“It’s a full moon tonight, you know what that means.”
A hooded figure said to another while preparing a pyre under the light of the stars.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve been cutting wood all day” answered the man while putting said wood inside a circle of stones. There was a green altar in the middle of the circle.
“By the way, where are the apprentices? I was told that Sarlam recruited quite a few recently.”
“Dunno. I didn’t see them either. He said that they were quite good. One of them can even see slightly into the future and another can cast curses.”
“Sounds like a lot. Can they even handle such powers? Our lord’s blessings aren’t given without a reason, that I know.”
“Then why do you ask?”
“It just seems off. Barely any of us got any blessings, some were in service for decades, yet a bunch of kids got them just like that?”
The other man, Teroh, pondered for a moment.
“You know what Devas? You are right. Keep in mind though, that our lord doesn’t do anything for naught. Whatever happens with the kids is not our business. Now get some guys to bring more wood. We need a strong fire.”
The wood was slowly but steadily piled up as a few men helped. As the pyre was ready, a few other people came. They all wore hoods, some of them had a strange symbol on their chest. Devas and Teroh would keep their distance from them out of instinct.
Next was the incense and the chalices.
“Wait, weren’t the apprentices the ones to bring the chalices?” said Devas.
“So I was told. They’re late even for a bunch of kids. Shit, this is why I told Sarlam to put someone else to do it. The moon will be at its peak and the ritual didn’t even start.”
“Well, we have nothing to lose if we just start the fire. I wonder who will be sacrificed, the last one was quite screamy and we had to cut his neck.”
Teroh looked around. They weren’t many as the crackdown on sects began not long ago. This city in particular was difficult due to the local officer and that damned wizard.
The ritual would be more difficult without the proper tools.
“Yeah, let’s do it.”
The people started to slowly hum on a predetermined rhythm. Teroh and Devas did the same and as the song progressed some of them started to sing. It was a low beat song, made specifically so as to not be heard easily.
The night is long, the fire is strong. Hearts forgotten, show yourself. A snake’s kiss, flow in our veins. Death to me and death to all.
*
A few hours earlier, before the sun set, three teenagers were in the market. Most stalls were closed but there were still quite a few late sellers. There was one girl among them and she looked behind them at all times.
“Veni, what are you doing?” asked one of the boys without looking at her. He was approaching one of the few open stalls.
The seller seemed shady, but his wares were really good. The copper cups looked especially pretty with their small coloured stones.
“Someone is tailing us. I can feel its presence but I can’t hear nor smell who or what it is. We should hurry.”
Her hand was at her waist where she kept a dagger. She was not the best combatant around but she was better than the other two.
The other boy was silent. He didn’t speak at all since they were grouped together, she thought that he might be a mute. He moved his hands to say something to her.
“‘Your voice is hurting my ears.’? I’m gonna twist your fingers if you talk like that again.”
She was even more uncomfortable now. Someone was following them and her teammates didn’t listen.
She did the sensible thing and came between them to look at the wares. At least she should be shielded.
“Change your mind?”
“Yeah, I may still be a little paranoid.”
A few silent moments passed by and they decided to buy most of the chalices and cups that were there.
“Thank you for your patronage.” said the old man as he began closing. He had a tattoo under his neck that Veni noticed. He was one of them, though more in espionage and population mingling.
“Be aware of the delinquents.”
Before anyone could ask for clarification, the man closed the stall and spirited away.
The three teens saw that the sun set and hurried to the meeting place. They’d be chewed on by the organizers if they failed on their first assignment.
There were a few more streets before they could leave the city only to see a bunch of kids in rags playing with sticks.
They were near the slums.
“What if we bring one of these kids as a sacrifice? The fresher the blood the better the result, so they say,” said Veder, the bold boy.
Veni was still on edge. Now even more than before. She could even feel hatred centered on them, especially Veder.
Maybe that was her gift? She was always wondering why she was put with these two.
