Thwack!
“Ahgg…” Captain Horn stifled a shout as yet another unseen branch whipped out of the growing dark of evening to lash him in the face.
The whole day he’d led his unit toward the village with as much care and consideration as a pickpocket tailing their mark, but the foliage had other ideas, and now that the sun had all but abandoned them, their progress only got that much slower.
But it’s over now. We’re finally here! He gestured to the soldiers behind him and they in turn passed the unspoken order to fan out to those behind them.
At long last, the end of our great task is at hand. At long last, the apostle is again within reach. At long last, we can complete our mission, and return home to the temple. And do so without another accursed root or blasted vine tripping us up and making things needlessly difficult!
In twos, the group of forty split and spread to encircle the quaint little settlement. Their simple homes were obscured in the dark, but Captain Horn was all too aware of how hard life out here, away from any country or merchant caravan, must be, and further braced himself for the nature toughened hunters who must dwell within.
He stepped foot out of the trees, flanked by the fox-like Felix, then froze.
Felix whispered. “Sir?”
“Something’s wrong. I don’t hear anything. Not even the breathing of livestock.”
He quickly glanced around, but all the silhouettes of the pens were empty, all the shadows of the homes had the doors wide open, and the faint forms of vines, moss, and other vegetation sprouted all over the place.
No. No this can’t be! The village is abandoned? How? When?! The scouts couldn’t have been mistaken! Not about this!
Then the faint sound of something scrabbling in the dirt caught his attention.
His dread melted into a grin. So you’re still here, Anon. Don’t think I’d forget the sound you make when you part the earth… Which means you’re trying to shelter the villagers, hide them, even. But that’s fine. One less obstacle to worry about.
Captain Horn waved his soldiers on, as they had all stopped when he did, and led them with silent haste toward the far edge of the village, near the lakeshore. Normally their armor and other equipment would clatter and give them away, but thanks to the combined abilities and magic of their specially chosen group they were able to mask their movements while tailing their quarry.
Sure enough, one scout pair honed in on a particular bush off by a larger house, and signaled that the apostle was hidden somewhere beneath it.
Now you’re mine. He motioned for Felix to solidify the ground around them with his earth essence magic, and for Nedrie, the mole-man, to get ready to dive in and give chase.
The rest, as planned, got into position, muttered the start of their status condition spells under their breath or prepared nets to throw, when– KraKoom!
A fat blue bolt of lightning dropped out of the obsidian sky straight into the center of their midst, right onto Larissa’s head.
She didn’t even have time to scream.
“Move! Now!”
Captain Horn bellowed his orders while reeling from the noise of the strike. He grit his teeth through the incessant ringing, and smirked. Trying to take out the leadership first, are you? I don’t know how you sensed us from down there, or how you knew who to target, but Larissa’s a naga, magic won’t–.
“Sir! Lieutenant Larissa’s down!”
“What?!”
Naga’s, notorious for their resistance to magic, should’ve been able to endure anything short of an arch-magus’ spells without fear of instant defeat, yet there, Larissa lay, twitching on the ground, as blue sparks arced off her serpentine body.
“Heal her! Quickly! We need her back in this figh–ahh!”
“Look alive, bunny-boy!”
Captain Horn’s eyes shot wide as he heard, then saw, Anon shoot out of the bush and past him in an instant. If he had taken even a fraction of a second to think, then Anon’s staff would’ve collided with his head. And though he wore a well made helmet, he didn’t trust it to withstand the well documented physical prowess of an apostle for long.
The shadow of Anon zipped away in a low arc into the farthest reaches of the village before it landed, and stopped, if only to blow a kiss back at their would be pursuers, before darting off into the woods.
Captain Horn gaped, like a fish out of water. Crap! Crap! Was this a trap? No! It has to be! They knew we were coming! I knew they knew and still I let my eagerness override my good sense! He clenched his fists. But it’s too late now. The trap’s been sprung and I can’t afford to let them slip away a second time! He moved to give an order, but stopped when his mind played the image of Anon, mere inches from striking him, with a wild smile plastered on a face that looked too much like his dead sister, shouting with a thrilled voice that matched her final desperate screams, back for him. He shuddered. Dear God… That face… that voice… Is Anon really an apostle? Or are they more of a fiend? How can I–?
