My apologies for not updating. I got burned out of writing for a while. But now I'm back! Enjoy!
Chapter 4 – A Day with the Makers
"How old are you, Redemption?" Fury asked me.
Both Strife and I were completely caught off guard with that statement. After going through some weird portal the Horsemen called a Serpent Hole (throwing up tends to make you not notice descriptions), we arrived in a place that seemed straight out of the Shire from Lord of the Rings. This place was really hilly, with mountains in most places.
The other Horsemen acted like they have done this thousands of times before. After hearing stories from Strife, I wouldn't be surprised if they have. He was telling me about a really amazing adventure he had with the Egyptian God Anubis (who knew that gods liked to drink Sake from time to time?) when Fury asked me her question.
"I'm ten," I replied, raising one of my eyebrows. "Why do you ask?"
"With the way you speak and act, I thought you were someone much older," she replied.
"Yeah, well, abusive parents will teach you to grow up really quickly." Damn – more flashbacks! Got to hold back the tears – these guys might start beating on me if they see me cry!
"Tell us," Strife said. I was surprised to hear him say that – weren't you supposed to keep your weaknesses to yourself? "After all, I've been telling you stories for the past two hours. It's your turn."
Taking a deep breath, I placed a hand on Shield's neck. Shield, if you can hear me, please lend me strength to do this. I don't think I can do it alone. As if in response, he swung his head toward the right, gazing right at me with one eye. I patted his side. Thanks, dude… I needed that.
"In my town, there wasn't a whole lot to do besides do what the Church ordered us to do. We had no need of the outside world, so we couldn't use anything there to entertain ourselves. My dad handled it by taking to drinking. You do not want to be in his way when he's drunk and furious." Flashes of my dad beating on me stabbed through my brain. I didn't realize my hands were shaking until Strife put his over mine.
"Go on," he said gently.
"During all that time, my mom was nowhere to be found. I asked around the town, but everyone told me to stay away from her. It was during the one time she visited that I saw why."
I gazed off into the distance, partially because of the memories and mostly to hide my tears as best I can. "She came to our house when I was eight. Man, she was beautiful. A red dress, looks that could have gotten her into Hollywood easily… I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Smiling, she took my hand and led me to the couch, where she put me on her knee and told me a story. It was about the Greek Blacksmithing god, how he came to be and all. At the end of the story, her eyes went completely cold. She looked at me like I was some fish ready to be sold on the market and told me, 'I wish I had an ugly bastard like him for a son instead of you.' Then she slapped me, sending me off her knee, and marched out of the house. I never saw since."
I turned to the other Horsemen, looking them each in the eye. At least, I thought I was – it was hard to tell through the tears in my eyes. "You wanted to know why I seem so mature for my age. I had to grow up quickly just to survive. I haven't done anything childish in over a year. Anything else you want to know?"
None of the other Horsemen moved. I should be surprised that these guys are shocked by my story, but I'm not. I guess what you told me is true, Tiana. I win every single dramatic story contest.
I didn't have time to think about it as Fury gripped me in a bear hug. What… what… what… I thought she was supposed to have anger management issues, not a thing for hugging people! Strife and the others seemed just as surprised, too. I guess this is something new for all of us.
Letting go of me, Fury looked me in the eyes and said, "I'm so sorry, Redemption. No one should have to go through that."
She and the other Horsemen took off at a gallop. Within seconds, Shield and I were alone. Wait, is Shield looking at the same spot Fury was at? He was! Yay! I'm not the only normal person around here who thinks this is weird!
"Shield, either someone slipped something in her drink, or reports of her personality were exaggerated big time," I told him.
Shield neighed and pawed at the ground.
"You forgot something. If I'm Captain Obvious, then you're my sidekick."
He snorted and looked at me indignantly.
"I'm the sidekick?! No way! I'm the Horseman, you're the horse! You don't see Despair ordering Death around!"
Shield whinnied twice and started walking forward.
"That was different! He was unconscious, according to Strife! Now shut up and get us to the Horsemen!"
No sooner had I said that then the world turned into thin lines around me. I couldn't even here any noise. Damn – these horses are fast!
It was after the fifth time I got off the ground that I realized we had reached the others. Man, not being able to get up would make a lousy impression after yesterday! Time to come up with an awesome excuse.
Instead, what came out of my mouth was, "Could someone stop the world from spinning, please? I already threw up enough for today."
