"So did you hear? Apparently Dread's been spotted around this area."
"Are you serious? Damn... Guess we're in for a bumpy ride then."
Two men could be heard talking in the back of one of the caravans' many transport vehicles.
This mighty lineup of vehicles consisted of thirty transport vehicles, a few scout ATV's, and three heavily armed combat vehicles at the front and back respectively.
All of the caravans transport vehicles had six giant wheels to help support its massive frame as well as the weight of the dozens of combatants that each of them held.
While the ATV's came in a multitude of different shapes and sizes.
Some had two wheels, others had four, while one didn't even have wheels. In their place were tracks that could help it get through most tough weather conditions.
The two sets of armed vehicles each consisted of one medium tank and two LAV's each.
Back to the inside of one of the many transport vehicles, the conversation was getting more and more heated.
This was all because of the previously mentioned rumors about someone by the name of Dread being seen going around those parts.
However, not everyone was included in this talk about the ever so popular Dread.
Squished in between two people that were talking to each other about this mysterious person, was a young mercenary by the name of Pepper.
She had short black hair and light green eyes. Accompanied by her small frame, one would think that being a mercenary would be one of the last things she'd want to do. But here she was...
... Shitting herself out of fear.
Pepper became a mercenary on her 18th birthday, as soon as she was allowed by the laws of Mercy. Both of her parents were mercenaries. So growing up, she heard plenty of tales about how her parents had lived their younger days and wished to be just like them when she grew older. But now that she was about to actually live through one of those stories her parents had told her about, she was suddenly having second thoughts.
This was her first combat mission as a mercenary so she was already on edge as is. Accompanied by these talks about this Dread character didn't serve to lessen her fear. In fact, it only made it worse.
However, her curiosity was getting to her. So much so that she couldn't help but ask about this person.
"Umm... Excuse me!"
She said in a voice loud enough to garner everyone's attention.
After a few seconds, all eyes were on her.
All of the attention that she was getting was making her slightly nervous, but that didn't stop Pepper from asking her question.
... Albeit she was a tad bit apprehensive about it.
"... Um so... Who is Dread?"
She asked in a quiet voice.
But that didn't stop anyone from being able to hear her.
In response to her question, one of the people that was sitting beside her, a man with the body of a wolf, a lycanthrope, asked in a confused voice:
"You don't know who Dread is? What are you, a rookie or something?"
In response to this, Pepper swiftly nodded her head up and down, signaling to everyone that she truly was just as they suspected. A girl who didn't know much about the current state of War Field.
Seeing this, everyone soon started to yell and berate the man that asked her the question in such a condescending tone.
"I swear I didn't mean for it to come out that way! That's just how I speak!"
Soon, the barrage of insults came to an end with everyone laughing and joking with each other.
But that too, also came to an end, and silence settled once more.
That entire interaction confused Pepper a lot.
How could they go from hurling insults at one another to just laughing it off?
She was soon reminded of some of the stories her parents used to tell her about.
How, although they may bicker and seem rude, they were truly nice people. An odd bunch, but a nice one too.
Snapping Pepper out of her thoughts was the voice of a mature sounding woman.
Looking to her right she noticed a woman, seemingly in her early twenties, with long flowing blonde hair sitting across the bench from her. Behind the woman's back was a pair of wings, each one a pristine white. While sitting atop her head was a halo glowing a soft golden color.
She was an angel.
However, contrary to popular belief, the woman didn't look like what most people originally thought them to be.
This was due to the other features that angels had.
On their wings were dozens of eyes, seemingly watching everything that was going on around them. Instead of a beautiful human-like face with a singular pair of eyes and a mouth, they had three pairs of eyes and a mouth that spanned from ear to ear.
However, this sight frightened no one.
After all, this was what a normal angel looked like.
Originally, when angels first descended millions of years ago, people were terrified. This was because of the preconceived notion that angels were beautiful beings that resembled humans, just with the added touch of wings and a halo. Instead this is what they got.
It was the same for demons, instead of them looking like horrifying abominations, they instead looked more humanlike than the angels. Although there were some differences depending on what type of demon they were.
Back to the previous conversation, the angel had spoken to Pepper, saying:
"First of all, if we're going to talk about Dread, you first need to know why he has that nickname."