“Captain… .”
Larissa’s low groan pierced the mire of his mind, and he snapped back to reality.
“Captain, I’ll need a minute, but you need to snap out of whatever it is you’re struggling with and go. We can’t both stay here.”
He glanced around, but the majority of the unit was gone. Undoubtedly they’d hurried after Anon, with only the healers and Larissa remaining with him.
Now I’ve really done it.
He grimaced, swallowed his rising embarrassment, and sprinted out of the village and into the dark forest where he last spotted Anon. “I said it once, and I’ll say it again. You’re coming with me. I’ve got no other choice.”
#
Gotta move, gotta move, gotta move, gotta move! Hahahaha! I can’t believe that worked! And I got away without a scratch! I thought for sure I was gonna have to use those vines to spring out early when they surrounded me like that, but hoo boy! Finding that snake lady was easier than I thought! Though, maybe I should’ve known that considering her rather unique method of movement.
I ran, or more like jogged, at a decent clip away from Kormath toward the first of the several ambush points. There, the villagers standing by beneath, and presumably the Wise Old Friend, will help me put up a bit of a fight, maybe pick off a few, definitely wear them down, before I split off for the next point. I know it might be a bit of a stretch counting on the old tree like this, but considering that the shrubs are being quite considerate and moving out of my way, I’m willing to bet Senior Arbor has figured out what I’m doing.
I checked back over my shoulder just to see if my pursuers are, well, pursuing, and I wasn’t disappointed. And yes, it’s normally a bit hard to see in the dark, but between the trees moving their canopies to allow the moonlight to pass and the three dim orange ‘illuminate’ spells I tossed out around me to light the way, and act as a distraction/beacon, it wasn't too rough on my ol’ peepers.
That said, the glint in their eyes was downright disturbing. Like, I’ve been on the receiving end of positive fanaticism for a few days now, but to be stared down by like, forty hostile fanatics is… well… bloodcurdling.
At last, the clearing opened up around me, and I moved and dimmed the lights to trip up my enemies while I quickly darted up the conveniently placed rock I dredged up earlier. It wasn’t too big, but it gave me the vantage point I needed, and ensured all their eyes were on me for what came next. Since, y'know I’m easier to see with the still partially lit sky as a backdrop instead of the completely dark forest.
I smirked as they stumbled ever nearer, courtesy of the dark, and a sudden set of root snares likely conjured by my branch bearing buddy. Just as I caught their silhouettes scrambling to their feet, glaring up at me, I snapped and closed my eyes tight, and plugged my ears.
“Ahhh!”
“My eyes!”
“What’s going on?”
“I can’t see!”
Obviously, I turned the ‘illuminate’ spell back on, but I also changed the color to a bright white and amped up the brightness to the max, but that’s not all! Thunderclap!
Kra-koom!
In that same instant, my thought of spell activated and released a sonorous boom that deafened all unfortunate enough to be in my immediate area.
And just like that, I’ve reinvented the flash-bang! Now to make the most of it.
I tapped Witness against the rock and used its ‘one with nature’ power to shift some roots down below to signal the villagers to start. Sure, I could assume that they heard all the racket, but considering everything at stake, I’d prefer to play it safe.
I watched on, in the once again dimmed light of my spells, as the soldiers who floundered on the ground fought to regain their senses and control of the situation. They haplessly moved to surround me, but that’s when my allies got things underway.
Crash!
Swoosh!
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Suspended logs came down, and the thorny vine nets nestled in the grass came rushing up. The miserable cries of my armored agitators was, well, not music to my ears, but it did give me a certain confidence.
And then Bunnyman came bounding into the fray. “On your feet! We need to surround Anon!”
Oh goody… He’s remembered my name too.
Just as my visions led me to expect, he was no slouch, in fact, he was downright scary. The speed at which me lept from tree to tree, cutting the support vines and freeing his soldiers was inhuman, but then again, he isn’t exactly human is he? I mean, the clearing is roughly fifty feet wide, and he hit all five nets in around ten seconds, but then, I planned for this too.
