"Aghh," the middle-aged man yelled, grabbing at his leg.
The remaining men went to their knees and threw their weapons on the ground, away from them. A sign of total surrender.
Blanc did not even bat an eye in their direction as he went in front of the crying man.
"Speak, and I will ease your pain," Blanc said, looking straight into the man's brown eyes.
The man strained to breathe, the pain grasping at his brain, not allowing him even to speak. Seeing this, Blanc grabbed the handle and pressed downward, sending the man's screaming echoes around the valley.
"Answer me, who sent you?" Blanc muttered.
"The… Lord of the Domain… wanted a new… toy," the man muttered through tears, pain, and terror.
"Blood fucking Elna," Blanc sighed, before he turned, facing the man, "You have given me all I need to know, now I will ease your pain."
After Blanc's words reached the man's ears, for a second, he looked hopeful that the pain scratching his soul would vanish, and that all would be all right.
He looked pleased, a warm look in his eyes that remained even when his detached head fell to the ground, not even realizing what had happened before the darkness he did not deserve overtook him.
Seeing all that happened made the tied, helpless women terrified. But Blanc, after taking a look their way, heard approaching steps from the west of him.
Two pairs of steps.
He quickly looked at Lendros and Tahreni, who stood guard before the eight remaining men, not concerned about the two approaching.
That made Blanc breathe in relief as he turned and looked into the darkness, seeing who it actually was.
Velakia was grimacing, supporting a young woman with one arm wrapped around her shoulders as they walked towards them.
"Seems all went well," Blanc said towards her as they came into the light of the torches.
"If you can call this situation well," Velakia shrugged.
As the woman appeared, the tied women began murmuring, trying to say something while looking at her.
"And who are these bastards?" Velakia hissed, looking at the kneeling men.
"The only people left alive," Blanc replied, turning to look at them, "And I have a proposition for them, tell us all you know about the current situation in the Domain, and who you are, and perhaps I will not give you the same treatment I gave your leader."
"No need," Velakia replied, putting the woman she was carrying down, her back up against the ground, "I do not want to hear them speak."
"But what about-"
"I can just take it," Velakia said, interrupting Blanc, "You free the poor girls in the meantime."
At that, one of the men jumped up, drawing a knife he held hidden behind his blouse and heading straight towards Velakia, who, as the man approached, watched with a boredom Blanc did not even realize was possible.
But that boredom soon vanished as the man charged towards her, perhaps to have her as a hostage and trade her for his freedom.
A good plan, but one that lacked vision, since Velakia, with a swift flick of her wrist, opened up his neck with one of her daggers, before stopping the man's momentum by placing her hand inside the man's neck, and grabbing at his esophagus.
"You dog of a man," Velakia hissed as the man tried freeing himself, but the quick blood loss he was having made him lose strength quicker, "Do you know what we do to men like you in my homeland, hm? We break each bone in their body, skin them off, then place them into the salty sea while still alive, where they will die a slow, painful death over days, and days, and days, until their worthless lives are all but forgotten, eaten by fish. But you, you are lucky, you do not get to suffer, mo ed iongu."
At her foreign words, she pulled her hand outside the man's neck, pulling with her the man's insides, killing him instantly.
"Now, is there another one who wants to try his luck?" Velakia asked the seven kneeling men.
And besides two of them soiling themselves, no answer came.
Blanc watched dumbfounded, but soon shook his head, drawing his knife while heading towards the tied women. When he first took a step towards them, they flinched, afraid of another man who could do horrible things to them.
"I apologize," Blanc muttered as he stopped walking, raising his hands and showing off their knife, realizing that perhaps pointing a knife towards terrified women would not be considered the wisest of ideas, "I am coming to free you all, not harm you. I promise, okay?"
The women stared silently, watching him not move for a few seconds. Seeing this, one of the women nodded for him to proceed.
"Okay," Blanc said, "I am now coming to free you, please do not move while I cut off the ropes so that I don't harm you by mistake."
They stood frozen where they were, half-naked, clothes torn, watching Blanc as he approached.
He knelt before them, lifting the knife and placing its edge gently against the rope binding one woman's mouth.
With a swift, controlled pull, the blade sliced cleanly through half the knot.
Then he set the knife down slowly, deliberately making sure they saw his hands and had no reason to panic. Only once the metal rested safely on the ground did he take hold of the frayed rope, pull it apart, and snap it fully, freeing her mouth at last.
"That's a nice smile," Blanc said warmly, as the now freed mouth of the young woman curled into a light smile in gratitude for what he did, "But I'm sure it would look nicer once you can walk freely."
And with that, he slowly moved around the women, freeing them with gentleness and slow precision, making sure that not another scratch touched their skin.
"I am done here," Velakia said, approaching Blanc.
"Right on time," Blanc replied, getting to his feet from behind the women and looking at the additional corpses on the ground that he did not even notice appear, "At least you killed them off quickly."
"Too good a death for the bastards," Velakia sighed.
"Um," the woman who smiled at Blanc earlier spoke, slowly trying to get to her feet, "C-can I speak?"