Fractured – Chapter 3
The next morning, we left at first light, headed in the direction of the wagon that took Eugeo. We were hoping to track it, regardless of the rains from earlier. I took the reins while Ronye and Leina were in the back of our wagon trying to figure out where Eugeo could be headed and discover any meaning behind the mysterious "M" Selka had told us about.
I glowered at the road in front of me. I could understand wanting to keep your village safe, but at the cost of selling someone? Especially if that said someone was your own son, and a personal friend of mine. I confronted Gashupt after Orrick, and he admitted to going along with the plan. He babbled something about him being nervous around Eugeo ever since he attacked the church and his daughter. Eugeo would never do something like that, but I couldn't deny what Selka told me. Honestly, Selka and Sister Azalia were lucky they weren't killed. I knew how powerful Eugeo was, even if he didn't himself. But why would he turn on people he knew? Between that, and the thought of him being in the hands of the Pontifex, I was extremely worried for my best friend.
I watched as the road became less of a road and more of a dirt path. It was rough going, and the forest seemed to loom closer on both sides. The trees became thick and gnarled, a dense haze seeping between them. Even though it was morning, the sun's rays were being blocked out by the overgrown foliage making it seem more like nighttime. The horses whinnied in anxiety, but I pressed forward, careful to maneuver them so they wouldn't hit any ruts. "Leina?" I called over my shoulder.
"Yes, Kirito?" Leina pulled back the curtain and sat next to me.
"What's out this way?"
"Few people have ventured this far, especially with the Dark Territory so close. There will be a lot of unknowns."
We fell into companionable silence for a few minutes. I felt a reassuring pressure on my shoulder, as Leina gave it a squeeze. "We will figure this out."
"Yeah, I know," I replied softly.
Liena took a deep breath, then began, "Are you in this just to find Eugeo, or are you truly concerned about the human realm and these disappearances?"
I turned to her, my eyes narrowing. "Of course I care about the human realm. But you have no idea what I've been through losing Eugeo like I did. The guilt that I should've been the one who died in that battle."
"It is part of being a swordsman, as I'm sure Eugeo knew." She leaned back in her seat. "However, I am confused on how he survived the battle with the Pontifex. All reports labeled him as deceased."
"That part is…complicated." How could I explain about the real world and things like fluctlights to the people of this world? How could I tell them they're an experiment with souls and their world could be deleted by the simple press of a button?
"Complicated? You've mentioned that before," Leina eyed me. "Seems to me you're merely dodging the questions."
"Look, it's not like I can just….you know what? This conversation is over," I deadpanned.
Liena blinked, clearly taken aback. "Very well," she regained her composure. "When you're ready to be a grown up about this, I will listen." She went into the back of the wagon.
Why when I was angry, I always sounded like an idiot? The truth was, I was looking for Eugeo and I loved the Underworld. I swore to myself that I wouldn't let anything happen to either of them, ever again. But the Pontifex being at large really did scare the shit out of me.
OOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
"Um, Kirito, this forest is getting really dark and kind of creepy," Ronye looked around nervously. She was gripping our weapons tightly in her arms. "Maybe we should stop and make camp?" she suggested hopefully.
"Alright, let's see if we can find a…" Something slammed into the side of our wagon. It wobbled and rose up on the two right wheels, before crashing back to the ground on all fours. Another hit from the back of the wagon sent Ronye and Leina flying right into me. I dropped the reins, and the horses panicked. The girls attempted to untangle themselves from me, and I from them. When the wagon was hit a third time, we were tossed completely from it. The wagon crumbled as something large landed on top of it. Wood shattered and boards went flying everywhere. The horses whinnied, but were cut off abruptly.
I quickly placed my body over the two girls, getting the brunt from the flying debris and the spray of blood. Slowly lifting my head, I asked them quietly, "Are you both alright?"
"Y..Yes," Ronye said, eyes darting away as blush marks covered her cheeks.
"Of course," Leina said, though she too had reddened cheeks.
"Good. Me too." I brushed myself off and rose to my feet. "What do you think that was?"