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With every net that was cut, a sealed jar came crashing down too, and each released a cloud of sweet smelling vapors into the air and all over the soldiers. Given the slight breeze and the spread, I doubt its primary effect will be seen until more doses are administered, but since the secondary is my last resort, I have no choice but to start it now.
Bunnyman and his cohort started coughing, and covering their eyes and mouths against the vapor that no doubt burned given its high alcohol content, but that’s just what I wanted, and I used that opportunity to make a break for it.
Unlike before, I wasn’t going slow. Now that some actual leadership was around, and they’d gotten a taste of my nasty tricks, I wasn’t going to be able to lead them by the nose anymore, so I was sprinting like my life depended on it. And it kinda does.
As expected, Bunnyman led the charge with haste, and they were hot on my heels in no time. I heard several thrown or shot projectiles wiz past me before crashing off into the bushes, and then I felt some foreign magic hit my back and attempt to take hold, but I managed to shrug it off, though my initial surprise at getting hit did slow me and give Bunnyman a chance to tackle me to the ground.
And he was savage.
“How dare you toy with me! How dare you wear her face!” He bellowed, and grasped, and swung at me like a rabid, well, rabbit, and I struggled to fend him off with my buckler and staff. They were too long or wide to be of any real use given our tangled up, close quarter, contest of strength, so with my arms useless, the manic man-rabbit had the undeniable upperhand, and my face took the brunt of it.
Oww! Ow! What’s his deal? I know I’m trying to be obnoxious but isn’t he taking this a little too hard? And what the heck is he talking about? I’ve only got one face, dang it!
My heart pounded in my chest as more and more of his goons closed in on me. My viewpoint became little more than darkness and hands scrabbling to pin me down, when I heard something that made me gulp.
“Roderick, get the shackles. No, not those, we need the special ones.”
Oh geez. Not good! I tightened my grip on Witness. Come on! Come on! Hurry up! I can’t stop here! Not until the village is safe!
I could hardly lift a finger anymore, and Bunnyman, whose face was mere inches from mine, huffed to catch his breath as a crazed smile spread on his face. “No more running… No more mind games… You’re coming with me, fiend… Just as you should have from the start.”
I don’t know what happened to him to twist his mood so, but the look I now caught of his eyes was… unnerving. There was too much desperation in them, along with a touch of grief, fear, and dare I say obsession. But I did my best to ignore this unexpected change, as I arched a swollen eyebrow, and pretended to be confident. “I–Is that so?”
The villagers better show up soon, or I’m screwed! They’ve already got those bulky looking restraints open!
He tensed, and the fear in his eyes exploded like a wildfire as he rapidly glanced around. “What more could you possibly do? You’re surrounded! We–”
I relaxed as I heard the subtle sound of bark shifting against bark. “No. You’re surrounded.”
“Wha–”
Suddenly, out of the trees, a veritable rain of thorns and spines shot forth in all directions, blinding my aggravated agitators, and pricking them all over. Yeah, okay, their armor will probably spare them from the worst of it, just like it did from the thorns on the nets, but this is far from over, and they need to be thoroughly worn down and taught not to mess with me… Now, surge!
Once the volley ended, I activated the ‘surge’ spell and quickly sat up. I hadn’t trained with this spell much so my control over my heightened strength was lacking, but it proved monstrously effective at launching the dogpiled soldiers off of me and away.
“Get them! Don’t let them escape! Get them now!”
Captain Horn bellowed as he sailed a good fourteen feet or so into the air, and into the awaiting branches of a tree. But I wasn’t going to just stand around while his troops got to act, and bolted once again.
Boy am I glad I set up this trap differently. Instead of an obvious clearing I went for a wider section of tunnel instead, both so that the villagers could activate it as needed, but also to prevent the soldiers from even realizing that they had walked into it. The only problem was that I had to constantly use Witness to signal my position, and that slowed me down and meant that the villagers had to catch up and then use the blow darts I prepared… but all’s well that ends well.
