A second death came knocking… only briefly.
A long spear seemingly out of nowhere hit the sergeant's back, making his body jerk forward, and interrupted the motion.
With two weapons pierced into his body, the officer impressively kept himself on the horse. He made another downward swing, a desperate and final act of defiance.
[Used 'Piercing Shot']
A third spear punctured the officer, this time on the head, giving his struggle an anticlimactic end. Though a tough and skilled warrior, he would not survive the brutal shot. If not for his helmet, that slowed the projectile, the spear would have totally left his body: from his jaw and out of his temples.
Finally, he joined his men, skewered and dead on the ground.
[You have killed a Navian Imperial Cavalry Sergeant]
[Mastery Points +150]
"Lord Anthony! Are you alright?" Jason run towards him, and his shout woke him from his daze.
"Your face, it's bleeding!"
"It's a flesh wound." he replied, not minding the blood that profusely flow down from his cheek. There was still one last thing to do.
He took out his last throwing spear from the inventory and approached the last surviving imperial. The one who got a spear to his shoulder.
"Do you think you can escape punishment over this?" the defiant soldier was wreathing in pain, from the large but not fatal wound. His refusal to plead for his life could be explained by the feather atop his helm, indicating he was a ranking soldier.
"Weird. Why is the dead speaking?"
[Used 'Spear Throw']
[You have killed a Navian Imperial Cavalryman]
[Mastery +100]
He would not say another word, and a groan would be the last thing that came out of his mouth. Anthony ended his misery as soon as he could.
The battle ended, and he prevailed. All fourteen Cavalrymen have been slaughtered on an unknown village in the midst of the woods. Unfortunately, they were not without casualties. Two hunters were slain by the counterattack.
Still, all in all, it was a victory worth to be sung and conduct a feast over. The immediate reaction, however, was far from celebratory.
Irene ran towards him as soon as the conflict was over. They were tears in her eyes and she broke into a sob after he received her in his arms.
"You're bleeding." she said, touching his cheek with her quivering hand.
He took her hand and gently pulled it down. With his right, he caressed her cheek and wiped away the tears.
He didn't know she was that worried of him. Only his mom would do the same in his past life. And the feeling it produced was something new. It was as if his heart were clothed in thick blankets, after being in the cold for so long.
"It is nothing." he kissed her forehead and the spark ignited a fire.
Her cheeks reddened and she ceased her sobbing. As if she were hiding something, she turned away from his gaze and instead rested her head on his chest.
"You should do something about it." her remark was muffled by his clothes, as she made herself comfortable in his arms, enjoying the warmth of his embrace and the loud beating of his heart. What fear had planted in her, completely withered away.
"Alright."
[Potion of Healing
Instantly restores 20% health and an additional 80% over 10 minutes]
[Are you sure you want to buy Potion of Healing x1?]
[You have spent Tokens x900]
She reluctantly pulled away when he saw him made gestures in the air, fearing she might interfere with the ritual.
But it was as effortless as one could be. And she watched, up close, how the blue particles preceded the appearance of the item. No matter how she looks at it, it could only be a work of magic.
Anthony drunk the potion and immediately, the bleeding stopped.
"My lord, what do we do with the bodies?" Jason, who had been waiting for the emotional embrace to break, quickly took the chance.
Now having snapped out of the adrenaline from the battle and the oxytocin from the hug, he was reminded how bloody the whole affair was.
The once beautiful village with its bright-green grass and cheerful atmosphere, have become a gloomy battlefield, strewn with bodies so brutally killed.
The chirping of the birds have been replaced by the wailing of the loved ones of the two hunters killed. Even the sun refused to shine, having hidden behind the clouds.
"I will tend to David, my lord." Irene returned to her formal way of addressing him, and left him alone, knowing he had things to address.
He watched her return to Anna and David, sighing out of relief that both were safe, and out of sorrow, knowing that the two hunters weren't.
"We will bury our men first."
Together with Jason, Anthony approached the grieving family. He gave them words of comfort, not expecting it to be enough, but simply letting them know, that he was there with them.
The family received the gesture kindly and told him all about the slain, bawling their eyes out as they did so, pleading him to pray for their souls.
Simon was the name of the youngest hunter. He was survived by his parents and his younger brother. They said he was free spirited and a daring individual, who loved to involve himself in dangerous things, all for the thrill. But that he had a pure heart, and could never bring harm to anyone.
Karpos was the name of the hunter, second to die. He left a wife and three little kids. Her wife told them that though he was hot-tempered, he was a good man who genuinely loved his family. Her wife was also ready to boast of his previous feat, having killed a wolf with nothing but a knife.
Later on, before the darkness of the night came, Anthony bought shovels and instructed the men to dig two graves.
At sunset, after tributes and speeches, below the large oak tree in the village, they buried them six feet under.