Dance of the Damned

End of Phase Three

Orit and Carvill stared at Micah's weakening body, the fire around them growing even hotter and closer but not quite touching them.

"Don't be afraid," Orit remembered Alexander tell him as they set off from the palace.

He was told by Alexander that he would have to go find Roshi and he will know how to find him when he meets a woman coming in his direction.

But the biggest worry is still the fire.

Their best alchemists made this fire and he witnessed, first hand, just how dangerous this new type of fire was.

It could not be put out with fire and they had to develop a certain powder to put it out. But, until the day before, the powder only succeeded in putting out the fire for less than two seconds before bursting into flames again, like a kind of bomb.

They called them magicians, believing that magic actually exists in this world when it is just chemicals. But that seems like magic in its own right, so I can't say anything about that."

They could also feel the heat of the fire from a mile away, adding to the complication of entering this kingdom.

If I am able to make it there and I get injured by falling buildings? Or what if I catch on fire? What will I do if that happens?

Alexander must have noticed his concern and so told him not to be afraid.

"Unless you explicitly interact with the fire, it will not touch you. The fire only spreads to what it can touch."

Looking around him, Orit could finally understand what he meant.

They were in the middle of fire surrounding them on all sides, they feel the heat, but it did not touch them, not even a little bit and he couldn't help but feel a little in awe with this 'invention.

But all of this will be pointless if he doesn't survive. He thought, looking at Micah. Should I have brought more people?

But I was told to bring just one. What do I do?

__________________________

"How are you able to do this healing?" Carvill remembered asking Micah, the fifth time he saw this healing ability in action.

"I don't know," Micah said, licking the blood running down his pale hand. "I just hit someone one day and all my injuries were gone.

"It does not help that I feel overwhelmed with ecstasy when absorbing someone's life force," he said, smiling sadly. "A truly cursed existence. Don't you think so?"

"I wouldn't say that," he said, looking at Micah. "You ... you are considered a blessing to many, many people."

"That is quite the honour." Micah chuckled, a sad expression on his face. "I should thank them when I meet them."

Roshi is at a level where he is untouchable. The people around him would do anything he asks them to and, if he wanted to, he could be seen as a deity.

So many of the people that came into the guild are important people that want nothing but for him to just acknowledge their existence.

If he were to ask them to kill themselves at that moment, they would do it without question.

I am terrified of his power and yet ... he always lives life as though it is not something important. Not his one anyway.

To him, everyone else's life is important but not his own. What kind of stupid thinking is this?

As long as the leader is alive and well, then can the group function properly. He needs to learn to think of himself more.

Not like he ever did that but Carvill learned to get used to Micah's strange style of doing things and had come to appreciate it as the years went by, growing protective of the boy.

Especially after the things that happened to the two over the six years they knew each other.

_______________________

Now, he is staring at the most likely possibility of him dying and he doesn't know what he can do or should even do.

He can’t die here. H-

"You two are really panicking this much?" Micah laughed, holding his hand out to Carvill how gently pulled him up, supporting him from his back.

"Are you ok?" Carvill asked as Micah turned to him, the skin on his cheek flipping over to reveal the flesh underneath.

“Your skin!!” Orit shouted, pointing to his cheek. “What do we do? Are you in a lot of pain? We should do something about that-“

“Calm down, Orit,” Micah said, smiling at him the skin falling to the ground which did the complete opposite of helping the man calm down.

Ignoring him, Micah turned to Carvill, “That helped but only slightly. I don’t think I will be able to move the rest of my body until I get another one.”

“I will go look for some for you,” Carvill said, getting to his feet but Micah grabbed his sleeve to stop him.

“Get me out of here first, Carvill.” He said, breathing heavily. “We shouldn’t be here any longer than necessary.”

“I’ll bring the horse,” Orit said, running to the horse as Carvill covered the boy in his coat and picked him up in his arms.

So fragile and yet … how is he able to remain this strong?

“You two!” Orit shouted, stopping the horse right in front of them and Carvill jumped on without batting an eye.

“Go!”

________________

Palace horses. They are mostly pampered horses, living a life of luxury but there is a special breed of horses that exist known as the Lonnie horses.

These horses are only used in battle, and that too, only with the strongest kingdoms. No one knows how they are bred but they do know that their speed is unmatched.

Unlike other horses, they are bigger and their hooves hardly make any noise, making them ten times as stealthy and ten times stronger.

It doesn’t help that they look ten times scarier too but it does make an impression. They are the horses that they used in the past two phases.

Carvill’s horse, Emery is also the same type of horse. Alexander gave it to him as a gift after realizing that he is the one taking Micah everywhere.

Because of this, they were able to get through the fire in a completely different direction from where Orit came in by. They needed to avoid Alexander and the people making their way to him to put out the fire at all costs.

_______________

Standing on top of a cliff, overlooking the kingdom below as the fire slowly began to diminish in front of their eyes, Carvill’s attention is on no one else except to Micah.

“I will go now.” He said, letting the boy rest on the end of the trunk. “Is there anyone I should avoid?”

“I am reaching the end,” Micah said, breathing heavily. “I don’t have any right to be picky. But if you could get those closer to death, it would help with the conscience.”

“I suppose it is about time to go hunting then,” Carvill said, stretching. "Give me two minutes. I will bring dinner.”

“Don’t be too late.” Micah chuckled watching Carvill’s tangerine disappear in the distance. He turned and stared at Orit’s Olive lines spreading everywhere in a panic. “Orit?”

“Yes!?” He ran to his side immediately. “Are you in pain? Does it hurt so badly?”

“I think it hurts so bad that I can’t feel anything anymore.” Micah chuckled, wincing in pain with every movement. “Sorry you had to see this side of me.”

“I am honoured to be able to see this side of you, Roshi,” Orit said, voice softening. “As sadistic as that sounds, I mean it in a good way.”

“I understand,” Micah said, sighing. “Just give me an update if anything new happens. I am going to close my eyes for a second.”

“Understood.” He said, nodding his head as Micah closed his eyes, allowing the sounds of the wind and distant cheers filled his ears, basking in it.

Carvill, I am counting on you to keep me alive.

_________________

Carvill stood on a tree branch, watching a group of bandits sit in front of a fire, dividing up their loot.

“Tonight was so successful.” One of them shouted in glee. “You were right to rob the people running from the fire.”

“Blocking their way from safety unless they give us all their belongings were igneous.” Another laughed, patting the man in the middle’s back.

Tilting his head to the side, a smile came on Carvill’s face as he jumped down from the tree, landing on the ground without so much as a sound and walked to the three.

“W-who are you?” One of the men asked, pointing a dagger at Carvill who stared at them, a bored aura around him.

“I want him only to have the best,” Carvill said, appearing in front of one of the men, his eyes black twinkling as the fire continued to flicker while blood and shouts of pain filled the area. “This will have to do, I suppose.”

_______________

“Carvill is here, Roshi!” Orit shouted, shaking Micah to try and keep him awake.

“Roshi. Take these.” He threw the three men on the ground in front of Micah who, upon smelling the blood, immediately dove in and placed the finishing blow, breathing in their soul’s essence as his skin and wounds began to repair itself.

“Incredible,” Orit whispered, staring at Micah as Carvill stood beside him.

“Isn’t it?” He said with pride in his voice, the fire from the kingdom completely gone by then. “This is the person we are following.”

And with that, Phase Three has finally come to an end.