Author’s Preamble: I usually don’t prewrite the preamble. I usually just insert it at the beginning when I’m at the posting stage, but I felt that this chapter required it. Now, all of you that have been happy with the series thus far may not like this chapter. It isn’t pretty. It isn’t full of rainbows, unicorns, and butterflies. This is a chapter to give you a glimpse of the darkness of Sefica. In the face of a great evil, good men and women can take three routes. They can give into the darkness and just give in. They can ignore it and try to continue on with their lives. Or. Or they can stand in the face of the darkness and combat it. Now, I ask you my audience, which path seems like Abrum? Okay, serious stuff out of the way, to Mr. Pale Rider, you just gave me a phenomenal idea with the Four Horsemen. To Dordul, I dunno how fluffy elves would work… Also, I noticed an 6% dissatisfaction rate with the last poll. While this was lower than expected, I find this personally unacceptable, and I feel as if I have failed you as a writer. I apologize to those 8 people. I’d like to thank the 117 people that still like this story. I also know that the amount of views have decreased as the chapters went along. My first chapter has 7k views, but now, in the late stages, we struggle to reach even 1k. This is troubling to me. I reeeeaaaaalllllyyyy do not want to do a rewrite… But I dunno, I may have to. Anyway, comment, rate, and TELL OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT THIS FIC. (Also, to WalkingOrange, I love your comment at Succubus and Angaellis.)

Abrum sat upon one of the many sweeping hills that were in the Hunger Plains. These plains separated the capital from the forest. He sat upon the hill adjusting the clothes he had procured from the shop in the village. He decided he couldn’t go around half naked forever, so they had made a detour by the village. While he was there, he had managed to gather information about the slaver’s normal routes.

Currently, Abrum sat eating a roasted Goril. This was the main type of monster in the hungering plains. They were worm like creatures that had an interesting exterior organ called the Kortium on their skin. It constantly exhumed a slight amount of mana, enough to keep their bodies afloat. Similar to how sea snakes wiggle, using the water to propel themselves, the goril use the grass to mobilize themselves. Abrum smiled as he looked out.

His wolves sat around the corpse of a massive goril known as a Grass Knight, eating the cooked flesh. A beast several meters long, they are one of the more dangerous monsters in the Hunger Plains. He had arrived back from the village to find the wolves battling the monstrosity, and joined the battle late. He had only gained 2 levels since the wolves had done most of the damage, and the experience distribution was based upon the amount of damage dealt. The points were distributed into luck, because he really had no need for them in any other spot.

‘But it really helps to have more cooks.’ Thought Abrum. The elves had obediently helped with the cooking after they had had a witness of Abrum’s shadow. Abrum found it weird, but the guardians just said:

‘The elves may be an arrogant race, but they at least can respect power.’

Abrum looked up at the sky as the sun seemed to fade into the clouds. The slavers went along their routes at night because that is when the majority of the goril sleep. They rely upon solar energy to fuel their mana reserves. They are said to possess a peculiar organ that converts solar energy to mana. The mana obtained from this organ is what powers their Kortium. Thus, unless they have impressive mana storage, they won’t be moving around in the night.

Abrum watched as the sun set, and the night began its journey across the land. The half-moon peeked out from behind the clouds, casting a silvery glow across the plains. Abrum sat on the hill, quietly eating, watching the horizon.

And there it was.

A speck upon the horizon. A group of orange lights marring the silver blanket that the moon lay down upon the plains. Abrum’s eyes turned to this spot on the horizon.

“Time to mobilize folks.” Abrum said standing up. Riding Ugothir, they rode towards the foreign light.

Abrum sat atop Ugothir, as they came over a hill, the light of the torches extremely close. He scanned the slaver caravan. There were 5 covered wagons along with around 20 guards with them. Abrum couldn’t see any of the slaves, so he assumed they were in the covered wagon. Something caught his eye, and he couldn’t tear it away. There was a carriage made of luxurious wood, and gilded with what seemed like gold. It was pulled by two fine grey horses. Flanking the carriage were three horsemen, with fine gilded halberds that had an aura to them.

“Four waves. First consisting of Orthir, Bothir, Lothir, and Liba supporting from behind. Second consisting of Yula, Bula, Jula, and Ti-era. Third wave will consist of Ugothir and I. Last wave shall consist of Bula, Jula, Yula, Orthir, Bothi, Lothir, Ugothir, Ti-era, Liba, and myself. Rest of the guardians will secure the perimeter. Regular wolves, stay back and help secure the perimeter. I’d rather us not have any casualties. Avoid the carriage until the last wave. The horsemen protecting the carriage have me a tad bit nervous.”

The guardians and wolves nodded, due to his Commander of Wolves skill, they prepared efficiently. The elves were walking around trying to find their place in the formation. Abrum sighed and directed Ti-era to the middle of the formation for the second wave. He had to personally direct Liba to the spot from which she was to conduct her magical bombardment.

Abrum dismounted from Ugothir and strode confidently to the top of the ridge, and he overlooked the caravan. The moonlight coming from the north fell onto his back and cast his shadow upon the caravan. Abrum raised his hand above him.

“Detain them, but try not to kill them. This amount of people is not enough to fatally injure our current forces.” Abrum said in a quiet voice.

“Oi! Who is that up on the ridge?”

“Doesn’t matter. The quest reward is too much to take any risks.”

“He’s just a single guy, take him out so we can move on.”

