Would you look at that…
If only Blutsatchel was with us…
No…
If only we had god contracts…
Marichi thought, his heart pacing slower, calmer as Acis was able to lift herself from the sinking ground.
Standing on stable earth, she quickly but gently lowered Marichi and untied her finger from Jorel.
"Blut!" She shouted as the threads slithered back, arranging themselves into her hand. Acis knelt beside Blutsatchel, frantically moving her hands across her shoulder, Blutsatchel's clothes becoming even more saturated with red.
…Where's Kacis?
She looked around, especially in the direction where he had been forced back by that invisible wall. The stake-like trees almost teetered, and the wide area of ground was forcibly tilled, her face soon descending into worry.
B-But her wound!
What am I going to do?!
"Oh, I know!" She smirked for a split second before loosening the second joint upwards on her right index finger, transforming it into threads as the upper part of the finger dropped to the floor with a soft plink.
As she tried to force her finger-threads through Blut's skin to stitch it, Marichi, though momentarily at ease, was still plagued by something, his mind unconvinced by the way everything had just ended.
But that's it?
I know that she had a god contract, that's probably why it ended like this…
After everything I've seen…
His eyes flickered as he realized something.
Wait…
How did cutting off Lezschill's head actually kill him?
His mind replayed Lezschill's head flying clean off, spraying black blood.
I stabbed him in the head more than once and also hit his vital areas…
So… all it takes is a head strike?!
He seemed confused, a self-induced fear beginning to coil within him.
But with all his abilities…
How…
He continued to delve deeper, getting lost within his own thoughts.
Meanwhile, not too far away, Kacis was still flying backwards trying to not get hit but then, he noticed that the ground below him had stopped churning, and the spike-like trees had also ceased their collapse. He paused his backward flight.
H-Has i-it ended…?
His body shuddered.
He then slowly flew forward, wary of the wall slamming into his face. But the farther he went, the wider a smile grinned over his face. Out of sheer relief that the wall was no more, he flew higher in excitement and revolved around, a joyous, soaring arc.
"Woah…" Balancing himself, he looked at the strangely beautiful scenery under the midnight breeze.
The land below him, stretching from left to some areas on the right and across his front, was utterly transformed. The very ground itself in all those places was tilled over, the misshapen trees either snapped into pieces or ripped out from the earth, making everywhere seem nearly barren, a stark contrast to the once uniform forest.
He was just admiring the beauty--or rather, the horror--which was interrupted as he heard Acis screaming his name from below, to his right. Not wasting a second longer, he flew as fast as he could, a phantom shape of his body outlined by the disturbed air.
…How could I forget?!
Gotta hurry…
Can't let anything happen to her!
He tried to fly faster, a sudden fatigue settling around his shoulders.
How far did that thing toss me back?
BOOM!
He increased his speed, causing the air around him to crackle and boom.
Meanwhile, back on the ground.
"There, all better…" Acis smiled as she stood up and backed away, the thread from her index finger extending back up her whole finger now.
She had used her finger as the needle, expertly guiding her threads to stitch up Blutsatchel's wounds, preventing any further bleeding. Blutsatchel then grabbed her shoulder, recoiling from the fresh pain. Her right hand still bled, but she closed the wounds by extending out red shards, blocking them like stoppers.
"Now… Let's get going." Acis huffed.
"Where's that big mistake of a brother?" She hissed, then walked back towards Marichi, her thread extending up her finger and now her hand, twitching with residual energy.
"I just shouted his name… couldn't be too far, right?" She chuckled, looking at Marichi from above, pity and sorrow filling the gaps within her eyes.
"He should come quickly though…"
"This place makes even my threads tremble in fear." She said, then looked on at Jorel, seeing bloodstains all over his body, cuts and grazes.
Feeling a deep sense of empathy and remembering how serious Marichi was about letting Jorel live, she went closer, but was quickly interrupted by Kacis shouting through the air as he descended rapidly.
"And there he is." She sighed, watching him land.
"Are you alright?" Kacis immediately hugged Acis, patting her around her body to check if anything was wrong, his feet never once touching the ground.
"What of that weird man? Where is he?" He asked, not even giving room for Acis to breathe, let alone reply, as he scanned his eyes around, looking for Burtu.
They then settled on Burtu's headless corpse, his severed head resting against his own body. The sight made Kacis shudder while he still held Acis.
"What the hell happened here…" Shock prevented the full air from escaping his mouth.
K-Kacis…
Marichi thought in his weary mind, trying to move, but unable.
"That man came, wanted to kill Marichi and Jorel," Acis began.
"But, Blutsatchel was there to keep them both safe." Acis pointed her threaded finger, its extension leading all the way back to Blutsatchel's shoulder.
…Blut…
Kacis then felt a sense of overwhelming guilt.
If only I had found a way against that "wall."
He clenched his fist and tightened his jaw.
Wait…
His mind then strayed. Kept them both safe?
Why would she protect Jorel?!
His eyes couldn't help but widen as he floated away, seeing Blutsatchel all covered in blood.
"Heh… Was wondering when you'd come." Blutsatchel groaned.
"Instead of flying off, why don't you fly us off to a healer this time?" Her tone shifted to a more serious one, laced with pain.
"Yeah, but then why'd you save Jorel?" Kacis couldn't help himself but ask, his eyes grim.
"I-I don't know… Ask your goddamn leader." Blut lowered her head as she lost strength in her neck, her voice fading.
Kacis just froze there, suspended in the air as he tried to process all he was seeing and had just heard, his fists shuddering.
"Now what's taking so long…"
"Just get us to a damn healer," Blut chuckled, her voice wheezing.
Leader asked for Jorel to be kept safe?
Kacis thought, his mind about to strayed.
No!
He forced it back.
I won't question his judgment!
My duty is to carry out his judgment to the very end!
A subtle fire ignited within his eyes, the grim slowly fading, replaced by renewed resolve.
"Acis!" He adopted an authoritative tone.
"You heard her… Let's go." He then nudged his head slightly upwards.
Acis nodded gently in agreement and then tied her hand against a moaning Blutsatchel. With Kacis's help, she placed Blutsatchel on his back and secured her with threads, they both moved closer to Marichi.
"But how is he?" He asked, sounding moody as he could barely look at Marichi on the ground while the weight of Blut dragged on.
"Not too good…"
"All the more reason why we should go," Acis said, her threads feeling strained, then hissing in the slight pain she felt.
Then Kacis bent down, carried Marichi and held him against his torso, with Acis tying her threads around. He lifted Jorel up with his free hand, holstering him under his armpit.
Thank you, Kacis…
Marichi said to himself, looking around with his limited field of view.
Kacis nodded his head to Acis to get under his other free hand. He smirked, and was quickly greeted by Acis squeezing his face with reluctant compliance.
"The closest town here is…
"uhh, Tanten…" He faced his body to the left.
"That's where we stayed while searching for leade---"
"---I mean Marichi."'He corrected himself as he then steadily ascended, tightening his hold on both Jorel and Acis.
He then flew upwards, the wind gently touching their faces as he slowly soared, adjusting his hold on both Acis and Jorel.
"Won't let it be like last time…" He said, his eyes squinted and heart heavy with regret.
Meanwhile, below, Burtu's headless body's fingers tapped, the rest of his body then wriggled, and more black blood flowed out from its quickly healing wounds. It stood up slowly, blood gushing from its neck, forming a roiling, shadowy mist. His head on the ground blinked its eyes, giving off an unsettling, wide smile.
---The end of chapter 45---