Chapter 17
The group’s time in the Esigo Highlands was uneventful, they came across a few other strange horned creatures, each of which were just as delicious as the first. They had no more encounters with a Moelekke bear though they did see several of them on occasion.
Beyond the highlands they came to a place known as Huzuraa, a landscape of lush uneven fields where the grass grew tall and orange. The reasoning for such colouring had to do with the amount of werewolves who had been killed in Huzuraa. When their bodies decomposed into the ground it turned the grass orange. Such a thing only occurred when an incredibly high number of werewolves die in a select area over a long period of time. Roughly three thousand years ago Huzuraa had been a place of constant conflict as rival warlords had fought for control over the deep silver mines that once could be found in the land. In the present day however Hazuraa had been mined clean of any silver and had been abandoned to the wilderness. The fact that the grass still grew orange was an indication of just how much death had occurred in Hazuraa all those centuries ago. The group had little idea what they would find in such a place for the only thing the werewolves they had interrogated over the years really knew about this place was its name. The sky had remained heavy with rain clouds for the entire day as thunder roared somewhere off in the distance, but a single drop of rain had yet to fall. It did not matter to the group for Hazuraa showed no sign that it was regularly flooded.
As they made their way through the fields Hazum Ka-te bent down and ripped a blade of grass into his hand. After sniffing it he made the comment that there was a very faint smell of rot to the grass, a small token of the bloody and violent past of this land. Zova who had been leading the group through the fields suddenly came to a stop gesturing her hand for the others to do the same. Nervously they looked towards Zova as Cada Varl and Gokkus found themselves reaching for their weapons. Apart from Zova none amongst them could see anything that would cause them to stop and when Zova lowered her hand Imbaka carefully stood alongside her.
“What is it?” she whispered so softly only Zova could hear her. Zova shook her head before replying in equally soft words. “The grass moved as if something was moving through it.”
Both Helluvan women looked upon the spot where Zova had seen the grass rustling, at its tallest the grass barely touched their knees. Still some kind of animal may have been moving through the fields. The grass had stopped moving but that did not put their minds at ease, because Zova was sure she had seen the grass move. Thunder then roared far louder than the group had heard since entering Hazuraa and yet they still could see no lighting anywhere around them. The thunder did draw their attention west and immediately they were surprised by what they saw.
No longer were they alone for in the short distance from them they could see 3 people, or rather three things that looked human approaching them. It was a surreal sight to behold for the group felt confident the approaching beings had not been there moments before, almost as if the thunder had somewhere summoned them. The group quickly gathered together reaching for their bows and arrows as Cada Varl placed his hand firmly onto his sword. They would find no allies in the west, a fact they had known all along, but the intense look in each of their eyes was because the three approaching figures had something they recognized. Identical to the armband that Aneeku wore the three figures possessed one each of the strange twisted shadows and crosses carried upon their right upper arm.
The approaching figures had already seen them and seemed to be approaching because of the Helluvans. The approaching figures were well armed and looking directly at the group, like hungry wolves looking upon prey. Out of the figures two were female, the other male. The first of the figures was a woman with long hair so dark it made black seem white, she wore strange clothes of black, stitched thickly with some kind of gray. The material covered almost everything, with the exception of her stomach, revealing it to be inhumanly well toned. The material continued beyond her neck reaching up to the bridge of her nose and creating a kind of mask that hid the lower part of her face from sight. Like her two companions she saw the world through large yellow eyes that were haunting to look upon. She was armed with a strange kind of spear that was not quite as large as the Cloud Cutter but was equally as impressive. Its tip was more like the blade of a very squared sword ending in a severe curve. Upon her right hand was some kind of curved blade seemingly growing out of the material itself just over the knuckles.
The male of the three stood next to her and wore tattered and torn garments of white. The shirt he wore was so old and ripped that most of his chest and arms could be seen. The pants he wore were so tattered that his legs beyond the top of his knees were completely bare and he wore no shoes. Even his blonde hair that sat like wild grass upon his head looked old and weathered. The blonde of his hair had been infected by filth making it appear a much darker colour then what it actually was. In his hand he held a curved blade that was even more beaten up and weathered than the rest of his appearance, there were quite a number of large chips and imperfections within the sword he held.
