69Identity Crisis Chapter 11: Fighting Spirit
~~~~"Kelbreth, Jared is dead."~~~~
The words stung him to the core, but he couldn't block off their dark echo in the back of his mind, nor the torrent of loathsome memories they had set loose.
He picked up his pace, enraged by the cruel monotony of his tortured thoughts.
Death. Isolation. Pain. Death… The cycle was always locked to him like a curse. The silver feline had found its way back to his side once he had left the periphery of Solos, and jogged forcefully to keep up with his heightened gait. He ignored her, his every move saturated with anger, from the stern swing of his arms to the frigid coldness in his purple eyes.
There was far more to this than Jared's fate. The orc he'd fought earlier that day had come too close to destroying Kayleigh. He'd faced the same situation, but with a more horrific outcome, in the past. Images of a dying young girl with a mutilated neck, staring up at him expectantly with terrified lavender eyes, forced themselves into his mind. If his reaction had been a split-second later, Kayleigh, with her ever-trusting smile, would have faced the same fate – the fate of the girl he'd been unable to protect. Danger and death followed him everywhere he went, confiscating anyone who became close to him. He'd grown careless after so many years in isolation. He'd deluded himself that things could be different, but it had been irresponsible to think he could ever belong in Solos. He had more blood on his hands than would ever wash away. He was meant to be alone.
He took the burning-hot marble stone out from his pocket, adhering to logic despite his satisfaction with the sting as it scalded into his thigh. He did not need to look at it to know it was glowing again, and did not need the eerie silence of the forest around him to know that more orcs were nearby. He had figured out by now that the stone's behavior was related to the dark beasts' attacks, but was not yet sure if it merely reacted to their presence, or if it was attracting them somehow. He guessed that it was a little bit of both. It would be so easy to just throw the stone away, but he'd made a promise to guard the sword with his life. He recalled the solemn words of the elf who had been killed protecting him. Even if this stone was all that was left of the accursed thing he accepted that day, he would hold to his word.
Kelbreth stopped and looked over his shoulder fiercely. He could sense he was being followed. He'd felt crimson eyes watching him from somewhere ever since he'd left Solos. The stone's strange behavior was becoming more and more intense. He spun around abruptly as he heard a sound from behind him, his sword unsheathed in an instant and held at the ready, stone jammed back into his pocket. His eyes narrowed hatefully as four orcs barged through the trees and came at him with heavy spiked clubs.
The half elf crouched and leapt forward into one of the orcs, driving his sword through the beast's chest and cleanly dodging a strike aimed at his head. He turned toward his remaining enemies with a dark smirk on his face. "Your timing is perfect," he said, his voice lowering into a growl, "I'm in a crappy mood!" Two of the beasts grunted and charged toward him at once. Kelbreth leapt agilely up over the first orc's head, turning in the air and delivering a forceful kick to the monster's back. The orc stumbled forward, squealing angrily as it collided with its fellow attacker head-on. They struggled to reorient themselves while their remaining companion swung at Kelbreth from behind.
The half elf ducked to the ground beneath the monster's weapon and, in the same fluid motion, swung one leg in a sweeping kick around into the orc's ankles. As its balance wavered, he followed through with an upward swing into its belly, then rose and continued in an arc across its neck for good measure. He turned an even glare onto the remaining two orcs, holding his sword out at his side confidently. The metal was too heavy and poorly balanced, but functional. He was accustomed to fighting with the scimitar, but this rusty piece of scrap was good enough for the task at hand.
He burst into motion like a flame on oil, lunging toward one of the orcs. The monster caught Kelbreth's attack with its club, and the weapons shoved against one another for a moment before breaking apart forcefully. He threw another strike, and was again parried. This time he felt a tremor up his arm as the two weapons met. Glancing down, he saw that the end of his blade had snapped off. He watched the broken fragment turn end over end toward the ground, and saw in its warped reflection a pair of red eyes behind his own. He spun and threw up what remained of his sword, barely blocking the attack of the other orc that had come up behind him. The force knocked him backwards into the orc he'd just been fighting. The monster behind him grasped his left arm with cruel claws while the other tried to drive its club straight through Kelbreth's sword.
