Chapter 7 - Eyes of Red

Over the hills, under the caves, the mountains' plains, and the path to the forest are filled with death. Smoke fills the air, and the dead paint the Chief's way to the hunter's last stand. The hunters put an excellent resistance, sniping their enemies from the top of the mountain, using their traps for such an occasion, and using the remaining vegetation of the forest as weapons.

Ingrid led the hunters, and with William and John at her side, their attacks effectively pushed the invaders back. She was level-headed at all times is quick to think on the offensive! No one was able to penetrate their defenses under her watchful eye.

The Princess teachings are proven helpful to John. He stood among Ingrid's men as their tactician and coordinated his plan with Ingrid's. He took charge and kept the hunter's formation to counter their enemies and created strategic retreat if needed. His mind and Ingrid's wits are what keep them alive.

William fought like a hurricane. He moves like a blur. Evading their attacks as if William is dancing. And once he left the field, his enemies began to drop like flies. William is grateful to the hunters for teaching and treating him as his own. For a year, he felt happiness and contempt. He found another place he could call home. It is where the people helped him forget his vengeance and remind him what it is to live. He might not be a blood relative to any of them, but he is sure to fight for them to the end. And though he knows that he cannot use the full power of his Sense, as doing so will reveal his red eyes and might cause panic within the ranks of the hunter, he can still predict his enemies' movement and counter them before they can make a move. His time with the hunters allowed him to use it without straining himself or his eyes.

At the other side of the battlefield, the Chief was impressed at hunters fending off his tribe's attack. His blood began to pump with excitement. It's been a while since someone has put up a good fight. And so, the Chief grabbed his club and took command of his army.

The Chief charged with his men, and they began to break Ingrid's defenses. The Chief evades the arrows and counters by swinging his club and swatting his enemies off the ground like thrash. His prowess and significant presence cast a glooming shadow over the hunters' morale. No words come from Ingrid's mouth as she is stunned at this overwhelming presence she sees. John tried different strategies he learned, but it was no good as the Chief easily crushes the hunters.

They tried to stay their ground, but even the Elder could see a lost cause to resist. The Chief retaliated with ten dead hunters for every Hand that dies.

William wants to take him on, but he is stopped in his tracks, for he detects something familiar with the Chief's movement. As an arrow flies toward the Chief, he moves out of the way before it leaves the bow. And when a hunter was to attack the Chief, he countered it before the hunter could make a move. William suspects that the Chief is well versed with the hunter's way.

But before the war continues, the Chief raises his hand and declares calls for a halt. He looked at the mountain and called the Elder for a truce. "I am impressed with your tribe, Elder. I don't want to waste such good warriors to waste. I am giving you one more chance to join the Hand."

"Uniting the tribe is against our laws, and I am sure that other tribes have heard about this. What your doing will bring doom upon us all. Forget about your conquest to unite the tribes and learn from the Zonian. They once attempted to unite the tribes under them, and where did they end up? Dead!" The Elder shouted as she continued to dissuade the Chief, but it fell to deaf ears.

"You sure seem to respect this fairy tale, Elder. Shame, if your tribe is being led by someone who won't let the past hold them back, you might be the tribe to rival the Kingdom." The Chief was about to signal his soldiers, but the Elder shouted to stop.

The Chief smiled as he expected this kind of reaction. No leader would like to see their people suffer. This is how the Chief won every tribe he fought: he will show them first the might of the Hand. And once they cannot win against them, their leader or their champion would challenge him to duel for their right to rule the other tribe. Of course, the Chief always wins, making Hand grow in number. "And they will respect that law. They always do," he mutters with a malicious grin as he anticipates his easy victory against an old woman.

Both armies held their breath as the Elder, and the Chief met at the foot of the mountain. Both looked at each other with disdain. The Hand smirked as they looked at the feeble hunter tribe's Elder. Even a blow of a strong gust can push her down and break her in two. The hunters are terrified; they know what the Chief can do! They knew they could not best fight this monster of a human, and so fear glued them in place with silence in their mouths.

