The Ballad of the Bygone Drifters - The Order

╔═════════ The order - Chapter ONE ═════════╗

828 Words

The group’s trip from the Keeper’s Sanctum was one of solemn silence. Cailu had been kind enough to brief the Vayron’s on what to expect from the Order this time, rather than dropping them in the deep end, and their newfound allies from the Keepers of the Crystal Mind had all but affirmed his tales.

The deeper they traipsed the more on edge their Haedian escorts were. Short fur bristling and heads hung low, paws seeking out tentative, silent, purchase.

“It feels like we are to be lambs for the slaughter.” Grizz muttered under her breath. Otho gave a nervous chuckle in response, emerald eyes flickering anxiously to the shadows.

“Perhaps… This was the plan all along. Maybe the Matriach has a taste for Vayrons?”

Mari huffed, clearly not appreciating the comment. However she didn’t interject and instead let her partners continue their hushed discussion. She let her gaze wander down the dark tunnel, the crystals pitting the walls slowly changing to an ominous crimson shade. She gave Cailu an unimpressed look, falling into step with the Haedian, “Is there a particular reason that all the clans have themed mood lighting?”

Cailu gave a soft chuckle and opened his mouth to comment, however he quickly snapped his jaws shut and peered over his shoulder. Their Keeper entourage had all but melted into the shadows behind them, leaving only their newest companion, Vhaedor, still visible.

“We wish you luck, Vayrons. May you earn your audience with the Matriach.” and with that he bowed his head and darted away into the darkness.

Otho gulped, and Mari took a deep breath. This time Grizz would take the lead over Mari, fully prepared to start - and hopefully end - a fight. The scent of oxidised iron had barely a second to register in their nostrils before a weathered muzzle was unceremoniously thrust into their faces.

“The outsiders,” he hissed, as the heavy iron chains at his throat clattered threateningly. “They’re HERE!” he bellowed the last word at such volume that Grizz flinched away from him. He threw back his head, his bellow shifting into a guttural roar which was quickly picked up by a clamorous choir. The three Vayrons backed into each other on instinct with Cailu close behind them. 

As the Order chanted they corralled the group through the scarlet hued cavern, snapping at their heels to push them along. The pullers’ heads were on a swivel, dodging and sidestepping slavering maws. The chanting became an unbearable, overstimulating tangle of noise. 

With a final cry, the Order brought down their paws, signalling the puller’s arrival in the main chambers. The silence stung; no one dared breathe as the Elder descended the stony outcrop, his resonant voice booming throughout the sanctum.

“Outsiders!” he roared, each step he took was punctuated by a word, “Do. You. Walk-" He came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, leaning in to hiss the end of his question to the Vayrons, “in the shadow of Oris?” 

Grizz swallowed, trying to wet her dry mouth. Mari carefully placed a paw on top of her companions, too afraid to speak yet wanting to remind the fluffy puller of what had previously been discussed, be confident, and true to yourself.

“No.” she gulped, her single word answer sending a ripple of hushed whispers cascading through the gathered crowd. “His ideals are not our own. We do not worship a god-” she stuttered as the Elder’s eyes narrowed, scrutinising every single crease adorning Grizz’s face.

“You lie. Your eyes speak the truth, so must your lips.”

“We believe in the ideals of Cosmosis.” Mari whispered. The Elder’s piercing gaze snapped to meet Mari’s, a low growl rising in his throat.

“They worship a traitor.” he rumbled, stepping back and rising to his full height, “THEY WORSHIP A TRAITOR!” he roared, “HERETICS WALK OUR HALLOWED HALLS!” The whispers from the crowd quickly turned to screams and roars of indignation.

Grizz steeled her expression as Otho shook beside her. The brown and white puller kept his lips tight as his body shivered against his will, trying with all his might not to let his fight or flight instinct take over.

“We are not heretics for simply having differing opinions!” Mari snapped. The Elder replied only with an indignant guffaw. He stood back on his hind legs, towering over the Vayrons and Cailu as he addressed the Order.

“THE OUTSIDERS THINK THEIR OPINION WILL SWAY ORIS’ ORDER!” the crowd barked and bayed their fury, “AND WHAT DO WE SAY TO THAT?”

And with that one simple sentence, the chanting started again. “Shira, Shira, SHIRA, SHIRA!”

Cailu reached forward, placing a hand on the back of his Vayron charge. “I hope you’re ready.” he breathed as he leaned forward to whisper to the three. “We’re certainly in for a challenge. If you can survive the Order it’s smooth sailing from here.”

The Vayrons nodded solemnly as the Elder stepped aside, his job done.

