by Reece Dinn
The arm curled around and went to attach to Tenalkz's corpse.
Melonaz cried out as he unleashed the lightning. Every ludenez suddenly let out an ear-splitting scream as the blast shot into the Enemy. It's purple light rapidly flashed from black to white, to black, to white, over and over, its cloud-like form shuddering.
The wisps unattached from their targets and recoiled right back up to the Enemy. Every ludenez jolted, then fell still for a moment.
I hurt it?
The Enemy ceased flashing, returning to normal. The ludenez came to, but were dazed, looking around themselves, seemingly confused.
The Enemy's light changed to bright red, purple lightning streaking its form.
'DIIIIIIEEEEE,' Melonaz screamed up at the Enemy, the strange mist suddenly much less frightening than it'd been only moments before. Pouring all the Raiz he could into the feat, he created a mass of lightning that covered his entire body and fired it all up at the Enemy in one great wave.
It blasted into it and its whole form shook violently, flashing even more than before. The air itself seemed to vibrate from the attack.
He drew the Raiz back and fired another wave up at it, pouring so much Raiz into the attack that it left him feeling completely drained for a moment, his skin tightening all over his body. The ludenez screamed so loud they split his ears until he couldn't hear anything but the blood pumping in his head. He kept firing, sending lightning into every bit of the Enemy that he could see, while struggling to remain conscious.
Every ludenez was paralysed, frozen in place.
The few surviving warriors saw what was happening and finally understood. Each warrior attacked the nearest ludenez to them, torching them where they stood.
Can't keep this up. Will die. He gritted his teeth and kept firing everything he had up at it.
The Enemy's flashing light burned his eyes, making his head an agony, but he didn't care. Not now. He risked a glance left and saw Gillenaz setting fire to the Apochal ludenez's body, dousing it in a constant wave of flame, a manic look on his face.
A shriek split the air, penetrating Melonaz's already ringing ears. The Enemy exploded in a flash of brilliant light. For a moment there was nothing but blinding white light and a deathly silence. Then it died away, and the Enemy was gone.
I kill it?
A purple stone dropped out of the sky and thudded into the snow near to Melonaz. The purple stone glowed brightly for a moment before fading away until it resembled a Lialstone.
Melonaz drew his Raiz back, breathing a sigh of relief as his skin loosened. He tried to move but he was in so much pain now that he could barely even raise his arm again.
The surviving ludenez suddenly came to, but instead of attacking they screamed and as one fled back to the mountains, jumping over and around the mass of burning bodies littering the battlefield. No one gave chase, everyone too stunned to do anything.
Gillenaz hunched over the Lial's still form. He held his hands over the the gaping wound where an arm had been, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. The Lial's head was a bloody pulp, his whole body drenched, most of the blood now his.
Melonaz returned his gaze back to his friend's one lifeless eye still staring up at him. He knew what he had to do but he couldn't bare to do it. With great effort he put him back down and held a hand over him, opening his palm out wide.
I so sorry. I couldn't save you. It's my fault. Tears ran down Melonaz's face as he created a fireball in his hand. He looked into his friend's eye one final time. 'I fail you.' He dropped it onto Tenalkz, then dragged himself backwards as the flames consumed his friend's body. He sat watching the body burn until it'd been reduced to a blackened husk. The tears didn't stop running down his face.
Chapter Sixty Six
Beroz collapsed to his knees as he paced around the furaz, agonizing pain tearing through his mind and body, black and white flashing lights hurting his eyes. It was as if he were being struck repeatedly by lightning. His body jolted and writhed and he fell onto his front, bouncing off the ground, mouth foaming. The air was squeezed out of his lungs as the pain intensified.
The image of a masked boy firing lightning imprinted itself onto his mind. There was a feeling of terror attached to the image, fear of the boy, rather than the boy's fear.
Beroz shuddered, breathing becoming a struggle, then impossible. The world continued to flash, his eyes burning hot. It hurt to even think.
'DIE.' The cry reverberated through his mind, full of anger, pain, and hate.
