[Player Kit revived at Red Splash village]

Penalty: - 1 Level.

Credula's pouch was still active, indicating that no items had been dropped despite Kit's untimely death. He found solace in this small fortune, though it quickly faded as he remembered Pint and his current situation. With impatient anticipation, he waited for Mars to appear. Each passing second felt like an eternity, causing him to fidget restlessly and tap his foot on the ground. Mesmerized by the small arch he had materialized under, he barely noticed when Mars finally arrived next to him with a fierce look in his eyes. Though they were allies now, Kit couldn't help but take a step back from the intensity of Mars' gaze.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Kit addressed Mars urgently. "We need to go back, Pint is still with them. What if they try to harm or capture him?"

Mars' face twisted into a maniacal grin as he spoke. "Let's go. Those two NPCs have sealed their fate by attacking us. Unlike us, they won't have the luxury of revival." This wide smile made Kit uneasy; it reminded him of how the two brothers had looked at him before attacking. He couldn't help but wonder if there was more to Mars than what he had shown so far.

Feeling a hint of nervousness towards his new friend, Kit followed Mars as he ran through the town without another thought. His mind was consumed with worry for Pint's safety.

Mars swiftly manoeuvred through the crowd as he headed towards the forest. Kit, on the other hand, was not as graceful and ended up colliding with a large figure. He stumbled back from the impact and quickly apologized before rushing off.

"Hey! Hold on there!" called out the person he had bumped into.

Kit made it to the edge of the forest but was suddenly pulled back by his collar. A young man dressed in animal skins stood behind him, holding onto his shirt. "What were you thinking? You can't just run blindly into the forest like that." The words were spoken in a deep, youthful voice.

"I'm sorry, please let me go. My horse is still inside and I must find him. I promise I'll apologize properly once I do." Kit pleaded desperately.

The man raised an eyebrow and looked into Kit's panicked eyes. After a moment, he released his grip on Kit's shirt and began walking deeper into the forest. Kit followed closely behind. As he walked, Kit realized that he had no idea how to find Pint and Mars even if he was following this stranger who seemed to know where they were.

He slowed down and became wary, not wanting to be deceived again.

"Why are you slowing down? Don't you want to find your horse?" The young man glanced over his shoulder at Kit.

"How do you know where my horse is when even I don't?" asked Kit coldly.

The young man laughed and pointed to a broken branch hanging from a nearby tree. "I can find your horse. It's up to you whether or not you trust me."

Kit looked into the young man's eyes and didn't sense any danger or creepiness like he did with the brothers. With a sigh, he decided that one more death wouldn't matter if it meant finding Pint. "I'm sorry. Please lead the way."

The young man shrugged, not caring about any judgment as he continued walking deeper into the forest. He moved faster than the brothers, making it hard for Kit to keep up. Every now and then he would slow down for Kit to catch up, before picking up speed again.

Suddenly, the man stopped in his tracks. Kit wasn't prepared and almost bumped into him from behind. He quickly dodged to avoid a collision. In the distance, Kit could hear grunts of pain and loud thudding. He peered around the man's back to see what was happening.

Kit's jaw dropped when he saw the scene in front of him. The brother who didn't give his name was lying dead on the ground, covered in hoof marks. His head was caved in on one side and his body lay in a pool of blood.

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Hubert was leaning against a tree, seemingly dazed with blood covering his face. Pint had his back turned to the large man. As excitement rose within Kit at seeing his horse still alive, he was shocked by Pint's next move.

The horse's nostrils were flared as it panted heavily. With a mighty force, Pint kicked one of its hind legs towards Hubert's face, causing it to explode on impact. Bits of brain and blood sprayed everywhere, staining the nearby tree trunk and forest floor. Kit doubled over in disgust.

The smell of blood filled the air, constantly reminding Kit of what he had just witnessed. The gruesome scene kept replaying in his mind with each breath through his nose, causing him to dry retch repeatedly. Finally, he forced himself to breathe through his mouth to avoid smelling the lingering stench.

