“Don’t say sorry,” Mika wept shutting her eye. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“And neither did you,” Mae promised her. “You fought exceptionally just as we did. We did all we could, there’s no fault in that.”
“So buck up,” Milly urged. “You’re tougher than this. I mean you are missing an eye and your leg is hurting pretty bad, but still. Buck up.”
“I’m sorry,” Mika breathed out, her steps becoming slow and uneven. “I’m so sorry, girls.”
“Stop saying you’re sorry,” Mae sighed. “We all knew the risks of our job, we’ve known that for many years.”
“What happened to us was expected to happen eventually,” Milly sadly reasoned. “But it’s worth the cost for the people we can help save.”
“But still, it hurts so much knowing you’re gone,” Mika softly said. “I’m so sorry for not being able to save you. I wish I could have another chance, I wish I could have done more for you.”
“Mika…” her sisters gently said.
“I wish I could make all this right again,” Mika mourned. “I wish I could make it up to both of you.”
“Then avenge us,” Mae said as the two sisters stopped. Mika slowly came to a halt and looked back, seeing her kin smiling at her while the surrounding area was blurred in a soft light.
“If you really want to make it up to us, then kick their asses,” Milly ordered with a hop.
“Avenge you…” Mika breathed out.
“Protect Max,” Mae pleaded. “Don’t let any of those monsters get close to him.”
“Destroy The Sisterhood,” Milly urged. “Find the ones leading that band of monsters and send them to hell.”
“The Sisterhood…” Mika cursed, looking down to her hand that she slowly clenched into a fist. “They must… be stopped.”
“Take them down, for us,” Mae said with a gentle smile. “I’ll be rooting for you, Mika.”
“Make sure those demons never lay a finger on Max,” Milly added with a warm smile. “If you do that, I can rest easy.”
“They’ll never touch him,” Mika swore to them. “They’ll never touch our brother, I won’t allow it. And I’ll make sure every last one of those wretched monsters dies before I join you two again, I’ll do whatever it takes to bring them all down.”
“Don’t hold back anymore, Mika,” Mae said as the two started to fade into the light.
“Give them all you’ve got,” Milly agreed before they vanished into the haze.
Mika closed her eye as she tried to keep her thoughts focused. The pain of losing her sisters was driving into her heart, the words of her kin echoing in her ears as she struggled to keep her composure and remain set on her mission.
“I’m done… holding back,” Mika softly vowed to herself. “I won’t let anything come close to the only family I have left in this world. I’ll raze everything to the ground if it’s the only way of keeping him safe. I’ll do whatever it takes to give him a future.”
“What are you blabbering about?” Alice snapped.
Mika slowly looked ahead with a glare as she saw the witch stumbling forward through the haze, the little monster growling at the human while holding her bloodied shoulder. In her other hand was a wand with a green focuser crystal adorning the end, and a severed hand that was still gripping the magical relic.
“You killed my sisters,” Alice scorned with a twisted smile. “I suppose… that’s fair… isn’t it? I killed your stupid sister and you killed mine. Hee hee. Hee hee! You slaughtered them all like pigs! You… insolent little bug!”
She ripped the gemstone from the wand and placed it into her mantle, the focuser glowing softly while the witch tossed the old relic and remains of her kin away.
“Well… I don’t like to play fair,” she scoffed holding her hand back. From the haze her staff flew over into her grip, the relic giving off a dark glow briefly as the witch clenched her fist in anger. “You nearly killed me. You hurt me. Nobody hurts me and gets away with it!”
“I could say the same,” Rio added as she walked through the haze behind the witch. The scorpia was now showing obvious rage towards Mika, her glaring eyes and vicious scowl being instantly noticeable along with the scorch marks on her chest and arms. Her tail twitched slightly as the appendage seemed wounded in the middle, the stinger shaking a little while she cringed in discomfort.
“That was quite a nasty little trick you pulled,” the scorpia said glancing around. “Seems all our comrades are very dead right now. As much as I don’t care for them, I still feel a little… upset that you slayed them like that. I suppose it’s just the principle of the matter that irritates me.”
“I’m going to slay you all,” Mika growled as she stumbled back a bit. “You, that wretched witch, all of The Sisterhood, and whoever is responsible for this nightmare coming to be!”
“Really now?” Alice bitterly retorted. “Such mighty words from a human who can barely stand up.”
Mika shook a little as she lost her balance before dropping to her knee, the woman struggling to remain conscious as her world was spinning slightly. She saw Rio and Alice walking towards her, the scorpia hissing with her stinger shaking while the witch’s eyes and focuser were glowing softly.
“Who… who is your leader?” Mika demanded while focusing on all the magic she could. Before she could erect a spell base Alice struck her staff down on the ground, creating a dark green triangular casting diagram below them.
“Not this time,” Alice hissed.
“Our leaders are none of your concern,” Rio said plainly. “You shall not live long enough to see them.”
“I’ll find them,” Mika swore while glaring at the scorpia. “I know where you monsters are going, I know what you’re planning to do, I know where to find them myself. And when I do I’ll rip them apart, them and all of your ‘sisters’! I’ll kill every last one of you despicable demons even if it costs me my life!”
