The sun was almost gone, the day was almost over, and so were the few last rays of light that kept the night at bay. But as the sun was about to be no more, the faraway stars could ultimately be seen as well, as their weak glow began to show their hidden presence that had been outshined. And alongside the faint glimmering stars, there was the equally pale but soft shine of a crescent moon. A sight which could give one the impression of a devilish smile, one that could be offered only by the most diabolical of nightmarish fiends, and it appeared as though gazing downwards, akin to an unseeable and faceless being, staring at the turmoil and cruelty that was happening in the world beneath the vast flickering dark sky.
Although, at this moment, on the grounds of the small village, behind some bushes and near some trees, little Levis could not care any less for what stood above. Similarly, he was not interested as to why his chest was burning the way it was, for he could not, and would not take the time to scrutinize himself, for his gaze stood unflinching, locked onto the scene before him, for it had seized his whole unconditioned and compleat conditioned attention.
----------------------------------------
The first to properly react, to the commotion from the bush and the shot arrow, was the leader of the bandits, the one named Zuger. As with one eyebrow up and another down, he held a gaze full of interest and suspicion at what had happened, and what it might be behind the faraway bushes, that one could barely see under the illumination of the stars, the moon and some lit fire from a torch held in hand by one of the old seniors from the village he was in.
After the leader of the bandits, and standing subsequent to his left, it was the square-faced man who reached to properly observe and scrutinise the source of the commotion. However, in his case, the man appeared to be unfazed by the situation, as he merely furrowed his brows while looking in the direction of the bushes that stood in the distance. Albeit, the square-faced man was even more composed than his so-called brother.
Yet regardless of the bandit's position, on the opposite side, the old village Chief's eyes widened in shock and dread for the child's well-being. Even so, he knew more than anything, that this was going to be the moment of his death, as he stilled his poise and took a step forward, for he knew he was already two steps behind his old friend's anger and rage at this moment.
"You bastard! I will kill you!"
And as it was already foreknown by the old village Chief, for "he" was the one most affected, more than anyone at the moment, and he was indeed old Ato, as he instinctively drew his small carving knife, and plunged himself towards the bandit that had fired the arrow, ready to carve his heart out, while giving him a death glare and announcing his determination to kill the man, even if he were to die.
Nonetheless, there was someone even faster than old Ato and the old village Chief, and that was none other than the old woman to his side, the one called Hel, who, without any hesitation pulled out a small violet pouch and while holding it in reverse, she made a swiping motion, as she scattered a cloud of violet dust toward the bandits, disregarding the other villagers, the old village Chief, old Ato, and herself.
However, just as she threw the powder from the pouch, the leader of the bandits, the one named Zuger, made a swiping motion of his own, a single swing with his right arm, but from his hand, a small wall of wind came to be made, pushing away the dusty cloud, before it could touch himself or even the old village Chief who stood beneath his current position, while sitting above, on his own steed.
At the same time, the old village Chief drew a short, somewhat rusted dagger, and he leapt forward, pitting his life against the bandit named Zuger, who was more or less in his opinion, the leader and most likely the strongest among the bandits. Yet, against all his nonexistent hopes, the situation was just as he had feared. As with no more than two fingers, the man pinched his dagger with utmost precision and ease, then with a twist, and a leisurely pushing of his arm, the leader of the bandits stopped his assault, broke the dagger, and tossed him on the ground with barely any effort on his part.
Simultaneously, old Ato, stood just twenty steps away from the archer, a scant span of paces, a distance that would have been a breeze in his youth, yet now, with all his strength pushing forward, he felt as though he was moving at a turtle's pace. And as he was forcing himself to this final sprint, he could feel and understand that his blood, muscles and bones, were moving ever so rapidly towards his stone-written demise. Yet he was more than fortunate, as his sudden and also snaping assault, had brought him and his knife right under the surprised bandit, whom he immediately stabbed into the lower part of the gut. However, not a moment later, he found himself being kicked and hurled away, as the bandit, who was now in a panic, slammed his foot onto his chest, while kicking and pushing him into the ground.
"Leave! Hurry! Run down to the river, the County Guards should come this way, any moment by now!"
And as old Ato hit the ground, he shouted, for his mind was not towards his own well-being, but onto the message he had to tell his little boy, for which he began to shout as loud as he could, before he could even pull himself up to his feet.
And it was as such, that to old Ato's words, the villager's courage was lit in the face of the hopeless situation, giving them the strength to act, the last action, at the end of their lives.