“Maybe we shouldn’t. They are dirty and unclean. Hell, some of them may even have some disease! Let’s just hurry. We are already late.”
While Veder was somewhat convinced, the silent one, Blest, just up and walked towards the kids. He mumbled something and slowly, but surely, the kids were moving slower and slower as their energy was drained until none of them could stand.
When Blest got to them, they were sleeping. He took the smallest boy on his shoulder and came back to his group.
“He does as he pleases. As annoying as that can be, you did a good job. Now let’s…”
Veder stopped mid sentence as he noticed that one of the kids was standing behind the mute. Actually, he was about the same age as them, yet he didn’t see him get up or even be there before.
He was taller than any of them, however, and seemed furious. Or at least, that’s what he could tell, the sun was almost set and the light wasn’t great.
Blest sensed the shift in mood and turned around, mumbling something. He was preparing another attack with no hesitation only for his face to meet the fist of that ruffian.
That threw him on the ground, blood spilling from his mouth and a few teeth falling.
The other two were taken aback at the sudden violence. Well, not Veni, she grew in a precarious condition before coming here, so this was nothing new for her.
“He is the one! He kept following us all this time!”
She said this to bring her teammate to reality, but all it did was to get the ruffian’s attention.
She was fairly confident that she could escape, but if they brought an intruder there was no telling what could happen. At the very least they should beat him real good. He’d be a better sacrifice anyway.
She took her knife and prepared for a fight.
“Wait,” said Veder out of his stupor, “you’re gonna…”
She ran a few steps before falling flat on her face, getting her foot stabbed by a sharp stone.
“...fall.”
She groaned in pain and surprise, as that particular stone wasn’t there before. It cut through her leg leaving a fairly deep injury.
Veder ducked just before a girl from behind him did a round kick so strong it made a small breeze. She was precise and tried to hit his head.
There was no point in reasoning, these guys wanted them beaten.
The ruffian did not wait long and jumped on Blest only to be repelled by a strong force a few meters away. The ruffian didn’t seem phased at all and stood up as soon as he touched the ground.
“That all?” the ruffian mocked.
Blest seemed to pop a blood vessel as that was, what he considered, his strongest defense.
He raised his arms before him in a motion that mimicked strangling. The ruffian started to run, however his breath was heavier and his movement odd, as if he was sick.
Blest smirked, except his opponent was slower than before, which did not say much given his previous strength, and the ruffian still got to him and decked his ass. This time he beat him so hard he fell unconscious.
Veni was, in the meantime, assaulted with pebbles from all directions. She soon realized that there was a third person who didn’t show itself.
‘He has all the advantages, unlike me.’
She decided to hide herself by going into a bush. Next to a house. That was the bush her attacker was in.
“Would you look at that”, he said pointing a finger at her. She immediately rolled out of the bush as a small water whip went out and cut some branches.
She threw another knife she kept in her back pocket into the bush only to be reflected by a gust of wind. The knife landed in the bush.
The ground under her feet arose around her feet and kept her in place.
The magic boy stood up, holding her dagger with one hand as if it was smeared with shit.
With a flick of his other hand the earth moved forward, making her lose balance and fall backwards onto the same stone she fell from, only it wasn’t as sharp as before.
The last ones were Veder and the fighter girl. It took them the longest because the boy kept dodging her attacks, but he could not counter attack. This dance kept going on for a few seconds, during this time the girl threw around six punches a second. He knew that, because he started to count them after being hit several times.
The boy could see into the future, that was the only reason he managed to survive this long. However, the girl’s movements were so fast and sudden he could not react in time.
Then he saw a weakness in her stance and took advantage of it.
Well, he tried. She changed her stance ever so slightly and hit him square in the face, his cheeks fuming from how fast she hit.
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Losing focus, he staggered for a bit but that was enough for her. She kneed him in the stomach repeatedly until he fell unconscious.
As far as the assailants were concerned, they didn’t even sweat.
The three teens gathered around, each holding his victim by the neck of their shirt. The fighter girl, named Zara, spoke first.