"I have no idea," Leina also stood. "Generate luminous element," A small glow formed at her fingertips.
"Keep the light up as long as you can," I told her, slipping into a battle-ready pose. "Ronye and I will take care of whatever hit us earlier and seems to be stalking us now."
Something leapt out from my right, but I side-stepped it, swinging my sword. It connected with the jaws of a giant wolf beast. It tried to snap my sword in half with its razor-sharp teeth, but I shoved it back, leaping backwards, and skidding on my feet. It snarled at me, then dashed back into the brush.
"Generate heat element," Ronye called, gathering sacred power to her fingertips. The flames did little more than singe the wolf's black fur. It slammed her into a tree with a swipe of its powerful paws. "Ack!" she cried. The wolf chuffed, almost as if laughing, and dodged back into the forest.
"It's like it's toying with us," Leina scowled. She kept her light as bright as it would go in one hand, and held her sword ready with the other. Her eyes darted back and forth, looking for where the beast would pop out next. She heard a shuffle to her left, and dodged as the beast darted straight for her. Circling around, she charged with her sword held high. She would use her High-Norkia style on this beast. "Hiya!" she cried, slicing towards the wolf. It connected with a sharp set of claws. The beast roared in her face, spittle flying. Leina backed away, gathering sacred power for a water attack. She began to call the sacred words, her eyes closing for the briefest of moments. Meanwhile, the wolf beast bunched its shoulders and leapt.
I dashed over, knocking her out of the way. Thankfully, she went sent tumbling away from us. I, on the other hand, now had the beast looming over me. Being this close to it, I could get a clearer view of what I was dealing with. It was covered in shaggy black fur, its large ears pointed upward on the top of its head. I could see hot embers of red in its throat, the skin there hanging like tattered threads. It had four blazing red eyes with no pupils, and I could see it's double set of razor-sharp fangs as it snarled. It leaned in close and sniffed at me with its wet snout, drool dripping onto me. It placed one paw on my chest, pushing me down into the ground. I gasped in as much air as I could, my arm reaching for the sword I knew was nearby. My fingers soon brushed the hilt of my Nightsky Blade. I swung it up in a horizontal arc, its blade slicing into the meaty shoulder of the wolf beast. Blood sprayed, and its body quivered. It didn't back down. Instead, it went to bite down on my own left shoulder, its fangs tearing into me. It shook its head back and forth, tearing off a chunk of flesh. I knew this simulation had me capable of feeling pain, but I'd never felt it like this. The wolf pulled its head back, making a show of devouring the flesh it'd taken from me.
"Kirito!" Leina screamed, rushing the beast. She readied her sword for another High-Norkia styled attack, but didn't get the chance to execute it before being tossed back like a ragdoll from the wolf's powerful elongated whiplike tail. It sent her flying, right into a tree, where she slumped to the ground.
The wolf laughed at the fallen girl. "You humans are all the same. So weak, and soft."
I blinked my eyes, trying to stay conscious. Its lips didn't move, but I could clearly hear its voice in my head. Was it, talking?
It brought its blind stare back to me and rolled its shoulders, knocking my blade from them.
My right hand fell back to the ground, but was quickly snatched up by powerful jaws. It held it in its jaws above my face, and snapped down, hard. I screamed in agony. Blood poured from my hand, down into my face. I could hear my bones snapping, my fingers shattering. It pushed harder onto my chest, making it difficult to breathe. It swayed its tail lazily as it waited for me to lose consciousness. I wouldn't give it the satisfaction. Gathering what strength I could muster, I brought my legs up and gave the wolf a swift kick to the ribs. It gasped, letting my hand go. The pressure from my chest lifted as well. I rolled out from under it, panting.
"You are a feisty one indeed," The wolf shifted, then narrowed its red eyes on me. "I will enjoy killing you. But first," it turned towards the fallen girls, licking its lips.
