[ToM] Side Chapter 1 – General's Echo (Patreon)

Darkness had taken over the streets of Sunglow. The time was way past midnight as Alistair patrolled the empty streets, the little light orb floating next to him being the only source of light. It was a simple magitech lamp that followed its users and required a bare minimum amount of mana for it to work. Yet when the people of Sunglow had seen it for the first time, they acted as if it were some miracle.

I still can't believe they sent me to this place.

The Church demanded absolute obedience from System users—it was their first rule, and those who broke it were punished. Alistair had broken it and this was his punishment. Even his father, Duke Sinclair, supported their decision, deeming that a year spent among the commoners would do him good.

He just wants to keep a good relationship with the Church. Then again, why am I surprised? As long as his precious heir is spared from their wrath, what would he care about his other children?

Alistair approached the large stone wall that surrounded the town from all sides, protecting it from the monsters lurking in the forests. A guard stationed by the gate bowed at his approach and lifted the gate high enough for Alistair to slip through and then closed it again.

It was always an eerie feeling, patrolling outside the town walls. Deep forest loomed from all sides, hiding the many dangers lurking within. At first sight, it seemed foolish for a lone man to patrol outside the walls. But the fact was that he was not alone. If one looked up, they would see the many guards stationed on top of it, watching the darkness vigilantly.

Alistair continued along the wall, not losing his focus even for a second. Although the town itself was unremarkable in each aspect he could think of, it did have something others did not—an overabundance of monsters. Apparently, the Church believed that by facing these he'd be able to overcome his 'weakness'.

Weakness they call it. I'll show them weakness.

Alistair unsheathed his sword as he sensed some presence lurking in the darkness. He focused the light of the lamp into the forest but saw nothing. But he knew something was there because the <Danger Sense> skill was giving him a strong warning in his mind—like a premonition that something bad would happen, only much, much stronger.

"Something's coming!" he announced to the guards stationed on the wall. They instantly drew their bows, ready to attack. Just a moment after that, something whistled through the air towards Alistair. He managed to grab the shield that was strapped to his back and guard himself.  

The large boulder that collided with his shield bounced away, but the impact was so great that Alistair was inadvertently pushed back. He recovered quickly and rushed into the darkness, following the trajectory of the previously incoming boulder. Another one flew his way, but he managed to duck behind the tree, avoiding any damage.

"GROAR!" resounded in the forest, allowing him to pinpoint the location of the monster. It was close, so he approached it cautiously, waiting for it to appear in the light of his lamp.

Large rocky appendages appeared behind some trees, and Alistair got closer while holding his shield up steadily. Large, rocky rump was revealed before his eyes, until finally he saw the maw of the beast—a face made of many rocks, yellow glowing eyes being the only thing indicating that it was in fact a creature and not an animated golem.

"Rock troll!" Alistair called out and charged forward. The beast swung its rocky hang at him, but he blocked the attack with his shield.

[Skill <Rebounding Guard>  activated. Some of the damage has been reflected back onto the attacker.]

The troll stumbled back from the shock, and he used the opportunity to jump up and stab his sword straight into its eye socket. The beast howled in pain and began thrashing around, swinging wildly in an attempt to hit Alistair. But he quickly jumped back, once again retreating in between the trees for cover.

An evolved monster getting this close to town—that's dangerous. It could easily trash the whole place down to the ground, killing hundreds in the process. I have to deal with it. But my sword isn't going to do much damage against its rocky exterior.

The rock troll continued to trash around as Alistair tried to figure out how to proceed. Perhaps, it would be wiser to retreat back to Sunglow and retrieve a blunt weapon with which he could actually damage it. But then the troll roared and began flinging boulders all around itself. Alistair lifted up his shield, blocking one of the incoming rocks and sending it straight back at the troll.

[Skill <Rebounding Guard>  activated. Some of the damage has been reflected back onto the attacker.]

The troll staggered backward, stupefied for a moment. Alistair did not lose his chance and rushed forward, trying to stab at the back of the rock troll's legs to make it fall over. But just as he had feared, his sword bounced off harmlessly, unable to pierce the tough skin.

"Call the guild master and a mage! We won't be able to defeat it on our own," Alistair called out to the guards on the wall who were looking at the battle helplessly. Their arrows were of no use against this monster.

"Lord Sinclair, you should retreat for the time being," one of the guards called back, and for a moment he considered the proposition. The rock troll growled and then flung one of his boulders in the direction of the guard. It missed its mark, colliding with the stone wall instead. The boulder smashed into it with such force that it created a huge crater—a few more such hits could easily destroy a part of the wall.

