'The world is ending'. This sea of flames is all consuming and unending. The brightness of the fire made Nikolai's eyes hurt. The intense heat, which made it hard to breath, could be felt from dozens of meters away. Yet this was not all as many bloodcurdling screams could be heard and many spears glistened in red. 'The world is ending' is all that Nikolai could think.
He was some distance away but Nikolai could see many figures running around. Frozen in fear, until he recognized his mother's voice.
"RUN! PLEASE RUN NIKOLAI!"
Nikolai's mother screamed her lungs out. The woman, who normally was calm and graceful, yelled terrified to her son. He seemed dazed.
A man chased after Aria and was about to tackle her when he was impaled from behind by a pitchfork. The bandit fell to the ground and would bleed out mere moments later.
This seemed to finally get through to Nikolai, as he saw his mother running towards him with tears streaming out of her eyes. She quickly embraced him into her loving arms.
"You're safe! Oh baby, everything will be okay."
"Aria, we have to run! We have to go NOW!" Friedrich responded. He looked like a ferocious lion as he pulled his pitchfork out of the corpse on the ground. The blood had covered his hands and forearms and his clothing had holes of all the fire sparks.
~
"Don't let them escape! Kill them all!"
The orders could be heard throughout the village, even over the violent cracking of burning wood and screams of newly widowed women. After giving the order the chief made sure to lead by example. Swinging his large halberd left and right with a single hand, indiscriminately bisecting and beheading man, woman and child.
The chief quickly noticed one of his man had fallen. That man had been his most loyal subordinate and chef, the only man he trusted to make his food.
"You horny bastard, who is gonna make my food now. Curse you, Kobalt." The bandit chief seemingly calm kneeled by his friends corpse, as absolute chaos still continued in Bright Moon village. After closing Kobalt's eyes and seeing that he was stabbed in the back by a pitchfork, the chief silently vowed to chase after whoever had killed his oldest friend.
In mere hours no building was left upright, no maidens left pure and no men left breathing in the vicinity of Bright Moon village. The children either burnt to death in the fiery blaze or taken as workers and slaves to be sold.
"Chief, we are done here. We have taken their food and their women, lets drink!"
"Kobalt died."
"That persistent fucker finally chased the wrong skirt, huh?"
"I guess you would be right. You guys might be done, but I am not done just yet."
"Guess so. Looks like I am not done either. We have to pay them back in kind."
~
Meanwhile, Friedrich, Aria and Nikolai were fleeing to Asphodel Town. Any village was deemed to insignificant for there to be an outpost and only medium sized towns or larger would get guard outposts. They would be safe if they could flee away and make the two day journey to Asphodel.
While it was the midst of night, the large fire several hundred metres behind them illuminated the path. Behind them the warmth and smoke seemed to chase them. No matter how far they were getting, they could instinctively feel that the danger was only crawling closer.
Nikolai did not cry, nor did he complain. He ran. He ran and let his mother pull him forward with her. When Nikolai got tired his dad carried him in one arm, in his other Friedrich carried his trusty pitchfork. This continued, but Friedrich only got more desperate. He pushed the limit of what his body could handle and he even was breaking the limits of what his body could handle. Even still this was not enough and Friedrich knew it.
"Son. Son, I love you. I believe in you. You will be alright. Nikolai, whatever you do don't stop running. Don't look back. Be happy, son, for my sake."
Nikolai looked at his fathers face for the last time. It glistened in sweat and Friedrichs ashen brown hair stuck to his forehead. His sharp nose had nostrils wide and his breath irregular. But it was Friedrichs eyes that would be burned into Nikolai's memory. Pupils dilated in his blue eyes, they were bloodshot, but held a gaze of pure conviction and seemed to be clearer than any jewel could ever be.
Friedrich handed his son to his wife. "I love you, please go. I beg of you, Aria."
Aria now held her son in her arms and like a loyal wife, she did what her husband had earnestly asked her. She ran. Tears ran down her cheeks like a flooding river, but nevertheless she did not stop.
~
"It seems you are trying to win time. I will indulge you, but I will slit your wife's throat in front of you and tear your sons limbs one by one."
Friedrich gritted his teeth, but he couldn't loose his cool. He had one chance to make sure his family could be safe. He would not throw away his life for nothing. He breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly, not taking his eyes off his opponent.
The man in front of Friedrich was bald and tall being close to 2 metres in length. This bandit had bulging muscles and his upper body was covered in scars and dried blood. The most noteworthy about this man however had to be what was in his right hand. Seemingly a long spear with an axe head roughly attached to its end, a makeshift halberd.
Friedrich instantly recognized that the strength of the man across from him was not achievable for normal humans.
"Why would a man with knightly power commit such atrocities, would you not be able to live a life of luxury?"
"My reasons are my own. You have taken the life of one of my man. I shall take yours and those of your family."
"You hypocrite, going around killing people and then taking revenge when your victims try to protect themselves. Fine, enough stalling. Let's fight."
