Chapter 9. A Smell of Death

As soon as Ashki jumped, Chaos grabbed Carysse by the waist again and carried her out of the cave, plummeting to a ravine.

They were not hybrids unlike in the age of Elder Shimar where everyone practiced ancient magic. But what they lacked in magic, they made up for their trained bodies. They were pure humans but leaping to dark chasms weren’t really that new to them. It was one of their regular physical exams when they were still trainees. Still, it doesn’t mean it wasn’t scary.

Carysse shut her eyes as she felt trees wheeze past through them and gravity pulled them to the ground but Chaos did a good job of holding her tight.

By luck, for the second time, they fell on water, and that was a thousand times better than crashing on earthen ground.

This time, the river was a little warmer and wider that they had to swim. 

Chaos helped her up. She was surprised she still had her bag. Chaos also has his lightsword strapped tightly at his back. It made her think of Ashki already and she suppressed the crying girl inside of her.

Ashki is not weak and I don't have the time to grieve. It was not like he was going to die. 

Carysse was cold. Being plunged into water twice, they were at risk of getting sick. The cold feeling was doubled when her eyes adjusted. Even in the dark, she recognized the familiar terrain. 

''We're at the boundary,'' her voice was low, the memories which she had buried for two years attempting to resurface again, especially that Chaos was with her.

Chaos looked around and got the idea why her tone suddenly got guarded.

''Yeah. “ He let go of his grip on her as he walked first, feeling the unwelcoming aura oozing from her. 

Carysse had to say something. Lean on each other, Ashki said. 

''Chaos,'' she called after him. She had to think things through. What should she say? Or should she even say something? What if it will just complicate things?

''Don't get me wrong. I trust you, at least for now.'' 

Chaos stopped. Carysse thought she heard him sigh softly as if in relief, though she wasn’t sure. Even if Carysse didn't really mean it with all her heart, she needed his strength if she wanted to survive the night. She had to pretend that she didn’t hate him. 

''Let's go,'' he said and they sprinted towards the Barren Forest.

***

Ashki never goes back on his decisions.

Ever since he was little, he was called a prodigy. He excelled in combat and non-combat. People were already pressuring him to take on the village leadership since Elder Shimar was getting old. It was one thing he couldn’t understand before. If only Chaos didn’t skip his literature classes before, maybe they wouldn’t idolize Ashki that much. He knew Chaos was also a genius. He was just not interested in anything other than the art of war.

Ashki knew his responsibilities in the village and he embraced them. That was why he trained himself to put the welfare of the village first before anything. Even now, as he is being chased in the treetops by skilled magic-wielders, everything that he is experiencing is for Thalisse.

He could feel his wound opening up with all his movement. 

Good thing he was trained in the forest so he had good knowledge on the formation of the trees, where they turned, what kind had no branches so he knew what to avoid, successfully leading two to their deaths as they were oblivious to the sharp rocks down the stream.

Chaos called them Mahan. He had never heard of them though it was expected since they were cooped up in the hideout for the past two years and even before, Thalisse was a village on the edge of the country and wasn’t really up to date on the news. He could recall that was the reason why Carysse dreamed of becoming a diplomat or the first ever ambassador of Thalisse. It was to keep Thalisse updated on what the world around them was doing.

Thinking of Chaos and Carysse made him smile for a bit. He hoped he had bought them enough time to escape.

But the Mahan people distrurbed his thoughts. He heard someone shout ‘fire’. He took cover under a tree that was not big or sturdy enough to shield him. Archers usually have twenty four arrows. They’ve been shooting nonstop and yet they still had something to throw at him. Unless, that was the last.

True enough, two Mahan appeared side by side, this time, with swords in their hands. Just like the ones that wounded him earlier, they were hooded like grim reapers. 

They must have thought his life was ripe to be plucked out but Ashki had been waiting for this moment, his fingers trembling in excitement as his chance finally appeared.

Ashki blocked their weapons with his metal wristbands. He grunted as he felt pain erupt on his left shoulder but he channeled it on his other hand, swiftly slashing the face of the Mahan with his ax.

He then pushed the other down with all his might and both of them came crashing on the ground, him using the Mahan as his cushion who no longer moved.

But of course it wasn’t finished.

When he was able to stand up, he found himself surrounded by the hooded Mahan people. When he squinted his eyes for better vision, he realized that they even had the same kind of dagger. It had a purplish glow, which was his first time seeing that kind of metal, and all were placed in their right hands.

“He is alone,” one said.

“What do you want?” Ashki growled.

No one answered him. They just stood there, legs crouched and weapons ready.

“Who the hell do you work for?” he asked but this time in a deadly tone.

Their heads turned to each other. Ashki still couldn’t see a single face. Even the bright moonlight was not enough.

“Tell us where your friends are headed and we will let you live.”

Ashki was about to laugh when the one who just spoke beat him to it. It was a long laugh. It was clear that he was the leader.

“Well, that’s what we would like to say. Unfortunately,” he said and all sixteen blades pointed at him from all directions. “The shadows hide more of us than you could see. We’ve already sent a different team.”

That was when he felt his world crumble. For the first time, he wasn't able to have a back up plan.

“It’s a shame, Ashki of Thalisse. Join with your friends in the afterlife.”