Throwing the club disdainfully off of his weapon, Kelbreth stabbed the sword's jagged stub forcefully back over his shoulder into the orc's face. It screamed terribly and sunk to the ground, releasing his arm. Before the remaining orc could move, it was propelled backward by a heavy kick to the stomach and instantly killed as the broken sword ripped across its neck vengefully.
Kelbreth stood still for a moment, checking to be sure all the orcs were slain. He straightened slowly and lowered his sword arm, wiping off the blood that had sprayed onto his face. The woods remained unnaturally silent, and the stone burned more intensely than ever into his leg. It was no surprise to him when he raised his eyes that there was another group of orcs stalking toward him from between the tree trunks.
"They will keep coming," came a crystalline, unfamiliar voice. The voice was both ominous and placid, not distinguishably male or female, and spoke to Kelbreth alone through some hidden mental avenue he could not blockade.
Kelbreth narrowed his eyes as he locked weapons with an orc that was assailing him. "Who are you?" he demanded out loud as he slipped sideways and dispatched the monster with an efficient slash across its torso, preparing for the next attack.
"As long as my power goes uncontrolled, they will keep coming, no matter how many you might slay."
Kelbreth's hand flew instinctively to the stone at his side, his gaze turning to ice. He darted mechanically behind another orc and ran his sword through its neck, then leapt backwards out of the way of another club. "I've never spoken with a rock before," he said, skepticism dripping from his mental voice.
"Without the scimitar at my side, my energy disperses randomly…my control over it grows ever weaker," said the voice solemnly.
The half elf thought the words over as he produced his dagger and took out an orc whose weapon he was holding off with his sword arm. He sensed a blow coming from behind and skidded sideways. The spiked club still managed to graze his shoulder, ripping a shallow gash into his skin. For some reason, he understood what the voice was telling him, as if he had known all along. The stone had been behaving with increasing wildness since the day the scimitar had been taken. Orcs had been swarming to him ever since. "Why are you speaking to me now," he demanded.
"I am bound by an enchantment. I was never meant to act out before the proper time. But if this continues, I'll be destroyed before my purpose is fulfilled. You need to let me in…"
Kelbreth's movement faltered as he was consumed by a sense of total revulsion. Something seemed to be pushing against a forbidden door inside him, threatening to break in without warning. Pain or terror did not describe it; it was simply a sensation of intrusion, of intense and utter disgust. The half elf lashed out with bitter fury at the source of the impulse, guarding fiercely against the mental assault. Preoccupied with the battle in his head, he almost forgot to block the strike approaching him from his right. Again his dagger met dark flesh, crimson blood splattering onto his face. "I don't know what the hell you're trying to pull, but stay out," he ordered, his voice dangerously calm.
He would deal with the stone later. Grunting slightly as a clawed fist pounded into his back, he returned his full attention to the orcs. Three stood around him, and more were emerging from his left and right. His fighting style depended on speed and efficiency. The large number of trees in his current location made it difficult to maneuver properly, especially against so many opponents. He needed to move the battle to a more open spot. Weighing his options, he darted between two of the orcs and vanished into the trees. The beasts snarled impatiently and took off in pursuit.
"Your behavior is futile," said the stone's voice disapprovingly, "You can't fight them all forever."
"I said stay out," Kelbreth reiterated coldly as he vaulted over a fallen tree and flew forward, winding like a snake through the maze of tree-trunks while the orcs lumbered close behind.
"This must be it." Maiysokat wiped the perspiration from her brow as she bent over to inspect a large boulder.
"It has the marking the boy was talking about," agreed Tinarae. The rock was marred by a star-shaped dent from which cracks splintered outward in every direction, but there was no discoloration in the surface of the fracture. Any physical collision would have chiseled away its darker outside layer; the impact had probably been magical.
"That's the eighth of Fennis's landmarks. That kid sure gives good directions. We're probably hours away even from bushwhacked trails. It's hard to tell someone how to get to the middle of nowhere. The Treefolk's dwelling should be right here someplace."
The two elves scanned the area critically for signs of a house. All that surrounded them was large, ancient trees. Maiysokat looked up into the leafy ceiling as a clap of thunder sounded from above. The noise stunned the forest into a reverent silence, which was broken after a moment by the faint hiss of rain making its way down through the canopy. A heavy drop of water fell onto Maiysokat's arm, and then her cheek. Within moments, rain began falling all around them, beating down against the frail earth in a dull roar.
