Ether and Abyss

Chapter 8: Guardians

Awake before she even knew why, Artemis heard clinking like wind chimes as she lay, unmoving, on the sand. Footsteps across the sand, the light bubbling as they crossed the stream. Her jian lay under her arm, which had both hands folded over her chests and her legs crossed. Seif lay a short distance away, sleeping on his side closer to the tinkling noise. Either way, the tinkling got closer, and Artemis' heart began to pound. Artemis shifted, and the noises paused for a moment. In reality, she just rested her left hand on the hilt of her sword. Silently, she counted to herself, preparing to leap up and defend Seif and Luna. One heartbeat, two, three.
Without warning, Artemis leapt up, swinging the blade in a wide arc at the noise. Four figures, all human, clearly, backed up with spears and simple daggers. All of them wore masks, each red, blue, and gray with sleeveless, ash colored robes that criscrossed over their chests. Skirts of the same color danced around their shins for maximum movement, and each had blue paints of incoherent words circling their arms. Beads of sweat materialized on her forehead, and Artemis fished the Wraith Priest bone from her pocket, crushing it in her left hand as she held the blade with her right. The familiar gray smoke began to form around her, and Artemis again raised her left hand, remembering the spells from the Art of the Moon book.
"Diame!" From her left hand, a beam of white light traced through the air, striking two of the four tribesmen. They flew back, landing either in the river or on the opposite bank, groaning, and only the last two were left. Seif still slept, hands folded across his stomach. Remaining in front of Artemis, the two men (they were clearly men; Artemis could hear their breathing) circled her with more caution then before, but still calm ferocity. Like a bolt from the blue, the tribesman on the left, one who looked more Artemis's size with a black ponytail holding his hair back, threw his knife, and Artemis sprung backwards, landing on her hands as she used them to perform a back handspring of sorts. The knife clattered against the wall of the cave, useless. Artemis dug her feet back into the sand as the tribesmen approached her, leaving Seif to lay on the sand. Was that a twitch in the Titan's hand? Distracted, Artemis focused on the other tribesman who pressed his attack, this one with white hair hanging in a messy sheet behind his shoulder, suggesting old age. Blocking the point of his spear on her blade, Artemis had to dodge his corresponding knife swipe, then swept her leg out, taking the old warrior off his feet. Growling the other tribesman prepared to strike, but he should've turned around. Rising from the sand like a corpse from the grave, Seif grabbed the warrior by the back of his robes, and the boy only had time to grunt before Seif slammed him to the sand. Spear landing on the sand beside him, Seif leaned over to pick it up and twirled it one time before snapping it in half, putting both sides over the tribesman.
Turning a head to Artemis, Seif raised an eyebrow at her, "Why didn't you wake me?"
The glare he got in return must've been enough to make even a Titan nervous.

*****

Malakai awoke with a start, struggling hard against the restraints. His mask was still tightly secured to his face, comforting to an extent, but still tight enough to hinder his heavy breathing. Calming down, he found he was wrapped in tight rope restraints around his arm and ankles, but otherwise he was laying on the sand. Turning, he looked over the sand and saw his captors and previous targets. First the girl, a specter in a golden coat, who, quite literally, disabled half the scouting party with a single hand. Then, when it had been only Malakai left against the girl, he had felt the golden man awaken, only to put his hand around his neck and throw him to the sandy ground. His shattered spear lay upon the ground, and Malakai gritted his teeth in rage. While it hadn't held any real emotional connection to him, the Sanctuary Guardians took pride in their weapons, and now Malakai's was broken. Closing his eyes, Malakai began to chant. His runes glowed dimly on his arms and legs. There was a sizzling sound, and the ropes began to loosen as he overheated his skin. A natural born Pyromancer, Malakai could heat even his own skin, at the cost of some of his energy. But the guardian was so charged with energy and adrenaline he barely felt the exertion. After a short time, the ropes burnt away, leaving him in only his fireproof robes. The Titan and the girl were chatting over near the river, examining his fellow tribesmen. Now or not at all, Malakai thought.
Rolling on the sand, Malakai uprighted himself and summoned his flames. Turning, the Titan saw Malakai, and instantly pushed the girl to the sand as the Pyromancer summoned a ball of fire to his hand. Throwing it with the ease of a pinecone, Malakai readied another to target the girl, but it didn't matter. Crashing against the Titan's blade, the fire dispersed, and the girl surged toward him, blade outstretched. Rolling towards her, he ducked under the swipe of her blade, and jumped, throwing the fire orb at her back. Unfortunately, it hit the sand behind her ankles, not compensating for her speed, and the explosion launched her across the brook. Yet again, Malakai forgot about the Titan, and he dodged just in time as the Titan swung for his back, looking to punch him hard enough to knock him down. Malakai spun just in time, back-stepping to gain distance from the swipe of the silver and black greatsword. Something clinked against his feet. Feeling it, Malakai identified it as his off hand knife. Shoving his foot under it, he kicked it to himself and grabbed it from midair, tucking in in his belt, and just in time too, as the Titan leaped with a downward slash. Malakai used the nearby cave wall to his advantage and heard the thud as the Titan's blade missed his side-step, and Malakai rolled out of the way. On the other side of the brook, the girl was recovering, and that gave Malakai an idea.
Running hard, Malakai charged the energy in his bloodstream, then jumped at the edge of the brook. It launched him across with a burst of raw energy, and just as the girl staggered up, Malakai dispersed the flame in his left hand, wrapping that around her neck and holding the other flame a few inches from her head.
"This ends now!" Malakai shouted in the common tongue. On the other side of the brook, the Titan watched, putting the blade's hilt in both hands in readiness. Silently, the girl held her hands up as much as she could, thumbs folded into her palms. But something was amiss. A pouch on her coat was open, and Malakai barely had time to question her before the girl dissolved into smoke, materializing behind him and sweeping out his legs. For not the first time that night, Malakai landed on his face. He rolled, but the girl followed with splitting speed, her boot just on his neck to pin him down, and her blade leveled at his heart. Defeat.
"Hold your blade, Artemis," said the Titan in the common tongue, and the girl, Artemis, hissed. Despite that, she stepped away, freeing up Malakai's air-pipe but keeping the blade leveled at his chest. The Titan spoke again, "We mean no harm, pyromancer. We are but two travelers from the north seeking civilization. Your friends have not been harmed," he swept a hand and gestures to Malakai's tribe mates as he staggered to his feet. Sure enough, his siblings were fine, their weapons untouched in a bundle near the Titan, all of them seeming unconscious. Slowly, Malakai's muscles loosened, but the blade pointing at his lungs was no comfort, and the tribesman clenched his hands again, willing flames to lightly lick at his wrists. Growling, the girl pushed the blade at him, and Malakai took advantage of her confidence. Grabbing the blade between his index finger and thumb, the living flames climbed down the length of the blade to the hilt, singeing the runes on the blade. Artemis responded, reeling back without the blade, and Malakai advanced, turning it in his hand. It was a comfortable blade; light and sharp and flaming, as Malakai whipped the sword to the side and the edges became alight with white hot flame. The Titan leapt now, his inhuman strength launching him across the river easily. Landing in front of Malakai, the tribesman swung the blade at him, but to no avail. If Malakai catching the girl's blade in his fingers was stunning, having the Titan block it with his boot was even more impressive, as he kicked the flat of the blade into the air and watching it slide across the sand. Shocked, Malakai threw a punch, his Pyromancy too exhausted to even warm his hand as it chilled in the air of the cavern. Seif caught his hand, then caught the other and twisted them around into a hammerlock. For the third time in a short night, the man stood defeated, and the Titan took advantage of this.
"We will let your friends go, but I implore you to remain," said the Titan calmly, and Malakai laughed in a huff of breath.
"Oh? You 'implore' me? Might I politely decline?" he retorted, struggling against the grip.
Shrugging, the Titan mocked his laugh, "You might, and I would end your life in a second."
To show this, the Titan pulled his head back with a hand, and the girl, seemingly coming out of nowhere, laid the flat of her jian blade against his throat.

