Jay009

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

“I’m mentally ready for this, I think. I probably won't be commanding men like you are, so it's different, but I resolved myself to do what was right when I saw that letter. Right now, that means defending this place and saving as many people as I can. Of course, I don't enjoy ending lives in the process and I don't think I'll ever get used to huge battles, but if it's for the greater good then I'm good knowing I'm doing the right thing. How about you?”

Barracker thought it was very noble, a spirit of a paladin. The young man definitely had care for people and all of his words were laced with honour and humility. “As a soldier, it is of the utmost importance to be mentally prepared. Everything I have lived and trained for, comes down to moments like this.”

“What did you think of that letter, anyway?” Adam asked.

Barracker had a bitter taste in his mouth at the thought of the WitchQueen. Although Adam and the rest of his party had made the right choice to deny the WitchQueen’s overtures, Barracker felt it was his place to assure him of the evil which she had wrought on the continent. “I do not know this Melina Young. But I do know the WitchQueen.” The vampire stroked a pale thumb along one of his fangs. “I know of her atrocities too well.” He paused for a moment to let the flashes of those dreadful memories pass by. “Law and order is the backbone of any civil society worth living in. The protection of the people is the priority. She has broken law and order, and she has violated the protection of the people. Even if she is the rightful heir, she has thrown away her claim to the throne with these heinous crimes.”

He searched for understanding in Adam's face. It was a lot to take in and Barracker had left a lot unexplained, but felt the druid was a righteous enough soul that the Paladin could have faith that Adam would get it. As he was finishing his breakfast, he thought about how he’d quickly grown in close comradery with Zell, James and particularly Fenna. He also thought about how he had opened up to MacKensie, shown vulnerability and she had completely accepted him. That moment between them in the Temple Of Hades had changed him. He learned to trust his party members with more than just his life, but also his heart and soul too. So right now he looked at Adam and decided that the druid deserved more of an answer to the previous question about his mental preparation and where his head is at.

“About being prepared for the upcoming assault. I feel torn, there is a duty for me to align my skills for the protection of the people. But a wild desire floods my brain for the taste of vengeance. These two things may seem like they correlate but they are very different feelings. One is duty and the latter is ego. One is discipline and the other is chaos. I am not without fear for the future, my dreams trouble me greatly. But my faith in Second Chance, The Quinity, my friends and loved ones. It all gives me strength. So it is okay to have my doubts,” Barracker smiled.

After talking some more, Barracker mentioned his plans to check in with his family at the orphanage. Barracker extended his invitation for Adam to join and meet the trouble makers and his mother Anne, if he was not doing anything this morning.

When the time came he collected his gear from his room and came back down ready to leave.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Over the last couple of days, Barracker had followed through with his plan to spend more time with the rest of Second Chance. It was nice to eat meals with them, one on one or as a group. To get to know them more as individuals. It felt good to laugh with friends and to be merry, food always tasted a lot better with good company.

Barracker was fully kitted out, back in his gear. His helmet now sported a new look. Because of the damage done by Zigmunds ice explosion, the enchanted helmet could not be repaired perfectly and now had a massive diagonal scar going right through it. You might say it looked even more menacing, judging by the reactions of random citizens when he was walking through the street with it on. It worked perfectly fine though, which was the important thing. Also Barracker noticed he wasn’t as self conscious these days about how strangers judged him, he guessed it was because of his new found friendships with the heroes from another world.

James had put Barracker onto first name basis with the owner of The Mended Drum, Frederick. So he would say hello when he passed through the establishment and sometimes stay the night, using the extra booked room that Zell had rented for Joji, who was no longer around.

Right now it was morning and Barracker was having breakfast with Adam before planning on heading to the military centre to work with his soldiers, the vampire was telling the druid about the progress he was making.

“... So I think the morale is heading up in the right direction,” he finished, before taking a bite of his sausage and eggs. After finished his bite, Barracker continued, “One of my men, Gareth, went to Golden Tree Park to order some wood for training dummies. While talking with the lumber man, your name popped up. It seems your hardwork has not gone unnoticed, you have revitalized the peoples spirits.” It was true, Adam was the talk of the industrial section and it was no surprise. Adam was a fine young man, honourable and a good example to others. Barracker listened attentively and followed up with, “What have you got planned for today, more of the same?” Barracker also asked how he was feeling about the upcoming defence of Valhiem, a topic which was inevitably on everyone’s mind. “Is your heart and mind prepared? That is the most important thing, as this is something even I am not used to. A battle of this scale.”

