Metal pierces the ground.
Gagging and retching are faintly heard.
Bodies drop with a loud thud.
A man stands in the midst.
Holding onto his weapon's bag.
Alice: [Somebody get him. He's been throwing up for half an hour.]
Alfie: [He will recover after a while.]
Shrugging, they continue. With a shovel, Alfie finishes deep holes, and Alice drags five corpses in front.
Once thrown inside, they cover them, trying to mask them under the uneven terrain.
Alice: [We have to leave now. Get Hinozu, Dathur.]
Adjusting the bandage on his cheek, he ignores her, walking to Alfie's horse. Alice redirects her gaze at Alfie, who nods before approaching the boy.
Grabbing him by the stomach, Alfred sets the young man on Alice's horse.
He continues to retch dryly, eyes watering constantly at the edges.
[We've got three days before the Cult starts chasing us.]
[The goal is to reach the mountains in that time frame.]
Getting on the horse, Alice adjusts her armor.
[That means we'll be galloping nonstop. Doesn't matter if the horses die from exhaustion.]
[No eating, no sleeping. We'll drink what little we have in our water skins.]
Alfie rides his horse, following the girl closely as they gallop through the night.
A loud rumbling reaches from behind, appearing in the form of dozens of Phobantropes. Their extremely long limbs sprint effortlessly, sharp teeth jutting out to pierce their own furry skin.
They run alongside the group, offering fresh meat occasionally. Alice takes it, chewing once before throwing it on the road.
Hinozu closes his eyes, wiping cold tears off his face.
An uneasy feeling lingers inside.
Alice: [Take it.]
Confused, he opens his eyes. Clawed fingers hand him a piece of flesh.
[It's offering it to you. Don't get it mad.]
Hesitantly, he grabs the piece, biting hard on the rubbery food. Disgusted with the flavor, he spits it out before throwing the rest.
Alice: [Tastes really bad, right?]
Hinozu: [... Yes.]
Alice chuckles.
[You shouldn't know what it is.]
Growing bored, the creatures scatter around the lowlands, disappearing at breakneck speed.
[I hate those things.]
[How can something live and thrive in the dark?]
Anxious, she lights another lamp, hanging it close to her.
[Sinful creatures.]
[They could—]
Kanell: [Shut up, already.]
The man's blunt reply catches her off guard. Clicking her tongue, she decides to stay silent.
And silence reigns, long enough to deafen their ears.
By dawn, the road starts to disappear, marked only by a narrow strip of land, absent from grass and pebbles.
Past a tall wooden marker, the road vanishes completely. The vast mountain range stretches far ahead, covered in trees coated white.
Uneven land leads to hills in front of them.
They gallop through, evading boulders and frosty terrain.
Mist rises with each breath. The animals slow their pace, only to be forced to pick up.
[Can we stop for a while?]
Alice glances over her shoulder, meeting Hinozu's gaze. His brows are furrowed slightly, hands clutching his chest.
[We can't.]
[I... I can't breathe properly.]
[Doesn't matter.]
Alfie rushes close, staring at the boy.
[You are meant to endure this.]
[No, he isn't.]
Kanell speaks up, hatred coursing his face.
[He was meant to live a fulfilling life.]
[But seeing how that's not the case, he's meant to be protected.]
[Far from us. Far from dan—]
[Since when did you become this fragile?]
Alfie cuts him off. Alice waves a hand dismissively, focused on something else.
Knuckles slam on Alfie's neck, driving him to the ground with a loud thud.
Kanell grips the reins of the horse, increasing his pace to leave the three behind.
Halting her horse, Alice quickly checks on Alfie. Hearing his breathing, she waits for the man to stand up.
Alice: [He's gone mad.]
Alfie: [Truly. I do not believe he will return. And we are already two horses short.]
The girl sighs deeply, drumming her fingers on her thigh. Hinozu breathes nervously, constantly checking ahead for Kanell to return.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
[What a nuisance that rat is.]
[He will leave us alone.]
Alfie starts walking, trying to match the horse's pace.
[Why's that?]
[He cannot hurt anyone now. He is long gone past strength and order.]
[The issue is, without a horse, you won't be able to keep up.]
[I do know.]
Their gazes travel to Hinozu. The boy tenses visibly.
[We'll have to—]
[Y-you can't.]
Hinozu smiles nervously, eyes twitching ever so slightly.
[Kanell managed to punch you in the neck. You co-could've died.]