As Kit bent over, he heard hoof beats approaching. Suddenly, a wet nose pressed against his cheek and warm breath brushed his skin. Kit lifted a trembling hand to pat the large horse's nose and then looked up to see Pint.

The horse nuzzled his face and Kit couldn't help but smile. "Pint, I'm so glad you're okay."

Kit straightened up and hugged Pint, pushing the image of the horse exploding someone's head out of his mind. He didn't care about the death of those two brothers, as long as Pint was safe. After checking for any injuries, he found a large gash on the horse's flank.

"Why didn't you run away, Pint? You could have been killed. Next time, just run, okay?"

As Kit fussed over Pint, the horse responded with a loud snort. Kit sighed, realizing that Pint was more than capable of taking care of himself in this brutal game. In fact, he seemed to be a better fighter than Kit himself. He cursed under his breath, feeling inferior to a horse. What kind of messed up game is this where even a horse can fight better than him?

The thought of having to keep up with Pint in addition to struggling with Mars made Kit sulk. He redirected his focus to tending to Pint's injury rather than comparing their fighting abilities.

As he inspected Pint's wound, Kit realized he didn't have any supplies to treat it. So he pulled out a bottle of beer instead. It may not have been the best solution, but at least it would make Pint happy. "You did such a good job taking down those bad guys. Your reward is unlimited beer for today."

Feeling that Pint deserved praise for his hard work, Kit wasn't surprised when the large horse turned around and started licking his face, just like Snowball did when he was happy. Soon, Kit's face was drenched in drool. "Pint, you're too big for this. Stop or I'll take back what I said about the beer."

Pint immediately stopped and Kit wiped off the drool with his hand, hearing a wet plop as it hit the ground. He shuddered at the memory of watching someone's head explode. Filling Pint's bowl with more beer, Kit noticed the wound on the horse's flank was visibly healing at a rapid rate. Curious, he gave Pint another bottle of beer.

"No, it only gives him extra stamina. Pint isn't your average horse." As Kit spoke to the young man who had helped him find Pint, Kit realized that the alcohol must also have healing properties for horses like Pint. He wondered if there were any other effects it had on him.

"It's clear that he's not an ordinary horse. No wonder you were so worried about him." The young man observed Pint thoughtfully.

Now that Pint was safe and on his way to recovery, Kit remembered that he hadn't properly thanked the young man for his help and felt a sense of urgency to find Mars. "Thank you for all your help today. I don't know what I would have done if I lost Pint. And now, I need your help finding my friend on Mars. I'm willing to pay for your assistance."

Kit reluctantly offered more money, knowing that finding Mars was crucial. He even made a formal bow as a gesture of apology and gratitude towards the young man.

“Don’t worry about money, I'll help you find your friend. His tracks lead away from your horse not too far back,” the young man reassured Kit with a grin before leading the way.

Before following, Kit remembered he didn't even know this young man's name. "I'm Kit, by the way." He called out to make conversation and maybe even make a new friend.

“I am Twixan, but most people just call me Twix.” The young man flashed a bright smile at Kit, who was momentarily blinded by his white teeth. As they continued on their journey, Kit couldn't help but notice how handsome Twix was - tall with a muscular build, black hair, and sea green eyes. Kit felt a tinge of envy over the attention Twix would undoubtedly receive from women. However, he wasn't really in the market for a girlfriend at the moment.

As they walked through the trees, Kit noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and his face lit up as he realized it was his friend Mars. However, that joy quickly disappeared as he noticed something was off. Mars had drawn his sword and was about to attack Twix from behind. Before he could even shout a warning, Mars' blade was already descending towards Twix's back. But in a split second, Twix spun around and pulled out a staff as if it appeared out of thin air. He managed to block Mars' strike just in time with a loud clang.

Kit was too stunned to react as the fight unfolded before his eyes. But when Mars continued to attack after the initial clash of weapons, Kit snapped out of his shock and yelled at him to stop. It took another clash of weapons for Mars to finally listen and stop his attack. “STOP! Mars stop! He is a friend!”