The One

TWENTYTWO

"Stop, stop!" He said, wincing.

Teddy stopped and looked around.

"Sorry, my chest, I'm not fit for this." He wheezed.

"I'm sorry.. but we.."

Morten waved a hand at him, "tell me what's going on.."

Teddy looked back where they had come from.

" They send out people to speak to the family of that man that stabbed you.
They never came back. Then, things went crazy and there were Plains man getting into the council building and stuff, " he rattled.

Morten looked surprised for a moment then wondered why he was.
Nothing about this surprised him!
Why was he acting like it.
Had he thought they had more time.
He was about to ask where they were going when he heard a familiar sound.

Teddy and him both looked around.
Teddy started running further in the direction they had been going where another voice joined the other.

Morten gasped,
there was a clearing a bit further.

It was in front of the wrestling building, which was in flames.
How did one burn stone? Morten's brain wondered.

Two figures were standing there.

Agnus, a bloody mess, his hands bound behind his body on his knees.

"You are a disgrace to the plains!" Said the other darkly.

Morten recognized the other plains, the grumpy one.

Agnus laughed, the sound he had recognized.
"I'm a disgrace? Because I'm not picture perfect? Because I wasn't born to a claimed women?
Or because I embarrassed you in that wrestling pit?"

The other plains slapped Agnus across the face with what looked like leather straps.

Agnus laughed more at that, "Are you ever going to stop it with the lashing?"

The other plains grimaced, "as you wish!"

He dropped the leather whip he had held and reached at his waist where a big sword hung.

Morten clattered into the bigger man like a bulldozer, screaming.
The plains, who had not expected it, actually stumbled.
He cursed loudly, while Morten pulled the sword from him and just threw it away from them both. He wasn't stupid enough to keep it around for the stronger man to take.
Morten planted his fist squarely into the plains face, his hand and chest hurting.

Could have avoided using the right hand, but brain?

The plains seemed to catch on then.
"Fucking Frozen!" He screeched.

Morten stumbled back as the other man pulled up to his full height.

"What is it with you intruding, all the fucking time!" He called angrily.

Morten ducked just in time, he had pulled an axe from somewhere and swung it wildly at him.

"Catch this with that hand!" he screamed.

He could hear Agnus calling.
To get away.
The big plains swung again and Morten flailed out of his reach.
Could he do anything? He could run but he'd definitely get an axe to the back,
the only bit of him that remained mostly injury free.

He stomped back at the plains, hitting him nicely in the cheek.
Then he recalled what Four had done.
He stepped back, avoiding another axe swinging into his face.
He rubbed over his waist, looking for something.
He found it. It was a small knife, but the handle had an extra part that protected ones fingers while cutting.
He turned the knife in his hand, pointing the knife out and used the heft covering to protect his knuckles.
He couldn't avoid the swings forever and fisted at the axe with the knuckles.
It veered back, to Mortens surprise.

Morten swung wildly upwards at the Plains,
he could feel the lower jaw of the big man shifting as he hit.
The man seemed to grow in anger.

He swung back so weirdly Morten couldn't pull back, he tried to block with the knife handle again but the axe was swung too wide and instead Morten somehow overshot and knifed the man in one of his wrists.

The Plains dropped the axe and roared.
Morten let go of the knife, that was solidly stuck in the man's arms.

Agnus called in so much desperation behind him that he actually stumbled back several more steps. Almost feeling as if this man was dangerous to a degree he did not understand?

Maybe there were others coming?

The plains yanked the knife out, screaming.
A much higher sound than Agnus but twice as eerie due to it.
The plains man looked like the worst monster Morten had ever seen.

Inhuman.

The light of the fire dancing on him, throwing his outraged face in sharp relief.
Morten touched for more weapons, but that was unneeded.

Agnus had not feared the plains.
Had not feared Morten getting hit or even killed by him.
The Plains roared and took a step in his direction.

But a deep rumbling sound stopped him in his tracks.

Morten could see it.
The light of the fire reflecting on two disks somewhere behind the plains.
But soon it lit up the teeth of a large creature, fur and an sharply angled face.

Morten gasped as the creature pounced.
It got the plains by the neck and head, moved in a snapping motion and shook.
Morten closed his eyes and turned away.
His ears receiving the sounds of a human body gurgling through a punctured body.

Agnus stood a little bit away from him, Teddy next to him with the sword.

" Morten.." Agnus started.

Morten stepped at him, "you alright?!"

"Fine. I'm sorry." Agnus said nodding beyond Morten.
"He had been prowling around for a bit."

"It's, okay?" Morten said.
Was it okay?

It was disturbing but what the plains had done to Agnus was too.
Agnus was covered in little cuts, he wasn't red from his complexion.
He was red from his blood leaking out.

Teddy sounded scared, " We need to... to go!"

Agnus shook his head, " There's nothing to go to. They didn't make it."

"They killed them!?" Teddy looked mortified saying it.

Agnus shook his head, " They plan to do much worse."