The Light of a Broken Destiny:
Decisions, Decisions
"Eda…" Raine whispered to their partner, "Take care of everyone."
The ex-wild witch gave their partner a look but didn't get a chance to voice anything as Raine ran back to Hiro. She watched as Darius and Hunter soon went after Raine, no doubt to join the fight.
Eda stared at their extended family, conflicted. She wanted to stay and fight but couldn't deny the immortal human wasn't wrong. She looked at the others and saw they were in no shape to continue fighting.
So, with a reluctant growl, Eda shepherded the group out of the area. She forced herself not to look back even when she heard the sound of fighting. Once the lone adult and three teenagers couldn't hear the sounds of battle, Eda stopped.
"Willow, Gus," Eda said seriously, Owlbert jumping out of her hair, "You know what to do."
The two witches nodded and summoned their staves. Eda had Owlbert turned into his staff form and hopped on. She looked at Akari and frowned when she saw the human girl looking back at the battle.
"Hey," Eda said comfortingly, "If you're worried about your friend, I'm sure with Rainstorm and the others backing him up, that old fart will come out of that mess smelling like roses. Now, hop on!"
Akari looked at the witch hesitantly. She heard a noise from the direction of the fight and looked in that direction. She couldn't make out the fight but saw some of her master's ki attacks flying.
So, with a reluctant sigh, the young Japanese woman mounted the witch's staff.
Eda frowned as the human wrapped her arms around the witch's stomach. There was that familiarity creeping up on her again. She dared a glance back at Akari, and the witch's frown deepened. There was something in Akari's eyes, a sense of familiarity and grief.
Eda wanted to explore those feelings, but the sounds of battle reached her ears and reminded her about the task at hand. She looked forward and climbed into the air, Willow and Gus following close behind.
Once the group had reached a certain height, Eda took two potion vials from her hair as Gus drew a spell circle. She cracked open the vials, and the contents immediately began to smoke. Eda tossed the vials into the air, and a second later, they exploded.
Guss aimed his spell circle at the cloud the explosion created, and the group flew through it. Akari frowned as they passed through the cloud and looked herself over.
"If you're wondering," Eda said, catching the human's attention. "This potion is to mask our scent, and Gus is making us look like a passing cloud."
"One that is constantly changing," Guss added but with no pride behind his voice.
Akari nodded and looked over her shoulder. She watched as the site where her master was fighting disappeared into the distance and sighed faintly. The swordswoman looked forward and watched the skies, making sure no other surprises were about to pop up.
The group flew in tense silence for a few minutes, each keeping watch. It was reaching the seven-minute mark when someone decided to break the silence.
"Where are we going?" Akari asked curiously.
Eda exchanged looks with Willow and Gus. Akari could tell they were debating about telling her some sensitive information. She couldn't blame them; she was still a stranger in their eyes. For all they knew, Akari was playing some kind of long game.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't feel like it," Akari said diplomatically.
The witches stared at the human for a second, then exchanged looks. Akari was patient, waiting for her new friends to finish their silent conversation.
"...We're handing to the knee," Eda finally answered.
Akari blinked, staring at the older witch in confusion. She hadn't expected that answer.
"Why are we heading to a knee," the Japanese teen asked in confusion.
Eda sighed and looked forward. "We have our main camp there," the ex-wild witch explained. "We're going to resupply there, then head to another base so we could stick it to that hag."
Akari frowned but decided that it was best to leave things as is.
The group reached the knee in roughly twenty minutes, primarily because they had taken a long route. Akari figured they did this to confuse and lose any potential followers. She frowned as she and the witches flew past the Knee.
After another 3 minutes of flying, the group reached the edge of the knee. Eda spun around, scanning the area for any unwanted guests. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she gestured to Willow and Gus.
The witches descended from the sky, and Willow drew a spell circle. Akari watched as the ground opened, and the group slipped into the opening. The opening closed a few seconds after the four slipped through, and torches lit up the area.
The group dismounted their staves, and Akari looked around. They were in a man-made tunnel; the walls were smooth. Akari looked at a wall and saw some chips and cracks, which told her this tunnel had been here for a long time.
The witches began walking down the hall, and Akari followed after them.
"What is all of this?" the swordswoman asked Eda curiously.
Eda looked at the human, sizing her up. Akari tried to look as non-threatening as possible. She wanted to continue proving she was on the witch's side.
Eda looked forward but explained, "This was a tunnel created during what my sister's calling the warring era. She thinks this place was created during a really big civil war long before Emperor Bonehead was born."
