Faint cheering and screaming bounced in the distance, fuzzy and hardly understandable. Accompanying the sounds was the ever so subtle smell of smoke. “Odd…” He thought in the emptiness. He tried to hone his senses. The smell of smoke was getting stronger and the boy could faintly feel that it was getting harder to breathe. Even stranger, it was getting warmer. “Wasn’t it raining?”
Grian’s eyes shot open and dashed around the blazing tent. He could fully hear his teammates screaming from outside and a couple of new voices cheering and talking. Trying to get up he felt the stomach sinking tug of a rope binding his wrists. Looking down, Grian saw there was a rope around his ankles as well. Thoughts raced through his head in a panic for a moment, but the familiar scream of his companions was able to rip him back with narrow minded clarity. “No time!” The boy thought before looking around the tent. Nothing to remove the bindings. No blades, sticks, rocks or anything. Before he even humored giving up, his eyes lingered on the dancing flames slowly consuming the tent. “If there’s no tools…” He thought while steeling his resolve. Grian crawled back along the ground. The heat grew as he inched closer, as did the intensity of the smell. He didn’t have time to process it, he didn’t have the precious seconds to consider other options. All he had was this one route forward: and he would seize it. His mind continued down the line of events he would have to follow while he pressed his rope bound wrists ever closer to the flame. The boy could faintly smell the scent of burning skin, but that didn’t matter. Once he would free his hands and then-
From the warm glow of the fire, a man grabbed Mona by her hair and lifted her from the ground. He twisted the girl to the left and then to the right, inspecting her. “Not a bad’in here.” He said with a grin. “What about you?” He barked back at the other man looming over Cerra. She stood steady with her feet firmly planted in front of Brea’s tent. Her nostrils flared and her hands balled into fists. Not a single ounce of fear had taken root.
“A feisty one.” He smirked.
“I won’t let you in!” She shouted in defiance, kicking her back foot out slightly to take a rather haphazard stance. It would be obvious to anyone who had any combat knowledge that she was far from seasoned. Cerra’s stance was far from refined, a result of simply watching Grian and Tarbh over the months during their frequent spars.
The one holding Mona raised a brow and turned back. “She really is, isn’t she?”
“Yeah.” His hands balled into tightly wound fists before pulling his arm back in preparation for a strike. “Good thing I like them like that.”
“Crazy bastard, ain’t he-“ His words were cut off by the sudden and sharp pain roaring forth from his jaw. His grip on Mona slipped and the girl fell to the ground while her assailant was sent swiftly to the ground.
“You alright?” Grian asked as he shook the hand he used to deliver the strike. He didn’t take the time to feel out her response, instead working swiftly to make sure the rest were fine. Once the boy’s eyes landed on the remaining man his legs moved into action. By that time the man had already noticed the newly arrived boy and had adjusted accordingly. Without paying the girl so much as a second thought, he turned and readied himself for the attack. Grian responded with a call: “Cerra!”
“Already on it!” She shouted from behind, drilling her heel sharply into the back of the man’s knee. With a shriek he fell onto the damaged knee and watched as Grian leaped from the ground before ramming his knee into his face. Unsatisfied with the strike Grian lifted his arm up and drilled his elbow down on the man’s crown not once, not twice, but three times. Once the limp body leaned against him, he pushed it to the ground and turned to the Cerra.
“You both okay?” His voice was heavy and his calm eyes betrayed how shaky his hands and bloody elbow were.
“Now we are!” Brea spouted as her head emerged from the tent with a wide smile.
“Thank you.” Cerra added with her own smile.
Grian jogged over to where he had left Mona and offered her a hand. She took it with a smile, lifting herself off the ground but catching a look at his wrists as she did so. “Your wrists-“ she spoke without thinking. They were clearly burned, and were in all likelihood causing him incredible pain.
“I’ll be fine. Where’s Tarbh?”
“He ran up river after a girl.” Brea blurted out while pulling herself from the tent. “I think she might have been in charge.”
“He didn’t take these guys down first?” Grian questioned.
“They arrived after he left.” Mona defended. “I was making my way to your tent when they showed up.”
“The one you hit first grabbed Mona, the other one you-“ Cerra’s eyes betrayed her, looking down to see the slowly growing pool of blood. “The other one lit your tent and then came for us before I could do anything.”
