Ch14-6: Within the Fray

It was over quickly, nothing left standing but the dark form of the warrior, scythe held horizontally in both hands.

Lucci’s breath rasped within his ears as he raced down the grassy hills outside of the Compound. The weight of the scythe was heavier within his hands the longer he ran. A trail of shimmering silver mists followed his path as he sped forward, mind reaching and searching for any trace of Master TsuYa.

Though the great dark shadows spotted the sky everywhere he looked, so far, not a single one had come for him. Lucci couldn’t tell if it was because of something that he was doing… or if it was because the battles had begun to rage high in the sky above. Streaks of color whizzed through the clouds, challenging the shadows and lighting the heavens with Dragon fire. The boy didn’t have to look up to feel the vicious flight of the Dragons against the Esgyll. Striking. Colliding. Now and then, the desperate fall.

He could hear the sounds of the Marked in battle. Somewhere in the distance he knew that the Awakened had rallied and come to put up defense for the Compound. Part of him wanted to be there with them, fighting the battle that he had been training to fight. Proving to them all that he was on the right side.

But the other part of him was glad that he was far away from the battle, searching for Master TsuYa. And he didn’t know why. Maybe it was fear? But then, it certainly took more courage to run across the battlefield all alone, didn’t it?

The boy pushed the stream of questioning thoughts aside as a pressure in the back of his mind alerted him. Silver eyes swinging to the west, he could finally see what he was searching for. The flash of white and dark blue against green.

Master TsuYa!

Efforts redoubling, Lucci turned in mid stride, sprinting hard down the hill. It took a moment of hard squinting before he could make out exactly what was going on. Master TsuYa stood, crouched in a battle position as a pair of Marked circled him. A third Marked lay smoldering in an oily pile a yard or so away.

Though the warrior was unarmed, his hands were raised high above his head, crackles of energy racing up and down his form. A wide ring of blue pulsed in a circle around him – just a foot outside of his arm’s length. Random strikes of lightning played from the sky, commanded by the raw determination of his uplifted face. His eyes were almost as dark as the Marked’s as they hissed and paced, deterred by the fierce flow of power.

Lucci had known that Master TsuYa was a magic user of sorts, alongside of his battle skills. But it was the first time he had actually seen some of that power at work. As strong as it was, the boy knew that it took a lot of energy to maintain… and that soon the ring of magic would fail him.

“Master TsuYa!” he shouted as he stumbled the last few feet towards the battle. Pulling up short, he fought to catch his breath in deep gasps.

Master TsuYa turned at the sound of his name, a completely dumbfounded expression washing over his face. As if the last person he expected to see there, carrying his weapon, would have been the boy Sygnus.

“LuShi! What in the name of the Seven Universes are you DOING?”

“I came to help!” Lucci replied. Without another word, he flung off the cloth wrapping to the dark bladed scythe and hoisted the weapon towards the warrior’s waiting hands.

Master TsuYa caught it with a practiced ease, eyes slitting as his focus returned on the Marked. But the creatures were already backpedaling, responding with what seemed to be fear. Even though the Marked had no mind or awareness to fear for their own being.

“What the…” Master TsuYa murmured with a furrowed brow. Then his gaze turned, falling on Lucci with a long, heavy stare. “You..?”

They’re afraid of ME?

Lucci could only blink, dumbfounded. He couldn’t explain why creatures without fear were afraid of him. Nor could he explain why he felt no fear or disgust upon seeing their rotted and decayed forms.

It wasn’t at all like the feeling he had the day when he and Suzume had found a poor dead bird laying out in a field. He had cried half the day, only coaxed by Aunt SaRa’s gentle words and fudge.

This was something completely different. But he didn’t know what.

Master TsuYa didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, he raised his scythe, the blade traced with glowing blue light, and leapt without mercy at the retreating forms of the Marked. Lucci watched with morbid fascination as the creatures turned to meet him, instinct alone driving them to put up a fighting defense. The boy’s throat tightened as black spray flew out over the green of the hills.

Master TsuYa… the way he moves… it’s just like them.

It was over quickly, nothing left standing but the dark form of the warrior, scythe held horizontally in both hands. Master TsuYa was breathing heavily, his coat splattered with thick oily residue. The bodies of the Marked lay at his feet, now unrecognizable. The air crackled with the fading light of blue.

For a moment, Lucci stood there frozen. Almost afraid to approach him.

Finally, Master TsuYa turned to look at him. His face was grim, reminding the boy of an expression that Master ZenToYa would give. Except for the dark eyes. His voice was gritty and distant when he spoke, “Thanks, kid…”

Lucci perked up, a momentary thrill of hope and cheer rushing over him. It wasn’t often that someone earned thanks from the quiet-spoken warrior. The boy nodded quickly, chancing a few steps closer.

“What’s going on? Where’s Dad and SoYa?” Master TsuYa asked. As if he was wondering why one of them hadn’t come in Lucci’s stead.

“Last I saw, they were in the Compound. It’s being attacked by the Esgyll,” the boy explained quickly. “I’m not sure if they got caught up in the battle.”

“Did they know you were coming out here?” he frowned.

“Yes, sorta.”