‘Players are taking part in this depravity? So this is a protection quest.’ Thought Abrum.

“Well then. Begin.” Abrum said. That’s when the carnage began.

Orthir, Bothir, and Lothir came over the ridge like the wind. The explosive power of their legs made them blur in the eyes of the players. They moved faster than the players could perceive effectively. The first wave was designed to disorient and distract. An enemy that has their attention in a different place is a lot easier to deal with than one that has its attention on the attacker.

Liba rained down arrows upon them while the guardians ran, slashing out their paws, running to the south. They moved quickly through the forces, running quickly.

The caravans forces were in disarray, they were trying to make a formation with their battered health. A player that looked something like a priest was chanting some spell, most probably a priest.

“Orthir, stop him.” Abrum indicated the priest looking player. A huge paw connected with that player’s neck shortly after, crushing his windpipe and blocking

The guardians, after they had achieved their goal, disappeared over the hill to the south.

“Second wave.”

Yula, Jula, Bula, and Ti-era appeared from the ridge to the east, right in front of the caravan. Disorganized and hurt, the players could do nothing to stop their onslaught. As the guardians ran through, they used a skill called {Brutal Paw} on the legs and arms of the enemies. This was a skill that inflicted a medium amount of damage, but could inflict the /Broken/ status upon a limb. This skill would effectively make a limb immobilized for the rest of a fight unless the target had an insane regeneration rate. Ti-era, as a Sword of the Loihon nation, did not disappoint. She didn’t have such a skill as Broken Paw, so she just cut the arms and legs clean off using two swords. Abrum was quiet honestly impressed with her.

‘She’s going to outclass you ya know.’ Abrum sent out telepathically to his guardians.

In response to this, Jula suddenly blurred. The priest from earlier had an unfortunate fate. In one quick instance, his arms and legs were broken.

“You were saying?”

‘My bad then…’ Abrum tried to laugh it off. ‘Note to self. Jula is one prideful wolf…’

The guardians and Ti-era fled back over the ridge to the east after they were finished.

“I guess the third wave is unneccesary. Alright folks, we’re skipping straight to the fourth wave. Take down the guards without killing them if you can, but if not, do what you must.”

Abrum got on top of Ugothir, and rode over the ridge in unison with all the other forces going over the ridges. They rode through the players, who were shouting things like:

“T-they’re heading to the carriage!”

“Stop them!”

“I-I can’t move!”

They approached the carriage like a deer hunted by a pack of wolves. Jula was the first to jump in, already looking to prove herself after Abrum’s last comment. She had rushed in faster than anyone, more ferociously than anyone.

The horseman swung his halberd, but it was too slow. Jula had already gotten under his swinging distance. Using {Brutal Paw}, she broke his arm.

However, she was too quick, to reckless. Thus, one of the other horsemen were able to bury their halberd into her back. Jula sported an arrogant grin for one second, then it turned to one of fright.

Ice started to spread across her body from the wound, like an infection, it started to crawl across her body.

“And what do you think you are doing to one of my charges?” said a voice right behind the unfortunate guardsman. That was the moment Abrum relieved him of his life.

That guardsman still had that look of confusion on his face when his head hit the ground. The guardians immobilized the last guardsman without any difficulties.

“Bula, take Jula to the perimeter, get her treated. Lothir, Bothir, and Yula round up the players in an orderly fashion and check on the condition of the slaves in the wagons. Orthir, Ugothir, human forms please. Time to see what behind the door.”

They ran off to comply with his orders. Abrum was alone with Orthir and Ugothir.

He opened the door, and the stench of death hit his face like a brick. Reeling back in shock, he heard a wet smacking sound. The sound of hips hitting each other.

Abrum looked inside and saw something in the dark that he would not forget soon. He reeled back to outside the carriage.

“Orthir, Ugothir, go… stop that man from continuing to violate that poor strangled elf’s corpse.”

The guardians’ faces hardened. They looked inside and reeled back for a second. Then, with hardened faces, they went in and dragged the obese man out.

They threw him down on the ground, his pants still around his ankles.

“What are you doing?! Do you have any idea who I am?”

“Not in the slightest.” Said Abrum, barely containing his anger.

“I’m Duke Willsing, I provide every last noble with the slaves they want! I have direct connections to the queen!”

Abrum’s face hardened.

“You… cater to the nobility huh? Even the queen?”

“ESPECIALLY THE QUEEN! Now, if you don’t want you head removed from your body, I demand you let me go!” Screamed the obese lecher.

Now, Sameul was a Christian. He believed in the doctrines of mercy and grace. Of forgiveness. He served a god, the only God. The God that gave unlimited grace and mercy. Abrum tried his best to emulate that, but he was not God. He was human. Imperfect. So his mercy, though incredibly big, was limited.

Drawing his sword in a flash and sheathing it again, Abrum showed Willsing that he had passed the limit of his mercy.

Thus, Duke Willsing’s head hit the ground it a sickening thud.

He was silent for a good long minute.

“Hey Ugothir, Orthir… I think I’m going to destroy the capital with all its perverse and corrupt nobles… What say you?”

They stood silent for just a second. They looked at each other and then looked back to him.

“’To the ends of the earth, we will follow you. We will support your endeavors, and when it seems that you are losing your true self to a task, we will pull you right back out.””

Abrum smiled happily at their response. A box appeared in front of his face and he laughed at it.

Due to your actions, you gained the title of

{Noble Executioner}.

20% additional damage done when attacking a person of noble status.