“So the girl must have been the one who knocked me out and tied me up.” Grian sighed. “Alright, I have a good idea of what’s going on. I’ll go find him after-“ Grian’s sentence was silenced as he turned to see the initial man he struck, only now his body had vanished. The boy’s eyes darted around before he clicked his tongue. “Alright, change of plans.” He spoke firmly. “Cerra, take Mona and Brea down the river. You’ll find a boulder. Get there and hide.”
“What about you?” Brea questioned.
“We can’t just leave you!” Mona retorted. “You’re hurt!”
“I have to get Tarbh. You three need to get to safety. If I was a betting man, I’d say that one’s grabbing friends. Now go. If you run into a redhead with a knife, you can trust him.”
“Kieren?” Brea blurted.
“Are you sure we can trust him?” Cerra added.
“Yeah, positive. Call it a gut feeling.” He gave the first smile he had that night. “Go!” He ordered. Cerra and Brea gave a nod while Mona hesitated. After a brief moment she lowered her head.
“Be careful.”
“Of course, it’s me we’re talking about.” He gave her a wink and sent them off. The moment they were out of view he let out a deep sigh. His wrists were intermittent agony and the pain of knowing he almost lost them was enough to boil over. “Save some for me, bud.” The boy turned and then took off in a sprint farther up the river in pursuit of his remaining teammate.
Grian’s breathing grew heavier with every step he took. His body felt uncharacteristically weak. His wrists feeling like molten liquid combined with the faint ringing his head still experienced had all but rendered him far less effective than he otherwise should have been. It was a nuisance, sure, but he was able to get the girls out of the camp and on their way to safety. If he was lucky, Tarbh would have already defeated their ringleader and wouldn’t even need the help. Worst case, they would work together for another of their preferred team ups. Either way, this was nearly over.
The lightning crackled overhead and the brief flash of light caught Grian off guard. The boy had forgotten about the storm. He looked to his left hand as he ran and watched the downpour cascade across his arm. “So that’s why they aren’t burning constantly.” He thought to himself as he felt the rain meet his wrist. He would almost be happy, but the fact he was in this was anything but lucky.
Another bolt illuminated the ground and showed clear signs of a tracks, and what looked like the distinct marking of a chase that had turned into the forest to his left. Grian stopped and waited for another bolt to illuminate the ground again to confirm. He looked up and into the forest and without so much as a hint of hesitation raced in after. “I’m close.”
After a few more minutes of running through branches, over roots, and between trunks, Grian entered a clearing. His breathing had grown even heavier but he was still able to move. He took a step forward before the lightning overhead illuminated the clearing. The sudden flash revealed Tarbh standing with his back to Grian. “Tarbh!” Grian shouted, garnering a subtle lift of the man’s head.
“Grian?” Tarbh slowly turned his head, his voice oddly heavy and shocked.
Grian took another step forward with a smile. “You already finish?” He asked the innocent question as another bolt illuminated the clearing, revealing Tarbh to be in near perfect shape. No blood, no scrapes, no cuts, he looked like he had just woken up. Grian raised a brow. “That easy-“ His question was cut short as Tarbh turned to face him, revealing the person he had been chasing.
As the three had said, Tarbh had been chasing a girl. She stood at a modest height and sported a rather athletic and defined build with long and fiery crimson hair contrasting her deep blue eyes perfectly. From the darkened distance, Grian couldn’t make out much more than she wore a dark tank top and a pair of baggy dark pants that were bloused around her ankles with no shoes or boots. Her appearance, at first, was rather tame until yet another bolt illuminated some additional details. Around her neck was a red cored coin attached to a thin rope with a few hollowed up animal fangs as decoration. Her sash, however, is what shifted the atmosphere completely. He couldn’t make out its color but he could make out the dozens of coins affixed to small ropes that wrapped the sash like accouterments on a uniform.
Grian blinked a few times before his eyes returned to Tarbh. “What's going on?”
The woman raised her head, looked Grian over, and then turned to Tarbh. “Wasn’t this the one in the tent?” Her voice was rather soft, betraying her otherwise feral appearance with a noble air.
“Yes.” Tarbh’s voice was cold.
“Tied up and set alight and yet he’s still here kicking.” She whistled. Her tone went from jovial to dark as if it were nothing. “Did you let him go?”
“No. I made sure the rope was tight.” He turned to look at Grian. “I’m more shocked he woke up, the blow I dealt him was hard.”
“Clearly not hard enough.” She sighed with a wave of her hand. “If you made it out I’m going to assume you took out the ones I left behind?” Her question received no answer from the boy, still frozen in time as his mind tried to process what was being said. With a roll of her eyes the woman began to make her way to the boy.