"I am the Chief of the Hand and their champion. I would fight till death; only then my clan shall be yours to command!" The Chief roars as the Hand raise their weapons with cheer.

"I would bury you alive if I was ten years younger!" She held up her hands and cried to any hunter that wished to fight in her stead. She didn't want to name anyone as the same fear also crippled her that they felt. She understands if none wishes to fight for her, and if it does come down to it, she is ready to sacrifice herself for her people's safety. But she knows in her heart that there is one that would be one that would take her place. A child that won't take no for an answer.

"I would take her place," Ingrid, William, and John all speak in unison. The Elder knew her granddaughter well, and she knows that no words would persuade her. She is shocked to see William and John be standing beside Ingrid.

The Elder tried to convince the kids that only one champion is allowed, but even the three disagreed about why one should be the one to fight the Chief. The Hand began to rattle their weapons in disbelief! "Fight fair!" "This is an honorable match!" "We will honor your tradition if you honor ours!" the Hand yelled.

But the Chief was happy. He quiets his men and congratulates the three kids on having more resolve than their 'best' hunters. "The warriors of your tribe have lost their will to fight but not these three. Then so be it! I accept these three children as their champions of your tribe!"

The trio accepts his terms, but they add that the Chief will need to kill all three before integrating the hunters into the Hand. As the Chief agreed to these terms, the crowd roared for the finale that was to come.

The three hurdled together.

"I knew William is not a brave one, but I am glad that you are still here. Especially you, John, thank you for being here with me." Ingrid smiled as she hugged the two.

"I will never leave my friends. Even in death, I will be with you two." John replied as he held his friends tightly.

"Hey! I grew a spine since then!" William snickered. "But I cannot live when I know a monster will destroy our home and families." William placed his cheeks between the others.

After their moment of silence, the champions grab their weapons. Ingrid wields two cleavers, John wields a bow, and William wields a dagger and a sword. As for the Chief, he holds his club and wears knives on his belt.

"Come, children, I will make this painless for you!" The Chief taunts them as brandish his club and armor.

John shot an arrow, and the other two began to charge on the Chief's blind spot. But like before, the Chief dodges the arrow's path before it leaves the bow, and he spins his club, preventing Ingrid and William from reaching him.

John shots more of the arrows while Ingrid tries to go behind the Chief. The Chief catches the arrow and throws it at William while engaging Ingrid.

William Sense activates and dodges the arrows before hitting him. William was dumb folded as he now realized that was the reason why the Chief was unstoppable and unscathed. This is not the result of the Chief's training; the Chief avoided their attacks because he, too, got the Sense!

William thinks for a moment about how to defeat another Sense user. In this dire situation, he would always look for Eldric. His words and actions always motivate William. And there he remembered Eldric's last words to him "Fear deters a man from his path. Kill fear with focus."

William nods and understands to create a diversion and make the Chief lose his focus! William grabbed a sharp rock and threw it at Chief's eye, but he ducked at the last second and began to laugh at their feeble attempt to attack him.

"Three kids were attacking me at the same time, and they can't even hit me!" The Chief grabs as the crowd laugh at the three.

"I hope you notice, but none of your attacks hit us too. Especially me. I thought we were playing tag!" William retorts with a childish joke, and the hunters laugh even harder.

The Chief's pride insulted by a kid? He won't let this slide and retaliate by throwing a volley of knives at William. But the boy was quick and caught every knife thrown at him.

"Bravo, Chief! This would be a good show at the Kingdom! I bet the King would pay lots of gold for you to perform!" Slowly, the Chief's attention centered on him and almost forgot Ingrid and John.

William plan was working as the crowd laughed at the Chief. John realized what William was doing, signaled Ingrid to strike the Chief on his next attack on William.

"Silence, boy! The Kingdom stole what was from my ancestors! That gold that is rightfully mine!" The Chief clenched his teeth in anger.