"I'm going to lead it away from the town," Alistair called out and then hit his sword against the shield, making a loud sound that echoed through the whole area. The dumb beast instantly turned towards him, drawn to noise like a moth to a flame. "Follow me!"

The rock troll didn't have to be told twice, flinging another boulder at Alistair. He braced for the impact, hoping that his skill would activate again. Alas this time, the boulder was not sent back, instead hitting the man's shield and forcing him back.

Dammit! I need to increase the rank of <Rebounding Guard>. At its current level, I'm lucky to reflect every tenth attack.

However, the fact that Alistair received little damage seemed to irritate the troll even further and it charged, its one yellow eye locked onto him.

"That's right! Come here!" He taunted and sent more mana into his lamp, increasing the intensity of its light. This way, the Guildmaster would have no trouble finding him in the dark. Not to mention that the troll seemed to find the light irritating, flinging a boulder in its direction.

Alistair hid behind a tree and ran deeper into the forest, leading the monster away from Sunglow. When they were some distance away from the wall, he stopped running, instead taking up a defensive position.

Ideally, I'd like to take out its other eye, but even a dumb beast like this wouldn't let me anywhere near it anymore. I don't think I have much of a choice in this scenario. Activate <Stormbringer's Legacy>.

[Bloodline skill <Stormbringer's Legacy> activated. For the next 15 minutes, all attacks will inflict additional lightning damage.]

Alistair's golden eyes began to glow with power as he felt the lightning—power inherited from his ancestors—coursed through his whole body. His fingertips crackled with electricity and he rushed towards the rock troll. It bellowed and threw a boulder at him.

However, Alistair rolled out of the way, having expected the attack, and instead began slashing at the troll from the side. His sword still bounced off the tough hide, but now each strike came with an additional hit of lightning which easily made its way through the rocky skin and into the troll's body.

It swung its large arm at Alistair, but he stood his ground, taking the hit head-on with his shield. 

[Skill <Unyielding Blade> activated. Each consecutive attack with a sword will be stronger than the last.]

Alistair slashed at the rock troll, his sword hitting its rocky skin with a loud clang. The troll retaliated again and again, but he blocked each hit without budging. The edges of his sword were becoming duller with each hit and his shield slowly began to bend and yield under the monster's force.

Seven. Eight. Nine. Endure it a bit longer. You can take it!

Alistair stubbornly stood his ground, despite the danger, his eyes crackling with energy and his sword sparking with lightning that damaged the rock troll with each hit.

Ten. Eleven. Just one more.

The rock troll pulled its giant arm back as far as it could and hit Alistair full force. 

[Skill <Rebounding Guard>  activated. Some of the damage has been reflected back onto the attacker.]

He barely managed to endure the hit, his knees buckling under the force of the attack. Perhaps, if the skill had not activated, he would have lost his footing. Unfortunately, this was the last hit his shield could endure—now it was completely bent out of shape. 

But this is all I need. 

He smiled and slashed at the rock troll. Electricity began to gather into his sword and the glow in his eyes intensified.

[Maximum number of attacks for the skill <Unyielding Blade> reached. You may now release a finisher attack.]

"Take this!" Alistair yelled and slashed at the rock troll in a sweeping arc. Bright blade of electric energy came from it, crackling loudly. It tore through the rock troll's hide, leaving a deep cut in its chest. The monster let out a last whimpering cry and then fell to the ground.

[You have defeated <Rock Troll – Level 1>. You've gained +125 exp.]

[Congratulations! You have reached Level 33.]

The glow in his eyes disappeared as the time on <Stormbringer's Legacy> ran out. His stamina was completely drained and his sword was barely holding together—cracked and battered.

This thing was Level 1? I've never fought an evolved monster before, but this is ridiculous. If it's level were any higher then I wouldn't have been able to defeat it.

He took a few minutes to catch his breath, then got up on his feet, looking over the defeated troll. Taking a closer look at it, Alistair realized that this one was maybe three meters high at most. Fully grown trolls were at least five meters high.

All this trouble for a baby rock troll… 

"Lord Sinclair, are you alright?" Guildmaster Arianne called through the forest. She was a woman in her early forties, the scars on her face and hands indicating her experience in battle. Behind her ran two mages and another three soldiers, armed with blunt weapons.

"Yes, I took it down," he announced, pointing towards the troll. The Guildmaster took a look at it and laughed.