“Medb!” Tarbh shouted. “Please, let me.”
“So you can fuck it up again?” Her chastising vulgar rang loud amidst the downpour. After another few steps she stopped and got a good look at his face. “Actually…” Medb lifted her hand and snapped her fingers. “Tarbh, on second thought I think I will give you another shot. Come here.” Tarbh followed the woman’s instructions and moved through the rain to stand next to her. She looked up at him and gave him a smirk. “Give me a good show, will you?”
Grian looked at the woman, his eyebrows twitching in confusion- a feeling that was quickly replaced by pain as Tarbh’s fist connected with his jaw. Grian was sent crashing into the ground with a powerful blow. Tarbh hadn’t even given a response to Medb before drilling his punches into Grian’s body with vindictive intent. Blood escaped the boy’s mouth before having his neck taken hold of so Tarbh could lift Grian’s limp body into the air. The two locked eyes and Grian saw a conviction he had never seen before.
For well over half an hour the boy endured a heartless and meticulous beating and refused to lose consciousness. He should fight back. He tried to lift his fist at some point, but couldn’t. Not because of any pain, but his heart was refusing the order. Every strike he took felt like a nightmare, a painful dream that crashed into his body with bone breaking intent. “No…” He could feel every impact reverberate through his body. The words hit Tarbh and froze him mid-strike. Grian gave a bloody smile. “This isn’t you.” The boy's mind refused to process it. “I get it…” He muttered to himself, blood leaking from his lip. “I guess I didn’t make it out of the tent.” His tears mixed with his blood as the two liquids fell to the soaked dirt bellow. “It’s just a nightmare.”
Medb’s look of indifference began to border on annoyance at the sight of Tarbh’s frozen body. A sigh broke free from her lips. No words were needed, just the audible sigh was enough for Tarbh to release his grip before dealing a final powerful strike to the side of Grian’s jaw, sending the boy into the trunk of a tree behind them. “Here I thought you were about to crack.” Medb chastised him again while walking past.
“My apologies.” Tarbh answered meekly.
Medb came to a halt in front of Grian’s bloody form. She shot a small smirk and kneeled down, sitting on her ankles but not letting her knees touch the ground. “Still in there?” She asked the pulp with a light slap of his cheek. After a nonresponse in the form of breathing she gave a sigh and rose back to her feet. “Want the final blow?” She asked but before Tarbh could respond she turned back at the sudden tug of her right pant leg.
“What… what did you do to him?” Grian asked between breaths.
“What did I do?” Medb repeated back with a blink. “I’m sorry, do you think he’s under some spell?”
“He wouldn’t do this.” Grian formed words through his broken gasps.
Medb blinked a bit before letting out a small fit of laughter. “Oh you poor thing!” She slapped her leg. “Let me ask you something, feel free to nod or shake your head-“ She paused to smirk. “You don’t look like you’re in the best shape to talk. Don’t worry, I won’t be offended.” The woman returned to sitting on her ankles. From this distance Grian was able to make out the beauty mark beneath her left eye, a pair of golden earrings, and thick black lines across her neck and wrists. “You came here to become something, right? Everyone does. Chasing dreams of something more, muck like that.” She pauses to point back at Tarbh with her thumb. “He just found what he wanted, and it just so happened that I demanded a toll.” She playfully tapped the tip of his nose. “You all!”
Grian’s eyes slowly lifted to look at Tarbh while Medb shook the blood from her finger. “But-“ His words were terminated by Medb’s finger pressing against his lips.
“Save the friendship speech.” She smirked. “But I’ll go ahead and let you in on a secret.” Medb pulled her finger away and leaned in close to his ear. “Not a damn one of you were special. Not to him, and sure as hell not to me.” The woman pulled away and stood back up. “If it wasn’t here, for me, it would have been in some ditch in another part of the Scar for who knows what.” Medb jumped up to her feet before bouncing on her toes a few times. “At least this way you won’t feel the scavengers eating you. The Singers are damn painful I hear.” She gave a smirk and leaped up with a spin, swinging her foot at Grian’s head at full force.
Kieren sprinted up the river at full speed. Every step must be bringing him closer to the camp. “How much farther!?”. Grian made it seem like it was only a few yards up, but in actuality it was quite a ways away. He grit his teeth knowing every minute could be dangerous. The boy's ears perked up for a second before a bolt sent a boom through the stormy sky. He came to a stop and looked forward at the region briefly illuminated by a bolt. “Those are people…” Kieren muttered to himself. They had to be with the ones who had tried to ambush him. With little time the redhead dove into the tree line and made his way quietly towards the ground. He would have to pass them to reach the camp, but this could be a good way of seeing how well equipped they were.