#
Captain Horn darted through the dark forest as fast as his legs would allow. At times he wouldn’t notice a branch or root, and would stumble or fall, but he lunged back to his feet and resumed the chase the very next instant. Anon. That wretched monster! How many times must I get so close only for them to slip away?
No matter how fast he ran, the hooded figure of his target would always be one step ahead, one trap away, one snide remark too far out of reach.
“What’s wrong? Can’t keep up?”
“I thought rabbits were supposed to be quick?”
“Aren’t you coming?”
The screams, grunts, and cries of his unit only added fuel to the internal fire blazing within. The further they ran, the more pits they fell into, darts were shot at them, and nets were dropped. Captain Horn was painfully aware that their numbers were dwindling. And it didn’t help that the trees almost seemed to open up to allow them a clear shot at the apostle’s back, only to reach out to block both their spells, arrows, and path just enough to keep the infuriatingly close distance between them.
Sure they managed to land a few glancing shots, but he knew those would regenerate, and the apostle proved endlessly resilient to their status magic.
Curse this forest, and curse Anon! How dare they so casually subject us to this torture! We came to escort it to safety, and they have the audacity to not only torment us, but to wear Rosetta’s face!
Suddenly, the forest opened up again, and Anon stopped in the center of the hundred foot wide clearing, and turned around.
Captain Horn struggled to catch his ragged breath, and glared with bloodshot eyes as he drew his sword. “Done running?”
“Yup.” Again, Anon stung his ears with his sister’s voice.
Little orange globes of light danced around them, who stood poised with neither staff nor shield at the ready, completely healed of their prior beating and cuts, apparently unfazed by the length and speed of the hectic chase, with their head cocked slightly to the side so that just the edge of his sister’s face could tease out into the dim light.
Captain Horn snarled. “Good! Surround them! Take them down! No mercy!”
But nothing happened.
No one moved.
He glanced over his shoulders, at where his unit should be, even if they were only now arriving late, but no one was there.
His eyes widened, and dread bit deep into his confidence as Anon chuckled. “Yeah, sorry, but they didn’t quite make it through the ol’ gauntlet. Oh don’t worry, they’re still alive, just extremely tired and maybe paralyzed. After all, most of those darts were laced with grandour venom yaknow.”
He narrowed his eyes and tightened his hand around his blade. Then he charged. “You dirty! No good! Rotten piece of filth! How dare you humiliate us like this!? How dare you!?”
Anon didn’t run, and blocked each of his swings with either the buckler or staff, calmly accepting the wild fury he unleashed without counterattacking.
“I know you’re tired, mad, and hurt, but did you really mean what you said before? I thought you wanted to capture me, but no mercy? Are you really going to kill me?”
Captain Horn froze.
“Are you really going to kill me?”
The words echoed in his head.
Reverberated in his soul.
Dredged up the memory of that awful night when Rosetta died at the hands of a friend. Of her final words, “Are you really going to kill me?”
#
Man. For a moment I really thought he was out for blood, but I didn’t expect him to just… stop. I looked at where Bunnyman stood, utterly motionless, as tears dripped down his dirty, blood and sweat stained face. Did I break him? God, please tell me I didn’t break him… .
His sword dropped from his hand and thumped into the grass beside him before he collapsed to his knees muttering, “Rosetta.”, over and over again.
Oh no. What happened? Who’s Rosetta? And why is this happening now? Guilt gnawed at me as I glanced around, but there was no sign of anyone else showing up. Ughh. Why’s everything gotta be so complicated… I swear if this turns out to be some big misunderstanding and we’re all gonna end up friends, I’m gonna burrow back underground and go to sleep again. In spite of my better judgment, I knelt in front of him and put a hand on his shoulder. This is so, so, so, stupid, but I can’t shake the feeling that this is somehow my fault… So be it. I hate the guilt more than I’ll hate the regret.
“Hey, now. Don’t cry. Take a deep breath. I’m sure we can work this out.”
#
“Hey, now. Don’t cry. Take a deep breath. I’m sure we can work this out.”
Captain Horn shut his eyes, and drew in a long, slow breath. Then he let it out.
