Lapu-Lapu

From up on the peak, Lapu-Lapu looked down at the flames of the Moniyan camp at the foot of the mountain. He never thought he would once again step on to a battlefield, the kind of place he hated the most. But he knew that in order to protect that which was most important, he could no longer run away.

As early as the middle of the Era of Strife, the Dorik people came to the Vonetis Islands to the southeast of the mainland where they thrived.

Just as turbulent waves are the normal state of the sea, this lonely archipelago was by no means peaceful. The protection of the sea and the isolated lifestyle made the Dorik forget the vows made by the various tribes hundreds of years prior to join forces and resist the powerful Moniyan navy and there was constant conflict between tribes large and small.

Lapu-Lapu was the most famous warrior of the Vonetis Islands. He was employed by various tribes over a long period of time, passing between the islands. The endless battles brought him weariness, dignity, honor, and money... On the battlefield, human lives were worthless. So what was the value in it all? Having fought countless wars, he returned to his hometown with his scarred body and mind.

Lapu-Lapu lived a quiet life in his hometown like an ordinary hunter, working at sunrise and resting at sunset.

But the peaceful life he was looking forward to did not last. Some warlords who had defected from the Moniyan Empire set their sights on this free land. Well-trained troops landed on the Vonetis Islands like tidal waves. The scattered Dorik peoples were powerless to resist, and vast swathes of land fell into enemy hands.

Various tribes sent invitations to Lapu-Lapu, hoping that he could join their camp. He was no longer willing to work for the interests of the tribal leaders, but there was no way he could become a despicable capitulator, so he rejected the persuasions of the leaders and the Moniyans, and just wanted to remain a simple hunter aloof from any worldly strife.

Lapu-Lapu and the Moniyans made a non-aggression agreement. However, in the eyes of the greedy Moniyans, there was no such thing as neutrality and everything in the Vonetis Islands was theirs for the taking. Soon, the Moniyans broke the agreement and ransacked Lapu-Lapu's tribe while he was out.

The humiliating loss brought only tears from his wife and children and a devastated home. Lapu-Lapu was incensed. He wanted no more than to protect everything around him. If the Moniyans were going to repay his compromises with perfidy, he would make them see his inviolable dignity in the form of their own blood.

Lapu-Lapu assembled the young people of the tribe together into a unit and began his campaign of resistance. He was more familiar with the hometown under his feet than anyone, and knew how to attack, fight and retreat in the mountains and forests. The unit kept attacking Moniyan bases and supply lines, coming and going without leaving a trace, leaving the Moniyans with constant confusion and panic.

When a Moniyan warlord found out that this was all Lapu-Lapu's doing, the despicable invaders began to deliberately loot the villages with which Lapu-Lapu had allied. They strengthened their defenses and hid provisions to force Lapu-Lapu to appear. The villages that once welcomed Lapu-Lapu cordially had become totally unrecognizable under the iron boot of the Moniyans.

The heartbroken Lapu-Lapu understood that guerrilla warfare would not be enough to win the final victory. The Dorik were destined to face the mighty Moniyan Empire head on; without doubt an impossible task for him and his unit.

Therefore, he had to unite all the forces that could be united.

Lapu-Lapu recruited all the Dorik who had a will to resist, and trained them into reliable warriors, regardless of whether they were men or women. This was not a group of thugs thirsting for power, but a rebel army born to protect and fight for themselves. Everyone possessed the courage and conscience to dedicate themselves to their land. They gathered around Lapu-Lapu and fought alongside him.

After many arduous battles, the decisive showdown finally arrived. Lapu-Lapu lured the enemy to the foot of a mountain where countless Dorik warriors were hidden, and withdrew his unit into the mountain. The enemy knew that Lapu-Lapu was good at jungle warfare, and the other side of the mountain was a cliff, so they decided to guard the only way out of the mountain at the bottom. The Moniyans believed that the “trapped and desperate” rebels would either have to come out of the mountain and fight the army head-on, or simply starve to death inside.

But in the middle of the night while the Moniyans were sleeping sweetly waiting for victory, Lapu-Lapu commanded his soldiers to climb down the cliff using ropes made of mountain vines, and launched a surprise attack on the Moniyans. All the built-up humiliation and hatred took on the form of the swift swords of the Dorik warriors, which poured down on the unsuspecting Moniyans. Before the pitiful Moniyan warlord could react, he was beheaded by Lapu-Lapu.

After this battle, the Moniyan invaders, who had lost their leader, were unable to recover, and the surging resistance forces under the leadership of Lapu-Lapu drove them back to the mainland. The Vonetis Islands had once again become a bright and free paradise.

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