Chapter 1 The Stranger

Hello readers quick input here, I just want to let y'all know that this story a replacement for spartan of middle, the reason why is because I messed up on my other one due to how I wanted it to change the cover picture so please don't mind me and start reading.

Please enjoy.

Sincerely The Author...

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"Sweety what's going on!"

The woman was scared for what had just happened first thing in the night, she and her husband with their three children were had returned from the nearest town after being invited to dinner by a friend of theirs, and hours later the town that was only a few hundred yards from where they lived had been attacked by a group of raiders.

Her husband did his best to calm her down for the time being and after a few tears being wiped off of her face she tried to go outside when the two heard the sound of their children screaming for them.

"No no malena, not yet!" The man said trying to stop his wife.

Looking at her husband with a face stained with tears. "The hell you mean by that brandor, our children are out there!" She said screaming at him.

"I know I know, but please I don't want you going out there," Brandor said with a heavy sigh knowing what he said next might upset her more but both of them understood that their kids were more important.

"I will go outside you stay in here and hide just in case,"

"What! And how exactly will you deal with that many men out there," She said exclaiming in fear of what would happen to him and the kids if the raiders suddenly starts killing them.

"I don't know, I just don't know but I can't just sit back and watch you three get hurt,"

Malena watched in sorrow as her husband went and picked up a sword and stabbed at the drapes just as a raider was about to step foot inside their room.

"Quick, get to hiding now!" Ordered brandor.

Malena wiped off her tears and nodded as she ran back and got underneath their bed.

She saw brandor taking out two raiders and knocked one back with the butt of his sword and dropped down to finish the man off by a stab to the chest and cleaved half of his body.

Brandor was too busy trying to get a bearing of his surroundings after all he had just fought a couple more raiders before he had met up with his wife. From behind him a raider ran forth to him with a club and swung it down hitting his sword just as he brought up to block the large head of the club till the larger man kneed him beside the head and grabbed him by his and hurls him outside.

Brandor watched in terror and the state that his kids were in, they were handcuffed to a steel cell big enough for their small sizes. Getting on his feet to run towards the brandor felt his leg being stabbed and as he looked down he saw an arrow sticking right through his calf with the head of the arrow sticking out with it's sharp edge.

Brandor tried to reach for his kids only to be struck once again by his head though not by a weapon but this time from someone elses boot.

He was then flipped onto his back to face the same man who had hurled him out of his house.

"Hello little man," The large raider spoke with an evil smile.

"Damn you halfling, if I hadn't been so tired I would've slaughtered all of you!" Brandor replied as he spit his own blood at the halfling man.

Halfling were what people prefer to call those who had an intimate relation between a human and a species outside of their race like that of the orcs, elf and dwarfs which was where the name halfling was made something that made most species despise each othet.

"Oh is that so, then I hope you wouldn't be saying that once I bash your head," Spoke the man with a smug face as he stood up laying his club on brandor shoulder. "And from where I'm looking at your children over there wouldn't need to be killed, selling them would be better then having to be slain. What do ya think,"

"Bastard!" brandor said as he tried to stand up and failed to as he could feel his leg throbbing in pain when he fell down on both knees.

Breathing heavily brandor tried to slow down his heart rate by taking in a deep breathe as he could feel blood that wasn't his own dripping down from his head.

The leader by the looks of it heard a clattering from the inside which he already knew to be brandor's wife smirked as he look at the fear on her face when she saw the state that brandor was in.

One guard walked past brandor going for malena when he suddenly felt a sword sticking through the tail bone right from his back with it's head pointing past his stomach.

"You stay the hell away from her you bastard,"

Brandor grunted from the way the leader grabbed him by his hair and whipped him back with his face looking up at smiling raider leader. Brandor was then forced to look forth at malena.

"I want you to watch as I go inside the house, and I'm sure you'll know what I'm going to do her," Said the sadistic halfling. "You, tie him up against that pole,"

"On it kraigar," The man said as he dragged a struggling brandor back. "Bring me that rope over there,"

After the raiders were done tying brandor up against the wooden pole they made him face the house as he tried to muffled out some words but couldn't due to his mouth being wrapped shut.

The raid leader walked in with two other following behind him.

Fearing the worst brandor had feared the worst of what was going to happen once the bastards entered the house, he looked up at the gods praying to them for help even though he knew it was futile he could hear his three kids crying out in dread of having been whipped a second later by a raider.

The best he could do was watch in horror or hear that is as he wished for all this to be over with.

...

As she ran back to the room Malena tried to search for a weapon any at all while the three men in front of her were slowly walking towards her with malicious intent in their eyes.

She took a step back the larger men brought up his club and pointed at her. "It's better if you just give up woman, there is no where for you to go," He told her while laughing.

