The fire and the rose

Ren pushed the door ajar with bits of charcoal and wood falling onto the floor clattering. The inside was half-collapsed, with debris and burnt wood littering the place; the air stank of ash and fire. A singular lantern hung in the corner, throwing shadows across the place. Two were dressed in dull white cloaks with low hoods; the third was easily recognised—the young guard. Hibiki was on his knees, his arms twisted behind his back by one of the cloaked men. He was resisting clearly and shouting at the cloaked man that gripped him tightly. The young guard that had been questioning him stood up at the entrance of the others, that signature annoyed look plastered across his face. “Let go of him!” Alice shouted, in a cracked yet determined voice. She stepped forward but was stopped by Miyako’s hand on her shoulder. The guard kept his expression calm yet full of malice, eyes sharp as a blade. “You shouldn’t have followed.” His tone was quiet, but there was something beneath it deliberate, like he’d been expecting this. The cloaked men that were standing watching the ordeal snickered at them. “More strays. Perfect.

Miyako removed her hand from Alice's shoulder, and without hesitating she lunged, the knife aimed squarely at the man holding Hibiki. The cloaked man shoved him to the ground and swung to block, a bracer underneath his cloak scraping against the dull blade in her hand. Ren followed, rushing the second cloaked figure, knife in his grip, but his strikes felt clumsy and unsteady. He missed as the figure neatly dodged the clumsy attack. Ren closed his eyes, knowing that attacks like that wouldn't work. He gritted his teeth, trying to summon it – that strength, that fear, the same nothingness from the ‘wolf’ attack – but nothing came. Closing his eyes mid-battle was a silly mistake, and the consequences came quick. The punch landed clean across his face. Ren staggered back, and his knees buckled. He panicked; the half-baked plan was ridiculous from the start, and all he could hear was Hibiki straining to get up after being tossed to the ground.

Miyako growled, pushing hard against her opponent until her knife went low and burrowed into the man's leg. He cursed loudly, blood soaking into white cloth, and shoved her hard into the wall with a lot of force. She slammed across the blackened wall, dust scattering and breath flying from her lungs. She lay against the wall looking up at the approaching figure and kept her knife raised. Alice froze in the middle of it all, her eyes flicking between Ren’s bleeding lip, Miyako’s slumped frame and Hibiki’s panicked struggling. Her voice began breaking into a cry. “Stop! Please!” Something changed. The ground rattled and dust flew into the air—the piles of ash and broken beams started stirring with life hiding beneath them. They had arrived. It was rats, dozens of them, crawling out from the mess of an area. They shared a resemblance with the ship vermin, but they were definitely different. The fur on their bodies was dark and twisted, covered in what looked like barbed thorns that undulated across them. Some had small roses blooming from their backs, wilted petals black and red. They came from many directions, but they ignored the four completely, some of them swarming around Alice’s feet before attacking the three men.

“What—” the young soldier gasped, but the rats were already on him, thorns digging into his boots, teeth sinking into unarmoured parts of his leg. He swung his legs wildly, trying to kick them away. The cloaked man who had attacked Ren distanced himself from the chaos of the new additions and concentrated. His hand lifted, palm open, and a flickering flame curled around his fingers, growing as the air fuelled the small light. It crackled strangely, and he raised it high, ready to strike. He raised his arm higher as if about to bring it swiftly down; however, from outside of view, Hibiki charged in with a shout. He swung his fist into the guard’s side with all the strength he could muster. The flame died out immediately as if the concentration were the fuel. Hibiki stood over him with a wide grin. “How’s that for a stray?”

The rat-like creatures continued swarming the men, biting at any open area possible. They tore into cloth and skin, the thorns wriggling with an unnatural pattern. One of the cloaked men screamed as a black rose bloomed across his shoulder where the teeth sank deepest. He ripped at his cloak, panic clear across his face, and in a moment of desperation pulled on the bloom, tearing it out before it could burrow deep. “Get them off!” he howled, stumbling backwards.

His companion limped toward the door, nursing his stab wound and shouting at the younger guard. “We’re not staying in this twisted place. Quickly!” His voice was desperate. The young guard’s calm face was now gone as his face twisted. Another rat latched onto his boot, thorns piercing through the worn leather. He kicked the air, blood spraying, as he got himself free. His eyes locked onto Ren, and he staggered away. However, mixed in with the anger and calm was a deep-rooted fear; the events of tonight were definitely not normal. The third man stumbled after his fleeing accomplices.

The creatures circled once more, snapping at the space where the men had been. It wasn’t long until they began to wither and crumble into dust. The flowers on their backs broke apart into petals, turning into dust. Alice’s hands had dropped to her side; she had long dropped her weapon. “W…what—what happened?” A sob broke through as she stared at the dust. Ren wiped the blood from his face and stared at her. They had nearly all of them displayed a terrifying display of power or some weird event, but this was the biggest example of such power. Miyako clambered to her feet, clicking her shoulders to distract from the pain. “We need to move. Now. Before they come back with more.” Hibiki kicked at a small pile of ash and scratched the back of his head. “Ugh… Ren I’m–I’m sorry. “This is my fault.” Ren shuffled over to Alice and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay.” He looked at Hibiki. “Both of you, we will get through this.” Alice’s quiet voice answered, “Can–Can we go?” They all nodded and began walking the way they came, back towards the inn.