Nonetheless, old Ato's words had an almost equal effect on the opposite side, only, in a slightly different manner than the villagers, as further anxiety and anger hit the four already road-tiered and mind-stressed bandits.
As for the leader, Zuger, a dense gloominess and slight unease, alongside a self-mocking grin arose on his face, as his gaze was standing still on the bushes and trees, not too far away from him.
While at the same moment, the square-faced man, revealed only a slight imperceivable surprise and doubt, as he looked at the shouting old man and then in the direction of the bushes.
----------------------------------------
Yet as all of the chaotic situations were unfolding, little Levis's gaze was on the faces and movements of the bandits, as they revealed glares full of murder intentions towards the villagers, while they walked and unsheath the blades and swords at their sides.
Even the one who crashed into the house, was rising with uneasiness and fury on his face, as he leapt towards the villagers, in the hope of killing everyone, and then stopping, whoever was hiding in the bushes, a matter which was most obvious to him, as little Levis could see the faintly illuminated face of the man as he looked in his direction.
And as little Levis was processing the whole of what was happening before his eyes, of the madness that was transpiring in front of him, tears began to materialize at the corners of his eyes, as he witnessed his grandfather trying to rise to his feet, only for him to be kicked again and again in the head, and fall once more on the ground.
While not far from his grandfather, the old village Chief, was on his feet, fighting, or rather, it could be said that he was frenziedly swinging his broken dagger, at another bandit that was currently trying to cut him down with a broad blade.
And some distance away, his grandmother, who at this moment, was being stabbed, by a furious bandit who had been slightly poisoned by the cloud of dust that she had hurled at them, for as Zuger had not been concerned with protecting anyone other than himself and the square face man. And so, the man had received part of the dust onto his arms, from where a strong burning and painful sensation was growing with every moment. As such, the man became enraged, and he began to take his anger out on her, as he directly drew the sword his sword and stabbed her repeatedly, while his face twisted due to the rage and pain he was in.
Meanwhile, the rest of the villagers armed themselves with improvised weapons and made a last and hopeless attempt, which resembled nothing more than a suicide. A futile attempt, for their lives, were being taken as easily, as though enraged children were cutting dried blades of grass, for nothing more than a fit of their own, to which, the children had faces washed in the water meant for murder, as they were out for blood and death, and nothing else.
And with each swing of the sword, and of the blade, their old bodies fell one after another, their blood flowed on the ground of the Down River village, a sight which horrified and hardened still in the very depth of little Levis's soul, imprinted as a brand on a cattle, grasped as though being marked on his flesh, which was his mind, his memories and his life to come and to live with, stabbed into the very core of his being.
And so, he witnessed and took in the entirety of the happening, red-eyed, he stood gazing at all and everything, as the world muted and dampened its sounds, as only the gruesome scene was set in his sight, reflected in his eyes and mind, a moving picture that was a living and breathing nightmare, escapeth from the depths and chasm of his own hell.
----------------------------------------
"---."
In the end, the mayhem and slaughter ceased.
The villagers lay down, lifeless corpses, resting on the ground and spoiled by their own blood, as was the old village Chief, who at this moment was losing in his eyes, that something which gave him the liveliness of the living, as his warm blood left his body, which resulted in him, becoming a colder and colder corps. Yet in his death, he continued to hold the broken dagger, for even in his end his adamant conviction could not be broken. However, to say that he was in a recognizable form, would be a falsehood, for his body stood ridden by numerous yet horrifyingly deep slashes, that were done by one of the four who stood grasping a heavy bone-cutting sabre, as it could be easily witnessed that not only the skin and the muscle having been cut, but the bones beneath as well, on all of his wounds that stood on his chest, shoulders, back, and face.
"Rank 1 cultivator, but just a superficial awakening, nothing more than a parlour trick, might as well not have any cultivation at all, if that is all you have ever got as a cultivator, old man. Nothing more than a longer and more painful death in the end."
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
And as the old village Chief was passing away, the one who seemed to be in charge of the bandits, the one named Zuger, stood seated still atop his horse, never having descended once, for he and the square-faced man did nothing but look upon the ongoings of the slaughter. But as he stood observing the old man dying, a particular understanding domed on him, as he put out a few words towards the senior that could no longer care for his words.
"And for you, the spirited old man, who has managed to injure one of the pieces of shit, I must admit you were close---, but you are too old and weak, to achieve what you want. Just fall, and lay down."
