The Villagers' Rebellion (2)

"Charge!!!" The old man shouted as he sprinted towards Elena—swinging his rake wildly in the air the entire time.

Elena greeted the old man's futile attack with a jab—followed by a low kick, and a knee kick to the face as the old man laid flat on the ground—a few droplets of blood escaping his nostrils as he consciousness fades away.

Even if Elena brought nothing except for her body—and the fact that her dominant arm had been stripped away from her—she was still a veteran soldier at heart—making it very easy for her to have incapacitated the old man.

The villagers' morales plummeted to the ground the moment their leader was defeated. Once more, fear struck their heart. The terror of strangers that had been implemented deep within their very soul expanded exponentially.

All of them started trembling—with a few even tumbling onto the ground and pissing themselves. In their eyes, Elena was more than a fighter. She was a behemoth—a monster that should never ever be messed with. Their anxiety only worsened at the sight of Elena's blank face.

She didn't show even the slightest reaction after defeating the old man. That expressionless face of hers alone made everyone presented frightened by their opponents—with a few of the natives running away from her—crying and apologizing in a desperate attempt to soothe the anger she might hold for them.

Elena watched in silence as the very few remaining townspeople were all frozen in place—frightened to move even a single muscle in their body—afraid of the consequences they may face the moment they make even a subtle movement. Beads of sweat began forming on their foreheads out of fear and nervousness.

But out of the blue—amidst the shivering crowd of people—a man with long black hair, a pair of dark eyes and an athletic physique stepped out of the crowd. In his right hand was a finely crafted spear. He wore no armor yet his presence alone gave off a chivalrous aura.

"Jacob…" Andre mumbled beneath his breath. His eyes widened to see Jacob being brave enough to stand up against an outsider.

Slowly, Jacob began striding towards Elena. With each step he took—he found himself agitated, as well as fearful for the aftermath he would cause for his actions. Despite that, the determination within his eyes never falters. He had already made his resolve, and must take out the outlanders away from his hometown one way or another—even if it meant using force.

The residents saw Jacob as a beacon of light. His bravery to confront Elena made the people's hearts thump. Even without saying a single word to one another, they all instinctively agreed that Jacob was a far more suitable leader than the old man from earlier.

Soon enough, Jacob was just two meters away from Elena. His breathing pattern became erratic as his nervousness got the better of him—albeit temporarily. Taking a few deep breaths, Jacob managed to calm down his nerve, and composed himself as he entered a stance.

Elena's eyes widened as she was surprised by Jacob's unwavering conviction. Just a few moments ago, he could barely walk in a straight line. But the current him gave off an immovable fortress that would require only the mightiest of warriors to make a dent on the walls.

Other than his immovable spirit, Elena noticed that his posture far surpassed any average soldiers she encountered during her days as a rookie. Her eyes were glued to him at that very moment—seemingly bewitched by how truly well trained he is.

"How commendable." She praised him.

Jacob felt oddly happy to have been praised by someone—even if it was his enemy. But right now, he was in a situation where he couldn't afford to let his guard down even for a split second.

Taking in one last deep breath, he attempted to pierce Elena with his trustworthy spear, but she easily dodged them with simple movements. However, he never stopped for a moment and continued lunging his weapon at her—hoping that he will be able to penetrate her as soon as possible.

Once more, Elena was pleasantly surprised by his spear techniques, as well as his agility, stamina and composure. For a soldier guarding a secluded town deep within the forest—he surpassed most of the fighters she had killed during the early days of when she first became a knight.

Nevertheless, he was severely lacking in terms of real combat experience. His movements—although weren't sloppy by any means—lacked the sharpness an experienced knight possessed.

Using his insufficient amount of experience he had—Elena was able to dodge his attacks while simultaneously closing the distance between them using just a bit more effort than usual.

Eventually, Elena was too near to Jacob for him to utilize his spear—in which he responded by abandoning his spear, and resorted to barehanded fighting. The punches and kicks he threw were nothing short from what an amateur would be able to perform. Thus, all it took for Elena to immobilize him was a few jabs, followed up with a high kick, and putting him out of commission with a liver punch.

Jacob squirmed on the ground as he did everything in his power to endure the immense pain of being striked on the liver. While he has received a few cuts and bruises throughout his entire life—this was perhaps the first, and the only time he would leave his liver unguarded. Never again does he wish to feel this excruciating pain. Not anymore.

Jacob tried to muster up the strength to stand up. To his dismay however, his endeavors were deemed useless since his body still hasn't recovered from the liver strike. For the first time in forever, Jacob felt dejected at his current feeble state.

'So that's how a true master fought…' He thought as he stared at Elena—glaring at her with a mixture of fear and anger.

The locals all had a crestfallen look on their faces. Their possibly strongest warrior had been bested by the stranger—with moderate effort too. Just as all hope seemed lost—they were baffled to see Jacob standing back up.

His legs were bobbling immensely. He barely had the strength to continue—yet his unyielding will power bestowed him the vigor he required to fight Elena again.

"You'll regret staying awake." Elena coldly said to Jacob.

Her words sent shivers down his spine, but it didn't matter for this time—defeat is simply not an option on the table. With adrenaline coursing through his body—he rushed at Elena one more time.

Just before they had the chance to exchange more blows with one another-

"STOP." A loud voice that sounded full of authority halted their brawl.

Every single inhabitant here was able to instantly recognize the tone of the voice, as well as the owner of it.

"Elder…" Jacob muttered quietly as he gazed at the ruler of his hometown.

The village elder didn't seem angry, nor sad about the ruckus. Rather, he looked…disappointed to see how his people greeted the outsiders.

"Cease this meaningless battle. Now." He commanded.

"B-But elder…!" Jacob tried to argue.

"This isn't a request. It's an order. Stop, unless you can bear the weight of your next sentence."

"...Fine" he murmured in a resentful tone.

Just like that, the commotion was put to an end as everyone began returning to their respective houses. The elder looked at Elena and Andre for a second—before opening his mouth.

"Andre. Later this evening, bring your daughter, and the strangers to my house."

"Of course but…my daughter did nothing wrong so-"

"Just bring her. It's important."

Soon afterwards, the village elder headed back to his humble abode—leaving Andre slightly confused at the mysterious reason the village elder needed his daughter.

He let out an exhausted sight, before turning his attention to Elena.

"Shall we…head back inside?" He asked while pointing at his house.

"Certainly." She responded.

Alas, they are able to get the rest they had been fighting for…or will they?

…