"Nickname?"
"Yes, his nickname."
Another person chimed in.
This time the one who spoke was a human, the same as Pepper.
"The reason why we call him by his nickname is because no one knows his real one."
He explained in a matter of fact tone.
Then, he continued.
"The reason why we call him Dread is because of the sense of the fear that is instilled in people's hearts whenever he's seen."
Hearing those words brought a shiver down the young woman's spine.
"So... This Dread guy is just that deadly?"
She asked in a shaky tone.
"Hmm? Oh no, he's not that deadly."
Pepper could only stare at the man in confusion after hearing that.
What do you mean he instills fear into people but he isn't deadly? Make that make sense!
Before she could voice her thoughts, another person chimed in.
This time, it was an orc. With his pale green skin and his giant tusks, he looked quite imposing. However, looks could be deceiving. Afterall, his voice sounded nothing like how he looked. In fact, it was quite gentle, almost as if he was afraid of scaring the young woman.
"That explanation probably confused you a small amount. Allow me to reiterate..."
He said in a voice that could even make the loudest of crying children fall asleep.
"The reason why he is 'deadly' is because of what happens shortly after someone sees him. When he is first seen on the battlefield, they see someone of small stature wearing lightweight plate, chainmail, and leather armor. After a few seconds pass, they see what he's being chased by. Most of the time, he's getting hunted down by a 4th Rate Prey or a 5th Rate Apex."
After hearing those words, everything began to click in her head. 4th rate Prey and 5th rate Apex. In short, two decently high ranking creatures of war.
When Pepper was younger, she was taught by her parents as well as in school about the creatures of war, beings other than people that roam War Field.
Everything that she was being told both impressed and surprised her.
But, before she could continue along with her thoughts, the angel started to speak once more.
"However, that's not to say that Dread isn't impressive either. After all, for a child of war to have survived as long as he has, you've got to have some skill. It's said that the guy is about a mid to high ranking Elevated."
And just like that, she was surprised once more. Being ranked as Elevated meant that the person didn't just have strength, but also skill to boot. Not only that, but he's a child of war too.
Before her thoughts could spiral out of control, something that has been bugging at her for a little bit finally resurfaced in her mind.
"Question, why is Dread only seen when he's being chased by some deadly creature?"
Not even a second had passed by, when the lycanthrope answered her question.
"Even I can tell you why when it comes to that topic. So, although no one really knows the definitive answer, everyone assumes that it's because the kid is scared and is pulling out all of the stops to live another day."
He paused for a bit to think about the next words that would soon come out of his mouth before speaking once more.
"The guy is kind of like a recluse. If there is no need to interact with other people, then he won't. But when push comes to shove then he'll just use anyone nearby as bait in order to get away from danger... I think that that's everything that we know about him... Does anyone else have something they want to share with the class?"
In response to this, everyone started to look around the transportation vehicle to see if anyone else wanted to let everyone in on some exclusive info.
After a few seconds of this, Pepper chimed in once again.
"I see... Well, thank you for taking the time to explain everything to me."
She said with a small nod of the head.
A few moments after she said those words, the transportation vehicle erupted into a cacophony of different voices. All saying that there was no need for thanks and that they were all mercs taking on the same job, so they had to have each other's backs.
Just like that, a few hours had passed.
By the time the convoy made it to their destination, a large camp that seemed to span for as far as the eye could see, it was already sundown.
As they were getting out of the vehicles, Pepper overheard the conversations of some of the people that were at the camp before their convoy arrived.
The topic of their conversations were the same as the ones that were originally held inside of the transportation vehicles, Dread. This time however, they weren't talking about rumors. Instead, they were talking about how they lived through a battlefield that he was seen on.
From how it sounded, the battle was nothing short of a massacre.
Apparently, not only did Dread lead a 4th Rate Prey to the front lines, he also participated in the battle and ended up killing a dozen or two people.
'He really is one dreadful guy...'
Pepper couldn't help but think to herself.
As she was doing this, an officer hailing under the country of which she got this job from, led her as well as the people from her caravan to their respective tents so they could have a place to sleep for the night.
***
"Damnit..."
The boy said under his breath.
"I just had to get greedy now huh?"
