Capítulo 150: - Joined by the Brigade
The wind has a calming effect on those with a troubled mind, as it blows against your hair with its uneven pattern, the cool chill that rushes across your skin, through your blood and suffocates your feelings in a awing sense of calm. The sound the trees make as the wind blows through the air, the sound the grass makes as each blade slices against one another.
The sound of the wind blowing against your ears as it ruffles your hair, sends goosebumps down your skin, and at once you take in a deep breath - not a desperate attempt to breathe, nor the automatic way your lungs suck in air. It's the feeling you have when you take this breath, this peace inside of you, that all seems calm.
Your head no longer pounds against your skull, your mind is no longer flooded with worries and thoughts, fears and concerns, hatred and anger. It's simply empty.
But atop this mountain the sight of one man ruined it all. One man with muscles rippling against his clothes, one man whose spear hung loosely at his side, the long handle tracing along his back, his cold hard stare that made you mistake his eyes for that of a sculpture.
Even as Lia saw him, even as her breath caught wind of the air that blew against her body, she felt her heart pounding in her chest. She could feel the blood rushing to every crevice, to every muscle, and to every bone, organ, and never she had spare.
She knew she would lose. She knew she would die. Yet she would not die without a fight, a memory to stain his brain for the rest of his life.
It was the twitching in her muscles that alerted her to the blade she held in her hand, the steel shimmering in the sunlight that peaked just over the distant mountain. They were on the tallest peak, rising far above the clouds.
The air was strong here, the scents of the earth, sky, woods and oceans all penetrated Lias mind like needles against the skin. It was intoxicating, but all she could do was stare back at the man before her.
She gripped her blade, the handle fitting well into the palm of her hand, or was it the opposite. Did her hand fit the handle, or the handle fit the hand?
The weapon was raised to her chest, the reflection of her crimson colored eyes could be seen in the steel, but Lia was too focused on the man before her to care.
The man raised his own weapon, the spears tip light digging into the ground as he raised it above his head, then slammed the butt of the spear down onto the earth. There was no sound, there was no feeling in her lungs or heart, just the one thought that poisoned her mind.
And yet she couldn't name the thought itself. It evaded her like dreams do o the dreamless in sleep.
She blinked, and the image was lost, replaced by the sight of fire raging around her, ashes blowing in the wind as the embers burned against her feet. The heat was unbearable and Lia could feel the fire dancing across her skin, yet her mind would not let her feel the pain.
She could feel it though, it was on the tip of her tongue, a groan of agony and despair, but the mind would not let the feeling of pain escape her, containing it within her like a parasite to a host.
Before her she saw the flash of silver and red, the image of a spear sliding against her sword sending sparks everywhere it traced, behind it, over it, under it and against it. The face of Arnold was there as well, turned and twisted into anger and hatred, rage and fury as he gritted his teeth. The image was as if someone had taken it from a moment in time, paused it, and slowly let it unfurl.
Lia could see the sparks dancing in the air, the ashes blowing in the wind, and the fire growing with everything it consumed. But the attack that raced against her sword, the spear's tip as it slid against her steel moved so slowly Lia could swear that time was paused, but she knew it was moving.
Blood traced down Arnold's forehead to his cheek and finally to his chin, all from a small cut at the top of his head, just below his hairline.
Had she put that there? Impossible, Lia could hardly have landed a scratch on Arnold back in the city, too overwhelmed by his strength and presence of fear that laced her heart and soul. Yet, who could have done such a thing?
Cain? He was not there. Rian? He was back at Kokono.
Who else was there fighting Arnold toe to toe in battle, her own muscles contracting against one another to push him back. Then she noticed that her own face was strewn in anger, her own teeth were biting against one another, her jaw tight and locked together.
Was she fighting? Was she losing? Was she winning?
She couldn't tell, all she could tell was that the sparks that danced against their steel were so awing, so mesmerizing they caught her eye.
Fire had an odd way of appearing when she least expected it to.