The last figure of the trio was the other female. She had dark white hair that fell just above her shoulders; within her ears were a total of 8 earrings, none of which could be called a pair. She wore garments of dark purple, buttoned at her waist as if she was wearing some kind of coat that kept her arms covered. A pair of strange red boots was upon her feet that stuck out compared to the rest of her appearance. She wielded a pair of clubs that were covered by short yet sharp spikes running down the length of her weapons in a circular fashion. Together the three were a menacing sight to behold.
By now the Helluvans had strung their bows, each aiming carefully to kill the trio at a moment’s notice, yet no one fired. The approaching figures seemed indifferent to the fact silver arrows were being pointed at them as they stopped ten yards or so from the group. All three sets of dark yellow eyes looked upon the faces of the Helluvans and the Immortal, searching silently for something. The air grew thick with tension as the Helluvans kept their bows well aimed. After a moment so intense it felt more like a passing century the half-masked women spoke.
“Which one of you killed Aneeku?” Her voice was just as unnatural as it was dark, like she was something that was not suppose to be able to speak but did so. The group did not answer at first, confused greatly that this woman had knowledge of Aneeku’s passing. Then the group remembered the weird flash of light that had come from the corpse of Aneeku, could it really have been seen from this far away?
“I did,” Cada Varl said loudly as if he wanted the entire attention of the trio to fall upon him.
As he had intended all three sets of dark yellow eyes fell upon him, they looked over his frame as if he was the unexpected answer to a question they had long been trying to solve.
“So you must be the legendary Cada Varl?” It was clear from the masked woman’s tone that not only did she not believe Cada Varl should be considered legendary but in fact was disgusted by it. Cada Varl and the Helluvans were shaken by her words, they had no idea how she knew Cada Varl was even in the west. It had to be far more than simply a lucky guess; something powerful and unknown was at work here.
“I am,” Cada Varl answered feeling his grip upon his sword tighten.
“So you’re the man that twisted the course of history all those thousands of years ago?” asked the unkempt man in white. Surprisingly his voice did not much his appearance at all, his words were elegant and highly spoken as if he was a nobleman. Cada Varl looked into the eyes of the blonde haired man and could see genuine hatred within them, even though the Immortal was confident that they had never met before.
“ Solloc, Nara,” The half masked woman said, “You two see to it that Cada Varl does not leave these fields alive, I will make sure that these others do not interfere.”
“ Sounds perfect, Yorow.” The other woman replied in a tone that carried a hint of brashness.
The Helluvans
acted faster than even Cada Varl did firing their arrows at the trio. With a speed almost that of a mechanical blade the woman who had been called Yorow spun her spear 360 degrees in one hand, easily blocking the arrows of Zova and Hazum Ka-te. Solloc the male figure tilted his head to the left far enough so that Gokkus’ arrow flew passed him harmlessly. Nara who was the other woman crossed her clubs in front of her causing the arrow of Imbaka to bounce away onto the ground.
Cada Varl now leapt away from the Helluvans, but in place of moving directly towards the trio he leapt off to the side gaining considerable distance in only a single leap. Solloc and Nara chased after him both leaping almost through the air towards him. Though they were moving at awe inspiring pace, Cada Varl was able to take out his sword before either of them reached him. Solloc who had leapt higher than Nara had reached the Immortal first, smashing his own weathered sword down upon that of the Immortal’s. The grass around them bent severely as a violent gust of wind was created by the impact of their weapons. Amazingly in spite of the way it looked the sword of Solloc did not break or even chip upon impact.
Cada Varl forced him away turning his body ever so slightly to face the oncoming Nara. He blocked her first club and then her second as she wielded them like two giant hammers. Cada Varl stepped back to block her third blow whose impact was even greater than the thunder the dark sky had to offer. Solloc ran forward slashing his sword across the air with such precision that it literally seemed to cut the air in half. Cada Varl however easily blocked this attack before going on the offensive. He blocked both of Nara’s clubs before turning slightly and slashing his own sword horizontally where Solloc blocked it. Now with his enemies on either side of him Cada Varl leapt back blocking the oncoming attacks of both Solloc and Nara before he had even landed. His enemies would not allow him any distance keeping up their onslaught ferociously. Though he was literally outnumbered two to one the Immortal showed no sign that he was struggling to block and counter the enemy strikes. He even managed to bring the brunt of his handle into the face of Solloc, temporarily removing him from the fight and allowing Cada Varl to briefly concentrate upon Nara.