“Yes? Sorta?” Master TsuYa echoed, wiping his blade in a patch of clean grass.

“I don’t think they wanted me to. But I ran off before they could stop me,” Lucci answered.

The dark eyes flicked up towards the boy, studying his face. He let off the sound of one quick laugh. It seemed like a laugh of approval, “Heh.”

They stood there, watching each other for a moment. The world was framed in sparks of light and seeping darkness. The grass swayed under the touch of a putrid breeze.

“Alright,” Master TsuYa finally said. “Let’s get back to the Compound. I’m sure they can use our help there. Do you have a weapon?”

“Ah-heh?” Lucci gave a sheepish grin, attempting to hide the sheath that he had taken from the wall in Master TsuYa’s room.

The warrior’s eyes fell upon it anyhow. A grimace crossed his face.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t have time to go find my own?” the boy stammered.

“Yeah… forget about it. Let’s just get a move on,” Master TsuYa muttered, crouching low as he ducked into the cover of scraggly bushes. “It’s probably better to try to go around to the back side of the Compound. There’s more trees that way. If that makes a difference.”

Lucci nodded quietly, knowing to argue would only serve to irritate him more. Master TsuYa was already on his way off over the hill towards the Compound, seeming to have found a second wind now that his weapon was in hand. The boy ducked and scrambled after him, sticking close as large hazy shadows of the sky battle criss-crossed the ground around them.

A deep rumbling sound vibrated through the Island as they crested the final hill near the gardens on the back end of the building. Master TsuYa poked his head above the brush to get a view of what lay between them and the final stretch of the run. A sharp hiss escaped his lips as he dropped back down, face tinged a bit blue around the eyes.

“Master TsuYa? What’s wrong?”

“We… can’t go that way…” he choked, hands gripping the haft of the scythe tightly to his chest.

“What, why not?” Lucci took it upon himself to pop his own head up through the bushes to get a look.

The boy’s silver eyes widened a bit as they focused on way lay at the bottom of the hill. One of the Esgyll was there, hunched over a pile of red and grey. The huge black maw buried deep into its kill, a sickly snapping sound reaching Lucci’s ears as it tore pieces away. Only the scattered white feathers over the grass indicated that the mass had once been an unlucky Cyngan soldier who had strayed too far from the Compound. A macabre sort of curiosity froze him there, watching with sickened fascination as the beast devoured the remaining bits in two swallows.

“LuShi! Get down!” Master TsuYa grabbed at the back of his tunic with a hiss. With a powerful jerk, the boy felt himself yanked into the bush. “You want that thing to see us?!”

The boy shook his head fervently, pushing his back against the soiled upslope of the hill. His voice fell low as he glanced over towards the warrior, “How are we going to get around it?”

“I don’t know,” the other admitted, teeth gritting. His breath was coming in labored gasps as if panic was taking its toll.

Lucci, however, felt perfectly calm.

“Ahhhhh….” a quiet, smooth voice floated down to them from above. “TsuYaaa! I thought I recognized you.”

Taken by surprise, the two jerked their heads towards the sound that hung just up and behind. A tall, dark-winged shape was perched upon the crest of hill with its back to the sun. Its face was concealed within the shadows, a long blotch of darkness stretching from where it crouched.

Master TsuYa’s brow furrowed as if searching for some source of recognization, for the shape had spoken his name quite clearly. Despite the fact that it possessed wings, it felt nothing like the Cyngan of the Island. There was a feeling of deep shadows and sickly decay about the form. However, the way it held itself was not the way of the Marked.

“Who are you?” Master TsuYa growled, pushing himself to a crouch of his own.

“Tsk. Is your memory so short lived? Perhaps breathing the thin air up here has left you thin-witted?” a cold chuckle played over the words.

With a flourish of dark wings, the creature dropped down from the hillside, landing in front of them. Before Lucci could get a look at its face, the shape gave a low, sweeping bow before them. A bow that spoke of mocking scorn and overbearing pride. A bow that was meant for Master TsuYa.

Long black and white streaked hair fell down in thin, ragged stream from over a strange part-helmet that framed its face. Its body was wrapped in a thick black cloak and thick leather gloves and boots. Only the metallic clank that sounded at the dip of the bow belied the set of armor that lay underneath the dark wrappings.

Large black wings rose from its back… but instantly Lucci knew that these wings were different than the wings of Zemi’s people. They felt somehow less substantial. Less real. As if they were nothing more than a dark projection struggling to become reality.

As the figure straightened, the boy got a first look at its face. It was a man of some sort… or it had once been. A blotch of melted skin wrinkled over the right side of his face – a disfigurement that seemed to have been the result of something long ago. His features were sallow and grey, two pools of darkness glittered where eyes had once been.

Just like the Marked?

Yet, somehow, this creature retained a will and knowledge of its own. Making it far, far more dangerous.

Could it be that Zeromus has found a way to perfect his creatures, now?

Master TsuYa gave a strangled sound, an expression of shock flooding his face. “KoGuRai..?!”

“It seems this is my lucky day,” the man gave a slick grin. His right eye twitched as a tiny drip of oily black liquid seeped down his face. One hand reached out towards the boy, “Lord LuShi. I have found you!”