CURSE OF THE EVER REALMS

Chapter 9: Secrets Laid Open

Stumbling across acres upon acres of lush emerald hills was the weary threesome. Following behind this beast that seems to just be able to continue his journey without stopping for breath. Reminding them of those ancient warriors that always soldier on regardless. Meanwhile they out of breath and aching must rest by the hump of the ancient hollow tree. Bark blackened by the morning dew.

Rising, the sun begins to raise it's beaming face across the timeless meadows, gracing them all with a new dawn like a blanket of amber light.

"So where are we going?" Marc raises the question forcefully.

"Wherever i damn well please!" Christerio is reluctant to even acknowledge.

"Look, mate, I am sorry but we're not from around here. We've been through enough. We're all tired. Least you could do is tell us where we're heading and why?" Understanding Christerio walking towards the rustic tree leaning against it with his wrist.

"Fine, I am heading to see some old friends of mine. We parted ways after a feud. I decided it was best that I departed. Yet i heard someone i care deeply about was in trouble. I was making my way over there when i noticed that the trouble had already started. Bad luck i guess."

Marc looks at him confused before looking down toward the rest of the group beads of sweat raining down their skin.

"Okay? What kind of trouble you meaning?"

Tutting Christerio looks past as if looking through Marc over at the sound of panting and fuss of the two exhausted girls. 

"I guess you could say a war is heading our way." 

Marc slides down the tree and puts his head into his hands a she sighs deeply. 

"Trust us to fall into a realm right at the time of a war!" 

"Not just any war my friend. One of the biggest known to our kind. What you just witnessed is not the norm for around these parts. You witnessed the awakening of two timeless Gods. Even in our world that is unheard of. Your friend over there must have inhaled or touched a flake of ice or something from that statue of the Goddess. She is now chosen by the Goddess to fight for her. Good luck you guys will need it!"

Christerio does a cheeky smirk just before Sam removes herself slowly from her resting position and takes a small lunge toward him with an open palm toward the skin of his cheek. Grabbing back her arm Louise hushes her and pulls her aside pushing her away from the situation. Louise takes a slow and cautious step toward him as he backs up she places up her hands to show she comes without intention to harm him. 

"Chris, do you mind if we call you that as it is easier for us. Sorry for my friend she is protective and i could not help but over hear you were talking about me. How do I get this to go away? Is it a curse? Can we do a ritual or something?" 

Chris now steps forward and out of the shadow of the morning light his eyes gleaming through the darkness surrounding his eyes like that of a well placed skull overlay. His voice turns lower and almost sounds sad. Louise feeling a little unnerved decides to prepare for the worst by removing her sharp silver hair grip just encase. 

Holding it like a weapon in front of her he swipes it out of her hand instantly and as she scrambles helplessly round the tall blades of evergreen he steps on it with a heavy thump that brings up the soil around her hands, roots of a tree tighten around her wrists pulling her to the dewy ground. Looking up toward those eyes like a beam of sunrays themselves there she is frozen, forced like a captive against her will. She screams out in pain as one of the vines with a razorblade thorn enters her skin ripping into the vein like steal through butter. Sam rushing to her aid, smacks him clean around the back of head with a lump of hard oak. 

"Loui! Oh my god you are bleeding." Sam pulls her up to her feet by under her arm pits and drags her without Marc's aid to the tree resting her tired body against it. 

Weak she can barely open her eyes, where the roots had tied themselves there were these red welts like her circulation was strangled. Slowly she finds the power from deep within to out stretch her hand enough to reach to Sam and pull her face down to hug her into her chest right by her heart. Sam hearing the endless rhythm of the beats felt safer than ever knowing her best friend in the world was alive. 

Marc looking down on the now limp carcass of the former sarcastic man Christerio is seen to give his leg a slight kick before spitting by his side. Sam unimpressed shakes her head in disbelief then looks back to Louise who is now fast asleep in her arms. Removing her jumper she rolls it up into the shape of a pillow, placing it gently behind her head so she can sleep softly. Throwing a half empty water flask at Marc's back Sam bluntly states. 

"Drink up, we are moving on with or without Chris. Ten minutes then we are out of here." 

Marc nods and does a salute gesture "Yes ma'am."

"Marc you are in charge of carrying Louise otherwise we will never make it." 

Marc attempts to protest by throwing up his arms in a way that says "why always me?" Yet he thought against it once seeing the seething look Sam threw his way. Marc runs over toward the slumped snoring brown haired girl, barely sitting upright by the base of the tree and somehow in one swift move has her wrapped around his back, over his front hanging with dangling feet smacking him ever so close to his nether region. Looking out for his privates he spins her body around slightly like a tired child and then with a huff walks on with Sam trying to catch up behind him. 

"Wait for me god damn it! One day you will be the death of me!" Sam with a raised fist in the air shakes it vigorously in Marc's direction. Marc not paying even the slightest bit of attention to her antics just journeys on but as she whines behind his turned back  you hear his mutters of reluctance to listen gradually getting louder as she annoys him further. 

Finally he turns toward Sam with a face that is unimpressed, so blank you cannot see any emotion other than boredom from deep within the foundations of his soul. Drowning out Sam's constant stream of aggression he see's a trembling body carefully rise from far within the distance. Back toward that ancient oak, where Chris's body laid now was an empty flat piece of grass where he must have plummeted to the floor. Dusting himself down it seems as though Chris had regained consciousness and was actually standing upright. 

Clambering through the wicked talons of the stressed weeds as they pull against Chris's rag like cloth of his clothes you see him edging with a mission toward them all. Marc and Sam caught off guard look to each other with wide eyed stares and suddenly make a dash for it going in any direction as long as it was far enough away from the man who looked like a dragged up corpse. Gaining on them with every turn of her head Sam's eyes at one point look directly at Chris's and at this moment she stops in her tracks.