17 A Monster ( 2 )

His emerald eyes trailed the sheen of the silvery blade next to his face, but it was only for a moment before he hugged the nearby wall and sneaked away at his quickest pace from the location.

While doing all this, Kalani furrowed his brows at his foggy surroundings, 'How did he pinpoint my location that quickly?'

The ashen fog was also equally puzzling: when he breathed out, a puff of chilled mist would form, but at the same time, he didn't feel as uncomfortable as it should have been.

The questions lingered in his mind as his ears strained to hear any other footsteps close by.

'About a meter or two of visibility...' he noted as the view of the imbedded sword disappeared into the fog. Frankly, he was tempted to take the sword to increase the chances of the enemy being empty handed, but on second thought, the noise could draw fatal attention to himself... not to mention if he even had the strength to pull off such a feat.

'Plus, who wouldn't carry more than one weapon in battle? Probably only an idiot," he grumbled inwardly with his back toward the rough wall before finally taking a glance at what was tossed at him.

A normal-looking leather sheath with the wooden handle sticking out. At first glance, it appeared relatively simple, but once he inspected the smooth blade, even he, a novice, could tell this was forged with care.

Then the thought struck him as he stared at the single dagger in his palm. 'Did I just call myself an idiot?...'

After a moment of silence, Kalani mused with a wry smile, 'This doesn't count.'

The pervading silence was then abruptly broken as from the direction of the sword, Kalani heard the noise of pebbles hitting the rocky ground. Instantly, the smile on the boy's face vanished while he lowered his body closer to the ground.

With his front facing the fog, Kalani eyed the general direction of the noise, ready to run or pounce at a moment's notice. However, just as he prepared himself, the sound of whistling wind caught his attention. If he wasn't a wind practitioner, he doubted he would be able to notice this.

Like a ghost, the disturbed air vanished after flying across toward the sword's location. Kalani remained motionless with eyes trained on the area of the disturbance's origin, but despite his still body, the boy's mind was running on overdrive.

'Since the warden forbade magic, then... it must be the archer!' Kalani recalled one carried a longbow, but a look of puzzlement soon set in. 'Why would they fight each other though? Are they fighting something, or— are they separated from each other?'

As he contemplated further, Kalani felt more of an inclination towards the latter option than the former. It was unlikely that Sofia added a 'surprise' at the last second.

'Eliminating the archer first is priority,' he muttered to himself as he edged along the boundaries of his unknown surroundings. Having the wall behind him comforted Kalani that at least no one could easily sneak up on him.

Inching along, he gradually realized his surroundings closely mimicked the cavernous prison's confines from the small rocks to the familiar curvature of the wall. Not only that, but there also were hill-like boulders scattered in this murky 'arena'.

'These boulders would make perfect cover or help me escape,' Kalani mused as his hand brushed against a few bumpy spots on the stone. 'But that also means they might be lurking out in the open rather than near the edge.'

Stepping slow but steady, the boy approached the location of the supposed archer, scanning the area akin to a predator. Finally, he spotted something somewhat hidden behind the boulder just up ahead. Due to the fog, it was hard to make out, urging his curious mind to examine closer.

However, Kalani took a step backward from the area. His instincts were distinctly tingling, warning him of danger.

'For a guard of Sofia's, I doubt he would be this reckless... unless,' Kalani's emerald irises glanced up to the foggy top of the boulder, 'he is at a higher vantage point.'

...

On top of the boulder, a pitch-black clothed figure stayed perfectly still apart from his head. In his hands, a midnight-hued longbow lay with an arrow cocked in, ready to be fired at a moment's notice.

Despite his short height, the archer scanned the area, his calm demeanor indicating this was merely routine. His head then bent toward the bait, a piece of his clothing dangling on a small pile of rocks.

It was a crude design, but with the low visibility, the dark figure seemed to be confident it was enough to spur the boy to come close— enough to take him down.

Then, to the youth's right side, a blur hurled through the fog at him. With alarming speed, the bow faced the same direction fully drawn but wasn't fired, letting the blur hit him.

Behind his mask, the archer smirked, 'A small rock...'

As soon as the thrown pebble fell to the ground, the youth heard what he was waiting for at his rear: the clacks of rocks hitting the ground. Instantly, he twisted his torso and let loose the bowstring. The arrow vanished into the sea of the fog.

"Thunk!" a crack resounded, but there weren't any wails of pain.

Hearing this, the figure immediately stiffened. 'Did I miss?!'

Just as the archer thought this, he sensed killing intent aimed at his back and, in a scramble, tried to leap off the boulder, but it was too late.

A loud grunt came from the figure as his body careened off the top; the tip of the blade's handle jutting out of his rear waist.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the frame of the boy, who was— nearly topless...?

...

"Tch..." Kalani hissed as he watched the figure tumble off before fiercely hurtling something with one arm toward the archer. Out of the boy's flicked wrist, a rough rock shot out, hitting squarely on the wound.

