Blood-Stained Dirt

"My... My Prince? Kaido?" The commanding voice became a quiver. Horros's already wide eyes grew wider. His ajar mouth gaped larger. 

"Yes, Captain, it's me. Even with all these markings on my body, I am still the man you mentored. This does not have to end violently."

"But it must!" yelled Vetgar. The blue-haired, broad-shouldered man pointed his edged-light blade at Kaido. The stare Vetgar gave him was somehow sharper than the magical blade. "All these years, I've marvelled at your skill, Kaido. I used to think, 'the things he does are not human.' Perhaps those thoughts were the voice of the Patron of Wisdom, Eobbid, warning me about what you are! A wretched Skarred! If you and your Rebel companions do not yield, we will be within our rights to put you to the sword."

"If you were truly guided by the voice of Eobbid, you would be wise enough to recognise that you cannot win this fight! The Scouts have never captured a Red Skarred sorcerer. The Black Skarred are dread itself. I do not wish for your deaths. Just let us leave. Please!"

Kaido's words seemed to cure Horros's shock, but for the worse. He morphed into Fury, hissing "us" over and over again. His battle commander's voice returned. His face was coloured red by the edged-light blade he raised in an offensive sword stance. 

"Us? So, it is not just your appearance that has changed, my prince. You view yourself as one of them! A traitor to the Empire. So be it. The demands are the same: Yield and live. Resist and perish."

The prince sighed and held out his hand to Seialla. Understanding what he meant, she produced his sword, and Kaido activated it. Edged-light weapons were famous for their lack of weight, yet it still felt heavy in Kaido's hand. The rising of the sun indicated that it had just been over a day since he killed the man he had always believed was his father; would he have to kill Horros too?     

"Seialla, Gayil. Spare them, please. Injury and hurt them if you must, but let them live."

Seialla gave Kaido a brief look before focusing on the Scouts again. Her expression betrayed no emotion as usual. Gayil's attention never left Horros. He wore a killer's smile. His red eyes began to glow. 

Two red dots, the size of buttons, appeared on the wings of Horros's pegasus. Suddenly, the wing burst into flame; the pegasus panicked and almost kicked Horros over. It was the sorcery of the Red Skarred. They could emit infrared light, setting anything on fire. Gayil had no intention of letting Kaido's former teacher escape. 

In four swift motions, Fotiat stowed her sword, drew her bow, nocked an arrow, and loosed it. It flew in Seialla's direction, who swung at the air with her cantus blade. The edge of her magical sword "ate" the arrow and the air surrounding it. The arrow disappeared from existence. It was the most frightening sorcery of all the Skarred; the Black Skarr's ability to create vacuums and swallow space.  

Seialla held out her free hand and willed a vacuum into being. A sudden wind pushed Fotiat back with such strength that it launched her off her feet. The archer came flying through the air toward Seialla, who held her hunger cantus blade, ready to feed it. Tumbling through the air, Fotiat activated her sword. By the time she reached Seialla, she oriented herself to block Seialla's swing. 

It worked. Not even Skarred sorcery could swallow an edged-light sword. Kaido's attention turned to Gayil, who was charging at the two other Volcanic Scouts. The Scout charged at him too, but only Horros and Gayil crossed swords; Vetgar ran right past the blonde.

"Kaaaaaido!" roared Vetgar as he ran to him. Kaido shifted his feet, waiting in a defensive stance. Vetgar's swing was as predictable as ever; Kaido easily parried it, then stepped in and kicked the fool over.   

"Your anger does not improve your skill, comrade. I am still leagues better than you." 

Vetgar kicked himself to his feet. "You are better than no one, Skarred. You are lower than a beggar! Rats demand fealty from you. Insects tower over you. Snakes call you 'brother'. Soon, the worms will call you dinner!"

Vetgar's attack was more controlled now. His swings were still easy to parry, but his jabs were less easy to read. Kaido continued fighting defensively. The Scout had given him many openings to kill, which Kaido ignored. He wanted an opening where he could maim the fool well enough to end the fight but keep him alive. Vetgar's whistle cut the air, and his pegasus responded instantly—a sharp neigh, a beat of wings, and it was already streaking toward Kaido. 

Kaido dodged with a backflip. He had already been forced to kill an animal yesterday after the Ash Beast injured those horses. He wouldn't hurt the pegasus if he did not have to. Just as Kaido landed on his feet, he saw Vetgar descending upon him with a swing after jumping off the backside of the passing pegasus. 

There it was: the opening Kaido had been waiting for. With a step to the right, he dodged the swing. Kaido raised his sword, cutting upwards and through his opponent's elbow. Vetgar's forearm fell away from him and onto the street. The edged-light sword remained in the dead arm's grip but deactivated; there was no will keeping its edge.  

"The worms will have to settle for your arm tonight, comrade. If you don't want to be part of the feast, you will stay on your knees."

The embarrassment seemed to pain Vetgar more than his wounded arm. The wound was burnt black by the heat of the edged-light blade. For a short while, he remained crouched on his knees, wincing. Vetgar jumped up and swung his remaining arm at Kaido in a fist. Kaido dodged again, then knocked Vetgar out with the hilt of his sword. He did not give himself the time to rest. Fotiat and Horros could still be killed. 

He searched the street, finding Seialla. She loomed over a body in Scout armour, lying on the ground, headless. There was no sign of the missing head anywhere near the body either. It no longer existed. The Scorch inside Kaido raged. It demanded justice for the dead Scout, his former comrade. The Black markings on Seialla's skin looked as menacing as ever. 

But the nurse had a mournful expression. Even with the Scorch telling him to avenge his fallen comrade, Kaido's eyes were more convincing. She took no pleasure in the killing. That was enough to keep Kaido's wrath. 

Horros still lived. 

He could save Horros from Gayil. 

Kaido followed the buzz of an edged-light blade cutting against something strong enough to resist it. He found Gayil and Horros crossing swords on an adjacent street. Kaido called out to his mentor. He yelled only his name. But even that was enough to doom him. The half second that Horros was distracted by Kaido more than Gayil needed to split the Scout veteran's head in two. Kaido screamed after him, but Horros was dead. The captain's blood stained the street's dirt road. 

The Scorch and Kaido were one, just as they were when Kaido killed his father. He charged at Horros's assassin with his sword in his hand and murder in his eyes. Gayil looked at him with exhausted eyes. The red edge of his cantus blade disappeared, and he placed the hilt on his hip. He reached for a piece of cloth and poured some clear liquid onto it. He waited for Kaido, his entire body relaxed.  

Soon, his body would relax forever, just as Horros's had. 

Kaido was in reach of Gayil. He swung his sword while he had. It was not enough to pull against the sudden wind that pulled his arm backwards. Again, Gayil exploited a short hesitation. The Red Skarred sorcerer buried his knee into Kaido's gut. Kaido doubled over, and before he could collect himself, the cloth in Gayil's hand smothered his face.               

Sleep came as fast as lightning.