The Attack

As the sun began to sink below the horizon, the villagers hastened to finish their tasks before the darkness set in. The farmers hurried to bring in the last of the harvest, while the blacksmiths pounded their hammers on the anvils, trying to finish the day's work before the light faded completely. Children ran around, laughing and playing until they were called by their parents to go back home.

As the sky turned deep shades of purple and blue, the villagers started to retreat inside their homes, shutting their doors and windows against the chill of the night. The few street lamps that dotted the village flickered to life, casting eerie shadows on the walls of the surrounding buildings. The air grew colder and more still, as if even the wind was afraid to move.

At last, the sun disappeared beneath the horizon, and the first stars twinkled in the sky. The village was plunged into darkness, save for the soft glow of the lamps that barely penetrated the night. The silence was broken only by a dog's occasional bark or an owl's hoot. It was as if the world held its breath, waiting for something to happen.

And then, as if on cue, the night creatures began to stir. Bats flitted out of their hiding places, and the eerie cry of a nocturnal bird echoed through the air. In the distance, a wolf howled, its mournful call carrying through the silent streets. Most villagers huddled inside their homes, safe from the dangers lurking in the darkness.

One of the rare villagers still outside sat in a rocking chair while smoking a pipe, staring at the dark forest on the horizon. Since they were so far from it, they were less likely to be attacked by monsters or other wild animals. And not belonging to any nation was also so much better, too. No boring politics to worry about. In this village, they picked the leader by their age. The oldest became the chief. Wasn't that much simpler?

It truly would have been a peaceful life if it wasn't for that witch living near the village… They tried to call guards from nearby cities, but none of them even believed there was a witch. And adventures were too expensive.

"Abram! What are you still doing outside?! Come in already! Soup is ready!" An old and high-pitched voice screamed from inside his house, making the old man grumble.

"Damn it, woman! Can't ya quite yar yappin' for five minutes?! I just sat down!" Abram shouted back at her in annoyance. She yelled something in return, but he ignored her. She already bugged him with getting some firewood all day, so he at least wanted to enjoy some time alone and be in peace. However, that was soon to come to an abrupt end. He narrowed his eyes as it looked like he saw shadows on the horizon. It seemed something was approaching and fast. Then he heard it, the sound of many hooves hitting the ground. He could finally discern what it was… A long row of bandits riding on horses. Abram widened his eyes in shock and panic before standing up and grabbing his cane. "B-B-Bandits! Bandits are coming! Bandits are-" He was cut off when an arrow suddenly impaled him through the neck, shutting him up at once. He lowered his eyes, gazing at the arrow sticking out of his throat as he hesitantly poked while gurgling, then collapsed on the ground.

The villagers that heard him were quick to react. They jumped to their feet and screamed to warn the ones inside their homes, to wake up the ones sleeping, and to call to arms the ones that were in the position to fight.

One man grabbed his hunting bow and arrows and ran behind his house, which was at the edge of the village, then aimed. He widened his eyes in realization as they landed on the bandits.

"There are so many of them! What are they doing here?" He exclaimed in confusion, before shaking his head and shooting in their direction. He wasn't sure he hit any of them, but they were so fast on those horses that they were nearly already in the village. He thought about turning around and running, but before he could do any of that, he was struck by an arrow in the chest, making him stumble backward. He clutched the wound in pain but knew better than pull the arrow out. Thinking about it ended up being useless as he was shot two other times by arrows, both hitting him in the stomach.

"Who the hell do you think you're shooting at?!" One bandit shouted as they finally reached him. The man had no time to comprehend what was happening as the bandit's horse ran passed him while its rider used a large hammer to bash his head, beating the bowman's face to a pulp.

"You know what to do! Kill the elders and capture the women!" Baldur shouted his orders as he ran through the village's streets.

In just a few seconds, chaos engulfed the village as the bandits swarmed in and ruthlessly slaughtered any old man or woman they laid their eyes on. Some were mounted on horses while others were on foot. Flaming arrows rained down on the rooftops, setting them ablaze and forcing anyone seeking refuge to flee in terror.

As a woman ran for her life, a bandit on horseback chased after her, laughing at the thrill of the hunt. He grabbed a rope from his saddle and threw it around the woman's waist, violently pulling her back. She fell to the ground in pain, and the bandit towered over her, his face twisted into a cruel grin.

"Where do you think you're going?" He snickered while she tried to get the rope off.

"No! Please!" She begged desperately as the man got off his horse.

"Sorry, but you're coming with me!" He declared happily as he was about to pick her up only to gasp in pain. He widened his eyes, confused before looking down and seeing a sword sticking out of his chest. "Damn, it… I always fuck up," He muttered, spitting blood as he fell face-first to the ground.

The man who had stabbed him was a villager and was using a short sword. He stood there breathless as he held his weapon with trembling hands and blood on his face.

"You… You saved me. Thank you!" The woman shed tears as the man nodded.

"Don't worry… We have to leave and quickly. I don't think we can…" He was suddenly carried off into the sky before he could even finish his sentence. The woman screamed in surprise as she fell to her butt and looked up, seeing the man being carried in a huge black bird's talons.

She gasped and covered her mouth in horror as the bird dropped the man from an unfathomable height. He fell rapidly, a mere speck in the sky, until he disappeared from sight, only to crash into a nearby burning house with a deafening thud. She knew it was unlikely that he had survived the fall, and her heart sank at the thought.

On the other side of the village, a bandit rode around on his horse, ruthlessly slaughtering any elderly or weak person he encountered with swift slashes of his sword. He beheaded most of his victims, but some were slashed across the back. He even took pleasure in killing a few young ones who put up a fight. As he surveyed the chaos, he noticed a woman stumble and fall to the ground, dropping the child she was carrying. He grinned wickedly as he grabbed a bow and arrows, and aimed his weapon at the defenseless child, who was running towards the fallen woman.

"Sorry, but we don't need the kid!" He stated before firing the arrow, which skewered his target and instantly killed it.

"NO! Please, no! Please!" The mother rushed to her child and tried to wake him up while the bandit ran up to her.

"You won't need him where you're going!" He laughed, ready to tie her up.

"What are you doing?!" Someone hissed near him. The new arrival was Baldur, coming on his horse. "You moron! I explicitly told all of you before going through the portal not to kill the kids!"

"Ah. Sorry, Baldur, I guess I got too much into it," He sheepishly replied before looking back at the woman. "But look what I found. This one's cute,"

Baldur didn't reply, and simply took out his sword and decapitated him on the spot under another bandit's confused gaze. The woman shouted in incomprehension in fear as the bandit's head rolled near her.

"What the… Why did you do that?!" A bandit asked Baldure as their commander tied up the woman and put her on his horse.

"Let me go! Stop this!" She repeated but was ignored.

"Because that idiot can't follow simple orders! If anything, he was lucky! He went against the Dark Lord's wishes, so I did him mercy by killing him now! It's time for you and the others to realize we're under a new rule… And we can't afford to make mistakes…" Baldur retorted before riding away.

Meanwhile, high in the sky, a black bird observed the attack. The bandits certainly were good at killing and burning down villagers, but other than that…

"These ones will need some discipline…" Iden sighed as he continued flying around the village.