Chapter 22 -- Hunt

AIO: Our moods really do change like the winds.

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The air was still.

Fire red loomed in the darkness above.

The night sky glowed nicely upon Vork's red hair, and too Ishi's flowing red strands.

...

Vork twitched as he faced forward.

Ishi's hands were soaked in blood but he did not care.

He simply returned Vork's stare, unaware of the gruesome stains on his own shirt.

Vork had already been warned not to speak, and so the two were unnervingly quiet.

Reach: Any second now.

Thorn and Reach had no intention to interfere with what was about to occur.

Reach: How will Vork compare...

...

Reach: ...To the strength of Ishi?

.

..

...

....

Vork lunges at Ishi, making the first move.

BOOF.

Vork smashes Ishi in the head with his palm.

Dirt flies sideways from the impact.

...

Vork: ?!

The dirt quickly fades - revealing Ishi to be standing in the exact same position.

The exact same facial expression.

Vork takes a step back, confused.

He flings both arms backwards, building momentum for a two-handed...

WHAP.

He clamps Ishi's head.

An even stronger impact than before.

Wind propels upward.

...

Vork: ?!!

Once again... Ishi was not... Fazed.

Thorn: Hmph.

Thorn stayed impressed.

Reach: Unlike those invaders...

...

Reach: ...Vork can't rip his head off.

Vork became frightened.

Ishi: "You think you're... Strong?"

Ishi grabs Vork by the neck and lifts him.

Vork struggles to break free.

His legs kick viciously.

Ishi... Smiles briefly.

CHINK.

Ishi pulls off Vork's arm using his other hand.

Vork: ?!!!

THRRIP.

Ishi tears off Vork's left leg.

Ishi: "Ha... Haha..."

Reach had vivid recollections of his own upbringing.

Reach: My... Goodness...

Vork - while extremely tolerant to pain, could not withstand this level of devastation.

Vork: "G-Gugh!!! Re... Release m-"

Ishi: "I told you."

Ishi immediately dropped his smile.

Vork trembled, struggling to breathe.

Ishi: "Don't talk."

TWIST.

....

...

..

.

The remainder of Vork's being... Ceased twitching.

His head was now...

...Facing backwards.

Reach: ...Brutal...

Thorn was nonchalant, unsurprised by the outcome.

Ishi released his grip.

Thunk.

...

Ishi began to drag Vork by his right leg.

He tossed him with the others.

...

Reach: So Vork had no chance.

Reach: This entire time.

...

Ishi flipped Vork's corpse.

Vork's face and back looked up at the stars.

Reach: Should I... Stop him?

Crack.

Ishi removed a nearby Rynestone - still lit.

He began to burn... What was left.

Reach: ...

Ishi got impatient at the rate of fire.

He collected nearby materials, fabrics, and liquids - and added those to the 'pot'.

...

Slowly but surely, it gained traction.

Heat arose.

Disgusting smells came to light.

Ishi's dark red eyes... Were not yet satisfied.

Thorn: ...

Thorn: Hm?

Vork's shirt quickly turned to ash.

Thorn: Is that...?

Underneath, in large red text... Was a prominent 'V' on Vork's back.

Thorn: "Haha."

Reach: ?

Thorn: "You see that, Reach?"

Reach paid closer attention.

He could barely make it out, before Vork's skin began to sizzle.

Thorn: "A 'V'."

Reach: "Oh..."

Reach: "Yeah."

...

Reach: "Vrazen...?"

...

Thorn: "Maybe so."

Thorn grinned, thinking about the future.

...

Ishi eventually lost interest in the burning mass.

Coincidentally, something more interesting had arrived.

A shuffled collection of steps came forth.

Gatriox: "My..."

Reach: ?

...

Gatriox: "It has been... Undoubtedly noisy."

He fixed his glasses.

The other wiped his mouth.

Reach: I'm assuming one of them is...

...

Ishi: "Gatriox."

Ishi spoke without a care, as he turned and faced the two.

Ishi: "Useless."

The Gatriox with glasses wore a red button-up shirt with black pants and clean black shoes.

He spoke in an unsettled manner.

Gatriox: "Who..."

Gatriox: "...Made Ishi... Mad...?"

He looked down angrily upon his tarnished, destroyed subordinates.

Gatriox: "Vork..."

Gatriox: "All of you..."

...

...

...

Gatriox: "Why are you such... Fucking... Imbeciles?"

The larger Gatriox wore a brown shirt and black pants.

He showed off his rugged, hairy feet.

He contributed to the conversation - speaking in a less pointed way.

Gatriox: "Run... Hide... Or fight?"

Reach: ...

Reach: Their approach makes sense. What will they do?

The other Gatriox threw away his glasses and quickly spoke.

Gatriox: "I do not anticipate our unequivocal probability of choice-"

FWISH.

Ishi seemingly teleports to the two but is met by a strange thick liquid... Or paste...

It seems they had materialised by chance, on instinct, at the exact right time...

Ishi: ?

...

Reach: So they're also...

Stood before the three... Were two mammoths of mud.

Two living... Moving... Monstrosities.

...

Reach: ...Disease-holders.

[Chapter 22 -- End]