Akari frowned and looked ahead when she saw they were nearing the tunnel's exit. The group exited the tunnel, and the Japanese woman gasped at what she saw.
The group had entered a large cavern, big enough to house a city twice the size of Bonesborugh. Akari blinked as she realized her train of thought was accurate; there were buildings all around the cavern. Some built into the rock face, others built from the rock itself.
All around the carven, witches and demons hurried from place to place. Some looked like citizens trying to go about their daily lives, but from the way some others moved, Akari could tell they were soldiers.
Akari watched as Willow and Gus left the group, going their separate ways. The Japanese woman looked at Eda as the witch looked around. When she couldn't find what she was looking for, she frowned and headed off with a destination in mind.
Akari decided to follow after the witch, noting that Eda was looking for someone.
The two walked for a few minutes and came to what Akari could assume was a medical wing. She frowned as she looked around the area; the wing was crowded with witches and demons, most of whom were in bad shape.
Akari's frown turned sad when she saw a roughly fourteen-year-old witch boy whose head was mostly covered in bandages. She watched as a healer moved to the boy's side and began carefully removing the bandages.
Akari nearly threw up when the last of the boy's bandages were removed and saw the three-degree burns that covered the boy's face. She covered her mouth and looked away as she felt her stomach churn.
The human girl kept her eyes on the ground, focusing solely on her breathing. After a minute of deep breathing, Akari felt her stomach settled. The swordswoman was still recovering when she heard someone approach her and Eda.
"Commander Clawthorne," Akari heard a voice call firmly to Eda.
The swordswoman looked up and saw Hettie Cutburn.
The former head of the Healing Coven had exchanged her usual robes for a more ragged outfit. She now wore black leggings and leather boots with knives strapped to each. She wore a gray, sleeveless tunic with numerous tears and a fur-pelt cape with a hood covering the witch's head.
Finally, the healer had bandages covering most of her head except for her blue eyes.
"Cutburn," the ex-wild witch said in a tone that didn't fit her character. "Is my sister here?"
Akari looked at Eda, frowning. Though the witch's tone was uncharastically professional, she could hear something else in Eda's voice. It took a few seconds for the Japanese woman to realize that Eda's voice was filled with dread as if she were afraid of the answer the healer would give her.
"She is," Cutburn replied. "Her injuries have been treated, and she's in no danger."
Akari could see the tension left the witch's body, and Eda sighed with relief. The human nearly smiled at this sight until Cutburn looked at her suspiciously.
"Commander Clawthorne," the healer said evenly, looking at Eda. "Who's this human?"
Akari squirmed slightly when the large witch looked at her suspiciously. Eda sighed and got between the witch and the human.
"Look, horns," Eda retorted, earning a glare from Cutburn, "I know how this looks. But the girl is on the up and up. Plus-"
Eda looked at Akari, and the human frowned when she noticed the look in the witch's eyes. It was a warmth Akari had only gotten from three other people in her life. And it was causing Akari to squirm slightly.
Eda saw that the human was getting uncomfortable and offered Akari a small smile. Then, she turned her attention to Cutburn, her expression hardening.
"...If you saw what the other human can do, you'll think twice about messing with the girl," Eda added. "Now, if mind, I'm going to see some people and then gather all those old farts for a war meeting."
The ex-wild witch pushed past the healer before Cutburn could say another word. Akari watched Eda disappear into the wing and then looked at Cutburn when she felt a glare on her.
The Japanese woman smiled sheepishly and hurried after Eda. Akaria kept at Eda's heels as the witch moved through the medical wing, eventually stopping at a sport covered with a thick sheet.
Akari watched as Eda's demeanor changed. Her body looked heavy, and she stared conflictingly at the sheet covering the entrance. The witch began to clench and unclench her hands. The witch's body shook ever so slightly that it would have been missed by someone who didn't know Eda on a personal level.
Eda looked away and took two deep breaths to steel her nerves.
Eda looked back at the sheet and, after taking another second to prepare herself, pushed the sheet back.
Akari gasped as her eyes widened, her face paling to a sickly white at the sight that greeted her.
(SC)
With a warcry, Hiro came down on his opponent, horizontally slashing the scout across the chest. The witch/abomination hybrid grunted as it staggered backward. Hiro finished his opponent off by thrusting his sword through the creature's head, making its death quick and painless in case the scout still had some sense of self.
For a second, the scout was still, not even flinching as Hiro pulled his swords free. Then, after another second, the hybrid dropped to the ground without a sound.
