19 Chiro

In the Blood Forest, things had been going smoothly so far. There were no enemies -beasts or Aubades- in sight. Just the typical crows, bugs, and some harmless ariets.

Regardless, the patrol looked cautious. It was typical for Timbur to be that way, always moving with a hostile demeanor and one hand on the hilt of his weapon. Only this time, Jem was doing the same thing, and Kita looked very anxious. Even Scorch already had his gun drawn.

-SNAP!

All but Timbur flinched from a loud snap, and Scorch took aim. However, there was nothing there. Just some startled crows, and a rabbit that fled from a broken twig.

Timbur's eyes narrowed. "You cowards."

"This is nerve-wracking, okay?!" Jem retorted.

"Yeah," Scorch agreed. "Be careful, T."

"You don't have to tell me for the twentieth time," Timbur grumbled.

"Easy does it," said Scorch. "If Corelia's targeting you, then-"

"I know the risks!" Timbur snapped. "I already told you idiots; I'm not going to let that damn sylph prevent me from working on my own territory! This forest is ours, and I don't give a damn if she thinks her footmen own it!" He growled, "That just makes more hunting game."

Scorch looked like he was about to argue, but Timbur stormed off before he could. Scorch sighed, but followed quietly. Still worried, Kita merely groaned and fell in place just behind Jem. Eventually, though, Jem did notice her concerned look.

"Don't worry about it," said Jem. "Timbur may be a pain, but he's still the Zyrean Beta. He's not to be underestimated. If Corelia or one of those damn lieutenants is plotting something, he won't go down easy."

"It's just that he's so stubborn," Kita remarked. "He never submits or caves in, not even a little bit. That's good, but also a reason to provoke sylphs. I'm a little worried that it could get all of us into trouble."

"Good point," said Scorch. "Impulse control is still a problem area, with that one. Frankly, he'll just do what's best for the sake of vengeance or his 'master.'"

"You know I can hear all of you," Timbur spoke impatiently. "Stop acting like a bunch of juveniles, and save the gossiping for later."

"Sorry," Kita replied. On the other hand, Jem and Scorch whispered something to each other, giggling under their breath as they did.

Timbur was frustrated by their naive behavior, but ignored it and continued along the route. Along the way, though, he couldn't help hearing Jem's words in his mind. They were extremely simple, but haunted him.

''He is the Zyrean Beta,' huh? Maybe they know it, but I still don't register that as myself. Guess Leiytning's right. Combat aside, little about me has changed since that damn battle.'

Timbur mentally groaned, cursing himself for letting such stupid thoughts distract him. He quickly forced it to the back of his mind and refocused on the current objective.

After a few more minutes, the sound of rushing water echoed faintly in the air; a for-sure sign that they were close to the Blood Stream. Just the thought of getting closer to Sybilius made any demon sick, though.

To them, it had always been a false paradise that Queen Sybil built on the suffering of innocent Zyreans; slaughtered, skinned, and torn to pieces just so they could be sold for worthless materials. Now Corelia was on the hunt again, only for other people and animals that had done her no harm. The Aubades put on a perfect disguise, but the truth still lingered. The truth that the real world was a dark place, full of strife and bloodshed, and the sylphs were only using their power to fuel it. They wouldn't even destroy the true evil creatures. Rather, they'd find the innocent or oblivious. They made the easiest prey.

Timbur looked down. 'Corelia's been attacking, targeting, and trading with the most random tribes. There's no consistent connection. I would say that she's targeting mainly small tribes, but the Kaens and rumors of an elf tribe broke that pattern. That -and the harpies-also diverts from the idea that it's only gargoyles. Maybe darker creatures, but the Aquarus Gargoyles aren't dark, elves are light, and Kaens are clearly demonic. Magic is all different, most of them aren't magic at all...'

Jem broke the silence. "Look alive, everyone. I think there's someone else with us."

