I JUST REACHED 1K
1 FREAKING K
Thank you guys so much! Sorry the update took so long, I've been busy. Anyway, enjoy the chapter :)
"Stop wishing, start doing"
RUBY
The setting of the sun kept me pacing back and forth continuously throughout the hut's hallway. Shouldn't they be home by now? They've been gone since yesterday!
Noah was ineligible to participate in the affairs; not only because he was so young, but because Lotus would brutally murder all of us if we put him in harm's way. Taking into account that she's more than capable of that, we keep him sheltered in the warmth and safety of the hut. The brutality and keen knights would, someday, find the hut, and with Noah in it alone was an unbearable thought. As a result, I was sent to worry and fret among the halls while watching my friend.
The time they spend out on a mission vary. Sometimes it's 1 hour, sometimes it's 1 week. Each time I pull my own hair out with worry. Where would I be without them?
Especially my brother--- Ace. I've looked up to him since I was a young girl. He was the man of the house when father passed and the one who kept me safe no matter what. He kept me safe through it all... my childhood was a lonely one. I'd be lost without him.
Thana was my first true friend and the one on the team who didn't pick fights with everyone every five seconds. She was kind, smart, and probably doesn't even know her own strength. Of course, Lotus was my friend too, just my...more vicious one, I suppose.
Then there's Andreas, Xavier, Joel, and Luke. I didn't talk to them much at first, but they grew on me over the course of the past three months. They sure knew how to fight!
And for Nico...I was still angry at him. God, he can be so obnoxious sometimes. Yet---I can't find myself being rude when I communicate with him. Though, there have been very few occasions I've talked to him these few months. I doubt I could live happily knowing something happened to him despite that.
I swear, if this mission went badly---
No, it wouldn't. They've been doing this for months, they know what they are doing. What are the chances of anything bad happening, anyway? They were all so skilled!
I peaked into the bedroom where Noah was sound asleep. His head faced the ceiling. His chest slowly moved up and down calmly. He's always been calm at times like this. He puts faith and them and it never seems to waver. He was a good kid, really. Lotus–dare I think this–can be a brute,– but she did something right. I chuckled and walked away from the scene.
If my ears hadn't deceived me, a sudden thudding noise stomped on the thin, poorly put together roof. I yelped, covered my head, and slightly looked upwards.
Nothing.
Oh, it seems my imagination tricked me! My silly brain, probably just so nervous my own imagination was hearing things that aren't even there.
I smiled and uncovered my head. My pony tail swished back and forth as I walked across the small, narrow room.
Thump thump thump
Boom
Chips of wood pricked the back of my head and body. My shoulders moved upward, my heart moving at a rapid speed. Thump thump thump.
Long wooden boards that had once barely held up on their own lay broken on the dirt ground. The foot on top of it was unfamiliar one. A long black boot stood, belonging belonged to a tall tanned man with armor covering most of his body. His malicious gaze looked down at my small body. A yellow toothed smile emerged on his face.
I screeched and lunged to my right, only to be yanked backward by my hair. "Ruby Perun. Ruby Perun" the tanned knight grinned and turned me to face him. "Is it not?"
I barely got the chance to yell at Noah to get out when a large hand wrapped around my neck. My lungs began to collapse as I struggled for air. The hand squeezed, making it harder. Like a fish out of water, I struggled to breath. Small flames escaped my lips. If I could get enough air, I could ignite large flames from my mouth and palms and attack. Alas, I couldn't.
"Will you tell me where your brother is?" The man said.
Never.
"Will you?"
My body shook. I would never tell him.
Out of the corner of my eye, a small blonde head appeared. Swinging back in forth in his hands was a large, heavy pan. I closed my eyes tightly.
"Prepare to die then, girl."
A large clanging noise echoed in my ears as the hand around my neck loosened. With enough air, I inhaled, allowing enough flames to shoot upwards and gather on the ceiling. The man finally let me go at this point, unleashing a large sword from his scabbard. He turned around to Noah, who had a determined look on his face as he swung the pan once more. A cry came from him as he fell on his back when the man took the sword and blocked the pan, causing it to fly in the air. I dashed foreword, clawing the knight. Flames from my hands burned his skin. He screeched, calling for backup.
I turned the man to face me. As his hand swung for a punch, I fiercely kicked him with both of my legs. More fire burned his cheek, leaving scarred skin. In that moment, two more men barged into the hut, only then collapsing under the heavy weight of the burning arch. I didn't let their cries distract me as I punched the man backward, into a small flame. He arched his back and stood up, blood covering him from head to toe.
He took his long sword and swung it at me a few times, leaving harsh and bloody scars. I cried and fell to my knees. Flames danced on my fingertips as I shot them upwards, only to be avoided by my opponent. He smirked and lashed the sword at me once more, stabbing me
and leaving a bleeding wound on my shoulder. I ached in pain and grabbed my side.
A hard punch in the face sent me flailing backwards, tufts of fire barely coming from my body as I lurched backward. My vision was blurry as I opened my eyes to meet the cold gaze of my winning opponent.
"Tell me where your brother is." The man said, using his hands to keep me on the ground. I spat in his face. "I will never tell you."
He punched my face. "Tell me, or I will send you to a fate worse then death."
I squealed in pain. A burst of flames left my mouth, but he dodged it. I wasn't strong enough to create larger, more dangerous flames.
A long silence stirred. After what seemed like
the longest thirty seconds of my life, he snarled, punched my face once more, and tugged me upwards by my hair.
