To the west of the Five Spider Forest, slightly removed from it, lies a gnole settlement enclosed by a weathered wooden palisade.
This is a large-scale encampment deep within the woods, where a gnole chieftain has led his horde to settle in order to endure the winter. Over two hundred gnoles reside here.
The wooden fence encircling the settlement's perimeter is surprisingly tightly woven, defying the typically clumsy craftsmanship of gnoles. Scattered along the fence are roughly constructed wooden watchtowers, sturdy enough to support at least one gnole standing atop them. Though the towers lean crookedly, the gnoles perched upon them vigilantly scan the surroundings, alert for any potential intruders.
Inside the fenced enclosure, gnoles of various appearances can be seen.
A pack of gnoles returning from the hunt proudly displays boars and deer they've captured from the forest, while another group shoulders the massive legs of giant spiders hauled from the spider forest. Satisfaction beams from the faces of these returning hunters, and their triumphant howls, brimming with pride, echo throughout the entire settlement.
On the other side of the camp, gnoles gather around a large bonfire, roasting meat. Approaching them are gnoles haggling to trade weapons looted from human merchants for portions of the grilled meat.
Scattered throughout the settlement are crude huts fashioned from wood and tattered cloth. These hovels vary in size and shape, and even though the sun is only just beginning to set, some gnoles, stuffed full of pilfered liquor and meat, are already crammed inside, snoring away.
At the center of the settlement stands a large tent that exudes a far more imposing and grand presence than any other structure. This is the abode of the gnole chieftain, crafted with an uncharacteristic level of care that is evident at a glance. Constructed from well-hewn wooden poles, thick and clean fabric, and hides, this tent symbolizes the chieftain's authority and dominates the heart of the gnole encampment.
Amid the creaking, peculiar laughter of the gnoles and the mingled aromas of countless meats roasting over flames, a solitary shadow approached the gnole settlement.
'This must be the place where the gnoles are gathered.'
Gravel paused briefly, confirming the distant wooden fence and the gnole atop the watchtower rising above it, then resumed his stride toward the gnole settlement.
"It was written in the scriptures of Rhaud, wasn't it? 'Delight me, and it shall delight you in turn. Train daily and cultivate your strength. Wield the weapon you have forged through such discipline, and face your enemies without fear. Find yourself in the heat of battle. Discover your true self in combat. Behold the fear directed at you in your enemy's eyes...' Or something like that?"
Gravel murmured to himself, reciting a passage from a book transcribing the words of the God of Duels Rhaud, which he had recently perused in the library of Ves-Dinas. The words didn't stir any profound reverence for the divine in him, but the meaning embedded in the text resonated deeply with his heart.
Recalling Rhaud's message alongside the words of Marcus Aurelius—"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way"—Gravel felt a profound impression. Rhaud's scriptures contained many teachings akin to those of the Stoic school, emphasizing self-discipline and cultivation. Thus, Gravel etched the phrases from this otherworldly god's texts deep into his mind.
'In a way, today I might become the most fervent devotee of Rhaud.'
Having sensed and gauged the number of gnoles within the settlement, Gravel curled one corner of his mouth upward and gripped the hilt of the Sword of East End at his waist.
He hadn't come driven by a sense of justice to eradicate the gnoles. He had enough pretext to avoid becoming a mindless slaughterer who takes lives without cause. Nor had he come merely to test untried spells on them. There was no grand reason. It was simply an effort to keep his blade from growing dull. Everything else, he thought, could be rationalized and justified as needed.
"Though I am a believer in a different god from another world... Please watch over me, God Rhaud."
Gravel lifted his head toward the empty sky and spoke, then dashed swiftly toward the gnole settlement.
As the distant gnole encampment drew near, Gravel drew the Sword of East End from its sheath.
"Dirit Jaduca Bana."
From his fingertips, a small magic circle unfurled, launching a magical arrow glowing with a bright jade light.
The magical arrow of Dirit that Gravel cast traced a vivid trajectory through the air, piercing straight through the gnole standing atop the crookedly leaning watchtower. The gnole collapsed with a tearing scream as its torso was impaled, and the turquoise light spreading from its body briefly illuminated the surroundings before fading.
Without a moment's respite, Gravel charged toward the entrance of the gnole settlement. The two gnoles guarding the gate fell in a flash of the Sword of East End before they could even register the approaching figure. Beyond those two, several more gnoles met the same fate; Gravel's blade was stained red with their blood, and the area echoed only with the whoosh of the sword slicing through air and the gnoles' agonized screams.
"First, the gnoles at the entrance are dealt with... More are swarming from inside..."
"Grrrr! Intruder! Human intruder!"
"Intruder!"
"Grrrk!"
The gnoles began snarling and shouting to alert others of the intruder, but Gravel was already invoking Aldreda's Arc Lightning.
From his fingertips, a chain of blue lightning erupted, instantly spreading among the gnoles crowding the entrance. The sharply arcing bolts pierced through the gnoles in succession.
