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The BloodVaine EpicChapter 32: A Wound Reopened
Rosa had barely waited ten minutes before Rodurik, his wife Darinana and his two kid Trad and Fina entered. Rodurik and Darinana were flushed and determined; the children looked both excited and frightened.
Before Rose could speak, Darinana rush forward and embraced her, saying, “Of course we will come to help! I have relatives in both Dark Forest and Forestmen, I had no idea they were in such trouble!”
Rodurik said grimly, “Megabloks Crusaders censor a lot of the news coming in...we didn’t even know Radjar Kath had been put on trial!”
“Ohhhhhhhhhh...daddy...look!” cried Trad. He was leaning out the window, staring at the sky.
Rosa disentangled herself from Darinana and looked. Her heart sank.
“What’s going on?” asked Fina.
“The tyco woods to the north are on fire!” cried Rosa.
Rodurik swore lustily and said, “Darny, gather the children’s things, I’m going to prepare the wagon! Something’s very wrong up there, those Forestmen will need out help!”
Chaos ensued. While Rodurik hitched the horses to his large wagon and Darinana split her time between calming the children and gathering household items. Rosa rushed into Rodurik’s forge and snatched up hammers and other blacksmith tools of the trade. By the time the wagon had been fill almost beyond capacity the small wattle-and-daub house had been stripped bare. Darinana, with Trad and Fina in tow, climbed into the wagon, Rodurik was with the horses.
“Rosa! Lead the way!”
They set off at the fastest trot possible, away from Denderham. Their trek was slowed down by a mass a of people now clogging the streets, staring as if in a trance at the fire that was consuming the Forestdweller Factions.
At last they reached the crossroads where Rosa and Radjar had split. Rosa looked about.
Where was Radjar?
Radjar had just began to depart, Derrek following. They opened the door to the villa, and Derrek immediately gasped. Marching down the road, faces scathing orbs of fiery hate, a band of Jekei Ronin brandished their weapons menacingly.
“How many?” Radjar asked.
“Fifty, at least. Maybe more…” Derrek answered balefully.
“You can take them, can’t you?”
“I’m not the man I used to be Radjar!”
“I know.”
“We have to find your friends, they could be in danger. Come!”
The duo dashed off in the opposite direction. Radjar tried to remember Rosa’s location.
Tyco, he thought, Buildit Jekei always showing up at the wrong time, wrong place...
They reached the crossroads, heavy with exhaustion. Behind them the Jekei continued a steady march.
“Rosa! Get everything together! The Jekei are coming!”
Just behind them, Kara Valus followed. Radjar felt stupid at forgetting her.
Rosa had no idea what the Jekai were, and she did not want to find out. Just then Radjar caught sight of the billowing smoke.
“Holy son of a megabloks, what the tyco-!?”
Rosa dragged Radjar behind Rodurik’s cart. “Who are these Jek-somethings?”
“They’re enemies..” Radjar gasped out, still stunned by the sight of the burning Forestmen land.
“Tyco…” Rosa murmured, “Why do you always attract the bad guys?”
She cut off his protest, “Never mind that, hide yourself and your friends in the cart, and stay down.”
Radjar did so, ushering Derrek Stormspear and Kara Valus Stormspear in before cramming himself under the canopy of the wagon.
Rosa whispered to Rodurik, “Get back into town...act normal...we won’t be able to reach Drullen Bell until that fire dies down anyway…”
If there is any Drullen Bell left... she thought grimly to herself.
Rodurik obeyed and slowly the wagon and it’s contents rolled quietly back into Denderham unnoticed.
Rosa, watching the rear, saw a band of Jekai crest a hill and disperse, not wanting to attract the attention of the people of Denderham.
Radjar Kath and Derrek turned towards a shout. Two figures were running toward them. Rosa recognized one as the Forestmen servant boy Ark, the other looked very much like Derrek.
“Hello brother.” said the man, embracing Derrek, “It seems the Forestmen are in need of our services, as young Ark informed me.
“Welcome, Keavur.” smiled Derrek.
Suddenly, Radjar emitted a scream of bloodcurdling pain as an explosion of dark energy exploded from his scar, and he toppled over, frozen in place, eyes wide open and mouth half-closed.
“MEGABLOKS!” Derrek yelled, leaping onto his knees and reaching into his jerkin, scrambling for some unknown object.
“Wha-what happened?” Rosa said, with a slightlypornos bizarras shocked voice.
