Olivia Green: Envy's Child [COMPLETED]

Chapter 34: Reborn

Begrudgingly, Zac removes his armour, wraps it in his cloak and leaves it underneath a hedge, safely stowed away from prying eyes. He wears a crimson aketon along with a pair of cotton black trousers that are tucked away in his leather boots. He runs his fingers through his hair before picking up his hammer with two hands before nodding at me. I tuck my rucksack underneath with his belongings, no point carrying extra weight. 

I approach the hedge, cautious of any traps lying ahead of me as I take it step-by-step. In the distance I hear occasional roars, mixed with screams that echo throughout this maze of death. Pounding, my heart races against my ribs, fear swimming through my veins. I grasp the edges of the faux hedge and shifts it enough for the Wrath demon to slip through. He mimics the actions on the other side so I can follow through, slotting it back into place afterwards.

We crouch.

The narrow passage ends abruptly, leading into a large clearing; I can't see well without a better view. I shimmy closer to the edge, holding my breath and flipping my hood over my head, trying to blend better with the trees. The clearing is deeper into the ground with steps, leading downwards; to the right is a cave-like shelter where bags and equipment are stored from whoever the hell is in here. Around the perimeter of the split level are various hedges, curved and perfect cover from these.

Brent Amber lays in the middle, passed out, gagged and bound with his hair covering his eyes, an angry bruise forming on his cheekbone. A tall, muscled woman with broad shoulders, short blonde hair and a pair of large horns drops her large sword and picks up Brent by the scruff of his neck, easily dragging him to the mouth of the cave.

Another member- a scrawny man with rugged brown hair and a shadow of a beard- plays with his dagger, flipping it up into the air and catching it by the handle, elliptical blue eyes calculative and cocky. The third person simply sits on a step, appearing stoic, his long hair in a blonde, long plait. His tail drops to the side of his person, leading to a bow and quiver. 

I look to Zac and with a nod, we move out of our cover, his hammer raised high above his head as he leaps high, falling in an arc, following through with his blazing weapon. As he goes high, I go low. I leap for the large woman, short sword in hand and shield.

I collide into her, causing her to stagger, yet she merely kicks me off of her. Zac's opponent disappears, reappearing behind Scarlet within seconds, arrow in hand just as he lands, shattering the steps with an unbelievable strength.

"Stop!"

The sloth demon halts his movements before he plunges his arrow into Zac's neck, the battle freezes. I snap my gaze to the mouth of the cave where a guy wonders out, wearing a balloon-sleeved button down with brown leather trousers, a wiry mustache with his greasy locks brushed and tucked behind his ears. He raises a finger up and closes his eyes, massaging his temple before clicking his tongue, "Has nobody taught you manners?"

"Apparently they haven't taught you either," Zac snaps, backhanding the arrow and glaring at the 'boss'. "You've kidnapped our friend, we're here to get him back."

"And kill us in the process I suppose," the man smiles and his forked tongue flashes. "Now, I have lived in this shit hole for many years, that is not going to be easy."

"I don't care, we just want Brent back."

"Oh, so that's his name," the man zones out for a second, staring off into the distance. "My name is Quentin Sallow, this is my home with my loving family. This gorgeous treasure" -he waves his bejeweled hand to the ogre- "is Valentina. My sloth brother is Darren, and my envy distant cousin is Tod."

"Distant cousin?" squeaks Tod, a furious look on his rat-like face. "Why the heavens am I not your brother?"

"You're too fucking irritating," Quentin dismisses. "If you were anything closer I'd go out and find a new family to love and care for."