Sure enough, when Timbur inspected, Jem was glaring through the trees. Scorch was already loading a hefty fire round in his shotgun. Kita was ready to unsheathe her weapon, although she was clearly more startled than anyone.

There seemed to be nothing, but just as Timbur was going to interrogate Jem, something else stirred.

There was the sound of crunching leaves and heavy 'thuds,' accompanied by a rustle in the bushes. Now the tension in the air seemed suffocating. Timbur watched closely, ready and eager to attack.

After that, several sylphs, each wearing silver armor, rushed out of the bushes. When one got too close to Timbur, he drew his machete and cut straight through its neck, all in one quick swipe. The other sylphs kept their distance, but had their hands on the hilts of their sheathed weapons. Four snipers had their crossbows aimed at the demons.

Timbur rolled his eyes, sneering, "Ranged weapons."

"Easy with what you say about them," said Scorch. "Firearms can be a demon's best friend, you know."

As the sergeants got into position, a lieutenant finally stepped through the crowd. A man with grayish-blond hair and blue eyes, wearing violet-tinted armor. He halted just ten feet away from Timbur.

"About time you showed up," he muttered.

"Not this one again," Jem groaned. "Haven't you caused enough trouble, Chiro?"

"Quiet, beast," Chiro retorted. "I didn't come here to speak with you, I came here to speak with this pitiful excuse of a demon beta."

Timbur raised his machete. "Why don't you say that when you're seven feet closer?"

Chiro gave a dismissive gesture. "Stand down. Unfortunately, my orders are that I come in peace. I'm just here to talk, but don't tempt me to break that."

"Just talking?" Timbur repeated. "Royal bullshit; is that what you said when you slaughtered the Aquarus Gargoyles?"

Chiro seemed surprised.

"Yeah, that's right," Jem taunted. "We're onto the little game you're playing."

"Apparently so," Chiro muttered.

"Why are you doing this?" Timbur interrogated. "You're killing people that never caused you any harm, were almost completely oblivious to your trade circle, and had nothing to do with the war. How can you bear to look at yourself after doing something like that? You're not even fighting the real danger, out here, just the helpless tribes that stand no chance!"

Chiro just spat on the ground before them.

A sniper gestured to Kita. "What's this sylph doing here?"

Jem sneered, "Is she new?"

"Eye for an eye," said Kita. "I'll tell you why, if you tell us what Corelia's conspiring."

Chiro sneered, "Forget it. The rest of us know all too well who you are, Kita Rein. You're a traitorous bitch that was blinded by the monster's sob story. Despite all the grief you've caused, our queen has still refused to give up on you." His fist clenched. "You should be grateful, not homicidal."

"You have nowhere to talk about sob stories!" Kita snapped, then took a deep breath. "Nevermind. Is that why you're acting strange with the trades and attacks, though? Something to do with me?"

"It's none of your business," Chiro responded. "As for you, beta-"

"The name's Timbur, jackass," Timbur spat.

Chiro was clearly impatient. "Alright, then. We've really come to offer some help, despite the incredible irony behind that. Simply, things must be hard without your leader, am I wrong?"

"What are you talking about?" Timbur interrogated.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Chiro snapped. "I know you're having trouble without those damn twins you worshipped like petty gods." He laughed smugly, "I bet you thought you were hiding your weakness during that battle in the ruin. That nobody would notice, especially with a fight between royals right there. I was onto you, though. I saw your fear slip through."

Timbur was anxious, but didn't show it. "You're the one who should be afraid, right now."

"What was it?" Chiro muttered. He recited mockingly, "'Please, Thundur, don't leave us yet. If you and my master are gone, I'll be hopeless. Our people will die for good.'"

Timbur's grip tightened around his blade, and he was clearly uncomfortable.

"Is he right?" Asked Scorch.

"Shut it; of course not!" Timbur impatiently flipped his sword. "If you're trying to convince me not to kill you, this isn't helping."

