Arknightcraft Modpack

“…What do you want?”

Talulah did not agree immediately. Although she was angry, her mind remained clear. There was no such thing as unprovoked kindness in this world. Since Steven had asked her what she could offer, it was clear that he had his own demands. She wasn’t about to recklessly declare she was willing to give up everything for this.

“Actually, it’s not difficult for you. All I need is… hmm, a little bit of dragon saliva,” Steven replied candidly, revealing his request. Considering that he was about to solve such a big problem for her, asking for some saliva didn’t seem unreasonable.

However, to avoid misunderstanding, Steven chose a more poetic term instead of bluntly saying “saliva.”

“Dragon saliva?”

Talulah froze for a moment upon hearing the term. When she realized what he meant, a flush of crimson spread across her fair cheeks.

“You pervert, what do you want that for?”

Her tone carried more anger than confusion. She found it strange why Steven would need something like that. Was this some kind of roundabout way of asking for a kiss?

But they had only just met! Sure, this guy had left a reasonably good impression on her, but they were far from close enough for something so intimate!

“Huh? Don’t overthink it. Just tell me if you’re willing or not,” Steven retorted, confused by her reaction. He was just asking for some saliva. How did that make him a pervert? He had even tried to phrase it poetically!

Talulah was about to refuse outright, but when she saw the Infected patrol squad looting the village’s last remaining food supplies, she hesitated.

If a small sacrifice on her part could ensure that everyone in the village would survive the harsh winter, wouldn’t it be worth it?

“If you really can do it, then I suppose I can agree,” Talulah said, taking a deep breath. Determined, she looked toward the empty space beside her. Though she couldn’t see Steven, her intuition told her he was waiting nearby for her response.

“Deal. Just watch what happens next,” Steven’s voice faded as he left, leaving Talulah staring after him. She couldn’t fathom how he planned to change the current situation.

Her doubts didn’t last long. Just minutes later, Talulah witnessed something that left her completely stunned.

From the once-quiet snowy plains came a strange, unsettling noise, like the rapid movement of a large group of creatures. Accompanying the sound was an inexplicable feeling of dread that no one could ignore.

It was as if a terrifying monster lurked in the blizzard. The villagers and the looting Infected patrol squad alike froze, turning their eyes toward the source of the eerie sensation.

The wind and snow seemed to dissipate, revealing the true form of the intruders.

A group of eerie, over two-meter-tall snowmen stood in the ice and snow, their Jack o’Lantern heads displaying sinister grins that sent chills down the spine.

Even more terrifying was that these snowmen, made entirely of snowflakes, moved like living beings. Their unsettling Jack o’Lantern faces only made them more nightmarish.

But the real source of terror wasn’t the snowmen—it was the figure behind them.

Riding a towering skeletal warhorse was a knight clad in burning flames, his head replaced by an equally sinister Jack o’Lantern. His purple-black armor gleamed ominously, and the flames covering his body seemed to scorch the heavens.

In his hand, he held a longsword that glinted with a cold light, as if ready to claim the souls of anyone who dared look upon it.

This knight, leading his horde of monstrous snowmen, appeared as if conjured from thin air. Standing before the small village, he seemed to regard it as nothing more than a minor obstacle on his path.

The Infected patrol squad, having no clue what was happening, now found themselves facing off against what seemed to be an army straight out of legend.

The knight raised his purple-black longsword and swung it lightly. With that single motion, the falling snow in front of him split cleanly in two, fully revealing him and his snowman army.

“Headless Horseman! Aaaahhhh!”

Someone finally broke under the pressure and screamed the name of the figure before them. With that, the fragile silence of the village shattered.

Panic spread like wildfire. Although the villagers and Patrol soldiers might not know exactly what the Headless Horseman was, they could tell that this eerie knight was no ordinary passerby.

The captain of the Infected patrol squad stood rooted in place, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

He might have been an authoritative officer when dealing with the Infected or the villagers, but in the face of this clearly supernatural entity, he was nothing more than an ordinary man.

Swallowing hard, the captain tried to remind his subordinates to stay alert and not lose formation, but before he could speak, the eerie knight that had been standing far behind the snowmen was suddenly right next to him.

The skeletal warhorse, its body seemingly composed entirely of bone, exhaled a chilling breath onto his face, a cold so biting it felt as though it could freeze him solid. The knight, bathed in flames, seemed to deem any interaction with him unnecessary. Instead, the knight simply raised his longsword.

Schwip—

It wasn’t the sound of the sword cutting flesh. Overwhelmed by the oppressive aura radiating from the knight, the captain’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees.