"What in the…" began Maiysokat before suddenly blinking in realization.
"It's finally here. The rainy season," Tinarae said. Her tone was a mixture of reverence and dread as she referred to the merciless rainstorms that enveloped the forest for several weeks each year. "It's slightly early this year, isn't it? I'd hoped it would hold off for a few more days, until we could find the Treefolk and make it back to the city."
Maiysokat nodded, still searching. All of Fennis's other directions had been right on target. The dwelling had to be there somewhere. Treefolks were elusive creatures; perhaps it was disguised somehow? She frowned, deep in thought, and flopped back against a large tree.
Tinarae turned toward Maiysokat alertly. With one palm, she hit the tree she was standing against firmly. Her palm made a dull slap against its thick bark. The sound Maiysokat had just made was a musical thunk, as if the tree she leaned on was empty inside. The high elf stepped up to the tree and examined it closely. It was one of the larger trees in the area, fully four feet in diameter and stretching too far upward through the leaves to estimate its height. Several large, gourd-like roots rose up from the ground several feet from its base and formed a cavelike hollow in the side of the tree, giving the whole trunk a crescent-moon shape. Tinarae knocked on the bark firmly. It indeed sounded hollow inside.
Maiysokat caught on to the motive behind Tinarae's tree-slapping and began feeling along the perimeter of the trunk for anything conspicuous. She drew back, slightly startled as her hand met an invisible object projecting out from the bark. Hearing her gasp, Tinarae turned to see what was happening. Maiysokat slowly extended her hand back to the slick bark, curled her fingers around what appeared to be nothingness, and pulled. The side of the tree opened along previously imperceptible seams and swung out on a hidden hinge to reveal a tall, irregularly shaped entryway.
The two shared a stunned stare. They had found it. Maiysokat stepped cautiously into the tree, holding her hands out before her as though expecting invisible blades to be extending toward her from within. Instead, she found herself standing on a humble, narrowly coiling spiral staircase that seemed to lead downward into the earth. Tinarae She rummaged through their supplies for a candle and lit it, then slowly descended the wooden steps.
Tinarae followed close behind, counting each step as she descended, dazzled by the mystical feel of this strange abode. Her magician's instincts were tingling; she could sense all around her the recent presence of a magical being far more powerful than any she had met in her lifetime. There was no doubt that this was a treefolk's home. This conclusion was even more strongly supported when they reached the end of the staircase and found themselves in a spacious chamber, the walls of which were lined entirely with shelves full of thick leather-bound books.
A round wooden table and three chairs sat in the center of the room, and in the corner stood a uniquely carved door. Tinarae turned the small bronze knob curiously and peeked into the second room.
"What's in it?" asked Maiysokat, running her fingers along one of the books in wonder.
"Just a bedroom. Can you sense any sign of the Treefolk?"
Maiysokat frowned and closed her eyes in concentration. "I don't feel her anywhere nearby."
"The magical presence in this room is strong, but it's an old trail. I have a feeling she's not coming back any time soon," the wizard said.
Maiysokat looked down at her sopping clothes. "It could be weeks before this rain lets up. Even if the Treefolk isn't here, we might be able to learn something from one of these books," she said matter-of-factly.
Tinarae cringed at the prospect of reading through the vast collection that covered every vertical surface in the room, but nodded in agreement. "Let's stay here until the rain lets up."
They stood in silence for a moment, taking in their new environment. Both felt that the Treefolk's absence somehow signified that something was very wrong. First orcs begin prowling around the forest at will, and then the sacred guardians of the forest disappear from their dwellings. They recalled Fennis's apprehension toward Era that morning. She hardly understood why, but he'd said it was somehow crucial that the scimitar not be separated from the marble jewel at its hilt. Was their separation somehow connected to the ominous events taking place in Soulshadow Forest?
"It's already past lunch time. I'm going to go see if I can hunt something for dinner," Maiysokat said, breaking the eerie mood.
"Can Druids really hunt?" Tinarae said incredulously.
"Just because I can empathize with animals doesn't change the fact that I'm higher on the food chain," Maiysokat said simply, wrapping a rawhide shawl tightly around her shoulders.