*****

Seif watched from the other side of the river, still restraining the tribesman, as Artemis edged their other prisoners out of the cave. The Titan had an idea; not a great idea, but one more beneficial than harmful in the long run. Tugging at his bound hands, the Pyromancer growled, but Seif sighed, saying, "Wait, and I will release you. I do believe you will like my offer."
"Doubtful," Seif was surprised at the tribesman's accurate common tounge.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect that."
Just a grunt and a snarl in response.
Artemis joined them once again as the last tribesman receded from the cave, cursing in a foreign tounge (perhaps a tribe-specific tounge?) but leaving nonetheless. With a shove, the Titan threw the captive to the sand, but ended up sitting as well, his greatsword on the sand beside him. On the other hand, Artemis leaned up against the cave wall behind the man, surveying his every move like a proper hunter. Seif supposed she had the skills to be titled as one.
Gesturing to the mask, Seif asked kindly, "It would please me if you could remove the mask, my gentleman."
Silence from the man. For two moments. Then three. If the man was scared behind the mask, he didn't show it in his body language, which Seif did give him a fair bit of credit for. But, with a sigh of finality, he reached up and peeled off the mask.
Beneath it, the man was goregous, Seif could confidently say. He had beige colored skin and a jawline that could slice through Seif's armor. Hair pulled back in a ponytail, the black tendrils did highlight his eyes, which were a deep, coffee brown underlined with slight bags. All in all, the fitting face of a warrior with such skill and finesse. Seif smiled, and the tribesman wouldn't meet his eyes, as if afraid that he would become too calm in their presence.
"Name's Malakai," the tribesman, Malakai, grumbled, crossing his legs but pressing his hands tight to his knees. Spreading his arms, Seif nodded.
"A pyromancer? Whose bloodline do you share?" Seif asked, resting his chin on his hands as Malakai lit a flame like a dim candle on his thumb.
Throwing up her hands, Artemis sighed, "What does it matter, Seif–?" But the Titan held up his hand, and she just pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers, defeated. Malakai let the flame break off of his thumb, switching to a thin ribbon of pure flame that twirled through the gaps of his fingers like a snake. Pyromancy was such a raw energy and force of magic, most speculated that it had been around as long as humanity had, and maybe before the Titan's. Unfortunately, when it came to magic, it was hard to date emergence, as any magic, no matter how complicated, could technically be taught. Especially dark magic, Seif considered, but pushed that thought from his head. He didn't look at Artemis.
"My tribe has long been gifted with pure magic, elemental magic. We've not had magic of the Moon or of a Titan, but others. I am a Flame-Dancer, a pyromancer, in your terms. Ergo, the girl is right. It matters little," Malakai looked at his shattered spear where it lay on the sand. Seif wanted to wince, but after remembering Malakai's skill with no weapons, he decided that adding a spear to the pyromancer could've led to Artemis's or even the Titan's death.
Seif thought long on many things, looking to his blade then back to the pyromancer. He remembered the prophecy; the Phoenix, the Dragon, the Keymaster...and then he remembered the working of souls as physical entities and things, not ideas. A third companion...
"I must propose something to you Malakai..." Seif began to speak, and Artemis's eyes widened like the moon.