Then it ceased. One instant there, the next it was gone. His body loosened, vision cleared, pain eased, although he was left raw all over. Air filled his lungs again and he took in deep breaths. His scarred hand still throbbed, worse now than ever.
What happen? He struggled to control his breathing, his heart still pounding no matter how many deep breaths he took. The masked boy lingered in his mind, so clear he could have been standing in front of him. Why do I think I know him? Just thinking of the picture hurt him, but he couldn't get it out of his mind.
He picked himself up, brushing the snow from his furs. Something vile was stuck to the roof of his mouth and he spat out a yellow blob mixed with blood. He took a draught from his waterskin, swirling the water around to rid himself of the taste, then spat that out too.
That's different. Not like before. His scarred hand still throbbed, the pain near maddening. How I stop it? He attempted to focus his Raiz, but concentration proved impossible. He fell back, groaning as he hurt his still injured back once again. Lying there all he could think of was the boy in the mask.
Life down in Owoklz village consisted of being shouted at by the girl caring for him while he attempted to train and walk around, or lying there staring up at the sky through the hole at the top of the furaz.
'Use Brubah. Can move with it,' Beroz protested to her as he got up to go outside.
'Sit, bonokok. How many times I need to say?' She frowned, her cute features creasing the way they always did. The more time he spent with her the more he wanted her. Maybe even have her for the rest of his life, despite not even knowing her name. He'd asked but she'd merely muttered a response under her breath. Her indifference to him only made her more appealing.
'Back good. Can walk. Can fight.' He picked up Mutumuz, the sword heavy in his hand, but he tried to hide that fact.
'You need sleep,' she said, holding out a waterskin to him.
He spent most of his day, when not attempting to train, sleeping. He was certain the girl was mixing shumdniz into his water to keep him drowsy, but he couldn't be certain, it was difficult to catch her doing it.
'Not thirsty,' he said.
She darted around to his front, blocking his way. 'Drink it.' She shoved it into his free hand.
He grunted but drank deeply from it. I fall asleep, know she do it. No sooner had he took the waterskin away from his mouth then he began to feel groggy. She put shumdniz in. Lobkak.
'Put it in water, yes?' he slurred, then fell down, dropping Mutumuz.
'Only thing that keeps you down,' she said.
'I kill you. Have you, then kill.' He was asleep moments later.
He awoke in the night and the first thing he thought of was the masked boy, the image still burned into his mind.
The girl lay curled up in her sleeping fur on the other side of the furaz, as far away from him as she could be without leaving the furaz
Focusing his Raiz he began Brubah. He used it constantly now, desperate to be healed and continue his journey. Go Nam-Laftoz. Not care if Lial says no. If reach it, prove I strong. Staying inside all day wasn't helping him to regain his strength, he needed to train hard if he wanted to do that.
'You scare the children,' the girl said whenever he tried to leave. Each time he wanted to ignore her but something in her tone stopped him, like he enjoyed being commanded by her. It sickened him that he was being cared for by her, fed by her, even being bathed. At least he could go outside to defecate now on his
own, the thought of her cleaning up his kak was embarrassing.
His eyes fell on her, and for a moment the thought of taking her right then excited him. It'd been a relief to discover that his cock had escaped harm, the minor burns it'd taken were healed now thanks to Brubah. I have her. It hurts me. Worth it though. Although some of the large scabs covering his body had begun to shed, he still looked like a burnt corpse. Imagining how he looked to someone else took away his excitement, his cock wilting.
The nightmares of fire still plagued him. Often he'd wake thinking he was ablaze and would panic, writhing around on the ground and rubbing snow all over himself in an attempt to douse the flames.
Die. His scarred hand throbbed, although not as much as it had when he'd experienced that strange attack days before. He was still unable to fathom what had caused it. The boy lingering in his mind troubled him, that feeling of terror attached to the image disturbing. The Enemy fears this boy? The concept seemed ridiculous, the creator of the ludenez afraid of a boy.
He grabbed Mutumuz and, muffling his groan with his scarred hand, picked himself up. It was becoming easier to stand, and he could remain on his feet for longer periods each time he did. Checking first to see if the girl was asleep he ducked out of the furaz.
