close to you... to be harmed, physically and mentally."


'I'm not your girlfriend.' She protested, sending a light kick to his knee.


'He meant it as a female friend, I think.' Skywalker replied, dodging the attack. 'I just don't want you to get hurt, and if what he said is true, I'm just worried about you or Reygina to be in grave danger.'


'So am I a burden to you? You think I can't protect myself?' Her anger once again intensified. 'No disrespect to the soldiers but I did cut off that giant zombies' arm.'


'I am a burden to you, aren't I? Aren't I!' She yelled that out this time. Instead of finding comfort from them, Skywalker basically solidified her sense of inferiority. Her goal is already small and simple compared to theirs and now felt bad for being a burden herself to her friends.


'No, I didn't mean that. It's...' Krisstal had enough of this, she yanked his hand away and stormed off outside. She wiped her tears off with her hand. She felt horrible as if the sturdy walls of toughness and self-confidence had crumbled, best she could do was slowly do some rebuilding herself. She didn't know where she was going, just that she wanted to not see Skywalker for the rest of the night. She let out a soft sniff, regretting what she had said. He was doing so to protect them, again good intentions with wrong methods. Typical Skywalker. She so wanted to go back and apologise, but part of her was still angry that he withheld secrets from her. Perhaps Hearolie and Reygina withheld secrets of their own from her? She wasn't in their original group of friends. She stomped the ground in frustration. She didn't know what to think, the conflicting thoughts hammering against her head.


Skywalker meanwhile just entered the building. 'Not telling her the truth? Angry. Telling her the truth? Also angry. Why is she that complicated...' He wanted to chase after her badly but realised she won't be listening to him for the time being. Nor did he want to annoy her anymore for today, believing that giving her some time and space is the best thing to do for her.


'I'm sorry...' Skywalker sighed as he walked up the stairs. He opened the chest and took out the steel sword he found in the skeleton dungeon. 'Why are you so interested in this...' He wondered. Herobrine did take the pike with him, the steel sword is all that he had left.


'Argh!' He gripped tightly at its handle and punched himself, furious that he made Krisstal upset. 'I hate myself.'


'Haha...' Skywalker looked behind him, but there was no one there. He thought he imagined the voice due to his exhaustion for fighting the whole day. Unbeknownst to him, while he was looking back. The weapon glowed faintly, resonating with his dark emotions.

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'Unbelievable!' Detlas's leader shouted. His fists slammed hard on the wooden table. He had requested a meeting with all of the major cities' leaders and told them to meet him in his office, which is in the middle of the Hourglass Tower. 'So many lives were taken in this one raid.'


'Not just any typical raid, Kevin. This raid is far too strong to be something normal.' Troms's King observed. 'If we struggle even with the advancements we have made nowadays, the towns would be destroyed within a day.'


Ragni's King spoke next. 'Indeed, Aero. Many times had we defended our cities from these raids. I have heard reports from one of my commanders that this raid was led by someone, someone extremely powerful. I trust she wouldn't make false claims.'


Derons, Selchar's Maester eyes widen. 'But Ryan, that would mean we might be looking at more large-scale raids like today's. Were they able to track down this powerful corrupt?'


'Unfortunately no, I have sent scouts to search the area. Two soldiers followed that corrupt and told your commander that he was heading south. It's possible that he had entered the portal to hide though.' Kevin replied.


Almuj's Chairperson sighed. 'Do not be so hasty with that conclusion Kevin. Perhaps this is just a one-time thing?'


'I really hope so Jack, but I doubt it is. His weapon of choice is also very peculiar, unlike anything I have seen before. Reports of its design and spells from the survivors make me believe this isn't something natural. What do you think of it, Ernest?'


Nemract's Chief stepped forward. 'I shall make contact with the mages on Mage Island. Perhaps they could shed some light on the weapon and spells you encountered. They might be able to cooperate with some of the professors in Grookswart.'


'I shall donate some of the bank's emeralds to you, Kevin. Rebuilding the trade town must be swift and above all else.' Jack said, to which Kevin gratefully thanked him for the offer.


'I think my squad of soldiers could stay and help defend Detlas for the time being, until your numbers grow back.' Ryan added.


'We would love to help but we really can't offer much. Our trades and maritime industry could only sustain ourselves due to the constant annoyance of zombies and skeletons from Ancient Nemract.' Ernest said.


Derons also explained his situation. 'Pirates have been more active lately, so I had to deploy more men to guard the ships and coastlines. I apologise for my lack of aid in your time of need.'


'Don't need to apologise, we are always in some sort of trouble, undead, pirates or whatever. All of your kind words and acts shall strengthen our resolve.' Kevin spoke, raising their cups high and clinked the glasses.


'There are other things I want to bring to the table now.' Jack began. 'WynnExcavation.'


'WynnExcavation...' Aero's face darkened. 'I agree, they pose a problem for the entire provenance...'


'And the new uniforms for the Wynn soldiers have arrived in Selchar.' Derons said. 'Ready to be handed out as soon as possible.'


'After that... we might as well discuss the chain of command shift. It's time we have a unified system now.' Ernest added some salt to his glass of grape wine. 'Like the rankings and the division names.'


'Yes...' Kevin added. 'We have a lot of talk about tonight.'

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And here it is, the first chapter of the Detlas Arc begins. The four core protagonists have regrouped once again but will Localcolt tag along or leave the group in the future? A massive raid has happened and a lot of actions here, with Skywalker finally spilling the beans to Krisstal, despite Herobrine's warning, what would happen next? Why did Herobrine take Skywalker's special pike that he found in Ragni's secret library previously?


I like to point out that the leaders of the major cities of Wynn gathering around are inspired by the Ardoni council from Songs Of War. In fact, you might recognise some familiar disguise that I put in. Their names? I used my secondary school friend's names, which I believe is a nice way to put their names in my story.


It has been a long time since I had written anything, due to Hong Kong social movements and online teaching. I continued writing after exams were finished and it made me felt better. Sorry for the long wait, but until next time...


Other sources:

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/699806539-for-the-wynn-king's-recruit-part-1

Fanfiction.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12951945/1/For-The-Wynn

Archives of our own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14778395/chapters/42299039