Rise of the Hegemon

Who are these people?

I could feel the fresh breeze brush upon my face and tug at my hair as I made my descent towards the valley, my heart rapidly beating in anticipation and excitedness.

Ignoring the pain around my whole body, I continued to limp across the vast plain of green, the soft rustling of grass filling my ears as I move forward, each stride sent a rush of exhilaration through my veins.

With each breath, I could sense the fragrance of the grass and wind as I propelled my way forward, mingling with the adrenaline that surged within me, the rhythmic thud of my heart matched the rhythm of my feet.

As I descended further, the expanse before me gradually unfolded, revealing the widening scope of my surroundings. Before long, my line of sight expanded, finally revealing the uninterrupted stretch of the south road that leads back towards the town in the far distance.

The south road eventually breaks into two paths, one that leads towards the west from my current position, and the other one towards the east. Now that I've finally got a good look at the sight before me, I could now give a rough description at the road in the distance.

Evidently, this wasn't a mere dirt road as I had initially thought. Instead, my gaze caught the occasional glint of cobblestones embedded into the path. Among the rugged stones, patches of grass defiantly sprouted, serving as a reminder of nature's persistence reclaiming what was once hers. And as for how wide the road is, I'd say you could squeeze in three cars side by side without much trouble. There's also the occasional underbrush lining at both edges of the road.

And that's where I suddenly heard voices.

Human voices to be exact!

I quickly turn towards the direction of the voices, my heart pounding rapidly as I quickly search the source of the sound.

There!

A cluster of folks caught my eye as they strolled along the road that stretched towards the east, however, they appear to be headed in the opposite direction, actually towards the town, to be quite precise, one of them appears to be leading a.. mule?

I couldn't help but rapidly blink in awe as I stare at the mule, since it's my first time seeing such creature in person, I could feel a growing sense of curiosity and amazement within me.

Wasting no time, I quickly make my way towards them whilst trying my best to trudge through the thick knee length grasses along the way, carving a makeshift trail as my shoes topple aside the emerald blades as easily as structures made out of sand.

As I near towards them, I could now slowly make out their voices.

Which is.. gibberish?

What the hell...

Every speech that I could hear from them seems incomprehensible to me. I couldn't understand a single damn word, not only that, it also carries an accent, a familiar one at that, it sounds British, yet at the same time, it has a small blend of Russian in it.

It's plausible that these individuals share a connection or history with the people back home; their accents wouldn't be so similar unless they've been influenced by interactions with those Brits and Slavs.

Yes.. that's probably it! there's also the possibility that they might understand English.

A tiny smile formed at the corner of my lips as I felt a small glimmer of hope ignite within me.

In addition, as I got closer and closer towards them, I could finally get a clear look on their appearances.

There's five of them and all seems to be wearing trousers and... tunics? three of them also appears to be barefooted, while the rest are wearing sandals.

Who the hell wears tunic these days?

And that's when I realize something, their attires greatly resembled that of the people from the middle ages, I also had my few shares of watching historical shows and the similarity of their appearances is undeniable.

"Then that means..." I murmured to myself, a growing sense of dread intertwining with the flicker of hope I had felt earlier.

N-No.. It's impossible. Surely, they must be engaged in some kind of cosplay, or perhaps people playing dress-up... or even actors on their way to a filming location.

Yeah.. that's probably the case.

Even though it still left many questions unanswered, I steeled myself once again while scolding myself for entertaining such thoughts and being too paranoid, with a shake of my head, I continued heading towards them.

It was only when I had reached a particular spot, with a mere half-dozen yards between me and the group of people, that one of them finally noticed my presence.

Let's be cautious, I do not want to be too close, for all I know, my conclusion could be right and they might pull some hidden weapons on me.

Well let's just hope that isn't the case... please.

I stop in my tracks before gently raising both of my hands above, the ache in my joints and muscles still present, yet despite that, I chose to ignore them.

The man that first saw me said something to his companions before pointing his finger towards me, the rest of them followed as they turn towards my direction.

If only I could understand what he'd said just now.

As I met their gaze, I could see the familiar odd, curious, and surprise looks they're giving me, it was as if I've grown a second head or something.

This brought a small smile to my face as it triggered some memories of mine, I remembered the expression everyone gives me whenever I mention my name to them, it's almost identical to the one these folks in front of me are giving me right now.

After a few seconds of silence, one of them stepped forward and said something towards me, it doesn't sound like a statement.. more of a question perhaps?

I attempted to analyze his words, sorting through the languages I was acquainted with, in search of the potential one he was speaking. But in the end, the only result I could get is a mild headache.