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Barracker sat in his usual spot, surveying his garrison, from the step ladder. Most of the time, he would be stationed alongside whoever was struggling, correcting where they went wrong and positioning himself where they stood, so that they would have a better idea and could mirror his movements. Getting stuck in himself with some of the training to show, he was not above them and would share the hard work. He appointed a second in command to share some responsibility in correcting some of the group's form. This person went by the name of Warren Burns, a Paladin who had not yet been blessed with the gift of the crystal and had not expected to be picked due to his history with the vampire.

When the two finally had free time to talk and discuss the plans of this one-hundred fighters. Warren mentioned something he did not quite think he would ever hear from his mouth. “So our name of this group. What are you thinking in that head of yours?” Warren said as if it pained him.

Barracker thought about it, and smirked to himself.

The look on Warren’s face showed he thought he was being laughed at and he got defensive. “What’s with the face, I’m confused.”

“Well your brother mentioned our mentor as being a turtle and we also are using a shield wall. So what do you think of that as our name?” The two chuckled in silence to themselves.

“Hmmmm… The mighty fucking turtles aye!” Warren took a minute to ponder, then spoke. “If I may be frank as always with you. This is your block and this is your strategy for the siege, how about something closer to home. The bats. We will swarm our enemies.”

“I must admit, I do like either but…”

“It would be nice to go by the bats and not feel like you’re forgetting your mentor, which you are definitely not. We all remember how good of a Paladin we fought and trained under. It might feel like you need to do all that to remember him, but he’s not going to think lower of you. I will, but I’m not Odis, thank fuck for that.” They both laughed. “Living up to that old guy's name, I sure wouldn’t want too”

Barracker took the compliment, and gave a nod before standing up. “The Bats, it is.” Then the Paladin turned to his Garrison and called for attention. “Warriors. We are from now on, known as ‘The Bats’ and we will swarm our enemies and drive them into the arms of Hades”.

After a long day of training and giving their all, Barracker gave leave to his garrison and they would return back here by eight in the morning. “Put your feet up, you have earned it. Hug your sons and daughters, give your other half a kiss.” This would give them time to see their loved ones and to see in a physical sense, who they were fighting for and to show his soldiers why they were fighting. This sentiment made him think of Evelyne, last time he held her hand, so soft in comparison to his own. The last time he touched his lips on hers. That distinct smell of Jasmine and Amber notes, her favourite scent. He knew what his own reasons were for fighting. Most of his family were tucked away inside the Temple of the Quinity, hopefully Katrina and Krillen were safe wherever they were in Mytheria. As for Evelyne, she was most certainly safe in Capitol City, but he was starting to regret that he pushed her so far away. I never should have let her go.

Once everyone collected their things and left it was just Warren and Barracker. He felt a certain tension from Warren but put it down to worry for his brother’s safety. Barracker, before leaving, said one last thing and that was that his brother would be alright, he has adventurer’s and civilians looking out for him and counting on him.

I will collect my equipment tomorrow, see what everyone else has done today.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Barracker had been hit with a wave of nostalgia upon entering the military facility. It felt like a long time since he had stepped within these walls. The walls looked the same, they even had a picture, hung on the wall of the sigil of the Royal house. Barracker had remembered the exact day of when he had joined up to the military ranks and confided his decision to girlfiend at the time, Evelyne telling her about the reasons why he wanted to join. That he had a duty to Valhiem, a duty to put his life on the line, to protect the weak and make the world a better place. For the good fight and to follow the footsteps of great men and women, like the legendary Dante Valeron, the chairman of the council of heroes.

A second wave of nostalgia was hitting Barracker even harder, as he stepped foot onto the massive yard, where most soldiers spent the majority of their time in service. The sound, the sight, the smell, felt so familiar. Almost like coming home. As he was briefed on the details on his duty as captain, whilst walking across the yard to meet his block, he saw familiar faces. He nodded a silent greeting but his attention was focused on Vice commander Jeremiah.

“To spread the power of our Source Crystal Users, each of you will Captain 100 men. It will be for you to fight with them, lead them and help reiterate instructions from the Chain of Command.” Commander Jeremiah bellowed.

Moments later, Barracker was acquainted with the block unit, filled with women and men of different age and experience ranges. Before he introduced himself, he thought of what his mentor Odis would do in his predicament. He had eight days, soldiers and conscripts and needed to be efficient and to stick to his values. A more ruthless general would put some weaker troops in the front lines to bare the brunt of damage and save the energy of his best soldiers. This was not an option under any circumstances for Barracker. As hard as it would be, he would try to save every life possible. And then it hit him.

A short time later, Barracker was on the training yard with his unit. He had already made them go and change their weapons, so now every single one of them stood, holding a long hoplite spear and round shield. On their hip would be a short weapon of their choosing, either a short sword or a hand axe.

Barracker shouted for attention, “Warriors we are under a pressing time for Valhiem, we can do this and I will make sure we all cross that line.” he paused for a moment to let it sink in, “We will be doing some physical conditioning, but most importantly, our time would be dedicated to learning the art of ‘The Shield Wall’. This formation will be crucial and make us stronger than sum of our parts. We will fight as one and win as one, so long as each person knows their role.”