“I do not know for sure,” Derrek turned towards her, “But I believe it is a case of…”
“Internal Mana implosion,” Keavur quipped, rushing to his brother’s side.
“Internal what?” Rosa replied.
“It appears that your friend has a shadow wound, and there has been a disruption of the Mana flow.” Derek informed, ripping open Radjar’s uniform and attempting to discern what he could.
“Wouldn’t it affect you, two?”
Derrek turned. “Believe me... Demon Slayers... and demons themselves... are incapable of feeling the surge from the disruptions. But we can detect it.”
Keavur poured a vial of purple liquid on the scar. It fizzed, but Radjar remained in his state.
“Tyco…”
“Why didn't the other spells affect him?”
“Because this one was of completely dark origin. It, combined with the resulting deaths of the spell’s victims, caused the dark matter contained within him to surge out and join the dark Mana flow.”
Radjar was slowly stirring, and Rosa rushed to his side.
“Derrek...why are you immune to the Mana flow? Isn’t Demon Slaying a profession, and not in the soul of the person?” Ark asked whilst looking at Radjar.
Derrek looked at the ground and rubbed a scar on his chest.
Keavur answered for his brother, “All demon-slayers were possessed by a demon at least once in their life. My brother and I were possessed when we were still in our mother’s womb, but we were freed by Gableena Turnleaf before we had lived a month.”
Rosa looked up, “Gableena Turnleaf? Might she be a relation to Bella Turnleaf, who freed Radjar from his demon?”
Derrek nodded. “Druid blood runs strong in the family of Turnleaf, I believe Gableena was Bella’s mother.”
Rosa shook her head, “Alas, the family line of Turnleaf is no more, for Bella was killed by the demon she freed from Radjar.”
Keavur eyed Rosa strangely. “Do not be certain the Turnleaf bloodline has run dry,” his said cryptically.
Ark was puzzled. “Does this mean Radjar can be a demon-hunter, since he was possessed?”
Derrek nodded, “If he wishes to be. It is a hard life.”
Kara Valus Stormspear grunted. She did not looked pleased. At last Radjar had stopped writhing and he seemed to be calming.
“But something more must have happened to Radjar other than being possessed by a demon, for you said normal demon-slayers immune to Mana, and Radjar obviously is not.” asked Rosa.
“I--I was cut by a Shadow Blade…” gasped Radjar, “A-- long time ago...before the-- Fell War…”
“Shadow blade?” asked Ark.
Keavur explained, “The primary weapon wielded by the Shadow Knights, and offshoot clan of Eastern Knight's Kingdom...you may have seen them...their insignia is that of a scorpion…”
Derrek continued, “They turned to sorcery ages ago and ever since they have stalked the dark places of Dametreos, preying upon those who wander into their domain. Some say they are more fiend than man.”
They had arrived back at Rodurik’s abandoned dwelling. They all piled inside, Rodurik, Darinana, Trad, Fina, Rosa, Radjar Kath, Derrek Stormspear, Keavur Stormspear, Kara Valus Stormspear, and Ark. They could not go aid the Forestdweller Factions until Radjar was healed and the wildfire had died down.
“Unnnngh.…”
It was morning, and sun flooded in through the window of Radjar’s quarters. He awoke to the smells of breakfast, but as he slowly raised up he immediately wanted to lay back down.
“Aargh!” he yelled.
He heard a chuckle from the corner of the room. Radjar thudded back onto his pillow. Rosa walked over, accompanied by Ark, who was laughing softly.
“Pain’s always worse the next morning,” he chuckled. “You best wait for Darinana to bring your food.”
Rosa leaned over to Radjar's side, and Ark left, half-singing, half shouting some Forestmen hymn, ran down the stairs. Trad joined in, mumbling the parts he didn’t know.
“Are you alright?? she asked worriedly.
“Well, save for the tremendous pain in the back of my head, I’m fine, thank you.”
“Hmhm.” Rosa giggled. “You hungry?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll go get something to eat, you need to meet Rodurik!”
“Yes, that sounds good, indeed.”
Downstairs the dining room was cramped, but filled with happiness, despite the grim and sorrowful conditions around them.
Soon, Rodurik enter and shook hands with Radjar firmly. After a few polite nothings, the brawny blacksmith said, "If you feel well enough, we'll be heading out today to Drullen Bell, the fire has died, and the sooner we can get there, the better..."
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