The knight stared at Tymon as he slowly made his way back to the soldiers, gripping his weapon tightly as he awaited the inevitable.

  “I will have your head.”

  The knight spoke before unsheathing his sword; the soldiers followed suit. With a roar, the soldiers attacked, charging in a uniform line, but Tymon was not intimidated. Alfred suddenly appeared in his rge form and used his body as a massive wall, breaking the soldiers into divided groups.

  Alfred spewed poison over the soldiers, who began to convulse in pain. Arrows flew, killing more soldiers, while the orcs jumped into the fray and began to sughter the soldiers. The soldiers tried to cut down Alfred, but his scales were too strong; the weapons simply bounced off his skin. Panic set in as they steadily lost numbers. One of the knights summoned their golden mana, ready to cut down Alfred. Sensing the intent, he tried to uncoil, but it was too te. He braced himself for the attack, but Tymon intervened, his battle axe cshing with the sword. Sparks flew from their weapons as the knight took several steps back.

  “You would protect a hydra? Such a foul beast—do you know what happens when you let them grow?”

  “That’s a rude way to speak to my comrade.”

  “Comrade? Have you truly lost your mind? It’s a monster.”

  “Yet they are wiser, kinder, and better than you. What does that make you?”

  Filled with anger, the man shed out at Tymon, who skillfully blocked all the attacks. He watched as the knight grew more impatient, but he remained firm. He slightly twisted his body, sending the knight crashing to the ground. It was then he began to understand the old dwarf’s words: blind rage leads to nothing. He needed to be composed and steady, like his axe, so it could cut true.

  “You can still leave with your men alive.”

  “I will leave with your corpse. Brothers, let’s kill this heathen.”

  The two knights joined the fray, along with the soldiers. Alfred dove and consumed several soldiers as he uncoiled and retreated to the edge of the cave, leaving Tymon with the three knights and several soldiers.

  Tymon was the first to attack, swinging the axe. The trio managed to jump out of the way, but the slower soldiers were instantly cut in half. Blood and guts sprayed everywhere. He stepped forward, then pnted the axe into the ground and released his blue mana as rows of earth-like spikes shot out, penetrating the soldiers. The battlefield soon became hell, with countless corpses littering the ground, while others remained skewered. Only the three knights remained, keeping their distance from him.

  “I used to believe if you do good, good will be rewarded to you. I didn’t take into account evil, those who don’t care for others. The empire is nothing more than rotten flesh, and my family was poisoned by it.”

  Tymon spoke in a soft voice as he approached the knights.

  “Is that your justification for killing soldiers of the empire? You seem truly pathetic.”

  “I wield this axe in the name of all that is right and just. I wield it against evil. I wield it against you.”

  Blue mana surged from his body, then seemingly disappeared. A sharp sound could be heard as one of the knights barely managed to block an attack. The strike proved too strong for him, and his legs buckled under the pressure. The other two summoned their mana and attacked him. He skillfully dodged, then unched an attack of his own. The rge battle axe flew through the air as the three knights tried to dodge. Suddenly, an arrow flew and hit one of the knights’ thigh. He yelled in pain and colpsed to the ground, sealing his fate. The axe nded squarely on the man’s chest, almost cutting him in half. The sight of his organs spread across the ground was horrific.

  With two knights remaining, the odds were even more against them. Tymon did not stop as he advanced and unleashed his attacks. The two tried to dodge and counterattack, but Tymon was superior to them. The commander they knew had grown leaps and bounds, becoming almost a different man. Another arrow flew and pierced the neck of another knight. Before he could even fall and die, his head was split in half, blood spraying all over Tymon, whose gaze nded on the st one.

  Fear consumed the st knight as he weakly fell to the ground, staring up at Tymon. It was the knight who had foolishly mocked him, but Tymon’s mind was not consumed with revenge; he simply knocked him out. Joseph appeared on a nearby tree and simply nodded towards him. With a bloody smile, he returned the acknowledgement. He quickly ran towards the entrance of the cave, where he found the orcs and dwarves celebrating. They had won the fight, with a couple of soldiers tied up as prisoners.

  To think they had halted an army of one hundred strong soldiers was hard to believe. Most of the credit went to the giant hydra, who took down the majority of the soldiers, followed by the elf. He found new respect for the mighty hydra and elves.

  “Do not celebrate yet. If they don’t hear from them, they will send more. Reset the traps, clear the battlefield, and prepare for another, stronger wave.”

  The orcs nodded in agreement as they moved quickly.

  “What do we do with the magic cores and prisoners?”

  “Collect the magic cores for our master and tie up the soldiers in one pce. Bring the knight into the cave for interrogation.”

  “We will follow your order.”

  They quickly dispersed and got to work. Still holding his bloody battle axe, he entered the cave. He saw the figure of the snake, who was beside Adeline. Tymon silently took a seat next to him.

  “Thank you, human, for saving me from harm.”

  “It is only right to protect your comrades in arms.”

  “Master named me Alfred.”

  “She named me Tymon. I will be in your care.”

  They quietly watched their master, anticipating her return. They may have won this battle, but the war was on the horizon.

  Retrothewise