The figure cried out in pain as his body curled up reflexively, but he didn't pull out the lodged dagger. Rather, the person had decided to force himself to grit through the pain and got up, attempting to flee into the fog.

Grimacing, Kalani broke into a run and caught up to the archer's shuffling body, attempting to throw a punch at the wounded waist. Though, the youth appeared to expect this as out of his right hand, a knife, the size of a quill, emerged to slash at Kalani.

With narrowing emerald eyes, the boy managed to block the hasty attack with an arm, not blinking twice at the semi-deep laceration on his forearm. Taking the chance to strike, Kalani used his left hand to throw his intended punch, which successfully struck this time.

With a face contorted in pain, the youth stumbled back, falling down on his rear. Maintaining the momentum, Kalani kicked the arm, knocking the knife out of the youth's hand, and unmercifully pummeled the masked face with his bare fists. Finally, when the person seemed stunned enough, he grabbed the handle of the lodged dagger in the archer's side and pulled out the blade in one swoop, making the youth cry out in pain.

Then, just as he was about to make use of the dagger, he heard the whistle of the wind to his right, and Kalani twisted his torso, barely deflecting a long blade slashed at his back. However, the force made him tumble off the archer's body before he could reorientate himself.

Reaching out his other hand, Kalani hastily snatched up the nearby knife, and with both hands grasping a weapon, he clashed blades with the longsword. From the pressure of the blow, the boy scrunched his brows as he felt his legs buckle, making him lose his balance.

With his bare back feeling the full effects of the freezing ground, the boy's emerald eyes landed for a second at the slim but tall enemy before him; however, with hardly any hesitation, he used his foot to deliver a deadly kick... to the groin.

As a result, the new foe similarly lost his balance, and Kalani scrambled up to his feet, swiftly kneeing the man's chin afterward.

With the knife in a reverse grip held high, Kalani eyed the kneeling swordsman before plunging it into the neck. Yet, as luck would have it, an arrow pierced Kalani's right shoulder, diverting his intended stab completely.

Kalani let out a sharp intake of air as his focus honed on the archer's figure from afar ahead of him. The youth shot another arrow but missed the boy's arm by a hair due to the low visibility; however, this bought the swordsman enough time to swing once more, knocking Kalani away, in spite of his parry, into the dense fog.

The archer fired more arrows into the murky area, but from the sounds, they evidently missed their target.

Stepping closer to his comrade, the archer then quietly spat with disdain, "Idiot!" To this, the swordsman lowered his head.

...

With widened eyes, many either gazed in amazement or horror at the translucent, boxlike barrier occupying most of the space before them. Inside, one could faintly see the boy lean against a boulder, panting heavily before tearing off a piece of his ragged shirt and bandaging his arm with it.

Behind Nelson, a lanky youth tentatively stretched his palm out to Dave, who had clearly winced at the scene; however, the kid then hid behind Nelson, not noticing the outstretched hand halted before quickly retracting.

On the other hand, Nyx fought back the fatigue wracking her body by biting hard on her cut lip. With temporary clarity, she stole a glimpse of the warden's expression, only to find a sickeningly sweet smile. Despite the beauty of it, it couldn't hide the touch of craziness plastered on Sofia's face.

Dread clouded Nyx's chocolate gaze as she turned her sights to the four figures beside the warden. The white-robed healer stood ramrod-straight beside Sofia while in front of them, two unfamiliar youths crouched, their blackened armor covering their outfit, which hugged their slim yet slightly muscular frames. Although blindfolded, they faced towards the barrier, as if watching the fight with rapt attention.

Yet, to many here, the last one was baffling to say the least. With inky, polka dots on his white pajamas, complete with a night cap, one questioned how he was related to them and— his fashion sense.

Nyx narrowed her eyes on the currently hunched man, who had yawned occasionally while his outstretched fingertips touched the barrier. 'Is that...?' she contemplated, staring at the gradually familiar figure.

Finally, the silence was broken by the bizarre man, who leaned his head back to look at the warden with golden eyes glittering akin to a kid, "Whoa, did you see that, Softi?! He actually managed to fool lil Six."

Although it was slight, Nyx felt as if one of the youths twitched.

The zeal on Sofia's face cracked instantly with her lips pressing into a narrow line. "I thought we decided not to call me that," she snapped before adding with an even harsher tone, "Arjun..."

But Arjun merely chortled at her ire, "Ah, hearing my name from your lips is truly exciting." This only served to darken Sofia's expression further before he continued in mirth, "Besides, you should know better than to wake someone up this late at night."

When Sofia ignored his last remark, Arjun knew it was about time to drop it; otherwise, he might not be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning. Sighing, he used his free hand to dig in the pockets of his top, finally procuring his silver-rimmed eyeglasses.

"But... Sophia, who is this little fellow? I like him," Arjun uttered with an upward quirk of his lips as he gazed at Kalani. "Can I take him?"

Sofia shot him a glare to which Arjun took as an obvious no, but this peaked his interest further.

