Legends of Remnant. The Magi.

Chapter 12. Reckoning.

     We all watched nervously as we were forced to watch Shawn and his crew of men do... Whatever it is they did. I still couldn't see in the shadows of the trees but I knew it was bad. A truly terribly deed they were committing. But, as was I, soon enough.
     I began to make a motion with my jaw and mouth, like I was chewing on tobacco or candy. This went on for a time, before I was caught. And the men thought they could toy with me. "Hey..." One says softly to another, "what's he chewing on?" He asks.
"Let's see if he'll share?" The other laughs as they stand over me. "C'mon boy," one says shoving me, my hands bound, I could only recoil and bide my time. "Let's have some of what you got," he says evilly.
     I smirk and continue to chew as the two men near me laugh and keep pushing me. Eventually, they're called away. I can overhear their conversation.
     "What're you doin to that boy?" Shawn asks. "He's got something; chewin," one says in reply. Shawn stands up; and a hush washes over the camp. Even the fire dies down.
     He returns to us, and looks at Yesenia. "Now just what did you get yourself involved in..." He says as he looks to me; I'm still chewing and catch his gaze. "What are you eating on boy?" He asks me curiously.
     I roll my cheeks and smile; sending him for the loop I wanted. He was having none of it, though, and drew an evil looking knife. "I'll gut each and everyone of your friends; I don't give a damn what they're worth," he says walking over to Shayla as she starts to try and claw away from Shawn. "Test me boy... I dare you..." He says pressing the blade info Shayla's neck.
     I snarl, and motion sharply with my head for him to approach me. He smiles wickedly and leaves Shayla whimpering by the fire. He stands before me; nearly 6 feet tall. He's adorned with buckles all up and down his coat, pistols and bullets lining the loops and holes.
     "He's not saying boss," one of the men says. "Oh he'll say," Shawn says. "If he knows what's good for him," he says taking my jaw in his hand. I snarl and try to fight him; calling out to my friends minds. "Gearalt!" I shout to them. "Ryan! Yesenia! Shayla! Close your eyes!" I say. "And don't open them again until I tell you!" I say as I focus on Shawn again.
He puts a finger in my mouth and forces it open. His look of confidence and arrogance is instantly transformed into horror. He's looking in my mouth, only to see a slightly bleeding, mangled looking stump where my tongue once was. My teeth are pattered with blood splotches. Just as Shawn is about to react, I tear myself from my bonds and draw swords and swipe at two men's necks.
Their blood falls as gurgles escape their throats. I rush to the other men, cleaving and tearing through them. There were nearly 30 in all. They all train rifles and pistols on me and open fire. Their crack and rings echo throughout the forest; I see my friends jump and quiver at the noise.
I disappear back into the trees. I hear them all follow me. Only Shawn remains at the camp with the others. "Find him and kill him! I'm making this kids skin into a belt!"
I stalk my prey; letting them make their own nervous trails into the woods. I pick off stragglers silently; dragging my blade across their necks silently as I creep forward.
By this time; in careful moments and execution, the forces are nearly depleted. All that's left is me and Shawn. I look for his form in the trees; but he must have moved from his place in the circle with the fire and the others. Soon enough, I hear a low growl set into the trees. I feel the wind push away from this place, and almost as if something rose from the grounds.
"You got some gall kid, I'll give you that. I've never had someone chew out their own tongue to get away from me," I hear Shawn's voice in the leaves. But it's different. Like he's been taken by something and turned... Different. He wasn't human, that much I was sure of.
"Come to me foul creature!" I shout with my telepathy. "Or do you fear a Wielder?!" I looked around the dark and quiet woods; there was a hushed breeze billowing softly through the leaves. There was a low rumble, like an aftershock of a drum. I felt the ground beneath me tremble, and I leapt away soon enough to see the dirt and rock below me turn to jagged hooks and claws; snap up right where I was standing. It would have crushed me, surely.
"Shawn! Enough of your games!" I shout, "come and face me!" I screamed as rocks shot up from the ground and plummeted; as if lifted and then thrown.
I dodged the stones and returned to the campfire where the others were. "Open your eyes," I say lowly, my flesh of my tongue just barely regenerating. They all do, Yesenia and Ryan gasp softly looking at the bodies of the dead around us. "Topaz, what's going on?" Shayla asks. "I don't know," I whisper as I untie their bonds, "but this Shawn, whatever he is-" I say as a stalagmite stabs up from the ground. "Oh fuck," I whisper as another shoots up just feet away.
     "Move! Now!" I scream as the others leap away and more and more of the stalagmites shoot up; forming a criss-crossing prison around me. "What a nice catch," Shawn's evil voice echoing lowly in the darkness. "You set him free! Right now!" Shayla's voice cries out with pure rage in her demand. As soon as I hear her voice echo away, a stalagmite shoots up through my leg; just missing my knee cap. I scream and clutch the wound, blood flowing and my leg throbbing.
      "I don't believe you're in any position to be demanding me of anything," Shawn growls as he stands atop the stones, I see his form has changed; become larger; almost as if he was layered in stone, dirt, soil and rock. "Oh you gotta be kidding me," I whisper below him. "You're a Terramancer?" I ask.
