With Draven’s last words, an immense pressure emanated in the room as every person rose and readied themselves for the fight to come. An enormous crash resounded through the room as a small portion of the roof caved in, and three figures jumped down. A cloud of dust and debris swirled in the room as the lead figure spoke.
“Draven, I thought you, of all people, would know better than to play this silly game,” the elder said.
Draven clenched his fists as he stared at the man in the still swirling dust. “And I thought you would know better than to break the rules you put in place for something as simple as family.”
“Sigh, so you're going through with this? You know what the consequences will be if you fail?”
“I do,” Draven said before launching himself at the old man.
The room exploded in a chaotic uproar of shouts and crashing furniture as the frenzied guests joined the charge, only to be repelled by a woman in full plate armor, who swung her spear, leaving only the family heads standing. Chio slammed into the far wall, breaking him out of his frenzied haze. He gazed upon the fight happening, but their movements were faster than he could follow. Recognising he had no place in this battle, he quickly scanned the room, locating Nevala shaking her head as she broke free from the frenzy. Chio dashed over, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to her feet.
“We need to get out of here!” he yelled, running towards the door while Nevala kept pace behind him.
He kicked open the large doors and ran through, only to be faced with a group of 20. Chio scanned the wall of warriors, thankful he recognised most of them were around or below his level. Another wave of anger enveloped him, causing him to howl while raising his great sword. A primal drive to kill those who stood in his way involved him as he crept forward. A wave of arrows flew from behind him, catching most of the warriors off guard. Chio burst into motion upon seeing the warriors off balance. He swung his blade through the air, cleaving into the front line as a spray of blood erupted. His attack did not stop there. A blade of solid wind burst out, bisecting those in front and driving deep into the gathered group. Chio let out another primal howl as he moved forward. The ranks of the gathered warriors were already shattered as most of them ran for the exit. Three of them stayed, blocking Chio's path and readying their weapons, but they were no match for the whirlwind of hate approaching them as Chio struck with far greater strength than he should have, knocking back. Before they could muster a counterattack, an arrow ripped through the air. The warrior in front's head disappeared as a spray of red and bits of skull and brain matter coated the room. Chio advanced as the arrow's impact momentarily stunned the two remaining warriors. Most of them had never seen combat with anything more than a wild wolf before, and even then, nothing could have prepared them for the scene of carnage unfolding in front of them. Chio swung one final time, causing two decapitated heads to sail through the air. He howled one final time as he panted. The feeling of pure rage and bloodlust slowly faded. His eyes grew wide as he examined the scene before him, his wits returning. He looked down, recognizing the faces of people he knew, people he had just killed. His eyes fixed on the gore-stained gauntlet, he vomited, his sword falling from his grasp. A hand grabbed his arm as he continued to stare at his shaking hands. He looked up to see Nevala pulling him towards the exit. Her lips were moving, but Chio could not hear what she was saying. He mindlessly followed her while his mind grappled with what he had just done. They did not stop running until they were deep into the forest, far from the battle and their clan. Chio collapsed against a nearby tree, still staring at his shaking hands. Nevala sat down beside him and took both of his hands, removing the gauntlets before gripping them tightly.
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“It’s not your fault,” she said in a calm, soothing voice while staring into his eyes.
Chio opened his mouth to respond, but the words did not come out. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he wrapped his arms around Nevala while silently sobbing. Nevala returned his embrace while tears rolled down her cheeks as well. She kept up a tough facade after she saw how distraught Chio was, but she also felt terrible for what had happened. She saw her arrows sticking out of people she thought of as comrades and had to keep reminding herself she was not in control when it happened. After sitting like that for a long time, the pair finally calmed down enough to stand. It was nearly midday, and the sounds of combat had long since faded.
“It probably would not be a good idea to go back no matter who one,” Nevala said.
“I can’t imagine what the elder would do to us, and I never want to see the man that made me do that again,” Chio said, pointing at the blood stained gantlets.
“My father told me we are not too far from one of the other clans after the move. Maybe we could seek shelter there,” Nevala said, rising to her feet.
“It's worth a shot,” Chio said, joining her.
They began walking in the direction Nevala had indicated. The pair moved with high hopes, praying for a better life at their destination.