Blood-Forged

“Ow! Fuck!” I hastily let go of my hair when tugging on it, perhaps predictably, did nothing. My steps stuttered and I fell a bit behind Piercing Gale. I heard a woosh of air and felt a tug at the bottom of my pant leg as a swing of Massacre’s scythe came dangerously close to slicing through my ankle. “Didn’t do anything!” I shouted at the back of Piercing Gale’s head.

“So surprising.” His sarcastic tone was ruined by his out of breath huffing. He planted a foot solidly on the ground and right after I ran by him he swung Death-Bringer. Behind me I heard metal clash against metal. Glancing back, I saw Piercing Gale swing Death-Bringer a second time but Massacre jumped back, just barely able to dodge. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of red on the roof. I looked up and locked eyes with the archer aiming their arrow at me. When we locked eyes, I immediately recognized the archer as BloodRain, the bow I saw wielded by the Demon Lord Valeron only once before...

BloodRain jolted in surprise when they met my eyes and for a moment their aim drifted, before they shook their head and corrected it. I braced myself to run but before I could an arrow embedded itself in their chest. In the blink of an eye they had become a bow wrapped in red cloth.

Massacre and Gale traded a few more blows, barely dodging each other’s strikes and I looked to the opposite roof. Massacre called out, “Rain.” When BloodRain didn’t respond, he called out again with a hint of panic, “Rain!”

The other archer peeked over the peak of the roof. He drew his bow and aimed at Massacre. Finding himself surrounded and alone, Massacre clicked his tongue and fled.

Piercing Gale let the ax head of Death-Bringer droop to the ground, “Tejara really did need all those muscles to wield Death-Bringer.” Only half listening to him, I took a few steps back, trying to crane my neck enough to see the second archer clearer.

His head was turned, watching Massacre’s retreat, but Massacre must’ve gotten out of view because his gaze suddenly snapped to me.

Long black hair threaded with gray, messily pulled back into a low ponytail. A scruffy beard. Deep eye bags under small, dark eyes and a furrowed brow. I knew him, Kliali’s boy, Gods’ Smile.

He held my gaze for a few seconds then disappeared behind the peak of the roof. “Hey, wait!” Piercing Gale shouted, running for the building. He sighed, lifting Death-Bringer with a grunt and resting the ax head on his shoulder and resting his cheek on the flat of the blade. “Who was that? I couldn’t tell.”

“Gods’ Smile.”

Piercing Gale looked back at me with a raised eyebrow, “really? Why would he be here of all places? Is Viper Sting here?”

I shrugged just as Gods’ Smile rounded the corner and joined us in the alley, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. “I’m here to be as far away from Viper Sting as possible. Now come on, the guards in this town may be lazy fucks but they’ll be here eventually.” He turned to walk further into the alley, gesturing at us to follow.

I glanced up at where BloodRain was laying on the roof in their weapon form. “Should.... We gran BloodRain? So they can’t ambush us again?”

“No!” Gods’ Smile snapped, briefly looking back at me before looking away again. “It’s more trouble than it’s worth trying to cage them. Better off just trying to avoid them. Now shut up and move faster.”