(TLO) Chapter 75: Bloodclot (Patreon)

Seth tried his hand at playful banter as he and Timi walked. He joked about flying birds and digging squirrels. About dug out ruts and two men walking into a bar. It would amaze most to know the kinds of jokes one could spin from anything. Or at least that was the impression he’d gotten from the flock of girls that laughed at all of Derek’s jokes back home.

He ceased his attempts at the third joke when Timi gave another half-hidden smile in response. His brother was nice enough to feign interest at the jokes, but they were apparently too poor to go all the way. Seth blamed this neither his brother nor his skill at humor. It was difficult to lighten the mood on the back of what had happened. He looked at his brother’s face as they trudged on to find a calm impassivity. Nothing of the boy had changed.

It made it easy to forget what he had done. Almost.

Having marked the spot quite thoroughly on his request last night, Seth’s minds guided him through the sea of trees, and in turn he guided Timi. There are pros to the accuracy of his minds but there are cons as well. One displayed itself as they passed the body of the man whose face he hadn’t seen.

The body remained turned on its side, facing ever westward. Seth could not say he was surprised at the churn of his stomach at the reminder of death. He turned his attention from the sight and followed the guidance of his mind. Timi simply gave the body the same level of attention he gave the trees.

A while after, they passed by the two sitting corpses. The space Seth had dug out around them had garnered a minute level of snow too small to be significant and Seth hurried along, swords dangling at his waist.

Behind him Timi said thoughtfully, “They were difficult. It’s not common that rumor has it wrong.”

That at least answered that. In the spirit of precision, Seth already suspected his brother had had a hand in their demise, however, this gave certainty to possibility.

And while Seth would be happy to have pointers to help him fend off two grown men in a fight, the results of his last fight remained too rigid a memory to ask questions. If he ever got over the feeling it left that was now sitting like an anchor in the pit of his stomach, maybe he would.

His stomach churned once more at the sight and he hurried along. Timi followed like a lamb to slaughter: without a care in the world.

It wasn’t long before they found the tracks Seth had left behind. The wide indentation in the snow wasn’t as vivid as he remembered but it was there. Even if it was a whiskered shadow of itself.

As if not wanting to be called out on an inaccuracy, his minds reassured him that they were on the right path.

Beside him Timi stroked his cheek, contemplatively. “They look familiar,” he said.

Those were all Seth needed to trust the path in front of him. That and the fact that there were no other tracks to follow.

The quick descent of evening and its steady switch to nightfall told Seth that perhaps those few moments were time had moved to the inconsequentiality of his thoughts might’ve actually been longer than he’d perceived.

The track led them judiciously. They rounded trees and moved through particularly high foliage of shrubbery. Sometimes Seth felt as if he could feel the tracks wherer the snake curled itself around a tree or two before moving on. It was unlikely but therein lay the level of attention given to his hunt.

Timi followed all through with the detached silence of an intrinsically autistic child. The sound of snow crunching beneath the feet was all the sound they needed.

It was by the pale blue of moonlight when they found their quarry. They found the snake, more massive than he remembered, coiled around a tree, its massive serpentine body wrapping and re-wrapping around it in the way snakes climb. Branches broke under the weight of its muscles and its scale—green and brown, he was now realizing they were—glistened to the touch of moonlight. It would have been beautiful to watch if it did not mildly terrify him.

He turned to Timi as they crouched behind a spot where a fallen tree met an inclined tree and found his brother’s passivity unchanged.

Sometimes he’s like a statue, one of his minds thought.

Then he opens his mouth and asks for the meaning of the sun, another thought

Seth couldn’t say he disliked that about the large boy. Sometimes impassivity had its place. Here and now was one of those times.

Timi raised a steady hand, bringing Seth’s mildly trembling to mind, and pointed. “What’s that?”

Seth’s gaze followed its direction to the crux of the tree and his jaw dropped. “That cannot…” he started, then paused. “That…”

He ran a hand through his hair. It snagged against an unkempt knot. The strands of hair were out of his face so he left it there, more worries going through his mind.