She was highly skilled with the weapons she wielded easily both attacking and counterattacking as Cada Varl tried to finish her off. The Immortal could feel the strength she possessed in each blow she delivered, it was a strength that may have even surpassed that of Aneeku. Before Cada Varl could take full advantage of the situation Solloc returned to the battle, effortlessly leaping over both of them and landing without fault on the other side of the Immortal. Cada Varl saw him in time to bring his sword across to meet the enemy blade. For a split second the two of them stared at one another, Cada Varl could see the great determination Solloc possessed in ending his life.
Solloc disengaged leaping back far enough in time to allow Nara to attack unhindered from the other side of Cada Varl. She attacked almost like she wielded a pair of enormous scissors bringing her clubs from either side across in a kind of cross. The attack would have crushed his skull if Cada Varl had not raised his sword in time to stop the clubs. Using some kind of sense that humans simply did not possess Cada Varl knew of Solloc’s next attack quickly leaning his head forward and stepping back as Solloc’s sword slashed harmlessly over his head. Solloc’s sword smashed into the clubs of Nara with considerable force though none of the weapons buckled under the impact. Instantly Solloc leapt into the air turning his body several times before clashing his sword back into the blade of the Immortal. Cada Varl raised his own weapon to meet the attack and was dumbfounded when Solloc remained in the air as if the laws of gravity didn’t apply to him.
Nara charged back into the battle keeping her clubs lowered for an attack. In the split second before her clubs were brought across his torso Cada Varl managed to ground his sword against Solloc’s, lowering it just enough to stop the clubs from smashing his ribs to pieces. Quickly Cada Varl leapt away with Nara following him immediately. Solloc took a second longer for he had to land back onto the ground before he could continue his attack. While Cada Varl was still moving backwards Nara reached him unleashing a series of heavy blows one after the other. Cada Varl managed to block them all but the speed with which they were performed was shocking.
A second or two later and Solloc had reached him as well attacking from the left. Even with Nara and Solloc working together Cada Varl was able to block every single one of their strikes before he landed. The conflict continued on with weapons moving almost too quickly for the human eye to follow.
The sudden blur of metal and wood came to an end when Cada Varl managed to block all three enemy weapons at once. Getting his own weight behind his weapon he pushed Nara and Solloc away from him, instantly leaping after them and unleashing powerful strikes of his own. From the very first maneuver he had performed Cada Varl had distanced himself from the Helluvans, he wanted to make sure that they were not caught in the middle of this battle. The entire time he fought the memory of Leannol flashed in his mind, she had died at the hands of Aneeku, because he was not there in time. He couldn’t afford to so much as glance towards the Helluvans as they fought Yorow but he did not want another one of them to die. He was trying to end the fight quickly but even with his skill and power Nara and Solloc were proving their own combative skill, as much as he didn’t want to Cada Varl would have to be patient if he wanted victory.
As much as Cada Varl was worried about them the Helluvans were holding their own in battle. They had quickly traded their bows and arrows for their held hand weapons after Yorow had proven she could block projectiles so easily. At first Yorow had tried to go after Gokkus only for Zova to attack before she could. Holding her spear single handed Yorow countered the strikes of Zova but did not have time to counterattack for Imbaka was already upon her delivering a number of powerful strikes. Spinning the spear in one hand Yorow blocked every single one of Imbaka’s attacks before effortlessly moving her weapon slightly to stop the attacks of Zova as well. Hazum Ka-te charged from another direction keeping his spear lowered and his breaths as silent as possible. While still spinning her spear Yorow turned to meet him stopping the Cloud Cutter with remarkable ease.