"Stay away from them," I growled. I went to stand, doing my best to ignore how wrecked my shoulder and hand were. To add insult to injury, my head began to throb. "Damn it, not now," I closed my eyes, willing it to stop. I opened my eyes, the usual gray replaced with gold. A purple haze was now encircling my body. My body moved on its own, no longer feeling any pain, only desire. A desire to kill. I picked up my sword and dashed towards the wolf beast. I went into a Sonic Leap, stabbing the wolf in the back. It howled in fury, its tail lashing back and forth. I dodged around to its left, launching myself into a Nova Ascension, one of the most powerful sword moves I knew, swiping at it with everything I had. The wolf tried backing away, but my sword swings were true, slicing into the beast, sending fur and blood flying. It snarled and snapped its jaws at me. Swiping a giant paw at me, it caught on my leg, slicing deep into my thigh. I barely felt anything as I chanted, "Enhance Arnament!" Purple energy gathered at the tip of my sword, then shot out towards the wolf, cutting through it like paper. It collapsed to the ground, bloody and broken. I came to stand over its dying body, which was already transferring into sacred power.
I watched as it drifted towards the sky, then glanced back at my sword. It was drenched in the beast's blood, which oozed slowly from the blade. I brought the blade up to my mouth, my tongue reaching out to taste the sweet nectar of victory.
"Kirito?" I heard Leina call my name.
I turned my golden eyes upon her, thinking how easy it'd be to slice through her after taking down such a beast. She shrunk back under my gaze, and I felt empowered by her fear. I went to stalk towards her as the wolf would've done, when Ronye jumped me from behind.
"Stop it, Kirito," she cried. "This isn't you!" She pinned my arms to my sides as she wrapped her own arms around me. "Please!"
Leina took the opening to knock my sword from my hand. She reached for my neck where she squeezed a certain pressure point. After the beating my body had taken, I couldn't hold out for long. Blackness enveloped me and I collapsed to the ground.
Leina and Ronye looked down at the passed-out Star King, then back at each other.
"What was that all about?" Leina scrunched her brows.
Ronye's eye darted away nervously.
"You've seen this before."
"I..well…umm," Ronye mumbled.
"Out with it," Leina barked.
"I've seen Kirito's eyes change gold three times now. Each time it happens he seems to get more…violent," she whispered.
Leina didn't know what to think. She'd never seen the Star King behave in such a way before. No matter, she shook her head. He was still her friend and right now, he needed help. "His wounds are deep and he is losing life fast," Leina said gravely.
Ronye started with healing arts, but after their fight with the wolf, and the darkness of the night, it was difficult to generate adequate power. "This isn't going to work," she cried. "He's going to die!"
"Stop it," Leina snapped. "There must be something we can do." Though she too, was in a panic. She joined in with healing arts, but there was so much blood and torn flesh. Her eyes began to water, she really did fear for Kirito's life. She held onto Ronye's hand tightly.
OOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
Eugeo's eyes snapped open, turning icy blue. His head was pounding as his body flooded with power. Icy vines erupted around him, snaking throughout the darkened wagon. They circled around and around, filling up the wagon's interior, pressing at the sides. The boards began to push outwards, snapping in the process.
"Damn it!" the woman in gray armor muttered. "Girls, hit him with another one of your paralyzing poisons. This time, make sure he stays out."
The feisty one, Fizel, went to open the latch into the back of the wagon, but was greeted with an icy vine that encircled her neck. She gasped in surprise and wiggled like a fish on a hook. The other girl with the braids, Linel, took her dagger to cut at the vine. Soon though, her hands were wrapped in another vine, her dagger dropping from them.
"Must I do everything myself," the woman in gray snapped. She pulled over the wagon, drawing the horses up short. Ignoring the struggling girls, she took one of the poisoned daggers from Linel. She then climbed down from the driver's seat and went around to the back of the wagon. Taking the key from her pocket, she placed it into the lock and opened it. An icy blast greeted her, vines slithering and wiggling around like snakes. These vines had sharp thorns with icy blue roses at their tips. She looked inside, and saw their prisoner had broken his manacles, and torn off his gag. He now stood with his hands at either side of his head.
