Next Up

15

The man eclipsed Colson in height; he was covered in dark brown hair, completely shirtless, his muscles rippled beneath his skin, his legs and arms the size of tree trunks. He wore no shoes, only torn green jeans that were obviously too small for him. He had one foot planted on a man's back, who looked to be in his twenties, unconscious and bleeding. The large man put his hands on his hips and surveyed the area, a slight grin crossing his lips. His eyes were low as if he was having trouble staying awake.

Someone had totally trashed the house, water leaked from the ceiling, a large wooden dining table snapped in half, chairs were upturned and broken, the floors and walls had large gashes covering almost every square inch. Broken plates were strewn across the floor. Empty wine and liquor bottles littered the ground; cabinets were pulled off the walls.

The hairy man looked over to the stone furnace; sitting on it with his legs crossed was a young man with white-blond hair that almost reached his shoulders. His body was skinny, and his face had thin sharp features, watery blue eyes with long silky eyelashes, thin lips, and pale skin. He wore a tight blue designer tabard over a white robe and sky-blue house slippers with golden trim. Water constantly dripped from his pores, making it look like his body was constantly sweating. Beneath his feet was a young man no older than seventeen. His eyes were closed, and his face was bruised.

The large man lumbered over to the fireplace and grabbed her by the waist, hoisting her up on his shoulder with one hand. In his other hand, he snatched a pillowcase full of stolen jewelry.

"You reek of alcohol," said the blonde man, his voice a silky falsetto, "how much have you ingested? Surely even you realize that it isn't even close to noon yet." He hopped down from the fireplace and kicked away an expensive wine bottle that rolled under a cabinet.

"What are you doing!" Ivy yelled, stomping past Colson and into the living room. She put her hands in her pockets and brought out her brass knuckles.

The large man looked in her direction; his glassy eyes showed no notion of even registering that she was there. He looked back to the blonde man, his voice slow and slurred, "listen, Marlin, alright," he said, half giggling to himself, "it's five o'clock somewhere, right?" He let out a loud booming laugh. "Anywhoozle, I'm taking these with me," he grumbled and sauntered towards the back wall of the house.

"Quite piteous," Marlin rolled his eyes. He glanced at the trio and asked, "Sorry to disquiet this little abode, but if I may ask, do you kids know the location of an Angel's Ring, by any chance?"

'Look at him,' Colson thought, his eyes burned towards the hairy man. 'Just a drunken!' Colson took the modified hockey stick off his back, removing the blade and revealing the sharp wooden sword point. "Let's get 'em," He said, standing next to Ivy.

Marlin sighed, "I didn't think so; quite a shame. Well, K, let us make our exit. I don't think I could stand to be among these witless things anymore. Being around you is almost too much already."

Before they could react, the man reared back and sent his leg blasting through the back wall; a cloud of dust and debris filled the whole house. When it settled, the trio saw Marlin standing in front of the empty space, which used to be the wall.

"Kurt-Adam! Why would you-" Marlin started coughing, waving his hand in front of his face. "There was a back door you- whatever, you're on your own!" He called after Kurt-Adam, who was stumbling into the woods behind the house. Marlin stepped out of the home and calmly started left towards the village's west side.

Ivy sprinted towards the open hole, hurdling over the unconscious man on the ground and landing outside.

"Ivy!" Zoe called after her.