“You just had to take his attack head-on? The guy gave you a curse, idiot.”
“I beat him squarely. Besides, I was angry at what he’d done to my friends. They were just playing around minding their business. You know it,” said the ruffian, named Efar.
Alberto, the magic boy, grew weary of carrying the cunning girl and just let her down.
“Zara, just dispel the curse. You are better at this than me. That aside, it is interesting how low the sect stooped. Taking advantage of teens and kids and making them kidnap others.”
“Nah,” interjected Efar while Zara took his hand in her palms and recited something, “they decided at the last moment to do that, I heard them. The girl noticed me somehow and wanted not to, but the mute just did it without their approval. That’s why I was angry. It felt like they defied all warnings.”
“Still, think more carefully when fighting. We are not dealing with mere thugs,” said Zara.
Small sparks suddenly appeared out from her hands and burned Efar’s skin. It did not hurt and the burns disappeared as soon as the reciting was done.
“It will take a few days before the curse is completely purged, but given your stature, you are as good as any time.”
“Thanks.”
“Let’s get the guys to your father, Zara. He will be happy to get information out of them,” pointed Alberto to the defeated ones.
“Efar, take mine.”
“Why?”
“‘Cuz I don’t wanna touch her. This she-viper could poison me even unconsciously.”
“And you’re alright with me being poisoned?”
“Yes.”
Efar mumbled something and took the girl on his shoulder and the mute on his other. Zara took the brave boy on both her shoulders while giggling and they all went back to the town square.
*
It was almost midnight, the preacher started speaking. Teroh and Devas were sitting farther from the fire than the others. They looked at each other and understood that something was wrong. The errand kids didn’t come and they received no word from Sarlam. Because of this the ritual would be incomplete no matter what happens.
“Good thing we kept our daggers.”
“Indeed. I guess someone got on our tail.”
“Maybe the authorities?”
“Ridiculous. They are incompetents. Hell, sometimes they make our job easier, either by accepting bribes or by not patrolling.” said Teroh.
“Let our lord take care of your needs! For we are Hiiis chosen ones! We are sons and daughters of a higher will! Whooo will stand against us, against our divine mission? Even if we fall, we shall rise!” shouted the preacher.
“Yeah, but that is the case in most places. This town is unusually tough to crack. We lost many while trying to bribe the militia.” answered Devas.
Teroh was now half listening to the preacher.
“Why do all these new preachers shout so much? Especially here, he will be heard by the whole town.”
He took a short pause and continued.
“But yeah, you are right. Let’s prepare an escape plan.”
They mostly looked around to get to know this place. Given that they were in an opening in the forest, there were only two escape routes. The one they came through and a second one to the west that pushed them deeper into the forest.
On the second route, however, were wild beasts. A bear was also sighted recently from what Teroh remembered.
They noticed a much better hidden route that seemed to go somewhere else.
“Wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where lovers usually go,” said Devas smirking.
“Shut it.” retorted Teroh, listening to something.
Devas noticed his friend’s expression and looked before and behind them. Nothing seemed wrong, but that was worrying in and of itself.
They both retreated into the shadows, their daggers in hands. They no longer spoke anything to each other, yet they coordinated their movements precisely. They always stood apart but never too far from each other and always looking where the other wasn’t.
Out of nowhere, people started falling, from the backseats to the front. Teroh and Devas noticed that those were arrows, likely poisoned.
They looked at each other and went to the direction the arrows came from, but there was nobody except for faint traces of someone recently being there.
Given that they hadn’t met with the culprits, it meant they went ahead, or worse, noticed them.
The preacher and the attendees noticed the sudden change.
“We are attacked, come together! We shall vanquish our opponents!”
The preacher tried his best to rouse the people, but he, too, was distraught. Perhaps he believed they were safe all this time.
Teroh and Devas tried their best to find the culprits, but all they could find was a lost teen. His hair was ruffled and his clothes were like that of a hunter. He wielded a bow.
