hermitscave

Chapter 193 - Breaking the Siege

The cold winter air smelled like freedom. Dedrick and his men had been holed up in that stuffy castle for months now. In fact, they hadn't been allowed to do their thing ever since Corco had become a king, really. Even though their defense of Qarasi Castle had been quite relaxed and beating back that blowhard Pacha had been good fun, his mercenaries really weren't made for defensive combat or long sieges. They were wolves, not porcupines.

Finally, after months of patience, it was t...

Chapter 192 - Sinister Omens

Once they had left Lord Nasica's protection, an uneasy quiet overcame the group of disguised warriors and craftsmen led by Fadelio. Although they would be safe until they left the confines of the territory, everyone seemed worried of what was to come. They were already halfway to the southern border of Rumas when Fadelio's second-in-command finally expressed his worries.

“Young master Fadelio, I understand that our strength should be sufficient to break through the fake bandit ca...

Chapter 191 - Collapse

Rupilo couldn't feel his fingers any longer. He didn't know if it was from the cold, from clenching his fists too hard or from the fear that had crept into his bones.

When he had watched his warriors charge down the hill full of enthusiasm, he had still been optimistic. They were the elites of Medala's lords, and they had all come together to deal with the threat from the south as one. Yet as soon as they reached the foot of the hill, he had to let go of all his fanciful notions of...

Chapter 190 - Charge

 “This is going way too well. What are they planning?” Ever since the start of the battle, Corco had been confused by Rupilo's movements, or lack thereof. Their first engagement still had made some sense. The enemy commander had false or incomplete information about the southern army's weapons and tactics, and the attack of the archers was only a probe meant to rectify those deficiencies.   

Now however, the elite warriors of the proud northern lords just stood th...

Chapter 189 - Standoff

 When Corco's men were finally in the formation they were supposed to take up from the start, there was still a long distance between the two armies, and Rupilo's troops hadn't moved an inch. While they watched the southern commoners stumble down the hill without any organization, they failed to act. As Corco's hordes calmed themselves and lined up in an orderly formation, Pacha's warriors still stood their ground high atop the hill.   

If they wanted to get close eno...

Chapter 188 - Skirmish

From atop Rupilo's hill, the dull thump of drums drenched the air in the familiar sounds of Medalan battle. As ordered by the rhythm of the drums, Rupilo's archers marched towards the foot of Corco's mountain.   

Although the old Medalan troops and Corco's more modern pike and shot army were about to clash in a major engagement for the first time, the king wasn't all that worried. Halfway down the hill, his new troops had taken position in four rows. Just like they had bee...

Fight the System - Chapter 1

So... since I'm kinda too tired to get the next chapter on EnEm proofread today, I'll just drop this here. It's the first Chapter of a LitRPG thing I wrote a while ago. Names are very temporary... and I'm not sure I'll ever continue this. Still, I like the resolution and some of the imagery. Please enjoy.

Chapter 1 – Definitely Not a Prologue

A trail of blood had led the hunters right to the mutated bear. Although the giant beast had been caught in their oversized bea...

Chapter 187 - Sowing Discontent

 Between the armies of the south and center, two different banners closed in on one another. On one side was Corco's new silver triquetra on purple, and on the other was the diving eagle of House Rupilo. Although both were carried by Medalan warriors around a noble leader, the men below the banners were very different. While Corco had not brought the best combatants among his men, his scouts were especially mobile and still more than capable of defending him in case of an ambush. They we...

Chapter 186 - Course Correction

 Whenever Pacha advanced, Corco retreated. Whenever Pacha retreated, Corco advanced. Back and forth, left and right, he had been playing this game with his uncle for weeks now. With their disadvantages in scouting and speed, Pacha's massive army was just too clunky to catch them, while the central king's warriors kept looting their own countryside to feed themselves. After all this time, it almost seemed as if Corco could keep Pacha at bay with his tricks for an eternity. Yet they didn't...

Yes, I'm back.

Hello everyone, Hermit here.

First of all, I have to apologize for my absence. About a month ago, I was in a pretty bad place in my personal life, and decided that I needed some distance from just about everything. Abruptly, I cut myself off from phone internet and just abot everything and only focused on work. As a result, I haven't posted anything here in a month.

Since everything was so abrupt, I failed to post a note about my leave of absence. For that, I have to apologize. St...