Before Zova and Imbaka could surround her Yorow flipped into the air over her own spinning weapon so that she was now facing all three of them. Gokkus had not abandoned the cause he was waiting for his opportunity, hoping he could put an end to this fight with one careful attack. But his plans were quickly put to an end when he saw Zova stumbling after blocking Yorow’s counterattack. Using a small knife he had taken in hand he threw it with great skill towards his enemy. Yorow however raised the strange hook blade upon her arm in time to ensure the knife did nothing but bounce onto the ground. With her attention upon Gokkus Hazum Ka-te tried to capitalize thrusting his spear forward hoping to pierce it through the back of Yorow’s skull. Yorow sensed his presence, shifting her body and bringing her spear across easily before the Cloud Cutter could penetrate. She looked into his eyes briefly, taunting him as if to say ‘Yes I see you’. She pushed him away in time to bring her spear back the way it had come; spinning it once more to block the attacks of both Zova and Imbaka.
Gokkus now joined the combat directly, trying as Hazum Ka-te did, to catch her off guard. She easily blocked his weapon with the hooked blade over her head before kicking him squarely in the stomach. With violence Gokkus had never felt before the air was stolen from him and he was thrown onto the ground like he was nothing more than a pebble. As the man dressed in black staggered to his feet Zova and Imbaka tried a combined attack, striking Yorow both high and low. Yorow simply held her spear vertically blocking both attacks easily before she began to spin her spear once again, this time in an aggression way. She forced the swords of the Helluvan women away from her before she almost spun the blade of her weapon into the face of Hazum Ka-te. He was able to quickly raise his own spear in time to stop the attack from being fatal, the enemy blade stopping an inch or so away from his face. She turned her spear the othe
r way striking Hazum Ka-te in the torso with the other end of it. Though his armor was more than enough to stop it, the blunt force it delivered was tremendous. Yorow may have fought with similar strength and speed to Aneeku. But there was not a shred of arrogance in her movement, making such a thing impossible for the Helluvans to exploit.
As Hazum Ka-te stumbled back Yorow brought the killing end of her weapon forward intending to impale Imbaka with it. Zova managed to strike her sword down upon it with just enough force to stop it from connecting, but only barely. Imbaka leapt up hoping to get the attention of Yorow before she could counterattack on Zova. It worked and Yorow raised her eyes to look Imbaka squarely in the eyes. Zova took her chance thrusting her weapon forward only for Yorow to bring the hook over hand down upon the blade stopping it.
At the same time she stabbed her spear into the air forcing Imbaka to block it and quickly lose any useful momentum. As Gokkus charged forward he brought one tip of his own weapon forward like it was a spear. Easily Yorow brought her hook and arm across effortlessly redirecting the tip away from her. For his trouble Yorow smashed her fist into his chest causing him to fall onto the ground with so much force that the grass he fell upon seemed to rip apart completely. Before she could finish him off Hazum Ka-te bellowed bringing her attention upon him as he struck his weapon down. She blocked it, but that was not the point, for it gave Gokkus enough time to return to his feet and continue the fight. Yorow swiped the hook towards Gokkus who was aware enough to step back to avoid it before she swung her spear in the other direction forcing Zova and Imbaka to stop their charge.
Hazum Ka-te tried a series of powerful thrusts both high and low, attempting to lock up her spear so the others could deliver a death blow. But such a tactic proved useless for Yorow simply spun her spear in one hand blocking not only his attack but also the attacks of the Helluvan women. When Yorow spun her weapon back the other way she did it so quickly its tip ran across the left shoulder of Zova. On instinct Zova quickly stepped back as Imbaka rushed forward. The tip of the weapon had not pierced her flesh but it had cut through her armor like it was no more than air. As Imbaka struggled to block Yorow’s spear Hazum Ka-te rushed forward only for the enemy to free her spear and stop all of his well aimed attacks. After forcing Hazum Ka-te back Yorow spun her spear over her head with so much speed and velocity that every Helluvan was forced to step back to avoid it.
