Rubble began to evaporate, turning to ash as fumes overtook the nearby areas. He listened to the specter's warnings, though his eyebrow twitched with each wordy sting.
The girl over his clan. For all he knew, it was twice in tandem, as the third time he'd met the demon in jail. Surely he learned his lesson, and that was when he was caught. Returning to his people. Alas, they'd scattered years prior, going their separate ways after the weakling returned.
Apollo hadn't left him with a moment to respond, however. Not that the swordsman would've wanted to.
Puffing out his chest, he straightened himself up and breathed in, his inner rage becoming fuel for the flames as they reached higher, up, and brighter. The center of it all nearly burned blue, but flickered back to sun-like hues after a moment.
He contemplated on the ghost's warnings, but wouldn't let his mind wander. When he searched around the clan's buildings Yuuki was nowhere to be seen.
It was hours before Etoah and his partner finally came upon the first of Maelstromclan's trails near the border. It felt like it was only yesterday- because, oh that's right, it was only yesterday that they'd done this. The deputy had taken Kazumi with him on this patrol. They'd been sent out almost immediately after the smoke clouds had risen high enough for Tempestclan's tower scouts to notice. Insignious had been worried, but cautious.
"Why would it be burning..?!" The leader had asked aloud as he'd paced the floor in his living room. Etoah was sitting at a table nearby, his eyes heavy with exhaustion from the terrible night before and his hands folded together. "Who can say, sir." He'd replied quietly. "If those bastards are back together again why would they burn it. Why wouldn't they just move in? Take over?"
"How can we say for sure it's them burning it? They weren't in the finest condition last night."
"Come on Etoah. You know those flames. I know those flames. Who else could make those but Libarto? It's not running wild is it? It has to be him."
"Putting the clan to rest then?"
"Why would they do that when they abandoned it in the first place? Fuck!" Insignious had exclaimed in frustration, throwing his hands up before running them through his hair and holding his head. "Fuck. Go there, Etoah. Take a partner. Come back, tell me what's going on. If it's not them doing this, get the fuck out of there."
"Aye sir."
And so here they were, marching along the same path they'd taken- except this time the sky overhead was black with smoke.
Kazumi groaned, scratching at her eyes for the millionth time. She'd tried to rub her temples, but her headache hadn't even slightly lessened with the attempt.
Her roommate had to drag her out of bed upon Etoah's summoning, and Kazumi almost walked out to him half-dressed before Nia pulled her back inside to properly prepare.
A disheveled Kazumi walked alongside the deputy, but hadn't complained about the duty.
"That fire. Is huge. There's no way in hell he can keep that shit up all day."
Although she kept her voice down, she also kept lowered her line of sight, with senses dulled by exhaustion. However, even with her headache, the chatterbox of a sailor went off, trying to shift her attention away from the throbbing pain.
"And if he can keep that up all day, I call bullshit.
...You wanna bet on how many motherfuckers are there with him?"
"Tch, none!" Etoah exclaimed incredulously, gesturing to the flames that grew taller and taller (and hotter and hotter) as they approached. "Who the hell could be near him with that going on? But I swear if we come across any one of those shitbags on the way there I'm gonna shove my fist so far down their throat that their tongue comes out their ass." The deputy's face cringed into a disturbed frown at the nonsense he just declared, but he shrugged it off. Whatever he said, he meant it as long as it was bad for them. Exhaustion wasn't pretty on the two soldiers as they trudged onwards.
As the main entrance grew closer, the man had to stop in place. His armor was beginning to sting with heat. "Shit." Etoah muttered, taking a small step back. The fire was a terrifying thing to behold. The way it consumed everything, the way it stood taller than the trees, the way it roared. The deputy hadn't seen something like this for many years. "Stay right by me." He said, snapping instantly out of his weariness as he slowly began to walk the perimeter of the flames in search of the source.
"Okay, fair. I'd give it to you to pull off that kinda thing."