╔═════════ The order - Chapter two ═════════╗

874 Words

The guttural chanting soon descended into an ominous whispered chorus as a new figure stood atop the weathered steps. A Haedian with a muscled, athletic build and twisting antlers. She held her wings aloft, giving her already menacing silhouette an undeniable flair.  She peered down at the Vayrons, a twisted grin painting her features.

The Vayrons knew from Cailu’s briefing that no matter their approach it would likely end in a fight. Initially they were cocky, after all they had fought Zarod and left with all their appendages intact. This confidence was clearly misplaced however, as it became ever clearer just how big and built Shira was.

As she descended the stairs, the members of the Order flanking her would fall to silence. Their bodies rigid, terrified to even exhale.

Grizz stood still, Otho trembling at one side and Mari trying to focus on keeping her breathing even to her right. This truly felt like the climax to their story, one last battle in which they would all fall, sending nothing but a distraught Cailu spinning a sad tale to return to the surface. Grizz shook her head, no, they wouldn’t fall here! She refused to give up that easily!

She stood tall, newfound will steeling her nerves. “We fight here.” she stated firmly, “I will fight Shira head on, you two try and keep safe. Use your wits and your smarts, hopefully we can tire her out and claim victory.” She turned to meet Mari and Otho’s worried gaze, “Should that plan fail, I will stay, and you two must run.”

Mari’s worried expression quickly changed to one of stoic reserve, “It will not fail. We will defeat Shira, together.” Otho nodded nervously,

“Mari’s right, we’re in this together. I’ll - I’ll try my best.” he stuttered. The group realised at this point that their mentor was nowhere to be seen, a quick glance over their shoulders revealed him stood in the crowd, one that now encircled the Vayrons creating an impenetrable wall as they stood shoulder to shoulder.

This wall parted only for Shira to enter the circle, revealing her true size in comparison to her clan. Her brawny form was outfitted with crystalline armour, sharp, opalescent protrusions adding a menacing outline to her form.

“Deep breaths,” murmured Grizz, “There’s no turning back now.” Shira met Grizz’s eye, her lips pulled back to bare sharp teeth revealing a wicked grin.

The leader of the Order gave them no warning as she launched at the Vayron’s, grasping Grizz’s neck in her jaws. The puller clenched her teeth, trying not to scream as she was flung across the battleground. She landed heavily, her body landing in an unceremonious heap, stopped only by the sharp claws of an Order Haedian.

The Haedian sneered down at her as she pulled away from his hand, shooting him a snarl as she limped back into the centre of the circle. As she grew closer, she picked up speed, awkwardly lurching towards Shira as her neck twinged in pain. She had no time to consider her wounds however, as Shira lunged towards Otho.

Otho darted underneath Shira’s stomach and between her legs, narrowly avoiding Shira’s teeth. Mari took the opportunity to snap at Shira’s wings, however the leader of the Order was fast, and the second Mari reached up towards her she spun around to smash her with a paw, sending the short-furred puller careening towards Grizz.

Grizz stood fast, turning her body to the side to absorb the impact of her partner. “Thanks Grizz,” Mari heaved, “I thought I had the advantage as she was busy with Otho.” she paused to catch her breath, “She’s quick of wit and of body.”

“Then we must be quicker.” Grizz grunted, leaping over Mari’s prone form and speeding towards the battle.

Otho was holding his own quite well, he wasn’t getting any hits in, but that wasn’t his aim. His task was to avoid and distract, two things he could do extremely well. Shira turned to thrash him with her tail - a movement which he easily hopped over - which was followed by her incoming paw intending to smack him in the snout.

He ducked beneath this attack, sending clawfuls of fur spiralling into the air as she caught the top of his head. For a moment she was distracted, just enough for Grizz to slam into her neck, teeth burrowing into skin and muscle.

Shira roared and rose to her hind feet, bringing her full weight down on the fluffy puller in an attempt to dislodge her. Grizz released her grasp as a pained cry was forced from her lungs. Shira however had barely a second to strike the fallen Vayron as Mari catapulted herself at the Haedian’s chest, forcing her to stumble backwards.

Otho nipped angrily at Shira’s heels in an attempt to knock her off balance while Mari quickly turned to check on Grizz.

“Are you alright, love?” she panted, panic evident in her tone. Grizz’s breathing was laboured, and her face scrunched up in pain, but her countenance was one of determination and anger.

“I think she broke a rib.” she wheezed, “I’ve survived worse though,” she hastily added, seeing the fear in Mari’s face, “Just hurts to move.”

╔═════════ The order - Chapter tHREE ═════════╗

1001 Words

Mari quickly scanned the crowd, spotting Cailu amongst the Order clan. He was wringing his hands in worry as he met the short-furred puller's gaze, one that was filled with panic. The Haedian quickly started searching through his packs, producing a glass flask filled with a red, viscous substance. Mari’s heart skipped a beat - a pang of hope.