Before her spear had even stopped spinning Yorow drove her foot into the chest of Zova, the blow knocked Infinite Eye off her feet where she quite literally bounced off the ground several times before she lay motionlessly. The Helluvans had no time to respond for Yorow was not yet done. Now holding her spear with both hands she smashed it into the sword of Imbaka. Though the blow did not shatter the sword, Imbaka buckled under the weight of the attack before she was kicked back as well. Hazum Ka-te faired little better, he was able to block the oncoming spear but simply could not stand against it, falling back and hitting the ground hard.
Before Gokkus had time to comprehend what was happening, Yorow spun her spear vertically behind her. Its tip came so close to cutting his face in half that the rush of air it created was painful to feel. It had been from nothing more but sheer dumb luck that Gokkus had not been cut by the weapon. Quickly she turned to face him bringing her weapon up and then down. Gokkus blocked the attack but had enough sense to step back in order to avoid the full brunt of the blow.
While the Helluvans struggled against Yorow Cada Varl was in a struggle all of his own. Nara and Solloc were fighting in perfect sync with one another; so much so Cada Varl seriously thought the two possessed some kind of telepathic link. Together they were a force to be reckoned with, one that even the Immortal was having a hard time dealing with. He simply could not get the seconds he needed to deliver a deathblow to either of them. Every time he saw an opening on one the other would either attack him or block his attack. From a unison point of view, Solloc and Nara rivaled the Helluvans. They came at him with a series of powerful and quick attacks that he managed to block but with no space or time for error.
Before he had a chance to return any attack Nara and Solloc disengaged from him leaping back a considerable distance, opposite to one another.
“Watch him Nara,” Solloc declared through gritted teeth, “I can see why you were able to defeat Aneeku.” Solloc added raising his voice to ensure that Cada Varl had heard him. The Immortal said nothing in response, caring not that Solloc’s words were actually a compliment. Thunder roared somewhere in the distance as if the sky itself was demanding of them to continue this amazing fight.
“You know what to do Solloc,” Nara said.
Before Solloc even had time to nod Cada Varl was upon him, he did not know what his enemies had planned, but he had no intention of giving them enough time to do it in. Solloc smashed his sword forward meeting the blade of the Immortal, the collision between the two weapons seemed to summon another roar of thunder, almost as if the clouds were in awe of the two warriors’ power. Cada Varl did not let up he struck and struck again trying to use his chance to kill Solloc so he could focus on Nara without worrying about being attacked from behind.
But Nara acted quickly enough to prevent such a thing from happening. Seemingly she was attempting to shatter the leg bones of the Immortal as she darted forward and brought her weapons down then across. Cada Varl had enough sense to know she was coming and so jumped back. He may have avoided her attacks but Solloc was far from out of the fight. He leapt up into the air and as he had done before twisted his body, using the momentum of such movement to smash his sword across Cada Varl's a total of four times. Cada Varl quickly stepped to the side in time to meet the clubs of Nara with his own weapon before he unleashed a quick but precise counterattack upon her. Adding to his predicament was the fact he had never seen the fighting styles Solloc and Nara were using. Solloc was twisting and moving his body almost as if he was dancing to a tune that only he could hear. While Nara was fighting almost the way a boxer would, with her clubs acting like artificial fists.
Cada Varl may have been holding his own but the Helluvans weren’t. Yorow seemed to have grown bored with the fight and wanted to end it as soon as possible. Wielding her spear with both hands added power to each of her blows, something that the Helluvans struggled to deal with. Any attack that they managed was quickly blocked with enough force to rattle their very bones. The fight was soon becoming little more than a desperate struggle for survival, nothing more and nothing less.
Zova blocked an overhead strike of Yorow’s spear but was almost immediately brought to her knees. She was saved only by the fact Gokkus managed to draw attention upon himself, where he stumbled as he blocked another of Yorow’s strikes. Imbaka didn’t even manage to strike before she was forced to block the spear of her enemy, stumbling forward as she did so. Like he had done before Hazum Ka-te yelled as he charged forward making sure Yorow was drawn to him instead of the stumbling Imbaka. He brought his Cloud Cutter upwards attempting to stab Yorow through the throat. Not only did Yorow see him in time she slammed the edge of her spear onto the tip of Hazum Ka-te’s weapon. Incredibly Hazum Ka-te managed to stay on his feet but at a terrible price.