As Kieren neared he heard voices, one man and one woman. A few screams were mixed in, which set an alarm bell off in his head. If they were the attackers, why would they attack their own people? His pace picked up and as the boy neared he saw a girl run past being pursued by a man in a sprint. She was in panic and running in the opposite direction of the camp he was searching for. Kieren narrowed his eyes. They were distracted and hadn’t seen him. He could keep moving. If he interfered, it would cost him valuable time. Sooner than the momentary doubt crept in, he dove out of the forest and raced after.
Mona slipped over the wet rocks and landed on her side and into a roll for a second before coming to a stop. She struggled and failed to get up, looking up and terror at the man slowing from his sprint to walk. “Gotcha.” He smirked. Mona’s fear grew and grew before dissipating the second she saw the redheaded boy fast approaching under the light of a fleeting bolt. “Now for some-“ His words cut as Kieren took hold of his head from behind, and using the momentum of his running jump and his body weight, brought the assailant's head into the rocky shore below.
Kieren leaped onto his feet and took his stance and watched for movements. He saw the man’s digits twitch, prompting him to lower his arms. He moved over and carefully took his pulse before letting out a small sigh as he confirmed the man was alive. He turned back to the girl. “Are you okay?”
“Who… are you?” Mona blinked in shock. He was the second person this night who had asked her that. She was convinced no one would be able to save her this time, just like- Her eyes began to tear up.
“Kieren.” The boy answered as he approached, offering a hand to her. “C’mon, let’s get you up.”
“Up stream!” Mona blurted out the moment his name touched her ears. “My friends are still back there!”
Kieren blinked before sharpening his nerves. “How many?”
“Two! Two girls.”
“Can you move?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Then let’s go.” He pulled Mona back to her feet. “I’m going ahead, scream if anything happens. I’ll meet you there, alright?” Kieren turned, leaving his eyes on her until he got a response.
“O-okay!” The moment she confirmed the plan she watched as the boy broke into a full sprint. With a deep breath she started to run after, pushing through the lingering pain she felt in her legs from her fall. She had to get back to them, and with Kieren she knew they could make it.
Kieren clicked his tongue. He hadn’t confirmed that the girl was from Tarbh and Grian’s group, but he was willing to believe she would be. His gut gave him ill feelings about her or her words. She was genuinely worried, and that was enough for him. The location and timing just made too much sense. They were under attack and the only two he knew could fight were nowhere to be found. “Where are they!?” Kieren grit his teeth. It had to be worse than he thought.
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After only a couple of minutes of running some figures came into view. He wouldn’t have time to lurk and gather information this time. He would have to act immediately. Knowing he had only had one shot his hands dove into his shirt to retrieve the knives. Pulling them free he readied his mind and body for the imminent bloodshed.
Cerra was sent to the ground with a powerful punch to her gut. Blood escaped her lips as her wavering gaze met the group before her. Her teeth chattered and her focus shifted momentarily at the sound and sight of Brea’s neck being violently snapped. Cerra’s quivering eyes fixated on her friend’s lifeless corpse as it dropped to the ground. “Brea!” She shouted before biting down hard on her lip. She balled her fists and launched herself at the looming threat. He stepped to the side, grabbed hold of her wrist, and in one swift motion broke her arm. Pain raced through her body and a scream escaped.
“Where’d all that spunk go?” The man laughed before violently throwing her down to the ground next to Brea. He was the same one who had escaped from the original encounter at the camp. “He should be back with your friend soon. Then all three of yah can be together.” He watched with a laugh as Cerra crawled over to Brea to give her a final embrace. The site of their broken will more than made up for the embarrassment he had felt earlier. Wanting to savor the site, he went to deliver another insult but was interrupted by a new voice.
“Oi!” Kieren roared from a few yards away, still in sprint. The three men turned to face him in confusion.
“Who the hell is that?”
“No clue.”
“You think he-“
“Nah, no way.”
Kieren skid to a stop to quickly look over the area. His eyes fixated on the group before a bolt illuminated the two girls. Kieren’s mouth opened slightly. His eyes grew dull and his expression hardened to steel. He needed to do this fast. His feet kicked off the ground and he charged forward, flourishing his knives.