Shield walked over and offered me his leg. As I got up, I noticed that he wasn't moving at all. I tried pushing him over, but he wouldn't budge. Just as I started to worry about him, he tapped his chin on the top of my head. Relieved, I started wondering at what just happened. Could Shield literally turn himself into an immovable object? That would definitely help out in any adventures I have.
Wait, priorities first. "Next time, warn me before you do that, you scrapheap."
This time, Shield lightly head-butted me and snorted. As I rubbed my head, I snapped, "My fault?! You didn't tell me that you were going to speed off like a Formula 1 race car!"
"Silence, boy," Death ordered calmly. Shield and I both turned to him, our argument forgotten. "Remember what we're here for."
Prick. Couldn't you and War have a different name for me other than "boy"? Why not my real name, Redemption? Or my real, real name, if you guys know it?
Getting on Shield, I got to thinking. I gotta think about why we're… oh, yeah! War said that now I had a horse, I needed a proper weapon! He seemed really eager the moment he said "weapon", but I digress. I had no idea what weapon to take – the closest I ever came to using a weapon was shooing away a fox from the henhouse with a pitchfork.
Shield shook himself, abruptly getting my attention. What does he… oh, wow. This… village… is… EPIC! It's like if the Aztecs and the dwarves from Lord of the Rings designed it together. There were giant statues forty feet tall depicting various warriors, all bearded. Water and lava flowed in two different streams, each ten feet away from each other. The huts were all made from stone. Wait – there's not a single cut or stripe anywhere, like you would expect from houses made of stone blocks. Did these people literally carve their homes out of the cliffside?
Speaking of the people, they were giant. The smallest – a boy with brown eyes and blond hair – stood at five feet ten. And man, did they have muscles! It was like walking through a family of really buff Hagrids.
I wasn't the only one staring. As the Horsemen and I walked by, everyone turned and stared at us. Some looked at us in wonder, some with hate, and some with fear. One kid took one look at Death and ran right into a hut. Death himself couldn't have cared less – he was focused on the giant building in front of us. Actually, it would be more appropriate to call it a doorway – a doorway with really fancy architecture carved into the mountainside.
Oh good, we have company. A villager standing at seven feet tall put himself in our path. He had his chain and sword out, making it clear to us that his intentions were… less than friendly. Blue eyes glared at me with such… holy crap, his eyes really are glowing! Even from five feet away, I could see that his hair was really dirty. Has this guy been sleeping with magical pigs?
"Horsemen, how dare you bring a human into our world?" The villager demanded. "Such a pathetic race doesn't belong among us, the Makers!"
"Step out of our way, Hadaver," War calmly stated. I don't blame him for not bothering to order him – a guy named War doesn't need to order anything around. "We are on Council business."
"The Council be damned!" Hadaver roared. "I won't allow any of your filthy species to enter our Forge! Turn back, Nephilim, and take your human pet with you!"
Another thing that pisses me off? People calling me a pet. Looking at Shield, we both had the same idea. Grabbing the reins, I held on to Shield as he charged Hadaver. At the last second, Shield turned and delivered a kick from his rear hooves. He's going… he's going… he's going… yes! He crashed into a wall! Ten points!
Turning around, I stared at the assembled villagers around us. "Anyone else have a problem?" I demanded. When no one answered, I continued. "And by the way, I'm not a human. I'm a Nephilim." With that, Shield and I turned toward the Forge and resumed our (Shield's, honestly) trot.
The other Horsemen caught up to us after a second. To my surprise, War came up to talk to me. "That, Redemption, was the single most stupid thing I have seen you do yet."
"Well, you can take your opinion and… wait, did you just call me Redemption? Why the upgrade from 'boy'?"
"I said it was stupid. That doesn't mean I can't be impressed. Not only did you and your horse work as one, you used your powers to avoid hurting yourself and Shield. For a youngling who recently became aware of himself, you were able to get a grasp on your abilities very quickly and effectively."
I really wish I could take his praise and say that I'm a natural, but I can't. I need to tell him the truth, otherwise I can't look you guys in the face again. Liam, Tiana – thanks for the moral center, if it doesn't get me killed. "Honestly, War, half the time I don't even know what I'm doing. It's like I get into a rhythm, and if the rhythm breaks, then… well, you saw what happened."
I was standing at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the horses. After taking Shield out for a test run, the Horsemen and I decided to break camp for the night. They didn't need food, but I did. Fury was about to build a fire, but I tapped her on the shoulder, asking, "Could I try? I want to get better at this."
