Spears and shields were tools of war, but they were always somehow pointed at noxa even during times of peace. The more Dreiki had learned of their history, the more he saw how deep this evil rooted itself in xiozian society. All the noble children who lay unconscious before him could afford to be violent. They could raise their weapons without fear of consequence. They could speak out, and be afforded an ear to listen.
Yet for Noxa, that luxury was not afforded. Raising a weapon as a Noxa spread fear and contempt, not glory and admiration. Even during a game, they were treated as fodder. It was okay to maim them, belittle them, or even kill them. There were no consequences for it like there might have been for other children.
It frustrated him. How was seeing a Noxa succeed somehow an insult to those who were born to succeed? He looked down at Sancta’s older brothers. He remembered how fondly she spoke of them. How terribly they had acted only recently. A product of their father’s lack of care.
Was that supposed to be an excuse?
Dreiki kicked Anitus off of Luna. When he caught a glimpse at what he had done to her face, Dreiki lost what little compassion he had left for him. He made sure to snort up as much bile and filth as he could muster before spitting it on Anitus’s face. This bastard deserved so much more than that. They all did. He wanted to take them apart. Their fingers. Their arms. Their legs, teeth, and eyes. All of it. He wanted to leave his mark behind like some sort of feral animal.
He raised his ax, swinging down with a vengeful cry. He hacked Anitus’s horns down to the nub, but nothing more. He spared Anitus, not out of altruism, but because he knew the consequences. If Luna and Ezo were still breathing, losing himself in his wrath would only result in them being killed anyway.
He feared they might already be dead, but he feared the possibility that he may play a role in their demise even more. Dreiki walked around, one by one severing the horns from these noble prodigies. He did not bother to check on Luna or Ezo yet. He was too afraid. If they were dead, he knew what he would end up doing to these nobles.
What could he do to help them anyway? He had no healing magic, nor any healing potions. He could feel the effects of Ux fatigue hitting him. He could not run fast enough to get them immediate care. He could hardly stand on his legs right now. There was no doubt in Dreiki’s mind that if he sat down he would not be able to get back up.
When his rage subsided, those excuses evaporated. What was he doing? He needed to help them! Dreiki slid over to Luna. If he could wake her up first, perhaps she could help him with Ezo, “Please be alive. Please.” He whispered, “Please.”
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He tested her pulse. Her breathing was gargled, and her heart was slow, but she was alive. Dreiki put her on her side to ensure she did not choke on her own blood. He hoped she had only swallowed her teeth. It would be a far greater issue if they had entered her lungs at all.
It was okay, though. She was alive. She could regrow her teeth and everything else. Dreiki clenched his fist. Beatings like this cut deeper than the body, though. Luna had grown so much on her own, and now he did not know if she would ever be the same.
He buried his face close to her, his breathing hitched. He clutched her, cradled her as tight as he could. It would be the only time in a long while she would allow anyone to touch her like this after she woke up.
She would wake up.
She would. She had to.
Dreiki heard a crunch of snow, looking up into the hollowed eyes of the Osazi. He had not felt its stare this time. It stood, grinning wickedly down at him. The Osazi loomed over him, tall and slender, black blood still draining from its eyes like tears.
“Is this what you wanted?” Dreiki shouted.
The Osazi grinned ever wider. Malaki could not speak, even if they could understand. Whatever speech they had was always mimicry for the sake of tormenting and luring their victims.
Dreiki could understand this creature, though. He could understand the message the Osazi sent him. It could not be harmed or killed. It could not be evaded nor defeated. No amount of magic, Ux, or techniques could make it go away.
It was as infallible as fate itself. Dreiki was only the poor soul destined to be tormented by it. Seeing him struggle, seeing him fight so hard to meet such bitter defeat was what this monster thrived on.
So long as Dreiki was alive, no one was safe from the Osazi.
And yet, so long as Dreiki was alive, this Osazi had not won, “You won’t beat me! I swear it with every fiber of my being! I will see the day you succumb to your wounds. I’ll laugh at your pitiful fucking corpse! So long as I live, I will not let you turn me into you.”
The Osazi laughed, raising a finger to his face. Dreiki’s heart dropped. This Osazi was going to ensure the worst possible outcome. His mind raced with all that could happen. Luna could succumb to her wounds, Rixam and Gornax hunted because Dreiki had cut the horns. Dreiki killed as they discovered his link to Savekio through the Ux he had displayed.
The Osazi clutched its finger and started to bend it back.
FMPF!
A snowball wedged into its hollowed eyesocket.
“Get the fuck outta here before I eat you, bitchass!” someone shouted over his shoulder as another snowball splattered across its face.
Dreiki turned to see Kaara packing a third snowball with her hands.
FMPF! FMPF! FMPF!
One after the other, non magical snowballs peppered the Osazi. It stood, its grin looking less satisfied than before.
One more snowball exploded across its face and it vanished in the scatter of ice and snow. Dreiki looked on in utter bewilderment of what had just occurred. The Osazi had been defeated by a snowball fight.