She remarked, wiping the sweat off her face. The closer they got, the blurrier her vision became as her line of sight waned due to the heat. She'd tried to summon the shadows that trailed behind them, but each shadow dropped down, the light overpowering her tired command.
As they approached the clan's old entrance- which had clearly seen better days- she listened to the sizzle coming from Etoah's armor. It sounded like an egg being fried in a pan; except it smelled like the rotten scent of burning skin. Wait, no, that was coming from Maelstromclan. Either way, the smell was disgustingly putrid.
"Don't worry, chief deputy, I've got your back."
As if to salute him, she raised her hand up to the side of her face and held it-- shielding her face from the burn of the fire.
Going around the territory felt like ages; the woman was certain she had a burn worse than any sunburn she'd ever endured.
"Fuck, my hat-"
She spat, noticing embers catching onto cloth. It rapidly ignited, scorching her bangs. Throwing the hat off her, she stomped it down, cursing the unbearable heat for taking her eyes' only solace.
"Fuckin' hell."
Trying to sigh, she ended up coughing a bit, noticing the amount of smoke they were taking in from around them.
"Flames might be controlled, but the smoke sure as hell isn't."
The deputy was shaking his head in disbelief at it all, his eyes not only dark with concern but watering too. To see their second home go so suddenly with no chance of saving it was shocking. Squinting against the unbearable light, Etoah could see a figure there, deep within. "I see him!" He relayed loudly against the blistering waves of heat. Quickly, the man stepped back and began to remove his armor. Piece by piece he unstrapped it, throwing it into the baking grass. "Help me with this-" He said, crouching down so Kazumi could aid in removing his back and chest plates. In a few minutes, he was stripped to his undershirt and trousers. Etoah tossed his chainmail to the ground with an exclamation of pain and he waved his burnt hand in the air. "ShhIIT." He muttered.
"I'm gonna stay," The man said, watching the figure far from them cautiously as he quickly backed away into some brush. "I'm gonna stay and see where the hell he goes after this. You can head back if you want to."
She gripped and ungripped her hands a few times, trying to pry the heat off them. Pulling away his armor stung, although she grit her teeth and dealt with the pain. After all, a rare few ever saw the man vulnerable, without his armor.
"Better two sets of eyes on the fucker than one. Lemme get a different viewpoint on him, but I'll still be right behind ya."
With a self-reassuring nod, she trekked off to the side of Cain, quiet and hidden, watching the man with folded arms keep focus on the flames.
At some point while waiting for the fire to run its course, Cain sat down, closing his eyes to concentrate on the inferno's mass. Surprisingly, no one came to disturb him, even as the fire dwindled into embers. When all was said and done, he took a deep breath in and looked to the sky, noticing the lack of sun. For a moment, he questioned if it ever even met the sky overhead that day.
After exhaling a long breath of air-less smoke, he yawned and rose from his spot, shifting ash to fall off his frame. Hands met his hilt, lifting the sword from sheath. A tiny flame flew forth; a singular light through the thickened smoke. It became his guide in the lifeless forest, as critters and other animals scattered away from the heat. Smoke never bothered the man, though. To breathe it in came as naturally as the flames he wielded, and so too could they be used in the heat of battle.
Yet, for as focused he was on the flames, he overlooked the two trailing him in their weakened states. Kazumi had to further their distance, failing to stifle her own coughs. Although she wanted to pass out, she found a spot behind a hollowed tree, shielding her from the worst. She followed the flamesman, squinting to keep the tiny spark in sight. All she could do was hope Etoah followed him, also-- forgetting where she dropped off his armor hours prior.
Light on his feet, Etoah silently followed Cain. His ghostly eyes were red and searing in pain, and they darted around in concern for Kazumi. Don't fuck up don't fuck up don't fuck up He thought to himself, carefully stepping from bare spot to bare spot through the forest floor, avoiding leaves and sticks and brush. His heart was racing at the idea of finally finding where these little rats were burrowed. He and Insignious had pondered their whereabouts ever since they'd left Maelstromclan years ago.
