The Knights of Grimm - Act 2 - Captured

Chapter 5 - A Man Of His Word

Hazel

The sun begins to set behind the dunes of Mistral's small Desert. The sandstorm has passed, consuming most of the landscape, civilians cleaning the dust from their town as they prepare for the cold wintry nights of the desert. But the five minions of Salem remain out in the dunes, walking aimlessly, treading through thick layers of grainy sand to figure out where they should go. It is still incredibly hot, but soon it will be as cold as the Atlesian Mountains if they do not prepare a fire and get some food into their empty bellies. Mercury wipes the sweat from his eyes and Emerald exhales, whipping her green hair back so then she can see more clearly. Sweat beading from her dark complexion. "Where are we going?" She asks Hazel as he continues to walk, the Onyx Phantom is still with them but she as always refuses to speak. She keeps on walking but he eventually stops to turn to her.

"The Hyperborean Nightfall is coming soon, we need to find shelter and make a fire." Hazel reports.

"And some food..." Mercury complains, holding his stomach with his hand.

Cinder's eye focuses on something in the distance, through the mirage that sambas across the dunes. Some sort of large reptilian animal, not a Creature of Grimm, just some form of wildlife. She forms her Obsidian Bow in her hand, the arrow forming between her fingers and she aims at the creature in the distance. It looks like a reptilian cow with a lizard's head, large fat body with a set of humps across its back. She aims carefully, and she eventually releases and launches the arrow across the dunes. The arrow cuts through slivers of sand that blow in the wind from the past Sandstorm and the arrow takes an impact in the side of the creature's neck, nearly killing it humanely and instantly, its body crumbling to the floor with crimson blood leaking from its wound, laying there. It groans in pain, laying there. "There's dinner." Cinder says.

The Onyx Phantom stops and looks at them and Hazel smiles slightly when he sees how good of a shot it was. "Nice shot!" Emerald compliments with a smile, and there is a real friendly smile on Cinder's face, one that Hazel and the Onyx Phantom notice. But they have different responses. The eyes of the Onyx Phantom narrow grudgingly as she walks away from them. But Hazel still smiles, as he is not free from emotion. It is clear that there is still some element of good in him.

"We still need to find some shelter." Hazel points out and as the Onyx Phantom walks up a hill, she aims through the scope of her Sniper Rifle, spotting something in the distance. They are in luck. There is a distant structure buried into a cliff face that is nearly buried into the dunes, but is still accessible. Some sort of prehistoric structure that has been forgotten, perhaps unveiled by the Sandstorm. They have seen some dead trees sticking out of the sand, the wood is dry enough to make a fire with. She points at it to Hazel and he walks up beside her, looking at the structure. he nods his head up and down. "That'll do for the night." He says to her, walking past her as he approaches the carcass of the creature that Cinder managed to take down.

He approaches it, still alive and groaning in agony. Cinder walks with him as he approaches it, its blood has soaked into the sand. He crouches down beside the creature and he gently strokes his hand across the rough scaly skin of the creature and it whimpers. Cinder looks at its pain, and for whatever reason, she actually feels guilt for not making a better shot. "I'm sorry that this has had to happen to you." Hazel gently says as he calms the creature down, gently removing the arrow from its neck. It is still alive and in pain, though. So he reaches into his coat and he pulls the same jagged blade that he killed Sun's mother with from it. He closes his eyes and Cinder closes her eye to not look. "Sleep well amongst the Infinite and the Unbound." Hazel mumbles, pushing the metal blade onto its heart, ending its suffering, the body becoming loose and lifeless. Blood drips from the blade, pulling it from the scales and he sighs, looking upon it. Cinder can see the hate of killing in the man's eyes, he does not enjoy killing. But he must do it.