"Oh ho ho ho, would you look at that boss, it seems like she some fight within her after all," A minion said as malena held a kitchen knife towards them in an attempt to scare them.

"Good, I like them with a little bit of fire," Said the raider leader. "Say boys, why don't you two do me a favor and tie her down for me will ya,"

"Got it boss," The two said as they walked towards malena.

"Stay back I said stay back!" Shouted malena.

"Like you have a choice woman," Replied a raider holding a rope while his partner was eyeing her maliciously.

"I would whether die then let you have your way with me," Said a slightly angry malena but due to having three men coming in closer to her she quickly ran forth to stab one of them only to be knocked back against a wall.

"Now just sit back and be patient-

That was all the large raider said before a fourteen point five times one hundred and fourteen millimeter round had split his head in half till he slumped down on both knees and fell forward.

Malena too was surprised by this when she could hear the sound of something being fired and came flying through her house walls and too the raid leader head off.

The sound of footsteps can be heard as malena and the two other surprised raiders turned to look at a dark side of the room. The first thing the trio saw was a light being flashed on almost blinding them when a giant figure walked out and stopped in front of a frightened malena.

In front of her malena was looking at the back armor of the tall armored being colored in dark green. And inside the green armor was a black body suit of some kind that she couldn't recognize nor tell what it was at first she thought it was a tunic of some sort but after a close speculation she saw that it was made by a darker shade of black.

The giant malena thought to herself moved forth when he looked down from the sound of a bone cracking. It looked down at the remains of the raider with zero emotion if that was what she could tell underneath that helmet of his.

Within a moment of silence one of the raider decided to pull out his sword ordering the giant of who he was demanding to answer their question but he moved back when the giant pulled out a combat knife of his shining from the moonlight that came through the hole from the wall.

One of the raider did something foolish as he walked forth with a few words while still being ignored by the giant. Malena would've tell him not to do it if she were with them but a after what they've done she decided not to say anything and just watched, the next thing that happened was a surprise to both her and the raider's partner when the giant grabbed the other raider by the neck and snaps it and then stabs him by the chest, the other raider seeing this ran forth to attack and received a boot to the gut sending him back right through the curtains with the loud sound of the front door slammed opened as he exited.

Malena started moving back hoping there to be back door when the giant turned to face her with his knife in hand, she closes her eyes thinking it was going to finish her off.

"Are you alright,"

Hearing the armored being speak malena didn't expect it to have the proficiency to be able to even utter a word a word, she thought it was a golem from the way it looked adding the fact that it acted like one with zero emotion when it killed the raiders without questioning of who they are.

It then spoke again shaking her out of the gaudy thinking she was going through.

"Are you alright,"

"Ye- Yes, I'm ok," Malena said finally answering him.

"Good, then I'm gonna have to ask you to remain here Ms," The armoured being said moving back giving her some space and turned to the front door.

"Wait there's too many of them out there!" Malena said before the stranger could take a step.

malena didn't know why she would even gush to tell him that but after what had just happened she just had to say something stupid she said thinking to herself.

The armoured being moved his head back glancing at her with it's helmet reflecting her tensed face.

"Do not worry, you just stay here and ill let you know when to come out. Can you do that," The strange being said to her in a scarcely approving way.

"And how will you take that many raiders, they are numbers over you," She responded feeling uncertain of the man's assurance.

"Just stay here and wait, I'll let you know when to come out,"

Before she could even speak the armored being had already left leaving her behind, she wanted to go after him but after what had just occurred she chose to do exactly as he said and stayed back. Though being the curious fool she is malena ran to the left side where the kitchen is and peeked outside.

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The raiders talked amongst each other about the share they were gonna get once they finished with the pillaging, the groups of raiders laughed at one of their comrades comment about the many things he's done which was of course the others was a part of as well but all the laughing and chatter were silenced the moment they heard a loud bang coming from inside the house.

It was like a highly deafening sound that made their ears ring for a few moments until it didn't make a second one and then seconds later the sound of screams and yelling resonated throughout the house as the sound of furniture being broken and the last scream that belongs to one of their own quieted.

"You!" One of the man said to a raider with a demanding voice. "Go inside and check it out,"

"Why's he not the one going in himself," Said the raider as he began wondering towards the door.

The raider hand came up to the knob just to have the door slammed opened against his face, he went to grab his face from the the pain he felt and from the corner of his eyes he saw a body coming his way as it smashed against him.

The impact had him rolling as he landed on his rear end, the raider stood up gradually holding his pulsing head from the amount of heavy aching he's gotten from having someone thrown at him out of nowhere.

The rest of the raiders when seeing this pulled out their weapons in the ready and started towards the house.

One man sauntered forth for the half broken door with on the top part missing, his eyes caught sight of figure till he stepped back when the shadowy figure showed itself with it's full height as it came within the moon light.