"Might as well admit it," Chiro continued. "Scared as you were, you weren't wrong. You're in deep trouble, because your pathetic self wasn't ready to take the position. The situation with Kita aside, why are you still be alive? Because Queen Corelia knows you're not a threat; honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she was sorry to see such pitiful, tragic beasts."

Timbur's ears flattened, and his eyes narrowed.

"That impatience probably isn't helping," Chiro remarked. "Fear no longer, runt. Salvation may be possible for you, and the lesser vermin that follow."

"Oh, really?" Timbur sarcastically remarked.

Chiro was clearly unamused. "Spare me your gibes, please, I'm trying to get this over with quickly. Believe it or not, even I have my own problems to deal with. Now, basically, her majesty has a deal for you. In return for your lives, you'll-"

"Stop," Timbur spat. "We've already seen where this goes. No matter how 'pitiful' we become, that's never happening. We're not just going to end this war, especially not like this; cowering because you think you've won, after a victory you only assume happened. Any of us would rather die than work with that sadistic psychopath!"

"Who?" Chiro inquired. "Ah, right, the sadistic psychopath. That reminds me, say hello to your brother when you see him in hell!"

This time, Chiro unsheathed his sword, aiming it at Timbur. The other demons braced themselves for battle, as did the sergeants. Timbur was clearly infuriated by now.

"You want to be stubborn?" Asked Chiro. "Fine. If you won't deal with my queen, then die by my blade!"

"Go ahead and try it!" Timbur snapped.

Chiro barked, "Aubades, destroy the other demons, then take the traitor captive! Leave the runt to me!"

Even when the clash of battle filled the air behind him, Timbur was ignoring the other sylphs. His intent was only to destroy Chiro. This sylph lieutenant had always caused them grief, and now he was doing this. To the easily-provoked beta, that was unacceptable.

Timbur growled, "How do you even have the audacity to come onto our land, disrespect my master, and then attack us? Fight us if you want, but the result will be your own demise."

Chiro shot forward, lashing out. He came close, but Timbur dodged easily and tried to hit his neck. The sylph raised his arm, and the machete bounced off his gauntlet, stunning Timbur for just a second. Chiro lashed out, leaving a long slit across Timbur's face. Timbur countered with a hit to the gut, then stabbed him in the shoulder. Chiro looked annoyed, trying harder to hit him. Timbur was one step ahead, though.

Unlike most warriors, the longer Timbur fought, the faster he got, with more efficient blows. He didn't even have to block Chiro's attacks anymore, just because he darted around them so easily; one could easily mistake a simple temper-tantrum for telekinesis, with how he seemed to predict every move before it happened. However, Chiro was a powerful and experienced foe. He may not have been landing hits, but he also wasn't getting hit in turn. Rather, the two seemed matched.

Eventually, as Timbur wrought down his blade, Chiro tricked him; he raised the blade to strike, but then kicked him in the jaw.

"Like I thought," Chiro growled. "Pathetic runt!"

Enraged, Timbur dodged his following blows, then charged and slammed him into a nearby tree. Chiro avoided the fatal blow, although a swift kick to the gut made him keel over. As he raised his gauntlet, he blocked Timbur's next kick, which made the demon cringe and back away. Chiro raised his blade, also backing off.

That caused a stalemate. Neither the sylph nor demon made one move. Although, Chiro didn't realize that Timbur's free hand was slowly getting closer to the knives on his belt.

"I didn't know you were a worthy opponent," Chiro remarked. "In case you didn't know, this is actually the first time we've fought one-on-one. Around me, however, being tough just means you'll delay the inevitable for a few seconds."

The moment Chiro braced to charge, Timbur unsheathed three knives and hurled them at the sylph. Chiro hardly dodged one, while another bounced off his armor, but the last sank into the base of his chest. A stream of blood shot from the wound.

"Now who's the pitiful one?" Timbur muttered. He was ready to hack the sylph's head off, but Chiro blocked, holding back the blade.

"Fuck you," Chiro spat.

He pulled away, dodging the attack, then drove Timbur back with a heavy sword thrust. Timbur blocked, but it still made him slide back.

