Of Silence and Scars, Chapter 20

Hey all. I am still holding strong on the chapter-a-day schedule, and this was a big one. Celebrating 20 chapters I have thoroughly enjoyed writing and seeing the views increase. Please comment if you liked it or if something irked you! I love to hear comments and criticism because it only makes me better :) Enjoy.

XX The Noxian company passed over a stream, the home stretch lay before them. The spire flagging down the company to their safe return. Draven took a deep breath, getting lost in the incense of wheat and barley wafting in the gentle breeze. Darius crouched over the crystal water, filling canteens half-full for luxury. They wouldn’t need the water per say, home was only an hour or two away. Darius talked softly to Sona and she laughed then glanced at Draven. Darius looked over his shoulder as well then chuckled and returned to his idle task. Draven glanced at Swain and the others up on the road, taking a moment to rest while the canteens were filled. He couldn’t resist the obvious bait, turning to Sona and Darius he asked what was so funny. Both said nothing, merely snickering and ignoring him. He persisted, “Hey now, don’t keep good ol’ Draven out of the loop!” They held firm, so he had to play rough. Fine. He turned to Sona, “Don’t make me do it. You know how this ends. Tell me.” She shook her head. “Fine, fine. But I warned ya!” He looked at his boots for a moment, then tipped his head slightly up with as big of puppy dog eyes as he could muster. The look burned through her defenses like napalm through paper, but Darius saved her. “Haha I told her we could make you come over if I whispered. I wanted to bet on it.” “And?” “It’s hard to bet when she agreed with me. You are much too easy!” Draven looked upset to complete the moment, but for once he wasn’t annoyed by Darius using him. It was strange but as he looked at the laughing faces of his brother and Sona, he felt at peace. Maybe even happy. The thought triggered a denial reflex, but he shoved that down and just enjoyed the moment. Screwing around as any family would on a beautiful day… The laughing died quickly as the air grew cold rapidly. A line appeared out of thin air, widening quickly as though a blade had cut the sky itself. Jumping onto the grass, a mix of void monstrosities and unknown opponents charged in each direction, thirsty for blood. The Noxians had been hired occasionally to clean up after Rek’sai, but a random portal? And these new foes they hadn’t seen before: odd creatures, made of dark purple crystal jutting outwards into a humanoid form. No hands were discernable, but weapons either protruded out from extended limbs or replaced the limbs themselves. Faceless and cumbersome, a group charged straight at the three by the river. Darius nearly knocked Draven off of his feet as he sailed past, “Protect Sona!” Draven hated to miss out on any action, but he had little choice. He couldn’t leave Sona. Drawing his axes, he held off any voidlings that slipped past his brother, which were numerous despite his best efforts. Cut off from the others, Draven only saw the massive form of his brother smashing and hacking away at the horde. He seemed to be in a different time, everything else moved too slowly for him. His armor too thick, swing to strong. Resolute and invincible he sliced as if only hacking through water. Nearly two dozen had fallen as purple ooze sprayed from his ax like a fountain when it came. A grotesque abomination born of the void lumbered through the portal, standing nearly ten feet tall. It had bulbous growth’s spanning its entire body, some oozing yellow liquid that slid slowly down the horrid form. Battle raging all around it, the form turned towards Swain’s group. With great effort the beast began trudging on tree trunk legs. Darius shouted a challenge to the beast, and ran through the crowd. Draven yelled after him to stop, but the Hand of Noxus would not yield while his countrymen were in danger. Turning to Sona, she nodded and he leapt after his brother. Tendrils of magic raced alongside him as he ran up the hillside, and they slammed into oncoming foes. He hacked at any opponent directly in his path, but his eyes stayed locked on the hardened iron frame now nearing the great void monster. Darius leapt high into the air as he brought down the Noxian Guillotine into the beasts head, splitting it in half down to the neck. Ooze and puss sprayed forth, coating the Noxian as he fell. It brought grey smoke as it seared armor and flesh, the acidic counter attack from the now deceased creature paid its last regards. Darius took a jolted step, then fell to a knee clutching his chest and right arm. The armor was almost completely shredded off of him already, and any exposed flesh was red and bloody. His eyes rolled back as his strength waned and he collapsed sideway on the hill, still smoldering slightly. A short pant escaped Draven’s parted lips. Followed by another. Then one more, hardly any air moved. He fell to his knees mid-stride. The world turned grey and blurry, only his brother’s broken body remained. Lying in a pool of blood and acid, tendrils of smoke wafting in the breeze. Dirt caked his rough features, matted hair sprawled on his head, and scars bore deep red lines into his face. Every detail was crisp, even from a distance. Draven drew in a deep breath, void monsters moved in slow motion towards him. He rose to greet them. Releasing