Chapter 185 - Secret Deal

 Even after Brym had received some basic guarantees from Amautu, he had still remained confined within his shop's backyard for a good while longer. Only once Herak had left for the south had the young merchant finally been granted some room to operate again. With his new-found freedom, he could have left from Porcero with Atau's fleet and reached the relative safety of the south right away.

However, for now he still had much work left to do in the north. Instead of running awa...

Chapter 184 - Breaking Out

 Back when Fadelio had arrived in Rumas, he had been left with less than two dozen warriors to protect several hundred commoners. Now, these very same commoners were surrounded by an army around five hundred strong. With he rows upon rows of fellow warriors clad in the colors of Saniya, they could now break their encirclement and make their way south without any trouble.

“It's grand sight. But is this really fine?” Fadelio asked. “I mean, if anything we have done here is...

About the Quality of the Writing.

Hey folks, Hermit here.

Just found this community tab, which is exciting!

Okay, so these days, I reread some of my more recent chapters, and I noticed a serious drop in quality. I think as a result of the general quality I see in a lot of other webnovels, I ended up getting lazy, and posted chapters without proper proofreading. I keep missing placeholder names, Consecutive sentences start with the same words even though they shouldn't, some sentences aren't properly finished... as...

Chapter 183 - Strategic Manoeuvers

 In the distance, a long trek snaked its way through the snow. The silver triquetra drawn on the blue flags at the forefront of the formation had once denoted the power of Medala's Emperor. Now however, it only served as a false king's claim to legitimacy. Despite King Pacha's dubious status, a great army followed the banners, made up of those in search of benefits, and those blinded by loyalty. Behind them walked a near endless mass of commoners, ready to pick up the scraps the army lef...

Chapter 182 - Surprise Visitor

 While the war had long begun on the front lines, everything was still peaceful in Corco's tent at the center of their main camp. The feet of his scouts were much faster than the steps of war though, so he could still listen in on some war stories.

“King Corco, our various officers report that King Pachacutec's probes have been repelled, one and all. There have been only very sporadic on our side, a total of a mere four soldiers. Two of them died from a fall as they panicked...

Chapter 181 - Demons and Mortals

 Though the weather was still as cold as it was clear, Alca couldn't feel a thing. When he had learned about the approaching enemy, he had been afraid of his first combat, but now he felt only numbness. His original idea of battle had been a siege. All he would have to do was to fire at the mighty enemy warriors from behind the safety of a wall. Even then, he had been sufficiently scared. Yet their commander had insisted that they meet the enemy on the field in an open confrontation. Wha...

Chapter 180 - Cold

 “Shouldn't it be warmer in the north? That's what the sailors say.” Alca blew some hot air from his lungs into his hands while he looked out of the pane-less window of their temporary shelter, at the snow-covered houses. When they had first arrived, the village had still looked fine, with no snowflake in sight. Now however, everything was covered in a blanket of white.   

“You don't get it. It's the newest fashion. The nobility call it winter, and I hear it's s...

Chapter 179 - Real Enemy

As Corco bent down to pick up the dumbbells, sweat dripped down Corco's face and landed between his feet. While his use of actual regulated exercise and proper training equipment had made Corco's workouts much more efficient than those of his contemporaries, he still felt like he needed to do more. His last fight against the xianxia master had been far too close for comfort and his lack of fitness was partially to blame. After he had taken over as king, his duties, as well as his obsessive pl...

Chapter 178 - Maybe

After they had searched and cleaned up the village, Nahlen had met up again with the rest of his men throughout the hinterland and returned back south to the army's central camp. As they left the screams and fires behind them, the commander convinced himself of his own security.

This would be fine, wouldn't it? After all, the local lord's warriors had secretly plotted against them in the village. Even so, they had withstood the ambush with minimal losses. Under the circumstances, th...

Chapter 177 - Accompaniment

 When the enemy ships appeared on the horizon, Corco had long heard of their arrival. Why else would he be here, in this tiny village at the northern coast of the Narrow Sea?

Across the horizon, a total of eight ships had been grouped together, ready to launch a raid on the small fishing village Corco and his troops had occupied. It seemed like the enemies had given up their blockade for now, eager to land and resupply at any cost after they had been rebuffed only days earlier...

