[Gore Warning 18+ content]
In Hedils Forest a group of merchants was heading towards the capital for trading goods. On the way, some of them saw smoke rising in a distance they saw smoke rising in the sky.
This was the smoke made by Anna's fire spell, the mist created by many types of attack spells was reaching up to 100 meters in height. Anyone could see and say that something bad happened there
Bandits didn't clean the dead bodies of anyone, the first reason is because of the smoke and the fight took longer than expected. Blake feared that someone may come and if they were capable of fighting, bandits will lose.
The second reason was they were too tired, they just too Emily, to have 'fun' and later sell. And they took Jake to sell as a slave.
When some merchants arrived at the scene, their faces scrunched up by the burning smell of blood and many carcasses laying around, the terrain was disfigured.
"What the hell happened here," said one of the people in the merchant's carriage
"Look, they are in knight's uniform"
"Huh, isn't this the flag of Lord Balek of Balek town?"
When they looked at a certain location they all puked because of the body laying there. It was Anna's body. Brutally mutilated guts spilled out and that too, mutilated.
All the bandits, after securing Jake, charged up at Anna and released their frustrations. Anna was barely alive at that time.
Some taped her, some punctured her eyes and gauged out her eyeballs, and others dismembered her while raping and spilling out her insides, finally killing her, when her breathing stopped.
They overkilled her with unnecessary attacks that furthermore shredded her body, leaving just a hunk of meat.
When done, one sick bastard fed her own eyeballs and put them into her mouth, for 'aesthetic' reasons.
When the merchant saw this tragedy, they threw up and felt sick to their core, her body was indistinguishable. 'Who the hell did this?' All of them thought, genuine fear rising inside them.
And yea, the third reason why they didn't dispose of the body and clear the site was that they were all busy having 'fun' with Anna.
Soon the news spread over the whole Ishara about a knights party getting annihilated. After a while, the rumor made it to Balek town reaching everyone's ears.
[Baron Balek's POV]
"What happened there?" Baron asked his butler
"There was lot more people than we expected"
"Did they know of our plan?"
"I don't think so, there are no traitors among us"
"Then how?"
"I think it is a coincidence"
"Impossible, how can this be possible, my plan ruined by mere coincidence?" Baron Balek fumed in disbelief
"Anything else?" He again asked, noticing the butler's expression
"The kid's and Level 6 Knight Emily's body hasn't been found yet, we are suspecting they are most likely captured"
"Did the Knight Betray us? That would explain the situation. No?"
"She can't betray, Captain Anna was like her older sister"
"But it would appease the public, we will have no face if we announce our loss to mere Bandits."
"I agree, milord"
"Brand her as a traitor, who backstabbed the knights and kidnapped the kid"
— -
Jake's parents pushed the baron for more answers, but all they got was there was a traitor among knights and their son was still missing. Or dead.
Emily was branded as a traitor, who was to be captured dead or alive for the crime of betraying the nobles
Jake was labeled missing with posters all around Ishara and towns on the highway to the capital, but no traces were found.