The chief swiftly evaluated his adversary. Although a mere farmer, there was an unmistakable air of resilience, like a cornered beast ready to drag you down with him into the depths of oblivion.
The chief casually stepped forward and stabbed his halberd forward aiming at Friedrichs chest. The halberds ridiculous size and the insane reach of the long man covered over four metres and quickly arrived at the farmer.
Friedrich instinctively knew that he could not be afford to be hit as that would quickly be the end for him. He twisted his upper body and stepped back to his right, while swinging his pitchfork with both hands to his left.
Clang!
It took all the momentum Friedrich had created together with his evasion to narrowly avoid being impaled, but it still was not enough. From his shoulder flowed a crimson river, merging with the dried lakes upon his hands.
The distance had become bigger once again.
Friedrich hissed. The pain was not just in his shoulder, but in the entirety of his arms. His bones ached. The pitchfork had nearly been knocked out of his hands, which had become numb with a single hit.
The chief stabbed again.
Clang!
A cut on the side started bleeding as well.
Friedrichs injured shoulder could not generate as much torque.
Clang!
A deep cut on Friedrichs right leg appeared next. It had started gushing blood.
Friedrich had only evaded to his right and was easily punished for this pattern.
The halberd had to much strength behind to be stopped and Friedrich was not nimble enough to quickly evade the stabs, even before his leg was crippled.
The chief had marginally exerted himself and played with Friedrich to vent his anger. He looked at the man across him, bloodied and wounded, yet still with clear eyes.
Friedrich could barely hold up what was left of his trusty pitchfork. His shaking arms held the stick with a fragmented and deformed cast iron, with just a single tooth left.
"Sanarul. That is my name, warrior," the chief could not help but be impressed by the man's fiery eyes. "I like you. It could have been different if you had chosen to become strong. You might have rivalled me. But alas, I must pay back my subordinates demise. Out of respect for you I will give your family a quick death. Let us end it here."
Friedrich jumped forward, just as Sanarul was winding up to finish the fight.
Sanarul pulled back his right hand, but was surprised when the man he thought could not walk jumped forward.
family a quick death. Let us end it here."
Friedrich jumped forward, just as Sanarul was winding up to finish the fight.
Sanarul pulled back his right hand, but was surprised when the man he thought could not walk jumped forward.
Friedrich unleashed a thunderous roar, his primal cry reverberating through the air, as the halberd swung downward from above to his left shoulder.
In an unimaginable display of determination, he reached out with his left arm, gripping the blade despite the searing pain as it cleaved through flesh, muscle, and bone, all the way to his collarbone.
With unwavering resolve, Friedrich extended his right arm, directing his strike towards the towering figure's head.
The lone tooth on the pitchfork pierced the bandit chiefs left eye.
Now Sanarul roared as well.
He grabbed to halberd with his left hand has well and continued the swing.
Friedrich was rag doled over ten meters away. He was heavily mutilated laying in a puddle of his guts. His arm scattered over the ground. His thumb and index finger and remaining attached muscles and pulverized bones were touching his leg. The veins and arteries were on his side and the lower part of the arm laid in front of the raging Sanarul.
Friedrich was laughing madly. He had jumped forward would have faceplanted, but he would at least make sure that his family could get away. He had won. The monster would have to get his eye burned before he could do anything. The fire in the village had jumped to the forest and guards from Asphodel would surely arrive in the morning after seeing the smoke.
Friedrichs life faded slowly from his shining eyes, but the chief would not let him pass peacefully.
"I wasn't alone, you fucker."
Those words were the last that Friedrich would ever hear as he died in agony and despair.
Sanarul was bleeding from the eye and would need to get some first aid from his base camp and could not further pursue Aria.
~
The wind rustles the many branches of the pine forest.
Aria was carrying Nikolai in her arms while running. Her tears had only increased after she had heard her husbands roar.
Not much time had time passed since and a second pair of footsteps could be heard pursuing Aria. Nikolai noticed first as he was facing backwards, the man with a sharp knife appearing not far behind them.
~
Stable Master Cedric was on his way back from a nobles territory, to which he was 'invited' to care for the horses, having to leave behind his unborn child and pregnant wife. In the dark of night Cedric was hurrying back to them on his trusty steed when he saw a large forest fire in the direction of a small village called Bright Moon. He cursed and changed course.
What he would find there was a young boy, clamping to the corpse of his mother, breaking down. The child was shivering, screaming and crying. Not far from that scene was man with a chunk of his neck bitten off and a nearby knife. The man's face was full of shallowing cuts, which Cedric assumed the child had done utter desperation.
"Colleen, forgive me. It seems I will be a bit later"
Cedric dragged the child away, much to its protest, and hurried to Asphodel to immediately get the guards.
Guards would arrive as the sun dawned upon the carnage of what was left of Bright Moon village. The bandits had presumably retreated after one of their scouts was killed the night of the pillage.