Then she blinked, and the image was gone, replaced by a different, much more frightening one.
The fire still raged around them, Lia could see it dancing just beyond the edges of her vision. But instead of red and ashes covering her face and eyes, now she was met with the sky and its black background. The stars that decorated the black and empty expanse appeared as small flames that danced in with fire, hand in hand with one another and the darkness.
There were so many, so many small with fires flicking in the night, so many stars that dotted the sky. They clustered and broke apart, surrounded one another and some fell apart. They were together, yet they were not.
But before this darkness, before the small with fries that danced in the sky, there stood a man above her, his spear raised above his head, or rather, looked as though it had come down from there.
Lia could see the edge of the steel, the small imperfections in the tip and edge, imperfections and dents, cuts and chips that she had no doubt put there herself. Even if she hadn't left that scar against Arnold's head, she had at least scared his weapon even to some small degree.
Arnold's eyes were no longer wide with hate, yet wide they still were. Instead they were filled with some form of knowing, some form of knowledge as if he knew what would happen in this very moment, yet no one else did.
He didn't look to regret his actions, he didn't look to be saddened by them either. He looked contemptuous, afraid, worried, and yet appearing.
He was sympathizing with her, with her situation, and with her actions. She could see it in his eyes he was rooting for her, he was giving it his all in battle and even with his blood stained hands, his face scared beyond belief, and his heart pounding in his chest with exhaustion, he had won.
Did he regret it? No, but he looked more contempt that it was not an overwhelming victory.
Ashes still flashed across her vision, ashes and embers that lit up the darkened sky like red fires dancing with the white stars.
Even as the spear fell towards Lia's head, from her body laying calmly on the ground, she flet no fear. She felt empty, emotionless, contempt, and yet there was one thing she could not feel. It was there, hiding behind the other flames of feeling in her heart, she could see them fluttering in the wind.
And behind them, dressed in a warm blaze as she closed her eyes for the last time, she could see it, even as her heart pounded, cheering her on.
She recognized it.
Acceptance.
And then her heart stopped pounding, stopped beating, and died.
***
The sounds of gravel crunching on the road against the creaking of the wooden wheels, the slight shaking of the cart, and the sun that shone through the folds of the cover. It was this that woke her up, the feeling of her eyes fluttering open as the blurry images before her slowly took hold of her mind, filled her with awareness and set her back on the right path to the living.
She had fallen asleep in the back of the cart, covered in a thinly wrapped blanket that fell upon her shoulders. The blurry image of a man seated across from her slowly came into focus, his arm was resting against his knee, and his head was turned to look out over the sun that shone through the folds in the cover.
He was handsome, he was gorgeous to say the least, and it took Lia only a moment to recognize him for who he was.
"Cain…"
Cain turned his head to the sound of her voice, attracted by the roughness to her throat and the smooth shiver of her whispers.
"You're awake."
"When did you get here?"
"Since last night. Totlac let you sleep nearly a day or more, and if you hadn't awakened, he might have let you sleep until you arrived."
Lia slowly stood up, letting the thin blanket fall from her body to the floor as she positioned herself across from Cain, who offered her a small cup filled with a warm black liquid.
"You knew I would wake up."
She said, taking the cup and sipping the warm black liquid that rushed through her body with a warm and wonderful feeling.
Cain only nodded and continued looking out through the folds in the cover, the sun just peaking through in a long line of golden color that danced across the shaded floor.
"Did you find out what you wanted to know?"
"I did, but I'm not happy with the answer."
"Why is that?"
She asked because she wanted to make conversation, not because she knew what he was talking about. In fact, she was so focused on the drink in her hands as her mind slowly began to wake up, it was a while before his words registered in her mind.
When they did though , it hit her like a ramming shell.
"Wait…what?"
"I said that you'll have to fight it."
"So you want me to fight some unknown monster that you don't know is alive or not?"
"Oh, it's alive. The flood of monsters Westward is enough to prove that."
