The Last Breath
Lokhan was startled awake by a lot of shouting and people running past his tent. What the hell? It's still morning, innit? He peered blearily out of his blankets, noting the morning sun's light had barely crept down the wall of his tent. He listened to the men running past his tent a little longer, trying to figure out what they were up to. They sounded excited. What the hell's all this ruckus about? Didn't the other guys have enough of their fill of partying the night before?
Last night had been a good score; they'd knocked over some Lord Baron High and Mighty type's carriage on the road to Seyruun. The footman, guards and driver were all killed on the spot, but the Baron, and his Missus were both kept for ransom if needed. They'd been herded out onto the side of the road and stood disheveled and shocked as the last of their men had been spitted on the Boss' sword. Then the carriage was put to the torch after all its contents had been hauled out.
Korest, leader of the Troll Bridge Bandit Gang had decided since the loot was good enough, no ransom was needed. The men had all cheered, because they all knew what that meant. When the take was good, everyone could count on the Boss to be charitable. Everything, even including the horses had been brought back to camp; the gold and other valuables stowed away and the captives were stripped of their finery. Their cries for mercy were ignored for a while, until they started to annoy the Boss. He'd told them they were already dead so there was no reason to cry about it, and he'd handed them over to a few of the more sadistic men in the gang. The Boss' charitable nature only extended to the men in his gang, after all. So the captives were dragged away and for the rest of the night, the Troll Bridge Bandit Gang's revelry was punctuated by the captives' shouts of outrage, which quickly turned to screams of agony. Lokhan had shrugged it off, as he always did. In fact, he couldn't really remember whether the screaming was sharply cut off while the third or fourth barrel of wine they'd taken from the roof of the carriage was being drunk. Nevertheless, his idea of joining in the fun later had died with the captives.
An explosion tore through camp and that finally got him out of his blankets. He rolled out of the tent, bow and quiver in hand. His first view of the camp woke him up completely, driving his memories of the night before away. Now alarm filled him as he saw the camp was under attack. Shit! The Boss' hut was in flames… where in the hell had that…? He dove to hide behind some bushes at the top of the gentle incline his tent was on. He began to pull an arrow from his quiver as he searched the area for any enemies. Kingsmen, maybe? He paused in puzzlement as he saw three people striding into camp. Two men led by… a woman?
No… a little girl… a red haired, snot-nosed little kid was attacking their camp? Barely able to believe his eyes, Lokhan peered more closely at her. Okay not a kid, but no one could blame me for thinkin' it, he thought as he noted she did have something there. Her cape, boots, strange gems… it all matched the description of a traveling sorceress. Some small sense of recognition was struggling to make itself known, but he shrugged it off. Sorcerers can be killed just as easily by an arrow if they're busy casting spells. Lokhan should know; he'd done it before. He nocked an arrow to his bow and sighted down it. Hit the kid in the throat first; take her out before she casts something else. Sure of his aim, he let fly his arrow and quickly followed up with two more aimed at her unimpressive chest.
They shattered off an invisible shield. Lokhan froze in surprise. She was casting a spell, right? He watched her throw her spell, watched it roast his comrades. He looked back from the carnage to the three people standing below. He hadn't paid much attention to her companions, since they were following and didn't seem to be doing much of anything. One man was covered from head to toe in beige clothing; even his face was obscured by a mask. There was something odd about the man's skin Lokhan could see, it glittered strangely and wasn't it a bit too dark? He held a sword in one hand but seemed content to follow behind the sorceress. Lokhan's heart leapt when he spied his comrade Grodur charging silently from the rear to attack the three, but something must have given him away. The cloaked and muffled swordsman whipped around to dispatch the attacking bandit almost faster than Lokhan's eyes could follow. One moment more and Grodur might've had him, but in the next he was dead and sliding off the strange man's sword. Angered at the deaths of his fellow gang members, he nocked another arrow to his bow. Before firing, Lokhan's attention suddenly shifted to the priest.