"Oh, it's just a baby troll. Seems like you raised an alarm for nothing. For a System user like yourself, it must have been an easy opponent," she laughed, and Alistair did his best not to show his annoyance. 

This baby troll could have destroyed the whole town. Would showing a bit of gratitude kill you, woman?

"Guildmaster, what do we do with the body? If adult trolls discover it near the town, they might attack," one of the mages said.

"That would be troublesome. Burn the body. Make sure nothing remains," the Guildmaster said, then turned towards Alistair. "Leave the cleanup to them, Lord Sinclair. You may continue your patrol."

Alistair sighed internally and nodded. He couldn't just admit that he had completely exhausted his stamina in this fight. Especially not to this woman. He had a nagging suspicion that she didn't like System users. Or nobles. Or perhaps both. In either case, ever since he arrived in Sunglow two weeks ago, it seemed like she was out to make his life more difficult.

But there's no way I'm going to admit it to her. I'll just hope that no more monsters will appear tonight.

"Of course, Guildmaster," he nodded and then went back towards the town wall, dimming his lamp in the process. 

The night had barely begun, yet his stamina was already exhausted. Not to mention that Alistair wasn't used to the night watch yet, his body begging him for sleep and rest. 

This will be a long night…

***

Bleary-eyed and exhausted, Alistair made his way home to finally rest. Sun was already peeking from beyond the horizon and people were waking up, ready for another day of work. Their well-rested faces annoyed him a little bit, but he didn't show it, instead striding forward with his head held high—as a noble should.

Busy with their own affairs, the townsfolk didn't bother him. People on Sunglow were a bit unusual. Instead of trying to please him and flatter him with empty words, they kept a cautious distance. It was a nice change of pace, if he was being honest.

But there was one change Alistair certainly did appreciate. As he returned to his house, he was greeted with layers of dust that rose in the air as soon as he opened the door. 

What was Father thinking when he decided that I should live like a complete commoner? No maids, no servants, no anything. How am I supposed to manage this house if I'm constantly out of patrols or training? This is a step too far.

But the Church's word was absolute, so Alistair had no choice but to grit his teeth and make his way upstairs while avoiding the biggest piles of dust and cobwebs.

It's not like the house was old. No, in fact, it was built just a few years ago. Everything inside was made in the latest fashion with a wide open space at the entrance hall and large magically enhanced windows that kept warmth inside during the winter and the heat outside during hot summer days. There was also plenty of magitech in the house, meant to make his life easier. Not to mention the intricate craftsmanship of all the furniture.

The problem was that nobody had used the house since its construction. Apparently, nobody in Sunglow could afford to buy it, leaving it neglected. Alistair's father had bought the house merely based on its price, never bothering to check the inside. 

I am not allowed maids, I can at least hire somebody to clean the place right once in a while right? But the Guildmaster barely gives me enough time to sleep so I haven't had time to relax. Perhaps, I'll have my chance later this week. I'm supposed to have a free day then.

When Alistair had finally made his way to his bedroom, the clock was a few minutes shy of seven. He had tried to clean his bedroom a little bit, but in the end everything ended up as an even bigger mess. Dirty clothes lay on the floor, bed and chairs. The sight annoyed him to no end but he was too tired to do anything about it.

He pulled off his armor, placing it on his armor stand then undressed, slipping under the blanket. His eyes instantly drew shut and he felt himself falling into sleep. But then an overwhelming feeling of nausea overtook him. He sat upright, his head spinning and throbbing in pain. He clutched at with his hand and gritted his teeth, trying not to scream out.

The pain then appeared all over his body as if he was covered in heavy bruises and deep cuts. Sure, he had sustained some damage from the rock troll, but it couldn't have caused this much pain. It was as if he had been slashed by swords and pierced by spears all over his body. But worst of all was his chest. It felt like his lungs had been torn apart—he couldn't even breathe properly.

But the worst wasn't the actual pain in his body. Instead, it was the incredible sense of loss. Like he had lost something that was more important to him than his own life. Alistair tried to grasp and understand what was that he lost, but the pain was too great and he fell to the floor, wheezing and clutching at his chest.

For a moment he thought he would throw up, but then just as suddenly as the feeling came—it disappeared. All the pain was gone like it had never existed in the first place. He sat up wheezing and gasping for air, sweat trickling down his skin.

What was that? What just happened to me? Did that troll inflict some status ailment on me? No, the System would have warned me.

A System message appeared before him.

[New skill obtained: General's Echo – Rank F.]

[General's Echo: You defied fate once, and fate has not forgotten. The past clings to you, buried beneath the weight of time, waiting to awaken.]

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