Chapter 34: Arrows

He'd expected to look upon a face of anger, a face of pain or at the very least one that showed promise of vengeance. But the look Rylan saw on the face of Jakob was one that disturbed him a lot more, A Euphoric smile curved his lips, squinted eyes that told tales of the joy he felt. His own blood had completely soaked the fabric of the clothe but he didn't seem to be bothered.

One by one, the players began to step out of the settlement, bow in hand and quivers at their back as they walked into the open forest till they had formed a line behind Jakob. Peter clinged onto Rylan's leg, his hands trembling as his fingers dug into Rylan's thighs.

\[HP : 70/100\]

The notification blocked his vision, a clear reminder of how much damage Anel had inflicted upon him even though after the activation of the Mothlight he could barely feel the wound or the effect of the poisoned blade, Repercussions would surely follow but right now he'd take advantage of his temporary state.

“Hold on tight.” Rylan instructed and Peter listened. Rylan assumed a stance, focusing his Arkana at the base of his feet, threading it through his ankles, his heel, his toes till he could feel the power unmistakably flowing through it. He leaned down, ready to dash away with one large burst of energy when He heard…

“RYLAN!!!!” Jakob shouted so loudly the birds fled from the sanctuary of the trees, filling the silent forest with the sounds of their flapping wings. He stared, not sure why he wasn't moving, not sure what the reason was but he wanted to hear what Jakob had to say. Seeing that he now had Rylan's undivided attention, Jakob passed the bow in his hand to Anel and took a step forward.

“You surprised me, I thought I'd done a good job estimating your abilities but it would seem I still fell short.” He paused as a chuckle escaped him, he rested his hands on his hips and continued. “You are extraordinary in every single way. Who woulda thought you had it in you to rip apart a man's flesh. Not me, definitely not me.” He tapped the space his ear once was and stared at his bloody fingers.

“You pushed me to do that.” Rylan screamed, spitting the taste of blood out of his mouth.

Jakob grinned and nodded with agreement, taking a step forward. “I did. I did. You have my most sincere apology but I'm afraid—I do hold a grudge.” He lifted his palm slightly and immediately they all readied their bows. “Therefore I must repay you because I believe….Every tit, deserves a greater tat.”

They all fixed their arrows and drew back

“Do well to survive…..Prove to me you're worthy of being forgiven.” Jakob said and once again snapped his fingers, immediately, they released the arrows sending them flying into the sky.

“Fuck!” His control faltered, He picked up Peter and ran as fast as he was physically able to, An arrow landed inches to his left, another at his front, one after the other they shot down, soft whistling sounds following but he didn't stop, he kept going only slowing down once he could no longer hear the sound of more coming, Fatigue hit, forcing him to an abrupt stop as he tried to catch his breath, he glanced back to where they had been, he’d been able to cover a distance that made it so that even if Jakob yelled at the top of his lungs all he would hear is a disoriented mumble but still he could make them all out perfectly and the sight he saw made his stomach hollow.

Jakob sat on the floor with his eyes pinned on Rylan, one leg flat on the ground, the other angled towards him and supporting the hand that rested on it, Behind him all the players had once again readied their bows but this time, they had placed five arrows at once, they drew and waited for the command, Jakob let a few seconds pass then once again snapped his fingers. The arrows shot into the air, their numbers blocking the sky and casting a rapidly moving shadow on the ground below them.

“I can't dodge that.” Rylan admitted the simple truth to himself, his head snapped to Peter as he thought of a way they could both get out of this alive, if he protected himself with Arkana and used his body as a shield there was still a chance that one may hit him, he could push him away but the distance he'd need to cover to make it so that not a single arrow would touch him would do just as much damage, he'd been trying to activate the mothlight again but it refused him, he'd notice the strain activation put on his body and every time he did as much as even tried to activate it the strain worsened, it wasn't an option, so what other choice was there? He turned to face Peter again, the fear palpable in the boys eyes as he watched the arrows descend.

“I won't fail you.” Rylan said to himself as he tightened his grip on peters wrist, drew in a sharp breath, forced his eyes close and focused on the panicked flow of his own Arkana.

One.

“Rylan!” Peter screamed as he tugged at Rylan's grasp but Rylan stayed, unmoving and unresponsive, eyes closed and and brows creased.

Two.

“Rylan!” His screams were louder, tears filled his eyes and the arrows were closer.

Three, it spread and The arrows landed in a flurry but they couldn't penetrate, He felt the pinch of the first arrow as it made contact, no pierce, just unyielding resistance and they bounced off, broke and Scattered on impact but like rain it continued, uncomfortable prickles on his skin but after a few seconds it stopped and Rylan allowed himself to open his eyes, His heart thumped with fear and anticipation, he'd tried to do something he'd never done before and if he'd failed he didn't know if he'd be able to live with himself.