Barracker showed them how to handle a Hoplite shield and how in a shield wall you protect the man to your left, from neck to thigh. The Paladin quickly identified his most experienced soldiers and arranged the formation as a rectangle block, seven rows of forteen fighters. He put the remaining two conscripts at the back as the two were barely old enough to vote for the next mayor. His strongest soldiers occupied the front ranks.

Barracker ordered strongly, “Remember your position as this will never change, whenever we form up, unless an injured frontliner needs to be pulled back. In this case the next soldier behind him will step forward to replace the spot, as will the soldier behind them, and so on.”

For most of the day Barracker sat on a tall step ladder, drilling his block on advancing forward as one, back pedalling as one, and also moving left and right, without leaving any holes in the formation.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Barracker had woken up from a rough night's sleep. His mind was on the upcoming battle ahead. That same dream, that night. He despised Viktor and knew that if he ever saw him on the battlefield, because of this wretched curse, that things would ultimately be different. He would relish the chance to make him pay for his suffering that he bestowed onto him. Drenched in sweat and his heart pounding like a war drum, he knew it was time to get up.

After getting dressed, Barracker donned a different set of clothes, from what he was used to. His body feeling bare and weirdly vulnerable without his leather armour and his mask on. He forgot what it had felt like to wear anything else and that it would only be for a limited time. Barracker made his way towards the lounge room to find mother Anne sitting with her fellow workers of the orphanage.

He greeted her and the rest of the workers and told her he would be off, to do some errands of his own and then would reunite to see how the rest of his friends were doing. As he thought of his party, Leader James must have thought of him, as well, because that is when he was introduced by mother Anne to a government official, a messenger. He was sent by James and informed the Paladin of where his presence was requested. He would have to be at the Military Centre by 10am. It had been a while since he had been back there.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Barracker had explained his matter of urgency about the loss of his tower shield from the previous mission, just gone. Eric and Warren had heard him out and procured him a tower shield from Paladin’s Respite armoury. It was a good fit and the exact size he was used to, he had given his thanks.

Barracker rolled his shoulder with his shield arm to acclimatize to the weight. The Burns brothers watched him closely and mentioned it took the two of them to carry the shield out. “Inquisitor Franklin, won’t be too happy with us. If he knows we helped you, but enough of that, come,” Eric waved Barracker to follow.

Warren made clear his feelings on the current truce between them. “Listen, we’re putting this aside for Valhiem’s sake and that’s it,” he said with a sternness in his voice.

“Understood. Our mentor Odis would be proud to see that we have done that today.” Barracker replied.

Eric nudged his brother, and whispered enough said, before adding, “Oh that old turtle, wise, and just as grumpy. Not afraid to tell you when you’ve done something wrong.”

“I think he actually enjoyed it,” Barracker joked fondly. The three men bonded over common ground of being students to apprenticeship under one of the best Paladins ever to grace Valhiem.

Warren chimed in, “He was hard nosed, harsh toned but his heart was for the people. It's a damn shame that he fell to Cerberus.”

Barracker clenched his fist, “On my honour as a Paladin, before I meet Hades, I will see that beast meets Hell.”

Eric hissed a sceptical breath, “That’s a mighty big pledge. That monstrous canine is of a legendary power. Some suspect that it is a creature that survived from the Mythic Age.”

They got some good training in, until dark. Eric, with the blessing of the crystal, wanted to take on Barracker in a duel.

In the later hours of the evening, Barracker bid the two farwell and made his way to the top of the wall. There was a mixed reaction, once at the top, he could see from the watchmen’s faces, their body language and the words they spoke. The psyche here was low and was on edge with the pressing battle on their doorstep. A rare handful of the soldiers were calm to the eye and stood unflinching in the way of the catapult bombs crashing down, above their heads. Some were sitting inside the confines of the towers, some were muttering prayers. Some had completely broken, their eyes showing visible signs of interacting with the new faces popping in or out of the room. Barracker stood on the wall staring into the distance.

What will the outcome of Valhiem be? Evelyne, was it a mistake to leave it like this between us?

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Barracker goes to the inquisitor's desk to ask the head Paladin about getting his hands on a shield, fitting his combat style. He had no luck as he was shooed away immediately with a lazy answer, which was meant as a no to the vampire, immediately shutting down any further requests. Inquisitor Franklin was his usual self, uptight and far from helpful. This man, along with many, despised Barrackers existence and duty as a fellow Paladin.