He continued as he watched the hulking creature stand up and begin to look in his direction.
Before the creature could fully awaken from its slumber, the boy had already broken out into a full blown sprint. This wasn't the first time that he'd had to do this and he was sure that it wouldn't be the last.
By the time that he was a few hundred meters away, he heard the sound of a mighty roar that felt as though it had shaken every bone in his body, all the way down to his core.
What soon followed was the sound of its footsteps.
As the boy was running away, he noticed that the sun had finally started to rise once more.
This also meant that...
... He could find some bait that was up and about.
***
"Rise and shine people! Those damn mana munchers have been spotted marching on our position. So wake up, get dressed, and get ready to kill some sorry excuses for warriors!"
Pepper was woken up by the sounds of people screaming, saying something about getting ready to fight.
Because of this, she quickly sat up, grabbed all of her gear and started to put everything on.
While Pepper was doing this she noticed the angel that had ridden in the same transport vehicle as her, doing the same thing that she was.
"Hey Rachel-"
Pepper had called out. After talking for a while on the way to the camp, Pepper and everyone else had gotten well acquainted with one another. That is how she learned about the name that the angel goes by, Rachel.
"Do you know what they mean when they say 'mana muncher'?"
Pepper said as she threw up air quotes with one hand while putting on one of her boots with the other.
Rachel swiftly replied without even looking up from what she was doing.
"Yeah, it's a slur that people use against the magicians of Zoul."
Hearing her words made Pepper swiftly understand.
It also quickly made her shut her mouth so that she could better focus on getting ready for the upcoming fight.
A few minutes had passed by like that and by the time she finished, she was already being told where to go and what to do.
By the time that all of the yelling had stopped, everyone, both mercenaries and soldiers, had already lined up in their assigned spots in preparation of the fight.
It was at this moment that Pepper started to second guess herself.
This would be her first serious fight... ever. Not since becoming a mercenary but since being born.
Because of this, she soon started to hyperventilate, psyching herself out. It was only a matter of time before she lost all reason and broke out into a panic attack.
However, just as her thoughts were spiraling out of control she felt someone grip her shoulder with enough strength to snap her out of it.
Looking in the direction in which she felt the touch come from, she saw a woman wearing a helmet that fully covered her head. The only reason why she could tell that it was a woman was due to the voice that soon rang out, talking to her.
"It's alright kid, you'll make it through this. Just remember you're not alone. Now what's your name?"
The woman asked in the most comforting tone that she could muster.
"...It's Pepper..."
Pepper replied in a shaky voice. She didn't know why she was being asked these questions, but at the moment, it didn't matter. As long as it could take her mind off of the stress that she was feeling, then it was fine.
"Pepper? That's a fine name... Alright Pepper, here's what I want you to do. Take a few deep breaths. Come on, I'll do them with you."
As the kind woman said that, she started to take some deep breaths.
After one or two sets of them, Pepper joined in. A few minutes passed like this until Pepper had finally started to calm down.
When she did, the woman spoke up once again.
"You see, you're alright now. I'm going to assume that, based on how you're acting, that you are a rookie, am I right? Now listen, first of all, there is no need to be too scared. I know that the first time on the battlefield can be scary but-"
Just as the woman was speaking, a loud snap rang out in the air and along with it a giant gust of wind.
Said gust of wind was so strong that it temporarily caused Pepper to shut her eyes and shield them with her arms.
This persisted for not even a second but by the time that Pepper had opened her eyes, the visual that she saw laid before her, almost caused her to throw up.
The top half of the woman's body, as well as everyone else that was standing in her column and the ones beside her, was gone, almost as if they never existed.
It was quick and painless but that didn't make it any less horrific. On the contrary, it only served to fill Pepper with an even greater sense of fear than the one she was struck with in the first place.
All around Pepper were people screaming and rushing forward to meet their enemies. All the while the young woman just stood and stared at the corpses that lay in front of her.
Snapping her out of her stupor was Rachel's screaming concerned voice, as well as both of her hands on Pepper's shoulders.
"Pepper! Hey Pepper! You're okay right!?"
Pepper nodded her head absentmindedly.
Seeing her actions made Rachel slightly annoyed. So, in order to really make sure that her new friend was actually hearing what she was saying, Rachel slapped her.