He gasped as he saw the purple-haired man seemed to be looking straight at him. Was he the one casting the shield? It made sense since he was a priest after all, that's what they did for a living. But how does he know I'm here? Lokhan moved deeper back through the underbrush which he had believed was hiding his position. When he looked at them again, the priest was still looking directly at him. That's too uncanny, how can the bastard know? He loosed a few arrows at the man, who continued to watch him chuckling as they too shattered on the shield. A closer look told him there was something wrong with the man's eyes, but Lokhan couldn't quite figure out what it was.
Just then, amidst the explosions and screaming, he was knocked off his feet by a body stumbling into him. He looked up to recognize Poreg the Gambler's white, fear-stained visage as he flashed past him. Poreg continued to run although he screamed at Lokhan over his shoulder. "Run you idiot! It's Lina Inverse and she's brought a pair of demons with her!"
"Demons?" Lokhan looked down and realized why he had felt that niggling recognition of the girl. Lina Inverse, and demons? She was starting to aim a spell his way, but what really got him running was the just-noticed disappearance of the priest. His blood turned to ice as he ran, leaving his hiding place behind him. Demons? He asked himself again. That explains why the one looked so odd, and maybe why that priest knew where I was hiding. He recalled the priest's blood-chilling smile. There had been something purely predatorial in his gaze. Now he's disappeared, and do I know for sure I don't hear footsteps behind me? He heard Lina Inverse's spell booming behind him, the shock causing him to drop his bow, but he didn't dare look back. All his attention was needed for the darker recesses of the forest ahead of him. He could retrieve his bow later. Hell, he could make a new one but he had to live to do that first. The camp was far behind him now, but memories of the terrible fate which had befallen his comrades lent wings to his feet. He was getting away from the massacre, which was all that mattered. There were several hiding spots he knew of in this section of forest. If he could only get deep enough, his dark clothing would blend in and no one would find him.
"I think you've run far enough, my dear Mr. Archer." Lokhan stumbled away from the voice in shock, and cracked his head as he fell against a tree. Useless arrows flew from his quiver, clattering and snapping as he landed.
He gaped up at the priest. He had followed him, and the run hadn't even caused him to break a sweat. Lokhan tried to get up to run away but his legs felt like jelly and the knock on his head nearly made him faint from dizziness. He fell back against the tree and continued to stare up at the person standing before him. Close up he appeared to be entirely human, unlike his odd-looking companion. Furthermore, his smile reassured Lokhan. Maybe he isn't a demon. Maybe he's just what he looks like, some traveling priest. He even carries a staff, even though it looks a bit odd, he thought as he observed the blood-red gem topping it. Despite those thoughts, he tried to scramble away as the man came closer.
The priest leaned over him and grabbed Lokhan's head roughly in his hands. The agony pounded through his entire body and he screamed in pain. All thoughts vanished for a moment as he began to black out. As he fought to stay conscious he heard the man say, "My goodness, that's quite the nasty bump you've got there."
Lokhan pushed weakly at the man, "Geroffa me," he sobbed. There was no chance, his head was caught in a vice grip and the slight movement made his head spin. He vomited suddenly, and his tormentor wasn't quick enough to avoid getting it on his boot. Lokhan watched the priest scuffing his foot against the forest floor feeling smug, but that disappeared when the man looked up. His eyes were open and Lokhan felt trapped in that gaze. Disgust was plain to see on his face, but his eyes resembled… a cat's?
His stomach clenched again and he remembered something Aunt Bessa had told him between constantly repeating 'good for nothing' and 'you'll come to a bad end.' She'd said 'Trolls and such are bad enough but if something looks human, but ain't got human eyes, run or yer done for.' Realization turned his blood to ice again, and caused a sickening coldness in the pit of his stomach. This priest wasn't human; it was a thing that just walked around looking like one. He started to crawl away, but was grabbed by the collar and thrown back against the tree.
