When Travis arrived at the Loran tribe, he was shocked by the destruction that had befallen it. Bodies were scattered everywhere, and there was no sign of the living—only remains.
Some of the villagers were hanging on poles, their bodies drenched in blood, while soldiers roamed among them without a care, the echo of their hysterical laughter resounding through the air.
Travis stood at the edge of the village, watching the scene with frozen eyes; all he felt was anger raging inside him.
At that moment, Travis moved swiftly. He reached for the wheel fixed on his back and drew his two long swords in one fluid motion, then charged toward the first soldier within range.
With a decisive slash, he cut through the soldier's neck. Blood sprayed into the air, and the body collapsed to the ground without movement. In the next instant, he twisted his body to evade a spear thrust toward him, then turned and stabbed his opponent in the stomach, twisting the blade inside before pulling it out with force, sending him crashing to the ground.
Travis continued fighting, moving with deadly precision, attacking, blocking, and dodging without hesitation. Every strike brought down another enemy.
Fear began to seep into the soldiers' hearts as they realized they were not facing an ordinary opponent, but one consumed by rage and without mercy. One of them tried to flee, but he had barely taken a few steps before a blade hurled by Travis pierced his chest with lethal accuracy.
Then a group of soldiers came, attempting to surround him. In a fleeting moment, before they could attack, he returned his swords to their place and, in a swift motion, drew his two pistols from the wheel.
His shots rang out in rapid succession; every bullet found its mark with astonishing precision, and every soldier who approached him fell instantly.
No one was able to stand against him, and when he had finished eliminating all the soldiers, he advanced toward the only commander left alive.
He seized him forcefully and began torturing him in an attempt to extract information.
Travis shouted angrily, "Where are the rest of the villagers?"
The commander replied, writhing in pain, "Fleet Commander 'Robert the Butcher' ordered that they be taken with him!"
Travis's features tightened. He brought his face close to the commander's and demanded loudly, "Where did they go?"
The commander answered in a trembling voice, "To the Kingdom of Valdaris."
At that moment, Hamza and Basil arrived at the place and saw what was happening.
Basil approached the man, grabbed him, threw him to the ground, and began punching him forcefully and repeatedly.
The sight of Basil beating the commander was terrifying. Rage had completely taken control of him, and he continued striking him until he died—yet he kept hitting him in madness even after his death.
Hamza tried to stop Basil, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him violently. "Basil, stop! He's dead!"
Basil stopped, took a deep breath, his eyes filled with anger and sorrow, then stood while looking at the massive destruction that had befallen the tribe.
As they talked, they realized that Robert the Butcher and his forces had left only a small part of their fleet on the island, while Robert and his main forces had taken the rest and departed.
Travis searched for Kabila among the piled and mutilated bodies, but he did not find her.
As they stood in the destroyed village, surrounded by ruin and devastation, Travis remembered Kabila. He took out the small seashell she had given him and examined it with his trembling fingers. That simple gift carried beautiful memories and was a symbol of hope he had found on this island.
When his fingers touched the surface of the shell, Kabila's voice echoed in his mind, laughing gently:
"This will remind you of me and of the island."
He felt a stab in his heart, as if Kabila were standing beside him, smiling at him as she always did.
His eyes filled with tears, and they began to fall one after another. He could not stop his trembling lips or the deep pain that crept into his chest.
He fell to his knees, looking at the shell in the palm of his hand before pressing it tightly against his chest.
Hamza and Basil stood beside him, grieving for what had happened.
After moments of sorrow, Travis gathered his strength and spoke in a firm tone: "We must catch up with Robert's ships and retrieve the rest."
Hamza replied hesitantly, "We can't face them, Travis. They possess an entire fleet of soldiers, and we are only three people."
As they were speaking, Zeras suddenly appeared and stood before them, saying, "You must continue the journey. You have not yet reached the Kingdom of Estlazon. You must gather the stones before the forces of evil reach it."
Travis refused firmly, saying, "I cannot leave Kabila and the others in the hands of those monsters. I will go after the ships."
Basil was silent for a moment, then spoke in a calm and balanced tone: "We will not stand in your way, and I wish to accompany you. But you must also consider Hamza's words. We must continue our journey and search for the remaining Babrius stones before they fall into the hands of those villains."
Hamza added, "I know you are kind-hearted, Travis, but be careful. The fleet commander is a very strong person and not to be underestimated."
Travis replied with eyes filled with determination, "Farewell. I will see you soon, and I hope we will have accomplished our missions successfully."
Basil placed his hand on Travis's shoulder and said, "Remember that the trials of life strengthen your faith and increase your patience." Then he continued, "I hope we meet again under better circumstances."
Travis departed toward the ships, determined to rescue Kabila and the others.
As for Hamza and Basil, they remained on the island, preparing to continue their journey and gather the remaining Babrius stones—hoping that one day they would reunite after achieving all their goals.