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Chapter 32: A Fresh Start
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The Black Hellblade Chapter 33: Weary Wanderers
After thirty minutes of rest by a dying fire, Ronan stomped the embers out. Clove covered the charred sticks and kindling with torn thistle and brush, and Ike swept the leaves of a large branch over their footprints.Insects buzzed in the bushes, and the four heard no signs that they were being pursued. But they also knew that could change at any second.Maritza boarded the white horse, and this time Ike mounted the beige. "I'll lead us through Butcher's Bog," Maritza said, lacking the stern tone her voice usually carried. "There, our tracks should be hidden by the low waters.""And then," Ronan added with the map in his hand, positioning himself on the white horse behind Maritza, "We should take the tough trail of Loner's Crag, and cross around to the merchant path near Lover's Lake."Clove joined Ike and put her hands on his hips. He jolted with joy at her touch."At that point," Clove said, "We'll be near the Temple of the Seahorse, if it still stands to this day.""Or if
The Black Hellblade Chapter 34: When the Fire Dies Out
The four awoke to a cold, bitter morning with little sunlight.Clove was the first to sit up while the rest rubbed their eyes. She shivered, bundled her traveling blanket over her shoulders, and hung a small cast-iron cooking plate on the tallest sticks that made the fire pit. After Clove gave a few quick, breathy blows on the smoldering embers, the fire smoked back up and ignited the remaining kindling.Ike set a few more branches they'd found in the crag over the fire, along with some thin roots he plucked from weeds along the trail. He was about to comment on how sleeping near moss and on a bed of rocks did wonders for his back, and how he felt like a kid again, but he saw Clove's frown, and how she shook off the night's aches and pains, then decided against it. Not everybody was as accustomed to the woods as him, and finally Ike was feeling as if he was in his proper element, away from expensive, impractical clothing. He also felt like nothing helped to flip a frown to a smile
The Black Hellblade Chapter 35: Lover's Lake
The three laughed as Ronan chewed like he had glass in his gums. After swallowing, Ronan perked up and said, "Wow, that's actually amazing. It's like pork rib!" Ike gave a small bow, and the group all shared a laugh. Green Essence surrounded Ike, and it entered his shoulder, filling the progress bar under his Mark of the Butterfly. The ladies enjoyed their cakes, and the men ate their skewers, and the horses hounded down a second pot of Ike's concoction. When they were fully restored, the group saddled up, and made their way down the rest of Loner's Crag. For a day, they traveled at a brisk pace, staying slow enough to not tire the horses, and fast enough to feel as though they were avoiding the Butterfly Nightblades, who they all believed had stopped pursuing them. It was the dead of night when the group reached Lover's Lake and felt the pangs of hunger in their stomachs once more. The Lake was huge and sparkled from the starlight, and small shadows could be seen swimming
The Black Hellblade Chapter 36: Trial of the Seahorse
The Lance landed upright with a thud in the grass as Ronan backflipped out of harm's way. His Mark of the Butterfly activated, and smoke billowed from his forearm. "Not bad," Scindo said with a big grin. "And it looks like those markings on your arm are the real thing. Aren't they, Black Serpent?"Ronan cocked a brow. "What did you call me?"He'd only ever been referred to by such a name inside The Temple of the Butterfly. Scindo's indigo hair swayed beneath his tricorn hat as he responded, "I've dreamt of this day for months now. I see you and the Black Butterfly, and I hear The Shroud's demonic voices." He approached the lance and tugged it from the dirt, whipping it and the packed-on soil to his side. "That's what The Shroud calls you both," Scindo continued, his slur disappearing, and a thick set of black Runes spreading from his shin and up to his face, " The Shroud calls you The Black Serpent and The Black Butterfly."Maritza stepped between Scindo and Ronan with her a
The Black Hellblade Chapter 37: Fire and Water
Scindo slammed his lance to the dirt, and a geyser of sparkling water shot up in front of him. For a second, wind billowed in every direction as the vortex of white fire collided against the geyser until, finally, the two both dissipated. Scindo grinned for only a second before he raised the shaft of his lance horizontally by his chest, blocking the swing of Ronan's sword. Then, the two took off in a flurry of footwork that stomped the bushy grass beneath them flat. Scindo thrusted both blunt edges of his lance at Ronan, twirling his staff left and right. Ronan positioned himself sideways in a fencing stance he'd learned from Maritza at The Temple of the Butterfly. He kept his swordhand outright to hold Scindo at bay, and Ronan hacked away each of Scindo's attacks. Scindo taunted Ronan and said, "That Mark of the Butterfly keeps you moving quickly, huh?"Smoke from Ronan's markings plumed in Scindo's face, and Ronan's pace quickened. The sound of wood thudding against metal rang t
The Black Hellblade Chapter 38: A Temple Built on Honor
In the wake of Ronan and Scindo's clash, the soft wind blew calmly on the grassy hills. Day had begun to break, but as the group traveled on towards The Temple of the Seahorse, they could still hear the festive cheers and praise ringing out from within the stone walls. Ike nudged Clove and gave her a soft smile. "And I thought the Butterflies knew how to throw a good party," he said. The morning sun that was the same color of rust on an ancient blade had begun to edge over the night's dark clouds, and the lighting made the smirk Clove returned to Ike exceptionally beautiful. She grabbed his hand, knowing that the two of them together would give each other the strength to tackle whatever awaited them ahead. Maritza had made a timid attempt for Ronan's hand too, though she didn't quite make it in time. Ronan took a sip of the rum Scindo had handed him, and Maritza's hand fell flat by her thigh, making her feel all the more lonely and isolated. The one thing that set her apa
The Black Hellblade Chapter 39: The End of an Old Life
Morning had come but the celebrations didn't end. After Ronan and his friends had received more seafood than they could possibly eat, the four were led outside by Ilia. She took them down a path coated in seashells as rough as cobblestone, and down towards the beaches at the end of the cliffside. Ike and Clove were wobbling from the rum, and clinging onto each and laughing. Ronan and Maritza hadn't had as much to drink, and when bottles were passed to them, they mostly only held onto them for show. The two felt something toxic surging in the air, and knew they would need their wits about them. But, in a silent agreement, they both also knew that after all their treacherous traveling, they were in much need of rest.Besides, once Illia had gotten the Seahorses riled up on the topic of Black Blade revenge, she had shut the discussion down just as fast as she'd brought it up."Today," she said over and over again, "is a day to forget all our troubles and enjoy ourselves. Without s
The Black Hellblade Chapter 40: The Black Sand
Water pooled in the sand by Ronan's feet as he held the Hellblade outward. The bright pink sun glimmered on the clear ocean, making the sludge creeping onto shore appear all the murkier and more disgusting. Ronan expected his sword to pulse in his hand, and for his veins to go black, but nothing happened. He stood for a moment confused and with his sword drawn. A brief breeze nipped at him between his legs, reminding him of his nakedness. Scindo and Illia broke out into a fit of laughter."Easy there, Black Serpent!" Scindo called out. "Observe that black sand a bit closer, won't you?"Illia wiped a tear from her amber eye and said, "I think he's been a little too busy observing The Black Butterfly."Ronan had jumped from the spring while he and Maritza were enjoying each other's close quarters company, and he was very much displaying his passion for Maritza outright. Maritza blushed and slid deeper into the water, hiding everything but her eyes, ears, and curly blonde hair. S
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