The Horseman of Calamity

Chapter 14 - Break in Point

"I've gotcha!" The man pounced on his daughter playfully after catching up to her. His characteristics were akin to that of a big cat, his long blonde hair reached down to his neck and was also a bit unkempt. He had a large frame and powerful muscles, and despite that, he carried himself like a loving mother. When he playfully scooped his daughter up, he did it with the utmost gentleness and care possible.

"Hey! No fair!" She giggled and slapped his face around. She was a young girl bearing a striking resemblance to her father but was much smaller and skinnier, the patterns on her fur and body resembled his to a strong degree.

"Hey, dad, tell me about the story again! The one about the spear lady from a long time ago!" She jumped up and exclaimed.

"Oh? You mean the story about Sagi Mentirosa? You've already heard it a thousand times though." he chuckled and sat her down with him, they were situated underground but the sun's rays could be seen peeking through the cracks as it began setting into the horizon.

"Yeah, but I like hearing it so tell me again!" She pouted as she stomped her little feet.

"Okay, okay, calm down, no need to throw a fit.." He paused as he cleared his throat before continuing,

"As they say, 600 years ago, a woman descended from the heavens. Her spear was so strong it could pierce the strongest armor even made from dragonbone. When she first touched foot upon the ground, the dirt and mud immediately gave way to vegetation. There was nothing she couldn't do, she was the woman whom the common people looked to for protection. The rich would give away all of their possessions for a taste of her power. The knights and warriors only dreamed of being able to fight her. And the kings and rulers bowed to her. In fact, her mere presence was enough to frighten all of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. So after many years of challenging this world and making it hers, she decided she would do the one thing no one had ever accomplished before, she sought to hunt down all of the Elder Beasts. So she gathered up hundreds of thousands of people under one united banner in an attempt to kill them. And so, they lured all four beasts to one singular point. Her strength proved even too much for the great creatures and when she was going to eliminate all four of them, the Solariis and the Espada joined in. With the wounds of the beasts recovering and the unexpected arrival of the new force, Mentirosa became overwhelmed for the first time. Seeing the mighty conqueror's strength waver, her army scattered in a panic as the beasts retaliated in an agitated state. Mentirosa was no longer a feared god but a terrified mortal as she faced-"

His story was interrupted as his daughter fell asleep in his arms, her head slumping into his chest.

"Sweet dreams, my gatita." He kissed her forehead and moved her into her bed. But that was all it was, a sweet but fleeting dream.

The party had traveled through the Drazor Valley again and began making their way to the southeast afterward. They went through the Cocao desert again briefly where Nacara transformed into a shellbleat to keep them alive. They would occasionally stop by small towns and cities to buy or steal whatever resources they needed to continue. During that time, Delly had bartered some of the party's materials for a massive pair of iron bracers that fit onto his forearms and hands. Technically, he didn't barter them, he had Nacara do it as the people in the town they passed through refused to deal with Delly. They weren't exactly the most high-quality but made well enough that sword strikes felt like getting hit by a wooden plank, his tough orc skin helped cushion the blows as well.

All the while, they would also occasionally run into a lone bounty hunter or some bandits and thugs who threatened them which the group dealt with accordingly. To keep their fighting skills up, all four of them would occasionally take time out of their days or nights to spar with each other. Mahmoud especially had grown considerably but he was still self-conscious and doubted himself frequently. Meanwhile, Delly himself learned how to wrestle and fight by training against wild animals. At one of the towns they stopped in, Hung read the latest Continental Issue paper, the Hast Kingdom had lost its war with the Mutata Empire and there had been an ongoing civil war within the kingdom for a while.