The sight of the being was enough to shock the raider as he took a step back and before he could lift his left one a knife came flying and struck him in the face, the dread features showed on his face as the man shakily with his hands tried reaching for his face on for his body to give up as he slumped down on both knees fell forth when an armored hand stopped it pulled the knife out with a squelching sound of brain matter falling off into the ground.

The other raiders who were all in shock of what they witnessed seeing one of their comrades slain by a strange being while some thought that the tall being was a creation of one of those wizards that they call call golems though this one was small in size standing only around eight foot two while the golems that they've seen were mostly taller then the being in front them. But whatever this golem they thought walked like that a normal human yet but indicated a motion of exemplary.

"Stop right there!" Demanded one raider.

Brandor who had been watching this looked on at the being as it rushes forward and cleaved through three raiders, it's head tilted to the left as a spear flew past his head and snatched it from the handle stabbing another raider on his foot right where his lateral cuneiform is, twisting it the being began dragging it to the left cutting past the flesh as the sound of intermediate and medial cuneiform broke. The man screamed out in misery as the being finished by severing the small toe and before he could even breathe once more the being grabbed him by the scruff of his tunic shirt moved him slightly of the ground to the left and used him as a meat shield where arrows struck him from the back.

The raiders curses in a language unbeknownst to the strange being who stopped for a moment when he spoke and then started towards more of them as screams of agony can be heard after the strange being had leaped towards them ten feet into the air and came back down slamming it's fist to the ground causing small debris to fly outwardly.

The impact had caused some of the raiders close to fall while the ones nearby were either hitting the grass and hitting the trees as they were sent flying.

Disoriented a raider crawled over to his sword laying out six feet from where he is, he went to grab it but a body of dead raider knocked it to the sides. The man heart battered with terror noticing that the raider had his mouth opened as if he was surprise alongside his own sword that was attached to his chest with his eyes closing afterwards as his life was done with.

He heard the sounds of more of his companions being slaughtered by the golem as he prefers to call it. For what he thought was finish the man was waiting for what's next as one of the raiders who chose to attack from behind, though they had an advantage over their killer in numbers they were also fools to be exposing themselves while screaming loudly as they ran at the golem.

The being seeing this ripped a wood fence and swings it from the left striking two raiders in the process and then blocked a thrown blade from an attack. Pulling it from the wood the being glance at the one who threw it and hurled back at him.

"Die scum!" A raider said yelling as he brought his sword down.

In a quick succession the strange being backed away and blocked another attack from a slightly taller halfling as he attempted to keep him down long enough for his partner to drove his spear where the spartan chest is at, instead of feeling remorse for his attack thinking that they've finally got him the man was suddenly surprised by small hexagonal shapes appearing in yellow light. Shortly after that the raider grabbed onto his gut when the spartan yanked the sword from his colleague and drove it deep into him as it pierced his heart.

The raider who saw this stumbled back in fear, he didn't even notice a rock the size of brick and tripped as he fell back on his rear.

The spartan after having to killing every raiders in his surroundings well except one, dropping a dead body and putting his combat knife in it's sheath where he's shoulder is. The spartan then turned to the remaining raider who was trudging backward hastily, he pushed up onto his feet and ran, just as he was hoping to make it to the forest the sound of a loud bang one he was unfamiliar with let rang out and the next thing he felt was his the back of his leg being blown off severing his knee legs as he then fell down.

The raider let out a yell of despair of having to lose his leg, the sound of the spartan walking to him became hearable and the man looked up to see it or him stopping just two feet from where he is. It looked to where his bloodied leg is at and kicked it to the side.

The raider showed a sign of worry from what was obvious of the outcome of his life and spoke.

"Wait, wait please ill give you anything if you help me please I beg of you!" The man said pleading for his life.

Expecting a word of mercy from strange being it snatched a small metal of some kind into his right hand one that resembles the dwarven musket pistol yet looked sleek and colored in a shade of darker grey.

"I'll give you anything you want anything, huh money cash is that what you want!" The man waited for the spartan to answer and in response the sound of a click made him tensed somehow. "Ple-Please have mercy!"

"Tell that to the villagers you've killed,"

With that the spartan gave a final response pointing his M6C pistol and pulled the trigger killing of the pleading man.

Brandor couldn't believe what he'd had just watched, he witnessed a massacre of the groups of raiders that was about to kill him god knows what the bastards would've done to his kids. The sound of him struggling to still get out lessened when the Spartan turned to his direction, this made him even more terrified of what he would do to him, although he was delighted to see the damn raiders get what they deserved but when the one being that was responsible for the killing of the raiders started walking towards him his heart beat began beating rapidly scared of what it'll do to him.