"Fine. While you're hunting, I'll try to build a dry canopy outside where we can cook. It's going to be hard to start a fire in this weather.
"I'm borrowing your crossbow," Maiysokat said, pulling her friend's strange contraption out of their pack.
"Just remember the pointy end faces away from you," Tinarae teased.
"Yeah, yeah, this one, I know," Maiysokat sang sarcastically, pointing toward the feathered end as she disappeared up the stairs amidst Tinarae's laughter.
"Ungh!" Kelbreth doubled over as a heavy club caught him in the stomach and propelled him backwards, boots sloshing in the mud toward another orc. He turned rapidly and blocked its weapon with his crippled sword, then lent the momentum he already had to his dagger arm, flying lethally into the monster's chest. He pulled the blade back out immediately and whirled on his remaining opponents, whose numbers during the brief time he'd faced away had increased from three orcs to five. He raised his sword savagely between scraped and mangled hands, his lungs fighting for breath. Rainwater mixed with the blood on his face and slid down into his drenched shirt.
"I can perceive your determination, but your body won't last this punishment forever. When your arms and legs give out, what will you fight with?" The voice was impatient, calculating.
"With whatever I have left," Kelbreth returned. He couldn't remember how many hours he'd been fighting, how many hits he'd taken or how many enemies he'd slain. His muscles begged for rest. Twilight was enveloping the forest like a constricting serpent, the daylight reaching its limit. The half elf's sword danced adamantly in the surreal orange light.
"Allow me in, and I can channel my energy through your body. They will no longer sense me."
"And the catch?"
"…"
"Exactly."
"If you let me in, my fate will become merged with yours. There would be hardships later on."
"…"
"I've told you the truth. Will you cooperate now?"
"No."
"Your decision is irrational. The advantages of the situation clearly outweigh the risks."
"Is that so?" he countered indifferently, lunging sideways and swooping into a low sweeping kick, taking an orc's legs out from under it. One hand splashed down into the grass for support as he threw a sidekick from the ground, stunning another orc behind him. He sprung to his feet and was immediately staggered as a club glanced off the side of his head. He felt warm liquid crawl down his neck. Shaking it off, he looked around the clearing. Seven orcs. He couldn't stay in one place. He broke away from the fight, splitting open the orc that stood in his path. His protesting legs pounded forcefully against the drowning earth as he shot into the trees.
Maiysokat slipped silently between the trees, careful not to make a sound even though the heavy rainfall would most likely drown it out.
*snap*
The elf crouched low as she heard the almost imperceptible sound, cocking the crossbow readily. She took aim and watched patiently for whatever had made the sound to stray into her sight, squinting through the rain. She grinned as a tiny silver nose showed from behind a tree trunk only a few feet away. ~A tomim, maybe?~ She poised the bow, waiting for the creature to step out into the open. She did not have to wait long, because a moment later it trotted quickly toward her.
Instinctively, Maiysokat's finger twitched against the trigger before she could even see what the animal was. As the arrow began to slide along the shaft, she abruptly recognized in horror what she was about to shoot at. She jerked the crossbow upward and closed her eyes, not wanting to see whether she'd been successful in changing its course or not.
When she finally opened them, she saw it lying on its side, chest rising and falling irregularly. Maiysokat's heart sank. It was bad enough that she'd shot a cat, the creature that symbolized Goddess Kiana's protection, but she recognized this particular animal. It was the same silver-haired feline that she'd seen with the half elf three days ago.
Dropping the crossbow, she ran to the cat's side and inspected it worriedly. The arrow had struck her in the lower back, and didn't seem to have damaged anything vital. Maiysokat breathed a sigh of relief and empathized a sincere apology to the creature, wishing she'd brought a first aid kit with her. The cat made no move to run from her as she grasped the shaft of the arrow gingerly and snapped it just above the wound. There was no safe way to pull the arrowhead out for the time being. If she brought her back to the Treefolk's dwelling, Tinarae could probably do something for her. Maiysokat moved to pick the cat up, but it wriggled to its feet and out of her grasp and began limping away.
"Wait!" Maiysokat empathized, chasing after it.
"Follow," it replied.