the air held within his lungs like fire from a dragon’s gaping maw he roared! The grey, blurry world became red and crisp as he lunged up the hill twirling axes in a tornado of hatred. Vengeance reaped with each swing, clattering of metal on crystal, bone and flesh filled his ears along with the pounding of his liquid fury coursing in his veins. Screaming until he had nothing left to give he threw whirling death in front of him and grappled a nearby voidling and threw it into the return path of the spinning blades soaked in the violet blood of those who fell before him. Draven’s rage and fierce cry scattered the few remaining voidlings, and he pursued in earnest. Anything to distract him from the broken form on the hillside. His sanity to a backside to madness and violence as he went into auto pilot. Find, kill, repeat. Find, kill, repeat. No laughter came from his lips for once, no catch phrases. Shouts of anguish and hatred coming less frequently. Swain and the other Noxians looked on in horror. The master tactician noticed the frail form of Sona crouching over Darius’ body, etwahl in hand. Then the tactician noticed something else, behind her, rounding the tree, was Kog’maw. The vile worm spotted her and began to run to get a free shot. Swain cast aside his cane as he burst into his raven form. Stampeding to intercept the Mouth of the Void, he barely managed to cast nevermove, locking him in place. Kog’maw fidgeted and struggled, but Swain held firm, returning to human form now that the threat was gone. He needed questions answered. Draven approached Swain, “They are all dead. All but one!” He raised a blade to end the final creature of the void as the portal closed next to them. Swain caught his arm, “I need him alive!” Draven struggled to free himself, but Swain held firm, “Draven! Listen to me! This is the only chance we have to find out who attacked your brother!” “I know who got him! These void shits got him, they came out of nowhere and they took him! Do you see anyone else here?” “When have they ever come this organized? None of them were nearly powerful enough to open that portal themselves Draven! Calm yourself, I know this is hard to accept, but we can use him. This is Urgot’s specialty. You know his work boy. You know it is not something nearly as gracious as death that awaits this creature…” Draven calmed visibly and shook him off. “Fine I won’t kill him, but stop me one more time and I will gut you. I don’t care what you say.” Swain nodded as Draven sheathed his ax and cracked his knuckles menacingly. Swain turned to Darius as the sounds of pummeling fists striking flesh resounded behind him and Draven’s curses streamed forth. Urgot and the others who survived moved to keep the prisoner contained. Arriving at Sona’s side, he crouched and asked what his status was. She replied his breath was shallow and ragged, but he was alive and badly burned. She had managed to stop the continuation of the burns and stabilize him, but she was running out of magic quickly. The battle left her as worn as everyone else. Swain saw the ragged pattern of seared flesh all along Darius’ right side. His arm down to the elbow was bare and scarred, as were his breast and abdomen. Swain barked out orders to gather a stretcher and four men carry Darius to Noxus. He sent one man ahead to arrange for help to be ready from any medical personal he could gather. Draven approached as Sona played an Aria of Perseverance. She played rapidly, pouring as much magic into the strings as she could. Hands trembling as the green aura seeped into the broken form like water to a sponge. The ragged breath halted, replaced by a calm, deep breathing of a man in slumber. Darius’ eyes strained to open, barely achieving it. He squinted at his brother, Sona, and Swain, “We….. urgh….. we won… didn’t we sir?” Swain put a hand on his shoulder, about as emotional as he had ever been. “Yes. Yes we did. Rest now son of Noxus. We are taking you home.” Darius’ eyes struggled to stay open, then he gave in to Swain’s command. Fading back into sleep. Stabilized, but not healed fully, he would make the trip back. Draven clutched Sona tightly, whispering his thanks once, then staying silent. She managed a weak hug, but had nothing left. Her head lay heavily on his shoulder, and he realized she had fainted from exhaustion. She really had poured everything into his brother’s survival. He lifted her onto his shoulder, holding her as gently as he could with one arm for balance. With the other he took his place to carry Darius’ stretcher to Noxus. A questioning soldier tried to part him with the stretcher, saying he needed to carry Sona. “I can do both,” he growled, “And the only way you are parting me from this spot is if I have to decapitate you which would require me leaving for only a moment, and I am telling you right now, it ain’t worth it so beat it before I beat you!” Swain pulled the soldier aside and sent him on his way. Taking his own position from another guard, Swain gave the order and they lifted the valiant soul and carried him home. Draven’s vengeance burned hotter than any exhaustion could distract him from. The sun set, trying to end this day of bloodshed and get a fresh start in the morning. The wheat and barley fields bowed to the fallen as the procession passed. All were silent. No birds called out, no insects hummed, the air itself stood silent. No one dared to evoke the wrath of Draven.