He chuckled. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Timi watched him through his stuttering surprise in silence. Then he asked, “Is that not what we are looking for?”

Seth shook his head. “No. It is. It’s just.” He gestured at the top of the tree where a white snow hare sat regally. “I’ve seen that hare around.”

“Oh,” Timi sounded unsure. “Are you sure it’s the same one?”

He nodded absently.

We still owe it for the nest, a mind thought vengefully.

We’ll be having roast rabbit tomorrow.

It’s a hare not a rabbit, a mind corrected. There’s a difference.

The corrected mind challenged almost immediately. And what’s the difference?

There was a stretch of mental silence before it thought again.

We thought so. We have no idea.

“It’s nice to see you all plotting my poisoning without remorse,” Seth nodded as he checked his swords. He drew a finger-span of blade free of all three then slid them back in.

He learnt two things from it. One, his blades, save the back one, were getting dull from days with a lack of care and constant use. The second was the grip of his right hand—his injured arm—was significantly hindered by the injury which meant he wouldn’t be able to depend on a perfect draw from it.

He unsheathed the sword at his back and it came free with a soft hiss. A whispered promise of inevitable violence.

We take the snake first, a mind thought.

“Then the hare,” he finished.

“Then the hare?” Timi asked with the confused innocence of a child. Sometimes it was easy to forget he was sixteen when he spoke. Other times—Seth looked at the size of him—it was easy to forget he was sixteen at all.

“I thought we were hunting the big snake?” Timi added, oblivious to Seth’s thoughts.

Seth’s response was a quick nod. “The snake first. Then the hare.”

“Snake first,” Timi mumbled almost to himself, ticking of a finger, “then the hare.” He nodded once. “Got it.” Then holding the handle of his sword he took the scabbard in his other hand and drew it free. He tossed the scabbard aside without care and hefted the long blade of his sword across his shoulder. The dull black of the scabbard was irrelevant against the white snow.

Seth slid a hand into his cassock pocket, pulled out a piece of meat and shoved it in his mouth. This got an odd look from Timi.

“What?” he asked.

Timi shrugged.

Maybe he wants one, a mind thought.

Seth considered it for only a moment before taking out another piece and offering it to his brother. Timi stared at the meat for a moment. As much as he looked at it Seth had a feeling he wasn’t really looking at the piece of meat.

After a moment, he said, “Rumor has it those can be noxious.” Then he paused, scratched his cheek. “What’s noxious.”

Retard, a mind muttered.

Seth ignored the mind, slipped the piece of meat in his mouth and returned his attention to the ever climbing snake as he answered. “I guess you could say it means poisonous.”

“Oh.” Timi turned back to the snake as well. “Rumor has it those can be poisonous.” He grunted in affirmation then nodded once like a child who had just accomplished something great.

Seth observed him for a brief time, long enough to assure himself of his own composure. His hand trembled and his sword trembled in it. He steeled his resolve and hoped Timi’s presence would ensure their survival. After all, the boy was as calm as summer’s breeze.

He sighed. “The things I do for the voices in my head.”

Yeah right, a mind countered. Like you don’t want that keen sight.

“Shut up,” Seth muttered. He wanted that keen sigh, but he wasn’t going to admit it, they wouldn’t let him live it down. Instead, he pulled up the quest again.

It wasn’t the first thing that came.

[You Have Been Poisoned.]

[You Have Suffered Multiple Instances of Poison.]

[Poison Stacks.]

[You Have Been Afflicted with Status Effect: Reia Poisoning.]

[Insufficient Reia Reserves Discovered.]

[Status Effect Reia Poisoning is Now Blood Poisoning.]

[You Have Been Afflicted with Status Effect: Blood Poisoning.]

[You Have Been Afflicted with Multiple Instances of Blood Poisoning.]

[Status Effect Blood Poisoning Stacks.]

[You Have Been Afflicted with Blood Trait: Hemophilia.]

[Blood trait Hemophilia is in Effect.]

