The young man collapsed to the ground with a hole in his head.
The crowd erupted at once, screams and cries mixing together, several people ran in every direction but Aegis subordinates had already lined up surrounding them. Repeated shots fired into the air forced everyone to stop in their tracks.
Behind the bushes, Wren pulled Ash's arm back as Ash was about to stand.
"What are you thinking? Look at their weapons," Wren whispered, his voice flat but his eyes serious. "Are you going to fight them with your axe?"
Ash stopped. His mind calculated quickly, the number of Jacker's subordinates in sight, the distance between them, the weapons they carried. The axe in his hand suddenly felt very small. He sat back down, but his eyes did not stop moving, scanning the faces in the crowd one by one, hoping not to see Elira there.
Shots continued to ring out every few minutes. Each time the sound fired, another body fell. Jacker's face did not change through all of it, flat and cold, like someone carrying out something tedious.
Beside Wren, Raldo had been standing with rigid shoulders since some time ago. Ash noticed it but did not manage to do anything before the man suddenly straightened.
In the open ground, one of Aegis's subordinates pulled a teenage boy out of the crowd. The boy stumbled as he was shoved forward, his eyes turning immediately toward the bushes where Raldo stood.
Raldo was already running before Ash could stop him. His feet hit the ground hard, his body crashing through the bushes without slowing his stride.
"Let him go!" he shouted. "That is my brother, let him go!"
Jacker did not turn. He only stood with his back facing Raldo, staring at the trembling teenager in front of him. "Do you know something, boy?"
The teenager could not answer. His mouth was open but no sound came out, his eyes fixed on his older brother running toward him with tears already streaming down both cheeks.
Raldo was only a few meters away when the tip of a pistol pressed against his brother's temple.
BANG!
Raldo's steps stopped at once. His body froze in the middle of the open ground, standing without moving, staring ahead with an empty expression.
One of Jacker's subordinates approached him from the side. "Hey. Do you know about the blue-necked Oars?"
Raldo did not answer. His hand raised the axe. "You bastards!" He swung it.
The Aegis subordinate stepped to the side, dodging the swing with ease. The muzzle of his weapon rose and pressed under Raldo's jaw.
BANG!
Raldo's body fell to the ground.
The remaining crowd stood trembling in silence, no more screams, no more running. They stood with heads lowered and eyes that did not dare to look up. Several people cried without sound.
Ash was trembling too, his hand gripping the axe handle as though trying to crush it, but not from fear. Beside him Wren and Dano were silent, their eyes fixed on the open ground.
Ash happened to glance at one of the windows in the village hall. One of Jacker's subordinates walked past the window, his hand gripping the hair of a woman he was dragging behind him. The woman tried to walk upright, her hands attempting to ease the pull on her hair.
Ash recognized the figure, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.
Elira was herded to the middle of the open ground and shoved until she stumbled and fell in front of Jacker. The heavyset man glanced at her briefly, then raised his head and looked at the remaining crowd.
"We repeat the same question," he said.
Ash was on his feet before that sentence finished. Wren grabbed his arm but Ash pulled free and stepped out of the bushes, his legs already running toward the open ground.
"I know where the monster is!"
His voice broke the silence of the open ground. Jacker's subordinates on watch raised their weapons, but Ash did not stop. He pushed through the middle of them, shoving aside two people who tried to block him, and stood directly in front of Elira.
"I know what you are looking for." His voice came out calmer than he expected.
Jacker stared at him for a few seconds. For the first time since arriving in Pinedale, the corner of his lips moved upward slightly.
"Finally." He let out a long breath. "Tell me, where is that damn blue Oars?"
Ash held the man's gaze directly.
"I already killed it."
No one spoke for several seconds after Ash said those words.
Then Jacker's laughter broke out, loud and sudden, followed by all of his men. Several of them bent over gripping their knees.
Ash did not move, his eyes fixed on Jacker's face.
"You killed it." Jacker repeated the words between his laughter, then wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand. "With what, kid? That thing didn't go down from bullets, it even crushed our iron cannon."
He paused for a moment, his smile widening. "Did you shove your cock in until it choked to death?"
His men's laughter grew louder. One of them squatted on the ground and several others coughed between their laughs.
"I drove a sword through its jaw," Ash answered flatly. "From below until it pierced through its head. The thing didn't get the chance to fight back."
Jacker waved his hand, his laughter dying down. "Haha, damn. Alright, good enough for a joke, but right now I don't have time for your jokes, punk."
"I'm not lying."
Jacker's face changed. His laughter was gone and what remained was the expression of someone who had run out of patience. "We've been tracking that pack for 4 months."
His tone dropped, but that was precisely what made the atmosphere suddenly tense. "50 Aegis soldiers dead, 4 of our aircraft destroyed. Now we've lost its trail after it passed through this area."
He stepped closer, stopping directly in front of Ash, his breath warm on Ash's face from that distance. "And you want me to believe that a farmer, with only a sword, managed to do what trained and fully armed soldiers couldn't?"
His voice dropped to nearly a whisper. "Are you mocking us, boy?"
"I'm only saying the truth." Ash still insisted.
"If that's the case," Jacker stepped back one step, "show me the body. I don't care if you've buried it, just show me the location."
Ash didn't answer right away. He himself didn't know where the creature's body had gone, nothing remained when he regained consciousness except blue blood that had already dried on the ground.
Before he had the chance to answer, Elira's voice cut in from behind.
"I saw everything!" Elira rose from her position, her voice steady even though her eyes were red. "The pack carried the large Oars' body away toward the northern forest after the fight ended. My husband is telling the truth."
Jacker glanced at her briefly, then back to Ash, his teeth grinding, then his hand moved.
BANG!
***