Chapter 107: Captain Frontera (3)
Crackle!
“…!”
Suddenly, there came a violent rustling noise ahead. Lloyd ducked down.
Scratch! A leg of the locust brushed his nape. It burned. He wondered if his skin was torn by the claw. But Lloyd didn’t have the mind to give thought to such an inconsequential matter. There were hundreds and thousands of swarms of locusts coming into his view straight ahead.
“Dammit.”
Lloyd thought he was doing a good job at rounding up these bugs. He had carefully designed the route to make sure that most of them would follow from behind, not the front.
I knew the range was just too wide. They’re practically all over the barony and the viscounty.
And so, some of the locusts still managed to fly at them from the front, even with the well-planned route. The problem here was that “some” meant hundreds and thousands.
“Master Lloyd, please brace yourself.”
A plague of locusts swarmed from the sky toward them, their flapping wings sounding like thunder. Javier’s solid voice was heard amid such. A corner of Lloyd’s lips lifted upward.
“Oh… Come on. I’m not ready yet.”
He was far from ready. After all, he was no hero. He was no heroic warrior out of a storybook. As such, hundreds and thousands of giant locusts hurtling toward him with such hostility was not something he enjoyed.
I feel like I’m going to lose it!
Bugs were repulsive. He always hated bugs, but his hatred worsened when he lived in a small dorm room. The thing was that his dorm wasn’t those trendy, modern studio-type rooms. It was dilapidated, old, and rotten. Cockroaches and centipedes appeared so often that they sickened him. After a while, the sight of anything with more than six legs disturbed him. And now…
I have to run into hundreds and thousands of locusts that are the size of a dog. This is nuts. It really is!
For a split second, Lloyd considered calling it quits and leaving the fiefdom. Just turn back and head to the capital and beg the queen to give any work to him. But he soon realized that he didn’t have any time for reveries. It was already too late to run away. The locusts were closing in ahead, and Lloyd was galloping right into them!
“Oh, damn it! The problem is me!”
Whatever was about to happen, happened. Lloyd brought the caldron lid in front of him.
Thwack! Clack! Twang! A series of hits banged against the lid, but they weren’t any ordinary blows.
Argh!
Blows, incomparably more forceful than Javier’s hits, came in dozens. There was no surprise here. Lloyd was on the enchanted courser, and she was easily traveling over 60 miles per hour. Moreover, a hefty locust weighing several pounds was flying from the opposite direction and rushing toward him with immense speed.
Compute the impact of the caldron received by each blow… My ass! Save me!
Thud! Twang! His arms slowly went numb, and shoulders trembled. He felt like his back was about to snap and legs were about to fold. If it weren’t for the triple circles that fueled him, he would have already toppled to the bottom.
And if I fall, thousands of locusts will fight to take a bite of me!
Shiver.
With that thought in mind, Lloyd barely held on with a struggle. Javier, too, was of great help.
“Turn your head this way! Run parallel to me, so you can follow the route even without your vision! And hold your lid slantwise! You cannot take the full impact! You must let it flow off!”
The fluttering of their wings sounded like hundreds of electric fans whizzing all at once. When Lloyd heard Javier, he obeyed immediately, tilting the lid diagonally. This slightly lessened the blow sent to the lid, and Lloyd was able to somewhat breathe.
How’s Javier holding up?
Lloyd was now curious how Javier was enduring when he didn’t have the lid. His voice seemed all right. And when Lloyd turned around, he saw…
Ziiing! Slash! Fwoosh!
Running right beside Lloyd, Javier and his horse were enveloped with a brilliant ray of aura.
How can a human wield a sword like that?
Swoosh! Slash! The sword wreathed in aura danced through the air, slashing and slicing through everything in its path. Everything in its way was slashed. Everything that rushed at it was cut to pieces.
It looks like he’s swinging ten electric fly swatters at once.
Lloyd was impressed. Javier brandished his sword at a transcending speed, creating a storm of aura as he hit directly against the locust swarm. He was chopping away every single one of them, and whenever he saw a chance, he even used the mana blast at Lloyd’s side.
Wham! Boom!
Each time he blasted the mana, he shot three or four shots together. His moves weren’t random. The angle and route of his blasts were carefully calculated, and the distance was closely adjusted, intersected, and overlapped. The blasts had a narrow and long path to follow. Javier shot, making sure that the range was widened with maximum effectiveness.