"Building a fire?" She asked quizzically.
"No, getting a handle on my powers," I laughed. "I know it's a bit like using a nuke to kill a fly, but how else am I going to get better at this? Please, let me try."
After staring at the fire for a minute, she stepped aside. Great! Now I get to see what other awesome powers I have! I stared at the fire, trying to think of the symbols in my head that I used to heal Shield. Just when I started getting the mother of all migraines, the symbols started appearing in my head one by one. Yes! I can do it! I started imagining a fire, like the kind Liam and I used to roast marshmallows on. Huh… I can feel some heat.
I heard a twig snap, and my eyes snapped open. They were greeted with the mother of all gasoline explosions. The force was enough to send Fury and me flying (why did she stay by me?) several yards. We would have kept flying if War and Strife hadn't caught us.
"Are you hurt?" Strife asked. I shook my head no, but before I could follow up with words, a scythe appeared right in front of my left eye. Needless to say, I started sweating bullets.
That's when Death appeared. He pressed his mask right up against my face, just like the first time we met. This time, he didn't look curious at all. He was fuming. I could hear him taking sharp breathes in his mask, and his eyes… I have never seen an intent to kill that intense before in my life.
"Death," Strife ordered, his hand going to one of his guns. "Don't."
Death looked between me, Strife, me, and Strife again. Finally, he took away the scythe, putting it back on his belt. He took ten steps, and then pointed to his left. "Ten feet that way. That's where you will be sleeping. One word of complaint, or one movement towards your horse, and I'll gut you like a fish and have Shield wear your guts for the rest of his life."
I shuddered at the memory. At the same time, I couldn't help but be furious. No one – no one – threatens my horse. What could I do, though? The instant I even try to kill him, he'd turn me into sliced sausage. Knowing him, he'd probably eat it, too.
"That wasn't your fault… mostly," War said. Man, he sucks at trying to comfort people. "Like I said earlier, you're still young, so you're bound to make mistakes. The fact that you're a Nephilim means that your mistakes will sometimes be more… drastic."
I was about to ask what "drastic" meant when I saw something that completely made me forget about Death, my mistakes, and the ones I would make. No, not something – someone.
She was absolutely beautiful. She was about five foot nine, so she towered over me easily. That red hair – god, what a shade of red! It wasn't as pure a red as Fury's hair, but it still caught the sun and sparkled whenever it wasn't in the sun. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of grey, the same color of clouds after a storm at sea. I didn't think that green lips would be good on a girl, but she pulled it off.
Shield shook his head, smacking me with strands of his mane. He might as well have slapped me with several wires. I was about to yell at him when A) I realized that I wouldn't make a good impression on the blacksmiths, and B) he was stopping me from looking like a lovesick Romeo in front of my crush.
Great. Ten years old, and I already have a crush and two guys who want me dead. Way to start a new life, Redemption.
"Horsemen," she greeted us. I could listen to that voice all day. Her voice must be the child of ocean waves and church bells. Nothing else could sound that beautiful. "What can I do for you?"
"Hey, Aurora," Strife greeted warmly. He seems to know her. I wonder if I could get him to tell her what a great guy I am? "We're here to get a weapon made for Redemption."
"Redemption?" She asked, looking around.
I wasted no time in getting off Shield and getting in front of her. "That's me, ma'am. And in advance – thank you so much!"
Aurora chuckled softly. I really hope it's not directed at me. "You're quite welcome, young man." Turning towards War, she asked him, "Whose idea was it to take up babysitting?"
"It was unanimous," Fury answered. "We can't leave a fellow Nephilim behind."
Aurora stared at me in amazement. I should get used to this before I get more of those. "You're a Nephilim? I won't lie, I've never seen one as young as you."
"Yeah, well, I've never seen another Nephilim until two days ago. I didn't even know what a Nephilim was until two days ago," I answered. "Is there any way I can help with making my weapon?"
"There is," she replied. "But in order for it to work, you'll need a sparring partner. One who won't go easy on you."
Death and I locked eyes. I knew we were both thinking the same thing. That was confirmed for everyone else when we spoke at the same time.
"I choose Death."
"I will be Redemption's sparring partner."
So sorry for the long update. I'm going to finish up one of my other stories, so that way I can focus on this one. Until next time, viva Templar!