Peaceful village?

" Look, I can already walk on my own!" Noah exclaimed as he saw the gate at the distance. The narrow pass converged to a empty plot of land at the distance, he felt he was already saved from the dreadful trek here!

" Slow down young man! If you don't they would mistook you for an intruder!" Alastair tried to warn him but he was too far away.

Just as Noah tried to turn back to the path, he felt something waltzed through his head. He stumbled and fell down right after which another sound reverberated the air and he felt something land between his feet.

*whoosh*

*whoosh*

*whoosh*

" Fuck! Who the hell-" Noah looked up to see ten people staring at him from the mountain top. He barely missed the arrows that they were hurdling at him because of pure luck.

" Stop! Stop! The kid is with me!"

" Who the- of it's Alastair!"

" Uncle Alastair? He came back?"

" Yeah but who are you?"

" It's me, Tang!"

" Tang? Little kid that always ran around the village? You have awaken?"

" Yes! Here look at this!" the girl who had been throwing projectiles at Noah, picked up a small rock and threw it toward a boulder which instantly got pierced. Noah was looking at them with shocked expression.

He didn't know what was going on but it was his first time seeing another ability holder. He looked around to see what seemed like arrows were just stones being thrown at him at lightning speed!

" Hahaha, good, good. Little Tang had grown up a lot, I couldn't even recognize you." Alastair patted her head but she squirmed away," I am not a kid anymore! I am a full fled warrior of the village! Even the chief commended me for it!"

" What? You will always be a brat to me!"

" Young Lord! We are proud to announce that the village is safe!" Everyone except Tang and Noah kneeled down to welcome Alastair. It was then Noah get the sense that he was someone with high position inside the village.

" I should go and inform the lord about it. She will be thrilled to know that you have returned from your journey!"

" There is no need to hurry, ah, yes, I should introduce you to the young man. This is Noah, he saved my life so please look after him."

" What? everyone greet the lord's saviour!" The person who seemed to be incharge asked everyone to pay his respects to Noah. They obliged except for the little kid that looked at Noah with hateful eyes.

He was a little embarrassed for something that he did inadvertently but nonetheless it was not a bad feeling. He smiled awkwardly and bowed to them too.

" It's fine if you don't know our customs, come on, just remember this old man's face. He is the person responsible for managing the village security, Osbert. If you ever need anything just ask for him, he will do his best, right?"

" I have received your orders. You don't need to worry about him." Osbert who seemed a lot older than Alastair still looked jacked. Noah looked around and saw everyone had the same physique, even the girls among them looked toned.

He who hadn't exercised after he left the special forces definitely looked out of place. He was a big dude, with six foot four, his body was massive but he really put on few more pounds of weight due to drinking and eating junk food. It wasn't as bad but compared to them he looked chubby!

" It's a pleasure to meet you Mr Osbert."

" Likewise." His beard moved a little bit after which he stopped looking at Noah. He felt like he was getting cold treatment but Alastair explained that Osbert was a man of few words.

" Did he really save you or are you again helping strangers knowing that Chief wouldn't take in strays due to war?" Tang asked directly.

Noah looked at the little girl that was making a fuss. She was short about his height but had exotic features. A short bob cut that was messy due to mud and dirt but what stood out was her beautiful face and deep green eyes that looked out of place on her petite body.

She wrapped a tight belt around her hip and wore sturdy boot probably because they had to hike all day to patrol the area. He had only one thought, that beautiful face was wasted on her! She didn't look like the type to put any thought to her cleanliness!

" What are you looking at bastard!?" She gave him a disgusted look like she was looking at a creep!

" What? I really saved him! I even defeated that disgusting pig headed bastard! What did you call it?" He looked to Alastair for answers.

" Henwen."

" Right, Henwen. I did it myself!" With closed eyes and his head up arrogantly, he expected their praises but all he heard was silence. He looked at them to see their look of disbelief, even little Tang looked shocked.

" He is also a sorcerer. It's a little different than what I had seen but you can trust him when he says he fought one. I need to see the Chief to ask for her permission to visit that place for his injuries." Alastair clarified everything.

" Are you sure he didn't fall on his ass and hurt himself? He doesn't look that injured to me." Tang retorted with a snide comment.

" You- little brat! Does this look like something I get from falling down?" Naoh was angry. His arm was broken while his leg was mangled but this little girl was trying to rub salt on his wounds! It was imaginary but words hurt too!

" How would I know? You don't look like much if you ask me."

" Tang that's enough. Go and find Chief, tell her that we will be swinging by her place first." Alastair stopped their bickering before it escalated to a full on fight. She went away huffing and puffing without caring about death stares that Noah was giving to her.

" Don't mind her, she is a little upset knowing that you saved young lord's life. He had been a hero of the village and the only one that went out to the outside world to make a name." One of the guards elaborated.

" It's fine. I am not fond of little girls too, better yet, the children itself is a problem for me."

" That, then I can only apologize to you right now because you will see a lot of them in the village." Alastair commented.

" Great." Noah sighed but he couldn't do anything about it. They walked slowly and entered the gate but that's when Osbert said something ominous.

" Sheila grew up a lot over the years. She must already have heard the disturbance and might be rushing here."

" hahaha, the village guardian. How can I forget? Where is that little mutt?"

" I wouldn't exactly call her little, well you will see soon enough."

Noah was puzzled hearing their exchange but he suddenly felt that the whole ground shook for some reason. He looked around to see everyone else smiling for no reason. Suddenly he felt the same dread he felt while facing the monster and right on cue something leaped out of the thick bushes to directly tackle him along with Alastair.