Strena The Vengeful Ones Part Three

 The Target Of Revenge 

They had been walking for just over three hours straight when a gang approached them. They were made up of five members and they were all from the Desert Planes, which Strena could deduce by the colour of their skin. Yet there was something about their eyes that Strena did not like. They were cold and harsh. When they looked at her, she knew they saw dirt.

“Can I help you?” Asked Chashathrophogh, caught off guard. Or, at least, pretend to be.

The one at the front laughed sheepishly. 

“Yes, well, as you can tell, we’re all from the Desert Planes. My name is Rafreekah and they are my friends, Arbah, Rih, Rie and Arkinahra. We are currently traveling through your country to explore it. Yet we all do not know the native tongue yet. Especially Arkinahra, she most awful at learning any kind of language that is not her native. So we was hoping, as two of you look like you are from the Desert Planes, you can help us the language here so we can enjoy our holiday here. The language barrier is getting in the way.”

Zaryb nodded as he took a glance at Chashathrophogh. He then took a glance at the others and nodded.

“Alright, you can, but we are currently traveling to the Desert Planes ourselves. However our journey it dangerous and so we are all pressed for time. So do not slow us down. Do that and you will regret it.”

“Yes.”

“Agree.”

“Then let us all go. We have to time to delay.”

“No, it is ‘we have no time to delay’. And we will not.”

So they traveled together. As they did, Bash and Zaryb came along Arkinahra and Arkah, which looked to be siblings by their close resemblance to each other. Cerpheres and Strena came alongside Rih and Rie, who seemed to be identical twins. While Chashathrophogh kept close to Rafreekah, who seemed to be the leader.

“Why did you come to this continent?”

“I wanted to see the hills and castles. I had heard all about them and I wanted to see what they looked like and if they were as beautiful as the books mentioned.”

“We all did.”

“And did you think that it was dangerous?”

Arkinahra’s eyes darkened.

“Yes.”

“We would not have come if that pretty witch did not tell us the news.”

“What news?” Strena asked.

They looked at her dead in the eyes.

“Arielsa Zuvé, the lost princess, no, more like the lost empress, was alive and had found her. We wanted to know more, we decided to seek her out. She told us where to go. So it was decided. We left.”

“And why?” Strena asked, feeling uneasy.

“Our village was wiped out by her father. He was killed. We decided to seek her out.”

“And?”

That was when Strena glanced at Rih pull out a knife and she drew Darkector and Orion, blocking the knife. Then Zaryb threw a tiny dagger at Arkah. Bash punched Arkinahra and Zaryb threw a dagger at her throat. Chashathrophogh then set Rafeekah alight leaving Cerpheres to deal with Rie, which he did nothing about causing Chashathrophogh to throw a tiny dagger at his throat.

“Nah! That didn’t do it!”

Yet Strena drew Darkector’s power and it lit up and soon the blade put Rafreekah out of his misery and she fell down.

“Are you alright girl?” Asked Chashathrophogh.

She looked at him with a pale face and put on a false smile and nodded.

So they walked on and on. As they did they did well to keep their eyes open. Yet Cerpheres looked at Strena as she looked down with dismay in her eyes. He walked up to her and placed an arm around her. He then put on a cheeky smirk.

“Put your hand out.”

She looked aside, sulking slightly. He let out a sigh and grabbed her hand. He then closed his eyes for a moment. That was when Strena felt something in her palm. She looked down to see a coral-lion rose on it. She looked down and he smiled. He then clicked his fingers. Then the flower grew and the stem became longer and longer and wrapped itself around her wrist. Then more flowers grew out all different colours like how a chameleon changing the colour of it’s skin. Then it turned into cherry blossom petals and blew away in the wind.

Her eyes widened and she looked up completely amazed. He looked down and smirked, satisfied. Then as lunch came she helped Cerpheres cook the food. She felt a smile playing on her lips as she thought about the display.

After, they were approached by a woman. She was old with sorrow in her aged turquoise eyes. She took a glance at Strena with a stern look in her eyes.

“Hello. I am Ranimara Ahraamia. I can see that you too are from the Sand Planes.”

“Dessert Planes!” Both Strena and Zaryb corrected.

“Same place just one is east and the other’s west.”

Zaryb shrugged.

“True.”

“Tell me is it not the day of Anubia?”

“Yes. But, as both me and Strena are both bounty hunters and assassins we do not follow the Middeast God of Death.”

Ramimara gaped as she looked at Strena and gave a false look of shock.

“No way! Your girl looks far too sweet to be a killer!”

“Sorry, we have no time. We need to get a move on.”

“But as it is the day of Anubia, as you know, you must share the black lily tea with someone and drink to a long life.”

“That’s supposed to be with your family.”

She let a sad smile spread across her lips as she took out the black tea. She then gave a cup to Strena and Chashathrophogh.

“Sadly, they all died, dearies.”

“What happened?” Strena asked as they both were about to drink until Strena smelt something off about the tea. It smelt almost alcoholic when she knew that it should have smelt mildly of honey.

“Master Chashathrophogh, I don’t think we should drink this.”

“Why not?”

Her eyes looked at the old woman.

“My father killed your family, didn’t he?” She stated, failing to hide her dismay.

She looked down, sullen.

“I thought so.”

They poured the tea out.

“He did, and Chashathrophogh killed my two sons.”

“They were being abused by their father and were on the path to becoming just like him, if not worse. Honestly, they were on the way to raping the women that your husband kidnapped. So, honestly I would say that Nazon and me did your kingdom good doing that.”

“But not my father. He didn’t need to kill my father, he was an old man already on death’s door. He did not need to kill my brothers or their children in nothing but cold blood.”

“I know.”

She then let out a sigh as she drank the tea. She then fell down. The moment that she hit the ground she was dead.

“Well, that was underwhelming!” Cerpheres commented.

“Cerpheres!”

“I know.”

“It must have been quiet death poison. It seemed she wanted to kill you as painlessly and as fast she could.”

“And kill herself along with us.”

“Anyway, time to move on.”

They walk on. Strena looked away. Cerpheres placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t blame yourself. That woman was dead long ago.”

She nodded.

Then as the day wore on Strena spotted a man running at them. He had a knife in his hands. He quickly pushed past them. She saw the knife and then thrust her fist in between the legs. Then pulled out her blades and went to stab up. He spun out of the way. She caused Darkector to light. The man went to stab her again but she blocked it then she felt pain and saw stars for a moment. 

Then he was about to strike down the killing blow until stars hit the side of his head. He fell but he got up, much to Cerpheres’s annoyance.

She dived up at him and flung Darkector at him. He went to block her but the blade was glowing nightly and cut as if the blade was made of butter and the ends melted slightly. He went to duck and drive the remainder of his blade at her. She spun out of the way and went to the back of the head. But he dived up causing her to cut the chest and he fell asleep he coughed up blood.

“You’re just as vicious as your father!” He laughed. This caused him to cough up more blood until he died.