Silence filled the alley, bewilderment evident on the faces of the masked swordsmen as they watched their comrade fall the ground.
But Arthur didn't his guard down, knowing their moment of stupor wouldn't last. Gritting his teeth, he tensed his calves and dashed forward towards one of them, hoping to catch him off guard.
The man's eyes widened in surprise as Arthur charged towards him. His partner's voice echoed from a distance, laced with amusement,
"He's got no weapon!"
The man's expression twisted into a menacing grin as he swung his sword at Arthur with deadly force.
SHINNG!
The blade missed him as Arthur used the momentum from his run to slide between his opponent's legs. He immediately regained his footing, lunging forward as he retrieved his axe from the chest of the fallen ranger.
SPLURT!
The ranger's body twitched as the axe was yanked from it.
Blood sprayed from the wound, dying Arthur's body red.
'It stinks'
His vision blurred slightly as the pungent metallic smell of blood invaded his nose.
'I'm tired'
Arthur thought to himself as he stood up, regaining his stance once more.
Blood and raindrops dripped from his face, his hair disheveled and his cloak was tattered giving him a savage look.
His brows frowned as he stared at the men in front of him, their expressions hollow as they stared back at him.
The cold sought to invade his very bones but his body felt hot, the adrenaline kept him going. His fingers tightened around his axe as raised his axe towards them.
"Come"
As if waiting for the invitation they pounced.
WHAM!
Arthur flew like a rag doll as he hit the wall beside him, a dull ache spread all over his body. His vision blurred for a moment but he forced himself to focus. Arthur rolled out of the way, just in time as a slash followed. The sword's blade grazed his left forearm, sending a searing burn through his skin. The pain was intense, but he had no time to dwell on it. With a grunt, he pushed himself up.
'Dammit, they're not giving me time to think'
One of them had abandoned their weapons, making his advantage of the alley's narrow passageway useless. While the other focused on attacking when Arthur was least expecting.
If he didn't do something soon, it was only a matter of time before they would subdue him.
Another fist came crashing down on him but he chose not to dodge.
Gritting his teeth, he braced for impact as the punch connected, hitting him squarely on the left shoulder. A sickening crunch resounded through the alley.
''Argh" a muffled grunt escaped his lips, his body feeling heavy, but he forced himself to focus through the agony, counter attacking instantly.
He swung his axe, as it sliced through the air, creating a wound across his assailant's chest. The man's face widened, his face wincing in pain as he stumbled backwards.
'Shallow'
Arthur gave him no time to recuperate, he followed with another attack and then another and another.
Blood flowed from the numerous gashes that appeared on the man's arms, chest and calves, causing his knees to buckle as he fell.
A sword slash stopped him from going further as Arthur's dodged the attack. The man's partner stepped in, charging towards Arthur as he swung his blade.
The swordman's attacks had gotten more erratic, less dangerous as he swung his blade desperately. Sweat dripped from his brows, his breath came in ragged gasps and his face contorted as panic gripped him.
The reason was obvious; he thrived when working together with this team so alone, he wasn't as deadly. Moreover, he just witnessed his partners lose to a mere boy and the same fate was about to befall him.
Arthur parried an attack from his blade before kicking the swordman's in his stomach, sending him crashing down, his sword slipping from his grasp.
The man stared at the boy in front of him.
He walked towards him slowly with an axe, the same one that brought down his partners. He was blooded and battered, his left shoulder hung limply but he showed no sign of pain. Instead, h-he was smiling.
"You monster... You're a demonnnn!!" He screamed as his body shook.
Piss flowed freely from his crotch as he tried to stand but there was no strength in his legs.
"Forgive me!! Pleaseee!" He pleaded with the boy...no thing in front of him.
"Forgive you?" It spoke up
"Y-Yes. I swear, I won't ever show my face to you again"
"What an odd thing to say"
"W-What?"
He got no reply, the boy simply raised his axe.
"PLEASEEEE! SPARE MEE! Money, yes.. I'll give you everything I have. Forgive me, PLEASEEE!!"
