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[PR: Ash]

A silhouette blinked through the expanse of the wilderness, guided by the dim moonlight. He was faster than the bats. Faster than a phantom. Every time he disappeared, he would reappear a hundred yards further ahead. In less than twenty seconds, he had moved five hundred yards.

After the twentieth blink, the witcher stopped in his tracks. He saw the corpse of a bandit lying in the middle of the weed-filled ground, an arrow buried in his eye. One of the bandits who ran away. Who killed him? Roy looked around and saw the bandit’s horse braying under a nearby tree.

A young corpse was lying nearby, facing the sky. His forehead was struck by a blunt object, and it was caved in, blood and brains flowing out of his skull. When Roy realized who it was, he froze. His heart got heavier, and everything around him spun for a moment, and the witcher almost teared up.

“Yes. My family matched me up with the girl of another hunter when we were kids. Maria Barring. Pity her father died not long after we were betrothed. Her new father abused her so much she left for the north. Once we leave Sodden, I’m going to stay around until Frik settles down, then I’m looking for Maria.”

***

That wish would never be fulfilled. Bavi’s dream was shattered along with his life, and his body was growing colder under the moon. Even though all life had been snuffed out of him, Bavi’s eyes were still open wide, perhaps getting ready to take aim at his enemy. But there was nothing behind those eyes. Devoid of emotions. His beloved bow sat beside him, broken by the horse.

Roy took a deep breath and cast the Ring of Time, but unfortunately, the lad was dead for twenty minutes. The Ring of Time was not powerful enough to bring him back. A deadly silence fell upon the air. Roy massaged his numb cheeks and closed Bavi’s eyes.

He then tucked the body of the lad and his weapon into his inventory space. The crimson ribbon in the air trailed off behind him, disappearing into the woods afar. Roy looked at it, his eyes flaring with fury.

***

Frik and the refugees were hiding in a bush of flowers near the godling’s abode, hoping that the night could shield them from the enemies. Frik was keeping a close eye on the woods’ entrance, worried about his brother. Not long after Roy was gone, Bavi followed him on impulse, trying to check out the situation. Even though they hadn’t known each other long, the brothers had a feeling the lad with sunglasses was a man with a kind heart.

This world was riddled with war and strife and apathy. Those who held kindness within them should never be left to die. They should be getting out of this crisis safe and sound, sharing a drink in Mayena.

Frik looked at the worried Yugni, and contentment filled his heart. Soon. Once I get through this, I’ll have a wife, and Bavi can find his own happiness. It’s almost time. They should be back.

Clopping sounds came from the entrance, and they sounded hurried, but it wasn’t Roy or Bavi who came. A rider in blue chainmail, grey cloak, and iron helm was charging into the forest, looking panicked.

Frik’s heart sank, and he put a finger against his lips. A single rider could take out all of them, and he hoped they could at least stay out of his sight. The ladies were used to dealing with dangers like these, so they quickly covered their children’s mouths, whispering into their ears and calming them down.

However, one didn’t. Yugni’s child was but a year old, and the gentle lady couldn’t do it, worried that she might suffocate the boy. The cloppings of the horse’s hooves were like the thumpings of a drum, and it woke the child.

Then his cries pierced through the woods, and the rider froze. He pulled on the horse’s reins and turned around, glowering in the direction of the baby’s cries.

“Run!” Frik shouted, pulling his bowstring back.

The ladies ran off in different directions. The arrow shot straight at the rider’s face, but he tilted his head, and his helm deflected the arrow. He swayed for a moment, but the rider remained firmly on the back of the horse. He held his mace high up in the air, its edge glinting menacingly. The rider’s horse neighed, his eyes flaring with madness. With his eyes locked on to his target, the rider charged ahead, and winds howled.

Frik rolled out of the way, barely dodging the horse and its rider’s attack. The horse charged ahead, leaving the rider’s back wide open. Firk stood up and fired off an arrow, and it buried itself into the horse’s rear.

Blood spilled, and the horse whinnied as it raised its front legs up high. The rider’s haphazard way of riding and his lackluster boots proved to be his downfall. He was flung off the back of the horse and fell into the layer of mulch. Then he rolled away, leaving his helm and mace behind.