Maiysokat blinked in surprise. Normally animals could not communicate clearly to Druids when they were in pain. She followed obediently behind the cat. Her back stiffened as the trees thinned out into a large clearing and revealed a harrowing, bloody scene.
Orcs, dead, everywhere. The rank corpses lay strewn across one another all over the clearing, the grass dripping a uniform crimson. It looked like there were at least twenty monsters piled on the ground. And so close to the home of a Treefolk! She tried to count them, but was distracted as the cat began leaving the clearing. Maiysokat turned and followed it into the trees. She looked down at the ground. It was thoroughly marred with huge footprints, filling with puddles of rainwater. As she and the cat continued briskly along the trail, more dead bodies lay crumpled along its edges.
'What in the world did all this?' she thought nervously, wishing she hadn't left the crossbow lying on the ground earlier. She tensed as the sounds of battle rang out from ahead of them. She looked around warily, feeling like a live orc would leap out at any moment. The noises became louder and louder as she approached, until finally she could make out the silhouettes of the fighters up ahead. Maiysokat approached stealthily, moving from tree to tree, staying out of sight, until she was finally close enough to see the combat clearly.
Four orcs crowded around a single male figure, even as a fifth emerged from the woods and joined in. Her eyes widened at the terrible sight. The man in the center was armed with a worn out sword whose blade was cracked off and a smaller blade in his other hand. 'Dagger,' Maiysokat thought uncomfortably. As she watched, the man ducked below a huge club and jumped forward past the orc that had swung it. When he emerged on the other side of the orc, the dagger was buried in its chest. Maiysokat blinked; she had not even seen his hand move.
She grasped the bark of the tree she stood behind and squinted through the downpour to get a better look at the man. He was fairly tall and well built, and moved with fluid precision from target to target. His movements were rapid and controlled, but she could see bloody stains soaking through his clothing in several places, smearing downward with the rainwater. She couldn't make out his face clearly, but long hair clung wildly around his neck and red streaks ran down his face and into his eyes, giving him an almost demonic countenance. She stiffened as the orc to the man's left swung its club roughly at him in a fierce, wide arc.
Kelbreth noticed the attack a moment too late. It crashed into his ribs and sent him flying sideways with a cry of pain. He slammed to the ground and skidded aross the wet earth, coming to rest feet from where Maiysokat was hiding. His sword landed uselessly a yard to his right.
Maiysokat looked on in horror. She recognized that voice…the half elf she'd encountered several days before. Her pulse began to race. 'Get up!' she thought. Kelbreth choked inaudibly, struggling to bring air into his lungs, but none would come. Something felt very wrong with the left side of his chest. He turned his head to the side and coughed up a mouthful of blood uncontrollably. The orc that had thrown him down towered over him sinisterly, club raised. Regaining his bearings, the half elf glared knowingly at the descending blow he could not possibly dodge. He braced himself and threw his right arm up to block the strike.
The club met his arm with a sickening crack that made Maiysokat want to scream. She could not turn away. The sound reminded her of the half elf she'd seen silenced in Koeten. She watched Kelbreth throw the weapon wide with his clearly broken forearm and rise forcibly to his feet, delivering a vengeful spinning kick through the monster's skull.
He turned to the remaining orcs fiercely. Only three more…or was it six or nine? The half elf blinked, bringing his vision back into focus. He scanned the ground for his sword, but it was not where he'd dropped it. He swiped an unused club from the ground and swung it up to block one of the orcs, then ducked swiftly under the monster's arm and spun in the same movement, driving the club into the back of its skull. He kicked the dying monster firmly in the back, knocking it into one of its comrades and stalling its attack for the moment.
He turned purposefully to fight the remaining orc behind him, but was met with an abrupt explosion of heat above his right collarbone. His breath caught painfully and the heavy club fell from his stunned fingers. He looked down in shock at the sword he'd dropped earlier, which had entered just beside his neck and was projecting out through his back. The orc had found it on the ground while he was fighting. His gaze shifted slowly to the grinning beast that had stabbed him, and it snarled in satisfaction, its scarlet eyes inches from his. Gritting his teeth, Kelbreth drove his knee forcefully up into the monster's chest, not releasing it from his lavender gaze.