Sheyta, the woman in gray armor, just looked in without any emotion. She saw a target that needed to be put down immediately. Taking the poisoned dagger from her hip, she flung it into the wagon. This time though, the vines blocked the flying projectile. It hit the side of the wagon and clanked to the floor. She raised a brow, then jumped back as more vines darted her way, slamming into the ground where she had been just seconds earlier.
Slipping through the array of vines hurtling her way, and never letting the dagger out of her sight, Sheyta hopped carefully into the wagon to retrieve it. Vines were everywhere, and it was extremely cold and slippery. Oddly enough, Eugeo didn't seem to have any problem with the ice or the cold.
Eugeo paid her no attention, as he dropped his hands from his head, his eyes glazing over. "Kirito," was all he said. The vines that were so intent on stopping her moments ago were now lying on the ground, motionless. Why did he stop? She eyed the blonde carefully, then picked up the dagger.
"You are a strange one indeed," Sheyta approached the blonde. She raised her dagger, then stabbed it into Eugeo's back. He dropped to the ground, for this one had enough paralyzing poison in it to knock out a dragon. The vines began to wilt and melt, dropping to the floor of the wagon and shattering.
"Did it work?" Fizel looked through the slide panel. She was gasping in breaths after the vine around her neck had stopped strangling her.
"I hope you didn't kill him," Linel was brushing the shards of broken ice from her sleeves. She had joined Fizel at the panel.
"Maybe it would be better if we did," Sheyta replied, glancing warily at their prisoner.
OOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
Leina and Ronye knelt over Kirito, both of them trying to hold it together. The clock was ticking, and Kirito was getting worse. His breathing was shallow, his chest rising and falling ever so slightly. Blood continued to pool from his wounds, saturating the ground, and covering the girls' uniforms.
Leina and Ronye felt the cold before they saw tendrils of ice began to cover Kirito's wounds. They slithered around his shoulder, hand, and thigh, wrapping tightly, then solidifying. Though it wasn't a permanent fix, it would buy them time.
"Did you?" the girls asked each other. Both shook their heads no.
"A blessing from the goddesses," Leina whispered.
"Or maybe, someone else," Ronye added softly.
OOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
The girls sat with Kirito all through the night, neither could get any sleep after what they'd experienced. It felt like an eternity, but soon, Solus's rays of morning could be seen shining through the dense forest.
Their relief was short-lived as there was a rustle of movement from the nearby road.
"Shh…" Leina placed her finger to her lips and gestured to Ronye that someone was approaching from the road. She made her way silently to the road, and peeked out through a thick bush. She saw a young man in green armor riding a chestnut-colored horse. He was circling the damaged wagon curiously. He frowned at the amount of blood and what was left of the horses.
"Men!" he called out. "Search the area." Three armed soldiers approached the boy Knight, saluted him, then dispersed.
"An Integrity Knight?" Leina said, shocked. She clasped her hands over her mouth.
"You may as well come out," the boy Knight called.
Leina rose to her feet and approached the Knight carefully. "Sir Knight…"
"Renly will be fine," he clipped.
"Renly," Leina began. "We need help. Our friend has been greatly wounded."
Renly nodded, then followed Leina through the brush to where Ronye and Kirito were. "The Star King?" he blinked his golden eyes. "Reckless as ever I see," he scowled.
"It's not his fault," Ronye said defensively.
Renly slipped off his horse, and bent down to pick up Kirito, bridal style. He then moved back to his horse, lying the Star King over its rump, strapping him down with ropes. The Star King was in pretty rough shape, and it was a miracle he was still breathing. "Whoever thought to use ice to help clot the wounds was a smart move. It likely saved his life." He swung back up on his horse, then headed back out to the road. "The village is just a bit north up this road." His horse snorted, not liking the blood from the Star King. Renly petted its neck, and gave it a slight kick. "Please wait by the wagon wreckage. My men will be back to escort you both to the village. I will ride on ahead."
OOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
Renly soon approached the village, reigning in his horse. He quickly dismounted, grabbed the reins, and approached a tiny cottage. After knocking hard against the door, it was opened by an elderly woman. "We have a situation," he barked. Turning, he went to unstrap Kirito from his horse, then brought him inside the tiny cottage. "Where?" he snapped.
"Over there, on the cot," she replied.
Renly nodded, and carefully lowered the Star King onto it. The older woman leaned in close, her features deep with concern. "I will do what I can," she bowed.
"No," Renly deadpanned. "You will do better than that. Make sure he survives."
OOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
Nearly a half hour later, both Leina, Ronye, and his three soldiers arrived at the town. The girls practically fell from their horses as they hurried towards Renly. He was sitting outside the healer's cottage, shining his twin wing blades. "Our Healer is a professional, and is not to be disturbed," Renly stated flatly.
Leina approached Renly, then bowed deeply. "Thank you," she said. "For finding and bringing us here. For helping Kirito."
"Yes, of course," Renly sheathed his weapons. "We shall see about that last part though," he added quietly. "You both look exhausted from your ordeal," he rose to his feet. "There is an inn on the other side of the village. Go rest there."
Despite them wanting to stay near Kirito, the two girls reluctantly headed to the inn.
OOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
"Kirito, you really shouldn't be so reckless like that," Eugeo scolded me.
"What?" I blinked my eyes. "Eugeo? Are you really here?" I asked, hope filling me for the first time in what felt like ages.
My friend shook his head, "Sorry, but no. You're dreaming. Though I don't know whether to be flattered you chose me to dream about or a little weirded out by it," he chuckled.
My cheeks grew red, my eyes darting to the side. "Well, uh…," I cleared my throat.
"Don't worry, it's a good sign, your mind is keeping busy as your body heals."
My eyes began to water and I embraced my friend in a tight hug. "I will find you, and together, we can go home."
OOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
"Eugeo," I muttered, my eyes fluttering open.
"Ahh…you're awake," an elderly woman was leaning over me, the faint glow of yellow healing arts fading from her fingers. "Thank the goddesses."
I sat up onto my elbows and looked around. "Where am I? Who are you?"
The old woman didn't have time to reply as Ronye dashed into my room. "Kirito!"
"Damn it, girl, I said you can't go in here," Renly scowled behind her.
"Renly?" I looked at the boy Knight.
"My lord," Renly replied with a slight bow of his head.
"Where are we?" I asked, looking around.
"We are in a small village close to the End Mountains. I had been sent here by Fanatio to investigate the disappearances and patrol this Northern area. Luckily, things have been quiet."
I scrubbed a hand through my black hair. I could only remember bits and pieces about the wolf attack. Maybe it was better this way?
"Kirito, you must rest. I will stand watch outside to make sure no one disturbs you," Ronye saluted me as she exited the room, dragging Renly with her.
"You are very lucky Star King," the older woman added solemnly. "The goddesses almost took you."
"…"
"Nevertheless," she placed a blanket over me and fluffed a pillow under my head. "Your page has the right idea, you need rest. In a little while, I will have food brought to you." Bowing slightly, she turned and exited the cottage.
I sagged back into the cot and thought about my dream. Home. I had never thought if Eugeo actually wanted to come to my home in the real world. Hell, I'd never even told him about it. What if he wanted to stay in his home, the Underworld? What if I wanted to stay in the Underworld with him?
So many questions, many of which left me with a lot to think about. I lay there for a while, lost in my thoughts, until something thudded heavily against my window.
OOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
"Keep your eyes open men," Renly was making his rounds of his lesser Integrity Knights. "We must be prepared for anything." He peered out into the forest, the light from the fires illuminating only so far. He reached for the Twin-Winged Blades that hung at his hips. He couldn't remember how he got them or why, but he was always comforted by them.
Breaking him from his thoughts, was the sound of a twig snapping. It was so quiet; he'd almost missed it. He heard the whistle of something shoot towards him, and he dodged left. Rolling to his feet, he unleashed his weapons. His eyes scanned the area for any intruders but all was still. He slowly and carefully stepped towards whatever had been aimed at him. In the waning light of the moon, he could see a clear mass resting on the grass where he had been standing. He bent down towards it, and placed a finger to it. It was incredibly tough and very sticky. He'd barely had time to study it before it began to break down and disappear into sacred power. "What the hell?"