Lia, though barely able to follow along, wasn't liking the way Cain was phrasing his words. In fact, it only served to add onto the pile of her troubles, troubles that seemed to be endless these days. Quite the ironic little detail that everything seemed to add up into for her.
'A monster that can chase away other monsters. One that even hordes of them fear.'
She took another sip of the warm black liquid as it flowed down her throat, enabling her mind to think clearly for moments more as the cart came to a rattling stop, the wheels crunching against the gravel.
The sounds of the coachman's seat creaked with the release of weight and the flaps to the carriage opened up to reveal Totlac bending down to enter, surprised to see her awake and up.
"Oh, you're awake. Glad to see that you got some rest…what's that?"
He pointed towards the steaming cup, surprised that not only had Lia woken up for the first time in well over a day, but that she had been able to make herself a warm drink without Totlac even hearing her move around, and he had very keen ears.
"Uh, just something I brought with me. It helps me wake up in the mornings."
She didn't want to act as though she had taken it from his belongings while also not having to explain that Cain was the one who made it appear out of thin air, considering that Totlac feigned ignorance in his presence in the cart.
"You mean afternoon, it's nearly dinner time now. Hopefully that drink will wake you up enough to help with the hunting, the girls want you to join them."
With that, he disappeared again behind the folds of the cover, leaving Lia with an unanswered question already on her lips.
"Girls…?"
***
"Here, this set is for wounding, and this set is the kill shot."
Lori handed to sets of quivers filled with arrows off to Lia, patting the top one when she mentioned the words 'kill shot' and then laughed about it as she herself strung to separate quivers on her back, taking careful consideration of the bow she pulled out of a small cloth bag.
"Hey Bess?"
"Yeah?"
One of the girls called out, a woman dressed in small patches of hunting gear over her clothes, gear that was fitted with pockets and protected all the right areas, serving as a light and quick mobility armor.
"Isn't this my brother's bow?"
"So, what? He's got ten of them, it's not like he's going to miss one. Besides, yours is getting a new string added to it tomorrow."
Lori sighed and ribbed her brows, fully knowing the argument she would be having with her brother later about her using his stuff. Secretly she mumbled to herself before turning back to Lia.
"I don't know why we couldn't have done that today, but okay."
It was as she turned to face Lia that she noticed the confused and utterly baffled expression that painted her face.
"What?"
"Just…why so many arrows?"
"Like I said, ones for wounding the animal, so that it leaks as much blood and does as much damage to the beast as possible so the trail is easier to follow, and the other is the kill shot. The-"
"The one that ends the animal, you said that. But these are fully loaded quivers and you're all carrying one."
She gestured to the three other girls besides Bess and Lori, who were in the midst of loading up their own quivers on their backs.
"Just, why so many"
Lori smiled, taking the quivers from Lia's hands and helping her with strapping them on her back, taking ease in fitting them tightly against her chest.
"That's because we don't normally stop the caravan for something like this. Unless it's to sleep for the night or to give the horses rest, when we hunt the caravan continues on. We pick an area, hunt as much game as we can carry, and then meet back up with them along the road."
She pulled tightly against one of the stings, causing the leather to burn into Lia's skin, but she held back any gasps of pain she might have had. She was invited on this hunt by the other woman because they trusted her, she wasn't going to let them down with something so small.
"If we spend all our time looking for any of the arrows, we lose more time to hunt game. So we tend to waste a lot of the wounding arrows and use most of the kill arrows immediately after. Though I doubt you'll have a problem with that."
"Why do you say that?"
One of the girls who was fitting herself with a leather arm brace, Lia though her name was Grace, spoke up as she looked back at them, a smile painted across her face.
"Oh, please. Your Lia of Endless, your name and fame as a monster hunter has been spreading across Morden like wildfire. As if you would be one to waste arrows."
Though Lia was appreciative of the complement, she was still nervous. She was used to facing off against animals and beasts that rushed her and forced her into a defensive position, but now she would need to rely on stealth more than pure power. Thankfully she was grateful for Kal's tracking skill [Hunter's Eyes], it would prove to come in handy.
