Her blood.
Unbearable agony coursed through her body as a massive, barbed arrow pierced her neck, mercilessly ripping through her flesh.
She coughs out chunks of blood and soft tissue, her trembling hands desperately reaching her neck, impaled from the side with a large arrow with a tearing head. He could tell she was trying to speak up, or maybe scream, but her throat made only quiet, gurgling sounds.
[Warning. Critical hit resulted in status BLEEDING.]
[Warning. Critical hit resulted in status CHOKING.]
Anna the Merciful Herbalist ~ Player ~ 2% HP + (2) penalties
She was dead even before her body could hit the ground.
He watched her for another moment as if he had just now realized what the hell happened and dropped the backpack filled with flowers on the ground.
His heart stopped and then rushed forward, painfully stiff and full of rage. A throbbing in his temples intensified, his head hummed and his vision got blurry, as he forced his head to turn to his left.
Direction from which the arrow came.
A large group of humans was cheerfully approaching him, with the wrong impression that they killed his master and broke the link forcing him to follow her orders.
Thinking he will be immediately heading to his territory, leaving her corpse and goods behind.
An easy target to loot.
He wasn't sure how he killed the first few, his mind cleared a bit after he ripped their healer's head off as if her neck belonged to a white dove.
The players, armed with their expensive weapons and fueled by determination, launched a coordinated attack against the formidable enemy, confident of victory.
However, despite their combined strength and skill, fate had a different outcome in store.
As the battle dragged longer, the heroes unleashed a flurry of strikes, their weapons gleaming in the setting sunlight. They fought with unwavering courage, employing various tactics and relying on their teamwork.
Yet, the orc proved to be a dangerous opponent, as he towered over them with immense strength and resilience, focused on mutilating one hero at a time to lower their numbers.
The nice meadow slowly turned into a bloody bath full of body parts and screaming humans with arms and legs chopped off.
A cruel precaution.
He didn't want them to run away from their punishment.
Undeterred, the remaining heroes regrouped, strategizing and adjusting their approach out of pure despair.
But even that wasn't of much help.
During her absence, he unleashed his pent-up rage by subjecting those who had survived to excruciating torture, cutting them open in a brutal display of his imagination.
He got livid when he noticed that their only archer was already lying dead without the slightest movement – with his body chopped in perfect half.
As the sun sank behind the treetops, the scene grew even darker, casting a shadow over everything in its wake. The fading light danced on the soft grass stained with blood as shadows stretched and grew, swallowing the fading colors of the day - making the brutal scene look even grimmer.
Bugak finally stopped when not a single living soul remained in the vast expanse around him and his beloved.
His face crumpled into a grimace of anguish and remorse as a mournful wail escaped his lips. The sound, muffled yet haunting, temporarily dulled his torment, granting him the strength to draw nearer to her body.
It was different from her deep rest.
Her eyes partly open, still telling a story about the pain and fright she felt before she died. Her lips and neck, which he used to kiss and adore, now covered in crusts of glistening blood.
A testament to his despicable failure.
His facial muscles twitched as he pushed her eyelids to shut close before he tenderly cradled her lifeless body in his arms. With careful steps, he embarked towards Misha's gate, with her belongings carefully packed in the backpack.
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