Every silky leaf of the giant ferns whip against his torso and face as he sprints through the persistent greenery of Lunar Grove. His breath comes heavy as his muscles work hard to keep his legs moving forward. The suns high above in the emerald sky, beat down their rays, making his body leak precious fluid beneath his red and black armour with the sigil of house Bal emblazoned across his chest plate.
Manu skids to a halt between the ferns surrounding him and looks to either side, they eclipse his head by at least a foot or more. The mossy covered stems reaching the height of his waist, blocking out almost everything.
"By the Mother! Damned ferns are evil," he says, swatting one away.
He fills his lungs but instantly regrets it as the damp earthy aroma clogs up his senses entirely making him cough. It comes out hard and dry, his throat raw from the pursuit.
"Ahh! Damned smell. Why, oh why did you have to come to this cursed place, Freya?" He peers through a gap to his left, his eyes straining for a glimpse of her before looking back in the direction he had been hunting.
"I will find you, woman. And when I do, you will finally feel my wrath."
Manu runs a hand along his forehead and flicks away the liquid before peering over his shoulder.
"Come, we will find her this time. She has fled to the end of our world. At the edge of this grove, there is only death. The land is barren and has been for an age."
Manu turns to them now, taking in the glory of his death squad. A grin spreads across his face as he marvels at them in their brightly polished armour the shade of blood. They stand there covered from head to foot in it, their main body armour piece runs from their shoulders down to their thighs, but they are segmented into hundreds of overlapping plates giving them the freedom to move, unobstructed by the limitations of standard plate armour. And attached to it are the long armoured sleeves with the vambraces pinned at the end to cover their forearms. Their legs are protected by greeves made from the same segmented materials right down to their thick hide boots. But what gives them away as his personal guard are the ornate faceplates incorporated in their helmets. In the style of a red demon, with horns rising above their heads and sharp teeth protruding from the mouth.
Standing together, Manu beams at his achievement in creating such a fearsome sight. His face begins to hurt as he realises his mouth is stuck in a smile. Manu stops, shaking himself from his trance and turns from his men knowing they will follow his every word, even if that is to the end of Antar itself.
But to the province of Natori, I did wonder if they would follow me here. Well, let me see how far they will truly come, once they see what lies beyond this freakishly luscious grove.
"Come, let us hunt."
"Aye!" comes the response, low but menacing.
"Forward for the glory of Bal!"
"The kill. The kill. The kill," they chant as they move off in unison following their commander and king.
I will find you this time, Freya. That is a promise. You will pay for what you did to my Maya.
They move off through the giant ferns with the green leaves whipping at them with every step. Trudging along their armour make no sound, the only noise coming from their boots squelching in the mud beneath their feet.
They walk for an hour by the look of the passing suns above before a rustle ahead makes Manu stop. He holds his left hand aloft with fist closed, a signal for them to hold their position. They obey without question, waiting in anticipation for the next phase of their attack.
Holding, they wait as Manu moves forward in search of the noise. Each step is carefully placed as not to attract attention to his movements. He slows his breathing, trying to still the anger that threatens to erupt from within as his thoughts turn to Freya and his beloved Maya.
Oh sweet, Maya. What they did to you I will never forgive. He clenches his fists as the anger continues to build. Freya, your time is coming, oh dear one. You will learn the full extent of my wrath, old friend.
With each step, Manu wades through the thick forest of ferns trying to make as little noise as possible. He stops every few seconds listening for some sign of her, still nothing. He turns, looking back over his shoulder at his men assembled behind him waiting like well-trained hounds.
Excellent, just the way I taught them. Let us go then.
Manu raises his hand once again, fist clenched and then pulls it downwards signalling for them to proceed. They instantly take up his call and follow, their footsteps even quieter than his.
Amazing! Just amazing, he says to himself as he turns his attention back to his task.
He waits for his men to stand level, then they move off together. They move forward branching into a V formation with Manu at its head. Pushing through the ferns, they travel deeper into the grove keeping their discipline, their footsteps nearly silent as they squelch ever so slightly in the softened ground below. With adrenaline pumping through their veins, each sense heightened to the fullest, they move with abated breath straining to hear just the faintest sound or murmur from their surroundings.
Manu stops them once again, and they fan out keeping an even pace between themselves. They stand ready; their feet splayed resting on the balls of their feet. They slow their breathing and reach for weapons of various kinds; some with short swords, some with single-edged long swords, two with recurve bows already strung their fingers reaching for an arrow to nock. Manu himself reaches for a short sword at his side, his fingers opening and closing around the hilt.