The time for the Hunt came quickly and before long Lia found herself deep in the brush, wading through tall grass and bushes, past trees that spread their limbs and leaves like a canopy overhead. There was enough space between each tree for the hunters to see one another, eye one another's actions and give orders.
It wasn't long before one of these said orders was handed out by a girl leading the front. She turned sharply behind her and signaled quickly to the others to drop down into the tall grass, a signal Lia recognized as the mention of game.
The Hunt was about to begin.
Lia had hardly enough time to turn to Lori at her side and ask a quick question before she too waded off farther down the line to get a better angle.
"What's going on?"
"Game up ahead, a large herd. Listen Lia, what matters here is how many we can bag, so if you have a shot, take it."
"But what if I miss?"
Lori smiled as if Lia had just made a comical joke, pushing apart the tall grass that towered over her, ready to enter and disappear within nature.
"You won't, I trust you."
And then she was gone, leaving Lia alone in the tall grass to wallow in her own shadow of fear. Fear to disappoint, fear to is the chance and fear to fail the expectation placed upon her. But then, she saw it.
Parted within the tall grass was an opening, an opening that led right into the heart of the clearing, where Lia could see a large group of deer grazing. And a buck standing just at the gap of the opening.
'If you have a shot, take it.'
Lori's words flashed through her mind and before she could even stop herself, as if her body was moving on instinct, she knocked an arrow against her bow. It wasn't a killing one, it only served to wound the animal, but Lia's breath caught in her throat as sweat rolled down her forehead.
She could faintly hear the other girls signaling one another, telling the others that she had a shot, a feeling that only served to place fear in the heart that pounded so ruthlessly against her chest.
What if she missed? What if she scared off the herd and cost them this chance? What if it was all for not?
'...what if it was all for not?'
Suddenly she was no longer thinking about the deer, suddenly she was no longer in the forest, but alone holding a bow. Before her, in the distance, stood a man holding a spear loosely at his side, the long handle tracing across his back.
She could see him.
Ba-bum. Ba-Bum.
She could feel her heart beating, pounding against her chest as the air around her froze in that one moment.
Ba-bum. Ba-bum. Ba-bum. Ba-bum.
She could feel the anger rising in her chest, she could feel the hatred strewn across her face, as her features pulled into an angry glare.
Ba-bum! Ba-bum! Ba-bum! Ba-bum!
Her breath caught in her throat, her finger strumming on the edge of life and death - would she fire and end his life, or would she drop the arrow and let it fall, accepting the spear as it flung itself towards her.
Ba-Bum! Ba-Bum! Ba-Bum! Ba-Bum! Ba-Bum! Ba-Bum!
One second, two seconds, three seconds more! All she needed…
'...you need to let go.'
And then, suddenly the touch of skin on hers was the only thing that filled her mind, the blank expanse that surrounded her faded, Arnold faded and the forest regrew around her. Her heart became silent.
Cain stood by her side, though she didn't need to look away to know that. He had one hand on her wrist, raising the bow up a bit higher, while he took his other hand and pushed her elbow back inwards towards her chest.
His breath was there, right by her cheek and she could feel his warm touch, but at the same moment she couldn't feel anything. It was as if he was there but he wasn't.
Then the thought came, like a flood that filled her mind and echoed through her body. Her eyes wide with fear and nervousness now stood rooted to the animal before her, calm and blank.
'You need to let go.'
The look of a killer.
Then he was gone, his touch - so warm against her skin was gone. His breath that tickled her cheeks had vanished, and she was once again alone in the woods.
She took a deep breath letting the forest air fill her lungs, the scent of the dirt and the bark on the trees, the leaves on the wind and the water in the air.
Then she breathed out, and the arrow flew.
All that broke that perfect moment of silence and tranquility was the sound of an animal calling out in pain as it fell to the ground and died.
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