"Oh no you don't… that's enough running for you today, Mr. Archer." He waited, terrified as the thing finished cleaning its boot on the grass. "You humans have some damned disgusting bodily habits, but I'll make sure you repay me for marring my boot." It looked up and chuckled, its smile back in place as it regarded Lokhan.
"I haven't done anything to you!" Lokhan snarled, "Why follow me? Why throw me around? It's obvious you don't plan on dragging me back for any reward…" He stopped talking then, aware he might remind the thing, which was certainly a demon of some sort, that it was probably here to kill him. No human had eyes like that. But maybe if he kept the demon talking… he might escape.
"A reward?" The demon looked surprised a moment, then smiled broadly, "Whatever dearest Lina doesn't kill is my reward. I don't mind taking her leftovers." It added thoughtfully, "Even though there's not much left when she's done." The demon kneeled down and smiled gleefully into Lokhan's paling face to continue in a conversational tone of voice, "Really, you should be proud of yourself… you got away from her."
Lokhan despaired, looking into those purple slit-pupiled eyes. His hands scrabbled helplessly on the ground as the demon moved closer. One hand felt an arrow and grabbed it. One arrow might not be enough, but it was all he had. Before the demon got any indication something was amiss, Lokhan's arm flashed forward, his hand burying the arrow deep in its throat. The moment of victory was quickly over. His heart sank as he saw its expression change from shock to pleasure.
"You silly, naughty little human," it scolded him with a tight grin and a wink. "Don't you know you'd need something better against a Mazoku?" Lokhan almost fainted when with a sickening rip the demon pulled the arrow out of its throat without a shudder. Just as frighteningly, he saw the black-rimmed wound close up instantly. It paused to regard the arrow, shrugged and tossed it back over its shoulder. It turned back to face him and Lokhan managed to stammer out one the question he had left on his mind.
"A Mazoku? W-what sort of th-thing is that?" He'd never heard of them before, and he'd grab at any chance to keep the thing talking.
"You're about to find out!" It said cheerfully, firmly placing its hand over his heart. Jolts of energy suddenly coursed through his body and ripped a scream from his throat. Movements throughout the dark corner of the forest he'd fled to came to a halt as his screams tore through its morning stillness. Every nerve in the bandit's body was on fire as he convulsed in agony. His body arched of its own accord and his spine broke with a grinding snap under the pressure of his own constricting muscles. The power flow paused and he slumped down, sliding to the forest floor. For a while his ragged breathing was the only sound in the small clearing, but then the Mazoku priest spoke.
Over his sobbing gasps for breath, Lokhan heard the dark voice sigh rapturously. "Well, you can't run anymore, can you? But you can scream… yes, you definitely can scream."
Once again, ear-piercing screams echoed through the forest, proving the Mazoku's point.
The sensation of life fled the body and Xelloss pulled his hand out of his victim's chest, releasing the heart from his grip. A sharp chopping movement of his arm cast a spatter of blood drops down and he sighed. "Didn't know what a Mazoku was… What are they teaching kids these days?" He let the body drop to the ground. He regarded it happily and lifting his bloodstained glove shook a finger at it, scolding the body teasingly. "I'd say you have a thorough education on Mazoku now, Mr. Archer. In fact, I'd say you've graduated with full honors!" Xelloss laughed as he walked away from his victim's rapidly cooling corpse.
As he walked back towards the camp, Xelloss held his still blood-soaked hands up for his inspection. There even seemed to be quite a bit drying on his face as well. Time to clean up, he thought. It wouldn't do to let his companions on to what he'd been up to. His form melted away to reveal a spinning black cone. When he reformed, the blood had disappeared. Xelloss fussily slid a hand over his hair, making sure not a hair was out of place. When he was sure he looked his usual handsome self, he dematerialized thinking, let's see what Lina is up to. I hope she won't be mad at me but I think I took too long with this one.
When he reappeared at the bandit camp, Xelloss heard Zelgadis' chiding voice. "Lina, don't you think you went a little overboard? I'm sure these guys had a bounty on their heads... you might not have wanted to kill them all."