Without turning, he whispers, "It is too quiet." His head pivots, changing the position of his ear, they twitch as he listens once again. "Yes, too quiet indeed." He raises his left hand again, this time holding up four fingers and motions to the left, then he holds up another three motioning them to the right. The last two he sends to the rear as he releases his blade from its sheath at his side. The well-oiled blade comes out silently from years of practice.
Manu stands ready; his feet splayed as he pulls his blade up to eye level. Flicking them to the side he takes in his reflection; his stone-faced expression is taken over by the crimson that pours from his eyes. It fills his vision, red on red till he can see nothing else, his mind blocked from the world, his body tensed and frozen on the spot. All sound blocked from his ears, his mind falls deeper into the crimson depths.
"Manu?" comes the faintest whisper attempting to pull him from his thoughts before his mind is dragged back in.
"Manu?" a little clearer this time making his vision flicker black before returning to red.
"Commander!" The order comes through clearly, breaking him from the trance.
Manu looks around at his lieutenant, Bragar. His armour shining in the noon suns but his mask is missing, revealing a large scar starting at his jawline moving across his left cheek and stopping just short of his left eye.
"Bragar?" he asks as his mind continues to clear. "What..." he shakes his head before staring into his lieutenant's eyes. "Why do you look scared, Bragar? That is not how I trained you."
"Commander, we are under attack!"
"What! By who?" he demands.
His head whips around violently as the last word tumbles from his mouth. Three of his men were down already, dead before they hit the ground and another is in the process as he watches him fall, an arrow protruding from his throat. He hits the soft ground with a thud spurting his lifeblood in an arc as he dies with a gurgle.
Manu's eyes open wide, he grips the hilt of his sword and bellows: "On me! Now!"
His remaining men all turn to his call but before they can move, another is taken down as they witness an arrow punching straight through his armour, the arrowhead sticking through his chest piece.
"By the Gods, move!" he bellows again, signalling them to drop lowwer. His head swivels frantically as his heart beats faster trying to rip itself from his chest. "Where is she? And where did she find those arrows?"
"It's like she is everywhere, Commander. She must have soldiers with her, she must!" The words come out in quick succession, almost tumbling together as they leave the lieutenants mouth.
"She cannot, Bragar. We have been tracking a single set of tracks this far." Manu ducks as an arrow whizzes past his head burying itself in the ground next to him. "Damn woman! It is only her, that I promise. But she is a queen still." His mouth pulls up in a grin, "But not for long."
Manu turns to the three men on his right, "Flank her to the left but wait for my signal. She is just shooting blind now, we must flank her into a pincer manoeuvre, then she will be mine at last. " Manu turns his attention to the sky, taking in the scented air that surrounds him, "My love, you will finally be avenged this day. She will die for her cowardice."
"Commander?"
Manu turns to Bragar with a beaming smile spread across his face, making the lieutenant shift and avert his eyes. "We will have blood this day, I swear it. On my blood oath against you Freya, I will have my vengeance."
"Commander?" says Bragar moving in closer. "Manu, my King?"
"Bragar, what is it?"
"She has stopped shooting. What shall we do?"
"We move now. We will flank to the right and the others from the left and we will meet her in the middle and destroy her once and for all." Manu grabs a hold of his lieutenant by the shoulders and shakes him, "This is it, Bragar. Her time to die is now." He lets go and turns his back, lifting his sword at the same time, Manu glimpses his reflection again. "Let us finish this," he whispers to himself. He moves off to the right alone, but an instant later Bragar joins him by his side as he has countless times before.
They creep through the ferns to either side of them making their way to the right flank when they hear a rustle directly in front of them. Manu holds up a hand signalling to hold and readies his sword, the sharpened tip only a hand width from his chin.
"She has stopped firing."
"Yes, I told you this already, Commander." The words tumble from Bragar's mouth as he shifts from foot to foot, his eyes dart left and right, searching for their enemy.
"Yes, yes, Bragar. Now is the time to attack. She is on the run, I'm sure of it." Manu readies himself to move once again. He fills his lungs with the damp air, it encompasses his whole being as it takes over his senses one by one.
He whistles low, the sound coming from his gut then rises slightly and cuts off abruptly signalling the attack.
"It is time," Manu says, darting through the ferns with sword aloft waiting for his chance to finally kill Freya.
For you my love.
Manu pushes through the ferns slashing and hacking as he goes then he is clear, the twin suns beating down on a small clearing. He feels the presence of Bragar hovering behind. He flicks his eyes to the left searching for his men, then watches as they emerge into the clearing. Manu scan his surroundings, in front of them is a smaller grove of luscious ferns, to the right of that is a small lake with an inlet running off into the larger grove circling back around them and an ominously giant oak in the middle of it all surrounded by a bed of neatly kept golden flowers.