Frik whipped out his sword and charged at the rider. The edge connected, and if it weren’t for his chainmail, the rider’s back would’ve been split in two, but alas, the blow was not fatal.

The rider let out a roar and pounced at Frik like a tiger. He pinned down the hunter’s limbs and whipped out a short sword from his buckle. The rider swung his weapon down, and a flash arced through the air.

The knife found itself buried in the flesh of Frik, the rider cruelly gouging out his flesh. Gashes and wounds carved themselves on Frik’s body, and blood spurted high in the air, drenching his shirt before slowly seeping into the leaves on the ground. Pain seared his soul as strength left him.

A few scenes flashed in his head. One in particular, was Yugni sitting with him beside the bonfire, holding their children and smiling at him. His brother, Bavi, would be right across, and beside him was his wife, Maria. They were talking about a bright future, but that was only an unreachable dream for the hunter now.

And then the rider fell backward. Yugni was holding a bloodstained stick behind him, her eyes wide, and her body shivering. No longer was Frik pinned down. With the last of his strength, he got back up and launched himself at the rider. Without any weapon in his hands, he only had his teeth to rely on. Like a feral beast, he leaned down and tore through his enemy’s throat, cutting off his windpipe. Blood drenched the hunter’s mouth, but he didn’t stop until he tore out the rider’s throat, and his face contorted with rage.

Still the hunter went on tearing through his enemy. The rider spasmed for a moment, but eventually, he was still. A few moments later, all the strength left Frik, and he fell beside the bloody corpse of the rider. He was panting heavily, and his pupils were dilating.

“Frik! Frik!” Her child behind her back, Yugni quickly tried to push down on the wound on Frik’s belly, trying to stuff his innards back in. The ladies and children huddled around him, tearing clothes off to make bandages, but no matter what they did, the blood would not stop.

Some of them sobbed. “He’s done for. His insides are broken.”

“Bavi, my brother, have you found Maria?” Frik suddenly asked, and he was stammering. He was staring at the air, as if he could see his brother waiting for him.

Yugni held his hand against her cheek. Frik felt a hint of warmth coming from his hand, but still he stared at the air, asking quickly, “Will you… marry me… Yugni? On my life, I swear… I will… protect you… and the child.”

“I do! We’ll marry! We’ll marry once we get to Mayena!” The blond widow nodded quickly, shouting as loudly as she could, tears glistening in her eyes.

Her child stopped crying, staring at the pale, bloodstained man. For some reason, he was unafraid, but his courage could not stay Frik.

His hand fell, limp.

***

Roy returned a few minutes later, and his dog happily came to him, barking. The blinks had exhausted all his mana. He used Activate and downed a few mana potions. That gave him a headache.

When he came back to the woods, he was greeted by a crackling bonfire and chaos. A dozen helpless women paced around. Some were praying under their breaths, some were crying, and the children looked red, crying and glaring at the corpse of a man in chainmail with hatred.

Yugni was on the ground, holding a blood-drenched Frik. She was pale as a ghost, staring at the night sky vacantly. The air around her reeked of despair and confusion.

Roy heaved a long sigh, melancholy filling his heart. This rider was but a weakling to him, and yet he was a lethal threat to these refugees. I told you to stay put! Why didn’t you listen to me?

“Auckes is back!” A gaunt, wrinkly woman came to Roy, crying. Everyone else huddled around him too, seeking comfort and safety. They needed someone to lean on. To talk about their fears with. “Frik is gone. He… he went down with the bastard to protect us! He was a noble man! He shouldn’t have died!”

A woman with a bloated face screamed, “Melitele! Why did you take from us the one who followed your teachings?”

“Where’s Bavi?” another woman asked quickly. “He went to help you. Why’d you come back alone? Where is he? Answer me!”

“What if he’s dead? What should we do?”

Silence fell upon Roy. He then cut through the crowd and came to Frik’s corpse. Then he waved his hand, and another corpse appeared on the ground.”Once again, and for the last time, the twin hunters from upper Sodden were reunited. All life was gone from them, and so were their smiles.

“Bavi’s dead!” The cries became louder and louder, until the whole forest was drowning with them. Until the howls of the wolves were drowned out. The refugees were plunged into chaos.

