Caedus and Jorah froze in place. Immediately, Jorah notched another arrow into his bow and shot at the figure that had just spoken.
The arrow whistled in the air, and just as the arrow was about to hit the man in the chest, a flash of silver came from under his robe and deflected the arrow.
*Ting*
Sparks quickly spread when the arrow and the flash of silver collided.
Jorah's face darkened.
Caedus felt his mouth go dry in anxiety.
"Heh- That wasn't very nice. We could talk for a minute before something drastic happens." The man spoke almost as if he were trying to hold back a laugh.
Suddenly, he waved his left hand, and the six other people with him began to encircle the grandfather and grandson duo. It felt like they were just prey to a pack of wolves, as the six figures surrounded them.
*Thump Thump*
Caedus could feel his heartbeat in his chest. His heart was pounding with a fear he had never felt before. The once ethereal scene of the river in the moonlight offered no comfort to him as he saw the figures tightening their circle around them.
Jorah drew another arrow but didn't let it fly. He shifted his body slightly so his back would be to Caedus.
Caedus, seeing what his grandfather wanted to do, also turned his back to his grandfather to ensure they had their blind spots covered.
The leader tilted his head at this display. The crude clay mask hid his expression, but a mocking tone in his voice gave him away.
"You almost look like cornered animals, Jorah. This is unbecoming of you."
Jorah turned his head to look at the leader. "Paul? Is that you?"
"..."
The leader didn't respond at first till he let out a maniacal laugh. A laugh so crazed Caedus knew in his heart that the man whose subordinates surrounded them was not in his right mind.
The laugh echoed in the surrounding area, carrying over the trees and the river like the howls of a beast that turned rabid.
When the laughter finally died down, the leader looked up at Jorah and Caedus.
"To think you would recognize my voice after all these years, I must say, I am touched. This young man must be Caedus. He looks just like his parents, huh?" Paul hissed venomously.
"Don't you dare mention those two!" Jorah barked with an anger he hadn't shown to Caedus before.
Paul's shoulders shook with laughter. "So the pain of losing them is still there, huh? I am not sure why you must hate us after all these years. They served a higher purpose to be with our savior. They joined the Hollowed One in his slumber."
Caedus felt his chest tighten at the mention of his parents. He may only have vague memories of them, but that didn't mean he didn't love them. Hearing Paul talk about their deaths as if they were natural almost made him lose his cool.
"Why are you doing this? Just let my grandson and me go. You can find someone else to feed to the Hollowed One. You can have all of our belongings, just let us leave."
Paul put his hand up to signal to the six other people to stop tightening the circle.
Paul then put his hand up to his chin and scratched it. Giving an exaggerated showing of him thinking.
"Hmm let you two go, take your belongings and possibly lose the blessings of the Hollowed One or be blessed by the Hollowed One by feeding him you two. This is such a hard decision."
The six other people began to chuckle a little before they all pulled out large knives from under their robes.
"And you dare ask me why? You know why. The Hollowed One demands it. We all serve a higher purpose. Don't you know the Hollowed One is hungry? Are you senile? I tell you what, I may be a lot of things, but I am also benevolent. We will have him, and you are free to go."
Paul raised his arm and pointed right at Caedus with a bony finger.
Caedus felt his stomach drop. 'Grandpa definitely won't agree.'
As if confirming his words, Jorah growled. "Over my dead body. You maniacs kill and sacrifice for no real reason. Don't you idiots know what an earthquake is? You're god isn't real!"
A strong wind fell over the forest, making Caedus' hair flutter. The robes of the cultists flowed in the wind as leaves from the ground flew up, as if to run away from the situation.
Paul lowered his head and began to shake his anger. "How dare you... YOU FUCKING HERETIC! Our god protects us and provides for us in this valley, and all we have to do is provide food for him when he is hungry. You dare to claim our god isn't real? You wasted your one chance, old man. I will be sure to feed you and your grandson to the Hollowed One!" Paul roared in anger.
As Paul finished his proclamation, the six cultists readied their knives for a fight, while Paul pulled out a sword from under his robes.
The moonlight caught on Paul's blade, its metal glinting, making Paul's already eerie appearance look even more menacing. The tension in the air was palpable now as Caedus and Jorah readied themselves for the impending conflict.
'If we survive this, I wonder if Grandpa will heal some of the trauma of losing my parents, knowing he was able to kill a few of them.' Caedus thought to himself as he heard his heartbeat in his ears.
Caedus took a deep breath and slightly loosened his grip on his blade after realizing his hand was shaking from gripping it so tightly.
Suddenly, a whisper could be heard from behind Caedus. A barely audible voice, but he would be able to recognize it anywhere. "When I shoot my arrow at one of them, run in the direction of the one I take down. Keep running until you are out of the valley. I will be right behind you. And if I don't find you in three days, then..." Jorah whispered lightly.
Caedus didn't need his grandfather to finish his sentence to know what he meant. If he didn't meet him in three days, he had died here. Next to the once ethereal scene where the moonlight had met the river.
Before Caedus could argue with his grandfather, Jorah shouted. "Now!"
The arrow that was notched and drawn in Jorah's bow flew out and landed in the neck of the cultist closest to the river with a sickening noise.
*Thwick*
Blood oozed out of the cultist's neck as he dropped his knife and put both hands up to stop the bleeding as he fell to the ground.
Someone died just like that. Caedus had never seen someone die, but he didn't have time to think about it. It was time to run.
Caedus' legs felt heavy as stone, but instinct surged through him. He bolted in the direction of the fallen cultist, the world around him exploding into motion. In just seconds, he already reached the tree line, but before he began his escape, he looked back at Jorah and looked him in the eyes. There was so much Caedus wanted to say, but words would take too long to express. A knowing look, almost as if to say. 'You better not die here,' was exchanged between the two.
Before turning around again to disappear into the forest, Caedus had a quick idea to help his grandfather out by easing the pressure on him.
"Hey, Paul!" Caedus shouted before leaving. All eyes turned to him in surprise.
"Fuck you and fuck your god!"
Caedus raised his middle finger at them before turning around to descend into the dark forest. Immediately reaching the tree line, low branches whipped at his face, and roots became obstacles as he dove deeper into the shadows.
"GET HIM!" Paul screamed with anger as he lunged forward to attack Jorah.
Three of the cultists broke their encirclement around Jorah and ran into the dark forest to follow Caedus into the night.