Thwack! It was a regular blast, but it was as powerful as Lloyd’s triple mana blasts. It appeared that Javier’s was more efficient when it came to strength consumption.
I don’t know, should I call this a 2+1 mana blast? As I thought, what a monster.
Even so, the locusts kept rushing at them from the front. Lloyd ducked a little lower, and he encouraged his courser.
“Hold up just a little more! You can do it!”
Neigh!
Lloyd was grateful for his horse, who was faithfully galloping even when she was going out of breath. Had it not been for the magic spell on the animal, he wouldn’t have been able to even attempt this kind of plan.
“Let’s go!”
She moved as if she became one with Lloyd.
Clip clop! The horse wasn’t galloping ahead like a fool. Sometimes, she accelerated and turned just in time. A slight twist to the left to push to the right. She avoided, fought, and leaped above the incoming bugs. She even took into consideration the wind, noise, and other threats. Lloyd reacted as well, reading every movement around him, and he began to get the hang of it.
“Like this!”
Thud! Lloyd brandished the lid hard, knocking the incoming locust charging from above. It bounced to collide with another and plunged to the ground. The horse trampled and instantly killed it with her hooves. Just like that, Lloyd penetrated the throng of bugs ahead of him. Of course, the swarm of locusts continued to pursue him from behind. He estimated the number to be hundreds of thousands. Javier’s aura or mana blast or even his triple mana blast wouldn’t do. Chills ran down his spine when he thought so.
“Keep running! Hah!”
Lloyd galloped in full vigor. They were now out of the viscounty territory, and they made for the north. Familiar paths and terrains came into his view. The land that was once a wetland. The land that was now reclaimed by the collective efforts of everyone. The Maritz Wetlands.
“Over the hill and to the waterway embankment!”
That was where the Extermination Zone Lloyd made was. They had to hold on just until they arrived there. Just then…
Neigh…
“Huh?”
The courser, who was galloping just fine until now, started to slow down. Surprised, Lloyd examined the animal.
“Hey?”
Neigh! Neigh! Huff!
There was foam around the horse’s mouth. She, however, seemed to be trying hard not to give up.
She’s tired.
Even the best horse had her limit. Magic didn’t come without limits.
Well, it makes sense. She’s been galloping since dawn. And she never took a single break while getting to the fiefdom.
And right after she arrived at the barony, she had to run full-speed to round the pests up. She lapped around the outskirts of the barony once before running to and around the viscounty. And during those times, she never slowed down. She ran like someone running a marathon at the speed an athlete runs for a 100-yard dash.
Did I overwork her so much that not even magic can help her anymore? What should I do?
Lloyd glanced beside him to check if Javier’s horse was all right. The same thing was happening there. Her speed had visibly slowed down. And her legs weren’t stretching far anymore. She would definitely collapse if he pushed her more.
We should get off before that happens.
Right now, they were being chased by hundreds and thousands of locusts. The horses would collapse and fall if Lloyd stubbornly pushed them to move ahead by a few yards. The unprepared fall might even lead to serious injuries on Lloyd and Javier’s parts.
It’d be a total loss for everyone. That’s not good.
Javier must have read Lloyd’s thoughts. Or it could be that he noticed the fatigue in the horse. Javier sent a similar meaningful gaze to Lloyd. Their eyes met, and their exchange was done.
We get off here.
Yes.
Twup! There was no reason to hesitate. Lloyd placed his hand on the horse saddle, jumped with his two feet, and flung his body high.
“Make sure you are safe out there! Don’t let your guard down because you’re somewhat safe. Make sure you go far!” Lloyd shouted.
Slap!
“Neigh!”
Lloyd slapped the buttock of the horse to thank her for her service. Suddenly feeling light all of a sudden, she charged forward after giving a neigh. She disappeared in a flash. By the time Lloyd landed, she was already 21 yards away from him.
“…”
Goodness… That horsey looks so alive and well the moment I get off. Lloyd instantly removed his doubt because he had to run now. Plus, he was getting near the Extermination Zone in the Maritz Wetland.
“By the way, what are you doing?” Lloyd asked as he turned to the side.
Javier held up his sword, and his eyes glimmered with resolution.
“Master Lloyd, go first. I will protect the route here.”
