The tragedy of Wushan Town

On the second day after the magical beast disaster broke out, An and Linley returned to Wushan Town.

The smoke from cooking fires was gone. The crowing of roosters and barking of dogs were gone. The children's shouts during morning drills on the training ground were gone. In their place were thick smoke, the stench of blood, and the occasional low roar of a magical beast carried on the wind.

An's face was grim.

After fleeing north from Fenlai City, they had parted ways with Yale's father, Chairman Dawson, and his party. The Dawson Chamber of Commerce was heading north to return to the O'Brien Empire, and Yale and Reynolds had gone with their families.

An and Linley had traveled nonstop for a day, but they were still too late.

An pushed open the familiar wooden gate on the eastern side of Wushan Town and entered.

Bodies littered the streets. There were elderly people, young people, women, and small children. The corpses bore clear signs of having been mauled by magical beasts. Some were missing limbs; others had been gnawed down to bare skeletons. Blood had stained the snow dark red, a sight painfully stark in the morning light.

An recognized many of them.

The middle-aged man lying outside the bakery was Old Tom, the baker. His rye bread had been the best in all of Wushan Town.

The young woman slumped beside the well was Mary, the tailor. She had a three-year-old daughter who always wore two little braids and loved running around town.

An kept walking.

He saw the body of a young man holding a baby. The young man lay against a collapsed stone wall, a huge wound piercing through his back. His blood had already drained away. He had sheltered the baby in his arms, but the child had been bitten to death as well. The magical beast's sharp fangs had pierced both the young man's body and the baby's.

"Orson..."

An recognized the young man. Orson Gray was a year older than him. When An had first joined the morning drills at the age of six, Orson had stood beside him. He had been an honest, good-natured boy who never shied away from hard work during training, earning Instructor Hillman's praise many times. Orson had married two years ago. His bride was a girl from the neighboring town, with two dimples when she smiled. An had not attended the wedding, but Linley had gone and come back saying Orson had been so happy he looked like a fool.

That baby was Orson's child.

An's hands trembled.

He crouched and gently closed Orson's eyes.

"I'm sorry," An whispered. "I'm sorry I came too late."

Linley stood behind him without a word. His eyes were red, his lips pressed into a thin line. Bebe jumped out of Linley's arms and crouched beside Orson's body, his little eyes filled with sorrow.

The roars of magical beasts sounded in the distance. Several Wind Wolves were feeding on a corpse, making sickening chewing sounds.

An stood.

"Linley, go to the Ancestral Hall and find Father. I'll clear the magical beasts out of town."

Linley nodded and ran toward the Baruch Clan estate.

An drew a deep breath, and golden scales emerged from beneath his skin. He did not undergo a complete Dragon Transformation.

He became a golden blur and charged toward the Wind Wolves feeding on the corpse.

Splat!

Before the first Wind Wolf could react, An shattered its head with a palm strike. The second turned to flee, but An was already in front of it. He seized its neck with one hand and twisted hard, the crack of breaking bone sharp and piercing. The third and fourth Wind Wolves lunged at him together. An struck out with both hands, smashing their skulls with two punches.

All five Wind Wolves were dead in less than two breaths.

An did not stop. He spread his wings and circled low over Wushan Town.

An swooped down.

Starting in the south, he cleared the town building by building. He beheaded the three Velociraptors in the mill with his warblade, Slaughter, then flew west without looking back. His Wind Blades cut the two Wind Wolves in the smithy in half. Before their bodies hit the ground, he had already reached the center of town.

The magical beasts in the square finally sensed the danger. A Winged Bird Dragon spread its wings, let out a piercing shriek, and lunged at An.

An flew straight at the Winged Bird Dragon. Just before they collided, he abruptly folded his wings and dropped, slipping beneath its belly. Slaughter opened a long gash across its abdomen, sending blood and entrails spilling out. The Winged Bird Dragon gave an agonized scream and crashed heavily to the ground.

The remaining magical beasts scattered and fled.

"Wind of Perception!"

A gentle breeze spread outward from An in every direction. Soon, he sensed several faint signs of life.

Seven or eight people were hiding in the wine cellar in the north of town. More than a dozen were in the church basement to the east. And... there were two living people in the direction of the Baruch Clan estate.

Joy rose in An's heart, and he flew toward the estate.

The gates of the Baruch Clan estate had been smashed apart. Two Velociraptor corpses lay in the courtyard, both with their skulls punched through. An landed in the courtyard, returned to human form, and hurried into the hall.

