Gabbiez: AHAHA! You were having excitement spasms! I'm glad. Anyways, I have to say Emri is very fun to write. She has that kind of mind, ya know?

Rilricks: Oh, dude. If Blaize were real, I'd be in heaven. Heroics performed by skinny and fire-throwing teenage boys are amazing.

Rebel: Blaize is bad-ass. I love it.

Zinachu: BLAIZE IS BACK. Isn't it amazing?

Chapter 10

"Claire? Claire, can you hear me?" Emri whispered, still fidgeting against the ropes.

"Yeah. And Emri, I'm not gonna lie. Your voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard."

"…that's nice. I need you to do something."

Emri sighed. Claire had been hit hard by the truth serum… and Derrick hadn't been able to get answers from her because she was too busy speaking her own mind.

Yes. Yes, she had figured out it was Derrick. She had figured it out by the dark magic; the insane amounts of it pouring off of him in waves. And no one else would have asked such direct questions about Shea, Rhairu, and other related topics.

"Claire, I need you to dig down in my pocket, and get out a razor that I've hidden in there." Emri pushed with her feet against the floor, and slid her chair over until she bumped into –judging by the yelp—Claire. She maneuvered so that Claire's hands should be over her pocket.

Claire's hands searched for the pocket, "You know, Emri. I'm not gonna lie. This is very awkward."

"You can't lie. That's a problem in its own self; now find the razor!"

Emri didn't have to see it to know that Claire had rolled her eyes.

After a few minutes of searching (only Claire would take a few minutes to search for something so painfully obvious in a pocket), Claire let out a triumphant yell.

Emri smiled too, sliding back to her original place on the floor. Don't ask how she knew. "Okay. Now, start sawing away at your ropes. But when you hear someone coming, hide it. We'll get out of here, I promise."

She could hear the soft sound of a razor being slide across rope quickly and repeatedly.

Now to wait.

"…inform King Therion that I'll be meeting with him later this week to discuss our war plans against- " Derrick stopped talking, and Emri could feel his gaze on her. "Well, I wouldn't have expected you two to be awake."

Emri didn't respond.

"What are you still doing here? Go give my dispatch to King Therion!" Derrick ordered to some unknown presence, which left immediately. The man turned his attention back to Emri and Claire. "The undead are so hard to work with." He explained.

"That's just inhumane!" Emri snapped, "The dead should be respected; they should be honored, not treated like slaves!"

Ooh, how she wanted to take this blindfold off and smack him across the face. Many times.

She then wondered how Claire had been coming along on the rope.

Derrick hand captured her face again; Emri could feel his breath on her as he spoke, "Do you want to know what happens to those who take back to me? It's not pretty-"

"Sir," a grotesquely distorted voice interrupted.

"What?" Derrick snapped, clearly annoyed at all the disturbances.

There was a pause, "Two boys run here. Many distance far, but run here anyway. Red eye and purple eye. Cow head and sun-color."

Emri rolled the words around in her head, trying to make sense of them. She gasped involuntarily before sudden anger filled her. Ooh, he wouldn't dare."Let them come. I want to speak to the blonde, personally." Derrick answered, sounding intrigued by this news before turning back to Emri, "Now. Who is this…'red-eyed, cow-headed' friend of yours? You obviously know him."

Emri snapped her teeth together. "He's a worthless piece of human flesh! I'm going to tear him apart when I see him! Tell your creatures to leave him alone, and let me at him! I'll kill him!"

Derrick whistled, "Passion. Anything else?"

"He better not have touched Shea. If he did, I'll skin him alive, and then kill him! Wait, I'll have to castrate him with a dull spoon, first. And then I'll kill him! Muahah…" Emri stopped herself, confused at her own behavior.

Claire scoffed, "Emri, you wouldn't."

"Oh, I would." She growled, "I really, really would…"

Derrick's aura changed to annoyance again. "Who is he?"

"I told you! He's a worthless piece of matter that deserves to be castrated with a dull spoon and burned alive to get a taste of his own medicine." Emri finished indignantly.

"…taste of his own medicine, you say? Care to elaborate?"

"That boy is a walking inferno. Seriously, it's obnoxious how hot he is- I mean gets! How hot in temperature he gets. And he flaunts it, too. 'Oh look at me. I can light a frickin' bonfire in a rainstorm! Whoopdi-do!'" She slumped in her seat, chewing on her tongue.