But Zuger's gaze moved, from the deceased old village Chief to old Ato, who was barely standing on his feet. And not too far from where old Ato stood, was the body of old woman Hel, since she had been the first one to die after being repeatedly stabbed by the bandit, who had gotten poisoned by her prompt action at the beginning of the massacre.
"---."
"Gasp!"
And silence befell the village, after the hectic slaughter ended, as only old Ato's heavy breathing, could be heard, at the moment.
He stood, unmoving and unflinching, for standing was everything that he could do at the moment, as slashes and stabs that should have killed any other man, were all over his old body. Drenched in his own blood, with his carving dagger in hand, he stared ahead, his gaze was even, intense and unbendable, and his face was fierce, dim and pale, as he continued to glare at the bandit that he had failed to kill, and at all the others, who could see him now. Even though one might say that he had a hard time concentrating his eyesight, due to the almost drained and tiered body, which had not enough air, not enough blood to itself.
"Gasp!"
"My name is Ato Berg! Never bowed to anyone in my entire life, not to my Father, not to my Mother, not to any King or God, nor to the One to kill me, or to the sweet Death that will have me!”
"Gasp!"
He was exhausted, weary as he stood for the last time in this life.
"Gasp!"
"Go! Mind me not! Run and make me proud!"
"Gasp!"
Yet his words came out, phrases were composed and shouted, with extensive gaps of air between them, by the last breaths of air he could.
"Gasp!"
"Grandson of Ato!!!"
"Gasp!"
And by the last breaths of air, he could, the old, the dying old Ato, muster his last,
"Gasp!"
"Ga---!"
"---."
And his last it was, until he could no more, and his lungs failed him, or it was for the lack of blood. But nonetheless, the man was nothing more than a standing corps, a husk of what once had been him, for he was no more.
----------------------------------------
At the vague sight that he could glimpse at, little Levis turned around, in tears as he was, and he ran, as he could still clearly see the figure and hear the last words of his grandfather, although his figure was indistinct, it appeared firm, and as though moving alongside him, was the very last light of the sun, that was no more, for this was the fall of his old life, the fall into the darkness from where he and all had came to be.
----------------------------------------
And so, with the demise of old Ato, the oldest generation of the Dawn River village, was no more.
"---."
"------."
"---------."
"------------."
"---------------."
"------------------."
"---------------------."
"------------------------."
"---------------------------."
"------------------------------."
"Aha---!"
"---!"
At old Ato's death, a silence of death-akin ambience formed.
But despite the silence and dead-like ambience, the only living left in the village, were the six bandits and their steeds. And yet, heavy breathing could be heard, breaking any stifling quietness, as two of the bandits, the one stabbed by old Ato, and the one poisoned by old woman Hel respectively, were breathing heavily, at this very moment.
Yet said silence was broken, by a laugh.
"Aha---, ha--, aha-, ha, aha, aha, ha, aha!"
And the one to laugh was none other than Zuger, the leader of the bandits. For as Old Ato's body fell, he looked at the body of the old village Chief, and the rest, and he began to laugh. He looked at the faraway bushes, to which none of the four had moved to even now.
“Aha---, aha--, ha-, aha, ha, aha, four pieces of trash. You dogs for brains, were almost unable to deal with thirteen old folks. If this gets back, you will be laughed at to no end. Truly, there is no salvation for you all! Aha---, ha--, ha-, aha, aha!”
And as he looked at the bushes that were not so far away from where he was, he also began to insult the four bandits. In a condescending tone, he laughed and laughed, at their incompetence, while they were regaining their breath, after what had been their pathetic display of mindless murder. Yet his smile had a hidden self-derision, deep and unseeable, anger he could not express, so he laughed as loud as he could, while the square-face man simply turned in his direction, looked and said nothing, with an unchanging face.
However, as Zuger was doing so, irritation and anger piled on the four bandits that stood on the ground, as they seated themselves on the land to regain their breathing, as no one appeared inclined to move and inspect the bushed that hand began the whole commotion. The stabbed bandit took a round pouch full of white powder and applied it to his abdomen wound, after which he sat down to recuperate. The poisoned bandit took a round recipient from when he took an unguent cream and applied it on his legs, abdomen and neck, so as to treat the intense pain and the rash, of which he was suffering, due to the powder that old woman Hel had flung on him.
"---."
"---."
“Should we---?"
"---?"