A foul-smelling, yellow liquid seeped from beneath his trousers, yet he seemed entirely unaware of it. Instead, he dropped his head to the ground and began kowtowing furiously, desperately begging the knight to spare his life.

The closer the knight came, the more the captain’s primal fear grew. The sheer weight of impending death stripped him of all pride and duty. What were the ideals of Ursus or the authority of the Infected patrol squad compared to survival?

This being was no human. The captain cursed his luck, wondering how he could have been so unlucky as to encounter such a monstrous entity. All he’d wanted was to exploit his position and squeeze a little profit from the locals—how had it come to this?

But to his surprise, his groveling seemed to work, at least partially. The knight appeared taken aback by his pitiful display. Even the skeletal warhorse shuffled a few steps back, as though unwilling to step in the filth pooling at the captain’s feet.

“Killing you would insult my blade,” a deep, hoarse voice echoed from the knight, cold and lifeless like the rasping of nails on a chalkboard. The sound alone made the captain’s ears throb, but he didn’t dare stop kowtowing, repeating his pleas over and over again.

The knight shifted his gaze to the rest of those present. Without uttering a word, he scanned the crowd through the glowing Jack o’Lantern on his shoulders. Whether they were the Infected patrol squad or ordinary villagers, everyone collapsed to their knees under the weight of his presence, their bodies trembling with fear.

The once-bustling village square was now eerily silent, save for the imposing figure of the knight astride his skeletal horse. Even Talulah, though furious and defiant at heart, found herself crouching low beside a stunned Alina, pulling her friend down with her.

“Weaklings,” the knight declared, his voice dripping with contempt.

With that cutting insult, the knight turned his skeletal steed, retreating into the ranks of the menacing snowmen.

Without further word or action, the knight raised his longsword, pointing it toward the distant snowfield. The army of snowmen silently turned in unison and resumed their march in the indicated direction.

It all happened so abruptly, and their departure was equally mystifying.

Like a mirage, the snowmen and the terrifying knight vanished, leaving behind only a group of kneeling, shell-shocked individuals and a deep sword mark in the snow near the village entrance—a trench several meters deep carved by the knight’s earlier slash.

Even though the threat was no longer visible, the village remained deathly silent. No one dared to even breathe too loudly, afraid the oppressive force might return.

When the suffocating fear finally lifted, some dared to sneak a glance in the direction where the knight had disappeared.

It wasn’t until one person collapsed from the cold, unable to stay kneeling in the snow any longer, that the others finally confirmed the terrifying entity had truly left.

The soldiers of the Infected patrol squad slowly got to their feet. Any thought of continuing their looting was gone. They wanted nothing more than to leave this cursed village, where monstrous entities could appear at any moment.

Perhaps those rumors from above were true after all—this region really did harbor terrifying monsters.

The captain, still trembling, stopped his desperate kowtowing. Ignoring the blood now streaming from his forehead, he found the pain oddly grounding, helping him regain some clarity. Recalling the orders from higher up, his entire back grew damp with cold sweat.

“Let’s go. Report this to the higher-ups,” he muttered hoarsely, his voice barely audible over the sound of his own heartbeat.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Infected patrol squad captain, now being supported by his subordinates, immediately issued his orders to retreat. His men, having long abandoned any thoughts of looting the village, were more desperate to leave this cursed place than anyone else.

“Wait! You can’t just leave! Who will protect us if you go?”

The village chief, trembling just as much as the soldiers, grabbed the captain’s arm and begged in a fearful voice.

The Infected patrol squad might not have been kind, but at least they had some combat ability. A moment ago, the chief had wished for their departure. But now, in this horrifying situation, the prospect of their absence left him terrified. Without the Patrol, the village would become nothing more than a flock of helpless sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

“We don’t care what happens to you! We’re here to search for Infected individuals. This has nothing to do with us. Pray for your own safety, because we’re not staying.”

Not even bothering to count how many of his men were still with him, the captain, supported by his subordinates, fled in a panic. He looked as though some horrifying specter was chasing him, driving him to abandon his armor and any shred of dignity.

The terrifying knight had to be reported to the higher-ups immediately. As for the fate of these villagers?

Who would care?

Left in a state of panic and despair, the villagers could only watch as their supposed protectors vanished. Among them, only Talulah and Alina managed to maintain a semblance of composure.

“That knight just now… could it be…?”

Alina glanced at Talulah with a mix of uncertainty and disbelief. Her trembling voice betrayed her own doubts.

Talulah frowned deeply, her expression complex, and gave a slight nod.

As much as she didn’t want to believe it, the glowing Jack o’Lantern head that the knight had donned was almost identical to that of Steven. It was hard to imagine it being a coincidence.