Blutox took a deep breath, surveying the vast Mountain Kanrei City, so unlike his war-hardened hometown. The city sprawled across floating rocks, each linked by rope bridges that the people used to travel. A massive hollow carved into the mountain housed even more buildings, stretching deep into its core. Just as a faint smile touched Blutox’s lips, an arrow whistled past his face, grazing his cheek and shattering his moment of relief.
Before he could react to the attack, several Green Kanreis emerged from the hole beneath as though they were thrown out, each holding a weapon in their hands and aimed at Blutox and his Fae friend.
Blutox moved to stand in front of the fairy while putting his left hand up in surrender.
"Sgniteerg, wellof Kanrei, i ecaep emocto… I come in peace!" He yelled in the Kanrei tongue.
He knew they had every reason to act the way they were, especially since the Blue Kanreis aligned with Hex.
"The last time a Blue Kanrei said that we buried our people."
Blutox and Danila both looked up at one of the many floating rocks to see a Green Kanrei female. She had long dark hair which was tied in a bun and held a bow and arrow aimed at Blutox in her hand.
"Maya," The War Kanrei muttered under his breath as he thought back to the female Kanrei who attacked Monk Zumma's village.
"If you don't leave now, I'll have to bury another Kanrei, but it won't be a green this time."
"Nkati, you will apologise to our guest this instance!" Another voice said from behind.
The duo turned to see an older Kanrei approaching them. He had similar features to all the other Mountain Kanreis (Green Kanreis) but with grey beards.
"But grandfather, he is a Blue Kanrei."
"I have told you, not every Blue Kanrei wants war, now apologise."
The girl hissed and jumped into the hole in the mountain. The old Kanrei shook his head in disappointment.
"Dismiss," he ordered the others and they quickly followed.
Once everyone had dispersed, he turned to the Blue Kanrei and smiled. "Blutox, I'm so very elated to see you."
The man's brows moved up in surprise. "You know who I am?"
The man nodded yes. "I do. You may not remember but I've been around most of your childhood years, I am a friend of your father, and seeing you here, I'm assuming you didn't align with your fellow War Kanrei?" The man asked.
Blutox shook his head no. "I left home the moment I found out it was what they planned on doing, I didn't want to join the war."
"But the war has come to you, and since you are considered a traitor in your home, you came here to find out your true potential, am I right?"
Blutox replied with a nod.
The elderly man let out a soft chuckle before looking over Blutox's shoulder.
"I'm Danila, a friend of Blutox," she answered before the man even asked the question.
"Oh." He smiled. "Telepathy, hmm… I'm Tan, the chief of this small town… come, you must be tired and hungry," he added before leading the two towards a nearby building.
[Well, Eryth, we are alive. How are things on your front?]
[Eryth?]
.
.
.
Eryth's eyes moved from the dagger the Lamia was holding to the body on the ground which was drowned in its blood.
"What the fuck just happened?" He said out loud, utterly shocked and confused.
[Eryth, I'm coming out now…]
"No, stay there, do not come here or you may be linked with whatever happened here."
Syrie dropped the weapon and inched backwards. "I… I… I had no idea what came over me, I swear by the gods I never intended to kill her, I swear."
Eryth pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. His mind moved haywire and his vision clouded from the side.
"Ah, fuck!"
He calmed down and placed his hand on the lady's neck in an attempt to try and heal her. But the moment his hand touched her, she jumped up while drawing a deep breath.
Her chest moved up and down as she touched her neck, the part where she was struck. Her eyes moved up to Eryth and then Syrie with a frown.
"You fucking murderers!"
She reached for her belt to take out another dagger but the Eryth quickly pinned her to the ground. He was confused as to how the girl was alive again as he hadn't even started the healing, but that was his least concern.
"Listen to me, listen, she never intended to attack you… Syrie is cursed, whenever she's in danger, the other soul within her takes over and attacks whatever put her in that situation, it's an uncontrollable action."
She didn't want to believe what he said, not after being killed by his friend just seconds ago, but for some reason, she calmed down and stopped attempting to move. "Well, one would call that a blessing and not a curse."
"One might, but in cases like this... it isn't."
She narrowed her eyes at him, holding his stare for a moment before speaking calmly. "Get the fuck off me."
"Right." Eryth unhanded her and got up on his feet, watching carefully as the girl stood up and slowly approached the Lamia.