THWARK!
Arthur's axe came down on him, splitting his head in two, sending shards of bone flying in all directions. The sound was like a wet, crunching impact, followed by a sickening splatter as the brain spilled out onto the ground. The puddle of blood and cerebral fluid spread quickly, like a dark, viscous stain, as bits of brain tissue clung to the nearby surfaces.
Arthur's axe remained lodged in the stump of the man's neck, it's blade buried in his neck. He didn't try to pull it out, he simply watched as the man's body fell.
'Sigh, one more to go.'
He bent down, picked up the man's sword and turned around, walking towards the final member of the trio.
He remained on his knees, his gaze fixed on Arthur as he stood before him.
"You're making a mistake" the man spoke but got no reply
"You'll be hunted down for killing the subordinates of a soldier. Everyone close to you will be killed in front of you as you're forced to watch."
Arthur's brows furrowed as he listened, the man gaining confidence continued, a smile appearing on his face as he spoke.
"Let me live, I'll put in a good word in for ya. You've got the skills, I'm sure you'll fit right in."
Once more, he was met with silence
"W-what? I'm being very serious here." he stammered in response
"Good bye"
Those were final words he heard as a sword pierced through this neck. His eyes widened in agony, and he tried to speak, but only a faint gurgle escaped his lips. His mouth opened and closed, like a fish gasping for air, as he fought to form words. A faint whisper of sound emerged, but it was unintelligible, lost amidst the gurgling of blood and the ragged gasps for breath. His eyes pleaded for mercy, but he and his voice were silenced.
Arthur watched as blood trickled from the wound, dripping slowly down the blade like a dark viscous tear. The man's eyes stared lifelessly as his body paled from the loss of blood.
"It's finally over" he whispered before collapsing on the ground.
As the adrenaline wore off, he felt the pain from his battle in entirety as his face grimaced in pain.
His entire body hurt, the rain permeating his wounds sent shivers through his body. A throbbing pain reverberated throughout his left shoulder and the exhaustion threatened to take his consciousness.
But he couldn't rest, not now.
The words that the man said to him replayed in his head. He had to get his family far away from this town, he knew they couldn't stay here any more. He didn't know how to break the news to them but that was a problem for later, he had to get out of here.
Forcing himself on his feet, Arthur walked towards the wall of the alley, resting his dislocated arm against it.
Hhhh... Phew
He drew a deep breath, steeling himself before wrenching his arm back into place. The sickening crunch of bone and tendon realigning made him wince. A muffled guttural groan escaped his lips as he gently massaged his shoulder, trying to ease the throbbing pain.
'Sigh'
Looking around at the battlefield, Arthur couldn't help but frown at the scene before him. The smell of blood and piss hung thick in the air with the dismembered corpses of three men.
He killed them.
His stomach churned but he did not look away. He did not regret his decision, if he didn't do anything, he would've been killed.
But...
Something bothered him, he didn't realize it in the heat of battle but now, It dawned on him. He enjoyed fighting, the feeling of dancing on the edge was exhilarating. Even scarier, he had no hesitation when he swung his axe, he aimed to kill, like it was natural reflex. Even now he felt no guilt about the lives he had taken.
Fear crept up in his heart at this realization, a shadow fell over his face as his heart raced.
'Just what was I doing before I lost my memory. Who am I?'
A question he hadn't asked in years crept into his head once more.
His fists tightened as he gazed up towards the night sky as if searching for answers in the stars.
'No, that doesn't matter right now'
Forcing himself to bury those aside, he prepared to leave Eduardo.
He cut off some parts of the clothes of one of the men to use as a makeshift bandage to cover his wounds. Then he retrieved his bloodied axe from the swordsman's stump, wiping the blade before equipping it once more.
He glanced around nervously, making sure he wasn't spotted by anyone before he broke into a sprint, leaving the alley.
It was currently 8pm; he had wasted too much time here. If he was to make it back home before midnight, he had to hurry.