“You will have no life to spend for that desire,” Rio quipped narrowing her eyes.
“This is your end, human,” Alice scorned holding her hand out towards the hunter. From around her arm and wrist a swirling array of small shadowy black skulls softly wailed while swirling forth from her shoulder. The four skulls howled while spinning around her hand that erected a dark purple and green casting ring that circled her wrist.
Mika wearily watched the two monsters preparing to finish her off, her vision starting to blur as the fatigue of the battle took a steep toll on her. Rio and Alice approached the hunter before suddenly stopping, the two noticing something behind Mika that caught their attention. They looked around at what was behind the hunter then glanced to each other, the two slowly taking a step back while Alice recalled her magic.
“I’m in no mood to deal with more pests on this day,” Rio plainly said.
“You’re lucky I’m hurt right now,” Alice hissed. “Otherwise I’d show you what we Blackwell Witches are capable of.”
The two scoffed at Mika before Rio quickly dashed away while Alice mounted her staff and rode after the scorpia in the air. Mika watched the two fleeing with confusion, the woman then dropping onto her hands and knees as her body suddenly felt heavier with the wave of fatigue becoming even stronger.
“Should we chase after them?” a female voice questioned with a tone of annoyance. “We shouldn’t let any of those wretches live after all they’ve done.”
“It’s not worth chasing down just two of them,” a casual woman’s voice replied. “Besides, all the others we ‘interrogated’ on the way here didn’t give us any useful info, they probably wouldn’t either.”
“That’s because you and your crazy friend killed them too quickly,” another snapped with a sharp tone.
“Stab,” a deranged woman grunted.
“So what the hell happened here anyway?” another spoke with an oink.
“I believe this human may be able to shed some light on that for us,” another mentioned with a firm tone.
/>
Mika breathed deeply as her world began fading to black, her balance being lost as she dropped to the side and rolled onto her back. Standing near her she saw several silhouettes gathered, her eye being unable to focus on any of them properly while she questioned if she was dreaming all of this to begin with. One of the figures began walking closer, a glimpse of a sword carried in a black sheath at the hip with a hand resting on it being noticed by Mika before she started to lose consciousness.
“Who… are you?” she breathed out as her eye closed. Before she passed out she heard a man’s voice speak to her in a calm tone.
“Looks like you’ve seen better days.”
Chapter 5
An Expected Fall
In the world of Eden things were not always how they seemed. Someone’s true nature could be hidden by their outer appearance, a sensible solution to a problem may end up being gravely incorrect, and the true purpose of something known to many could be the last thing anyone expected. Only the most cunning and collected individuals would be able to see through these veils of trickery and deceit so easily. And for them it wasn’t just a matter of being able to see things for how they really were.
They would also be able to remove obstacles that had yet to appear.
*****
The leaves of the tall timbers rustled in the breeze, the quiet whistling of the wind being heard among the tranquility of the lush forest it was traveling through. A few deer hopped about between the trees in the canopy while above a flock of birds were flying over the green landscape, obscured only by a fleeting glimpse of the sun as they passed overhead before soaring even higher out of sight. All seemed peaceful at first glance within the woodland of this particular haven.
“FUCK!”
Even with a young girl shouting at the top of her lungs.
“Son of a- fucking- stupid- shit-spewing- goddammit!”
At the edge of a small clearing within the forest two elves were standing guard near a tall tree, both clad in their green and gold elven garbs while having quivers and bows holstered over their shoulders. They were watching the same thing with weak expressions on their faces, the familiar sight being something they had witnessed time and again yet could never speak up about.
“And yet,” one of them spoke as if to break the silence between them. “Even with that fucking mess happening back home, young Grace acts the same as always.”
“YOU STUPID ASS-MUNCHING, HORSEFUCKING, BLITHERING- ARRRGHH!”
“Yes,” the other elf dryly agreed. “So good to see the poor girl keeping her… resolve.”
They watched as one of their own was standing in the middle of the clearing while practicing her archery, something she was both determined to excel at and growing more furious from doing at the same time.
“WHY?” Grace yelled as she continued with her tantrum. The young elf wore knee-high leather boots that she stomped on the dirt repeatedly in anger. Her green tunic and skirt were woven with golden embroidery that matched her gloves. The girl’s short green hair was tied up in pigtails, revealing her long pointed ears that all elves possessed. Her pink eyes were glaring with rage as well as a few tears that were forming from the growing frustration she was enduring. Strapped to her back was a quiver of arrows, the brown leather container being three times the size of an ordinary one and packed full of finely crafted bolts. And the bow she clutched in her trembling hand was sturdy and short, just like the child that was wielding it.
The girl grabbed a handful of arrows, literally, and drew them back in her bow. The two elves nearby opened their mouths to speak, wishing to suggest that the girl try firing only one arrow at a time like any normal elf would, then bit their tongues as they didn’t wish to have the young girl direct her anger towards them.
