A Tribute of Crimson

Chapter 7

Together, the two of us dressed appropriately for the trip. Both of us put on light studded leather armor on our person along with padded graves and boots. We also put on a rather sturdy helmet that left the face exposed. While I equipped myself with a short blade, Yu-Jun fancied himself with a bow, a quiver, and two silver daggers adorned in a leather sheath. Putting on tattered brown cloaks over ourselves, we ventured out of the city on horseback. I only recall exiting the city once before but that was a moment long ago. As our horses raced through the open paved road, we were greeted by the warm basking sunlight. It's light glow illuminated the thick leaves and groves as the shade provided a light cool relief over our heads. Along our way we passed through a seemingly endless horde of ancient bark, it's branches spread thin leaving only the hollow cry of birds. At long last we reach our destination however we would be greeted to a rather destructive sight.

Smell of ash greeted us along with a harsh warm breeze as large orange flames blanketed the torn, decrepit buildings. Not all buildings shared the same fate but were in rather shoddy condition as I looked. As I turned my head both ways, I recoiled at the sight. Decaying corpses lay throughout the once prosperous village. Pools of dried blood stained the burnt wood and the cobblestone paths. Carrion ravens came swarming in droves, hounding at each other for whatever scraps of remains they could find. It all made me rather ill as I felt a bit pale, just like when I saw the Shadow-Blood that day. However never had I ever witnessed such destruction in my life. As the fire raged on, I found myself unable to walk properly. It was only until Yu-Jun offered his shoulder that I took a moment to collect myself.

"To think that the entire village was desecrated. It's enough to make anyone weak in the knees. Still, we can't look away from it. You said you wanted to investigate didn't you? Then that's what we came here to do. You're the crown prince, you need to be strong."

Mustering up whatever strength I had, I slowly regained my footing as I forced myself to take a few steps forward. He was right. I came here for answers and I wasn't going to leave empty-handed. But where to start? Taking a good look around, I started inspecting every nook and cranny. The sight of corpses was much more difficult than before, however I pressed forward despite that. My eyes were quick to wander as I scoured the area as best as I could. After swearing to myself that I'd have seen the same pattern of buildings for the tenth time, I just about gave up. Upon uttering a single sigh, I took a moment to just stand in place. In my thinking I began to wonder if a single Shadow-Blood really caused this much damage? I already saw what Yunghui was capable of. He was much larger and possessed amazing strength but this village had plenty of guards. The village itself was a simple farming community who helped provide among the several others spread through the country. It's level of protection is warranted as the roads and forestry had been prone to bandit attacks. This was no surprise as upon the founding of the empire, many mercenaries who no longer had wars to fight instead turned to other activities. Ironically that is how the road leading to the capital became known as the "bandit's way" for a majority of people. Sure, plenty of guards go out between Gangwoo and the coastal city of Yeon-An, but surely that would've been enough.

Maybe there's much more to the Shadow-Blood than I thought. That only made me far more curious. I decided to take another look around when I heard Yu-Jun calling out to me. "Hoy, there's something you ought to see! Over here by the pile of broken alcohol and dreams." I head on over to the sound of his voice as I see him inside what seems to be the remnants of a tavern. Smashed barrels of rice wine and broken up glass bottles cluttered the area. The drinks themselves had leaked out, drying up and staining the carpets and flooring. While the majority of the building was kept in considerable condition, the place itself had no roof, and the furnishings were in serious disrepair.

"I figured the place had some bottles remaining so I could take a free swig when I saw this." He pointed towards the right as I turned my head.

It was . . . the markings of a large claw that imprinted itself onto the wall. The intensity had been enough to cleave through the wood. Then I looked around and noticed that there were several claw marks on the tables, chairs, and the damage was far worse on the outside.

"Whatever attacked, it probably started off in the tavern before heading out to continue." I head outside to compare damage between buildings. "The damage out there is much worse than in here. So . . . what was it?"

"If we suppose that a black beast really did bring calamity upon this poor old village, then it could've been that Shadow-Blood you were talking about. Not sure why it would though." It was then that he looked around and squinted. "Who goes there?!"

I also turn his direction as I immediately spot a figure in a black hood making a swift retreat towards the opposite end. The two of us instantly gave chase as we soon followed the figure into the forest. As we were right on it's trail, we would suddenly be met with two more black hooded figures as they leapt from the trees above. Each of them wore black masks, both marked with marks scribed all over akin to tattoos. They quickly took out their blades as I and Yu-Jun took out ours. I had little time to act as my blade clashed against the steel of my opponent, the clanging of metal echoing across the forest. Yu-Jun was far more swift than I and would be busy parrying his opponent's strikes with his twin daggers.

"Identify yourself! What do you know of Gangwoo's destruction?!" I charged forward as I delivered a brutal assault of strikes from all fronts.

As my opponent continued to block every single one of my attacks, they suddenly ducked and delivered a quick sweeping kick. Swept off my feet, I fell on my back as I rolled out of my opponent's downward thrust. I bounced off the ground with my palms as I got back on my as the two of us circled around each other. The two of us, once again, struck each other's blades in rapid fashion until we stumbled back after one heavy clash of steel. I felt sweat dripping down from my cheek as my body started to feel pangs of fatigue. Soon I felt desperate as I was about to lose out on answer and, most likely, my life.

"Was it a Shadow-Blood?" I asked as I gripped the handle tightly.

Upon asking, I became surprised when my opponent slightly stumbled back in response. I then knew that I had hit the nail on the head and took my chance. Rushing forward, I struck my blade downward as my opponent had reacted with a poorly timed block in return. Having knocked the weapon out, I struck my opponent to the ground with a punch. Aiming my sword right at the throat, I continued my questioning.

"You're going to answer my questions. Who are you and what do you know of the destruction of Gangwoo? And . . . what relation do you have with the Shadow-Blood?"

My opponent stayed silent so I decided to wedge my blade in closer, my hands tightening my grip even further.

"I won't hesitate to strike you where I stand. Now . . . talk!" I barked as I then clenched my teeth together.

"Sung-Ho! To your right!" Yu-Jun suddenly shouted as I turned my head.

I was barely able to avoid being struck down as a slight gash formed on my cheek. Stumbling forward, I regained my footing as I turned to see the other hooded figure in a defensive stance. Compared to the one I fought, this one was covered with cuts all over. My opponent was able to get up as they took up their blade. Yu-Jun joined by my side with no wounds but had the front of his armor scratched. While I expected the fight to continue, we would be intervened by the third figure who arrived from above.