[You Are Under Multiple Instances of Blood Trait: Hemophilia.]

[Blood Trait Hemophilia Stacks.]

...

Criteria Met.

Minimum Requirement: [Health 92%/80%]

Health status exceeded.

Minimum Requirement met.

Hidden Quest: [End of a Path].

A reia beast has found a path to the realm of the soul. Its pursuit for superiority has led to the demise of more than the ecosystem is willing to sacrifice. Apprehend its evolution and bring death swiftly to this creature before it continues on the path of a soul beast.

Hidden Objective: [Eliminate Soul Beast 0/1]

Reward: Keen sight.

Consequence: Possible Death.

Anyone else feeling uncomfortable about all these new color schemes? A mind asked. What? No one? We guess it’s just us then.

Seth cared little for the new colors. All it told him was that something had changed. As for the reason, that he blamed on the meat.

He inched a step out from behind their cover just as the snake snapped once more at the hare.

“Ready?”

Timi’s response was the rumbling of his stomach.

Odd time to be hungry, a mind thought.

When they stepped out from behind the trees it was with swords at the ready. Seth held his low and to the side just as Salem once had, an imitation of one of Reverend Igor’s favored stances. Timi held his above his head. It would come down in a great, big swing designed to path seas and split worlds.

They made no sound except the crushing of snow beneath their feet in their advance and the snake turned from its quarry. Wide slits of equally green-brown eyes met their approach. Then it hissed something savage and the hare was forgotten to the advantage of height.

Or so they thought.

Whether in a display of intimidation or one last attempt at its hunt, they would never know. The snake squeezed its body around the tree. It tightened and pressed. Its muscles rippled under its scales as no snake’s should and the tree balked under the pressure.

A great sound like the rumbling of thunder filled the air and Seth and Timi pulled to a quick stop. The tree cracked in the snake’s embrace and the hare toppled from its top branch, fell to the snow and disappeared. Cracks spread upwards along the length of the tree like great big veins. Each one widened to reveal the soft touch of its brown insides.

Then the tree shattered.

Large pieces of wood scattered, flying all over the place. Seth stepped to the side, avoiding a massive chunk and Timi brought down his sword to cleave one in half.

The shrapnel left chaos in their wake. And when it cleared Seth and his brother stood face to face with a snake larger than he remembered.

“Ever fought a snake before?”

Seth looked beside him and found Timi staring at the snake thoughtfully. “No,” he answered.

His brother raised his sword above his head again. One big swing waiting to happen. “Me, too. Rumor has it it’s a good experience.”

Seth returned his attention to the rising snake. “It’s bigger than I remember,” he muttered, fighting his leg’s urge to take a step back. “Do any rumors have a way of killing this thing.”

The snake hissed and it was a roar in their ears. They winced and grimaced at the sound but kept their attention firmly on the thing.

“Well,” Timi said after a dramatic pause. “Rumor says we should try not to get bitten.”

“Wait! Wha—”

The snake attacked first.

It struck with a head wide enough to casually smack a vehicle to the side. Seth ducked away from the creature and dived to the side. Timi stood like an unmovable object and his sword came down on the beast.

The snake veered off to the side as its skin met steel. Whatever Seth had been expecting, this wasn’t it. The beast crashed to the side, raising up sand and snow as it passed Timi’s large form. The boy stepped politely to the side as if giving another person a chance to pass on the road.

Timi watched it go, and at his side, on a bed of snow, was a chunk of the snake’s skin as long as his arm.

Seth stared at them in shock.

He does that but lets Salem smack him around?!

Seth picked himself up and hurried back to his brother’s side. “I’m not saying you should’ve injured our brother,” he said as the snake realigned itself to face them. “But why didn’t you fight back?”

Timi kept his unwavering attention on the snake. “Because he was justified.” Then he raised his sword for another big swing, paused and stared down at his cassock. “That hurts,” he added, without inflection. He might as well be commenting on the color of a shadow.

Seth looked down at it and saw a splash of blood.