The evening was cold but dark, neither moon in the evening sky. The village was quiet, it had been since the Ro-Lial had left, as if making noise would alert ludenez to their presence. Taking in a deep lungful of the crisp, cold air he set off on another night time walk around the village, the only time he could be sure he'd escape scrutiny.
She touched his face, her soft hands brushing the parts where the scab had peeled away, where feeling had returned. Her small fingers traced the outlines of his scabs.
'You be ugly all your life,' the girl said. 'Lucky though. Other Apochal die when they lose their Trial.'
He was regaining strength by the day, body repairing itself, but he was coming to the realisation now that he might never be the same as he'd been. There would always be a weakness there that he'd never be rid of. With his scarred hand he batted her hands away. All the time she'd been tending to him she hadn't noticed the peculiarity of his scarred hand. To her it looks the same as any other scar. It was a relief to be able to hide it in plain sight now.
'Not like?' she asked.
He grunted, then said. 'I leave. In a day.'
'Leave? You not heal. Stupid lobkak. You die out there.'
'Die here too.'
The girl smiled for the first time. It didn't appear natural on her face. She offered him the waterskin.
Beroz shook his head. 'No. Don't want to sleep.'
'No shumdniz in it.'
'Lies.'
She smiled again. 'Die thirsty, I don't care.' She threw the waterskin away. 'Need to move you. Mate come home tonight. Not want him to see you.'
Beroz's heart sank, to his annoyance. 'Why?'
'You ugly. Want to be alone with him.'
The thought of her with her Mate made him sick. Take her while still can. As if it had a mind of its own his scarred hand reached out for her, fingers outstretched.
She glanced at it, but didn't move as it came towards her.
Stop. He pulled the hand back.
She smiled again, but differently this time, a warmth in it. As much as he wanted to have her, the thought of hurting her made him sick. Need leave tonight
Ro-Lial reach village. Save people. Kill all the ludenez. Don't need to worry. Thinking it didn't make it so, he knew, but he had faith in the Ro-Lial's strength. He'd passed two of their tests, but he'd by no means come close to defeating them. The ludenez didn't stand a chance, even the supposed Apochal ludenez. He pondered about whether he should go and see if the villages had been saved, if they'd even been attacked. There was no huge Raiz to sense, like the Ro-Lial had said there was. Either he was too far away, or the horde had been defeated. Wasting time here.
Beroz parted the furaz covering and peeked outside. The early evening sky was overcast, dark in places, threatening a snowstorm, or even rain. He stepped out and stretched, bone cracking and muscles groaning, despite using Brubah. The village was quiet, no one around. The girl had left him to get more food from the sturaz. He hoped he didn't have to pass her as he was leaving.
As he walked along the main pathway he unfortunately encountered other people, almost entirely women, the only males being young boys. Everyone gasped when they saw him. Surprisingly though the children weren't afraid, quite the opposite. They followed him, running around, laughing and pointing at his face. He quickly grew irritable and swung Mutumuz over their heads. They yelped and fled. Still, he was glad they weren't scared. Girl lies. It didn't matter, he knew, but still it rankled with him. Wish I could get nibec before I leave. Stupid. Why not ask for it? Get some at next village.
'You leave?'
The voice made him jump. Beroz spun around. She stood there, frowning, arms folded, a stony look in her dark eyes. She grasped a sack of food in one hand, Beroz got the feeling she was about to hit him over the head with it.
'It's time,' he said, a slight quiver in his voice.
'You die out there.' She stepped closer. Her eyes twinkled in the early evening light, almost as if there were tears there, but she was too far away to tell. The stoniness they'd held just a moment before was now gone however.
'I strong. Will survive.' He clenched his scarred hand. Although he wanted rid of it he knew that his affliction was the only reason he'd gotten so far, and that he'd be relying on it again before he was done.
She stared at him, as if waiting for him to say something else. When he didn't she wiped her eyes, turned her back on him and walked away without another word.