“Does he have weapons!?” The one over Cerra blurted while the forward most one ducked under the initial swing.
“Yeah, but he ain’t good with them!” Almost as if challenged Kieren dug his foot into the rocks and spun around, switching his angle of attack and leaning forward in his next swing that cleaved through the outer layers of the man’s chest. He stumbled back and Kieren pushed onward, abandoning the assault once he heard the steps coming. With a timely jump into a backflip, he landed behind the attacker. Without so much as a shred of hesitation Kieren swung his arms up and dealt a cross shaped strike across the man's back. The third and final joined the fray after abandoning his prey with a swing of his arm. Kieren ducked under the first swing, took a step back, and spun around the follow up strike in the form of a kick to the third assailant's neck. That strike alone was enough to knock him to his knees, which allowed Kieren the ability to see the first person he struck attempting to flee. Kieren jumped onto the third man's shoulder with one foot and slammed his other heel into the man's head in order to push his face into the rocks, all while taking aim.
Swish!
The knife spun the air, cutting through rain like butter as it careened towards the assailant. He turned and watched as the knifes cold steel severed his ear and sailed past and embedding itself into the shore. Kieren gave the head he was standing on another good kick before hoping off and walking towards the still standing, now earless, man. “Are there any more of you?” His voice was stern.
The quivering man took a step back, his eyes darting to the river and then to the treeline only to settle on the redhead before him. "I-" He muttered to a raised brow from the approaching boy. “There are-”
"No!" another voice roared from behind Kieren. Turning back in shock Kieren was shoved violently to the rocks as the man who's back he had slashed picked up a large rock and tackled the earless one. All he could do was watch in horror as the man beat the others head with the rock, grunting and shouting with every strike. "You’d abandon-" He struck. “her!?” More indescribable sentences seeped from his lips, ending with the final and brutal strike. "She might forgive you." He muttered while turning to Kieren. "But me-" He took hold of the gore coated rock and rose to his feet. "I can't."
Kieren jumped back to his feet with a gulp and flourished his remaining knife: the one from the pack. He needed his other one, but he'd have to wait for the storms assistance to find it. His eyes narrowed and the man charged him. He ducked and sidestepped away from the rock swing, and then jumped back as the man went to shoulder strike him, swinging his knife to inflict a new wound across the assailant's arm as he did so. When Kieren landed he momentarily slipped, giving the enemy just enough time to recompose and rush him. The boy had little time to react. A bolt illuminated the sky and he tossed his knife up. The charging mans attention was stripped away by the now airborne weapon, allowing Kieren to seamlessly weave through his attack and deliver a powerful retaliation kick into the back of the man's knee. The lone strike knocked him off his balance. Kieren then used his opponent as a stepstool, jumping up off his rear leg and takinging hold of the aerial weapon as it fell. With an assist from an aerial spin around, Kieren threw the knife swiftly and cleanly into the man's back before landing in the shallow riverside below.
The boy quickly moved to retrieve the knife, only to be thrown off by his shouting foe at the exact moment he took hold of the blade. "Enough!" Kieren shouted while charging forward to deliver the final blow. A swift strike from the redhead's foot against the side of the rising man's head was more than enough to finally end his consciousness.
Mona watched in awe as another illumination from the sky filled the surroundings. Kieren brushed the rain and sweat mixture from his brow. She had never seen Grian or Tarbh fight, and she had only arrived to see the ending moments of this one- but she was starstruck. "Like a-"
"Hey!" Kieren shouted after noticing her. "Your friend! Go check on your friend!"
The girl blinked a bit before realizing she had completely forgotten. A wave of guilt washed over her and she pivoted immediately following an acknowledgment. "Thank you!"
Kieren turned back to the man, furrowing his brows and letting out a sigh. With the knife he cut a series of fabric strips from the mans cloths and padded and dressed the back wound the best he could. "It'll have to do." He muttered. Taking the knife's handle into his mouth he drug the man's body farther up the shoreline to avoid drowning. Eyes moving from location to location, Kieren took stock of the enemies. "Two unconscious and one..." His gaze lingered on the gore mound that once resembled a head. He took a deep breath, retrieved his knife off the nearby ground, and ran towards Mona and the others.
His quick steps slowed. The question he wanted to ask locked itself behind an iron door at the sight of the three girls. Mona was shaking and shouting a name that couldn't seem to find its way to his ears. The weight of everything was truly setting in. He turned back to the man he had only moments ago saved and then back to that same man's victims: a now lifeless body in the arms of her quiet and distraught friend. He had no words, no actions, nothing at all. Just guilt.