[What makes you believe he won't be coming after you?]
[The only reason he's in control is because of me.]
Raising his arms, he waves them around, desperately.
[He wouldn't hurt me.]
[He won't hurt us.]
With quivering lips, he waits for an answer.
[You'll have to walk, Alfie.]
The boy relaxes at Alice's compliance, exhaling slowly.
[But I won't slow my pace. Get a mount soon, or we'll have to see each other at the destination.]
[I do not handle the cold very well. We will meet, if fate desires so.]
[Of course. I'll stop for the night today. Good luck.]
With a command, she guides the horse forward, running through the hills.
The animal nearly slips, balancing itself on frozen soil. After finding its footing, it continues at a vigorous pace.
The sun rises exponentially, coating the surroundings with warm light. Alice sighs, relieved.
[I hate the night. Being in the dark is not my thing.]
Hinozu stays silent, hesitant to speak. After a while, he tries to spark a conversation.
Hinozu: [What happens if you stay in the dark for long?]
Alice: [It's blasphemous. A sin. Humans are meant to live in the light, and rest when darkness lingers.]
[Only a sinner would spend the night, even with a lamp or two.]
[And only a sinful creature would stay in complete darkness.]
Hinozu switches off in the midst of her ranting, his mind scattering around. Anxiousness grips his heart.
[It's the only truth in this world.]
[Ever since the Zenith shaped it for us to live.]
[Because, even if he used all three blessings, his heart was set on the light.]
[On Leuha?a, the All's Flare.]
Noticing the boy's silence, she continues rambling.
[The believers will meet a worthy end. After a life of hardship, hope, and faith, you'll finally rest at peace.]
[Your soul will be lifted to the All's Flare, where you'll reside with other believers for eternity.]
[Grazing a blinding light with every fiber of your being.]
[Plus, we—]
[Do you trust me?]
Hinozu blinks slowly, growing numb to the cold.
[Do you actually think I can be useful to the mission?]
[What do you think? You're with me, and a blanket's around you.]
The horse gallops around increasing trees, growing tired as it climbs a slope.
Rocky formations start to appear, covered in tiny flakes of white. The ground crunches at the animal's hooves.
The forest is near.
[If I didn't want you, I would've thrown you off already. In one way or another...]
[I even find you more useful than Alfie.]
Smiling, she presses her heels on the horse's sides, forcing it to run even faster. Cold wind pierces her reddened eyes, though she doesn't seem to be fazed.
[You're similar to me.]
[... In what way?]
Hinozu wraps the blanket closer to him, shivering from the sudden drop in temperature.
[We only care about that which we care about.]
[Nothing else really matters.]
Straight ahead, they enter the forest, canopied by thick, tall trees. The ground roughens, increasingly irregular, and filled with sticks and pebbles.
Alice guides the horse, turning sharply to evade the trees. Hinozu hangs on to the saddle, gripping tightly.
[Will you really speak to the Order?]
The boy raises his voice to be heard through the cutting wind.
[Of course. Once we get back from the mission.]
[... Good.]
Except for the occasional praise to light from Alice or the sneezes of Hinozu, the next few hours pass by in silence between the two.
The boy falls from the horse several times throughout, each time gripping the saddle even tighter.
After kilometers of dense forest, and with more awaiting, the horse plummets. Alice jumps just in time, falling on her feet to check the horse.
Limp.
Hinozu stands up, watching the dead animal.
Alice: [Maybe I overestimated it.]
[By foot it is, then. Grab the bags from the horse.]
Hinozu complies, grabbing the saddlebags one by one. Once done, Alice approaches the animal, retrieving a dagger, out of many, from her leather belt.
With precise movements, she starts making cuts into the animal, pulling heavy sheets of hide. A raw, metallic smell fills the frigid air, stinging their nostrils.
[Roll these, and put them in the empty bags.]
Throwing a few sheets towards him, she leaves the rest of the horse intact. The boy follows her orders, rolling reluctantly before putting them inside any empty saddlebag.
[I don't think we can carry all this.]
[I know. We'll leave the hide here.]
Hinozu furrows his brows, confused.
[Then... why did you—]
[Because it'll be harder to find us.]
Alice grabs a few lamps and a small saddlebag before stepping through the forest. Hinozu follows closely.
[I don't understand.]
[The Cult knows our destination. All we need to do is hide our location from them. Only one type of person needs horse hide. Someone who needs immediate shelter or protection.]