Blood dripped from my mouth and nose as I was dragged out from the burning hut. He through me far across the dewy field. Water covered my face, my skin started to burn. My breathing patterns were irregular, and it was safe to say that I couldn't conjure any flames.
He trekked across the field and grabbed my hair once more. "If I can't get it out of you in combat, I need to find another way to torture it out of you."
My eyes widened.
As he lifted my broken body once more, a slashing sound emerged from behind me. The man screamed in pain as he turned around, dropping me to the ground. The sound of swords clashing rang in my ears as I fell into a deep sleep.
~~~
A wet substance covered my whole forehead. It was cool, refreshing—yet odd. Only moments ago I was laying in the heat of battle, my face a bloody and disgusting mess! Now I felt calm and refreshed.
I opened my eyes. My blurred vision cleared, and the sight of Noah made a wide smile cross my face. "Ruby!" He screamed. I lept to hug him and embrace him—only I didn't. My arms were glued to my sides, my body weaker than ever!
"Be careful now, you don't want to put yourself through anymore pain." A voice came from behind Noah's head.
What happened? Whose voice was that? What happened to the man who attacked me?
I shifted my position, only to come across dark brown eyes. I didn't know anyone with such a shade. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I took in the features. Dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, tanned skin? I couldn't recall who it was.
Then it dawned on me—it was one of the men under the burning arch.
"Noah, get away from him!" I tried to yell,
but my voice didn't let me. A scratchy muttered emerged instead of my usual boisterous call.
The boy put his hands up in defense. "Woah woah woah, I'm not here to hurt you."
"He's right!" Noah said, turning to face me. "He helped me!"
"The name is Theo." The boy said. "Teran knight. Teran rebel."
"Rebel?" I choked. "As in, you hate the Empress and all that stuff?"
"Pretty much."
A silence dwelled upon the three of us. I itched my arm, covered in dirt and burnt flesh. I cringed.
"I'm a knight due to my father's dying wishes, that is all." Theo announced and scratched the back of his head. "Ever since I heard about the Order of the Eroe, I yearned to be one of them—or like one of them, fighting for justice in Tera."
"And how do you know we're The Order of the Eroe?" I questioned, slowly raising myself off of the ground. "They usually wear cloaks and you can't really tell who they are or who is who and–"
"All of the knights know, the Empress herself even knows." Theo proclaimed. "It's our job to find these things out. You've done a good job keeping it hidden, let me tell ya. We've had a bunch of sleepless nights."
I pushed Noah behind me. "Silly conclusion! Its just me and my younger brother, living far off in a tiny hut!" I ached as I shuffled my feet in the opposite direction, preparing to walk away from the scene.
"I want to join you."
NICO
"Indeed." A man announced, holding the wine glass high. At least, thats what I think he said. Or something fancy like that.
"Welcome everyone to the celebration congratulating my only family, my only daughter, Lucia, on her 16th year!" Everyone else's conversations died down as Eluard lifted his chubby arms way up high in the air. His ginger whiskers were stained with alcohol and he stunk of an unfathomable odor. "I hope you are enjoying your time so far! It is my greatest pleasure to announce—" I zoned out the rest of the announcement, my attention fixed on the large dishes of food to my left. My mouth watered as I stared at the sight.
"Having fun there, Nico?" Lotus nudged my side. I snarled. "Because we have other things to be doing."
"Yeah, I know I know." I said, shrugging my shoulders.
"We go in three minutes, like Ace said. At that point, he'll be ending his speech. Then, as he's walking towards his study, Ace will do the thing. In the meantime, you and I." She said, slowly lifting a shuriken from the breast part of her dress. "Kill some bitches."
"How the hell---actually, I don't want to know."
"Great. So follow me." Lotus's eyes narrowed as she turned around, her white braid whacking me in the face. She strutted through the crowd. No one payed mind to a few teenagers doing whatever during a celebration, so no one expected anything. Thank heavens for that.
We reached a long, dark, narrow hallway. Down a long staircase, guards and knights stood. They were the few left that we hadn't attacked---or Lotus had attacked. Before Ace and I arrived, Lotus had assassinated the guards in the front and inside the house, somehow without anyone noticing. Thana arrived here with Lotus too, so it made me wonder...where was she?
Eh, never mind. I don't really care.
Lotus slowly crept down a single step, turning to look in both directions. Then, she pulled two small shuriken from her dress. She brought them back, her arm stretched back behind her head. With a flick, they were soaring threw the air, slowly disappearing into the darkness of the floor beneath us. The sounds of bodies suddenly slumped to the ground. Lotus dashed downwards. I followed behind her, bumping into walls as the light dimmed. A cool breeze passed my body, sending chills down my spine. Whatever, just Lotus I guess.
Suddenly, a small flicker of light came into my sight. I turned around, long raven black hair coming into sight. Thana.
"There you are." Lotus flipped her long braid behind her and put the remaining shuriken where they were. "Did you get the mo–"
Thana tapped a large satchel with her pointer finger. It hung off of her arm, camouflaging in the large dark gown she sported. "Got it."
These past few months, Thana has been practicing and training like crazy. She's become much better than before
"Nice." Lotus smiled. "Its about time anyway, we better get—"
Screams
The three of us turned around and dashed upwards. It was time.
"Daddy!?" A girls scream sent shivers down my spin.
Another loud bang and a scream.
"It's the Eroe!"
Ruby's POV was supposed to be in the first part, but I thought it would be to long so I put it in this part. Next chapter will have Leona's, Beth's, and Ace's POV. Maybe Ruby's if it's not to long.