It was tough, following Cain in the dark. He hoped Sig hadn't sent out a patrol to find them. This could be huge.
On any normal excursion, he'd quickly notice the warriors on his tail-- especially when they were as exhausted and sloppy as the two were. But his focus was completely used and expended, his sharp senses dulled to a primitive state. Only a sharp crack of a branch honed back his thoughts as he hesitated, yet continued to move forward.
Kazumi froze the moment the twig snapped. With a contorted face holding in a few choice swears, she stared away from the man. Some could notice a figure just from their held gaze; while she had no idea if Cain was one of those few, she wasn't about to test and find out. Luckily enough, he continued to move swiftly past both burnt and barren trees. However, his speed had hastened and his hands kept to the hilt of his blade.
Although the shadow-master tried to cautiously keep up with her target, the darkness was overwhelming. Smoke had mixed with something else in the forestry, creating a thick smog which trapped no moonlight. Kazumi wasn't even able to raise her shadow-like puppets, as there were no shadows cast. The flamesman's light went out of view so quickly that she scrambled to pick up the pace and follow him-- only to be met with a blade at her throat.
It grazed her skin, drawing blood as she winced. Although there was no light, she swore she could still see Cain's eerie grin through the darkness, as if he'd been the one stalking, waiting for prey.
Shit... Shit!
"Sloppy. Tempestclan."
He whispered as he circled her, keeping the blade pressed to her throat. It stung, and she knew he'd deepen the wound at any sign of movement. Conjuring shadows had a physical component-- for the moment, she was useless.
"Foolish to follow embers! Who leads your squadron?"
"No one!"
Kazumi spat before coughing up ash-infested spit. He didn't move his blade an inch, however, as each reeling cut deeper. Nevertheless, the artery remained intact.
"Lies. You're one of orders."
He hissed. By heating the smog around them, he drew her hands together and created a smoke-like shackle. If she tried to remove her hands from them, her wrists would burn.
She could feel the heat around her, heightening the tension.
"Reveal yourselves! I can burn down this part of the forest just as easily as I had to Maelstromclan."
"I'm here!" Etoah called instantly, standing quickly from where he was hidden with his hands up in surrender. His face was pale with fear for his friend.
"It's-it's only me, Libarto." The deputy stuttered, his hair having loosened from his top knot and fallen around his face in a mess. All in all, the man looked nothing like how he usually presented himself, how he always presented himself.
Do something, fuck fuck fuck fuck-
"I'm unarmed," He said, turning around slowly to show he had no weapons (for they'd been dropped with the armor). "Why would we plan an ambush without weapons?"
The flicker of a flame illuminated the deputy's features for Cain to see upon his response. Immediately, he noticed the difference in attire: barren of metal. Even the way he presented himself had changed, along with the addition of a nervous tremble accompanying total vulnerability. In all the man's years, he'd never seen Etoah in such a disheveled state-- and by extension, neither had Kazumi.
Without missing a beat, the flamesman replied.
"No, not an ambush. Quite the distractionary thought to plant! However, if you're prepared to track, you should be prepared to catch. At the very least, defend yourselves once caught."
He laughed to himself, attempting to mask his own fatigue in strength. He hadn't felt the need to check for weapons on the woman-- his grip was tight and her energy seemed spent. However, his laughter paused the moment he felt worried: how long were the two tracking him for? Had they followed the gang back to camp?
"Yep. Foolish, stubborn ol' Tempestclan, right?"
Kazumi spoke up, clearing her throat as she stared forward at her friend. She had an idea... Extremely likely it wasn't the best idea, but one she hoped the deputy wouldn't be too heated over it, considering their situation.
"I don't figure you'd just... let me go. Right? So whatcha think about this: give you a lil' bit of info, and we'll go on our way. A trade."