"Should we hunt down, whoever was hiding behind the bushes?”
Nevertheless, after more than enough time recouping, one of them, one who was relatively uninjured and with a proper beath, spoke. Proposing the hunt for the unknown escapee, the reason that had been the catalyst of the whole act.
"It will make no difference."
And someone answered.
"The county guards are already aware of our intent, since they have moved the villagers and the provisions from this and all other the others. Anyhow, if the guards were to be so close, they would have already attacked us, rather than letting you kill these old ones. And in the event that they are to come here, their number will be low, as most of them are protecting the villagers. So the most important thing right now on your mind should be the idea of retreating, and not wasting our time with the hunt of someone who has already run away from us.”
Yet, the one to speak was not Zuger. For before he could have a come around at the bandit, the square-faced man interjected, and gave an explanation of his own, before other insults could escape out of his brother's mouth.
“The three of you recover immediately. You---, move, find, and take all the supplies you can uncover.“
Either way, orders spewed out from the squared-face man, as the bandit could do nothing more than obey his command, pass through all the houses, taking anything of value, and nourishment. However, to his dismay, the food was just a little more than a dozen days' worth for an adult man to eat, with nothing of true monetary value to be found.
"---."
"---."
“Alright, leave it all here---."
"---."
"Now move and inspect those bushes, before we are leaving.”
However, as the man was done with the task ordered by the square-faced man, the leader, Zuger, gave an order of his own, commanding him to search the bushes that had been the commencing point of the slaughter. For he was intrigued as to what or who had been hiding, as it was the square face man as well, and the other bandits to. As light interest filled everyone's eyes, about the enigmatic escapee.
"Wait---!"
However before the man could move, Zuger stopped him.
"Square, take two light stones, it is getting too dark here. And you three pieces of trash, how long do you want to recover, on your horses, we will leave in a moment. You idiot, move it already and see what was that about."
And as Zuger stopped the man, he turned at his second, who in a moment, took two oval white stones out from a handbag at the waist, and then, he held each one of them in a different hand for a few moments, until light began to be emitted from the both of stones.
One stone reached into the hand of the bandit, and one stayed with the square-faced man. While the three others took up to their horse once Zuger barked at them
And as the bandit took one of the glowing stones from the square-face man, he moved on urged by Zuger's dark face and words that borded supresed violence on his part.
"---."
"---!?"
"This backpack. There are provisions for a three-day journey, a few drops of blood on the ground leading down south, more blood onwards, whoever it was, it is injured. I did not see the arrow, so I think is a deep injury, with the arrow stuck in whatever it had been there."
The bandit did not take long before he returned. As after several moments of staying behind the bushes, he returned in hand with a rough-made animal skin rucksack of sorts.
"Hmmm---, the backpack is too small for a man, maybe a woman or a child. Either way, if whoever it was, is injured, it will have a slow pace, in the best situation, and will probably die on the road, or be attacked by animals. Not my problem. So move on, we leave, you pieces of shit!"
And as the man returned, Zuger constructed a quick analysis of the item and words that the man carried back, whilst reaching a swift conclusion, to which result was that he was not all that interested in the unknown escapee, as all he wanted, was to move out of this village, before having to truly encounter the County Guards.
"Are you sure, brother?"
"Well, I am alive today, and so I do desire to be alive tomorrow as well. Then---, the solution is simple. Do not wait for any unforeseen circumstance that might happen. So we better leave immediately."
"Alright then. You heard your captain, let us move-, move--, move---!!!"
With no delay or hesitation, Zuger stood adamant on his decision, even as the square-face man knew that not only the four others, but the two of them were fatigued from the road made already.
And it was so, that more irritation and fatigue, begin to pile on the bandits, from their already long horse ride, and this fight at the edge of their territory. To such, unsightly faces could be seen from the four bandits, as they hopped on the horse to follow the two who were already moving into the distance. And as the four of them stood behind, they gave harsh glares in their direction, as they had done absolutely nothing during their entire journey, nor to the recent fight, for they had been akin to bystanders the whole time.
Regardless, in a few moments, the galloping sounds made by the horses could be heard less and less, as they moved farther and farther away, leaving only silence and darkness where the Down River village had once been.
----------------------------------------
Still, not too far away from the village, in the opposite direction in which the bandits had taken, another uneasy, forlorn, and despondent traveller could be observed, running madly through the bushes, and trees of the hill, as tears seemed unable to stop, in his mad haste.