Broken Glass - Taekook

30

The morning starts like all the others. We pack up camp as early as we can, shoving our belongings into our packs. Namjoon checks the map, double checking how far we have to run. But now his eyes are lighting up, and he's pointing out that we might reach the start of the plains by noon. 

Our spirits boosted somewhat, we begin the day's journey, pushing through the thick undergrowth and tripping sometimes over gnarled and twisted roots of trees that are taller than most of the others we've encountered whilst in Eithyr. Right on the edge of the king's control, it's like we're testing the wire of a trap, pulling and pulling until it finally goes taut and activates. 

Just as we reach the edge of the Rymateri Forest, a crow calls above us, and my blood runs cold.

They can't be out here. It's not possible. They wouldn't come this far from the control of the king. They wouldn't dare. Not this close to the Yarolian Plains. To the faerie queen. 

And yet, as all of us turn around to check the area, I can just about catch the sight of something, a dark blur in the very corner of my vision that looks a lot like black fabric. Taehyung and Namjoon share a look, and then my friends are all backing up together in a protective circle around me. I tug my sword out from my belt, the cold within me turning into frozen fear. 

There's a moment of hushed silence, and then a cloaked figure seems to appear from nowhere, fading out of the trees themselves. A now-familiar red circle, around a wickedly sharp sacrificial knife, flutters in the wind on the side of the cloak. The glowing red eyes within the hood burn with hatred, as the Karulian Knight launches themselves towards us. 

Even as a glinting blade slashes through the air in Seokjin's direction, there's a flash of bright green light. The blade seems to stop in mid-air, screech to a halt as if it's dragging through some harsh metal. My heart skips a beat. And then I see Namjoon's expression, and I understand. 

His face is tense, his hands held protectively over his partner, and the lines on his arms are glowing. 

Properly glowing, in a way I haven't seen them do since my first morning in Hazelpoint, perhaps thousands of miles away. A lifetime away, it feels like. He's accessed the golden river since then, but not to this extent. It feels like sometimes they can dip in and out, and other times they're immersed in its power. 

This seems more like the latter. 

Hoseok raises his own sword, as the Knight is pulling back. There's a spark of energy, a flash of light, and the alchemist is thrown back several feet, landing hard onto his ass on the start of the plains.

He grits his teeth, digging his fingers into the soft earth below. Through the thick leather of the gloves he's wearing, the compass symbol on both wrists flashes gold, and then disappears once more. 

Something colourful flashes just past my ear, heading directly for the Knight. It disappears into its cloak, eliciting no reaction from the cloaked figure, who just hisses, still staring directly at Namjoon, with the same hateful gaze. 

A moment later, the mage sags slightly, and the blade almost falls through the air in a smooth motion, slashing at Seokjin's arm and hitting the his shoulder. The elemental curses, and a flare of flame roars up from his hands, in the direction of the Knight. 

They attempt to jump out of the way, but they're still caught by the majority of the fire. And the majority of the cloak is burnt away. 

And for the first time, I get to see something more of the Karulian Knights. 

This figure is unnaturally thin, the torso twisted and strange within the cloak. Three daggers hang, one glowing red, from a belt at their waist. An almost opaque, chitinous black armour covers most of the body, encasing it in an insect-like shell. Some of the armour around the chest has been hit by Seokjin's attack, and almost looks like it's melted. The hood, however, remains unmarred, though the eyes grow darker for a moment in a form of anger.