More shots of the sticky material were aimed at him, and he flipped backwards to avoid being hit. He squinted into the woods, trying to find the source when something hit his back. He went sprawling and skidded forward into the ground. He spat out dirt and was attempting to stand when something large placed itself on his back. It pushed him down into the ground, knocking the breath from him. It wasn't long before something thick and sticky began to entwine itself around his legs and make its way up his body. Taking one of his blades, he swung it up behind him, slicing into something thick. He heard a squeal, and the pressure from his back was relieved. He rolled to the side, used his other blade to cut at the thread that had bound his legs, and jumped to his feet. Spinning around he looked back at whatever had tried to catch him. Though a small break in the clouds, he got a glimpse of a spider that stood nearly eight feet tall. Seven of its legs were covered in thick dark hair, while the eighth was matted in blood. It narrowed its eight demon red eyes at the boy Knight. Renly crossed his blades. Though before another attack, the beast made soft clicking sounds then retreated into the forest.
Renly rushed back into the village, where everything was covered in pitch black. He whispered softly "System Call," but there was no sacred power to be had in this darkness. He'd have to rely on his other senses. He'd been at this village long enough to know the layout so he slowly and quietly made his way towards where the Star King was recovering. He had a feeling that spider wasn't alone. Approaching the small cottage where Kirito was, Renly went to reach for the door. He felt the sticky thread all over the doorframe and knob. Using his blades, he started to cut away at the threads in attempt to get inside. As he raised his weapon, sticky threads wrapped around his arm and stopped him mid-swing. More threads wrapped around his legs, snapping them together and causing him to topple.
The beast was back, and it was pissed. Threads quickly began to envelope is body, wrapping him up so tightly, he could barely breathe. It pressed a leg into his arm. His blade dropped, but caused no sound. Hot blood seeped from the wound. An eye for an eye, huh? He was nearly wrapped up entirely in a cocoon when the spider let out a high-pitched whine. He couldn't see anything, but heard scuffling and the clanging of a sword. More clicking sounds, and then the darkness seemed to grow…lighter?
"Generate luminous element," I said, a faint glow appearing along my fingers.
"Star King?" Renly gasped in air. "Your cottage's door was covered in threads."
"Yeah, I saw them hit my window before I fell asleep. I grabbed my sword and slipped out before they thickened and started to solidify. I caught the glimpse of a beast before everything went pitch black."
"I saw them too," Renly began to tear at the threads that had bound him. "I think they're called Darkness Spiders."
"Gone! My girls are gone!" a woman was wailing.
"I can't find my son!" came another panicked woman.
"Where are my boys?" a concerned man shouted.
More and more peoples' cries echoed throughout the village.
"Those spiders don't seem like normal beasts," I crossed my arms. "It seemed to me like an Incantation of some sort."
"An Incantation?" Renly questioned. "It would take a massive amount of sacred power to control these beasts."
"Kirito! Over here!" Leina called to me. I dashed over to her. "There's a trail. It seems as if someone was… dragged this direction." She grimaced at the sticky threads that were also prominent on the path. "Unusual seeing as we've never had any type of aftermath from the disappearances before."
"One of them was sloppy it seems. Works to our benefit," Renly put a hand on his hip.
"They took Ronye and most of the Lesser Integrity knights, along with about a dozen villagers," Leina informed me. "Those about your age, as predicted."
"Damn it," I growled. "We have to follow those things."
"Give me a few minutes to generate a report back to headquarters. I'll reassure the villagers and then we can go. There should still be horses in the main stables." Renly headed back into the village.
I nodded and paced by the gates. Within minutes, he returned, with three fresh horses.
I hopped up onto the black horse, wincing at the pain still lingering in my body, but pushed it aside. Renly and Leina mounted their horses too, and the three of us took off down the trail.
End Chapter 3