The Messengers of Sanctuary

37 - River

River released a full-on nightstalker scream under the light of a waxing gibbous, proclaiming to anyone who would listen that a predator was here, a predator that refused to back away just because a dozen fire bending zombies did something with his friend.

Mostly he was trying to put them off balance, or at least get them to stop using logic, an enemy that could think properly was an enemy that hadn't been sufficiently dealt with.

After screaming, River left the area entirely, circling to the opposite side of the camp for his attack, now that he dared to come closer, he could detect the faint scent of Chicory underneath the strange scents of the pyros.

That scent spurred him on.

River exited his cover, using only the darkness of the night to protect his whereabouts. There were seven pyros sitting idly outside the tent, doing...nothing it seemed. River frowned at them and came closer, but as far as he could tell? Well, they seemed like ferals.

He felt his instincts spike as one of the pyros looked up, evidently finally catching River's scent in the air. This thing had a terrible nose...but ah, River was probably not using a very reliable system of measurement here.

Once it detected him, River swept in, mostly aiming to incapacitate the creatures. He frowned as he took in one of their faces and realized that this one had seemed fairly sane earlier when the sun was high. Were his eyes playing tricks on them?

Well it didn't matter, River could smell Chicory much clearer now, she was close by. Close enough that the bloodlust was starting to act up again. Really, my instincts have a terrible memory.

He dispatched the creatures with relative ease, flowing through the attacks with a grace that only a nightstalker could possess.

Then he turned toward the tent, mostly confused. He hadn't managed to make the fight entirely silent like he'd wanted, and he knew that everyone inside was awake. So why wasn't anyone coming out to confront him?

He decided that it was probably a trap, but at this point, it would be foolhardy to turn around and just leave. Most of the pyros he'd attacked were still alive, just knocked out, he couldn't give them enough time to recover.

So River burst into the tent, cutting his own opening with a belt knife he kept at his side.

Inside there were five pyros, clearly sane despite their companions' feral attitudes. And there was Chicory, half tied up on the other side of the tent, watching him with wide eyes. The pyros stared at him for a shocked time. River just stared back at them, gripping his knife in one hand and analyzing the situation.

They didn't seem very aggressive at the moment, mostly fearful. Although half of them looked like they had to restrain themselves from just straight-up attacking River. Only one of them was within reach of a weapon, but the others kept flexing their hands as if preparing to attack with only natural prowess.

River was forty percent sure that he would win in any type of hand-to-hand combat if there were only two or three of them. But with five sane pyros? Well, perhaps if Chicory was free and capable of helping out, but River had given up his element of surprise. His instincts were kind of mad at him about that, screaming to attack, and uh...yeah they weren't being helpful since they were convinced that these zombies were just competition and that a simple first-strike competition would suffice.

River folded his arms deliberately, keeping the knife out but not in any particular stance. He straightened up into a human posture instead of the nightstalker crouch he'd instinctively fallen into. "Why, might I ask, have you stolen my friend?"

There were several beats of silence as their eyes widened and they began to freak out. What? They outnumbered him greatly, and he wasn't that much stronger than him. He'd expected them to at least make a token attempt at scaring him away.

Finally, one man stepped hesitantly closer, "You can have her back, sorry, we didn't know that she was being protected by uh...by one such as yourself."

River blinked slowly and sent a confused look at Chicory, but Chicory just seemed miffed about something. Ah, was she alright? "Is she unharmed?" River tried, moving his gaze back to the anxious pyro.

He blinked, "yes?" He glanced toward Chicory, "you're alright, right?"

Chicory folded her arms, awkwardly because of the ropes that bound them, "I'm wonderful. And for the record River, I was literally just about to break out of here myself, thank you very much."

River blinked at her, she wouldn't know that though since he was still wearing his sunglasses, he exhaled gustily. "Chicory, I know you're perfectly able to take care of yourself. But didn't you literally have a mental breakdown after accidentally killing a zombie once?"

Chicory pointed at him, "That's not the point!!!"

River sighed, "Untie her will you, I think she's annoyed at me."

"You think?!"

I am exactly the last person who should be helping her with brain funky stuff...River sighed as the pyros hesitantly untied her. One of them peeked outside the tent, blinking at the unconscious ferals. "Did you kill them?"

River growled and all the pyros tensed up, but once more it seemed like they were trying to restrain themselves from attacking him. "No, I didn't know yet if they'd done anything worth dying for."

They seemed to relax marginally at that. River sighed as Chicory sat down petulantly on the ground. "I'm rescuing myself. You can leave now."

River blinked slowly at her, "Why though."

"My pride demands it."

"That's stupid."

"You're stupid."

"Everyone is stupid, it's a hallmark of being human."

"No one in this tent is entirely human!!!" Chicory burst finally.

"That doesn't make us not stupid."

"What does this have anything to do with anything?"

River paused, "I was agreeing with your statement that I'm stupid while also explaining that you're also stupid. Now, can we go please before the stupidity becomes unbearable?"

Chicory scowled, "No, this is not the point. I'm trying to make a point and you're ruining it by coming and rescuing me. You aren't a sparking knight in shining armor!"

River sighed, "And what's the point you're trying to make?"

"That I can rescue myself perfectly fine!"

River growled in frustration at the strangely roundabout discussion, "I told you already that I know you're capable of that."

Chicory stood up with a huff and finally stomped outside the tent. She took great pleasure in making the steps as loud as possible. "I'm not trying to prove it to you. I'm trying to prove it to myself."

And then she was gone.

The pyros watched awkwardly as River stood there, dumbfounded, she...didn't believe she could do it? How? Where was the logic in that? What was she even basing this on?

River shook his head slowly and finally went after her, quietly just relieved that she was alright.

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Vote to give Chicory a hug.