     "At least someone here has done their homework," Shawn laughs lowly. He waves his hands by his chest, and the rocks start to crack and break apart. They shatter; and all form up around Shawn; creating what looked like armor, making him look large and bulky. "You still think you have a prayer against me?" He asks as he lumbers toward us.
     "Holy crap on a platter," Gearalt says shaky. "Is this gonna be a regular occurrence?!" Ryan asks, "getting threatened with horrible death by all this godly bullshit?!" She screams. "It's all part of the job!" I shout as Shawn slams his fist into the ground, throwing up sharp stones and rocks. I put out my hand, throwing the air and deflecting the rocks.
     "Gearalt! Yesenia! Legs!" I shout as they both charge foreword. "Ryan! Suppress his Mancy!" I shout as she lights up, speaking in her incantations. "Shayla," I say looking at her as she draws her sword and I do mine, "you always get me the best things," she says before I could say anything more.
     She and I both rush at Shawn. He laughs as he rushes us; the shock of his thundering steps throwing Yesenia and Gearalt off balance. He reaches back and forms a spike of rock and pushes it toward Shayla and I. We weave by and point our swords at him; teeth gritted and snarling.
     He stomps the ground, sending a jagged crack along the ground. A stalagmite shoots up through the ground, piercing Ryan's shoulder. I stop to hear her yelp, shouting her name and see a spike impale Shayla on the ground. "Fuckin A!" She gasps as I hear Yesenia and Gearalt get thrown into corresponding trees.
     "You're a real asshole," I say twirling my sword and my eyes light up as I look at Shawn, "you know that?" "So I've been told," he says as he brings down his fist on top of me; I raise my sword and block him, the steel clanging in the canopy of the forest. I feel my legs brace as he tries to squash me. "Persistent little bug aren't you?" Shawn growls as he keeps pushing.
     I feel myself get buried in the dirt, like I'm being swallowed alive. He raises both his fists again and roars as he brings them down. I see his chest open up, and inside his chest cavity I see Shawn, as if he's controlling the armor around him.  I dive ahead of my spot in the ground and I run for Shawn. I leap and stab him through his chest; taking him from his armor and crashing into the ground behind him as his armor falls to rocks and dirt.
     He snarls and hisses as he claws at me; trying to fight me off. He was right to; he had some idea of what I intended to do. I clasped his by his throat, punching him over and over, until my fist bleeds from the tough, rocky skin formed around his flesh. "You will not," I growl as I tighten my hand around his throat, tearing and ripping his windpipe, "utter another filthy lie!"
     I shine my hands and slap them on his face. Light fills me, and I begin to pray, "O, Almighty, Goddess above!" Shawn screams as I continue, "may You forgive; sins this one doth commit are not of his own accord! I banish this evil!" I shout, "IN YOUR NAME! EVIL, BEGONE!" I scream as the light pours from Shawn's body, his voice echoing until he explodes in light and ash.
     I pant and fall forward, Yesenia and Gearalt make their way toward me. "Ryan, Shayla," I gasp and point to them; Shayla laying down and Ryan standing, wobbly from her wound. They pick them up,  bringing them to me. We all sit around in a circle, Shayla's eyes turned to a burning blue, and she was looking angrily at me.
     "You got a problem?" I wince sitting back, my arms throbbing as I do. "Big one," she says leaning in, "why'd you use the Reckoning Ritual?" She asks. I take a moment to respond, Gearalt's, Yesenia's and Ryan's eyes turning to me. "He was a Mancer, Shayla, you know I can't just..." I pause, "poof them away."
"And you didn't have to melt your muscles to kill him either," she snarls. My arms quaked at her words. She was right. Calling to Goddess was a true toll to take. But sacrifices had to be made. Shawn had to die. Evil could not prevail. "Look at me," I say opening my arms weakly, "I'm fine," I say faking a hurt smile. "You're a joke," she retorts, "you hate liars right?" She asks.
"Not now Shayla," I say looking away, "don't even, you hear me?" I demand. "Don't what? Call the kettle black?" She says standing up weakly, "or can you just not handle to pressure?"
I stand up slowly and deliberately, focusing my eyes on her. "You want to call hypocrisy? Let's start with you neglecting to tell me you had a sister," I say as I start to pace. "Or that you neglected to tell me she was a psychotic, murderous killing machine with godlike power," I continue, "or that, simply, you didn't even tell me your real name."
Her eyes shine and she snarls. "Dammit you're so stubborn and difficult! I wish you'd just... Just...!" She stammers, flustered. "You wish I'd what?" I ask simply, "You wish I'd what, Shayla?" She looks up at me, her eyes angry and swirling.
I knew her answer. I didn't even have to say it. I sat down; knowing I'd won the argument but I'd lost something too. I wasn't sure what it was, but something about Shayla was becoming disturbingly clear.
We'd all lied down, determined to get a few hours sleep before morning. I don't know if I was the only one, but I know I didn't sleep well that night. I couldn't accurately describe what the feeling was. But it was empty. Like something was just eating away in my chest.