Hiro stared at the scout for a second, then put his sword into the ground before bringing his hands together. He closed his eyes and bowed slightly as he offered a silent prayer to the witch the creature once was.
The immortal swordsman sighed and picked up his sword. He looked around and frowned. Odalia's scouts had been dealt with, and everyone was licking their wounds.
Hiro scanned the group, taking in their current states. Hunter was nursing his right shoulder, and the swordsman frowned as he saw the red oozing between the boy's fingers. Hiro walked up to the grimwalker, sheathing his sword, and kneeled beside him.
"May I?" Hiro asked gently, looking Hunter in the eyes.
The blond-haired boy stared at Hiro for a second, then nodded. Hiro smiled reassuringly as Hunter slowly removed his hand from his shoulder.
Hiro frowned as he saw the bullet wound that was in Hunter's shoulder. He could see the stone shard that was stuck in the boy's shoulder and gingerly touched the edge of the wound.
"I would like to do something to help," Hiro said calmly to Hunter, "Do you trust me?"
Hunter looked conflicted at the immortal human, debating with himself. He suddenly winced when a jolt of pain went through his shoulder. The boy looked at Hiro, grimacing, and nodded.
Hiro returned the gesture and then turned his attention to the wound. He focused on the stone shard and sent some of his ki into the wound.
Hunter gritted his teeth and looked away as he braced himself for the impending pain. He blinked when he felt the stone move but wasn't in pain. Hunter looked at his shoulder, and his eyes widened in wonder as he watched the stone slowly move out of his shoulder, Hiro's ki surrounding the object.
Hiro wasn't just focused on removing the shard from the boy's shoulder but using his ki to treat the worst of the wound. The swordsman removed the stone and then checked the wound. He nodded, pleased with his work.
"That should do for now," Hiro told the boy. "Do you have anything clean to cover the wound?"
"...Yes," Hunter replied after coming to his senses.
Hunter then took one of his potions and slowly applied it to his wound. Hiro watched as the brown liquid seeped into the open flesh and hardened a few seconds afterward.
Hunter examined his shoulder and rolled his arm. The boy did this for a few more seconds before he nodded, pleased with the results.
Hiro smiled slightly at the sight, glad Hunter would be okay, and turned his attention to the others. He frowned when he saw Darius looming over one of Odalia's scouts, hands out. The immortal looked closer at the abomination witch and saw some abomination matter on the witch's hand.
Hiro watched the abomination watch, seeing his teeth clenched and beads of sweat running down his face. Darius narrowed his eyes, concentrating with all his might on the abomination matter covering the scout's body.
Hiro turned his attention to the scout at Darius's feet, and he frowned. He watched as the abomination matter covering the scout's body started to reaction Darius's silent commands.
The swordsman watched this for a few seconds, seeing the goo bubbling as the abomination witch tried to bend it to his will.
Darius tried to get the abomination matter to obey him for a solid minute but could not get it to do more than bubble. He gave up with a frustrated roar, thrusting his hands to his side. He glared at the scout, growling, then looked at the abomination matter covering his hand.
Hiro saw the disgust on the witch's face increase ten-fold before Darius dropped to the ground. He somewhat frantically wiped his hand on the scout's uniform.
The immortal swordsman decided to leave Darius to his own devices and turned his attention to the last member of his group. Hiro noticed that Raine was looking in the direction Eda and the others flew off.
"I don't think you have to worry about the others," Hiro assured them, walking up to the bard. "Your lady friend seemed well experienced. So I don't think she would let those in her care come to harm."
Raine was silent, still staring off into the distance. Hiro kept his expression calm as he looked at the bard, studying them.
The swordsman couldn't see anything in Raine's body language that betrayed his thoughts. However, Hiro could see the storm of emotions raging in the bard's eyes.
"...You told me the method we were using would eventually turn against us," Raine finally said, slowly turning their head to look at Hiro. "And soon after, you were proven right."
Hiro stared deeply into the bard's eyes, searching for any signs of suspicion. But all the immortal found was regret in Raine's eyes. This led Hiro to believe that Raine was blaming themselves for what happened just now.
"Look, kid," Hiro said calmly. "I have been around a while and seen more than my fair share of stuff."
The swordsman put on a fatherly smile and lightly grabbed Raine's shoulder reassuringly.
"And as such, I'm always here to listen to whatever problems someone might need to get off their chest," the immortal swordsman told the bard fatherly.
Raine looked at Hiro, slightly shocked by the human's fatherly aura. The bard recovered from their shock and nodded weakly at the human. Hiro returned the gesture with a smile.