"Cerra!" Mona shouted again before being lightly pushed away. The push wasn't strong enough to knock her back, only to stop the endless shaking.
"Are they dead, Mona?" Cerra's voice was oddly monotoned.
"I-"
"Only one." Kieren interrupted. "Two are still breathing."
"Did you kill him?"
"No. They turned on him." Kieren turned back. "I think they were-"
"Does it matter?" Cerra looked up at him, the rain cascading off her dead eyes. "Can you still move?"
"Yeah."
Cerra lifted her arm to point deep into the darkness. "Tarbh and Grian are chasing after a girl, their leader."
Kieren looked on and then knelt down. Pointing back from where he had originally come. "Hide in the treeline and don't stop until you get to the lake we all came in at. Once I get those two, we'll come back..." His voice trailed for a moment while his eyes lingered on Brea's body. "When we get back-'' He looked at Cerra. "We'll give her a proper burial, I promise."
"We'll get there!" Mona spoke. "Just please, make sure those two come home."
Kieren looked at Cerra and then returned his gaze to Mona for a moment Pushing up in time with a bellow of lightning, Kieren looked on. "Yeah, leave it to me."
Mona watched as Kieren ran off towards her remaining companions before looking back to Cerra. She was struggling to accept the site of Brea’s body, opting to instead bury the tears and pain to place a hand on Cerra’s shoulder. She had days, weeks, and even years to come to grips with it. But if they stayed here, they would likely join her. “Cerra-”
“I’m not going.” The girl interrupted.
“What!?” Mona shot back in disbelief. “It’s dangerous here!” Her tears were starting to escape. “If we don’t go we’ll-”
“Die?” Cerra turned to look at her. “I know. But I-”
“I’ll help you!” Mona blurted. “We can go into the forest and bury here. Then when we’re done we can make it to the lake. Once Kieren brings back Tarbh and Grian we can come back and, and…” Her tears had begun flowing like waterfalls under the constant barrage of rain. “We’ll stay together…”
Cerra slowly shook her head. “Mona.” Her stern voice spoke. “Go. I’ll make it there before they return.” She gave an obviously fake smile to hide her lie. “I have too much to do here.”
“But I can help…”
“No, no you can’t. You aren’t meant for this.” The words were like daggers to her, carving their way into Mona’s very core. “Please, for me, go.”
Mona leapt at the girl, giving her a long and deep embrace. “Please come back.”
“I will.” She tried to lie. “I’ll be there by sunrise.”
“You better.”
“I will.”
Mona pulled away and swiftly turned, refusing to lock eyes with the girl again before sprinting off towards the lake. This time Cerra was the one watching the other leave, allowing her a few moments alone beneath the downpour before setting the body gently onto the ground. Her eyes darted between the two still living men and the corpse that now hosted a few black butterflies on its gore. The girl's teeth grinded and her hand retrieved a rock from the ground. Slowly she sauntered over to the closer of the two, leaving the one Kieren had pulled from the water for later.
He looked to be peacefully asleep, a sight that nearly sent her into a raw fit of rage. Her twitching eye was tamed for a moment, paving the way for her to quietly stare down at him. Her mind was vacant. Not a single thought of right or wrong or good from evil. A day ago she would have never done this. She would have been just like Mona, someone not far from the world she yearned to enter. The storm roared once, and then twice, and then a final time over the span of minutes while Cerra stood motionless. When nature gave her the fourth heavenly thunderclap, she drove the rock into the man's head- and her baptism began.
Kieren came to a halt at the entrance of the group's campsite. He had expected to run into more people here. Having believed the heart of the conflict would have been here, it was strikingly odd how the campsite was. There were clearly fires at some point, but had been put out by the storm or some other factors. He had only just met the other three tonight, but he had encountered some in the past claiming to be from this very group. “Where are the bodies…?” He questioned for a moment while giving the camp a quick check. There was nothing, save for a single corpse. There should have been more.
His eyes darted beyond the camp. The girls could have done this, but he hadn’t had enough time to assess their strength. Mona felt far from being a fighter, and that was the only one he had to go off. The better chance was this being the work of either Tarbh or Grian. “A coup?” He thought for a moment. It had to be. There were far too few bodies of their team members. This leader girl, whoever she was, must have been one of the ones Grian and Tarbh told him about. The mushrooms could have been given to him to knock him out for a surprise attack. But he had just met Mona, and Grian said the gift was from her. Did one of the others set her up? No matter what he thought, nothing seemed to line up neatly. He’d have to get the answers from the source.
