He got down from his horse steadily, his grip tightened on the spear as he crept forward, the point steady ready to pierce just as he got close enough to deliver the strike on the screaming man, a shout louder than the piercing scream tore through the air "stop!!! Stop !!! That's my father!! Don't kill him"
Torric hesitates and looks back at Cedric, Cedric gives a firm commanding nod. Selara looks away as the girl grieves. Torric spear pierced right through his neck, he proceeded with his mission disregarding the villagers pleads.
The thumping of a single horse could be heard arriving. "Captain! Selara! Orlen! What's going on here???" His voice swallowed from the screams, As he got closer and looked in the direction where everyone was looking, mouth wide open, himself and his horse startled by the grotesque sight.
Cedric with a steady voice, eyes furrowed "Fenric I am glad that you arrive, but I didn't order you to follow, either way those people there are in great pain it is our duty to relieve them from their pain, shoot them"
Fenric (31, precise eyes, narrow and sharp face) rubs his face with his hand, his eyes twitching "This is horrible, horrible" he grabs his bow, loads the arrow, pulls the strings, one eye closed, focused and patient he releases the arrow, it pierces right through the skull of an old man with the disease.
With the combination of Torric and Fenric the diseased individuals were all put to sleep except for a little girl. Her little body filled with large black sores, blood profusely dripping down her nose, she didn't scream like the other. Muffled cries slipped through her lips, she looked around the people surrounding her, focused her gaze towards Torric and Ferin.
Then she turns away, moving her body with her hand, grabbing the soil towards her house, memories of the laughter and joy that erupt from that house flashes before her. She knew things wouldn't be the same anymore as her mother and father lay on the ground with arrows pierced through their heads.
Fenric and Torric hesitated to make their move, the villagers stood grieving, the murmuring of the old woman with the long stick got louder. Cedric, seeing his men unable to end it, gets down from his horse and moves towards Torric who stood still, his spear covered in blood, his broad shoulder cowering.
Cedric grabs the spear at once, slowly moving towards the crawling little girl. The villagers cried in despair helplessly, knowing death awaits the little girl and delivering her from her pain was the only right choice but it was all just too cruel.
Cedric's team stared in silence, breathing heavy, eyes softening. As Cedric crept towards her, she turned her body, her voice creating a thundering scream, uncontrollably sobbing. Cedric held his spear steady, moving his body and hands swiftly, impaling the little girl at once, the screams ended.
Orlen runs his hand across his hair and grabs his head, exhaling sharply, his horse swaying slightly. Selara glances towards the weeping villagers, then Cedric and the bloodied little girl, her eyes glistening.
Fenric kept his head down and Torric now on the ground looking over the villagers he just killed, composed but eyes furrowed. Cedric slowly pulls out his spear, stabs it on the ground removing the blood. He made a religious gesture and looked up at the sky, releasing a deep exhale.
Just then a little boy skinny like a bamboo, limping towards a woman from the other side calling out "Mother Mother Mother", Selara shouted "No wait there! Don't move", he didn't listen as his eyes were locked on his lifeless mother. Fenric released an arrow, landing right beside the boy. He didn't flinch, just as he was about to reach his mother, Torric rushed forward grabbing the boy, the boy shouted his mother's name as Torric took him away.
The old woman with the large stick murmuring without an end, now raises her voice, sounding more steady and clearer, her eyes wide open like it was about to fall out, her lips movement exaggerated "It has finally begun!! Today sets the day for the beginning of the end!! If an empire doesn't form, trampling all and standing alone, everyone on this wide circular land will perish!!! Move swiftly, trample all the kingdoms to open the inner gate" looking towards Cedric and his team.
And then she walks away murmuring to herself softly back to the house, as the night insect and birds chirp in the darkness, a chilling breeze hits the village, most were silent and few were weeping softly.
As unsightly as it may seem, the villagers and Cedric's team pulled the bodies with a stick, gathered them up, and lit them on fire with a prayer. The atmosphere was suffocating with the burning smell of flesh, and the cries of the deceased family. Their clothes and all their belongings had to be burned along with them.
That night Cedric and the team stayed in the village, in the house of the people who they just burned. Selara stayed up tending to the malnourished kids and elderly, Cedric walked up to her and along with him came a tense atmosphere "Selara what do you think about the old woman's words? Do you think her words might hold substance?" Selara didn't acknowledge his presence and continued tending to the weak but she spoke up "Such events are prophesied in the Holy Book but don't give much thoughts to it, conveniently every horrible events are portrayed by them as evidence to the supposed impending doomsday"
Cedric lean on the wall looking at the ceiling "hmmmm we don't know about that, it could be any other way who knows, anyways goodnight"
Orlen polished his bows and arrows by the fireplace outside, focused but he seemed like he was distracting himself from his thoughts.
Torric was on the bed with his eyes closed, his spear beside him. Cedric went to meet the seer in the house but she was nowhere to be found, he asked around the village and it seems like no one knew her, she just appeared. Cedric went to his bed, sleeping on his side and looking down on the floor, his mind replaying the words of the old woman, he chuckled softly with a little smirk "Trample all the kingdoms, huh?"