His grip tightens and his jaw clenches making his face ache, his eyes dart back and forth searching for the slightest movement.
Where are you, Freya?
They move forward together, swerving right as the others move left, their weapons at the ready, the various blades glinting in the light of the suns. The ground around them is silent, not even their own footsteps can be heard as they trudge through the soil thick with a layer of blue moss.
Where are you hiding? It is time to die.
Manu and Bragar skirt around the small lake and find themselves almost in-line with the ancient oak. With branches the size of a horse torso and the top out of view, it is a giant amongst weeds.
It is a wonder that you have lasted so long out here.
He shakes his head.
Focus Manu, you have a task to do.
Manu blinks rapidly trying to clear his mind, a mind that has been clouded with rage for so long he often thinks of nothing else apart from revenge. Revenge for his beloved Maya and revenge for what has happened to the provinces of Antar over this wretched war. A war that he had hoped was over.
Shaking himself from his trance once again, Manu scans the clearing ahead searching for the tiniest sign, a broken fern, a footprint left in the soft mossy ground, anything to give away her position. His steps are deliberate now, each one softer than the last, poised to pounce at the slightest movement or sound. He stops and turns to his lieutenant and nods receiving a smile in return.
With me till the last. I am grateful my...
A scream disrupts his thoughts and they both swivel to the left, towards the other men and see one fall flat. He rolls to the side, letting out another scream before falling silent. The last two men scatter to either side of their fallen comrade trying to find some sort of cover.
"There," Bragar points at a branch partway up the ancient oak. They see a woman, her hair jet black is tied up at the back keeping it from her eyes. Her clothes are dirty and worn but supple and well used, they cling to her body revealing a large bump at the middle.
"It is true. She is with child. Ha! I will have two kills this day." Manu turns to Bragar, "Let us finish this."
Bragar just nods as they surge forward, closing the distance with every stride. They peer up and see Freya loose another arrow, a second later the shoot is confirmed with another cry that ends in a blood-curdling moan.
"Gat! Not another," says Bragar.
"It will be worth the sacrifice," murmurs Manu, his focus pointed towards Freya and his revenge.
Bragar fixes Manu with a stare that could kill most and sets his mouth. Then focuses on Freya. He sprints ahead of the older man and leaps for the first branch just above head height. His mailed fists almost slip before he finds purchase and pulls himself up. Manu is a step behind, heavier and older at first he struggles but then with the strength of ten men, he hauls himself up with a single hand and lands on the thick trunk feet-first. He swings round his sword and Bragar gets a glimpse of the ruby stone in the hilt as a light fades away.
"Right, Bragar. Climb and this time we will catch her."
"That we will, Commander," replies Bragar, reaching for the next branch.
Bragar climbs with the natural speed from years of practice but cannot match the power and strength of Manu when he uses his Brightstone. They climb one after the other, making their way to Freya. Looking up, Manu can see the hem of her cloak in distance.
Maybe the height of three men? Nearly there and I will have my revenge.
"Bragar?" He turns to face his commander. "We stalk her now. I believe she does not know we are below her." His eyes dart up before taking another step and stops. "She is gone." He looks around furiously, "Bragar, she is gone! But where?"
"I do not know, Commander. We should continue our climb, maybe she has gone higher." With the last word, they hear another cry from below. "It is only us left now," says Bragar, his head dropping in respect for the fallen.
"They will not have died in vain, Bragar. That, I promise you. She will die this day and I will be rid of house Saur for good."
"Let us hunt then?" Bragar finishes.
"Let's," Manu replies, moving past his lieutenant and up to the next branch.
They climb in unison, almost silent but for the occasional scrap of metal on bark. Moving up, they stop where they had originally seen Freya and look around. They see a makeshift ledge of branches crisscrossed and intertwined together covered in large fern leaves.
"She has been living up here," says Bragar searching through the leaves for anything she could have left behind.
"Where did she go? Up or down?" Manu searches around them.
"She couldn't have gone down, we would have seen her." Bragar looks back at Manu. "She must have gone higher. We should follow."
"Agreed, let us go," Manu says as they start their climb once again.
After climbing a few more branches, they come to a platform made from roughly cut branches tied together. It stretches out further than the other one, reaching almost to the edge of the foliage and all the way around. Peering over the edge, Manu sees the edge of the platform then notices a strange box shape off to their left. Then a scuffle takes his attention directly to his right.