Some women realized something was off. Wait. How’d he produce the body out of nowhere?

“Auckes, you shouldn’t have helped that brat.” A fat lady with a red face shouted, “If you hadn’t left and fought those bandits, they wouldn’t have come to us! Bavi and Frik wouldn’t have died!”

“This is all that lutin’s fault!”

“No. If Yugni’s child hadn’t cried, the rider wouldn’t have seen us, and Frik would’ve lived!” another woman said.

Yugni’s shoulders shivered, and she held her baby tightly, curling up.

“Silence!” A magical roar undulated across the woods, silencing the women, and they stood petrified.

A breeze blew through the woods, and only the crackles of open flames could be heard.

“Sorry, Auckes. We didn’t mean to blame you. We’re just terrified. We have no idea what to do now. You won’t leave us, will you?”

“Please, stay. We’ll go to Mayena together.”

Roy said nothing. He looked at the women with cold indifference, and a pregnant pause fell upon the woods.

A beautiful, busty woman puffed her chest out. “Name your request. We’ll do anything. We have nothing but our children and bodies left. You can marry one of us if you’d like. Just pick anyone you want, and she’ll marry you once we get to Mayena.”

The women quickly made offers, worried they might lose Roy if they didn’t.

The first woman asked, “Do you like Yugni?” She approached the tearful widow, holding her shoulders down and pushing her toward the witcher. Yugni quickly grabbed the witcher’s leg, but Roy pulled her up.

“Her would-be husband has died valiantly. She is once again without anyone to rely on. Will you accept her? We are not forcing her to do anything. Ask her. She’s more than willing to marry you.”

Roy said nothing. Yugni looked at her child, her eyes filled with sorrow and pity. She then gritted her teeth and held the witcher’s arm. “Take us to Mayena, and I am yours.”

A frown furrowed Roy’s brows, and absurdity shot up within him. Then it was replaced by fury. He then clenched his fists and gnashed his teeth. If you marry me, then what about your promise to Frik? You’re just going to abandon that? After all he did for you? He glared at Yugni with fury.

***

The glare made Yugni’s heart skip a beat, and she thought she saw a bloody tentacle swinging around behind the witcher. A scream escaped her lips, and she scurried backward with her child in arms. But then she tripped on a vine and fell.

When she snapped out of it, the illusion was already nowhere to be seen. “I know you don’t want deadweight, Auckes.” She held the baby, kneeling to the witcher. The boy was sucking on his thumb, staring at Roy with big, beautiful eyes. The woman pleaded loudly, “But the child is innocent. We’ll be at the camp in about four days. Please, help us.”

***

The kids hid behind their mothers, looking at Roy with fearful eyes. The fury he presented earlier was different from his usual self. There was danger within him, and he was not the same person they knew.

Everyone thought Roy would leave them to fend for themselves, but Roy’s fury abated like the waves of the sea, then he sighed. “We’ll set off tomorrow.” There was exhaustion in his voice, as if he had just healed from a grave illness. The women heaved a collective sigh of relief. “For now, we rest.”

He took the corpses and wandered into the depths of the woods, and the witcher quickly dug a big hole in the ground with his blades. He took the statue of Maria from Bavi and held it firmly, then the witcher made a decision.

He put the brothers in the hole and buried them. A stretch of wood was cut into a plaque, and Roy attached it firmly before the brothers’ final resting place. With a small knife, he etched the words, Here lies Bavi and Frik, hunters of Sodden Hill. They have lived their lives honoring the creed of kindness and valor, helping those who needed it. May they find peace.

***

A cry came from behind the witcher. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry!” Yugni went past the witcher and knelt before the grave, holding her child in her arms. She was shaking from sorrow. “They would’ve gotten to Sodden a long time ago if not for us.” She brushed her hand across the wooden plaque.

***

Roy didn’t comfort her. He quietly led his pets up the oak tree and sat on one of its branches, keeping an eye on the woman and child underneath. Something in his eyes darkened. Why, you two? We were just talking about the future yesterday, and now you’re gone. “Humans. Their lives are so fragile.”

Something rustled around the grave, and more women and their children came to the grave, kneeling and praying. Roy watched in silence.

Before dawn came, the godling came back with Dorothy, who had changed into new clothes.