“How?” he asked, worried but not really expecting an answer. “When did it get you?”

Timi shook his head. “It’s not my blood.”

“Then who—” he stopped and stared at the chunk of meat on the floor. “Oh.”

In front of them the snake lifted itself from the floor, its head hovering high, held up by the rest of its body in the way only snakes know how. There was a large gash in the side of its face where Timi had cut it. Blood dripped from the injury in rivulets that doused the snow and raised smoke large enough to rival some parts of the misty forest.

Against its displeasure on their arrival, its anger now warred in leaps and bounds. Its hiss was louder, and pierced the air like the sound of a falling boulder. Seth held his sword in still trembling hands and wondered how his brother could stand before their opponent unfazed. When he really thought about it, it had been too long since he’d really seen anything faze his brother. Sometimes it was as though he didn’t know the word fear.

“I’ll go forward,” he said, fighting his fear. “Lure it in. You just keep hacking away at it.”

Timi nodded. Then he swung his sword down slowly and frowned. He repeated the action twice more and his frown deepened.

Ahead of them the snake crawled forward slowly, as if taking its time, trailing blood and raising steam.

Seth took a slow step forward, slid his front foot along the snow. “You good?” he asked Timi.

“It’s uncomfortable.” Timi swung his sword again and this time it wasn’t the slow practice swings he had been displaying. It was heavy and powerful. He did it again and the snake’s advance slowed, its attention shifting between the both of them.

Timi nodded and raised the sword above his head again. “I’m good.”

Seth darted forward. His ear was filled with the over-enthusiastic drumming of his heart. His breath was fast and fluid, discomfiting but not uncomfortable. He felt the rush of adrenaline in his veins, the human boost towards fight or flight, and he allowed it drown a touch of reasoning from him. Sufficient enough levels of reasoning would not allow anyone charge such a beast in such a forest when they could so easily turn the other way and run.

His grip tightened on his sword. The snake turned its eyes on him, changed its focus. A few more steps separated them. The snake lowered its head to meet its opponent. The distance closed and Seth met it with a powerful swing.

The snake moved its bleeding head out of the way with a speed unfair for its size and Seth’s blade cut through nothing. He turned, pivoted on his front foot and cut downwards. The action forced the snake back were it had been charging for a counter-attack and Seth stepped into the empty space it created.

In his mind silence was king. There were no voices, no thoughts. No distractions. If he allowed himself to think then maybe reason would sprout its head. And often times, in situations like this, reason came with certain qualities like common sense. And common sense often came with fear.

He already had more than enough fear to go around.

He turned with a staggering grace and cut diagonally, hoping to take the beast in its side since he couldn’t reach its head. Once more the creature weaved away from his attack. He cut thrice more, changed his footing more times than he was willing to count. He thrust and stabbed and cut. Each time the snake avoided him and far behind him Timi stood with his sword raised high.

At this rate, he wasn’t going to get anything out of this. In fact, he had the succinct feeling the snake didn’t even see him as a threat. For each blow it avoided, it always kept a wandering gaze on Timi. Always kept the boy in its periphery.

It seemed to consider the boy a greater threat than Seth. Seeing the gouge in its face, he couldn’t blame it. But he needed to kill it for him to pass the quest. And this was not the way it was going to happen.

He moved his sword into a reverse grip, stepped into the snake’s reach, and turned into a pirouette. The snake failed to avoid his attack and he felt the resistance of his blade tearing into flesh. His spin came to a halt and blood spilled from the red line he’d drawn in the side of the beast. A small splatter stained him, splashing across his shoulder. He gave it no attention as his hand went to his side and grabbed another sword.

It was an awkward position and he wasn’t given time for the stance. Still, he unsheathed the sword at his hip and executed the best variation of the draw he could in an awkward position.

The blade sang free, tore another line in the beast, and returned to its sheathe as practiced. The beast howled, whether it was at its failure to evade or the pain, he didn’t know. However, he turned just in time to see the tail that came at him.