He fought back the urge to chase her, grab her, and take her there and then. Don't hurt her. Let her go. Admiring the way her hips wiggled as she headed back to the furaz, fighting down his lust, he stood watching her until she disappeared from view, hoping she'd glance back at him one last time. She didn't.
Chapter Sixty Seven
Beroz was half a day's walk past Sehgolz when he sighted a lake south of him.
Two moon's he'd been travelling now, pushing himself as hard as he could, stopping only for food and sleep, using Brubah all day for fear of collapsing. He slept soundly in the night. If a ludenez were to attack him while sleep he'd be done for.
Although his back hurt less now he was still weak. He could fight, training a little as he walked helping him, but he wasn't as he'd been before. To even get close to that level again he'd need to rest, but that wasn't an option. He ached each morning when he woke, his whole body throbbing, making clear his weaknesses. Losing Raiz hadn't helped, he'd realised, his body naturally slower to heal now and had been adjusting to its loss while he'd been recuperating. His Raiz was much weaker, the loss of Raiz from making Mutumuz years ago, and now this extra big loss, had left him barely able to muster a strong attack. It was no wonder that Brubah was taking so long to heal him. Coupled with a weakened body it'd be a miracle if he ever defeated another ludenez again, let alone a Ro-Lial.
The initial journey from Owoklz to Fukikuz, the closest village to Owoklz along his chosen route, had been the hardest part. He'd collapsed from exhaustion halfway there, only to wake to find a pack of sehseh surrounding him. Fire had scared them away, but the effort had exhausted him further.
He'd spent the night in Fukikuz and had ransacked their sturaz, taking as much meat and nibec as he could, then had left early the next morning, before anyone could see him. He'd done the same at both Bruz and Sehgolz, successfully managing to avoid seeing anyone both times. Sneaking around was proving tiresome, the fear of being looked at with disgust the only thing that kept him in hiding. Live in the shadows the rest of my life.
He made camp by the edge of the lake. He wasn't in any mood to try and catch vomenic, so instead made a fire and cooked his remaining cut of mirac. His mouth watered from the delicious smell as the meat cooked.
His body ached, havi
ng decided to cease Brubah while he was resting. The aching was milder now, it merely felt like he'd endured a heavy training session the day before. He'd decided that he would rest at least a day at Yobrez, he needed to if he wanted any chance of surviving the trek through Mir-Ainez.
He ran his hands over his face, tracing his fingers over the scars. The scabs had all peeled off. It was strange to feel the air on his fresh skin again, in most parts at least, some bits of him where numb and hard, and most likely would be for the rest of his life. He'd not seen how he looked now, but knew it'd be a hard sight to bear. Not matter. I Apochal. Scars show bravery, strength. Still, he was reluctant to look.
Rez was close to the horizon, the moon would fall tonight and Kez would rise before the night was out. He sat gazing at the moons and stars as he waited for his meal to cook.
When it was ready, he plucked the meat from the spit with his bare hands. He was starving, having chosen instead to keep moving and make good progress rather than stop to eat. The meat burnt his hands, but after what the Ro-Lial had done to him he barely flinched. It was tough and overcooked, far too chewy and lacking in flavour to be enjoyable, but he ate it regardless. He took the skin of nibec from his sack, opened it, and took a long mouthful. It alarmed him how much he'd come to rely on the drink to get him through the nights. It was apparent why so many Apochal became drunks in later life. When he'd finished his meagre meal he lay back and gazed out across the lake, admiring Rez's red light glistening on its surface.
The next morning he packed up his things, then bathed in the lake. He gasped when he finally caught sight of himself. Most of his face was purple, only small patches of dark red skin remaining. If his eyes glowed red he'd think he were a ludenez. As much as he wanted to he couldn't look away from his reflection.
Die. He growled as his scarred hand throbbed again. He glanced over at Mutumuz. Cut off hand. End this. Mutumuz's black blade gleamed in the morning light. One cut, then it's over. He couldn't bring himself to do it though. Ignoring his throbbing hand he instead dried himself by the fire, dressed, then set off once again, doing his best to forget his own reflection.