It stopped in front of him and brought its right arm up with a knife in hand, brandor fearing the worst closes his eyes tightly, if he could speak right now he would've tell his kids of how much they meant to both him and his wife malena but that wasn't possible due to position he was in, he just hoped the strange being would've at least turned his children the other way so that they wouldn't have to watch him die a gruesome death from the tall being.

He half expected the worst and waited for his fated death but instead rope that strapped him into the wooden pole was being cut by the colossus being.

Brandor looked down in surprise of what this is, the being had decided to set him free from his binds. Having all kinds of thought of what the being in front of him might've done. Brandor decided to brush the dreaded feeling aside for the moment.

Brandor heard his three kids calling out papa as the spartan was heading for them. He trek to them till the voice of his wife malena ran out of the house and almost knocked him to the ground when she hugged him.

"Malena, oh thank the gods your alive, I feared the worst of what those scumbags might have done to you," An almost dreary brandor as he hugged his wife.

Sniffiing malena wiped her tears as she then notices the spartan stopped close to the cage that her kids were in. "It is alright my dear, I am fine, none of those bastards has done anything all thanks to the stranger over there," She said sniffling.

The two couples stepped away from each other and walked over to where the spartan and their kids was as their rescuer wrapped his fingers around the bar door and ripped it off from its hinges, after that the kids were hesitant to come out due to tall being standing just outside from where they are.

"Perhaps you should take a deep step back koa, it seems you are scaring the kids with your presence,"

Heeding to his long time partners advise koa otherwise known as sierra zero-zero-five or just five for short took three steps backward nodding for the two other adults to come get their children.

"You can leave kids," Spoke five with a monotone voice.

Seeing this the mother malena chose to step in and ease her childrens current apprehension.

"It's alright kids, the big stranger won't harm you. It's ok come on out to mommy now," Malena said to them which they started walking out of the gate one after the other as the youngest one jumped up onto his mother open arms.

Brandor walked on over to his wife and kids, one of them the eldest one spotted him and jumped up to hug him while the old man happily carried him to his other two kids and wife.

He was happy that they were safe thanks to the giant that saved them. His wife malena took sometimes conversing with the kids and him and though they were happy for the time being brandor and malena turned to see the spartan starting to leave the scene and the two of them immediately called out to him.

"Wait stranger,"

"What do they want now!" Five said as he stopped to see the family of five strolling towards him. "What is it?"

Both couple glance at each other and then back to the stranger. "W- We just wanted to say thank you," Brandor said.

"No problem," Koa said simply.

"May we at least know your name?" Brandor said stuttering for a second.

Five stood there contemplating whether he should tell him his real name which he doesn't have to but after a few moment of thought he consider it thinking it wouldn't be that bad if did.

"The names five,"

Brandor and malena both had a look of confusion resulting in them meeting someone who's named after numbers making them wonder why.

"Forgive me str- I'm mean five but why the numbers. I don't mean to sound rude because mostly everyone we've met has a name?" Inquire malena after she had to correct herself.

"Why the number Mr. Giant?" The little girl said asking as she was standing in front of her father.

"Awww, aint that cute," Deha said inside the spartan helm. "She called you Mr. Giant. I wonder what the others would say,"

"Deha, your not helping," Five told her even though he knew she was right. His team and most of the spartan two's would either pundit on him being called Mr. Giant by a little child especially kurt who he knew would crack jokes about him.

"My name is nothing of importance, though I advise you two to head to the nearest kingdom or town for safety, there has been a numbers of raiders going around pillaging villages and towns," Five told them and began trekking towards the nearby town.

"Good luck,"

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"I guess he is right about that," Replied brandor squeezing his wife's hand slightly afraid of what he and her had been told by the spartan.

"Where will we be heading to brandor?"

The man looked to her in the eyes and smiled as to give her a bit of hope. "We will go to the kingdom of empress thralla, from there we'll be welcomed in by my sister,"

"And how long will she let us live within her mansion?" Questioned malena.

Brandor gave a wry smile as he brought in his kids.

"My dear, my sister wouldn't mind that, she is one of the best noblewoman of the empress and wouldn't wish for you nor the children to live in a outlying and broken place... Besides while we do live there I'll be building a home of our own just outside of the kingdom,"

Malena let out a sigh of relief. "Alright as long as she is ok with that then I won't bother you too much on it,"

One of their two sons stepped in and looked up at brandor. "Pa, where did the big man go?"

"I believe that he's headed towards the town down there," Malena said answering for him.

"Do you believe he'll be ok," The daughter said.

Brandor laughed at that for a sec and spoke. "Sweety I believe we needn't no worry for the stranger not after what he's done to the bad people. He'll be fine,"

Even though the stranger otherwise now known as five saved them brandor still had a slight doubt of concern for the man and hoped he knows what he's doing for going into the town to cleanse the raiders of their filths.

"Come on we should get going while we still can," Spoke malena as she walked over to where the raiders horses were at.

...