Inside, Linley was helping Hogg sit down.

Hogg was injured. His left arm had been bandaged, with faint traces of blood seeping through. But he was still alert, and when he saw An enter, he struggled to stand.

"An!" Hogg's voice was hoarse. "You're both alive... Thank goodness..."

An stepped forward to support his father and carefully examined his injuries. A deep claw wound marked his left arm, but it had not reached the bone. He had numerous scrapes and bruises from falling rubble and toppled furniture. Fortunately, none of his wounds were fatal.

"Father, what happened here?" An asked.

Hogg's eyes reddened. "Two days ago, a huge horde of magical beasts charged in from the south. There were too many of them. They covered the hills... Hillman organized the guards to fight back, but we couldn't stop them. I told Hillman to take the townspeople into the cellars and basements while the remaining guards and I held out aboveground..."

His voice choked. "So many people died. Tom is dead, Mary is dead, Orson's whole family is dead... Only Hillman and three young men are left of the guards. We were trapped in the estate. I thought this time I..."

Hogg could not go on.

Linley took his father's hand. "Father, it's all right now. An has cleared the magical beasts out of town. We're leaving right away."

"Leaving? Where would we go?" Hogg raised his head.

An thought for a moment. "North. The magical beast army is expanding northward, but it won't move too fast. If we head north, we should be able to catch up with Yale and the others. The Dawson Chamber of Commerce has plenty of powerful fighters in its convoy. We'll be safer once we join them."

Hogg nodded and struggled to his feet. An supported him while Linley went to pack.

An suddenly remembered something. "Father, where's Uncle Hillman?"

"In the underground wine cellar. He was badly wounded, so I had people carry him down there," Hogg said.

An hurried to the rear courtyard and lifted the cellar hatch. More than a dozen people, young and old, were crammed into the dim cellar, all residents of Wushan Town. When they saw An, their faces filled with a mixture of joy and fear.

"Young Master An!" A young woman burst into tears. "Are the magical beasts gone? Have they left?"

"They're gone," An said. "I've cleared the magical beasts out of town, but we can't stay here. We need to leave immediately."

He looked around and found Hillman lying on the floor. Hillman's face was pale, the clothing over his chest soaked with blood. A deep wound in his abdomen had been tightly wrapped with strips of cloth.

"Uncle Hillman." An crouched and took his hand.

Hillman opened his eyes. Seeing An, he managed a faint smile. "An... You're back... Is Lord Hogg all right?"

"Father's fine," An said. "Don't speak. I'll carry you out."

Hillman shook his head. "Don't worry about me. I'm not going to make it... Take the townspeople and go..."

An said nothing. He simply lifted Hillman onto his back and carried him out of the cellar. Linley had already prepared a carriage. The estate had originally had two, but the magical beasts had trampled one to pieces. The other was still usable. He helped Hogg into the carriage, then pulled the others out of the cellar one by one.

More than a dozen people could not fit into a single carriage. An had the elderly, women, and children climb aboard while the men followed on foot. He spread his wings and kept watch from the air.

"Head north," An said. "Once we cross that mountain ahead, we'll be outside Wushan Town's territory. There's a main road there. If we follow it north, we can catch up with Yale and the others."

The group set off.

An flew overhead, constantly scanning their surroundings. At regular intervals, he cast Wind of Perception to make sure no magical beasts lay in ambush ahead. Linley walked beside the carriage with Slaughter in hand, watching the surrounding woods warily.

After about four hours, they reached a small river. Its wooden bridge was still standing, and there were no signs of magical beasts. An landed and called a halt so everyone could rest.

"Drink some water and have something to eat. We'll leave in fifteen minutes."

He took dry rations and waterskins from the carriage and distributed them. A little girl of four or five clung to his leg and said timidly, "An, a big monster ate my mommy."

An crouched and stroked the little girl's head. He recognized her. She was Mary the tailor's daughter, Lily. Mary was dead, killed beside the well.

"Be good, Lily. I'll take you somewhere safe," An said softly.

The little girl nodded and held on even tighter.

Hillman leaned against the carriage. His face was still pale, but he seemed a little more alert. An went over and checked his wound. The abdominal wound was deep, though it had not damaged his internal organs. It needed professional treatment, or it would become infected.

"Bebe," An called.

Bebe jumped down from Linley's shoulder and ran over to An.