The draw had been done shoddily, in an unreasonable stance and an unsuitable situation. It had left him in no condition to evade. So he acted without thought, allowed instinct honed over the years with whips and swords guide him. His body moved of its own accord and he held his sword to his side, buttressed its unsharpened, back blade with his shoulder, and braced himself.

The snake’s tail slammed into him with the force of a freight train. It barreled into his pittance of a defense. He heard the blade crack on impact, or it could’ve been his shoulder. He didn’t have enough time to consider it before he was sent flying through the air.

Tree! A mind warned as he cascaded, turning end over end.

He hit something hard and guessed it was the tree and it knocked the wind out of him. Pain flared against the back of his head as it struck something hard, then he fell. He hit the snow filled floor and bounced once. The side of his head struck the floor as he bounced and white pain flared in his head.

All his minds scrambled to save him, willing his body to move. It took his body a moment but it obeyed. It moved with the speed of practiced training seeking to save itself from another strike. It rolled over once and gave out again. Ahead of him he heard the hiss and screeching of the snake and assumed Timi had taking his turn to meet it in combat. That hadn’t been the plan but he was glad for it.

Alright, a mind echoed in his head. Time to get up. Can’t go letting fatso do all the work.

It took another ounce of strength but he got himself to one knee, supporting his body with his sword, point digging into the snow. Another force of will got him to his feet and he staggered.

His vision blurred and his head felt fuzzy. It was like walking through a room filled with cobweb. He leaned away from his sight in a daze and fell back on one knee.

That’s a doozy, some mind thought out of somewhere.

[You Have Received Blunt Force Damage.]

[You Are Stunned.]

Seth shook his head in an attempt to clear his vision. The action birthed a bout of headaches and he swore under his breath. Again, he forced himself to his feet and stood his ground. The world wobbled around him, threatened to throw him on his side. It did not.

It took him another moment to regain himself. In that moment Timi failed to inflict any damage on the snake and it bounced about, curling and striking. Each time it bounced the snow trembled and the ground shook. Its size was massive and Timi stood in its midst like a god amongst sinners, sword coming down in downward cuts and upward slashes. Each cut was simple but there was something about the way he did it. It dared only those who didn’t fear death to step forward.

Seth moved to raise his sword and pain flared in his shoulder. He gasped and the blade fell from his hold. Ignoring the sword, he reached over to the shoulder and tried to pull his cassock free. Something was burning through it, scorching his skin. There were spots of equal pain on his face but his shoulder felt as if it was bathed in fire.

He ripped a piece of the cassock from his shoulder, tearing the material that was now no more than a thin rag. It came away moist and heavy and his hand came away red. However, the pain did not stop. So he bit back against it and cussed in a muffled breath.

[You Have Received Burning Damage.]

[You Have Been Poisoned.]

[You Have Been Afflicted with Multiple Instances of Poison: IronBlood.]

[You Have Been Afflicted with Reia Poisoning: Reia Density.]

[You Have Been Afflicted with Blood Poisoning: Bloodclot.]

[Insufficient Reia Reserves Discovered.]

[Reia Poisoning Reia Density Does Not Take Effect.]

[Reia Poisoning Reia Density is Now Blood Poisoning: Bloodclot.]

[You Have Been Afflicted with Blood Poisoning: Bloodclot.]

[You Have Been Afflicted with Multiple Instances of Bloodclot.]

[Bloodclot Stacks.]

[You Have Been Afflicted with Multiple Instances of Blood Trait: Hemophilia.]

[Hemophilia Resists Multiple Instances of Bloodclot.]

[Bloodclot Does Not Take Effect.]

[You Have Resisted Multiple Instances of Poison: IronBlood.]

[IronBlood Does Not Take Effect.]

That’s quite a lot, a mind noted.

Seth agreed, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. He discarded the notifications with a shrug of will, staggered once before reaching for a new sword. The old one lay useless in the snow, fractured and snapped.

As he staggered back into battle in running steps, he prayed Reverend Gareth would forgive the destruction of one of his swords.