"Aubades, retreat!" Chiro shouted.

No warriors had died, which was surprising; all seven of them stopped immediately, then fled back. They regrouped behind Chiro, who was clearly ready to defend against any unexpected attacks.

Chiro sneered, "Interesting results from such a minor test. I admit that I underestimated you, Timbur. I thought fighting- er, well, I thought killing you would take a matter of minutes. You may be Leiytning's apprentice, but I still only see a sad, frightened runt."

Timbur reached for another knife. "So help me, if you keep calling me that..."

"Enjoy your victory for now!" Chiro spat. "You won't have it for much longer. Things are changing, and without your best weapon around, you'll be the first thing to go extinct. For good, this time."

That last remark made Timbur want to punch the smug look off Chiro's face, but -for once- he restrained himself and bit his tongue.

Chiro chuckled, "Head back and prepare for the next mission; we head for target five."

Unable to resist, Timbur threw another knife at Chiro, but the sylph had already run back through the forest. His small group followed him away.

Once they had gone, Timbur looked back at his own posse. Jem had a cut on her stomach, while Scorch got two hits to the right arm. Kita had been hiding behind a nearby tree, although even she had some little scrapes and scratches.

"Nobody's hurt too bad?" Asked Timbur.

"No," Scorch responded. "It doesn't look like there's anything too serious."

Timbur sheathed his machete. "In that case, who else heard what Chiro said?"

Jem grunted. "We were a little busy not getting killed, so we probably missed it."

Timbur rolled his eyes. "When he gave the order to retreat, he mentioned something about a mission that involved 'target five.' Since when do they use codes like that, especially when it involves some kind of battle-focused mission?"

Scorch shrugged his shoulders. "You're asking the wrong patrol."

Timbur's ear twitched. "I think they're going to attack another tribe."

"Dammit," Jem muttered. "How do we know where they'll strike next?"

"Maybe the Ritin, or the Draut?" Scorch suggested. "From what little we could translate, that note told us Corelia was targeting them."

"I think the Ritin would be hidden too well," said Timbur. "Besides, it's one hell of a hassle; they'd need special equipment just to reach the top of that damn mountain, while also dragging along whatever they'd need to keep troops alive. The same goes for the Draut, who are pretty much inaccessible at the bottom of a lake."

"I think one of our agents would report an attack," said Jem "I mean, we have one from each. T'Kala 's a Ritin, and Thresher's a Draut. That's one advantage we have."

"Then it'd be too late," Timbur argued. "How do we stop it before another situation with the Aquarus? What if this time, her footmen find all the survivors? Not to mention, we have just a few people scattered on opposite ends of the whole Northern Territories; our informants aren't going to be useful."

"You heard Leiyt," Jem insisted. "It's probably impossible to stop them beforehand. Even if we had the information, there's not much we can do to stop it, except for warning the people and crossing our fingers. By the way, there are more informants than a couple. Last time I checked, the number was seven. Eight, including the new water-gargoyle."

"And the twins refuse to let us know this?" Timbur muttered.

"They probably don't tell us for our own good," Scorch explained. "And by 'us' I mean you; they know you overreact to trusting outsiders."

"For good reason!" Timbur argued. "So what if I'm cautious?! At least it'll keep us alive!"

"Easy does it," Scorch insisted.

Timbur grunted, storming off. Naturally, the others followed, but Scorch kept his shotgun ready. It was just an extra bit of security, in case there were stragglers. Kita wanted to ask some questions, about could tell Timbur would just snap at her.

"So we're just ignoring this?" Asked Jem.

"For now," Timbur replied. "Looks like we don't have a choice."

Scorch looked anxious. "I don't have a good feeling about that, but if you think we should ignore it, we will."

"I meant until we get back, morons," Timbur explained. "I don't have the authority to make these decisions. I'll tell this to Leiytning and see what he thinks about it, then you'll have your answer. Although, I'm sure we'll hear the same thing, so don't expect much."