Returning to his sprint under the watchful eye of the ever growing storm, Kieren made his way up river. The entire trip he was scanning the ground and desperately trying to keep the girl's body from entering his head. Would this have happened if he had joined? Could he have kept her alive if he had gotten there just a bit faster? He bit his lip at the recalled thought of Mona’s struggling face. He shook his head and focussed, allowing him to notice the distinct tracks that moved into the forest.
“They have to be in there.” He took a step before momentarily freezing. With a quick look back at where he had come from, an oddly disturbing detail set in. There hasn’t been so much as a drop of blood since he left the camp. He had been so distracted the thought didn’t click until now. Sure the rain could have washed some of it away, but all of it and without a trace? His gut once again told him to avoid this pather- to avoid the forest. The instincts his father had helped him hone over his years all, in unison, told him to turn back. And once again he ignored them, charging into the forest with a single unshakable goal.
His body seemed to hasten its sprint with every step. His heart pounded harder and harder as a sinking suspicion began to devolve more and more into fear. As he grew closer he began to hear a voice, one he didn’t recognize: a woman’s. He bit down hard and in the very moment he entered the oncoming clearing, he called out.
“Grian!”
Medb’s foot froze near millimeters from Grian’s skull. The woman turned to look up at the new arrival. “Kieren..!?” Tarbh shockingly spoke. Medb turned back to him, lowered her leg, and then looked back to Kieren.
Medb gave a whistle through her palpable amusement. “So you’re Kieren?” She eyed him a bit. “Quite the journey to get here from that camp. How was the walk?”
Kieren’s eyes bounced from Grian to Tarbh. Without humoring the woman's question he posed his own. “Did you do that to Grian?” When Tarbh gave no answer he took a step forward. Medb slammed her hand on the top of Grian’s head, immediately drawing Kieren’s attention.
“There we go, eyes on the prize.” Medb taunted.
“Are you the one they listen to?”
“They?”
“The ones that attacked.”
“Oh, so you did run into some of them?” She chuckled. “I take it you killed them?”
“No, just left them behind. Now answer the question.”
Medb raised a brow. “Well, aren't you a good boy.” A smirk formed and she knelt down, taking hold of Grian’s bloody chin. “So if I took this one's life, the most I’d have to worry about is a dent in my pride? Bloody nose here, fractured rib there?” Her twisted expression locked onto him, the twin sapphire abysses that were her eyes oozing bloodlust. With a playful slap of Grian’s cheek she finished her taunt. “Sounds like a deal to me.”
“You’re with her, Tarbh?” Kieren looked to the man he had worked with only a day prior.
“Yes.”
Kieren looked back at her. She would clearly take Grian’s life if he got too close. On top of that, the feeling she gave him was one of uncertainty. With the others he knew he would defeat them. But with her? He took another step forward and watched as she tightened her grip on the boy's head. “No need to rush.” Her smile betrayed her intentions. She momentarily turned to Tarbh. “If he found you both, the others are probably fine.” Her head looked back to Kieren with a wide smirk. “Isn’t that right?”
“I’m sure you’d love to know.”
Her smirk changed to a grin. “Now this!” Her hand came of Grian’s head before giving it a series of playful slaps on the crown before grabbing a tuft of hair. “Now this is far more enjoyable than ole broken bits here.”
Kieren’s eyes twitched. “He’s alive, right?”
“I’m sure you’d love to know.” Her playful rebuttal caused a step forward from the boy. In response her nails dug into Grian’s skin. “Didn’t I say no rush?”
He had to buy time. No immediate answer came to his head. Nothing he could think of would allow him to get to Grian without killing him. He needed something, anything at all, to break their focus.
Like a miracle the trees rustled. All eyes immediately shot to the sound's origin. and from them a rock was tossed. It had no target, nor served any true purpose. It simply hit the ground and rolled. “This is it!” Kieren thought as he went to move, only to see Medb’s eyes still trained on him with a soft smirk.