This is stupid!

This damn language barrier is making everything so frustrating!

With a sigh, I shook my head at the man, hoping he would understand that I couldn't comprehend what he was saying.

He rose his brows in confusion before saying something again, but this time the speech seems different and his voice heavier. Unfortunately I'm still unsure whether it's a statement or a question.

Speaking English to see if they understand me is my only choice... if they still can't understand me, well..

Taking a deep breath, I finally open my mouth to speak.

"Hello, can you understand me?" I asked in the gentlest voice possible, my heart beating in anticipation as hope and fear dance within.

For a moment, the man and his companions seems to freeze, their former expressions now replaced by shock and.. fear?

Did I said something wrong?

The likelihood of my words carrying a different meaning towards them is now very likely.

It was until one of the man's companions suddenly shouted something in their strange language before brandishing an axe out of nowhere.

Oh god... he got a fucking axe! these people are insane!

The rest followed, one brandished what appeared to be a knife or dagger while the others brought out clubs and sticks, including the man in front of me who picked up a branch from the ground, their faces a mixture of determination and... fear?

I dropped my hands and stepped a few times back, cold sweat now dripping from my forehead, I could now feel both of my hands trembling.

Please don't tell me I said something offensive..

"H-hey, chill out everyone." I stuttered, fear evident in my voice. It seems they've notice this as the traces of fear that was on their faces earlier was now gone, replaced by a mixture of eagerness and confidence.

Then, except for the guy who was leading the mule, they began to slowly creep towards me, raising their blades towards my direction, Merely the thought of those rusted irons embedded in my skin appears to intensify the growing fear and panic within me.

"You g-guys are fucking crazy!" Despite knowing my words would fall on deaf ears, I still yelled, taking another few steps back.

What's with these people?!

Fear and dread seized my senses, and despite my very best efforts to remain calm in the face of this hostile group, an unpreventable response emerged, I feel warm liquid spread down my legs, then the uncomfortable feeling as I emptied my bladder, soaking my pants in the process.

As the unmistakable scent of urine reached my nose, I could already feel my face twist into shame and defeat. My cheeks burned with embarrassment, adding yet another layer of humiliation to the already dire situation.

The advancing armed group in front of me seems to stop in their tracks, they turn towards each other, went silent for a few seconds, before eventually breaking out in laughter.

They exchanged a few words to each other before suddenly charging towards me.

"H-HELP, SOMEBODY PLEASE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I turn and ran.

But with my current battered conditions, I was only able to cover a couple of yards of distance before the crazy armed group closed in on me, their menacing presence looming over me.

"Aaaaah!" Still screaming, I continued pushing myself forward when I suddenly feel a hand grab the collar of my sweater before I was suddenly yanked from my feet, the force choking me as the collar tightened on my throat.

Then I felt my back collide at the ground below, pain quickly shooting inside of me due to the fierce impact.

Before I could even do anything, I felt something heavy smash into my left arm, agony quickly exploded through me as a sickening crunch echoed in the air, I couldn't stifle the anguished cry that escaped from my lips.

"Arrgghh" I screamed due to the sheer intensity of the pain, I cast a quick glance towards the one responsible for this and saw the man who I tried to communicate with earlier, a small grin on his face as he held his thick branch.

Then without warning, A swift kick struck my stomach like a thunderbolt, stealing the air from my lungs, pain surged through my body as I desperately begin gasping for air.

But that didn't end there, blows upon blows landed upon me with an excruciating impact, sending unbearable jolts of pain in each blow, their fist and clubs relentlessly raining down without mercy.

Though a tiny part of me was thankful that they didn't use their bladed weapons.

Still, I tried to shield myself, to curl into a protective ball, but their unreasonable violence was unyielding. Soon, the taste of blood began to fill my mouth, and my vision blurred with each strike. My desperate cries for them to stop were met only with laughter.

How could such cruel people exist?

For a moment, they finally ceased their unending barrage of blows, giving me the tiny relief I desperately craved. As I lay on the ground below, my broken arm throbbed mercilessly while tears of pain welled up in my eyes, every small movement was met by an excruciating ache.

Then suddenly, a familiar face appeared in my unclear vision and started talking towards me, though I'm too much in pain to give the slightest damn.

He was the guy I tried to talk with earlier..

I never should've approached them.

I never should've left that forest.

I should've just let myself get eaten up by that bear.

A sense of regret gripped me... and just like that, the surroundings around me began to fade away until darkness envelop me, finally giving me the peace and break that I needed.

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CHAPTER DONE!!