He reached up with his left arm and withdrew the sword from his shoulder. An odd heat spread down the right side of his body. He knew it was his own blood, but it felt strangely comfortable. His logic returned from its momentary absence with the realization that this was shock. Enraged, he jammed a firm sidekick into the orc's knee, buckling it in the wrong direction with a loud crunch. He followed it as it toppled to the ground and drove the sword down through its heart rapidly, turning to the final orc. Flames consumed both of his arms almost beyond endurance.
He jumped out of range of the orc as it swung at him angrily. His visage held all the ferocity and wildness of a thing of the forest. Moving in to attack, he swiped at the beast, but it managed to dodge and grasp his broken right arm, wrenching him cruelly to the ground. The broken bone ripped through his flesh excruciatingly. Without letting go of his horribly twisted wrist, the orc drilled its club down into the half elf's wounded shoulder, pinning him to the ground.
"Gaahha!" Kelbreth yelled sharply as all his pain culminated into a single wave of agony.
'No!' Maiysokat thought frantically. Everything was happening so fast. Why hadn't she brought a weapon? Her fingernails dug into the tree bark until they bled, but she was too distracted to care. Even if he was a half elf, this was too much to bear. "Stop it!" she screamed without thinking.
Hearing the unfamiliar sound, the orc took its attention away from Kelbreth for a moment to look her way. A moment was more than the half elf needed. He twisted his shoulder free and plunged his sword up into the hovering monster's chest, then wrenched the blade hard to the left, bringing the orc roughly down beside him. He let the sword stand in the orc's heart, not bothering to retrieve it.
Kelbreth sat up painfully, clenching shut the wound on his shoulder. He looked himself over, his breathing choppy and uncontrolled. There had been a woman's voice… He looked into the trees knowingly, but didn't bother to address whoever was standing there. He had more important things to do. Feeling strangely disconnected from his body, he turned and retrieved his dagger from the corpse to his right and began slicing off a strip of his shirt to hold off the bleeding. Sleep threatened to claim him, the world dimming repeatedly as he fumbled with the blade.
He gave up on the bandage idea irately, unable to hold the dagger in his shaking fingers. Instead, he wrapped his hand strategically around his broken arm and held his breath. A sharp cry escaped his throat as he snapped the bone quickly back into its proper position. He clutched the excruciating limb to his chest, breathing erratically until he quickly regained his composure.
Maiysokat had closed her eyes tightly and buried her face in the tree, afraid to know the outcome of the battle. Now the half elf's voice brought her out of her trance, and her eyes flew open. 'He's alive!' She looked out at the man in shock. He was sitting up facing her with icy lavender eyes. He clearly knew she was standing there. Maybe he'd allow her to help him…no, she shouldn't touch him. She forced her legs to move and stepped out toward him nervously. Every fiber told her to turn and run, that this was a forbidden being, that she was committing a silenceable crime, but this person had saved her life once. It was bad enough she'd hidden through the whole battle. It seemed wrong to just leave.
Kelbreth frowned at her suspiciously, returning his good hand to his shoulder. Maiysokat noticed that it was shaking. She tried not to look at the other arm, where the skin had been savagely torn by the broken bone. His wounds were more severe than she'd thought. There was no turning back now, though she realized she'd bitten off more than she could chew. Kelbreth watched distrustfully as the girl approached him. What was an elf doing out here? Everything seemed to be spinning. He clenched his wound tighter to keep himself awake, eyeing her distrustfully.
Maiysokat looked worriedly at the cut in his shoulder. 'Bandage…' she thought, swiping up the elf's dagger anxiously. 'Shot a cat, helping a half elf, now touching a dagger,' she thought with a sigh, hoping Kiana would forgive her.
"What do you think you're doing?" Kelbreth snapped quietly, startled to see his weapon in the elf's hands. He was a solitary wolf caught in a trap, radiating pride and pain and danger as he contemplated whether or not to chew off his leg.
"I'm repaying my debt," she defended, cutting a long strip of fabric off her tunic hurriedly. "Take your hand off."
Kelbreth watched her stonily, but moved his hand to rest on his knee, his whole arm now shaking from blood loss. Again, he wondered why she was here. Whatever the reason, he'd never be able to bandage himself with only one arm. He watched her guardedly and tried to slow his frantic breathing.
