Coward Hubert
Hubert clenched his spear in his fist, the barbarian in front of him was the only thing that blocked him from getting on a horse, even if there were any.
"Ignem arcesso!"
Woosh!
BOOM!
A fireball came from behind the barbarian, nakedly making contact with the back of him. Splinter of fire went everywhere, the air became so hot, creating mirage around it. The barbarian was thrown to the ground.
The shockwave sent Hubert's hair flying to the opposite direction even when he was 7 meters away from it. Hubert's facial muscles were also thrown off that his teeth were there for everyone to see.
"Warm…" the barbarian muttered in the Creopian tongue.
Then he used his double, great, wide axe as a support stick to lift himself up from the ground. He turned behind and grinned as he saw his opponent. Someone more interesting than Hubert.
"You shall not pass!" a watchman in a mage's robe said, holding a book in his left hand and correcting his glasses with the other.
It's a squad of watchmen, 6 to be exact. 3 at the front were spearmen, 2 in the middle were swordmen, and 1 at the very rear was a magician.
"Mage…" the barbarian let out a huge breath from his mouth.
His eyes showed excitement, his mouth grinned so big and horrifyingly that it's alike to a hyena. His calf muscle pumped with blood, showing off pure strength akin to that of a gorilla. Then he moved.
"Defense formation!" the mage shouted to his teammate.
Without giving a response, the watchmen clenched their weapons and changed to the standard fighting stance.
Hubert remembered the mage.
The mage was a cocky man, he was on another different class from the other watchmen. The mage's name, Gregorius Trilly, of the noble house of Trilly, though only a far relative to the current head of the Trilly family. Nonetheless a noble, trained in the art of superior swordmanship and magic than the rest of the populace.
Slash!
The barbarian jumped from his position, like a jumping frog, he was already in front of the squad of watchmen. He slashed at them horizontally from east to west with his great axe. But the squad was ready to accept his attack.
The three spearmen worked together and blocked the attack with the shaft. It stopped the momentum of the axe complete on its track.
Then the swordmen rushed forward, with their sword by their side, one slashed from the left, the other from the right.
"HUARRGHHH!" the barbarian shouted.
Before the swordmen could make contact with his flesh, he used his pure brute strength and pushed the three spearmen into the stable in raging fire.
"ARGHHHH" the spearmen screamed in painful agony.
The barbarian grinned and turned his axe, swinging it into the other direction and toward the swordmen. The moonlight reflected on the axe's head could be seen at the last second in the eyes of the swordmen.
Thump.
Heads rolled on the ground, the soil tainted with blood of watchmen, soulless, lifeless and moveless body fell, bringing with it the tragic end of theirs.
"Ignem Arcesso!" the mage, Gregorius casted his spell again, this time, a smaller fireball came out.
The barbarian merely placed his axe, as wide as his own body, making it act as a shield for him.
Boom!
The fireball exploded once again, now in the metal surface of the axe.
"Warm." the barbarian jumped once again, axe to his side.
Swinging it horizontally from east to west again toward the defenseless magician.
"NOW HUBERT! TELL MY FAMI…" Gregorius shouted.
Slash!
However much a noble is, blood runs in their vein. Visible from the rain of blood spurring out from his headless neck.
At the same time, a brown horse managed to escape from the stable.
Amidst the screaming sound of the burning watchmen inside the stable slowly dying out, and the heads rolling on the ground along with their lifeless owner. The horse became a relief for Hubert.
As it galloped toward Hubert who still clenched his spear in his fist. In a clean motion, he picked up the reins and jumped onto the saddle.
"No… NO!" The barbarian screamed. A prey escaping his sight, unbelievable!
He dashed like a frog once again, with his axe to the side and did a downward slash at the horse.
"Hiya!" Hubert spurred the horse forward.
Hubert's head turned behind to see the barbarian, only to be greeted by the terrifying face full of rage of the barbarian.
Hubert's eyes filled with the image of the axe.
SLASH!
The axe sharpened edge slashed on the tail of the horse. The barbarian left exhausted with air exhaled out of his respiratory system.
"HUARGHHHH!"
