"Shit!"
Kreig despaired as he desperately avoid the claws of the huge, towering monster. Despite its humongous body, its movement didn't lack compared to Kreig.
"I should be on the southern area of the domain, I should reach the protection barrier in a matter of seconds! But this dense grass and tall trees makes it harder!" He lamented.
Raaaaa—
The monster hummed, it bathed in pure shadow. Its body had furs, but it was nothing but darkness that covered its stature.
"There, almost there! Faster, I need more speed!!"
The domain's barrier is now visible from Kreig's eyes, outside was Exel whose eyes widened in surprise.
"L-lord! W-what is that thing!" He yelled, attracting the monster.
"Tsk— go inside, Exel! Today, we'll test the barrier's limitation!" Kreig declared, focusing his remaining energy on his thighs. He clenched his muscles and then—Pshhh
His eyes bloodshot as he made his final leap, his body twisted mid-air, facing the monster deep in its eyes.
"You're mine now." Kreig's eyes emitted of malice. "Exel! Catch my body!" He commanded.
"Yes!"
Exel immediately rushed towards Kreig whose body falling backwards, his breathing ragged.
Thump!
The ground shook as Kreig body slumped down Exel who tried to catch him.
"My lord! Are you alright!?" Exel first asked Kreig before even worrying about himself.
"Ha ha, yes, I'm okay. But more importantly... Do you know what that thing is?" Kreig chuckled.
"I-I apologize, my lord... I don't know what that is..." Exel replied apologetically.
"I see," Kreig muttered as he brushed off dust over his armor and clothes. " I must be heavy with this armor, are you alright?" He extended his arm to help Exel who took the force of his falling body.
"Y-yes, my lord. It's my duty, worry not." Exel took his hand with ounce of hesitation.
"Good thing there's a lightening enchantment in this armor or else you might've suffered more than those bruises. What I did was risky, I must admit a sorry, Exel." Kreig's tone, though aloof, was sincere and clear.
'I thought my lord would be so cold about this... I guess I was wrong after all...' Exel thought. He thought that Kreig would be the one not to feel sorry when causing issues to others, even a minor issue like this one.
"Now, back to you." Kreig chuckled.
"This creature is peculiar, Exel. It seemed to be attracted by the fear you emitted when it was chasing me, I could feel it when it flinched when it heard your shaking voice." Said Kreig, palm on his chin.
"It appears so, my lord... I apologize." Exel bowed.
"Also... Compared to when I was a little deep the forest, aroung 200 steps from here, it was more big and eerie, honestly." Kreig muttered his thoughts, his eyes observing the monster who slumped on the barrier.
"The barrier really stop it too, amazing, really," he then shifted his gaze to Exel, "When I was down the forest it clawed a meter and a half sized rabbit, killing it almost instantly. But I noticed that it appears to be avoiding the sun and went on the shadow, only stepping out when there's no choice left," he paused. "What do you think, Exel?"
"My lord, could it be associated to the dark areas where we met? Considering the fact that even the rabbit looked as if it were bathed in moonlight, despite being day, perhaps those monsters are spawned on there?" Exel replied, his eyes narrowing as he looked on the North.
"Exel, take those fruits on the ground. I will take care of the monster before the night comes."
Kreig unsheathed his sword as he walked forth. He didn't gaze at the monster, but looked around for an area where the sun's light flared the most.
The village is small, or rather, his domain's area is. The protection barrier only spanned for 50 meters in all side, covering only his domain, and not the whole village.
After some seconds, he found an area that brimmed with light, he didn't wait and leaped swiftly.
"I want to test my theory..."
He closed his eyes and sat cross-legged. He then dwelled into a certain memory where he almost died from some mere goblins—the event that happened two days ago.
Thud!
Almost immediately, the monster pounced towards his location, its claws, mere inches to guage his head.
"So it works..." Kreig chuckled, his hand clenched tightly as he forcefully stop its fidgeting.
He fears not much of the monster in front of him, but the memory that haunts him.
"Interesting," he muttered, as if he'd forgotten what he's supposed to do as he watched the monster slowly shrinking down in size and looked as if exhausted.
"This should be enough..." He leaped outside the protection barrier a few meters away the monster, almost immediately, it followed his movements and bared its claws half the size of once it were.
"He he, come!" Kreig's abyss-like eyes brimmed with malice, no reflection escaped on it, just pure desire to kill the monster.