Handing her dagger to Hinozu, she unsheathes another.
[We don't need shelter or protection, because we won't be stopping.]
[Is that clear?]
The boy nods, trying to match Alice's rigorous pace. Soon enough, his breaths strain, shallow even as he breathes as deeply as he can.
[You'll die if you fall behind. And I won't help you, so hurry up.]
Taking short rests in between, he tries to catch up, distancing himself a little at a time. Pushing himself by pressing his arms against the trees, he ignores the crippling pain in his legs.
20 minutes in, he falls to the ground, gaze set on Alice ahead. Taking a few minutes to rest, he stands again.
Clenching his teeth, he takes each step slowly.
Bumps hammer his feet, heart threatening to compress itself.
[Come... On...]
[It's...]
He gags, blinking water off his eyes.
[Just... A hike...]
Sinking to the ground, his knees press against cold grass. Small pebbles prick his skin as he drags forward.
For hours.
His thoughts shut down, the only guidance the feeling of constant pain. His eyes tether to the distant figure coursing ahead. Even that results in impossibility at the setting sun.
Night begins to fall, though dusk hasn't arrived.
His eyelids force themselves closed.
But his body keeps moving.
Thinking.
For itself.
[I'm actually impressed.]
His eyes snap open. A numbing, freezing sensation courses through his body. Looking around, he finds himself in the forest, back pressed against a tree.
Behind, a steep slope downwards.
In front, a campfire around flat stones.
Alice keeps her distance from it, a dozen lanterns piled up close to her.
[You managed to arrive. It took you almost sixteen hours.]
[You should be lucky I decided to stay. We're five hours behind because of you.]
Hinozu breathes soundly, staring at his dusty, crippled palms. Bandages cover his knees.
[Have...]
A raspy voice.
Clearing his throat, he speaks again.
[How?]
[Simple. You continued, that's all.]
The boy exhales slowly.
Something rushes in.
Dozens of daggers stab around him, stuck between bark.
A metallic sound.
His widened gaze snaps right.
A figure stands close.
Dark garments cover them.
Dark brown hair sways in the wind.
Cold, vampire brown eyes stare into his horrified ones.
An arm swung back, with a pulsing scythe in its hand.
It glows faintly, engraved figures shifting.
[I thought you'd come.]
Alice stands, clutching four daggers in both hands. The figure tilts his head.
Hinozu takes the chance, kicking away towards the girl.
[Though, I didn't think you'd attack him first...]
[Dathur.]
Shadows stretch from the trees. Hinozu stares around shakily.
[Come at me.]
[Any Order, any Cult, any person.]
Kanell lifts his scythe, making Alice flinch.
Bat engravings writhe into the screaming figures of souls.
[The only way I can atone is to kill all evil.]
[Kill all of you.]
Daggers zip through the air.
The man spins his scythe. Some veer off course with a metallic clang. Others pierce his skin.
He doesn't seem to feel them.
[You'll achieve nothing, Dathur. Turn to order.]
Alice steps back, grabbing Hinozu by the collar before throwing him behind her. Cloaked figures appear from every tree, watchful, for now.
Kanell steps ahead.
A kick slams Alice to the ground, drawing blood out of her mouth. Coughing, she holds on to the man, managing small cuts to his leg.
Scaled cloaks circle the three, crossbows, maces, and swords held dangerously close to Hinozu.
The cold wind numbs his ears, shaky legs distancing themselves from threats all around.
Alice grabs Kanell's ankle, gripping tightly, her knuckles white. Her ragged breaths contrast with his slow, almost calm ones.
[Choose. You kill us, or you kill them.]
[You'll die if you try to do both.]
[Think, Kan—]
Metal slices across flesh.
Blood splatters throughout, gushing from a squirming body.
It dies shortly, perfectly still.
Tension turns into fear as the cultists step back, weapons held tight.
[Sh-shit...]
Between clenched teeth.
Kanell sweats profusely, losing balance at the sight.
A head rolls detached from a body.
Alice's.
Hinozu wails in horror, paralyzed. Then, he scrambles to his feet, running in any direction.
Pushing through aghast, cloaked figures, he trips, rolling down a slope.
Disappearing into the forest.
Kanell falls to the ground, dazed.
A dozen bows are loaded, then aimed.
A hundred arrows shoot and pierce.
Leaving nothing but bleeding holes on him.
The Blutfresser.