Some time later on the training grounds, as Barracker was going through his training regiment, he caught a mean glance across the yard, for the third time. It was the Burns brothers. They had a similar idea of preparing for the war ahead, getting as much training in as possible. Barracker did not feel uneasy, and ordinarily he did not care and would just ignore it. But there were more important things to worry about than petty squabbles, so he decided to be the bigger man and approach the two.

Barracker started straight to the point. “I know we have our differences, that may never be resolved but right now,” he paused with a sigh, and gestured towards the two before continuing. This is our home, all of us. We are Valhiem. Valhiem is in trouble. We would be stronger together than divided in spirit,” Barracker held out his hand, hoping they would shake it. "Please,” he said showing humility, "Let us remember why we became Paladin protectors in the first place.”

It was apparent from Eric’s face that there was a struggle in his mind, but he eventually grabbed Barracker’s hand, “For Valhiem.”

Barracker nodded gratefully, and repeated, "For Valhiem.”

The other brother Warren followed suit afterwards and the three started to discuss the morale of Paladins Respite.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Barracker entered the leather workshop in Valhiem. Nimuer Farlorn’s establishment. The man wore a big smile on his face and greeted Barracker. Barracker knew Nimuer from purchasing his armour from him many years back, shortly after leaving the army. Nimuer understood the problem as soon as Barracker entered the shop, his leather armour had been torn to shreds, this time from a water domain user, he had explained. The grin did not drop and Barracker felt at ease with the man as he studied his leather piece eyeing the damage. Nimuer came from round the counter, wearing his green apron on, his hands receiving the leather, light armour from his hands and looked it over once more before giving him a price on fixing it up. It was a bit higher than usual as being caught in Zigmunds water blast had torn the armour, ripping it apart completely. The fabrics all split and separated, Barracker knew this would be a lot of work for the man in green but Barracker had faith in Nimuer, his craftsmanship was on par with the Blacksmiths reputation.

Once business was done he left the shop and next on the list of things to do was sort his tower shield out and return to Gildor Hammerfist for the repair of his helmet. Getting all his gear sorted would cost him quite the sum and leave him near to nothing, taking most of his money from the funds received from the mission awarded, most of it going to the expensive Orichalcum claymore to be forged back to new. He knew to find a tower shield, the barracks at Paladin’s respite would have one. The Barracks were reliable and offered a number of shields, including tower shields for the different styles practised by Paladins in training.

The courtyard may be quiet around this time.

It was late afternoon by the time Barracker picked up a two-handed sword and tower shield and began swinging, shadow fighting and practising his stances and sword strikes. To be an effective soldier you must always practise, prioritise and stay true, his late mentor’s words, he will never forget, his voice loud, saying the words in his head as he watched the skies being bombed with fire. The enemy is still on the doorstep.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Loksfjoer Hi LOks, amazing world build with your post and the new shop added to the world. Barracker will use that shop for the repair of his leather armour.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Barracker returned back to the orphanage, the kids immediately all embraced Barracker, their heads face planting into him at various heights but he managed to hug them all back at once. He felt pleasant to see that they were all in good spirits, considering the current circumstances. Maybe they were not fully aware of the situation but they surely came across more brave than himself, especially at their age. He gave a salute to Tyrion and some of the older ones followed his lead. But then it dawned on Tyrion and the rest of the kids' minds. Where had his gear gone?

“Barracker, what has happened to your shield?” Tyrion asked, puzzled. He had not been told about any gold tier mission from his lips and normally would be updated on his future missions and Barracker was about to answer him until Isabella chimed in.

“Barracker, where’s my helmet?”

“Oh… Yes, dear, I left it in my quarters across the way. It is very damaged, it has a crack right through.” Barracker explained, he grinned at her wide eyed expression and promised to bring it next time. She always did love to wear that helmet.

“And the shield?.” Tyrion exclaimed again.

He laughed to himself and Barracker joined in when Eren spoke up, shouting beyond Tyrion with a question of his own. “What about the cool sword?” his arms raised in a sword stance, one very balanced on his feet and swinging his arms frantically.

Barracker set the mood with tension and explained how it broke in the fight against one of the WitchQueens strong elite fighters. They were in awe of the story and then that's when he also added in there, that he had thrown his shield to protect his good friend Fenna, who they knew as Aurok Slayer. The kids thought it was a cool story of Second Chance and the different ability classes they possessed. Eren loved the part of Adam turning into a ferocious bear the fondest. Tyrion spoke out when Barracker had finished and asked when they could meet the heroes from the sky, Second Chance. Barracker promised he would see what they were up to and to bring them here if they had free time to spare. Eren and Isabella started to argue on who would win out of the druid and the Ranger. Isabella picking Fenna and talking about having Sil for a companion. Eren picking Adam for his bear transformation. Tyrion was bullied into picking one so he went with the leader of Second Chance, James, and explained that tactics would be his priority, if he joins a party in the future.