lv 1 skeleton

chapter 59

If there was one human settlement which had benefited the the most from Necropolis’ sudden rise to power, it would definitely be Gartmar. What used to be a small and reclusive mining town, had now transformed into a full-fledged city.

It was the same Gartmar which had been all but abandoned by the kingdom’s capital, but they still enforced an 80 percent tax on the mining which impoverished the people.

Then came along the Goblin King which terrorized the countryside. They asked for aid from the government on many occasions and when they finally arrived, they did little to combat the threat and rather preyed on the population, demanding exorbitant bribes for their services. When they eventually faced off with the Goblin King, they were one sidedly massacred and Gartmar never recouped their losses.

The smaller villages that neighboured them had been massacred, and now Gartmar was next on the Goblin King’s path. Unfortunately this tragic event just happened to coincide with the Elven expedition, causing adventurers to take up these seemingly easier quests which offered richer rewards, leaving the Goblins free to rampage.

The mayor, angry over the death of his relatives who had been living in the countryside even went so far as asking a neighboring empire to help, which could be interpreted as a rebellion against the crown. Even then, the nearby empires weren’t interested in interfering and Gartmar’s suffering continued.

Just as everyone had lost hope, a hero appeared out of nowhere. Leading a small band of a couple dozen adventurers, he managed to slay the Goblin King. A feat which thousands of the Kingdom’s soldiers had failed in.

The citizens cheered wholeheartedly for this hero who had saved their lives and that of their families.

However, this infamous hero had not been heard of since. Even the three female adventurers with whom he was supposedly close, were embarrassed to say that they had no news of him.

Regardless of how far, or how hard they searched for him, there were no clues to be found.

People began to talk, and rumours spread as it is so often the case in these small towns. There was talk that he was one the God’s apostles, a Messiah descending from heaven to aid them in their plight and now that the deed was done, he had returned back to heaven. He quickly became immortalized as the town’s legend and all of the citizens worshipped him.

Shortly after that the Elven expedition was in full effect. There was talk that their armies numbered in the thousands and that they were led by the mythical dragons.

All of Gartmar held their breath during that time. They all remembered how their hero had punished Elf sympathizers and were worried about retribution. Still, they never once supported the expedition, despite the overwhelming pressure of such a large army.

The power of such a force was so big that even if the different human kingdoms were to rally under one banner, it was unsure whether they could defeat them in open battle. All the neighbouring countries were watching the expedition very nervously.

In the end, everyone’s expectations had been shattered. The Elven forces retreated in panic, scattering in their forests. It was even rumoured that their dragons had submitted to the Pit’s King. The citizens of Gartmar once again silently thanked their hero. Had he not expressly stood against the Elves, perhaps the city would have aided them and suffered the wrath of King’s Pit as a result.

Shortly after, a woman appeared in town, claiming to be friends with Gartmar’s hero. She introduced herself as Ian and was accompanied by a talkative fairy and cute baby dragon. She became close with the three female adventurers and was quickly accepted by all the people in town who worshipped the hero.