——— Chapter Art (Click to view) ———
"GHOST!"
Naren grabbed onto Cairo in his irrational fear, but was soon overcome with a new emotion. The girl in front of him remembered him. Granted, it was something he didn't want to be known as, but she remembered him. Yet for some reason, he felt a bit off. Instead of being happy, he was angry. Angry at the girl.
Soon the four of them came up with a plan to leave the prison. Cairo, had lit himself on fire, luring the guards in while Naren and Yuna took care of them. Taking the keys and leaving right out the front gate.
Though, the Pnoe was still going on. The immense pressure seemed to be present every night in this odd snowy land. So, the four had to press up against the wall in order to make the pressure just a little bit better.
Yuna pointed out how their belongings were in the armory while Vera was in the barracks. She said she'd go with Cairo, while Naren went alone to get Vera.
His bare feet walked out of the glimmering walls, peering over to check on the guards. Just one, easy enough. Naren didn't really care for stealth in this scenario. After all, he could always just take Vera and teleport away.
"I'm glad Yuna isn't here."
Then he caught himself. Why was he glad? What did she have to do with this? He shook his head and regained his composure. Something to figure out later.
Naren popped out from behind the ledge, the guard immediately shifted into a battle ready stance. Already lunging by the time Naren took a single step forward.
"Shouldn't you offer some tea first?"
Her sword pierced straight ahead for Naren's neck. He weaved around it, closing the distance between the two, his golden eyes absorbed into the pitch black holes of the bird-like mask. Naren threw an uppercut. Crack.
While the guard was still disassociated, Naren wasted no time, landing a high kick to her neck. Then, he weaved his foot midair, changing its direction, bringing his heel down on the back of her head, slamming it onto the icy ground.
The doors swung open before the guard could even land on the floor, and an arrow flew right by Naren. But he had no time for this, he was on a time limit here. Stepping out of the second floor walls, Naren scanned the confused crowd for Vera.
Under the dimly lit room, a small girl in a school uniform was quivering holding a dagger in her hands. Head shooting from side to side. Naren jumped down, picking her up.
"We gotta go Vera."
"What?! Naren?!"
Time was of the essence and he had no time to think of a battle plan. Instead, he ran straight through the crowd, holding Vera over his shoulder.
A dagger flew in from his right, he used his free hand to grab the wrist of the user and throw her at the crowd in front.
An axe came swinging from behind. Naren narrowly dodging, a bit of Vera's hair chipping off. Her face white as a ghost.
"EEEK!"
Then a swordswomen lunged at him, getting low to the ground. Naren leapt up, using her body as a platform to propel himself forward. Making the final push through the front doors. In front of him was nothing but the open chasm. Behind him was a group of warriors, recuperating.
With the surprise of the situation subsiding, the next scuffle would be far from easy. But at least they made it out in time.
In time? In time for what? What was he in such a rush for? The odd feeling of forgetting something was piercing his head. Something very important that he shouldn't forget.
"Naren...?Are you okay?"
His body was running forward, arrows flying between the thoughts. Vera, as afraid as she was, was staring at him with a worrisome expression.
"I feel like-"
An arrow flew straight into Naren's back, lodging itself into his skin. For a second he stumbled, before regaining his footing. He looked to his left wall, glimmering from the dimly lit lamps.
"Naren!"
Naren jumped at the wall, contorting his body midair, outstretching Vera in front of him. He concentrated on the opposing wall, on the other ledge, where Cairo and Yuna were. And a fourth?
As his body submerged into the wall, absorbing the two figures, they fell through to the other ledge. Crashing into a pile of supply boxes that weren't stored yet.
Vera pushed off the ground, checking on the bleeding boy. He was clenching his jaws, bleeding erratically from his sides. His previous injuries all aching. Vera placed her shaky hands on the bloody arrow. She quivered, shutting her eyes, ready to pull it out.
Then another hand landed on her own. She jolted back.
"Don't pull. He'll just die sooner."
Naren stared at the girl with a flower in her hair kneel down, examining his wound. The arrow was embedded deep in his side, just below the ribs. Blood seeped around the shaft, but not gushing — the arrow was acting as a plug.
Vera looked from a distance, while Cairo stood behind Yuna.
"What happened to you dawg?"
"They...said they didn't...have tea."
"Did you go looney bro?"
Yuna dug into her back pouch, pulling out a knife.
"Fossil, light."
"When do I take orders from a weed?"
She didn't bother turning back to face him.
"Light, or pervert dies."
Cairo clicked his tongue, reluctantly lighting his finger on fire, holding it over Naren's wound.
Vera crawled closer, her breath shaky.
"Can-can I help Naren?"
Yuna turned to her, the first genuine smile Naren saw painted on her face. One that made his previous anger for her dissipate for a second. She patted Vera's head.
"Just keep being cute."
Then Yuna turned back to Naren, the warmth in her voice gone as soon as it came, a smile still on her face contradicting her words.
"You're lucky it missed the organs. But it's definitely going to hurt a lot."
"Just great."
Yuna cut away the fabric around the wound, exposing the torn flesh. She grabbed a cloth from her pouch, folded it, and pressed it firmly against the skin around the arrow.
"Fossil, I need you to heat the blade. Not too hot. Just enough to cauterize."
Cairo raised an eyebrow but complied, running his fingers along the edge of Yuna's knife until it glowed faintly orange.
Yuna grabbed the arrow shaft with one hand, steadying it. With the other, she used a second knife to saw through the wooden shaft about two inches from his skin. The arrow snapped.
She tossed the shaft aside.
"Vera, hold his shoulders. Don't let him move."
Vera hesitated, then pressed down on Naren's shoulders with shaky hands.
Yuna gripped the broken end of the arrow still lodged in his side. She angled it slightly, checking the path.
Then, in one smooth motion, she pushed it forward — driving the arrowhead through the other side of his torso instead of pulling it back out the entry wound.
Naren's body tensed. He bit down on his scarf, muffling a scream.
The arrowhead broke through the skin on the opposite side. Yuna grabbed it, pulled it the rest of the way through, and tossed it aside.
Blood poured from both wounds now.
Yuna grabbed the heated blade and pressed it against the exit wound. The smell of burning flesh filled the air. Naren's body jerked, but Vera held him down.
She worked fast, cauterizing the exit wound first, then flipping him slightly to reach the entry wound on the other side. She pressed the hot blade again. Another hiss. Another stifled scream.
When she was done, she grabbed clean cloth from her pouch and wrapped it tightly around his torso, binding the wounds.
"Done. Don't move too much or it'll open again."
She wiped her hands on her coat, blood staining the fabric.
Naren slowly raised himself to a seated position. Yuna clicking her tongue as he did so.
"What did I just say?"
Naren's voice was a bit shaky but more or less normal now. He held out three fingers.
"Three out of ten, Doctor."
Yuna stared at him. Muttering to herself: "Are you crazy?" Something only Naren heard.
Then a sudden thought entered his mind. A sudden lapse of anger towards Yuna. Why? Why was he so angry at her? She just saved his life. He dug deep into his own mind. His head beating.
"Yo, you straight?"
What was it? What was he missing? What did Yuna say to him? She told him...she told him...she said...
"Chrys."
The three looked at him puzzled.
"What?"
"Where's Chrys, Yuna?"
Cairo and Vera looked at each other. Cairo shrugging, while Vera tried to figure out what Naren was talking about. But Yuna stared directly at Naren. Her eyes widened. Looking aimlessly like she was stuck in time.
"You remember, Naren?"