The Substitute Healer (BL)-Chapter 101: “Could you please just listen to me?”

The cold had already been harsh that day, biting and relentless but the violence that followed swallowed even that.

It began without warning.

Suddenly, there are dark figures who rushed forward from the stillness, and before anyone could react, steel struck their flesh. The first horse barely managed half a scream before a blade drove deep into its neck where its blood burst out in thick, steaming waves. The animal reared violently with its eyes wide with terror, but another strike came immediately like a brutal slash across its chest that split its muscle open as if it were nothing more than cloth.

There was no hesitation on how those suspicious people wield their swords as if they’re to what they are doing right now.

Then, another attacker stepped in and drove his sword downward between the animal’s ribs making the sound that followed like a choking cry as the horse collapsed with their legs buckling beneath it.

Nearby, another horse thrashed wildly while trying to pull free, its hooves scraping uselessly against the frozen ground when a blade tore across its flank, deep and merciless, followed by another thrust that sank so far that the hilt nearly touched flesh.

Its body jerked once... then went still.

One by one, they fell.

Some tried to stand even after being struck while their bodies are still trembling, collapsing only after more blows forced them down. One dragged itself forward while its breath shuddering until a sword came down sharply into its spine, silencing it completely.

The air filled with the smell of blood against the bitter cold.

With the horses collapsing in chaos, the carriage had no balance left to hold it upright so it lurched violently as the weight shifted all at once. Wood cracked with a sharp, splintering snap along with its wheels that’s lifting unevenly before the entire carriage tipped and crashed onto its side.

The impact thundered through the ground while scattering all cargos and bodies alike.

But the attackers didn’t stop.

They moved past the wreckage as if it no longer existed.

The merchants had only begun to realize what was happening when the blades reached them.

Panic spread too slowly to matter.

A moment after, there was a one man who tried to run while slipping on frost as his boots struggled but he didn’t make it more than a few steps before a sword cut clean across the back of his legs. He collapsed instantly while screaming with his hands clawing at the dirt in desperation.

The blade that followed pierced straight through his back, emerging through his chest before being pulled free without ceremony while the attackers are obviously enjoying their victim’s reactions.

Then another merchant raised his trembling hands while his voice was breaking as he begged that the words barely formed from his mouth before the sword came down hard through his shoulder making him dropped to his knees.

He even barely had time to gasp before the blade swept across his throat, opening it in one smooth, practiced motion. After that, blood poured freely while spilling down his chest, staining the frozen ground beneath him.

Some tried to fight, but it hardly mattered.

One even grabbed a broken piece of wood, lifting it in shaking hands as if it could shield him but the attacker didn’t slow.

What followed that was a clean slash that tore through his stomach, splitting his clothes and flesh alike. The man folded forward while his breath was leaving him in a wet choke with his body crumpling before he even understood the wound.

Another tried to crawl away while dragging himself through dirt and spilled cargo though he didn’t get far when a masked figure seized the back of his collar, hauling him upright just enough for a blade to slide neatly beneath his ear.

Every strike was efficient and controlled.

The merchants and their apprentice or assistants couldn’t even shout.

It was so sudden.

Just killing.

Within moments, the road was littered with bodies, blood soaked into the frost, melting pale patches into dark while spreading stains.

The silence that followed felt heavier than the screams that came before it. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Scattered goods lay everywhere, untouched and ignored as if none of it had ever mattered. And slowly, as the last sound of struggle faded, the masked figures lifted their blades... and turned.

Not toward the fallen but toward the only two people still alive.

Beneath the overturned carriage, the world felt tight, suffocating, and unreal. Broken wood pressed in from all sides, trapping cold air and the sharp scent of blood in the cramped space. Outside, distant footsteps and the faint scrape of steel reminded them that the attackers were still out there, closing in.

As Elias gritted his teeth and forced himself to move, each tug of the wreckage was sending fresh waves of pain down his dislocated shoulder. It throbbed relentlessly, sharp and pulsing, but he ignored it while gently dragging Soren out as best he could.

At the same time, he quietly channeled what little energy he had into healing himself, just enough to keep moving, though the process only made the pain sting more since stopping wasn’t an option.

"Soren... are you okay?" Elias muttered urgently while trying not to draw attention. Then his gaze caught the trickle of blood along Soren’s temple, and his voice panic. "Damn it... your head’s bleeding!"

Soren barely flinched. "It’s not a big deal," he said softly while brushing away the blood as his attention immediately shifted to Elias. "How about you? Does your shoulder hurt? Let me heal you..."

Before he could reach out, Elias caught his wrist while gripping it tightly and pulling him instinctively behind his body.

"This isn’t the time," Elias said while carrying an unshakable urgency. "Don’t leave my side. There are too many of them... but when I tell you to run, you run fast, okay and don’t look back. I’ll buy time for you to escape."

Soren’s eyes widened, and then he shook his head with frustration and disbelief lacing his words. "What kind of nonsense is that? We just got together. How can you even say that to me? No, I won’t leave you!"

Elias gritted his teeth upon hearing that. "Could you please just listen to me?"