“What? What are you doing here!?” asked Devas while walking furiously to the boy.
To his surprise the boy tried to punch him in the face disregarding his bow. His strength and speed were much too good for a kid and his stature was almost that of an adult.
It was Efar.
Devas was taken aback by his courage, however, he side-stepped and impaled his shoulder with the dagger, to which Efar grunted and took a step back. Devas approached Efar and looked at him.
“Impressive. Never met someone like him. Sturdy and strong. Too bad we are enemies.”
Teroh looked from a few steps away, behind a tree, when he noticed a flying sharp stone going straight for Devas’ head. Teroh threw his dagger, changing the stone’s trajectory.
Devas looked at it surprised.
“Don’t let your guard down, idiot. That’s how they get you.”
Teroh took another knife from a back pocket and threw it not from where the stone came, but at Zara who tried to knee him from the side.
She dodged but was surprised that she was noticed. She didn’t approach, afraid that the man held other tricks.
“Two of them, huh? Or three? No matter.”
Teroh raised his hands.
“We surrender. It’s clear that you got us surrounded. We will come peacefully.”
For a moment, Efar and Zara relaxed, only for Alberto’s voice from deeper into the forest to be heard.
“He’s lying don’t-”
But it was too late. Devas threw a smoke grenade, blinding all of them. The smoke scattered in all directions, engulfing even a part of the forest clearing.
Teroh managed to get out of the smokescreen and took the preacher with him.
“Next time speak quieter. Now come on. At least you should come with us.”
“But what about the believers? We can’t-”
“We can help them later. You are more important.”
Teroh’s coldness made the preacher listen to his words and obey.
Despite his rather quick cooperation, they were intercepted by a guy with a fox mask who wore hunter garbs.
Teroh’s eyes bulged for a moment.
“The Fox! Shit! Get behind me, now!” he shouted nervously.
While fighting the kids he was quite calm, as even the most talented can’t beat experience. But the one before him had even more experience than anyone present.
The guy was infamous in their circle as an exceptionally dangerous individual. An adventurer and hunter. He would have been higher on their priority list if he had any position of power.
Even so, he proved dangerous without all that. He was living proof that man needed only wits and determination to get by in the world.
‘I have no chance against him, not without Devas. And even if he was here, we have a much more important mission. We got sidetracked for too long already.’
The Fox slowly approached him. His stature was impressive, though he was not particularly tall. He raised his crossbow. From the tip of the bolt a small liquid drop fell on the ground, leaving a small coloured cloud.
Teroh was sweating. He was in mortal danger.
While all this was happening the smoke cleared and revealed that most of the people either ran away or were with the faces planted on earth, foaming at their mouths.
Devas managed to shake off the kids, but he turned back when he heard Teroh’s voice. As surprised as he was, he thought that the kids and that man were together. Even if they were not, the adventurer would not let some random kid be killed.
Instead of going to Zara and Efar, who likely were prepared to fight again, he went to the one kid he heard from the woods. He pinpointed his location quite fast and took him by surprise. Alberto was shaken that he was found so fast and tried to yell, but Devas suddenly became faster and moved as if there were no obstacles in his way.
He put his hand on Alberto's mouth and hit his throat, near Adam's apple. As if it was all a lie, the magic that Alberto used seemed to disappear for a moment. It was there, but he could not use it. This terrified him.
On the other side, Teroh and Fox were still facing each other.
“Are you really alright letting these people die? There’s laws in place, no?” said Teroh.
“What’s it matter to you?” said Fox uncaringly.
“Let them rot in the hell they tried to bring here. Same to you, blasphemer.”
“Now, we only have different perspectives.”
“Devil talk. Don’t try your arguments with me. True faith needs not sacrifice another, only yourself.”
Not much of a talker, it seemed.
However, that bought him enough time. Devas was slowly approaching the men, with Zara and Efar facing him, ready to attack at any moment. They did not, however, risk putting Alberto in danger, who was held by the neck in one hand. He was struggling and gasping for air but Devas seemed unperturbed.