"Oh, but your juggling knife act is superb. I promise you will be rich within the Kingdom's wall within a month! Give it a year, and we shall get empty the Kingdom's treasury!" William's insults work as it led the Chief to lose focus on his friends. It brought John and Ingrid time but barely to help him against the next attack.

William expected the Chief to throw more tantrums, but no, he brought out something he didn't expect.

"Their land was my ancestors' home. I am the Zonian's prophecy and the leader of the Hand. I will take what is rightful mine!" His eyes turned red, and he grabbed his knives with such haste and threw it at William.

William tried to evade it, but the hail of knives was just too much for him. At the last second, Ingrid and John attack the distracted Chief! John lodges an arrow to the Chief's left eye, and Ingrid manages to slice his sides. The Chief collapsed, writhing in pain as the Hand was shocked to see their invincible leader was squealing like a pig.

John and Ingrid hurried to William's side. They expected the worst for their friend but were relieved to see him still breathing. He can fight, but his left arm is bleeding profusely. And there, John and Ingrid notice that William's eyes are red, just like the Chief's. Ingrid stumbled back as she thought her friend was a demon. John catches her and reassures Ingrid that William is no evil incarnate.

The Chief got back up and centered his attention on the three. "These red eyes are precious, for they are the proof that the Zonian lives! These eyes grant me power and the right to rule the tribes of-" and now the Chief notice William's eye.

The crowd began to murmur about them. The armies of both sides are seeing something marvelous and freighting. For the Hand, they knew about the Chief being a Zonian, and most follow him with reverence as they are too afraid that any attempt to unite the other tribes is taboo unless a Zonian is leading them. They clamor to the Chief and hope that a Zonian will unite the tribes and lead them to greatness. As for the hunters, they all began to tremble as this was something demonic for them. Seeing something unnatural frightens them the most.

"I used to think that I would meet my blood relative someday. I would learn about my parents and maybe find my origin. But now, I didn't even imagine that I would be fighting one to defend my home and family. If things were different, I would love to get to know our people and know our history." William clutches his fist and steels himself to give it all on their next attack.

He looked over his two friends and said to attack the Chief like when they attacked Shadow Scale. With no time to waste, they sprang into action. William began to attack the Chief with full force! His attacks were so strong that his sword and dagger started to splinter off.

The Chief, despite his wounds, blocks William's attack while using his other hand to throw knives at Ingrid and John away from him.

Guided by their Sense, the Chief and William began to move in a rhythm. They dodge and weave simultaneously and manner as if they are copying one's footwork. If one attacks, the other parry it equally with the same force. The Elder widened her eyes and began to cough. At sight, she held her hands and yelled, "The cave painting! This is a dance on the painting!"

If this goes on, William is sure to die as the Chief was more experienced and had more endurance than he, but William got friends! William distracted the Chief one last time. "I'm sorry, Chief, I might be of Zonian descent, but I am a sworn squire of the Kingdom. I won't use our power them to conquer the Kingdom, rather pledge my life for them as a knight!"

This is not an insult, but he is spitting at the face of their ancestors! The Chief roared as he honed on William. His attacks were overpowering that William's sword and dagger shattered from blocking. He was about to deliver the final blow, but Ingrid saved William by sliding under the Chief and slicing both of his ankles. The Chief collapsed under the weight of the damage he felt, and this allowed John to shoot thru the gaping mouth of the Chief as he shouted for their deaths.

The Chief collapsed on the ground bleeding profusely. He looked at the three kids that beat him as he lay dying. Despite the gaping wound on his mouth, he still manages to congratulate William for besting another Zonian.

"I never thought another Zonian still lives in this forest. If things were different, I would train you to be the best warrior there was. But I guess you will soon greet me in hell, for you're in the path of PENTALIUM!"

As soon as the Chief utter Pentalium, members of the Hand began slaughtering their own.

A sea of red began to flow with madness and terror all around them.