"Why can't I take him?" Arjun pressed, but Sophia paid no heed to him again. Amusement flashed in his squinting, golden eyes.

"Please tell me, Sofia... the Softi with an 'i'!" he teased. As soon as this left his lips though, a blurred object streaked across, coiling around his free arm, which had barely guarded his face in time.

'That was close, Softi,' Arjun chuckled as he tilted his head subtly, the rims of his glasses glinting off of the torches' flames with the definitely smug-filled eyes behind them. 'Almost hit my handsome face.'

To his surprise however, Sofia seemed to find his forearm more intriguing than his words, boring holes into the hazy aura seeping out of the tiny spaces in between her whip encircling his arm, and it prevented her whip from digging into his skin further.

Finally, after a moment of silence, she uttered flatly, "You've grown stronger." The man's eyes crinkled at her response before a feeling of uneasiness bothered him. Immediately looking to the side, his sight locked onto a young girl on her knees; although, it was difficult to determine her features because of her long hair covering her face.

His eyes narrowed for a split second, 'Ah, that girl...' Then the tightening sensation around his forearm loosened, and he glanced back to see the whip unravel off of his arm, as if alive.

Since Nyx lowered her head, no one noticed her subtle shivers and pale blue lips; whether it was from the cold or the man's gaze, only the girl knew.

...

Sweat dripped off of Kalani's forehead as he stifled the urge to groan aloud. The boy only breathed out deeply after he had finally finished sawing the wooden shaft of the arrow to only an inch in length above his shoulder wound.

The boy's face twitched when he shifted his sitting position, but he knew better than to pull out an arrow. Kalani sighed softly as he turned his gaze to his torn up shirt, which now barely covered his upper chest, 'Guess you cannot even call this a shirt anymore.'

Using his dagger, he teared the last remains of his top to bandage the shoulder gash and prevent himself from bleeding out sooner.

'Thankfully, it doesn't seem like I am bleeding profusely,' he muttered inwardly before scrunching his nose at the metallic scent in the air. 'Ugh, the blood... I have to keep moving, or they might find me,' he clenched his teeth as he surveyed his surroundings, 'If I'm correct, there were several boulders closer together in this direction. That would be the best chance to ambush.'

As he was getting ready to leave, his fingers touched something, and he looked back to find the other half of the wooden shaft. His initial thought was to leave it, but then a possibility popped into his mind.

...

After remarking harshly, the archer pulled down his mask, revealing a youthful, pale face paired with blonde hair resembling the sun. But what was most striking of his features was the deep sea-blue irises that currently gazed with fury toward the swordsman.

Though before he could speak, a stream of crimson leaked from his nose, and the archer furrowed his brows before wiping it away.

"If you hadn't pushed him away, we might have had him," he then grunted in displeasure, his voice sounding more as if puberty had not hit him yet. The swordsman took a glance at the youth before getting up, his silence being his only answer.

While the archer did appear to have more things to say, he wisely shut up and walked past the swordsman, pulling back the hood over his hair. After all, this was his final assessment; he had to impress them.

But then the youth stopped dead in his tracks. If one stood closely, they would feel murderous intent rising around the youth. The swordsman noticed this and was about to tap his comrade's shoulder before the archer coldly muttered, "Let's find the target..."

The swordsman could only follow his limping teammate. Not long after, the archer suddenly walked faster than normal, and this alerted the swordsman to pick up the pace, for fear he would lose the youth in the dense fog.

Once he caught up, the swordsman found the archer crouched over a snakelike blot, which, at a closer inspection, turned out to be a short rope with a loop at the end made from strips of fabric knotted together. Beside the fabric, several rocks lay scattered while two remained stacked on top of the other.

Holding the rope, the archer tightened his grip on it, 'This is why the boy's shirt was torn! He distracted me with using the fabric to topple the rocks after running in the opposite direction; hence why I heard the noise in a completely different direction.'

His face turned a few shades darker at this realization, and springing up on impulse, the youth drew back his leg to kick at the rocks, ready to vent out his anger. However, before he could do so, a firm hand rested on his shoulder.

The archer glared at the interruption, but his burgeoning flame fizzled out at the dark, chestnut irises gazing back at him. Despite how plain and common the color was, they seemed to hide a story of their own.

From the pause, the archer seemed to realize his impulsive actions and calmed down enough to think rationally.

'If I make noise, the target would know... I'm being too blind,' the archer mused, closing his eyes as he chanted his purpose inwardly, 'This is the test to prove my worth. Remember...'

As he opened his eyes, one could see determination sink in before the archer nodded once to show his understanding. To the youth's surprise, the swordsman then patted his head as if he was a kid.

This time however, instead of lashing out, the archer grumbled something under his breath before marching off with a frown; after a few, short steps, he turned to the man and remarked in a stern, hushed tone, "What are you waiting for?"

Only when the swordsman began to walk did the youth resume his decisive march forward, not noticing the man behind him smiled slightly.

"How cute for him for say 'thank you'..." a familiar, husky voice whispered from behind the mask.

...