“FUCKING WORK!” Grace yelled as she let loose the volley of arrows, all of which shot out in every direction except straight ahead where there was a circular target bolted to a tree that had yet to be hit. The elf stomped about in her rage while the nearby women facepalmed as the same thing happened that had been happening for hours now. This was evident by the sheer number of arrows that were scattered all over the clearing and even in some of the trees off to the side.
“Why won’t this work?” Grace shouted before holding a hand to her face.
“Grace,” one of the elves nearby finally spoke up with. “Perhaps… you should try practicing with just one-”
“SHUT UP!” Grace shouted at them. The two elves jumped as the young girl glared at them with teary eyes. “Clover can shoot three fucking arrows at once and always hit her mark! Clover can fire off more arrows faster than any of you can! Clover wouldn’t accept firing just one goddamned arrow if she didn’t have to!”
“Grace,” the other elf tiredly said. “I’m certain even Clover learned by starting off slowly just like all elves do. Please, you must learn to properly-”
“SHUT UP!” Grace yelled waving them off. “I can do this! If Clover can do it then so can I!”
The young girl grabbed more arrows from her quiver and took aim, which wasn’t really aiming so much for her as it was just priming them all in her bow. She let them loose, watched as they flew in every odd direction, then continued her tirade of swears and kicking dirt while the elves nearby sighed together.
“This is all Clover’s fault,” one of them grumbled. “Ever since young Grace saw her firing her arrows in bulk she’s insisted on doing the same. She wants to do everything just like that elf does, she’s even tying her hair up the same way as that damned girl.”
“There’s nothing we can do about that now,” the other reasoned. “Grace is determined to be as good as that elf. And you know how the priestess’ daughter gets when she becomes determined about something. There is literally nothing in Eden that will stop her.”
Grace continued firing out flurry after flurry of arrows, all of which missed her target by a wide margin. After she was out of arrows the elf screamed, threw her quiver to the ground, and then stomped on it with vicious snarls.
“I’m going to do this!” she yelled arching back. “If she can do it so can I!”
“Do you think she can learn to properly fire more than one arrow at once?” one of the elves whispered.
“I’m praying she learns to fire just one arrow at least once,” the other flatly replied.
Grace grabbed her head and held in a strained scream, the girl’s face becoming red as she stepped back and slowly knelt down on the ground. The two elves glanced to each other then watched as the young girl trembled while holding her boiling temper in.
“Three,” one elf started.
“Two,” the other said.
“One,” they both finished just before Grace let loose a powerful and long cry, the girl letting all her frustrations out in a loud roar before she hung her head low and whimpered. The two elves glanced to each other with nods then walked out into the clearing, making their way through the field of arrows that were lodged nearly everywhere before coming up next to the young girl.
“Grace?” one asked resting her hand on the elf’s shoulder.
“Perhaps a break would be best,” the other mentioned with a weak smile. “It will help you think and aim more clearly.”
“And what am I supposed to do instead?” Grace snapped at them with teary eyes. “I can’t go home now, you’re keeping me prisoner out here!”
“We’re not keeping you prisoner,” an elf said kneeling down next to the girl. “We’re keeping you safe out here by order of your mother.”
“It’s not a good time to be running about in the village,” the other warned. “You know this. Your mother is dealing with a lot right now with those intruders. She doesn’t want you anywhere near them until this mess is resolved.”
“I don’t want to go running about in the village like some dumb kid,” Grace retorted. “I want to fucking kill those intruders! Why isn’t mom issuing that order? Why are we not killing those that threatened us? Why are you two hiding out here
instead of staying by mom’s side and shooting those fucking assholes dead?”
“Because they outnumber us with far more brutes than we have arrows,” her guardian firmly replied shaking her shoulder. “If we try to kill them they will kill all of us. We cannot start a war with them that we have no chance of winning.”
“Your mother knows this,” the other assured. “That’s why we’re not attacking them for invading our home. That’s why she’s trying to negotiate with them right now. That’s why she wants you far away from the temple in case something goes wrong.”
“We can beat them!” Grace argued as she stumbled away from the two. “We have to try! We shouldn’t have to listen to those assholes just because they have so many, we shouldn’t-”
“We shouldn’t, but we must if we want to live,” her guardian sternly said. “Do you think we approve of just letting them into our home like this? We hate them too, Grace.”
“Please try to understand,” the other insisted. “We cannot fight them. Not here. Not like this. For now we have to do what’s best for our people.”
“What’s best for our people is to kill those fuckers,” Grace scowled, her teary eyes looking down at the ground while she clenched her hand around her bow. “They just march in here and take over, and we let them? That’s bullshit.”
“I’m sorry, Grace,” her guardian softly spoke.
“We don’t have a choice right now,” the other sadly agreed.
Grace whimpered and turned away, her anger towards their oppressors greatly overshadowing her frustration at not being able to fire multiple arrows like her idol could.
“Clover wouldn’t have let them come in here like this,” she muttered. “She would have shot them all dead. Every last one of them.”
“She may have tried, yes,” her guardian had to agree with. “But she’s not here now, Grace. She never returned from her mission.”
“Where is she?” Grace cried out.
“We don’t know,” the other elf replied with a shrug. “She was chasing that thief who stole from your mother. We haven’t heard word from her since.”
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