Winter Is Coming

In an instant, Asher's body was suffused with life. A shiver of discomfort ran through him and passed, leaving in its wake a totally different feeling. The sickly and frail body of his was replaced by well-defined muscles. He flexed his fingers in wonder at the width of his grasp, with the tendons and bones now sheathed in a casing of heavy flesh.

His face sharpened, gaining an edge of nobility and danger. His eyes gleamed with a predatory light, akin to that of a wolf ready to strike.

As of now, he still hadn't reached the honor of the silver rank, but his improvement was stunning. He had completely bypassed iron rank and was now a warrior in bronze rank.

For most, ascending ranks required years of grueling practice in the Battle Force Arts, yet Asher had defied convention. The impossible had unfolded within a single day.

Kelvin was near him, the stoic mask faltering as wonder lit his features, his hand slightly quivering at his side. What kind of talent is this? It was impossible for what he had just seen to make sense under reason, history, or any scholarly text that he had ever read.

A glimmer of hope fluttered in Kelvin's mind. With such a lord… perhaps the beast tide this winter won't signal the end for us.

Sirius came and nudged its head against Asher's chest, and he stroked it with a soft smile. "I'm glad you're back on your feet, buddy."

.....

Inside the stone castle's dining hall, two identical men clad in leather armor stood at the other end of the dining table, staring at a stout man seated at the head of the table feasting on a roasted pheasant with little to no care for his surroundings.

This brown-haired man was none other than the sole silver-ranked swordsman in Ash Town, Peter, chief guard to James Ashbourne, Fredrick Ashbourne, and Thomas Ashbourne.

Flanking him on either side, row upon row of maids lined up, eyes downcast, their faces expressionless.

"Alec, Alex, the infamous twins of sword and shield. To what do I owe the honor of your presence today?"

Alec, his broad frame taut with tension, adjusted the rectangular shield strapped to his back and furrowed his brows.

"Winter is coming, and with it a horde of beasts. We haven't even recovered from the last tide—our walls are crumbling, most of the men have deserted, and the ones left are starving and untrained. And you…" His voice hardened as he gestured at Peter, seated indulgently at the head of the table. "You sit here all day, gorging yourself!"

Peter's expression darkened, his fork clattering onto his plate. A whitish silver force billowed out of him, and his eyes also grew sharper, almost as sharp as literal blades!

"You forget," he said, his voice dropping to a glacial tone, "you are speaking to a silver-ranked swordsman."

"The beast tide will pose no problem as long as I'm here."

His voice dropped a few degrees.

Alex, the one who had a heavy sword attached to his back, held his brother's arm and took a step forward.

"Sir Peter, we need to see Baron Thomas's kid brother. We are rightfully supposed to speak to him, not you."

"You want to waste your breath on that sickly brat? The one who can't even fend for himself?"

But before Peter could continue, a voice rang out from the entrance.

"On the contrary, I have grown tired of consuming ill-prepared meals."

The moment that voice rang, everyone, including the maids, turned to the large wooden doors. The doors swung open, revealing Asher on the back of a terrifying wolf. Just seeing him reminded them of the Ashbournes of the legends.

"Is that the man you call sickly?" Alec raised an eyebrow.

Upon seeing Asher, Peter threw the heavy dining table toward him and rushed toward the wall. Alex acted instantly as he unsheathed his sword and sliced the table into two while his brother was already at the back.

His shield was before him. The table slammed his shield, but Alec perfectly withstood the impact.

Asher was amazed by the twins, who acted like one flesh, but dealing with Peter was of utmost priority. At this moment, Peter had reached the wall and grabbed the sword hung on it.

As he brandished the sword, a silver-blazing force billowed out of him in the form of burning flames. The temperature of the hall increased instantly, but Sirius snorted, and the temperature dropped.

Asher came down from his pet, and a glint flashed through his eyes. An order was given, and Sirius acted swiftly. It launched toward Peter, smacking the sword out of the experienced swordsman's hands and ripping his chest open.

Sirius also had a grudge toward this man that had been tormenting it for years. Peter stared at his chest and at Asher with disbelief.

"I grew tired of eating black bread and vegetable soup." Asher managed to say before Sirius chomped down.

After watching Sirius devour Peter, the swordsman they all feared, Alec, Alex, and the maid half kneeled and bowed their heads at him.

"Lord Asher!"

Kelvin, standing to the side, smiled faintly and stepped forward, taking his place at Asher's right.

Asher strode to the head seat, his eyes scanning the hall. The destroyed dining table lay in ruins, the shattered chairs strewn about. Sirius lay near his feet, its sharp gaze locked onto Alec and Alex, as if assessing whether they were friend or foe.

"The hall lacks proper space for a lord's pet beast," Asher remarked. "From now on, this will be known as the Sacred Hall. None may linger here long, save for myself and my companions."

Indeed, the sacred there means it was a place for an Ashbourne lord and his pet beast. His subordinates and vassals were allowed, but for a small amount of time. There would be no seat except his own.

He got this from the mural in his room.

Asher's voice cut through the silence. "Who are you?"

"We are your servants, Lord Asher. Captains of your troops."

[Criteria fulfilled. Both warriors are commander-level material. Would you upgrade Alex to silver-ranked swordsman and Alec to silver-ranked shieldman? Yes or No?]

Asher's eye glowed. Commander-level materials, according to Boundless, meant these twins had at least B-grade talents!

Since they already spoke up for him before he came and deemed themselves his servants, Asher decided to upgrade them, as Kelvin had informed him about winter, which was dangerously close. When winter came, the depths of the wasteland would become too cold for the beasts, so they would run to warmer places, and Ash Town happened to be the first human settlement between hordes of beasts and human civilization.

Because of this, he needed a powerful army, and a strong army needed great leaders.