She could feel Derrick pondering over this. "Thank you, Emri." And then he swiftly left.

Claire waited before she went back to sawing at the rope again. "Emri, you didn't mean everything you said? About Blaize?"

"Of course I did! Keep sawing."

--

Shea looked over when Blaize sneezed twice in a row, and smirked. "Someone's not saying very good things about you."

Blaize grunted.

The blonde frowned again. "So, how long have you been following us?"

"Not long," the Exelian admitted, "I found you a few days ago."

Shea rolled his over in his head, "How'd you know we'd be here? It could be on the other side of the country, for all I know."

Here, Blaize laughed. "Oh, it is. In fact, we're in Lavinar right now. But," he continued, "I've been here for a while, spying on Derrick. I figured you'd try to come after him, so I wanted to get a head start for you. I'd overheard some of his… more intelligent soldiers talking about how the Rhairu incarnate had appeared in the forest a few days ago, and I left in search of you." He glanced at Shea, "…so, why did you lose your temper with Claire yesterday?"

Shea winced. "Lets stay out of that topic for now."

"Fair enough."

"…Lavinar?" Shea asked after a moment of silence. They were still running.

"Lavinar is Hyrule's greatest ally, but soon to be greatest enemy. They're going to war soon, but for a ridiculous reason."

"And that would be-"

"Shuttup. We're almost to Derrick's lair."

Shea ducked down in the bushes next to Blaize, watching a stone opening where figures patrolled lethargically. "What are they?"

"Undead."

"Like the Redead?"

Blaize shook his head, "No. These are actual people raised from their graves and forced to do the necromancer's bidding."

Shea looked at Blaize in disbelief. "That's forbidden, isn't it?"

"Well," Blaize sucked in a breath, "Derrick seems to have overlooked that little detail. Now come on. We need to get the girls out of there."

"Right."

Shea followed Blaize as the pyro snuck around the zombie sentinels. Shea peered at the rusted armor… "Is that-?"

"The Hylian crest? Yes, it is." Blaize answered before drawing his sword and slicing off the zombie's head as it was turning around, and quickly dispatching the other one. "These guys are nothing compared to the guys that attacked you. Nothing compared to the vampyres."

Shea shivered, "There are more of them?"

"As many as Derrick wants. His control over necromancy also includes limbo, the space in between heaven and hell; the place where those who have committed unforgivable sins go. They slowly rot, and become corrupted, eventually turning into vampyres, or some other creature." He shrugged, "If you believe that kind of stuff."

Shea was about to retort when there was a noise from inside the cave, and a dead weight crashed into his chest, sending him flying backward; simultaneously, there was a loud crack as someone's fist made contact with Blaize's face.

"I'll kill you!" Emri screeched, looking down at Blaize with utmost loathing, preparing to kick him in the ribs.

The Exelian was rubbing his jaw, which was hanging open. "E'ri, I 'hink you hararzed hy haw!" Emri, I think you paralyzed my jaw!

She sneered, "You sound like a jack-"

"Emri, Emri, Emri. We need to get out of here." Shea stood up, helping Claire up as well, pulling on the irate girl's arm. "Derrick'll be coming after us when he find out you… how did you escape, anyway?"

Claire shook her head, "Story for later. Shea's right. Emri, you can beat up Blaize later. Oh, by the way- Hi, Blaize! Now lets go!"

Blaize stood up and cringed away from Emri's death glare. "Ooh, I'm looking forward to it." She growled before starting to run.

--

Sure enough, the zombie warriors had chased them, filled the forest. The group had hid in the bushes for over two hours… tension thick, with Emri glaring at Blaize the entire time.

By the time the sun had set, they were back at their original camp, salvaging what was left of their supplies.

Blaize looked from where he was standing alongside Shea and Claire to the girl furiously jamming items into her pack. He inwardly winced at the strain of the seams on the bag as it was practically manhandled.

"It's now or never," said Shea impassively, glancing at Blaize from the corner of his eye. Blaize grunted, but began walking over to the immensely upset Emri.

Shea continued to Claire, "It's not like she can still be that mad, right?"

Claire crossed her arms and gave the blonde a look. "Obviously, you don't know much about the female species and holding grudges against the lesser, and not to mention more Neanderthal-prone gender." She sighed, eyes still following Blaize's back in his trudge over.