The lightning, blinding in its intensity, seared through their bodies, leaving behind flames that burned with a blue hue. The gnoles convulsed, screaming as they fell, their fur and skin charred black by the electrocution. The radiant chains of Aldreda's lightning continued to leap and connect between them, forming a merciless web of destruction.
"Huuuh!"
Circulating the mana within his body, Gravel moved along the lightning chains, slashing down any gnoles untouched by his own Aldreda's Arc Lightning with his sword. His movements were so swift that his form blurred into a shadowy afterimage.
The lightning chains and Gravel's shadow raced in competition toward the oncoming horde of gnoles.
The Sword of East End, reflecting light and now drenched in gnole blood, gleamed an even deeper crimson. The gnoles surging toward the entrance screamed in terror, trying to evade Gravel, but his blade mercilessly reaped their lives without quarter.
'Hmm... The nearby gnoles are all taken care of. Next is over there, I suppose?'
Spotting the gnole chieftain's banner in the distant center of the settlement, Gravel shook the blood from his sword onto the ground and turned his steps in that direction.
As Gravel advanced toward the heart of the settlement, short, staccato howls from the gnoles continued to ring out. Amid the fading screams of the gnoles, Gravel paused briefly, surveying his surroundings with cold eyes devoid of any emotion.
'Better to finish them off cleanly than leave them half-alive in a sloppy manner.'
In the gnoles' gazes, fear and terror brimmed. Having witnessed their kin being brutally cut down, the gnoles lost all will to fight, huddling or prostrating themselves, merely awaiting the approaching Gravel.
A few mustered courage and charged at him, but they couldn't even buy enough time to halt his advance before collapsing to the ground. Nothing obstructed Gravel's path.
Reaching the central area of the gnole settlement, Gravel came to a momentary halt. Around him lay the sprawled corpses of fallen gnoles, with small pools of their blood forming here and there.
"This must be where the gnole leader resides, right?"
Gravel sheathed his sword and fired Dirit's magical arrows at the last remaining gnoles.
"Grrruuuh!"
A rough exhalation echoed, and from within the massive tent emerged the gnole chieftain, revealing himself before Gravel.
"Much larger than the other gnoles..."
Gravel tilted his head upward to regard the gnole chieftain, extending a hand toward the slowly advancing figure as he spoke.
"Graaah!"
Spotting Gravel, the gnole chieftain took a massive stride forward.
The approaching gnole chieftain was far larger than ordinary gnoles, covered in coarse gray fur. Particularly thick and rough brown mane bristled densely around his neck and back.
Confirming the sight of his fallen kin outside the tent, the chieftain bared his sharp fangs in a ferocious snarl, glaring at Gravel. His red eyes burned with hostility. The notched ear and scars around his eyes bespoke the countless battles he had endured to claim his position as chieftain.
"Human! Koostum will kill you!"
Gnole chieftain Koostum roared as he swung down the massive halberd gripped in his right hand toward Gravel.
The halberd's blade was impeccably sharpened, free of rust, and its long haft, wrapped in his furred hand, bore intricate engravings.
"So you have a name, gnole! Haha."
In that instant, memories from Grand World flashed through Gravel's mind, drawing a smile to his lips.
Named monster. The term from MMORPGs—massively multiplayer online role-playing games—came to mind as he beheld the hulking gnole approaching.
As a former gamer, Gravel knew that named monsters possessed unique names, unlike generic ones, and often wielded special abilities or greater power.
'If Mahara is the quest giver... Quest conditions, appearance at a specific location... Named... Imposing appearance suggesting potent abilities. Is that halberd the special loot?'
With a gamer's instincts assessing the opponent before him, the gnole chieftain Koostum posed no real threat to Gravel.
"Hasta Ventorum."
A clear emerald magic circle materialized before Gravel's palm. Vivid lines of light infused with mana swirled like a whirlwind, taking shape amid the wind.
In a brief instant, a long, sharply pointed spear formed, stirring up a fierce gust that lifted small stones and dust around it.
"Gwaaargh!"
Released from Gravel's hand, the spear of wind hurtled toward the gnole chieftain.
Even sturdy castle walls are powerless before the wind's furious charge. All things lose their form and scatter. The spear cleaved through the air, striking Koostum's armor with the relentless force of the wind, unleashing its savage power.
Koostum's armor shattered into fragments, scattering wildly. Its owner, too, could no longer maintain his form, reduced to scattered red chunks of flesh strewn across the ground.
Thus, Gravel's purpose in coming to the gnole settlement—to prevent his blade from rusting—concluded with the death of gnole chieftain Koostum.
"Ah! The halberd!"
Belatedly recalling the halberd Koostum had wielded amid the shattered armor and flesh fragments, Gravel scanned the ground, but the weapon had also been pulverized by his spear of wind, leaving nothing to recover.
"It would've been too big for Nia anyway, right? I was thinking of giving it to Nia as a gift... What a shame..."