Fox barely looked at Devas but there was no way to even guess what he was thinking. He grunted soft enough that only Efar noticed it.
“Leave.”
Devas reunited with Teroh and the preacher while still keeping Alberto in his hand. They retreated close to the secret escape route they'd noticed a while back and, in a swift motion, tossed Alberto and threw another smoke grenade. Efar caught Alberto, Zara coming next to him and checking his neck.
When the smoke cleared, the men disappeared.
Alberto was bruised a lot, a testament to Devas’ strength and how little the man needed to hurt others.
“Sorry. He caught me and I troubled Fox.”
“Don’t worry about it. You are more important being alive than them being dead,” said Fox as he put back his crossbow while carefully taking the tip of the bolt and put it in a flask.
Even so, Alberto was frustrated at his own incompetence.
“That aside, Efar, you need to treat your wound,” said Fox, checking his pockets. He took a small herb and gave it to him.
Efar took it and smashed it between his palms then smeared it on his wound.
It hurt a bit.
Zara’s fingers seemed to glow as she caressed Alberto’s neck. Slowly, the bruise was disappearing and with it, his power was regained.
“Thank you.”
Zara nodded and stood up. She was a bit weary but otherwise, fine.
The sect members were mostly dead, with a few exceptions. Fox came next to each one and swiftly cut their neck. As much as he hated them, he was a hunter at heart and a painful death was unpleasant to watch.
“You kids will come with me to the guards’ place. We each need to give our testimony.”
*
The road there seemed a bit harder now. They were tired, one of them hurt.
The three teens Efar, Zara and Alberto fought were brought to the same place they were going to. They were questioned for quite some time, though they would spend a long time in the dungeons no matter what they said.
The kids must have known this, as they managed to escape. Only a guard was hurt in the process, somewhat. He was cursed with blindness and could barely see in front of himself.
Zara had to heal this guy too since she was the only one around who could, but this drained her of energy and she had to be carried in the captain’s room, her father, Gard. Fox took her up and, followed by the other two, went into the office.
Upon seeing Zara Gard was shaken, but when he heard that she was just tired, he relaxed. He put her on the only sofa in the entire building, in the next room, and put a blanket on her.
Despite being stern and cold, courtesy to his job, she was his soft spot.
Once he closed the door to Zara’s room he sat down at his desk and massaged his head. Fox took a chair and sat just before the desk.
Efar and Alberto sat down on the floor in a corner speaking about what had happened. Alberto’s revelation of a way to stop magic surprised Efar as well.
“I wonder if it works on someone like Zara. The Soul Arts, despite flowing differently, use the same veins as magic,” theorized Alberto.
Efar asked for some bandages before entering the office. Before he could answer to Alberto, he snuck to Fox, took some herbs from one of his many pockets along with a salve and came back. Fox didn’t seem to mind.
“The only other one who knows Soul Arts is Seon, so unless you want to be kicked to high heaven you better leave it as only a theory. Help me put this bandage on.”
As the kids were busy with their things, the men were putting together the facts of this encounter.
“How was it? Any leads?” asked Gard.
“A few. This time I managed to get a glimpse of the organizers. They took the one who preached but left all the other members dead.”
“I will send some men in the morning for the clean-up. As Decen had said, the corpses are breeding grounds for illnesses.”
Gard pondered for a moment. He was tired as not only was he on guard duty during the night, but he also had to take care of other small crimes that took place during the day that the vice-captain couldn’t bother to solve.
“How were they?”
“Experienced and with excellent teamwork. The kids are good at this, but those two guys were something else. I could not see their whole faces as they wore hoods, but by how they talked they must be easterners.”
“Bit rare. We will look into them though I doubt they will stay around for more.”
Once he was done writing something on a wooden board he looked up.
“Efar, come.”
The night was awfully long for everybody except Zara, who slept peacefully.