Blaize, meanwhile, stiffened as Emri turned to give him a glare that would make alive the undead. Women…He leaned against a tree upon getting a few feet from her as she went on stuffing her mat into the pack, her anger making things much more difficult. He almost snorted at her predicament when let out a frustrated exhale.

"Shea and I have made amends," Blaize started.

"Good for you," said Emri stoically, still fumbling with the stuffing of her mat.

"Having difficulties?" Blaize asked innocently. "Because, you know, I could—"

Emri whirled on him, standing up. "Have you finally come to apologize? And if you have, just so you know, you're really bad at carrying it out."

"Look, apologies aren't my forte," he rolled his eyes. "At least I'm trying—"

"Well, you're failing miserably," she snapped. Blaize looked annoyed at being cut off again. "For Goddesses sake! You led us into a trap after gaining our unanimous trust, which inevitably got Shea kidnapped—" she threw her hands up in the air at this; Blaize noted that she still seemed a bit disoriented… like the way she had been after being force-fed the powerful truth serum "—heaven only knows how he even survived that encounter! Do you have any idea how much his absence affected Claire? His parents? And then I—"

"You were worried?" He interrupted her. It was unlikely that she would be sounding so heartfelt at a moment like this (despite himself being there to set her off) if she wasn't still under the serum's effects…

Emri gave him an incredulous look. "Of course I was worried! Shea's like the brother I never had—"

"And me?" Blaize pressed, resisting the urge to smile smugly at how the tables were going to turn in his favor now. "You missed me." It wasn't a question.

Emri stared at him blankly; though, she seemed to be fighting something. "No… I mean, I don't know!" Her face started to redden. "Well, sure, I-I guess, but that's not the point," she argued quickly, scowling. "Blast it! Why are you smirking?!"

--

Claire and Shea observed the conversation from a distance away.

"She looks like she wants to tear out his spleen with her teeth," Claire commented casually, as if something like that was normal. Shea gave her an appalled look and took an immediate step away.

"What kind of observation is that?!" he exclaimed.

Claire giggled. "What? You don't agree?"

"Well, yeah, but I wouldn't have put it in those exact words…"

"Leave it to Blaize to make Emri more angry, though."

"Heh, I wonder what he said."

--

"You're positively infuriating!" Emri seethed, clutching the fabric of her pants at Blaize's triumphant look.

"I win," he said simply. Emri's jaw clenched.

"Win what?!"

He merely shrugged, basking in a glow of mock-innocence. Emri frowned at his lack of discreetness.

"You are the most contradicted person I have ever met." She sighed. "Ever had the misfortune of meeting, actually. I mean, you betray us, you're completely inept at apologizing for said act, and you just expect me to forgive you?"

"Yes."

Emri let out a huff of air. "And what if I don't—"

"I don't need to give you my sentiments of making amends, Emri. You've already forgiven me."

He smirked when she looked as though she wanted to punch him. "And how would you know that? You're not the empath!"

"I don't have to be. My forgiveness is written all over your face. Like I said before: I win."

Emri's eyes flashed. "You've won nothing, you ignoramus!"

"Then why are you blushing?" probed Blaize, raising his eyebrows when she became more flustered. "You're embarrassed because you know I'm right." His smirk broadened.

Emri's eyes narrowed. "I despise you. And for the record, I never missed you." Unfortunately, the heat creeping around her face was almost too much to ignore.

Blaize snorted. "Liar."

"Go die!"

"No—you'd miss me too much."

"Shuttup!"

--

After taking refuge behind the bushes when the volume of Emri and Blaize's conversation intensified ten-fold, Claire stole a peek over the leaves towards her friends.

"Have they broken anything yet?" Shea inquired nervously.

"No," started Claire, "but… Emri's blushing."

"Really?!" Shea pushed Claire's head down to look over her, much to the redhead's chagrin. "Lemme see!"

"Shea!" Claire snapped, shoving him back. "I was here first." She sniffed.

After a moment more, she looked over at a sulking Shea. "Hmmm… I wonder why she doesn't just say it…"

"Say what?" Shea asked exasperatedly.

Claire stared at him skeptically, as though assuring herself of his obliviousness. "Boys are way too dense," she declared.

Shea sighed, brow furrowing in a grumpy look. "Well, have they made up yet, at least?"

"Only time will tell," Claire stated wisely.

Shea's shoulders sagged. That hadn't answered his question at all...