Free Horses

Even though the bar wasn’t at the centre of the city, it wasn’t far from it. The place was also rather big, and a significant amount of time had lapsed since the massacre. Despite it being sudden, it was enough to incite a forceful reaction.

Once he walked out of the bar, Richard took in a deep breath of the cool and refreshing night breeze. He dusted his clothes, but wasn’t in any hurry to leave.

The convenience store next door was still open, the shopkeeper sitting on a bench that was half in the shop and half out. He smiled mysteriously at Richard, “Youngsters these days are so rash. You killed so many of Schitich’s people the moment you came to Bluewater, he definitely won’t let you off easily.”

Richard’s men were leaving the bar one after the other, but he still showed no intention of leaving. He replied with a smile, “I’m not being rash. I don’t like being blackmailed, and hate having to spare lives even more. This isn’t a small grievance.”

“It isn’t big either, at least around here.”

“Perhaps. If so, then let me make it a bigger issue.”

The old shopkeeper sighed, “Young people are always teeming with confidence. Being a troublemaker isn’t a good trait.”

Richard retrieved an immaculate white handkerchief, starting to clean his hands which had been stained with alcohol during the battle. He smiled deeply, “I really don’t like trouble, but if anyone comes looking for some then they’ll find they got a lot.”

The old shopkeeper shook his head, “You’re definitely an outsider.”

“Bluewater is a huge lake. What Schitich controls is basically a small cup. Besides, outsiders aren’t the easiest to bully. They’re the ones who have to live here, it’s useful to have eyes that aren’t blind,” Richard replied without enthusiasm.

“Fine. Since you’ve killed almost all of Schitich’s men in the bar, why aren’t you leaving?”

Richard flashed a mysterious smile, “I’m waiting for some horses to be sent to me.”

Just as he finished speaking, the faint sound of hooves could be heard approaching from the distance. A cavalry troop turned a corner just a hundred metres away, heading rapidly for the bar. There were more than twenty of them, their horses swift and forceful. It was evident that they had great control; even though the streets were bustling with life in the night, they managed to avoid hurting anyone. They had excellent horsemanship, and they also exercised restraint.

There were many different powers in Bluewater Oasis. Outside of the slave traders, there weren’t many big groups. The slave traders themselves were split into four, and it was likely because of the abundance of other influences that these knights were acting so cautiously.

By the time they covered the short distance, Richard could tell that their leader was level 12 while the others were level 7 or 8. This fellow had to be one of Schitich’s leading subordinates who happened to be nearby, rushing over immediately when he heard of the attack.

Richard was unperturbed, stowing the handkerchief away, “Here they are.”

The knight spotted Richard’s group from tens of metres away, egging his horse on as he sped towards them. The party was quite eye-catching in the Bloodstained Lands— a freely roaming purebred elf would attract attention no matter where they were. The mostly elven Olar didn’t look much different under the moonlight.

“Who dares stir up trouble in the Two-Headed Dragon’s bar?” the knight roared loudly from afar. Six idle people immediately raised their hands in response, pointing to Richard at the same time. He thus charged forth without hesitation, twirling his morningstar to a terrifying tune.

Richard started chanting a spell, but the speed at which the knights were sprinting left him with only two minutes to cast it. Just as the knights were about twenty metres away, Waterflower stepped forward. Her eyes were glowing with a faint radiance, her short hair flying about wildly. She suddenly howled like a wolf.

The horses on the frontline were immediately shocked, unintentionally flinging their riders off and sending them careening towards the ground. They seemed to lose all sanity, flailing, kicking, and biting aimlessly as they rushed around like they were blind. Their sole intention was to find an escape route, to get as far away from that young girl as possible. As far as they were aware, it wasn’t a beautiful young lady in front of them but instead a powerful demonic wolf that could tear them to shreds at any time.

The leader’s horse was the same as the rest, but he was clearly more skilled than his subordinates. He clamped down with his thighs, ensuring that he wasn’t flung off his mount. However, the sudden loss of balance left his morningstar flying out of his hand, leaving a gaping hole in a nearby building.

Even though he managed to control his horse, the soldiers behind him could not react fast enough. They continued charging forward at full speed, crashing into the berserk horses in front of them. It was a complete disaster. The leader eventually succumbed to his fate as well— no matter how good he was at controlling his horse, two people had crashed into him. His control didn’t exceed the fear its companions were radiating, and it eventually tumbled to the ground.

In the midst of all this chaos, Richard finally completed his spell. It was another mass slow, shrouding the majority of the knights and three of those who provided directions.

Gangdor, Waterflower, and two other members of the party rushed out immediately, three arrows flying past from behind them to hit three of the opponents and causing them to collapse. The leader struggled to get up from the ground, one of his legs trapped under the mess of fallen horses. He suddenly saw Gangdor flying towards him with axe in hand, slashing swiftly and maliciously. He gasped in horror, but was too slow to dodge the attack. His only option was to try and use the chain of another morningstar to try and block the attack.

A malicious shadow flashed across Gangdor’s face, and pale yellow light radiated from his body. The eruption rune lit up from under his shirt, the strength amplification alongside Gaia’s Force causing the huge axe to generate a strong wind like a drizzle transforming into a thunderstorm. Stunned by what was happening, the old shopkeeper who was originally sitting calmly opened his eyes wide in shock.

The strength of the brute’s axe was unrivalled, mercilessly cutting through the chain. It then cut into the knight’s suit of armour, eventually taking off his head. The leader’s head flew up in the air, but his body still remained in a seated position, refusing to give in and crumble.

With their leader beheaded on the spot, the remaining knights who were still stuck in the chaos were no match for the bunch of demons facing them. They were beheaded efficiently one by one. Seventeen or eighteen of the twenty-odd horses were still usable as well, giving each member of the party two horses.

Richard watched leisurely as his subordinates cleaned the place like professionals, gathering the horses and conveniently punishing one of the fellows who’d pointed them out. Of course, the punishment was cutting off all his limbs.

There were six people who’d directed the knights, but only one of them was this unlucky. The fool had tried to be funny after the situation had more or less settled, whipping out a dagger he had hidden in his sleeves.

Such obstinate opponents were bound to give them a headache, which was why Richard’s men explicitly dealt with them. There were only two ways to deal with these people: either have them killed, or strip them of all fighting ability such as by taking their limbs.

Generally speaking, some of Richard’s team were inclined towards the latter option. Although killing the person would have instant results, crippling them left their enemy with an unshirkable burden. Of course, this wasn’t as good of a method in the Bloodstained Lands.