Swish! An aura appeared as soon as he finished his resolution. It started to spiral around his sword. This was the brilliance only sword masters who reached the mastery of sword fighting could muster. The brilliant sword of the knight protected his lord, reputation, and vow. Javier turned his back against Lloyd, showing his back brimming with determination. With bravery, he confronted the menacing procession of locusts. Lloyd’s heart started to race. And he wielded his hand just as his heart pounded. Then, he slapped the back of Javier’s head.
“Have you lost your mind? Are you planning to fight those things right now?” Lloyd gaped.
“Master Lloyd? Why did you just…”
“Protect the route, my foot! Are you saying I should run away and leave you here to die? Come, carry me now!”
“Carry you, Master Lloyd?”
“Now! We don’t have time!”
The distance between them and the locusts was now 100 feet. Lloyd loudly yelled, pushing Javier, and without waiting for an answer, he jumped and got on Javier’s back.
“Run!”
“…”
Javier grimaced for a moment. But he instantly understood the meaning of his young master.
I see. He made a practical decision.
Jump! Javier turned around and started to run, charging straight ahead with Lloyd on his back. Now, Lloyd started to bang the lid with his fist.
Bong! The reverberation stimulated the locusts once more, pushing them to pursue him harder. Now, the distance between the two grew closer. 80 feet.
“Master Lloyd, did you hint at me to get off after you calculated the whole thing?” Javier asked as he maintained the speed.
“What do you mean ‘calculated’?” asked Lloyd.
“Getting on my back,” Javier said.
“Of course.”
Lloyd scoffed behind Javier’s back.
“I don’t run fast. I may be faster than ordinary people, but I am not confident I can outrun the locusts. But you are different. You are fast.”
“But with you on my back, I cannot ascertain that I will succeed. You could have easily run away if I stopped them in the front,” Javier reasoned.
“I’m doing this because I don’t want that.”
“…”
“Come on. Do you have some fantasy to become a hero in your head? Why do you keep trying to die so often? You did this back in Cremo as well.”
“…”
“Let’s just stretch the idea, and you leave behind so awesomely and die. And I live because of your sacrifice. You think that would make me feel good? Huh?”
“Master Lloyd…”
“I don’t want that. So run faster. Come on! Giddy up!”
Slap!
“Please don’t treat me like a horse.”
“I’m just paying you back,” Lloyd said.
“Paying me back? What do you mean.?”
“The ant cave. After the explosion. Our escape. Does it ring a bell?”
“…”
“I got you on my back and walked out. Remember what you were like?”
“I can’t remember.”
“Aha. Really? That’s too bad. I remember it all,” Lloyd said.
“…”
“Anyway, let’s leave this place together alive. It won’t be right if one stays and dies while the other runs away and lives. It’s also just unfair.”
“…”
Lloyd Frontera. Javier wondered how much truth was in his words. Sometimes, no, most of the time, the young master puzzled him. But he knew one thing for sure. He wanted to get out of this place alive together.
“I like the sound of that.”
Leap! He leaped higher. The distance between them and the locust was 65 feet. But Javier didn’t look back. He knew he should spend his energy and time to sprint harder instead. Every fiber of being focused on staying alert and not losing balance. He activated an endless circulation of manaheart. And he transferred the amplification of the triple circle to this circulation.
Fwoosh! Javier forced his tired leg to use every last strength it had. He imbibed his tenacious resolution in his raspy breath. Javier ran against the wind and crossed the hills. The locusts were now just 32 feet away. The flapping of their wings sounded terrifying in Javier’s ears. And straight ahead, just about 100 feet away, was the Extermination Zone.
“Fiver more steps!”
A shout was heard from his back, prompting him to take five more steps. His fifth step was taken with the son of the lord on his back. He took his fourth to actualize Lloyd’s words and make it out alive together. His third step was to push himself until the end. His second to maintain his focus. Last…
“Jump to the side!”
Leap! Javier reacted instantly, and he jumped and flung his body to the side, falling flat on the waterway. Now what, Javier wondered. Just then, he felt Lloyd grabbing the back of his head.
“Get down!”
Lloyd’s hand pressed down Javier’s head, and he obeyed and ducked down. There was a distance of 15 feet between them and the locusts. And then, Javier saw…
“Bangul!”
Jingle! Jingle! He saw the fat, rattling tail of Bangul as she emerged from the woods with a jingling noise. He saw the storm of explosion coming out of her.
Boooom The volcanic blast, whose power Javier had never seen before, burned and engulfed the incoming locust swarm.