Before he can react, Manu is smashed with the butt of a bow. It sends him flying back as his lip splits open spraying blood as he lands on the branch below. It takes the wind from him sending him rolling off one side and down onto the branch below with a thud. Manu grabs frantically at the bark searching for anything to hold onto. With legs dangling, Manu continues to slip further and with both hands looking for purchase he cannot draw from his brightstone.
"Ahh! By the Gods do not let me die before I have my vengeance."
His grip loosens and he digs his mailed fingers in tighter as he hears a scuffle above him.
"Firee, grant me strength? Oustara, give me strength? Pleeease!" he prays aloud. Using the last of his reserves, Manu tries a final time. With his muscles screaming in fire he digs in his fingers further feeling the rough bark sink finding a grip and he struggles to pull up his armoured body before collapsing across the thick branch.
"Manu!" comes a shout from above. It snaps open Manu's eyes and he stares towards the sky seeing only wavy lines of brown. He sits up and shakes his head and places a hand on the pommel of his sword siphoning its energy.
"Freya," he says with a grin. "I'm coming for you."
He jumps up like a young man and climbs the two branch arms above him that he fell from reaching the platform in a matter of seconds. He releases his sword ready for battle, the brightstone shining brightly in the gloom lighting the area with a crimson glow.
As his head crosses the lip of the platform, Manu witnesses the fight raging between Bragar and Freya. The back and forth is ferocious as sparks fly from their weapons in all directions, their movements almost too quick for a normal human to keep track of but not Manu. He can see every parry and strike, every subtle movement in all of its glory playing out in front of his eyes.
"Manu!" shouts Bragar again, his movements becoming laboured ever so slightly now as the fight wears on. Manu pulls himself up onto the platform following the dance of death at every turn, he bounces up onto his feet spinning his sword as he readies himself for the battle. He catches Freya's eyes and locks onto her as she continues to fight Bragar, her movements never faltering.
By the Gods, she's just toying with him.
And as the words cross through his mind, Freya's mouth changes from a focused line to a grin in a matter of seconds, then a laugh escapes from her echoing around them, bouncing off of any surface it can. Then with a flick of the wrist, she parries to the left and spins to the right with startling speed and strikes the final blow, her short sword pierces through the armour of Bragar like a hot knife through rinox butter. It stops Bragar in mid-swing, his face going slack as his fingers loosen sending his sword clashing to the floor of the platform. Freya wrenches her sword free and Bragar falls to his knees slumping to the side landing face-first without a sound.
"Bragar my friend," Manu whispers. "You will not have died in vain, you or the others. By the Gods I will kill this woman." he finishes through gritted teeth.
Manu steps forward brandishing his sword, it catches the slowing light of the suns as they make their way down for the night. "Freya!" he shouts. Her eyes flick from Bragar's lifeless body to him then her smile fades as she notices the brightstone in the pommel of his sword.
"You found it again?"
"What?" Manu's eyes flick down then back to her again. "Ah, yes. It came back to me of sorts."
"I highly doubt that. Not after what you did. You and that witch of yours."
"How dare you!" he screams, the sound echoing around them. "You will not speak of her!" he spits.
"How dare I?" Freya laughs, it is cold and lifeless. "You, Manu. You killed them all. It was your fault that Maya died, your fault!"
"I said, do not utter... Her... Name!"
"Let us finish this," she says, readying her stance.
His eyes blazing emitting a crimson glow, Manu touches the brightstone pulling in even more energy before setting his feet. "This time I will kill you and that spawn you carry. I will rip it from you as you lay dying and throw it from this place." The only response he gets is a curt nod and a war cry like he hasn't heard since he was on the battlefield of the burning plains. The last day of the daemon war.
Freya charges, her emerald eyes growing brighter as she draws closer ready to strike. Manu waits, his grip tightening as he anticipated her movements. He sees her hands raise slightly from her left side, he moves to the left lifting his sword ready to parry as she swings around. Steel on steel clashes sending sparks flying in all directions. Manu pushes forwards and stepping in before being pushed back parrying another blow, this one aimed at his torso. The swords clash again and Manu jumps back out of range circling back towards where Bragar now lies.
"Getting slow, Manu? Eh?" Freya taunts.
"Ha, wouldn't you like that?" He smiles with teeth clenched. "Enough of this," he says under his breath and jumps back into distance swinging as he does. Freya leans back as his sword whistles past where her neck was but a second ago. Manu follows up with a sweeping strike to her legs but Freya jumps to the side and falls into a roll before jumping to her feet.
She stands there defiant then folds at the waist dropping to a knee, one arm wrapped around her bump the other holding on to her sword in front of her. It wavers ever so slightly all the while Freya's eyes never leave him. Manu grins in the beckoning gloom, "I will make this slow, Freya. I promise."