They both stared at each other for a long while before Arya spoke. "I just got out of a bath and you ruined my clothes. Do you have anything to say? Maybe an apology. " She picked up her dagger.
"Apologies?"
"Sounds to me like you are asking."
"What about you, Arya?" Eryth chipped. "How are you still alive, I watched the dagger cut through your throat and the blood stain is proof that it happened."
She slipped her dagger into her belt and started walking. "I don't have to answer your question," she replied. "Follow me, before I change my mind."
Eryth spared one look at Syrie before following the girl. They walked for a while before arriving at the camp Arya spoke about.
"Father! More folks like you wanted," she yelled once they were inside the camp before disappearing into the crowd.
A short old man approached the two with a wide smile on his face. He had short cut green hair with an eye patch around his left eye, while his entire right face had a burn scar. His right arm was gone and he had a stick where his right leg was to be.
Eryth could tell the man went through a lifelong battle as he could see from the many scars on the man's arm and one deep cut that drew out from his chest all over his lips and towards his missing left ear. Eryth could tell there were more scars below the shirt he had on.
"Welcome, welcome, welcome to my humble camp, I am Kane, and I welcome you to my camp. Please, make yourself at home."
"You must have been a knight or something," Eryth blurted.
The man threw his head back as he laughed. "Indeed I was. You are a good guesser."
"One doesn't need to be a good guesser to tell you were in many battles."
The man used his only arm to push back a stray hair. "I'm afraid these were not caused by many battles, just a single one." He stopped and looked up to the sky, reminiscing about the old days. "A single battle that took everything away from me."
"You are alive."
The man looked at Eryth with a more serious face. "Barely… I am barely alive." He then screened his expression with a smile.
"Please, come, we were just about to have dinner, join us." He led them further into the village.
"You, call the others, and tell Arya to come out here or I'll drag her out myself."
"With that one arm that isn't functioning well? I bet you don't even have the energy to pleasure yourself," a feminine voice said from behind.
They all turned to see a lady who was taller than Kane approaching with a tray which had cups on it that were filled with a strange foamy drink in her hand. She had red hair which was styled in a curtain bangs that framed a beautiful face, resembling that of Arya Eryth had previously met. Her red hair matched and complemented the ethereal gown she had on. Her eyes were blue and they glittered as they caught Eryth's sight.
"You know, we can always test that theory of yours."
Eryth looked between the two, wondering what he had just witnessed. Not letting him fully process it, the remaining villagers arrived to join the grand dinner.
"I'm May, come on, join us," the redhead said.
Eryth and his partner were both granted their share.
Kane grabbed a drink and sat on a more elevated chair. "And now, for the tales of my days in battle," he started.
"Oh come on." They all groaned simultaneously.
"Seriously Father, we've heard your story a million times… at this point, we could speak it while asleep."
"Anyone who does not want to listen can leave."
The majority of the people, including Arya, stood up to leave but Kane yelled her to stay.
"Arya, sit."
"Ugh! Father! Please."
"Stay," May chipped. "Live these final days with your father, it doesn't look like he has many days left."
Arya rolled her eyes before gulping down her drink. Eryth couldn't help but smile as he watched them, but one thing couldn't leave his mind; the death and revival of the green-haired girl that sat across from him gulping down her drink, nonchalantly. He could think of a few ways she survived, one of which was signing a contract with the goddess of the dead, but it doesn't seem likely.
"What are you looking at, Scoptophilus?"
Eryth snapped out of his thoughts to realise he had been staring at her for a long while.
"What?"
"Scoptophilus?" May queried.
"Yes, I caught him watching me at the waterfall earlier today."
Kane, May and the other villagers who stayed turned to Eryth.
"You're fucked," Syrie whispered.
"Now that's a story I want to hear," May chipped.
Eryth leaned back on his chair and smiled. "Well, what can I say… my weakness is beautiful things, and when I saw her in that waterfall, she was beautiful, hell she was more than beautiful. Don't you agree?"
Kane pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Please, if you won't listen to my story, then leave."
Everyone went quiet while Arya stood up to leave but she was pulled back by May.
"Thank you." He turned to Arya. "Some might say I keep repeating this story because I want people to notice me. And others might spew up some other reason why, but I believe I have every right to keep repeating this story, after all, I did survive an encounter against Hex himself, and that makes me the only living soul to."
"You might be wondering how it happened, well here is the story."
....
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