Maiysokat was taken aback by how much blood there was. She hadn't noticed from the distance that his tunic was as drenched with blood as it was with rainwater. The half elf was staring distrustfully straight into her eyes, and she tried not to think about his alien lavender pupils as she pulled the bandage tightly over the wound, wrapping it twice across his shoulder and under his opposite arm. By the time she was done, her own fingers were trembling with fear.
In the distance, the wild shrieks of more orcs echoed through the trees. Maiysokat turned back to the half elf, but he was no longer watching her. He knew that more orcs would come as long as the magic stone burned in his pocket. The initial shock from his wounds was wearing off, the pain from his injuries no longer numbed, and it was all he could manage just to remember to breathe.
Maiysokat fidgeted uncomfortably, shuddering at the misery in his narrowed eyes. His agony was so intense that her empathy skills were picking it up, and knowing even this small share of his pain made her feel frantic with unexplained guilt and pressure.
"We can't stay here," he said, retrieving his dagger and rising unsteadily to his feet. Maiysokat looked up at him in surprise. The ground he'd been sitting on was stained red. Using his good arm, he leaned against the first tree he could reach. After a moment he forced his way forward again, pushing himself on. 'Like hell I'll go down here,' he rasped as the world swirled around him in a crimson blur.
Maiysokat followed him warily and probed outward with her mind, thinking she might understand the situation better if she empathized with the half elf just a little bit. She gasped as his mind lashed violently out at her, repelling her intrusion forcefully. His defenses were incredibly strong, stronger than any she'd experienced in her training as a Druid. All she could sense from his mind was his pain, which radiated so strongly that she cut off the connection before she could come in contact with it. She stared at him, fascinated and scared by his mysterious energy and impenetrability, and hesitantly began to follow behind him. Was she so curious about the forbidden that she would willing pursue it? Or perhaps, she thought, it was a woman's instinct to protect. Or was it just her selfish fear of death that made her so determined to ensure his safety?
Kelbreth was clearly unhappy with the girl's lingering presence, but ignored her and continued forward. Maiysokat noted that the direction he was heading in would bring them back to the treefolk's shelter. If they could just make it there, she could tend to his wounds properly, but a leafy thud from in front of her broke off that fantasy. The wood elf frowned worriedly as Kelbreth's legs buckled under him and he collapsed forward to one knee. Maiysokat came tentatively to his side, but he waved her off threateningly, feral eyes warning her to stay away from him. She curled back, more than willing to oblige, but he didn't stand a chance in his condition. If she could get him back 'home' to Tinarae, they might be able to help him, but he would never make it there in this much pain.
There was a way to fix that. Because they went awry so easily, pain transfers were forbidden to all but those who received special training, but any Druid had the latent ability to perform one. This person had saved her life once, and so it seemed appropriate to do the same in return. If she could just bear his pain till she could get him to Tinarae…
Kelbreth felt himself reach his limit, and knew he couldn't get back up to his feet. More orcs would be there at any minute. He couldn't afford to lose now, but though he could not will his throbbing muscles to move. He froze as the burning in his arm and ribs abruptly began to dissipate. His panic and agony felt like they were flowing steadily away from his body. For a moment he wondered if he was dying, but something didn't feel right.
He pushed to his feet and looked down at his body. His wounds were still there, yet the pain continued to rush away from him. He shouldn't have been able to stand, yet he was. He stood straight and looked searchingly over at the elf. Her green eyes were shining with moisture; one hand was held vertically in front of her heart. She appeared to be deep in concentration. "Follow me," she asked, her voice strained, and began walking off to his left.
Kelbreth regarded her curiously, but decided to follow her. He felt a sense that he was missing something terribly important, watching the girl warily as his pulse began to even out and he regained some control over his breath. Maiysokat staggered slightly, but continued walking, clutching her right arm with tears in her eyes. Kelbreth frowned suspiciously. 'She couldn't be…is that even possible?' The more his movement eased, the whiter the elf's knuckles became as they clutched her arm.
It didn't make any sense to him, but he had a disturbing notion of what was going on. Why she was doing it, he had no clue, but he suddenly understood clearly where his pain was going. His expression tightened angrily as the girl hunched over and a soft sob escaped her lips.
"Whatever you're doing, stop it now," he ordered firmly, stopping in his tracks.