"I am not done yet," Freya says standing with a grunt. "Come on, let's finish this little game you and I?"
"Let's." And with that, Manu charges forward spinning his blade once, twice then swings it up over his head and slashes down with all of his strength. It clashes with Freya's sending another flurry of sparks out into the air. Freya twists her wrist and side hops with a renewed speed sending the force of his blow and his momentum past her.
Manu stumbles, almost losing his balance then the air is knocked out of him as he receives a blow to his ribs. He gasps for breath, sucking in tiny amounts through gritted teeth as he spins away and out of distance once again.
Their eyes meet, red on green before they both attack, Manu going high and Freya swinging low. They catch one another causing them both to stumble as their armour absorbs the damage. Manu sucks in another breath trying to calm his body as his mind races with every possibility. He rights himself and begins to circle, looking for an opening he can exploit.
Her hands are low, mmm I wonder? The baby has to be slowing her. How much energy has she left? I must finish this now.
Manu swings in again this time aiming for her legs, Freya jumps and Manu follows up with his fist. It catches her square in the chest knocking her back but not over. He steps in and swings backhanded towards her head but she manages to duck and roll away again.
Damn woman. Folknor taught you well.
Manu spins around to face her, their eyes meeting again before he charges at her. This time he jumps at the last minute and slices down with the full force of himself and the power of his brightstone as it pulses to the rhythm of his heart. Freya catches the blow on the flat of her blade, it holds for a second but the force is too much and her sword snaps into three pieces. Manu's strike follows through hitting her shoulder, caving in her pauldron and making an audible crack as something breaks beneath.
"Ahhh!" she cries out.
Manu pulls back to strike again but Freya manages to roll away as another scream escapes from her lips. She pops up to her feet and pulls a dagger from her belt as her left arm hangs limp at her side.
"Not so smug now, are we?" Manu taunts her. He spins his sword again feeling the imminent death about to happen at his hands. The death of another queen, "Yes, I will savour this moment. And it will be told how I, Manu, King of house Bal, defeated the treacherous royal houses of Antar."
"You will be slain when you sleep!" spits Freya. "You will die alone and in pain."
"Ha! You would like that, wouldn't you? Anyway," he smiles, all teeth and no humour. "Your time is up Freya of house Saur. Folknor's bloodline ends here forevermore. Now die!" he shouts as he rushes forwards clattering Freya across the platform. He strikes out as she stumbles, the tip of his sword, creating a large gash across her chest plate before stepping in and thrusting forward. Freya side steps and swings her right hand burying the dagger deep into his shoulder.
Manu cries out as the pain ebbs into his consciousness. The dagger grows hot as each second passes. He looks up to see a smile spreading across her face.
"What is this?"
"A poison, Manu. one that will kill you."
With fury building, Manu shouts out in rage, he lunges forward tackling Freya to the ground and smashes a mailed fist into her splitting open her nose and lip. He pulls back again to strike but she thrusts up a hand catching the dagger sending shooting pains through his entire body making him roll away. They both rise on shaky legs and stare at each other, red on green as they struggle for breath in the almost dark space.
Manu smiles, his teeth caked in red as he reaches for the pommel of his sword, taking in the last of the energy. He spins his sword once and lunges again, his eyes flicking left to right waiting for the movement he is sure will come. He is in striking distance when he sees it, Too late to back out now, he thinks as an emerald infused fist flies from Freya's side with freakish speed at the same time as he swings.
They hit each other simultaneously, Freya's fist caves in his chest plate sending him on his back and his strike rattles her now limp body backwards and off the edge of the platform. He anticipates the splat and crunch that her fragile body will make as it hits the ground but there is only silence.
Gasping for breath, Manu pulls himself to the edge to see Freya's body fall the last few feet thinking that he had climbed further than he previously thought. But when he reaches the edge his ragged breath catches in his throat at what he sees.
"Impossible. What? What is happening?"
Below him, mere feet from the forest floor, Freys lies suspended in mid-air. Her body shimmering in the gloom but almost with an ethereal glow to it. "The stone. It has to be the brightstone. But how?"
Then with a flash of white light, a strange round bug-like creature appears and looks up at him. Manu gazes as its six eyes bore into him as if knowing his very thoughts.
"What in all of Antar is that?" he wheezes through clenched teeth. The pain coming in waves now, cramping his whole body with every breath.
The bug looks away from him and back to Freya. It reaches out a thin wisp of an arm, touches her forehead and then they are gone without a trace.
"No. No, no, no. You must die!" His chest heaves and his vision begins to blur. "Nooo! Freyaaaaaa!"