She dipped her head to whisper in Grizz’s ear, “I’ll be right back, Cailu has supplies. Try not to exacerbate your injuries.”

Grizz grunted in pain as she pulled herself to her feet, panting with the effort. “Trust me,” she wheezed, “That is not my aim.”

“I know. I’ll be quick.” She turned on her heel and bounded over to the crowd, for the most part the braying Haedians ignored her, with only a select few giving her dirty looks as she barrelled towards them. One stood fast in front of her, head low and teeth bared.

“Back to the fight, tiny one.” he growled. Mari reciprocated his wicked grin with sharp teeth of her own. She was about to snap at him when Cailu shoulder barged him out the way, hissing at his fellow Haedian.

“We both know that support items are allowed in these fights, and my Vayron friends are already at a disadvantage.” The other Haedian huffed, spitting at Cailu’s feet but begrudgingly moving out the way. “Here,” Cailu wasted no time rifling through his bags, producing the makeshift harness the Vayrons had been using to carry their supplies. “I’ve already filled your bags with potions.” he slung it across her back, tying it tightly around her chest and neck. “And you need to tell Otho to use his magic.”

Mari gritted her teeth and nodded, Cailu was right, Otho’s magic would be a huge boon in this fight. She turned back to the fight, bracing herself to run again. Otho had been pinned to the ground by Shira’s razor-sharp talons, although her attention was focussed on Grizz despite the brown and white puller’s attempts to wriggle free.

Grizz’s teeth were sunk deep into Shira’s neck as the Haedian roared in pain, flinging her head around in a futile attempt to dislodge the persistent puller. Mari bounded towards the fray just as Grizz was sent flying once again, this time she managed to stay on all fours, claws creating furrows in the ground beneath her.

In a practised motion, Mari grasped a healing potion in her mouth and brought it round to grasp in her front paws. She pulled the cork with her teeth and pushed the open flask into Grizz’s chest. “Here, drink.” Grizz had barely a chance to argue before Mari’s attention was elsewhere, “Otho! You need to use your vines!”

The Vayron in question looked over at his companions, his expression one of pure panic. Shira’s other hand was already raised, claws ready to strike at her prey. Otho squeezed his eyes shut and stuck his front legs straight up into the air.

A low rumble was the only warning Shira would receive, as warped vines and roots broke through the compacted clay ground, impacting the Haedian and sending her reeling. He clambered to his feet and scrambled towards his companions as he directed the vines with his snout, whipping his head towards the roof of the cavern as the vines mimicked his actions. They slammed into Shira’s head in a practised uppercut, before wrapping around her head and neck and drawing her down to slam hard into the ground.

“What now?” he heaved, as a flask was thrust unceremoniously into his paws.

“Now, we win.” Grizz grunted, stoppering the flask with the cork and shoving the empty flask in Mari’s packs. “I’m ready to go again, at least for now.”

“She can chop through your vines like they’re nothing.” Mari observed, as Shira twisted her neck to grasp the tendrils in her teeth, severing them with one quick yank. “You need to use them as a momentary aid, don’t rely on them to hold her. Move fast and unpredictabley, and let Grizz deal the damage. I have a few more potions if we need them.”

Otho finished downing his own, nodding, “Gotcha.” The empty flask was tossed aside, and the two long-furred pullers darted in to fight again, vines lashing at Shira like whips. The fight moved fast, fur flew and specks of blood painted the muddy ground.

Mari went to nose in her pack for another potion and found only empty flasks. Panic quickly set in as she noticed the malice in Shira’s eyes, if the Haedian leader wasn’t out for blood before she was now. She pulled against the vines holding her back, more wrapping around limbs that she easily snapped as Otho’s magic waned.

She had her mind set on one thing and that was the puller in front of her, once again Grizz was downed, wheezing and wincing in pain as she struggled to stand. Shira’s teeth were wet with gore and aching to do more damage, quivering as she heaved herself ever closer.

Mari ran, breaking out into a full blown sprint. Out of the three of them she was certainly the least capable in a fight, but she wasn’t going to stand by and do nothing as Shira loomed menacingly towards her mate.

The horde was silent as the suspense hung thick in the air, only the sound of snapping vines and pounding paws filled the air.

“Shira.” The leader of the Order slammed her jaws shut, head whipping around to face the crowd as the vines finally fell slack, Otho’s magic spent. “That’s enough. The Vayrons will be coming with us now.”

Shira growled, a low and threatening sound. But she complied, slinking away as Cailu pushed his way through the crowd. He met Mari and Otho at Grizz’s side, who despite her injuries waved them away. “I’m okay,” she wheezed.

“Cailu,” the newcomer stood at the mouth of the cave, piercing gaze finding Cailu’s worried expression, “With us.”