“Tarbh, be useful and go look into that.” She ordered. “I want to talk to carrot top here alone.” Tarbh gave a nod and made his way into the treeline. “You’re stalling, so I’ll humor you with a short story.” She looked back. “Just make sure you come up with something fun while I do it.” Kieren blinked. “People come here for a lot of different reasons, but the ones I like are the ones like you and him. The ones with enough ego to ignore the obvious signs and move. But watching that twisted ego bloom?” Her tongue traced her lips. “How many gut feelings did you ignore? You left them behind, why? To save this guy? And what if you brought back a corpse only to find a graveyard?” Mebd gave a small chuckle after her series of questions. “So, Kieren, what’s your plan? How’s that ego going to try and play hero?”
Kieren’s eyes momentarily shot to where Tarbh left from and then back to Medb. He gave her one last look over before accepting the only course of action he really had, the only one he felt might get them both out alive. “Let’s make a deal.”
“Oh?”
His hands moved into his soaked shirt and gave a yank. “Grian for this.” Kieren lifted his coin into the air.
Medb gave a series of blinks, looked at Grian and then back at the coin. A genuine and off putting laugh broke through. “I was expecting something a tad more… traditional? Throw something, give a grandiose speech, or hell- just charge me. But this?” She wiped a tear from her eye. “You do know what you’re offering, right?”
“Yeah. But-” Medb raised a brow to Kieren’s words. “I have every intention of getting it back.”
She lowered her head, bathing the lower part of her face in darkness to conceal the wide smile. “There it is.” She told herself. “He’ll be a fun way to pass the time.”
Kieren lifted his head, looking down on the crimson haired witch. “You can even take Grian’s. Doesn’t matter much, I’ll get them both back.”
Medb used Grian’s head to help her up and gave Kieren a sincere smile. “Just yours.” Her arm lifted to extend her open hand. “His isn’t worth my time.” A bolt of lightning illuminated the toss, the coin moving through the forest of raindrops to reach the palm of Medb’s hand. She lifted it and gave a good look over, pausing on the white core. “That’s new.” She chuckled. “Alright, Kieren, You’ve held up your end of the deal. So I guess that means he’s yours.” She leaped slightly off the ground and slammed her bare foot into the side of his body, sending him flying into the forest beyond. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
“Grian!” Kieren shouted. He shot her a glare only to immediately lunged into a sprint. As he moved towards her, she plucked her own coin free and flicked it into the air. For a moment Kieren’s attention shifted to the coin, believing it to be his. Once again she took a powerful leap into the air and delivered a powerful spin kick into Kieren’s back. A strike exactly like the one she had just performed against Grian.
“Cya soon~” Her teasing words marked the end of their meeting. The kick felt like he had been hit by a train, knocking the air from his lungs immediately.. Its strength completely betrayed her appearance, and only complimented the speed in which she could deliver it. From that one strike he immediately knew he would lost had they fought. How he was currently was nothing close to this. Blood broke free from his mouth in his gasp of air. His final action in that split second collision was to seize the coin before being sent careening through the rain and into the forest like a missile.
His body clipped multiple branches and trunks during his brief tenure as a human ragdoll, terminating with a rough skid along the soaking wet forest floor. He tried to push up only to slip on the wet moss and fall again. The next attempt allowed him to pick his body from the ground and lean against the tree. His breaths were heavy, but he was still alive. Looking down he could see the coin in one of his shaky hands. Between the panting and gasping he wasn’t able to sigh, but the disappointment of it not being his coin was steep. He pushed the coin into his pocket, composed himself, and made his way deeper to find Grian. She knew about the girls now, which meant they had to reunite immediately.
As he continued to move he began to make out a faint sweet aroma in the air. Along with the sound of rushing water. “That can’t be right, the river is behind me.” Kieren told himself. If there was yet another water source this deep in, and a river at that, finding Grian could be even harder. All he could hope was he hadn’t landed in the water.
Breaking out of the forest Kieren came to a stop. Before him was a beautiful lake flanked by a series of pink petaled trees with a natural waterfall feeding into it. The scenery was likely breathtaking under normal circumstances, but under the weight of rainfall and intermittent bursts of heavenly power, it felt far more sinister than welcoming.
The redhead took a few steps over the fallen petals only to freeze. Ahead of him the water stirred. “Grian?” He asked with another step and he wouldn’t have to wait long for an answer. From the water emerged a girl. Kieren blinked as she shook her head to knock the excess water free, despite it still being a storm. It didn’t take her much time, but she walked out onto the shore dragging Grian’s unconscious body. “Grian!” Kieren shouted with another step, freezing as her faintly glowing crimson eyes met him under the illumination of a powerful show of numerous lightning strikes above.
The night was still not over.