The barbarian's terrifying warscream, like a roaring lion that had just lost its prey, was the last thing Hubert heard as he escaped from his post.
He rode on the main road, toward south.
Behind him, an outpost, once filled with trained and lively watchmen where songs once filled the silent camp and stories were told among them, is no more.
Consumed by flame, roaring high into the night sky, its black smoke pierced the clouds and joined them. The walls made of tree logs, one by one fell, then the main cabin, where watchmen once gathered to discuss missions, fell. Accompanied with it, was the sound of a roaring thunder.
Only Hubert escaped from that place-turned-hell.
---
Stomp stomp
Sigh…
An exhausted, continuous exhale came out from the horse. The sight of the outpost could no longer be seen, replaced by the countless trees on the right side and a small stream of water on the left side.
Hubert's vision became blurry, his hearing became numb, and his body produced sweat that made his leather amour wet. His mind couldn't process what happened anymore, he became gradually tired from all the time he spent running on full speed from his outpost.
Slowly, the hard clench he used to hold onto his spear, became weaker and weaker, until he dropped his spear on the ground. He saw the spear on the ground, and pulled his reins on the horse until it came to a stop.
He came down from the horse, then picked up his spear.
Stomp stomp
The horse sped away, leaving him stranded in the middle of the road, surrounded by nature.
Lack of sleep and tiredness overtook Hubert.
He saw his horse speeding away but didn't bother to catch it. Instead, he sluggishly, while dragging his spear, walked over to the side of the road concealed by bushes.
Thump.
---
"Hubert! Hubert! Don't run so fast in the middle of the field!" a woman shouted over the grain field where Hubert was running on, her voice filled with worry.
She was beautiful, a young woman, with black silky hair and black eyes. Expression that showed worry and love to Hubert.
"Don't worry mother! I'm just running away to see father!" small Hubert responded.
About 100 meters, a man with a straw hat over his head and a hoe in his hand worked the field filled with blessings of food for his family. Small Hubert ran toward him with a huge radiant beam on his face.
Thump
An unfortunate small stone on the ground, ensnared small Hubert toward the ground with it. Hubert's vision went black as he closed his eyes.
Then he opened his eyes again, this time he was on the ground.
A sight of fire and smoke. Bodies and corpses. Blood and heads. His hearing filled with screams, and his muscles froze so that he couldn't move. His eyes twitched, and his pupils dilated.
Everyone around him was getting massacred, yet he could only watch and do nothing.
Then he closed his eyes again.
This time he found himself cornered, with his back to a tree.
"Weak Hubert! Weak Hubert!" other kids from the villages mocked him.
"Hey, hey, you know a funny name? Hubert Gubert! AHAHHAHAHA!" another joked.
"Hey, I'm Hubert Gubert, and I can't defend myself!" another taunted.
"Hubert, look at this fist!" a boy said. Then he threw it at Hubert.
His eyes closed again.
This time, it was back at the outpost.
"HELP! IT HURTS!" the voice of a man's fearful scream could be heard.
"HUBERT! HUBERT! DON'T BE A COWARD!" the brawly guard shouted at his face.
"THE BARBARIANS ARE BREACHING THIS SIDE OF THE WALL!" a watchman shouted warnings to his fellows from afar.
"HUBERT! PICK UP YOUR SPEAR! PICK UP YOUR SPEAR! OR ELSE, WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!"
"BECAUSE OF YOU! BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"Shut up… Shut up…" Hubert muttered.
He closed his eyes, hoping for the voices and sight to stop.
"You are a coward."
"HELP!"
"Pick up your spear, Hubert!"
"Hubert Gubert, look at this fist!"
"Because of you…"
"Weak Hubert!"
"AHHAHAHAHHA!"
"AHAHHAHAH!"
"IT HURTS!!!"
"HUBERT HELPS US!"
"We're all going to die!"
"Run! Run! Run!"
"Die…"
"BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"Hubert can' defend himself! AHAHAHAHHA"
"Coward Hubert! Coward Hubert!"
"Your mother must be disappointed."
"Die, die, die…"
"…"
Then it all became
Quiet.