Chapter 176 - Chance At Glory

Surrounded by what remained of his loyal men after their botched revold in Saniya, Nahlen looked down on the foreign village at the foot of the hill. From his vantage point, he could watch his army's great devastation.

“So that would be step one. The only question is: What now?” he muttered his confusion to no one in particular. After all, his closest ally had already been taken out by the nonsense barbarian king several days ago.

While he waited for his troops to clea...

Chapter 175 - Starvation Tactics

In between Pacha's fingers, the paper of the letter weighed heavily. Nothing good had come of this blasted message about his brother's invasion, even beyond the invasion itself.

King Pachacutec, King of the Central Kingdom, rightful ruler of the Medala Empire and hero of heroes, was annoyed. Once again, he sat on his throne within his army's now less than temporary camp and had to listen to the careless complaints of his servants around him, those servants who did not understand his...

Chapter 174 - New Toys

As Corco watched the ships move towards the coast, a cold, sudden breeze rushed in from the south and cut into his face. The wind had turned again. Throughout the second half of the year, the weather had been much warmer than it should have been, but winter had finally found its way to Medala.

Soon, the fleet had moored along the new piers his men had constructed for this purpose in the last few days. However, the fleet was much smaller than what he had expected. As Corco stepped on...

Chapter 173 - Opportunists, Cowards

“We're receiving an emergency message from up ahead!”

Nonsense, how could there be any problems?

When he received the unexpected report, a worried Wacoca rushed up to the ship's bow and stared towards the horizon. At this distance he could see only some shadows against the glittering waves, so he took out his telescope, a present from his teacher upon his return. Now miraculously larger, the rest of their fleet came into clear view, and with it the image of his younge...

Chapter 172 - Disruption

 As a tense day drew to a close, Divitius Ichilia left his study to enjoy a glass of mulled wine with his wife son. It was something he always enjoyed, even more so on these cool days of winter, when even Huaylas, city of eternal spring, could be described as 'frigid'. However, just as the door closed behind him, his most recent guest ruined all of his plans and extended his day further.

“I know, brother. I have heard.” There she stood with her usual composed posture: Spuri...

Chapter 171 - Landing Operation

 Dark clouds stormed. Some men sat in their boats that would lead them straight into the battle with a shiver all over their body. Some sat in silence and prayed. Some rocked back and forth. Soon they would join their brothers on the battlefield. Bullets flew across and brought invisible death to anyone who dared enter their territory. The high-pitched whistle of artillery fire was easier to make out, but its impact no less deadly. In brave desperation, the men stormed up the sandy beach...

Chapter 170 - Exiles

 Through the morning mist, a single ship sailed across the calm waves that were so typical of the Narrow Sea. Though a ship it was, and on the sea it sailed, it was in no state to be called seaworthy. Decrepit, infested with fungus above and barnacles below water, old Namu's barge had seen better days. Way back when, many decades ago, the ship had been brand new, handed over to the then-young Namu to fulfill his duties. And dutifully he fulfilled them today as well, as always. Yet this t...

Chapter 169 - Cleanup

 Another day, another morning spent on a ship. At first, Corco really had hated the constant sway of the ship. However, a ship's journey was normal during the great age of exploration, an era they stood on the precipice of. By now, he had learned to endure and ignore the worst of the unsteady planks, though his mood atop a ship was never good. He really didn't like the lack of control, the feeling of being exposed to destiny. After all, it was his sworn enemy.

As he tried to s...

Chapter 168 - Back Home

 “What a mess you have caused. If this Chatra had known you would kill the Sword Saint, he would have locked you into his mansion and never let you out.”

In his back, Corco could hear the sound of the ships being loaded. However, before he could join them he had to answer for his crimes. As he suppressed the little smile upon his successful plot, the king looked at his sister and his brother-in-law.

“Haah, I'm really sorry about this, brother-in-law. Still, I ...

Chapter 167 - The Fog Clears

 Before the morning hours, the bright of day had not yet shown, yet the dark of night had begun its retreat. Waters from among the Mayura River rose to blanket the city and add to the gray of the sky. Within this murky, gray fog, everything blurred together. With their presence hidden by nature itself, Mason's mercenaries marched their way across the city. Of course, even in this sort of weather, they should be found. Someone had to see them. However, it was as Mason had said: Much of th...