"Ow!"
Pepper couldn't help but cry out as the stinging sensation slowly creped away from her face.
"Are you finally with me now!? Great! Now, are you okay?"
She said a little slower but with the same concerned tone as before.
The young woman began to furiously nod her head.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm all good."
As she said this, she could hear and see people killing and getting killed just a few dozen meters off in the distance.
After getting the conformation that she wanted out of Pepper, Rachel grabbed the gladius that hung on the side of her hip.
She then looked at Pepper again, encouraging her to do the same.
"What are you waiting for just standing around like that? Grab your weapon and let's go!"
After hearing her words of encouragement, if you could even call it that, Pepper decided to follow Rachel's lead and grabbed the two daggers that were strapped to the back of her belt.
With that, Pepper ran into the fray along with Rachel.
Just like that, the young woman had begun her first ever battle.
About half an hour had passed since the battle had first begun and as of currently, it was still raging on.
Off in the distance, constant loud explosions could be heard, signaling the fight between each side's commanders.
However, at this point in time, that fact fazed no one.
Afterall, everyone was just trying to survive their own fights at the moment.
But, just as people were getting a hang of this battle's pacing, a voice cried out.
Not the voice of someone important, just some random person's voice.
"Dread! It's Dread! He's coming!"
The fighting seemed to have slowed a bit when those words had rung out.
As people started to turn their heads in the direction that the voice had come from, they were able to see the subject of those horrifying words, Dread.
Chasing only a hundred or two meters after him was a hulking beast that stood at least ten meters tall. The creature looked something akin to a dog. Only if the dog had torn up leathery skin with human faces grafted onto its body. On the creature's back were eight pairs of long twisting arms, seemingly used to be able to grab prey that tried to fly around the monstrous being.
Pepper was currently fighting someone when those words had originally been said. So by the time that she had finished off her opponent and was able to look in the direction of the fabled Dread, she saw something that she didn't expect.
Just as Pepper turned her head to face the direction in which Dread was coming from, she saw the blade of a sword coming down at her, ready to cleave her head in two.
Thankfully though, Rachel had grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to the side just in time for the blade to barely miss her.
By the time that she was pulled to safety, Pepper had been able to get a good glance at the person that would have been her killer if not for Rachel.
A person of short stature wearing light plate, chainmail, and leather armor. Hanging off the belt at the person's side was an empty scabbard. In the person's hand was the aforementioned sword.
Just as Pepper was getting ready for another fight, she saw something that made her tilt her head slightly, both in confusion and astonishment.
The person that had almost killed her didn't stick around to fight. Instead, they just kept on running, seemingly killing anyone and anything that got in their way.
Because of this, Pepper couldn't help but say her thoughts of utter and complete confusion out loud.
"What the hell was that?"
Responding to her question shortly after was the sound of Rachel's voice as she was pulling her gladius out of someone's stomach.
"That there was Dread."
Directly after she said this, the sounds of fighting seemed to grow stronger from the direction that Dread had originally come from.
"Let's get out of here. Don't want to get caught fighting that thing."
Rachel said as she remembered the appearance of the creature of war that was chasing Dread around.
***
Sitting down with his back up against the side of a burnt tree was a young boy, gulping down water that flowed out of one of the many pouches that were tied to his belt.
This young boy had medium length, dark brown hair and soft olive green eyes.
On his face were two distinct scars. A small one that was on his bottom lip and a larger one that went across the bridge of his nose.
The same scars that Vigil got when he first entered War Field.
But of course they were the same scars.
Afterall, this boy was Vigil.
"Hah... Hah... I thankfully got away…"
The boy said while grabbing another pouch from his waist.
As he was drinking he couldn't help but think to himself-
'How far away am I from Mercy? I have got to be close...'
Finishing up his water, the boy put the top back onto the pouch and tied it back on his waist once again.
For a few moments the young boy sat still contemplating everything that had happened before, when he used those two clashing armies as bait. Specifically, what people have been calling him. He'd heard it multiple times before and he still didn't know why.
From the looks of it, people had started to call him by a weird moniker.
'Dread, huh... Neat nickname...'
Vigil thought to himself as he grabbed all of his belongings and began his journey westward once more.