"Bebe, head north and find Yale's convoy. Ask them to stop and wait for us," An said. "Tell them we have wounded people."

Bebe nodded and vanished into the sky like a streak of black lightning.

The group continued onward.

Toward evening, they crossed the mountain north of Wushan Town. At its foot lay a broad main road, lined with farmland and sparse woods. The glow of the setting sun spilled across the road, bathing everything in gold.

An was about to have the group stop for the night when the sound of hoofbeats came from the distance.

"It's Yale and the others," Linley said.

Sure enough, several dozen mounted riders approached from the north. Leading them was Yale's father, the enormously fat chairman of the Dawson Chamber of Commerce. He rode a tall horse with a massive axe in hand, looking fierce. Yale and Reynolds rode behind him.

"Third Brother! Fourth Brother!" Yale shouted from afar.

An went to meet them. "Boss Yale, you haven't left yet?"

"My father said we'd wait for you." Yale dismounted. "When Bebe found us, we turned back. How did it go? Did you get everyone out?"

An nodded. "Wushan Town has been destroyed. These are the only people we saved. Uncle Hillman is badly wounded and needs treatment."

Chairman Dawson dismounted and went to the carriage to inspect Hillman's injuries. He frowned. "The wound is deep. It needs healing with Light Element magic. There aren't any Light Element magi in my convoy, but there's a small town north of Fenlai City with a branch of the Radiant Temple. There should be priests there."

An shook his head. "Even Fenlai City has fallen to the magical beasts. I'm afraid that town won't be safe either."

Chairman Dawson considered for a moment. "Then we'll head north to the O'Brien Empire. Our Dawson Chamber of Commerce has a castle on the border. It has a garrison and Light Element magi. Once we get there, the wounded can receive treatment."

An looked at Hogg. Hogg nodded.

"Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Dawson," An said.

Chairman Dawson waved a hand. "Don't mention it. You saved Yale's life. It's the least I can do."

The two groups joined together. The Dawson Chamber of Commerce's cavalry guarded the front and rear, with the carriage in the middle. An and Linley rode beside it. Hogg tended to Hillman inside, while Bebe crouched on the carriage roof, his little eyes scanning their surroundings warily.

Darkness fell. The convoy lit torches and continued north along the main road.

An looked back from his horse at the southern sky. A faint glow of fire flickered in the direction of Wushan Town. The magical beasts were burning the houses.

The convoy traveled through the night. By dawn, they had left the Wushan Town area and entered the hills of northern Fenlai Kingdom. The magical beasts had yet to reach this place, and they occasionally saw refugees on the road.

Chairman Dawson ordered the convoy to stop outside a small town to rest. He sent men into town to gather news and buy food and medicine.

Half an hour later, the guard sent to gather news returned.

"Chairman, the people in town say the magical beast army has captured Fenlai City and is pushing north. The Radiant Church's forces have withdrawn to the northern border fortress. Pope Heidens is personally overseeing things there."

Chairman Dawson frowned. "The northern border fortress... That's our Dawson Chamber of Commerce's territory. Heidens certainly knows how to pick his spot."

He turned to An and Linley. "Young masters of the Baruch Clan, I have a proposal. Come with me to the O'Brien Empire. Conditions are better there. Once the magical beast disaster has passed, you can return and rebuild your home. What do you say?"

An looked at Hogg. After a moment of silence, Hogg nodded. "Sorry for the trouble, Chairman Dawson."

Chairman Dawson smiled. "Good! Then it's settled."

The convoy continued north.

Three days later, they reached the border fortress in northern Fenlai Kingdom. The Dawson Chamber of Commerce's private army was stationed there, along with large numbers of refugees who had fled from the south. The Radiant Church's people were there as well. Pope Heidens and several Cardinals had set up a temporary command post inside the fortress.

An did not want to deal with the Church, so he settled in a village outside the fortress. Chairman Dawson sent over a Light Element magus, who healed Hillman's wounds. Hogg was also slowly recovering.

The days passed. The magical beast army stopped advancing north and settled along a line stretching from Fenlai City to the central regions of Fenlai Kingdom. The two sides entered a standoff.

A month later, news reached the village.

"The king of the magical beasts, Dylan, has reached an agreement with the Radiant Church," Chairman Dawson came in person to tell An. "The magical beast army will occupy half the territory of the Holy Union and the Dark Alliance, while humanity withdraws to the other half. The war is over."