Chapter 3

The ground was littered with blood and dead bodies, bodies beyond recognition. The small valley looked like a canvas, hundred and eighty corpses sprawled throughout this canvas like rough-handed drawn objects all painted in dark red.

Kylian around to find 'Hodor, the giant was standing beside a Jeyan's corpse his expressions vapid. On meeting Kylian's eyes the giant gave a slight nod.

Kylian let out a breath 'So we are leaving today."

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Everyone was mesmerized by the battle, no one expected the battle end in such a way. Benn looked at the six slaves standing on top of hundreds of enemies. He hardly believed the tales and myths about the Jeyan race but today watching these warriors fight, it won't surprise him if such a race with high intelligence could threaten the Gods. But what piqued his interest was Kylian, he was a warrior he had read always about, he truly brought havoc over his enemies.

"I did not expect such an outcome ." the veteran clapped his hand, excitement brimming out of his face.

"You did not expected them to win? Why send soldiers to a battle knowing they would lose ?" Benn asked his eyes on the movements of enemy formation beyond the bloody valley on the hill.

"Soldier, hahahhahahahahah- " the veteran burst into laughter which soon turned into scorn as he spoke further-"Slave, Weapons, and those slaves are to be dead by the end of this day, if not by enemy blades than by ours."

"Why would you do that ?" Aghast Benn asked, his eyes shifted from the enemy line to the veteran trying to make sense of what had just been said.

"Not my choice kid, these are orders." the veteran shrugged his wide shoulders, but his devious smile and his eyes longing for blood, clearly betraying his words.

"But-" Benn was cut short by a sudden roar "ENEMY ADVANCING GET READY."

Ignoring the valley and the six remaining slaves, four hundred enemies were divided into two and were moving through the rocky terrain edging the valley towards their formation.

Everyone was surprised but not worried, they were at least a hundred more than the enemies, and even if somehow the enemies manage to reach them by evading a hundred arrows, they were to still engage in an uphill battle with a bad footing. In short, this was an easy win, but Benn could feel an uneasiness in his gut. With all the so-called knowledge he had gained reading, this does not seem right it looked too easy. He looked to his side only to find the veteran standing stiffly, his eyes inspecting the surroundings his ugly expressions portraying the turmoil he was going through.

Their army did not move, to lose such a footing would have been foolish, they just waited for the enemy to close in, to get in the archer's range. When both the divided enemy armies, opposite to each other, were just thirty paces from the archers' range a loud horn blew.

"What's wrong." Benn looked around only to find others as dumbfounded as him, their formation in distraught, uncertain what the horn meant.

"ARROWS..." "BEHINDDDDDD.." the whole formation panicked as a volley of arrows came flying at them from the rear soon followed by enemy foot soldiers.

The sneak attack came so hastily and unexpectedly that the soldiers were petrified only making it easier for the enemies. No command came about making the situation worse, the soldiers tried standing their ground but the lack of leadership and command lead their formation to crumble within seconds.

The loud cries brought horrors to the newly recruited Benn, he stood there horror-stricken, not even daring to turn as the screams and chaos were enough to reassure him of the utter disaster the rear was in. Amid the chaos, Benn could feel his heart thumping hard, ready to break free of the cage, the cries behind slowly catching up to him. Fear-stricken he looked at his side trying to find solace in the company of the veteran.

The veteran was conversing with an important-looking personal, 'is he the commander? ".....Thomas track and kill them, I want them all dead, They will accompany you." taking a pause the man spoke his words accompanied with a threatening edge to it "You know the consequence of failure." Benn quivered hearing the man's change of tone, he knew the important-looking figure meant what he said, Benn was somewhat thankfully he wasn't on the receiving end of such threat. But how did it even matter he would die he was to stay in here.

"Honor to serve and obey your eminence." Veteran gave a slight bow and without wasting another moment he rushed towards the vanguard.

Benn had to move, staying here would only mean death and going towards the rear would also mean death but sooner.

Benn covered his nose from his free hand and brushed through the soldiers trailing the veteran, trying his best to keep sight of the veteran's broad back in this mayhem. The thick air mixed with blood had already started to stench and with every passing minute, the air was getting bloodier and thicker. Even though Benn had just heard only a piece of the conversation but it did not take him long to figure out what the veteran was commanded.

The veteran came to a halt on meeting a spindly figure the lower half of his thin face covered with a black mask leaving only the eyes exposed. 'Assassin !'.

Such guilds operated illegally but openly in Ablon and hiring one was not much of a hassle in here, but the renowned assassin guilds charged a fortune for their services. Benn had come across various writings claiming the top assassin guilds to be on par with the top noble families in terms of wealth. Benn inspected the masked figure trying to guess the origin of the assassin.

The veteran talked with the assassin in a hushed voice, his eyes focused on the advancing enemy. By the time three more masked figures joined them on mounts all of the same statures.

"Interested fish ?" Benn jumped in fright hearing someone close whisper. Giggle soon followed those words.

Benn turned, anxious to look at the soldier having nerves enough to joke in such circumstances. Benn's heart stopped for a second as his eyes fell on the man. Another assassin, but he was different he had a big shield tattoo under his eye.

"Honourless Guild" Benn bit his tongue as soon as the word slipped out of his mouth. Befitting their name members of the guild had no honor, they were among few guilds who did not hesitate to kill civilians.

In the meantime the enemy army had engaged the vanguard on the two sides, the ally soldiers were holding themselves much better than earlier.

"ENEMY" Benn panicked, alerting the masked assassin as an enemy lunged towards him from behind. The assassin rotated, his outstretched hand gently brushed the attacker's neck and in the next instant the enemy soldier was gasping for breath. The assassin giggled and clapped his hands in delight as the fallen soldier struggled to fill the void in his throat. From a side Benn watched in horror, he could see the assassin was fascinated by his kill. Benn looked at his hands, they weren't capable of doing something like this, does he even belong to this place, a place where human life was so insignificant a place where people sought glory bathed in red?

"Follow me Fish." the assassin spoke and walked past Benn.

Benn hesitated, his tongue searching for words of rejection that won't possibly cost his life, - "Sir.. I don't think..." but his words were met with the assassin's sharp gaze. Benn had always wondered how could someone make people obey without actions or words but when he looked at the assassin's gaze he knew how. By giving them a death threat.

'I would be dead anyway, breathe Benjamin breathe. ' Benn took a deep breath only to feel a metallic taste in the back of his mouth, then with heavy steps, he walked to the group of five.

"Fish is here, let's start the hunt" the tattooed assassin spoke excitedly as he mounted the horse. "Fish will ride with you Thomas." he further added with a slight giggle.

"But Ray- " Thomas (veteran) tried showing his annoyance but was cut short by the tattooed assassin's gaze, 'The Piercing Gaze' Benn made a mental note of the hierarchy and did what was ordered and hopped on the horse behind the veteran.

'Fearless warrior Benjamin set down to hunt enemies of the crown, as he traveled with the beautiful princess, Th..Ta...Tanya' he then looked at his companion 'beautiful Tanya'. The 'princess's' back broader than his, bald head, heavy armor, Benn let out a frail giggle, mocking his luck. Even though earlier he was miserable and hated most of the things about his life but he was alive and being alive and miserable was far better than dead and miserable.

"Something's funny kid ?" the vexed Veteran asked .

"...NO...sir" 'Just super excited to walk to my grave.' "sorry"

Meanwhile, enemies had penetrated towards the center and the assassins had to kill a couple of them to make way to the bloody valley and further trail the slaves.