After she suggested the proposition, she mouthed a singular word to Etoah:
Etoah's eyes fell hard on Kazumi, his head making the tiniest, unnoticeable shake in disagreement at her idea. There would be no reason for Cain not to cut her throat and kill him too after he'd received the 'information'. They needed something else. "Don't be silly, Kazumi," He started, giving a tired and defeated smile. "There's no reason to make this man feel like we had bad intentions towards him. And he's smart enough to know whether I'm telling the truth. Why would a bit of clan information soothe his nerves about us?"
He looked away for a moment, his brain desperately sifting through ideas. Kazumi? Dead? That's what could happen here. Kazumi. Dead. He clenched his jaw with fear and wished to the gods that he'd been given some amazing magical power like so many of the people around him, something that could kill this man so fast he wouldn't see it coming.
They needed another reason. Another lie. But a lie that would be so stupid, so absurd, so absolutely out of character that no one would believe he would use that as a lie. Something no deputy with any honor, pride or ego would be willing to say no matter what was at stake. Something that would make himself out to be as pathetic and vulnerable as possible. Maelstromclan warriors had always preferred to kill feisty stubborn enemies, maybe a soft, unexpected and absolutely ridiculous one would shock this man so much he'd let them go.
Suddenly, the man's face flushed and he looked down as though embarrassed. "Trust me, Libarto, there's nothing for you to worry about. Kazumi and I weren't tracking. She came on a walk with me. I needed to...I just," Etoah's gaze lifted and he looked at the trees, specifically avoiding eye contact in a shy way. "I came to the camp because I knew you'd be there and I wanted to see you."
What the hell did I just say? Fuck it just go with it.
"Last night, I... After everything, I had a few drinks with Kazumi and we got to talking about...what we would do if the world was ending. If we didn't have to worry about consequences of anything." As he moved his eyes to finally look at Cain, he could feel the commitment to this preposterous lie lock in and he knew he'd go all the way if he had to. "I was drunk and...I guess I admitted to her that, ah, I think about you a lot. Have for years. I've always found you to be..." He trailed off as if he just couldn't go there so soon in their non-relationship, "Well anyways, I knew you'd be here as soon as we saw the smoke. Kazumi was trying to convince me to go talk to you, so we took a walk. When you had finished, I was still undecided about it so we kept following you because we're idiots. Kazumi is trying to make it sound like it was more than that, but honestly that's all there is to it. I know we've fought our entire lives but, if my current appearance to you doesn't show you how off the beaten path this is, I guess nothing would." He gave a small toss of his hands as though he were surrendering to the situation, to Cain's opinion. "I don't know why Insignious would send two halfdead unarmed unarmored warriors to track you, but if you think thats what this is than...I can't stop you."
If she didn't need Cain to believe the deputy's lies, her jaw would've dropped. Of all the lies, all the excuses, and all the ideas in the vastness of Lalonia, posing as a secretly gay man...?
She wished she could turn her head in view for his expression, but only Etoah could notice the odd lack of intensity to the flameman's stare. His brain entertaining the thought, running through the deputy's odd admission. Calculating the likeliness and debating its truth, considering the clansmen's circumstances. Kazumi wracked her own brain for topics spoken about in their gay-world-ending topics, but was too stunned to speak.
Silence cut through the smog, yet held and made it feel all the more awkward. The blade shifted away from the girl's neck, but the smoke-made handcuffs remained.
"An interesting strategy, but a feebler ploy."
He remarked, wiping blood off the edge of his sword.
"What do you suggest I do with this information, hm? Even if those are your true feelings, you would need to throw your own clan aside to act upon them. Do you, Tempestclan's loyal mutt, plan to do so?"
The deputy gaped slightly at Cain's response. "I...you..." He laughed, shyly of course, not suspiciously. "Cain I wasn't planning on acting anything out. Just wanted to talk. I assumed you'd be...well, not welcoming to the concept, as most people aren't. The only reason I'm admitting it to you now is because you were about to behead my friend over nothing at all. You don't have to do anything with this information. I was just being honest."