Raaaa—
It hummed, shooting its fur like sharp needles.
Kreig swung his sword in such crazed manner, he managed to deflect some while avoided the rest.
"I have to familiarize myself to its movement... But my stamina won't hold that long," he muttered.
Tchh—
Blood trailed down his legs, a single projectile managed to pierced through his defense.
"S-shit—" panicked, he tried to enter back the barrier.
However the monster, as if predicted what he aimed to do, pounced up the air, its claws directed to decapitate his head.
The monster's speed was impeccable despite the weakening it suffered.
With a distance of no more than but his silhouette—
'Gotcha.'
His hand stretched up as the monsters silhouette reach his feet.
'Its impossible to change its direction now, in this fight... I win.'
Kreig slumped his body flat on the ground and redirected his sword to decapitate the monster's head. Under the influence of the sun, the towering monster was now not much different to the rabbit despite being a meter taller than it.
Gushhh—
In an instant, its head flung as a black substance gushed out of its body.
The body of the monster fidgeted, causing Kreig to be alarmed, immediately entering the barrier.
"Ha ha, I guess that's one of a method to defeat it." He chuckled.
Exel watched the seen, too, in anticipation. He too, was deceived, and wanted to rush and save his lord, but... Kreig smiled wickedly as the monster's claw neared.
"To deceive others, deceive yourself first...huh..." He swallowed.
Kreig sheated his sword after swinging it up and down to clean the blood, then shifted his gaze to the monster which body slowly deteriorating under the sun. Its blood slowly vanished into thin air, leaving only a trail of dark marks.
"My lord! That was risky, but was a great fight. To deceive others, deceive yourself first! Congratulations for your first kill, my lord!" Exel exclaimed excitedly.
'What the hell is this guy on about, why's he suddenly so bubbly? Doesn't he looked as if he's so scared just an hour ago?'
Kreig hadn't noticed it, but his eyes narrowed while looking at Exel, even subconsciously distancing his head.
"I-I apologize, my lord! Forgive my behaviour just now..."
Exel bowed deeply, thinking: I said my thoughts out loud!
"No, don't worry about it," Kreig waved his hand, dismissing Exel's thoughts, he then opened his lips, shifting the atmosphere.
"Exel, you are the first resident in my domain, but that doesn't mean you're going to receive a better treatment than the others once we've reached that point. This monster, here, is but a small accomplishment. We still have a lot more to face, especially, in the near future." Kreig paused, his voice aloof.
"I am well aware of my own lacking; I'm not a man of knowledge, but my will to survive is stronger than every one else. Now that I've made this much progress... I can say that my life has been turned around." He paused, looking at his hand.
"Exel, you will not receive treatment any different than the others. How do you feel hearing that?" Asked Kreig, his deep dark eyes glaring at Exel.
"M-my lord, if I may, but, I don't expect anything from you, lord. Even if you don't treat me any different than the others who will be under your rule, I shall not be compliant," he paused.
"My lord, I am summoned by the void to be of your service. Solely for that reason am I bound to you. But my lord, I do have consciousness as well, and I do believe that pledging my life to you is not a bad thing, especially now." Exel smiled, sincerely.
"I see," Kreig paused a chuckle.
"Then, Exel, pledge to me once more and I shall grant you my name." Kreig's voice reverberated a deafening resolve. His sword unsheathed, stretching it beside Exel's head.
Exel swallowed, not from fear but anticipation.
"Yes, my lord," He replied, his eyes meeting Kreig's as he knelt on his spot.
Exhale...
"I, Exel, shall devote my life, and pledge utter loyalty, to you, My Lord, Kreig Haven!"
For a heartbeat, all was still. Even the monster's decay froze under the tension of the oath.
At his declaration replied a smile—
"Then I, Kreig Haven, accept your pledge, and grant you my name. You shall be called Exel Haven from now on!"
At once, a deep-dark shadow enveloped the two.
The space between them pulsated, thin threads of ethereal string enveloped Exel's body like the ranging wind amidst a thunderstorm.
Kreig's sword emitted a bright blue light, cleansing the shadow enveloping them—pshhh!
"Rise, Exel..." Kreig's voice reverberated the air. His deep-dark eyes reflected of absolute resolution.
"From now on, you shall follow the path of the weakest lord!"