HBH IV: Forges Of Hellfire

X: Meet The River Pepsquad

We still couldn't find any puppies, obviously. We were underground. I'm willing to bet Cu Chulainn didn't know this. The ground shook aggressively. "Where are we?" Cu Chulainn shook his head. "This is where the gods and goddesses who served Gray go. If they failed at their mission- they were taken there." I felt my palms getting sweatier. He's probably scared half of his army into submission. But the fact that gods and goddesses were willing to join him. His motive wasn't clear to me yet. "We'll pass through the cages where they're placed and continue." Claudia looked at me nervously. Cynthia was killed by Macha, she was actually after Claudia. Since she killed Cynthia and not Claudia, she could be there. Cu opened the door cautiously. Along the lines of the prison were dozens of amber colored glass doors. I felt a familiar chill. I turned to my left and saw Cailleach holding the door of her prison. Frost creeped up the walls. "What was her failed mission?"

"To recruit soldiers, she did."

"Then why is she here?"

"She was too powerful and she killed the recruits."

"Oh."

"Yeah." She shot us a baleful glare. To our right a god with blonde hair wore a brown tunic, muttering to himself. "He's Bres? What was his failed mission?"

"To kill Mark Azrael."

"That was his mission?"

"He manned the operations, sending fomorians to camp to capture him." For a second I froze. He could be dying and I'm here with a blond guy. "He fought off all three fomorians sent to destroy the camp and kill him. More or less unscathed so Bres failed that."

"Thank goodness." Claudia and I sighed. Cu looked at us oddly. "So Cu, what other goddesses are here?" A cold voice spoke. "I know that voice. Those wretched voices." The other gods and goddesses in their cells froze. Claudia walked up to where the sound was coming from. A woman with dull, sunken eyes held a baleful stare on Claudia. Her hair was in tangles and looked like she tried to make DIY dreadlocks. "Macha." She smiled coldly. "Happy to know you remember me." Claudia scowled angrily. "You." Macha walked up to the glass. Her smile turned into a wicked sneer. "You have no chance against the Fomorians." Cu walked up to Macha. "You won't be there to witness it."

"Why not?"

"You'll remain here."
"Because I couldn't kill her?"
"Yes."

"So rude." Cu grumbled. "Final warning." Macha snapped and pounded on the glass. "LET ME OUT!" Cu Chulainn pulled down a curtain. Claudia sighed. Images of Cynthia's death seemed to flash in my eyes. I held back tears as my knees buckled. I'd felt anger, when Mark lost his arm, when Gray pushed Claudia off the cliff but none like this. I had the power and the ability to take full revenge for my end. For Croix and Cynthia, I could easily find a sword and banish her away. That's the pros of having an immortal being as your enemy. You can beat them up as many times as you want. I turned around angrily. I didn't feel like lashing out. It was the anger where you were mad but you knew you can't do anything. Claudia began to walk out of the chamber so I followed behind her. Cu followed us slowly. "Nope, I don't like this set-up."

"What?"

"Claudia, stay in the front. Cu in the middle and I'll be in the back."

"Why?"

"If you try to kill Claudia, I'll kill you.

"Reasonable."

"Maybe we should follow the river?" Cu's interest suddenly peaked. "A river you say?" I nodded. "YES! We should find the river, lead me to the river!" I shrugged and walked around. "Is this the way to the river?" I shook my head. "I don't know." Cu sighed and saw a 'y' shaped twig sticking out of the ground. "Kendra, would you happen to know dowsing?" I sighed. "I can sense where water is, without a 'y' shaped twig." He nodded slowly. Claudia snickered.

After a while Cu began to run ahead. Clearly he was the river pep-squad. Finally we could hear the rushing of a river. He turned a corner and nearly fell into a ditch. "I get you need drinking water, but the water is boiling and acidic." He scoffed. "I don't need drinking water- unlike you mere mortals."

"Then why do you want to find a river so bad?"

"It could get us out of here."

"Okay, back to the original position." Cu was once again in the middle. Claudia sighed. I thought hard about why he would want a basically dangerous river? Soon enough we were at the river. Cu knelt by the riverbanks and began mumbling incoherent words. A river began to stir. It suddenly hit me. The Gáe Bulg. A spear made from sea monster bones of the Curruid. Cu Chulainn used the spear in single combat when fighting Ferdiad. The smooth spear when stabbed would extend barbs. Out of the stirring water he pulled out his spear. I yanked Claudia as we raced past him, willing to wade in the water to the other end. We could hear him running after us.

I saw a door labeled: WEAPONS ROOM. I opened the door and felt around. I heard Claudia shuffle. "I have a slingshot, we both don't have our weapons so what did you get?" I felt around and picked up a sword. The hilt was bound in leather. It felt familiar in my hand. I kicked down the door and we looked at each of our weapons. Claudia had a wooden slingshot, I had a sword. "That's unfair." Along the blade were the words: Claiomh Solais. "I immediately feel unworthy of this sword." Claiomh Solais was the Sword of Light. Is it fair to say a lightsaber is a Claiomh Solais? I don't know. The Claiomh Solais was the sword of Nuada. "Too bad." I thought, 'Wow, the gods must be really ignorant just leaving their weapons around for a psychotic 16 year-old whose father's eye can literally set you on fire.' Cu came, now brandishing a pale spear. It glowed with a hollow aura. I could feel the pain Ferdiand felt. I winced. "Now, you both will die."

"Not when I have your dad's slingshot we won't."

"It's a normal slingshot."

"It killed the Fomorians."

"It's a lie, it's a normal slingshot." Claudia stared the slingshot in hand. "So, this is useless and they painted it as a glorious weapon of destruction?"

"Yeah, more or less."
"Another GREAT lie told to me."

"Yeah."

"Okay, no more small talk." I drew Claiomh Solais and swung at Cu. He stepped back and was ready to impale me with the spear. I blocked it. Claudia picked up a rock and threw it at him. "You can just use the slingshot!"

"I'M NOT USING A DEAD-BEAT SLINGSHOT, WHEN I HAVE PERFECTLY GOOD ARMS!"

"BECAUSE A SLINGSHOT IS BETTER."

"Huh, dang right. WHATEVER!" She threw more stones at him. He threw the spear at Claudia. It lightly scratched her shoulder and when she rolled out of the way, 7 barbs shot out of the spear.