"Everyone!" Raine called to the group. "We should get going! There's no telling how long before this place is swarmed by Odalia's forces."
Hunter and Darius looked at Raine. Darius looked at the bard, and Hiro could tell from his expression that he had something else in mind.
"No," the abomination witch growled. "You can go back, but I have something different in mind."
Raine and Hunter looked at Darius, shocked by his comment. Hiro looked at the witch, studying the dark-skinned male with a raised eyebrow.
Darius's language told the immortal swords that Darius's anger was barely under control. Darius's fists were clenched so tightly that it was a wonder his palms weren't bleeding. His jaw was so tight it surprised the immortal hero that he didn't hear a grinding noise.
"Darius…" Raine said slowly, approaching their friend. "What are you planning?"
Darius looked at the bard, sneering slightly. "What we should have done a long time ago," He growled.
Raine stared at their friend, confused. They suddenly gasped as a thought came to their mind.
"Darius…" The bard said breathlessly, "You're not going to attack one of Odalia's factories, are you?"
Darius stared silently at the bard; that was all Raine needed to confirm their suspicions.
The abomination witch stared at the shocked bard for another second before he looked away. Darius began to walk in a seemingly random direction, which snapped Raine out of their shock. The bard hurried after the abomination witch, getting in front of him and blocking his path.
Darius wasn't amused when the bard held out their arms to block his path. "Raine…move," he said darkly, "And this isn't up for debate."
Raine didn't move, keeping their eyes on their friend. Darius growled, and his hair began to surge. Before the two could start throwing spells, a thick vine suddenly got between the two witches.
Darius growled and looked to his right, seeing Hiro with his sword in the ground. He took his sword out and walked up to the two, glaring at them with parental authority.
"Before you tear into each other," the swordsman said commandingly, "I would like to know what this argument is about?"
Darius glared at the immortal swordsman, and Hiro returned the glare, eyes sparking green. Darius flinched slightly and looked away. He refused to let the human see the fear he instilled in him.
"What Darius and Raine were talking about are Odalia's main means of punishing those who go against her rules," Hunter explained. "They're called re-learning factories, and only Odalia and her most trusted knows what goes on in them."
Hiro hummed as he looked at Hunter, then turned his attention to one of the scouts. He could guess what Darius was thinking, so he looked at the witch.
"You want to confirm if these things are created at the factories, don't you," Hiro stated.
Darius gathered himself and looked Hiro in the eyes. "We have been at the woman's heels since she took power," he growled. "Now we have gained some knowledge, and I, for one, want to keep pressing."
"Darius," Raine said, their voice pleading, "The nearest factory is in Latissa. That city has been under Odalia's control since her rise to power."
Darius snapped his head in Raine's direction, growling as his hair flared. "And you think I care about that after everything we just learned?" he snapped.
Raine frowned in concern and opened their mouth to try to reason with their friend.
"Night's here," Hiro suddenly said, getting everyone's attention. "I could probably lead us through the city with little problem."
Raine couldn't help but gawk at the swordsman. Raine didn't expect the swordsman to agree with Darius's plans so quickly. Hiro saw the look and gave the bard an unreadable expression.
"Like I have been saying, I am old," The swordsman explained, "and if there's one thing I learned about war, it is gaining knowledge the enemy had tried to keep close to their chest could be the key factor in ending the war just as much as trying to take out the enemy's leaders."
Raine looked at the immortal swordsman with a mildly shocked expression. They looked at Hunter, hoping the grimwalker was on their side.
"...Sorry, Raine," Hunter said apologetically, "But after what happened with Willow's dad, I'm not going to pass this up either."
Raine let out a frustrated growl, feeling like pulling their hair out. They couldn't believe everyone was on board with this crazy plan. They really couldn't believe that someone like Hiro, who kept saying he was over five hundred years old, would even consider going with this plan.
"Raine," Hiro said softly, getting the bard's attention. "Listen, this isn't my first time infiltrating an enemy-infected city."
Hiro then turned and faced the others, addressing everyone.
"So, if you follow my lead, we should be able to get what we're looking for."
Raine looked at Hiro, uncertain about the immortal's claim, but realized it was useless. They were outvoted here, and all they could hope for by point was to go along and try to keep watch over the group.
Raine groaned and reluctantly said, "Then I guess it's decided. We're going to infiltrate a heavily guarded city."
(SC)
Now we know who Eda was worried about all those chapters ago. You all probably know who Akari saw that caused such a reaction.