WUSHHH ~ BRUAAKKK…!
SREEEETTT ~ JLEBBB!
Hugo surged toward the group of horses. He leapt from one saddle to another with movements that were calm far too calm. Every slash and strike was swift, precise, and lethal, tearing through dozens of raiders without mercy.
KRRRKKK… WOOOSHHH…!
Hugo now stood upright in the middle of a field of lifeless bodies. Behind him, the flames grew wilder, devouring what remained of the village. Among the piles of corpses, only eleven raiders remained on their saddles, surrounding Hugo in a circle of death.
The raiders' faces had turned pale. Without a sound, their eyes trembled as they watched their comrades slaughtered. Now, only terror filled their minds. Before them stood a man without bruises, without wounds, without even a trace of exhaustion, looking at them as if they were nothing more than unfortunate prey.
"There is no path back for vile trash who only dare to raise weapons against the weak," Hugo said. He lifted one hand, drenched in blood.
"Hasq'u Xozu Qapu," he whispered softly.
HRRRRIIIEEE ~ PRRRAAAHHH!!
The raiders' horses suddenly rebelled violently. They threw their masters to the ground before bolting away, fleeing the battlefield in panic.
For the first time, the raiders realized who the figure before them truly was. In desperation, they dropped their weapons and fell to their knees, begging for mercy for their lives.
"Eighty Qerth.[1] Your final chance," Hugo said firmly, like a reaper granting time before taking a soul.
Without wasting a second, the raiders scrambled up and ran in all directions.
"Seventy-eight… seventy-nine… eighty. Your time is over."
Hugo raised his hand. One of the raiders' swords shot into his grasp. The pressure of space trembled violently, crushing the blade until it shattered into sharp fragments that floated in the air.
Wushhh ~ Sleppp…!
With a single flick of his hand, the fragments shot forward under his command, piercing the bodies of the fleeing raiders far in the distance, stealing their lives in an instant.
Hugo turned. His eyes fixed on Borgull, still flying wildly without a rider above the village sky.
"Borgull Haqu's-Haqu's Meriq, Asqalah An'e Ragna Partho.[2]" Hugo whispered. The creature immediately dived closer and landed with its head bowed obediently before him.
After taking the remaining supplies from his house, which was beginning to collapse under the flames, Hugo spurred Borgull into the sky, leaving the dust of the village behind to catch up with his two daughters.
***
1 Dasha 30471 - 22:69
In the middle of a forest filled with towering trees nearly thirty meters high, Mera and Miya followed a narrow path on horseback, accompanied by several village guards. They tried to remain alert to any danger that might threaten the villagers behind them.
Wushhh…
SKREEEEEEEEE-E-E-E-NGGHHHH!!!
A Borgull suddenly appeared, diving sharply above the treetops as if preparing to snatch them with its sharp talons. Panic instantly spread through the line of villagers. Cries of despair erupted once more.
Miya quickly drew her bow, aiming at the Borgull circling their position. Under the dark sky, the creature's deep black-blue scales nearly blended into the night, making it difficult for the fifteen-year-old girl to lock onto a target moving as fast as lightning.
Srattt ~ Wushhh…!
The arrow shot through the night air, but the Borgull swooped nimbly, causing Miya's attack to narrowly miss.
BRUGHH…!
The Borgull landed directly in front of them. Mera and the guards immediately drew their swords, preparing to charge with what remained of their courage.
Trang ~ Sringgg…!
The sound of clashing metal rang out. Hugo emerged from behind Borgull's massive wings, easily deflecting Mera and the guards' attacks.
"Enough… you are still too weak," Hugo said with a wide smile that instantly erased all fear.
"F-Father!" Mera immediately leapt forward and hugged Hugo tightly, followed by Miya rushing toward them.
"Father would never leave his little daughters for too long," Hugo whispered while warmly embracing his two fifteen-year-old daughters. "We will rest here tonight. There are still villagers left behind. Prepare some young men and carts to pick them up. We leave tomorrow morning," Hugo concluded, giving orders to the guards while setting Mera and Miya down from his arms.
Without the slightest hesitation, the guards prepared the carts and retrieved the villagers left behind. While the villagers began to calm down and rest, Miya and Mera helped the Āšipu treat the wounded.
***
2 Dasha 30471 - 10:79
The next morning, all the surviving villagers began preparing supplies. Hugo gave instructions to the guards with great expertise. As the group began to move, Hugo handed over a hologram marked with the symbol of a Pegasus head and a rose.
The leader of the guards immediately panicked, eyes widening at Hugo's decision to separate after seeing the hologram in his hand.
"Do not be afraid. Follow this mapped route. Do not stop until sunset. In three days, you will arrive at Delion City. Show this hologram to the gate guards, and they will accept you," Hugo said firmly.
"Hugo, wait!" The village chief approached with an anxious face. "Where are you going? Are you leaving us?"
"The path we will take cannot be traveled by the villagers. I must take my daughters elsewhere. You will be safe in Delion," Hugo answered calmly.
The farewell was emotional. Mera and Miya embraced the villagers who had long been their family. Tears and prayers accompanied the departing group as they slowly disappeared behind the dense trees.
"Father… why are we separating from the villagers? And where are we going?" Mera asked, following her father, who was preparing supplies for them.
"We are going to a place… difficult to reach," Hugo replied, wrapping some food for his daughters.
"Where? Tell us, Father," Miya added, following closely behind Mera.
"You will know later. The route is dangerous, so stay alert. Let us move."
Hugo helped his daughters onto their saddles. "Follow that map. Father will watch over you from above."
The Borgull Hugo rode shot into the sky, cutting through the forest canopy. Mera and Miya immediately urged their horses forward, heading deeper into the heart of the forest toward the vast valleys and towering mountains stretching across the northern horizon.
***
Far behind them, in the ashen remains of the dead village.
Prrrfff ~ Snorttt…
A line of horses stood at the edge of the village. A group of hunters with dark auras observed the piles of raiders' corpses beginning to rot.
"Leader… did the villagers do this?" asked a female hunter with a cut on her lip and three horizontal red paint lines across her face.
"These wounds strike vital points. The cuts and thrusts are extremely clean. This was done by an expert," said a short-haired red-haired male hunter.
"There are tracks leading toward the forest. Perhaps there is a fugitive or a retired royal among them," added another male hunter with burn scars on his neck.
"A retired royal would not spend the rest of his life in a remote village like this."
Among the hunters stood their leader, a cruel and cunning figure with one blind, pale-blue eye.
With a firm nod, the leader signaled to the hunter with the burn scars, who immediately blew a horn.
Trrruuut… Wushhh…!
SKREEEEEEEEE-E-E-E-NGGHHHH!!!
The horn's sound was instantly cut off by a powerful gust of wind as three Borgulls with riders shot past them, racing toward the forest behind the village.
[1] The term “Eighty Qerth” means 80 seconds. In this world, one minute consists of 80 seconds.
[2] This language is an ancient tongue used for magic incantations.“Borgull Haqu’s Haqu’s Meriq, Asqalah An’e Ragna Partho”Meaning:“Borgull, come-come to me. Our souls are bound together.”