How many times had Rosetta said those words to him? How many times had she comforted her rambunctious and carefree little brother whenever he got hurt, or upset when they couldn’t afford whatever shiny thing caught his eye with their modest means?
His lip quivered. But she’s gone though… And yet… . Right before him, kneeling down just like she always did, her gentle hand on his shoulder right where it always sat, was someone who not only looked like, but sounded exactly like his sister.
Hot sticky tears welled up once again, and he threw himself at Anon, wrapping them in a tight embrace. “R–Rosetta! Rosie! Why? Why? Did you leave me!? Why did you have to die!?”
#
Bunnyman hugged me, and started bawling his eyes out. Not how I thought this’d go, but I guess this works… . With nothing else to do, I lightly pulled his helmeted head closer and patted his armored back. All in all, he was pretty heavy. But hey, if he’s not going to try to kill or capture me, I’ll take it!
Then he started blubbering into my shoulder. “I–I did everything I could to better myself after you passed. Threw away my stupid, carefree ways! I–I applied himself, and grew into someone capable! Responsible! Someone who could protect the things and people important to me! So how did I get here? How did I get so swept up in achieving more and more that I forgot what my goal was in the first place? And why does any of it matter if you’re already gone?!”
I sighed. “Why does it matter? Didn’t you just say it? You’ve grown into someone better, someone who won’t let the past happen again. Let the past be the past. All that’s left for you is to find people you want to protect. And then protect them.”
He suddenly pulled away and stared at me. “P–people… to protect?”
“Yes Captain. Do your duty and protect me while I finish capturing the Apostle.”
Following her cold voice out of the trees the shadow of the last naga I wanted to see slithered closer.
Great, she recovered. And just as I was about to end things peacefully too.
Captain Bunnyman glanced between us, blinked twice, and then he snatched up his sword and got to his feet. “Larissa! No, lieutenant! Where are the others?”
She raised her spear and pointed it at me. “The healers used up their mana and collapsed, while those who followed you are likely being devoured by monsters as we speak. I sensed the beast's approach on my way here. I don’t know how, but I suspect that that was the apostle’s plan all along. Wear us down, and then throw us into those creature’s waiting maws.”
Wow… Wasn’t going to bring that up since the villagers know that the grandour lure was only meant as a last resort to stop them, not as a measure to finish them off, but if you want to play hardball, snake lady, I’m game.
I felt Bunnyman’s hate reignite as his head snapped back to me, but before he could shout I shook my head and said. “Not quite. I’ll admit I doused you all in a mist of grandour venom and alcohol, but it was never my intention to let anyone die.”
That vision gave me more than my fill of that already
“And if you don’t believe me, know that grandour are pretty slow, so even now you probably still have plenty of time to go save them since they all dropped off here toward the end. Which means the real question is why didn’t you help them miss Larissa? Wouldn’t that have been not only good, but wise?”
#
Anon’s question rang in Captain Horn’s sensitive ears. Why didn’t she? She came down the same route right? No, she had to if she was to find this place, and an increase in numbers would have helped, so–
He turned to her. “Lieutenant? Did you help them?”
She scoffed. “Why would I? I have a duty to uphold and tired, beaten up, soldiers won’t help. Even you’ll only be able to serve as a distraction, worn out as you are! We’re here to capture the apostle, not carry around dead weight! Leave them! We’ll collect the survivors after.”
His heart skipped a beat.
S–She… How could she?
Anon raised his staff and buckler, turned to face Larissa, and nodded toward the way they’d come. “Based on the look on your face I think you found the answer to your question. Go. They need you now.”
Rosetta’s face and voice changed as Anon spoke, cycling through all the likenesses of his troop.
“I… I… .”
“Captain! For the love of– What are you doing? The apostle’s right there! We can do this! Get them! Help me!”
His eyes darted between Larissa, Anon, and the forest behind him. His heart thundered in his chest, and for the first time in a long time he wondered what to do.
Do I help Larissa? Or the rest of the unit? If we hurry I might be able to accomplish both, but there’s no telling what Anon has left in store, or how close the monsters are! Blast it! What should I do? Who do I want to protect? Larissa? Or everyone else?