Maiysokat did not break her pace, face set determinedly. More monstrous howls sounded from behind them. Kelbreth followed her with a solemn frown, unable to believe all this was happening. He looked at the elf's slender frame trembling ahead of him. It was all wrong. 'Wrong!'
"I said to stop!" he demanded sternly, grabbing her by the shoulder and turning her around roughly. The girl blinked in surprise and felt the spell she'd woven instantly unravel as her concentration broke.
"No!" she shouted in protest, but the transfer fell apart.
Kelbreth felt his heart stop as a wall of agony slammed into his consciousness. He cried out as all the pain Maiysokat had "dropped" came crashing back to him instantaneously, the impact of the foiled spell hurling him backward. He glanced off a thin tree, twisting roughly around before skidding roughly across the ground.
Maiysokat felt a wave of nauseous relief as the pain left her body, but when she realized what had happened a chill came over her. 'I didn't let it all go back to him at once-!' she gasped in disbelief, looking to where Kelbreth lay still on the ground. His pain had been much greater than she'd anticipated; 'dropping' that much pain could easily be lethal. She ran panic-stricken to his side. Letting him die was one thing, but killing him was much, much worse.
Kelbreth lay on his side, trying to regain control of his body. His broken arm was pinned beneath his weight. He opened his eyes and tried to make out what was in front of him, but all his senses were consumed by pain. The air was like boiling water in his lungs as he fought for breath. He could hear a voice very faintly. It was calling to him, but distorted, as if from another dimension, gentle but fearful, as his mother's had been. He clenched his eyes shut and sorted his jumbled thoughts. Slowly the voice came into focus, and he recognized that the elf was calling out to him anxiously. He composed himself and looked at her with clear purple eyes. She looked like she was crying, or were his own eyes blurring?
Maiysokat fought back tears as she desperately tried to think of a solution to the situation. He was alive, and relief tightened her throat, but he would not be able to walk back to the treefolk's home, and she couldn't possibly carry him. "We need to hide, until you regain some strength," she said.
"Hiding won't help. I'm their target." His face was empty of expression. When Maiysokat blinked at him in confusion, he looked at her pointedly. "That's the situation, and you can't defeat them, so get out of here." His nerves were rapidly going numb; he knew he was going to lose consciousness.
Maiysokat stared at him in confusion. Orcs didn't 'target' people. They were mindless beasts. She turned dreadingly as an unearthly screech sounded from behind her. Two orcs were making their way toward them, and more could be heard in the distance. She grabbed Kelbreth's dagger and held it out unsurely. This was one weapon she had never been trained to use. Gathering her courage, she ran towards the closest orc and stabbed at it. The blade went deep into the monster's arm, but it seemed completely unfazed by the wound. With a depraved snarl it shoved her roughly to the ground with its wounded arm and then hovered over her.
From the corner of her eye, Maiysokat saw the other orcs quickly approaching Kelbreth. She closed her eyes and began casting a spell to ensnare all the monsters with vines, but her mind was still singed from the failed pain transfer, and she knew she wouldn't have power to cast on all of the orcs. Finishing the prayer, she thrust her hand toward Kelbreth and thick vines sprung forth from the ground, ensnaring the orcs surrounding him. She rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a descending strike from the orc above her, and sprung back to her feet. 'Now what?'
Kelbreth's head spun as he observed the situation, unable to push himself from the ground. At this rate, not only would he die here, but this stubborn elf would be killed as well. 'You still there?' he thought gravely.
'I am here. I take it you're ready.'
Kelbreth looked at the orc that was closing in on Maiysokat and narrowed his eyes. 'Make it quick.'
Well, there's another chapter finished! It is very long to make up for taking forever to write. I'll write the next one by Christmas. Do people think I should post short chapters frequently instead of long ones every couple months like I am now? Hmm. Anyhoo, another anniversary special is due…shall I succumb to the insanity? Muahahahaha
Outtakes! ~~~ courtesy of my psychotic roommate Ash, who likes to mess with my Microsoft Word while I'm out of the room…
Maiysokat looked on in horror. She recognized that voice. The half elf who she'd encountered several days before. All she could think was "damn he is hot" but seeing he was in trouble she realized if they were to ever happily ride into the foliage. She would have to save is cute ass.