Xelloss turned and followed a path downhill through the trees to rejoin his companions. They were just off the main clearing of the camp, in a thick stand of trees. Once through a break in the trees and underbrush, Xelloss paused to observe the tableau before him. Lina stood at the edge of a hole in the ground, and he could hear the drone of hundreds of flies issuing from it. She was backing away slowly and staring down, an unreadable expression on her face. Aside from that she looked a little green, but Xelloss felt sure he already knew why. Zelgadis stood on the edge of the clearing a distance away from her. His arms were crossed in reproach as he gazed dispassionately at the charred remains of the bandit gang.
"Like I wanted to cart the lot of them to the next town! And besides, you haven't seen this… Get yer ass over here, Zel."
Zelgadis shrugged and walked over to join her. He glanced down and spun away violently. Xelloss felt Zelgadis' horror and disgust as he watched him kneel on the ground. Unlike Lina, it didn't surprise Xelloss when the Chimera lost what small amount of breakfast he'd had that morning. Wiping his mouth, Zelgadis grated at Lina, "Couldn't you have had the decency to warn me before I saw that?"
"You might've chosen not to look," Lina said as she backed away from the edge of the pit and looked sadly at her friend. "If you hadn't seen it, wouldn't you still be griping at me about bounties?"
"Good point, Lina dearest. Seeing is believing, or so they say." Xelloss walked past Zelgadis to make a show of peering interestedly into the pit. "What's this? Oh my, it seems our bandit friends had quite a party recently." Yes, it was just as he'd suspected. Two nude bodies, their chalky skin glowing whitely in the dimness of the glade, lay atop a pile of refuse. Black bruises and open wounds attested to the manner in which they'd died, although it was hard to say which injury had killed them. While he was with Lina and Zelgadis, he'd felt the agonies the bandit gang had inflicted on their victims throughout the night. Even over such a distance, they'd experienced enough pain and horror it had pleased him, yet he had felt no need to leave camp. They had died finally near the middle of Lina's watch last night. Xelloss waved away some flies and stepped back from the bandits' midden. It wasn't his business what the bandits had done, but he wasn't about to let his companions know his secret.
"Where the hell have you been?" Xelloss turned to see Zelgadis rising unsteadily his feet.
He smiled at the Chimera's accusing glare. "Oh, just clearing up some loose ends."
Before Zelgadis got the chance to retort, Lina turned and pushed the Mazoku closer to the pit. "Xelloss, take care of it."
He looked down again in distaste at the white-skinned corpses lying atop the trash heap. This is patently unfair of her! I'm not here to clean other peoples' messes! He whined, "But Lina! Why do you have to make me the trash man?"
"No 'but's'! Just do it! It's making me sick just looking down there, and your little 'party' comment reassures me you don't share my problem." She grabbed the Chimera by the arm and dragged him off. "C'mon Zel, let's leave him to it."
Xelloss watched her stomping off with Zelgadis in tow and turned to gaze down into the midden. Clouded dead eyes stared back at him. Addressing them maybe, he muttered, "I suppose according to some, we all have our uses." With a flick of his finger, everything below him burst into flames. Flies buzzed up angrily or were swallowed by the hungry blaze. He stayed to make sure the bodies, along with all the other trash, were consumed by the flames. Once all below him was finally alight, he stepped away and cast about, looking for Lina. That far already, eh Lina? Then he disappeared, leaving the flames to rage alone.
Author's Notes: Sorry my new chapter took so long folks. Regarding the OC POV, I have to ask; does it throw you off? Some of the wonderful people on the Linaxelloss board thought it an interesting departure, but I remain curious. Let me know what you think, as always. Is it dark enough, Ishy? Is it too dark for anyone else?
Also, my eternal gratitude goes to Kaeru Shisho, who was kind enough to lend me her time and beta this. Between her and the PM, I should remain on the straight and narrow in regards to punctuation and story direction.